THE AVENGERS: And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat! On that day, the Avengers were born, to fight the foes no single super-hero could withstand!
THE X-MEN: Born with genetic mutations that give them abilities beyond those of normal humans, mutants are the next stage in evolution! As such they are feared and hated by humanity! But a group of mutants known as the X-Men fight for peaceful coexistence between mutants and humankind!
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It had been nearly two weeks since the battle on Genosha transformed the island from a burgeoning mutant paradise to a war zone wracked by ecological disaster. Crude oil still burned on the coastal waters surrounding the island, spilled from the government's seemingly bottomless oil plants after various attacks on them. It was as if the coasts of the island were fortified by pillars of raging fire and dark clouds of smoke. Electromagnetic storms ravaged the island violently with cackles of energy and waves of radiation, ripping open strange portals and then closing them shut just as suddenly as they appeared.
Genosha was possibly the closest thing to Hell on Earth that the natural world had seen.
A small military watercraft, armored with a mounted canon like an aquatic tank and a blue and white United Nations flag, cruised over the flaming crude filled waters and broke through the clouds of blinding smoke at the edge of Hammer Bay's beach. Once it struck the darkened sand, heavy-duty wheels powered by turbines activated and carried the watercraft a safe distance away from the fiery coast. It parked and a large hatch opened at the back.
U.N. Peacekeepers in armored HAZMAT suits emerged with rifles at the ready. A man at the head of the squad began to motion and direct the peacekeepers. Some took formation at the rears of the watercraft while most others followed him up the beach to the streets of Genosha's capital.
{{ “What's our status so far?” }} the squad leader, a man with a heavy African accent, asked.
{{ “Just as you would expect,” }} a woman with a similar accent respond. {{ “Communications are offline. Recording equipment is offline. Sensors are offline. Infrared is a mess.” }}
{{ “Does anything work?” }} another peacekeeper grumbled as they scanned the wasteland they had just entered. Gunfire exploded from within their ranks, cutting down a warped street sign. Everyone looked to the shooter and the squad leader scowled.
{{ “Rifles work fine.” }}
{{ “Knock that shit off!” }} the squad leader shouted. {{ “We're on a rescue mission. What if there are any survivors out there that are scared off by your foolishness?” }}
The errant peacekeeper swallowed back what little smirk they had on their face and became stoic.
{{ “Now come on... We've got a job to do.” }}
The squad of peacekeepers continued through the streets. They had all been brief on the disturbances on the island, but the blurred pictures and limited video could have never prepared them for what they saw. Genosha's infrastructure looked like an urban war zone. Cars were burnt to husks, buildings were bombed out, a body or three littered the streets every dozen yards or so, and as far as the eye could see pavement had been scarred or sunken in. Worse, the sky was blood red from the pollution and fires that couldn't be contained. Cackles of electricity danced about them, sometimes coming within inches of striking them before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere, and the eerie howling of nearby electromagnetic storms was unnerving to say the least.
{{ “How could anyone or anything survive in this nightmare?” }} the errant peacekeeper muttered.
{{ “Believe it or not, something is out there,” }} the female technician said as she consulted a transmission device. {{ “I'm picking up some kind of radio signal. Old Morse code.” }}
{{ “Are you serious?” }} the squad leader asked. {{ “They must know as well as we do that conventional communication systems are down. Let's keep moving in their direction.” }}
The technician directed the peacekeepers and they followed suit... However, unbeknownst to them, something or someone else was following them.
Moments later, the howling from the nearby electromagnetic storms would intensify. The men and women who made up the U.N. Peacekeepers would yell violently and cry out in terror. Claws would shred their armor. Brute force would break their bones. Horror would overcome their hearts. They would fire their guns in retaliation and use the butts of their rifles to fend off their attackers, but it was to no avail. They would all fall one by one.
As the final screams echoed throughout the barren city, a man watching from several blocks away on top of a bombed out building's rooftop lowered his binoculars. The small group of mutant men, women, and children that surrounded him seemed to be overcome with despair at the slaughter of their saviors.
“Damn,” Jamie Madrox said with a deep sigh. “Not again...”
Genosha was possibly the closest thing to Hell on Earth that the natural world had seen.
A small military watercraft, armored with a mounted canon like an aquatic tank and a blue and white United Nations flag, cruised over the flaming crude filled waters and broke through the clouds of blinding smoke at the edge of Hammer Bay's beach. Once it struck the darkened sand, heavy-duty wheels powered by turbines activated and carried the watercraft a safe distance away from the fiery coast. It parked and a large hatch opened at the back.
U.N. Peacekeepers in armored HAZMAT suits emerged with rifles at the ready. A man at the head of the squad began to motion and direct the peacekeepers. Some took formation at the rears of the watercraft while most others followed him up the beach to the streets of Genosha's capital.
{{ “What's our status so far?” }} the squad leader, a man with a heavy African accent, asked.
{{ “Just as you would expect,” }} a woman with a similar accent respond. {{ “Communications are offline. Recording equipment is offline. Sensors are offline. Infrared is a mess.” }}
{{ “Does anything work?” }} another peacekeeper grumbled as they scanned the wasteland they had just entered. Gunfire exploded from within their ranks, cutting down a warped street sign. Everyone looked to the shooter and the squad leader scowled.
{{ “Rifles work fine.” }}
{{ “Knock that shit off!” }} the squad leader shouted. {{ “We're on a rescue mission. What if there are any survivors out there that are scared off by your foolishness?” }}
The errant peacekeeper swallowed back what little smirk they had on their face and became stoic.
{{ “Now come on... We've got a job to do.” }}
The squad of peacekeepers continued through the streets. They had all been brief on the disturbances on the island, but the blurred pictures and limited video could have never prepared them for what they saw. Genosha's infrastructure looked like an urban war zone. Cars were burnt to husks, buildings were bombed out, a body or three littered the streets every dozen yards or so, and as far as the eye could see pavement had been scarred or sunken in. Worse, the sky was blood red from the pollution and fires that couldn't be contained. Cackles of electricity danced about them, sometimes coming within inches of striking them before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere, and the eerie howling of nearby electromagnetic storms was unnerving to say the least.
{{ “How could anyone or anything survive in this nightmare?” }} the errant peacekeeper muttered.
{{ “Believe it or not, something is out there,” }} the female technician said as she consulted a transmission device. {{ “I'm picking up some kind of radio signal. Old Morse code.” }}
{{ “Are you serious?” }} the squad leader asked. {{ “They must know as well as we do that conventional communication systems are down. Let's keep moving in their direction.” }}
The technician directed the peacekeepers and they followed suit... However, unbeknownst to them, something or someone else was following them.
Moments later, the howling from the nearby electromagnetic storms would intensify. The men and women who made up the U.N. Peacekeepers would yell violently and cry out in terror. Claws would shred their armor. Brute force would break their bones. Horror would overcome their hearts. They would fire their guns in retaliation and use the butts of their rifles to fend off their attackers, but it was to no avail. They would all fall one by one.
As the final screams echoed throughout the barren city, a man watching from several blocks away on top of a bombed out building's rooftop lowered his binoculars. The small group of mutant men, women, and children that surrounded him seemed to be overcome with despair at the slaughter of their saviors.
“Damn,” Jamie Madrox said with a deep sigh. “Not again...”
MARVEL 2000 PROUDLY PRESENTS
PART ONE
Justice for the Fallen
San Marcos was a small country with only one real city, its capital of the same name. Today that city was engulfed in chaos, its government replaced by anarchy. The seat of government that was the palace had been reduced to a smoldering ruin, and virtually all government officials were dead or missing.
Lawless mobs rioted across the city. One violent crowd marched through what had been a high-class district. Carried above them were several poles, upon which dead bodies were hanging. One of the bodies had a natural purple hue to her skin, and a sign that read “Mutie Scum!” was hanging around her neck.
Watching discreetly from the window of an empty home, Roberto DaCosta despaired at the end of human/mutant co-existence. The former president of San Marcos turned from the scene of violence to address the few soldiers he’d gathered. “As of now, there’s still a secure naval base. Tonight we’ll head there, and take a boat out of-”
The explosion drowned out the rest of Roberto’s words. He turned back to the window, and witnessed a scene of horror. The crowd had dispersed in the worst way possible, with bloodied bodies flying everywhere. The explosion had occurred in the center of the crowd, and Roberto didn’t see any shrapnel or other sign of explosives.
“They’re here.” Roberto moved away from the window. “We need to go now!”
A door was kicked in. A wall smashed through. From two directions they came, four mutants that Roberto had known well. One of Roberto’s soldiers raised a gun to open fire, but thrown acid burned the rifle… and the soldier’s face.
The acid thrown from Anarchist’s hands wasn’t particularly aimed at anything. It simply served to distract the armed men while the mutant behind him could move forward and attack. Orphan’s power was super-sensitivity, giving him uncanny awareness of his surroundings and individual weaknesses. In three moves he disabled three men, crippling one for life. His fourth move ended that crippled life.
From the other side came Feral, and mutant with cat-life features and a sadistic instinct. Every swipe of her claws could have been a killing blow, but she chose to maim instead. The man beside her went straight for the kill, cutting down three men with a single sword-stroke.
Roberto couldn’t believe who he was seeing. “Shatter-”
A kick to the face sent Roberto flying out the window. Shatterstar, the mutant warrior from Mojoworld, leaped after him. He nimbly touched the ground before Roberto, and kicked his former friend hard in the ribs. As Roberto lay prone on the ground, Shatterstar plunged his sword down. The double-bladed weapon grazed either side of Roberto’s arm, effectively pinning him in place.
“How?”
“How is it that I’m alive?” Shatterstar leaned in close, his face inches from Roberto’s. “One moment I was on Genosha, being torn apart by Magneto. The next moment, I awoke in a mental facility in Vermont. Where will you wake up?”
Shatterstar raised his other sword. Before he could plunge it down, a voice stopped him.
“Hold it a minute there, Shatster.” She stepped over burning bodies into Roberto’s line of sight. She was Meltdown, and spheres of energy were rolling along her fingers. “This is Sunspot, an old friend of ours. We can’t just kill him outright.”
Meltdown looked down at her former lover, and grinned. “But cut off some limbs first. He can watch as I blow them up.”
“They’re all dead,” Feral said as she emerged from the house with Orphan and Anarchist. Some groans could be heard. “Mostly. Blood loss can be a tricky thing. Oh, our old pal still looks pretty.”
Sunlight glinted off Feral’s claws, suggesting she wanted to change that.
“All in good time.” Meltdown knelt next to Shatterstar and looked at Roberto. “Have you heard about what’s gone down in Genosha? And I don’t mean what’s on the news. Do you know what really happened?”
“Please,” Roberto began. Meltdown pressed a time-bomb to his lips.
“Quiet time. We eventually figured out what happened. Exodus tore some shit up, kind of like what he did here. But it wasn’t just him. Ragnarok and the Fallen One were there too, and apparently they worked for X-Nation. You are a part of X-Nation.” Meltdown pulled her bomb back. “You may speak.”
“They’re all dead. Bogan and Selene, I helped kill them when I learned-”
“Shhh, you little shit.” Meltdown pushed her bomb back down, between Roberto’s lips and down his throat. “You don’t get to call ignorance on genocide. Among your many, many mistakes is that you didn’t finish things. Genosha may have fallen, but we Angels shall avenge it.”
“Sorry, but no.” The Fallen Angels looked up to see who had spoken. A woman, the superhero known as Warbird, was hovering over them. “If there’s any avenging to be done, it’ll be by us.”
“And who the hell are you?” Feral hissed.
Warbird frowned. “We’re the Avengers. And you're under arrest.”
A body surrounded by brightly colored balls leaped into the midst of the Fallen Angels. “You have the right to remain silent,” Speedball yelled as he bounced off Orphan. The super-sensitive mutant collapsed to the ground in a shaking fight.
“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” Darkhawk said as he flew into view and knocked Shatterstar back with a darkforce blast. Anarchist threw acid, but it had no effect on the alien armor. Darkhawk took a swipe with his grapple claw, but Feral ducked the attack.
“If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you.” It was Starfox that caught Feral in a flying tackle, but it was Stingray that spoke. An arc of electricity went from his armor to Meltdown, throwing her stunned form away from the president of San Marcos.
Without fear, Espirita appeared and calmly walked toward Anarchist. “Do you understand these rights as they have been read?”
“Suck it!” Anarchist screamed and threw acid at the woman. Espirita kept going forward, and when the acid struck her it bubbled and evaporated. She didn’t appear affected in the slightest, save for the disappointment that passed over her face.
“I will pray for you,” Espirita said just before Darkhawk punched Anarchist in the face. “Hopefully he, and all of you, will reflect on the choices that led to his moment.”
“That includes you, Mister President.” Warbird lowered herself to the ground and stood beside Roberto. She reached a hand over his mouth, and Meltdown’s globule emerged. “There are a lot of dead and dying here, but that ends now.”
“Only with his death!” Meltdown yelled. “Three two one!”
The globule in Warbird’s hand fizzled. “Sorry, I already absorbed most of the energy.” Her hand other reached down and grabbed a piece of brick. “Your last choice is whether to keep fighting. And in case you think your own energy won’t be much use against you…” The brick crumbled when Warbird closed her hand.
Meltdown grinned, and threw her hands out. “Some choose to run. I fight.”
Warbird could hear the scramble of feet behind her, and sighed. Grenades of energy flew from Meltdown’s hands. Warbird flew up, and fired light bursts of the power. The explosions shook her, but did little else.
Shatterstar had quickly recovered and rushed at Darkhawk. A second blast of darkforce was fired, but Shatterstar was ready and deftly avoided it. Darkhawk wasn’t as successful in avoiding the sword thrust. He grunted as the alien metal pierced his body.
“Ahh!” Espirita flew fast into the air, and barely avoided the slash of Shatterstar’s other sword. By reflex she released a stream of fire that Shatterstar leaped back to avoid. Stingray flew at him as Darkhawk dealt with the sword in his side. Anarchist remained unconscious at his feet, and nearby Orphan remained overwhelmed with Speedball hopping about.
Starfox no longer had his hands around Feral’s wrists, as she was no longer trying to claw out his eyes. Instead she lay in a furry ball at his feet, purring. “This kitten doesn’t want to fight anymore. Should I go after him?”
“He won’t go far.” Warbird kept flying circles around Meltdown. “Help the others. I’ve got his one until Binary arrives.”
Roberto DaCosta made it half-a-block when a young black woman stepped into his path. She appeared to be wearing a red body-suit with a white bathing suit over it, with white opera gloves and thigh-high boots. Over her heart there was a stylized “A”.
“Please give it up,” she said. “We have orders not to hurt you, but you are coming with us.”
“Sorry, if you’re an Avenger I don’t know who you are.” Roberto activated his powers, and Sunspot’s dark skin went black with solar energy. He threw a fist back and swung it at her face. “You brought this on yourself!”
“Oooh, look who went black and bad all of a sudden.” Binary caught Sunspot’s fist with a hand that crackled with power. Her own skin had suddenly changed hue into a fiery reddish black. Binary cocked her other arm back. “It’s a shame for you that I’m blacker, and badder!”
Fire, electricity, and darkforce all served to drive Shatterstar into position, and Starfox delivered a haymaker that nearly took his head off. On her own, Meltdown was keeping Warbird at bay with time bombs thrown by one hand. Her other hand was raised overhead, a sphere of energy growing larger and larger just above it.
“I’ll blow this whole city before I let you take me in!” Meltdown said. “I mean it, so just back off!”
“That’s not an option.” Warbird had had enough. She flew at Meltdown. Bombs went off in her path, but they lacked the energy to do more than annoy her. The leader of the Avengers collided with the leader of the Fallen Angels, hard. All the fight was knocked out of the young woman, and turning on a dime, Warbird grabbed the energy sphere and flew upwards. The explosion high above the city was spectacular.
Warbird flew down into view, disheveled but none the worse for wear. She landed gently amidst her teammates and their defeated foes. “Everybody accounted for?”
Sunspot was dropped at Warbird’s feet. Binary landed beside her. “The distinguished gentleman tried to put up a fight. I don’t think I hurt him too badly.”
Warbird nodded, none too bothered. “All right. Let’s pack them all into the Quinjet and get out of here.”
“And leave these people to their suffering?” Espirita swept a hand over the scene. Soldiers were dead, and where Meltdown had thrown her time-bomb more lay prone. “The violence didn’t begin with these intruders, and it won’t end with their removal.”
“Peacekeepers are coming in,” Warbird said. “Our mission was to secure President DaCosta. Anything else risks losing custody of him and the Fallen Angels.”
“Even if we could stave off San Marcos becoming another Genosha?” Speedball asked. “I mean, couldn’t we do both?”
Warbird grinned. “Actually, I think we could. Avengers Assemble.”
Dating back from her time in the Air Force, Warbird had disliked being in the office of a bureaucrat. They always reflected the man; appearing to be tough, but cautious to a fault. The man sitting across from Warbird didn’t seem to be an exception.
“That was quite a mess you made out of San Marcos.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Secretary, we walked into a mess,” Warbird said. “The government had collapsed, factions were at each other’s throats, and the Fallen Angels were merciless in their hunt for…former President DaCosta. You personally requested that the Avengers intervene. I fail to see what the problem is.”
The Secretary removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You were supposed to go in, make the grab, and leave. Other parties were contracted to pacify the nation. Instead, according to the angry calls I’ve been fielding, you kicked them out.”
“We managed to handle the entire situation,” Warbird said. “And some money’s been saved. Happy news all around.”
“That’s not the point.” Punctuated with a fist to the desk. Warbird had to hold back a smile. Trying to appear tough. “There were people in San Marcos we could have worked with. I heard they’ve been held, awaiting trial by unknown radicals.”
“Yes, there’s evidence of corruption and sexual assaults,” Warbird said. “All uncovered by me and my people. As for those leading the interim government, the most radical idea I found was some crazy notion about serving their country.”
The door to the office opened before Warbird’s last remark could be responded to. A woman with green hair popped her head it. “Sir. If you’re done with her, I need to speak with Colonel Danvers.”
Without another word, the Secretary nodded his head. Warbird rose to her feet and followed the woman out of the hall. “Thank you for that. I’ve had more pleasant root canals. Director Brand, I take it?”
Abigail Brand, Director of the X.S.E., shook Warbird’s hand. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel. Or do you prefer Captain, when you’re dressed like…?”
As they walked together, Director Brand gestured at Warbird’s costume. For most people, a black swimsuit-style bodysuit wouldn’t be considered appropriate attire for a government meeting. Fortunately, Warbird was a super-hero and Chairman of the Avengers.
“The code-name I answer to his Warbird. I’ve actually never gone by Captain Marvel.”
“Have you ever thought about it?” asked Director Brand. “I mean, technically it is a demotion, but for some reason Captain plays very well with the public. It probably began with all those naval stories. Noble Captain of a ship, frustrating that stodgy Admiral.”
Warbird sighed. “Did you really want to talk to me about code-names?”
“Kind of. Ever heard of the Multiple Man?”
“Vaguely. Can’t say as I’ve ever met him, though I can guess why he’s called that.”
“How about Magneto? Or Mystique?”
Those names made Warbird pause. “Oh yes, I’m well aware of them. Have you learned what happened to Magneto, after what happened?”
“We’re fairly certain he’s not on Genosha.” Director Brand indicated that Warbird should continue walking with her. “The Fallen Angels have been debriefed. They all deny knowing where he is, and unfortunately I believe them. As you can imagine, finding Magneto is our top priority.”
“Well ahead of helping anybody still on Genosha, I’m sure,” Warbird said.
Director Brand made a face. “Please, you can go shove your judgment. SHIELD is an intelligence agency. Other aspects of the United Nations deal with the humanitarian side of things. Unfortunately, for the time being neither can be accomplished in Genosha.”
The room that Warbird followed Director Brand into was occupied by technicians and monitors. Most of the monitors had blurred pictures that Warbird hadn’t seen since she had an antenna television. The other monitors were pure static.
“We’ve piece together some of what happened in Genosha, and it was bad enough that all electronic surveillance is useless. That leaves human intelligence, and once they go in we lose contact.” Director Brand shook her head. “None have come back.”
“Then how do you know anything at all?” Warbird asked.
“Jaime Madrox, code-named Multiple Man,” was Director Brand’s response. “He managed to get some duplicates off the island just as things were going south. We suspect the man himself is still on the island, hopefully alive. Others could be alive too, almost certainly followers of Magneto. So we’re talking about an unpredictable, chaotic environment with roaming bands of hostile mutants.”
“I’ve seen this movie, and I wasn’t a big fan,” Warbird said. “So you’re saying that SHIELD and the X.S.E. wants the Avengers to go into Genosha?”
Director Brand nodded. “I realize none of your children have been kidnapped lately, so it’s a big ask.”
Warbird couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Oh wow. That…we probably deserve that. Yeah, the Avengers should have been in Genosha before then, and we certainly shouldn’t have left until the job was done.”
“Understand, my main concern is Madrox. The man has vital intelligence. As long as you get him out, I don’t care what you do after. Though to be honest, if I wanted to enlist help for a lost cause like knitting Genosha back together, I would have probably called the X-Men.”
Several levels below the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in Westchester County, New York, Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy sat on a swivel chair in front of a beautiful young woman with a head full of striking green hair. She sat on a lab bed and her arm rested on a stand where he drew blood from her. After filling a fourth vial, he handed it to one of his feet and grasped it with his toes, while removing the needle and blood collection set, and bandaging her arm. His simian physique and quadridextrous nature enabled him to pass the vials along his feet and insert them into a nearby machine for processing by the lab's computers.
“That should do it,” Hank said as he completed his impressive feat of multitasking. “And in exchange for the beautiful young lady's donation...”
He withdrew something from his lab coat and handed it to Lorna Dane, his former teammate and longtime ally with the X-Men. She chuckled under her breath as she took the small princess themed gift bag.
“Seriously? I should be the one giving you a lollipop and a sticker, not the other way around.”
“Nonsense,” Hank said with the wave of his hand. “The Xavier Institute is an official non-partisan, not-for-profit, mutant research center and boarding school now. It would be unethical for me to accept such extravagant gifts from a mutant woman in need.”
“And a woman in need I am,” Lorna lamented as she summoned a weak magnetic sphere in her hands. Hank watched as her focus seem to intensify and yet the sphere dissipated. She looked up as he put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of confidence.
“Don't worry, Lorna,” Hank said reassuringly. “I'm sure there's a perfectly normal explanation for why your powers have been acting up lately. We have the best minds on superhuman mutation working here, if I do say so myself... and the best medical equipment Warren's people could use as a write-off for us.”
Lorna smiled weakly and pat Hank on the arm, quietly thanking him.
“How is Warren these days?” she asked.
“As well as can be expected after Emma's hostile takeover*,” Hank explained. “He and some of the former X-Corp board members are working with Jean and the others are working to track down Genoshan refugees who've escaped the island.”
[* X-Corp #25 by Brad Horton – Former Editor-in-Cory]
Lorna looked surprised. “I had no idea there was a mutant effort to help Genoshan refugees,” she said as she rubbed her arm. “That's great.”
“Believe it or not, the government specifically asked us to help.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“What's the catch, I wonder?”
“Though it would be foolish to presume anything, I was under the impression there was no catch,” Hank said as he began running tests on Lorna's blood samples. “The Xavier Institute and X-Corp are publicly known entities of sorts. We're the experts on all things weird and wonky be they mutants.”
Lorna liked the idea, but she wasn't all that convinced. Maybe there was something she could do, or something she should do, to help...
As she watched Hank work on the lab computer, the doors to the medical bay opened with a depressurizing hiss.
“Ah, geeze, Hank... I thought you promised you'd tell me when you were gonna invite my exes over for dinner...” a voice said from the doorway. Lorna and Hank looked up to see Bobby Drake walk in with a playful smirk on his face. “I mean, at least give me a chance to turn off the Toni Braxton and hide our old photo albums.”
Lorna rolled her eyes. “Nice to see you too, Bobby.”
“Un-break my heart, say you'll love me again, undo this hurt you caused,” Bobby sang melodramatically and wildly off key as he walked over and gave her a side hug. She reciprocated warmly enough; she was either trying not to laugh or trying to fake a laugh. Hank just shook his head.
“Hey, Hydra Hair.”
“Hi, Mr. Drake.”
Hank continued to examine Lorna's test results on the lab computer when he nonchalantly commented, “You know, Robert, there is something to be said about remaining friends after a break-up... that happened over a decade ago...”
“Tell that to Trish Tilby,” Bobby shot back with a snicker. Lorna hit him on the arm in shock. Suddenly, Hank turned from his work, took off his glasses, and pointed a clawed finger at Bobby.
“Too mean. Too soon,” the director of the Xavier Institute said sternly.
“Okay, okay. Sheesh. Let's call it square and move on with our lives,” Bobby said with a chuckle as he looked between both of his friends. Hank growled and went back to work while Lorna hid a small grin. “Don't you wish you were still on the squad, Lorna? Playful banter, mutant death rays, new class of students, big huge genome project thing, Logan's body odor... We've got it all!”
Lorna didn't know what to say. She did miss her time with the X-Men and X-Factor, to a degree, but she had been through so much in her life and it never quite felt like it was . Could the new Xavier Institute really be a place for her to balance . When she opened her mouth to say something, she was cut off by an alarm going off on Hank's lab computer.
{{ ALERT! ALERT! }} Cerebro's voice computerized voice said. Hank opened a different window from the test results and typed in a series of commands. A stream of information poured in. {{ Mutant energy signatures detected. Biomutative classification beyond conventional scans. }}
“What is it?” Lorna asked, trading an awkward glance with Bobby.
“It would seem somebody is about to come-a-knocking on our door...”
The three mutants rushed out of the Xavier Institute and across its lawn towards the back of the mansion. Beast bounded on all fours across the lawn, Polaris flew through the air on electromagnetic waves, and Iceman slid across a bridge of ice. They reached the back of the mansion just in time to see what Cerebro had detected. It was a blur of crimson and eminence, cackling with electromagnetic energy, shooting down from the heavens towards the mansion grounds like a comet.
“Incoming!” Beast shouted mere moments before impact.
“Behind me!” Polaris yelled as she erected an electromagnetic shield in front of them. Beast and Iceman instinctively flinched as dirt and debris crashed toward them. When the dust settled, Polaris dropped the shield and waved a hand in front of her face to help clear the air.
“Is everyone alright?” Beast called out to his longtime friends.
“I'm good,” Polaris replied, coughing slightly because of the dusty air.
“Roger dodger,” Iceman said with a nod as he cleared his throat.
A large crater was left in the field of grass near the orchards from the impact and chunks of dirt and grass were strew in all directions. Dust was still settling around the gaping hole in the ground. The three rushed X-Men over to it but became increasingly cautious as they got closer to it. Before they could reach the crater and see what was inside, Polaris felt the hairs on her neck stand up and came to a stop.
“Oh my God,” she muttered as a chill ran down her spine. “It's him...”
Beast and Iceman stopped to look at her. Before they could confirm their suspicions, another cackle of electromagnetic ripped through the air. A portal ripped open in the sky and another blur of electromagnetic energy shot out of it towards the crater. This one was a blur of platinum, crimson, and yellow.
“Here comes another one. Brace yourselves!” Beast called out.
They readied themselves for a similar impact, but the blur seemed to take on a life of its own in the sky and descend onto the grounds, albeit still at rapid speeds. A tall and muscular woman with shortly cropped platinum blonde hair appeared on the other side of the crater and ran towards the impact site.
“Who's this....?” Polaris asked no one in particular.
Iceman recognized the woman immediately. Running towards her, Iceman generated a bridge of ice under his feet that carried him across the grass quickly.
“Robert, wait – !” Beast started to say, but Iceman ignored him.
“Hey, I know you!” he exclaimed as he flanked her on his ice slide.
“Shut up and help me!” Sienna Blaze yelled as she rushed down into the crater.
“Hotpsychochicksayswhat?” Iceman spat back indignantly. He clinched his fists as they erupted with an icy aura. “If that's who I think it is then I'm just as inclined to freeze his crusty lips to your tush, lady.”
“Robert, please...” Beast urged civility as he bounded across the lawn and landed between the two. Polaris wasn't far behind him. Iceman rolled his eyes and leaped off of his ice bridge.
Beast jumped down into the crater and moved to Sienna's side as she knelt down beside a man struggling to move to his hands and knees. She took a hold of him as he braced himself on her, gritting his teeth. He had long white hair, sunken gray-blue eyes, and an unshaven face.
“Genosha... has fallen...” Magneto struggled to speak. “You must help me... save... th... “
Then the world's most wanted mutant wanted mutant collapsed at the feet of his sworn enemies.
Lawless mobs rioted across the city. One violent crowd marched through what had been a high-class district. Carried above them were several poles, upon which dead bodies were hanging. One of the bodies had a natural purple hue to her skin, and a sign that read “Mutie Scum!” was hanging around her neck.
Watching discreetly from the window of an empty home, Roberto DaCosta despaired at the end of human/mutant co-existence. The former president of San Marcos turned from the scene of violence to address the few soldiers he’d gathered. “As of now, there’s still a secure naval base. Tonight we’ll head there, and take a boat out of-”
The explosion drowned out the rest of Roberto’s words. He turned back to the window, and witnessed a scene of horror. The crowd had dispersed in the worst way possible, with bloodied bodies flying everywhere. The explosion had occurred in the center of the crowd, and Roberto didn’t see any shrapnel or other sign of explosives.
“They’re here.” Roberto moved away from the window. “We need to go now!”
A door was kicked in. A wall smashed through. From two directions they came, four mutants that Roberto had known well. One of Roberto’s soldiers raised a gun to open fire, but thrown acid burned the rifle… and the soldier’s face.
The acid thrown from Anarchist’s hands wasn’t particularly aimed at anything. It simply served to distract the armed men while the mutant behind him could move forward and attack. Orphan’s power was super-sensitivity, giving him uncanny awareness of his surroundings and individual weaknesses. In three moves he disabled three men, crippling one for life. His fourth move ended that crippled life.
From the other side came Feral, and mutant with cat-life features and a sadistic instinct. Every swipe of her claws could have been a killing blow, but she chose to maim instead. The man beside her went straight for the kill, cutting down three men with a single sword-stroke.
Roberto couldn’t believe who he was seeing. “Shatter-”
A kick to the face sent Roberto flying out the window. Shatterstar, the mutant warrior from Mojoworld, leaped after him. He nimbly touched the ground before Roberto, and kicked his former friend hard in the ribs. As Roberto lay prone on the ground, Shatterstar plunged his sword down. The double-bladed weapon grazed either side of Roberto’s arm, effectively pinning him in place.
“How?”
“How is it that I’m alive?” Shatterstar leaned in close, his face inches from Roberto’s. “One moment I was on Genosha, being torn apart by Magneto. The next moment, I awoke in a mental facility in Vermont. Where will you wake up?”
Shatterstar raised his other sword. Before he could plunge it down, a voice stopped him.
“Hold it a minute there, Shatster.” She stepped over burning bodies into Roberto’s line of sight. She was Meltdown, and spheres of energy were rolling along her fingers. “This is Sunspot, an old friend of ours. We can’t just kill him outright.”
Meltdown looked down at her former lover, and grinned. “But cut off some limbs first. He can watch as I blow them up.”
“They’re all dead,” Feral said as she emerged from the house with Orphan and Anarchist. Some groans could be heard. “Mostly. Blood loss can be a tricky thing. Oh, our old pal still looks pretty.”
Sunlight glinted off Feral’s claws, suggesting she wanted to change that.
“All in good time.” Meltdown knelt next to Shatterstar and looked at Roberto. “Have you heard about what’s gone down in Genosha? And I don’t mean what’s on the news. Do you know what really happened?”
“Please,” Roberto began. Meltdown pressed a time-bomb to his lips.
“Quiet time. We eventually figured out what happened. Exodus tore some shit up, kind of like what he did here. But it wasn’t just him. Ragnarok and the Fallen One were there too, and apparently they worked for X-Nation. You are a part of X-Nation.” Meltdown pulled her bomb back. “You may speak.”
“They’re all dead. Bogan and Selene, I helped kill them when I learned-”
“Shhh, you little shit.” Meltdown pushed her bomb back down, between Roberto’s lips and down his throat. “You don’t get to call ignorance on genocide. Among your many, many mistakes is that you didn’t finish things. Genosha may have fallen, but we Angels shall avenge it.”
“Sorry, but no.” The Fallen Angels looked up to see who had spoken. A woman, the superhero known as Warbird, was hovering over them. “If there’s any avenging to be done, it’ll be by us.”
“And who the hell are you?” Feral hissed.
Warbird frowned. “We’re the Avengers. And you're under arrest.”
A body surrounded by brightly colored balls leaped into the midst of the Fallen Angels. “You have the right to remain silent,” Speedball yelled as he bounced off Orphan. The super-sensitive mutant collapsed to the ground in a shaking fight.
“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,” Darkhawk said as he flew into view and knocked Shatterstar back with a darkforce blast. Anarchist threw acid, but it had no effect on the alien armor. Darkhawk took a swipe with his grapple claw, but Feral ducked the attack.
“If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you.” It was Starfox that caught Feral in a flying tackle, but it was Stingray that spoke. An arc of electricity went from his armor to Meltdown, throwing her stunned form away from the president of San Marcos.
Without fear, Espirita appeared and calmly walked toward Anarchist. “Do you understand these rights as they have been read?”
“Suck it!” Anarchist screamed and threw acid at the woman. Espirita kept going forward, and when the acid struck her it bubbled and evaporated. She didn’t appear affected in the slightest, save for the disappointment that passed over her face.
“I will pray for you,” Espirita said just before Darkhawk punched Anarchist in the face. “Hopefully he, and all of you, will reflect on the choices that led to his moment.”
“That includes you, Mister President.” Warbird lowered herself to the ground and stood beside Roberto. She reached a hand over his mouth, and Meltdown’s globule emerged. “There are a lot of dead and dying here, but that ends now.”
“Only with his death!” Meltdown yelled. “Three two one!”
The globule in Warbird’s hand fizzled. “Sorry, I already absorbed most of the energy.” Her hand other reached down and grabbed a piece of brick. “Your last choice is whether to keep fighting. And in case you think your own energy won’t be much use against you…” The brick crumbled when Warbird closed her hand.
Meltdown grinned, and threw her hands out. “Some choose to run. I fight.”
Warbird could hear the scramble of feet behind her, and sighed. Grenades of energy flew from Meltdown’s hands. Warbird flew up, and fired light bursts of the power. The explosions shook her, but did little else.
Shatterstar had quickly recovered and rushed at Darkhawk. A second blast of darkforce was fired, but Shatterstar was ready and deftly avoided it. Darkhawk wasn’t as successful in avoiding the sword thrust. He grunted as the alien metal pierced his body.
“Ahh!” Espirita flew fast into the air, and barely avoided the slash of Shatterstar’s other sword. By reflex she released a stream of fire that Shatterstar leaped back to avoid. Stingray flew at him as Darkhawk dealt with the sword in his side. Anarchist remained unconscious at his feet, and nearby Orphan remained overwhelmed with Speedball hopping about.
Starfox no longer had his hands around Feral’s wrists, as she was no longer trying to claw out his eyes. Instead she lay in a furry ball at his feet, purring. “This kitten doesn’t want to fight anymore. Should I go after him?”
“He won’t go far.” Warbird kept flying circles around Meltdown. “Help the others. I’ve got his one until Binary arrives.”
Roberto DaCosta made it half-a-block when a young black woman stepped into his path. She appeared to be wearing a red body-suit with a white bathing suit over it, with white opera gloves and thigh-high boots. Over her heart there was a stylized “A”.
“Please give it up,” she said. “We have orders not to hurt you, but you are coming with us.”
“Sorry, if you’re an Avenger I don’t know who you are.” Roberto activated his powers, and Sunspot’s dark skin went black with solar energy. He threw a fist back and swung it at her face. “You brought this on yourself!”
“Oooh, look who went black and bad all of a sudden.” Binary caught Sunspot’s fist with a hand that crackled with power. Her own skin had suddenly changed hue into a fiery reddish black. Binary cocked her other arm back. “It’s a shame for you that I’m blacker, and badder!”
Fire, electricity, and darkforce all served to drive Shatterstar into position, and Starfox delivered a haymaker that nearly took his head off. On her own, Meltdown was keeping Warbird at bay with time bombs thrown by one hand. Her other hand was raised overhead, a sphere of energy growing larger and larger just above it.
“I’ll blow this whole city before I let you take me in!” Meltdown said. “I mean it, so just back off!”
“That’s not an option.” Warbird had had enough. She flew at Meltdown. Bombs went off in her path, but they lacked the energy to do more than annoy her. The leader of the Avengers collided with the leader of the Fallen Angels, hard. All the fight was knocked out of the young woman, and turning on a dime, Warbird grabbed the energy sphere and flew upwards. The explosion high above the city was spectacular.
Warbird flew down into view, disheveled but none the worse for wear. She landed gently amidst her teammates and their defeated foes. “Everybody accounted for?”
Sunspot was dropped at Warbird’s feet. Binary landed beside her. “The distinguished gentleman tried to put up a fight. I don’t think I hurt him too badly.”
Warbird nodded, none too bothered. “All right. Let’s pack them all into the Quinjet and get out of here.”
“And leave these people to their suffering?” Espirita swept a hand over the scene. Soldiers were dead, and where Meltdown had thrown her time-bomb more lay prone. “The violence didn’t begin with these intruders, and it won’t end with their removal.”
“Peacekeepers are coming in,” Warbird said. “Our mission was to secure President DaCosta. Anything else risks losing custody of him and the Fallen Angels.”
“Even if we could stave off San Marcos becoming another Genosha?” Speedball asked. “I mean, couldn’t we do both?”
Warbird grinned. “Actually, I think we could. Avengers Assemble.”
Dating back from her time in the Air Force, Warbird had disliked being in the office of a bureaucrat. They always reflected the man; appearing to be tough, but cautious to a fault. The man sitting across from Warbird didn’t seem to be an exception.
“That was quite a mess you made out of San Marcos.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Secretary, we walked into a mess,” Warbird said. “The government had collapsed, factions were at each other’s throats, and the Fallen Angels were merciless in their hunt for…former President DaCosta. You personally requested that the Avengers intervene. I fail to see what the problem is.”
The Secretary removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “You were supposed to go in, make the grab, and leave. Other parties were contracted to pacify the nation. Instead, according to the angry calls I’ve been fielding, you kicked them out.”
“We managed to handle the entire situation,” Warbird said. “And some money’s been saved. Happy news all around.”
“That’s not the point.” Punctuated with a fist to the desk. Warbird had to hold back a smile. Trying to appear tough. “There were people in San Marcos we could have worked with. I heard they’ve been held, awaiting trial by unknown radicals.”
“Yes, there’s evidence of corruption and sexual assaults,” Warbird said. “All uncovered by me and my people. As for those leading the interim government, the most radical idea I found was some crazy notion about serving their country.”
The door to the office opened before Warbird’s last remark could be responded to. A woman with green hair popped her head it. “Sir. If you’re done with her, I need to speak with Colonel Danvers.”
Without another word, the Secretary nodded his head. Warbird rose to her feet and followed the woman out of the hall. “Thank you for that. I’ve had more pleasant root canals. Director Brand, I take it?”
Abigail Brand, Director of the X.S.E., shook Warbird’s hand. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel. Or do you prefer Captain, when you’re dressed like…?”
As they walked together, Director Brand gestured at Warbird’s costume. For most people, a black swimsuit-style bodysuit wouldn’t be considered appropriate attire for a government meeting. Fortunately, Warbird was a super-hero and Chairman of the Avengers.
“The code-name I answer to his Warbird. I’ve actually never gone by Captain Marvel.”
“Have you ever thought about it?” asked Director Brand. “I mean, technically it is a demotion, but for some reason Captain plays very well with the public. It probably began with all those naval stories. Noble Captain of a ship, frustrating that stodgy Admiral.”
Warbird sighed. “Did you really want to talk to me about code-names?”
“Kind of. Ever heard of the Multiple Man?”
“Vaguely. Can’t say as I’ve ever met him, though I can guess why he’s called that.”
“How about Magneto? Or Mystique?”
Those names made Warbird pause. “Oh yes, I’m well aware of them. Have you learned what happened to Magneto, after what happened?”
“We’re fairly certain he’s not on Genosha.” Director Brand indicated that Warbird should continue walking with her. “The Fallen Angels have been debriefed. They all deny knowing where he is, and unfortunately I believe them. As you can imagine, finding Magneto is our top priority.”
“Well ahead of helping anybody still on Genosha, I’m sure,” Warbird said.
Director Brand made a face. “Please, you can go shove your judgment. SHIELD is an intelligence agency. Other aspects of the United Nations deal with the humanitarian side of things. Unfortunately, for the time being neither can be accomplished in Genosha.”
The room that Warbird followed Director Brand into was occupied by technicians and monitors. Most of the monitors had blurred pictures that Warbird hadn’t seen since she had an antenna television. The other monitors were pure static.
“We’ve piece together some of what happened in Genosha, and it was bad enough that all electronic surveillance is useless. That leaves human intelligence, and once they go in we lose contact.” Director Brand shook her head. “None have come back.”
“Then how do you know anything at all?” Warbird asked.
“Jaime Madrox, code-named Multiple Man,” was Director Brand’s response. “He managed to get some duplicates off the island just as things were going south. We suspect the man himself is still on the island, hopefully alive. Others could be alive too, almost certainly followers of Magneto. So we’re talking about an unpredictable, chaotic environment with roaming bands of hostile mutants.”
“I’ve seen this movie, and I wasn’t a big fan,” Warbird said. “So you’re saying that SHIELD and the X.S.E. wants the Avengers to go into Genosha?”
Director Brand nodded. “I realize none of your children have been kidnapped lately, so it’s a big ask.”
Warbird couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Oh wow. That…we probably deserve that. Yeah, the Avengers should have been in Genosha before then, and we certainly shouldn’t have left until the job was done.”
“Understand, my main concern is Madrox. The man has vital intelligence. As long as you get him out, I don’t care what you do after. Though to be honest, if I wanted to enlist help for a lost cause like knitting Genosha back together, I would have probably called the X-Men.”
Several levels below the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in Westchester County, New York, Dr. Henry 'Hank' McCoy sat on a swivel chair in front of a beautiful young woman with a head full of striking green hair. She sat on a lab bed and her arm rested on a stand where he drew blood from her. After filling a fourth vial, he handed it to one of his feet and grasped it with his toes, while removing the needle and blood collection set, and bandaging her arm. His simian physique and quadridextrous nature enabled him to pass the vials along his feet and insert them into a nearby machine for processing by the lab's computers.
“That should do it,” Hank said as he completed his impressive feat of multitasking. “And in exchange for the beautiful young lady's donation...”
He withdrew something from his lab coat and handed it to Lorna Dane, his former teammate and longtime ally with the X-Men. She chuckled under her breath as she took the small princess themed gift bag.
“Seriously? I should be the one giving you a lollipop and a sticker, not the other way around.”
“Nonsense,” Hank said with the wave of his hand. “The Xavier Institute is an official non-partisan, not-for-profit, mutant research center and boarding school now. It would be unethical for me to accept such extravagant gifts from a mutant woman in need.”
“And a woman in need I am,” Lorna lamented as she summoned a weak magnetic sphere in her hands. Hank watched as her focus seem to intensify and yet the sphere dissipated. She looked up as he put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of confidence.
“Don't worry, Lorna,” Hank said reassuringly. “I'm sure there's a perfectly normal explanation for why your powers have been acting up lately. We have the best minds on superhuman mutation working here, if I do say so myself... and the best medical equipment Warren's people could use as a write-off for us.”
Lorna smiled weakly and pat Hank on the arm, quietly thanking him.
“How is Warren these days?” she asked.
“As well as can be expected after Emma's hostile takeover*,” Hank explained. “He and some of the former X-Corp board members are working with Jean and the others are working to track down Genoshan refugees who've escaped the island.”
[* X-Corp #25 by Brad Horton – Former Editor-in-Cory]
Lorna looked surprised. “I had no idea there was a mutant effort to help Genoshan refugees,” she said as she rubbed her arm. “That's great.”
“Believe it or not, the government specifically asked us to help.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“What's the catch, I wonder?”
“Though it would be foolish to presume anything, I was under the impression there was no catch,” Hank said as he began running tests on Lorna's blood samples. “The Xavier Institute and X-Corp are publicly known entities of sorts. We're the experts on all things weird and wonky be they mutants.”
Lorna liked the idea, but she wasn't all that convinced. Maybe there was something she could do, or something she should do, to help...
As she watched Hank work on the lab computer, the doors to the medical bay opened with a depressurizing hiss.
“Ah, geeze, Hank... I thought you promised you'd tell me when you were gonna invite my exes over for dinner...” a voice said from the doorway. Lorna and Hank looked up to see Bobby Drake walk in with a playful smirk on his face. “I mean, at least give me a chance to turn off the Toni Braxton and hide our old photo albums.”
Lorna rolled her eyes. “Nice to see you too, Bobby.”
“Un-break my heart, say you'll love me again, undo this hurt you caused,” Bobby sang melodramatically and wildly off key as he walked over and gave her a side hug. She reciprocated warmly enough; she was either trying not to laugh or trying to fake a laugh. Hank just shook his head.
“Hey, Hydra Hair.”
“Hi, Mr. Drake.”
Hank continued to examine Lorna's test results on the lab computer when he nonchalantly commented, “You know, Robert, there is something to be said about remaining friends after a break-up... that happened over a decade ago...”
“Tell that to Trish Tilby,” Bobby shot back with a snicker. Lorna hit him on the arm in shock. Suddenly, Hank turned from his work, took off his glasses, and pointed a clawed finger at Bobby.
“Too mean. Too soon,” the director of the Xavier Institute said sternly.
“Okay, okay. Sheesh. Let's call it square and move on with our lives,” Bobby said with a chuckle as he looked between both of his friends. Hank growled and went back to work while Lorna hid a small grin. “Don't you wish you were still on the squad, Lorna? Playful banter, mutant death rays, new class of students, big huge genome project thing, Logan's body odor... We've got it all!”
Lorna didn't know what to say. She did miss her time with the X-Men and X-Factor, to a degree, but she had been through so much in her life and it never quite felt like it was . Could the new Xavier Institute really be a place for her to balance . When she opened her mouth to say something, she was cut off by an alarm going off on Hank's lab computer.
{{ ALERT! ALERT! }} Cerebro's voice computerized voice said. Hank opened a different window from the test results and typed in a series of commands. A stream of information poured in. {{ Mutant energy signatures detected. Biomutative classification beyond conventional scans. }}
“What is it?” Lorna asked, trading an awkward glance with Bobby.
“It would seem somebody is about to come-a-knocking on our door...”
The three mutants rushed out of the Xavier Institute and across its lawn towards the back of the mansion. Beast bounded on all fours across the lawn, Polaris flew through the air on electromagnetic waves, and Iceman slid across a bridge of ice. They reached the back of the mansion just in time to see what Cerebro had detected. It was a blur of crimson and eminence, cackling with electromagnetic energy, shooting down from the heavens towards the mansion grounds like a comet.
“Incoming!” Beast shouted mere moments before impact.
“Behind me!” Polaris yelled as she erected an electromagnetic shield in front of them. Beast and Iceman instinctively flinched as dirt and debris crashed toward them. When the dust settled, Polaris dropped the shield and waved a hand in front of her face to help clear the air.
“Is everyone alright?” Beast called out to his longtime friends.
“I'm good,” Polaris replied, coughing slightly because of the dusty air.
“Roger dodger,” Iceman said with a nod as he cleared his throat.
A large crater was left in the field of grass near the orchards from the impact and chunks of dirt and grass were strew in all directions. Dust was still settling around the gaping hole in the ground. The three rushed X-Men over to it but became increasingly cautious as they got closer to it. Before they could reach the crater and see what was inside, Polaris felt the hairs on her neck stand up and came to a stop.
“Oh my God,” she muttered as a chill ran down her spine. “It's him...”
Beast and Iceman stopped to look at her. Before they could confirm their suspicions, another cackle of electromagnetic ripped through the air. A portal ripped open in the sky and another blur of electromagnetic energy shot out of it towards the crater. This one was a blur of platinum, crimson, and yellow.
“Here comes another one. Brace yourselves!” Beast called out.
They readied themselves for a similar impact, but the blur seemed to take on a life of its own in the sky and descend onto the grounds, albeit still at rapid speeds. A tall and muscular woman with shortly cropped platinum blonde hair appeared on the other side of the crater and ran towards the impact site.
“Who's this....?” Polaris asked no one in particular.
Iceman recognized the woman immediately. Running towards her, Iceman generated a bridge of ice under his feet that carried him across the grass quickly.
“Robert, wait – !” Beast started to say, but Iceman ignored him.
“Hey, I know you!” he exclaimed as he flanked her on his ice slide.
“Shut up and help me!” Sienna Blaze yelled as she rushed down into the crater.
“Hotpsychochicksayswhat?” Iceman spat back indignantly. He clinched his fists as they erupted with an icy aura. “If that's who I think it is then I'm just as inclined to freeze his crusty lips to your tush, lady.”
“Robert, please...” Beast urged civility as he bounded across the lawn and landed between the two. Polaris wasn't far behind him. Iceman rolled his eyes and leaped off of his ice bridge.
Beast jumped down into the crater and moved to Sienna's side as she knelt down beside a man struggling to move to his hands and knees. She took a hold of him as he braced himself on her, gritting his teeth. He had long white hair, sunken gray-blue eyes, and an unshaven face.
“Genosha... has fallen...” Magneto struggled to speak. “You must help me... save... th... “
Then the world's most wanted mutant wanted mutant collapsed at the feet of his sworn enemies.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT ISSUE: Magneto, the former ruler of Genosha, has resurfaced after his mutant island sanctuary has been decimated by all-out war. What does he want with the X-Men? Plus, the Avengers gear up to go to Genosha and track down Multiple Man! Will Earth's Mightiest Heroes avenge the fallen nation or find that there's nothing left to avenge? Find out next ish!
X-PRESSIONS ASSEMBLE!
Hey folks!
After a couple of months of hype on the Marvel 2000 message board, and a number of years in the planning, we're finally launching Avengers vs. X-Men. Thanks to everyone who supported us in the development of this event, opted to develop tie-ins, and/or voted in the Battle Polls we launched for shits and giggles. We're going to do our best to make this crossover as accessible as possible to new readers and hardcore M2K fans alike, but it should go without saying that if you haven't had the chance to read the final arc of Fallen Angels (“War Unleashed,” issues #35-38) then it might be a smart move to go check it out. It informs a lot of what is happening here and was just an all around blast for us to write!
For those curious about writing duties for this mini-series, we're both handling plotting and scripting duties together every issue as equally as possible. Our story hangs loosely in continuity sometime around the current story in Avengers but before the first two arcs in New X-Men. What's going on in those two titles doesn't heavily influence this story and both will likely continue to release issues uninterrupted while this title does its thing. We're expecting this crossover to be at least four issues but probably no more than six, and at the end of it... Well, let's just say that Genosha, Magneot, and all of the other players from Fallen Angels will be in a very different place than they used to be.
Hope you all enjoy the ride! See you next issue.
Steve and Cory
March 21st, 2018
After a couple of months of hype on the Marvel 2000 message board, and a number of years in the planning, we're finally launching Avengers vs. X-Men. Thanks to everyone who supported us in the development of this event, opted to develop tie-ins, and/or voted in the Battle Polls we launched for shits and giggles. We're going to do our best to make this crossover as accessible as possible to new readers and hardcore M2K fans alike, but it should go without saying that if you haven't had the chance to read the final arc of Fallen Angels (“War Unleashed,” issues #35-38) then it might be a smart move to go check it out. It informs a lot of what is happening here and was just an all around blast for us to write!
For those curious about writing duties for this mini-series, we're both handling plotting and scripting duties together every issue as equally as possible. Our story hangs loosely in continuity sometime around the current story in Avengers but before the first two arcs in New X-Men. What's going on in those two titles doesn't heavily influence this story and both will likely continue to release issues uninterrupted while this title does its thing. We're expecting this crossover to be at least four issues but probably no more than six, and at the end of it... Well, let's just say that Genosha, Magneot, and all of the other players from Fallen Angels will be in a very different place than they used to be.
Hope you all enjoy the ride! See you next issue.
Steve and Cory
March 21st, 2018