Previously in X-Men: The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had been successful thus far, having crippled Magneto and decimated the M-Territories in Canada. With several of their members captured, including Professor Xavier, the X-Men were at an all-time low until mainstays Storm and Wolverine returned. In the wake of the X-Men's offensive, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants lie beaten, save only for Mastermind. But she refuses to go down quietly, and has compelled the captive X-Men into fighting their would-be saviors.

X-MEN
#100
FINAL GENESIS
DECEMBER, YEAR 5
Brought to you by Stephen Crosby

It was Wolverine who encountered them first. Before he saw them, he heard them and smelled them, and so knew that they were looking for a fight. The fact that a red concussive force blast destroyed the wall behind him also clued Wolverine in.
"That's him!" He heard Jean Grey cry out. "Be careful Hank. Those claws of his looked dangerous!"
"Surely they can be no more dangerous than my own prodigious appendages," Hank McCoy spouted as he leapt at the feral X-Man. One overly large foot collided solidly with Wolverine's jaw, and he went down hard.
"Oh, this little shrimp doesn't look tough at all!" said the human snowman with exuberance. "And like any shrimp, he's best served chilled!"
Cold crept under Wolverine's skin, down into his bones. Ice was forming on his uniform, spreading out from his body to the stone floor. Soon he wouldn't be able to move at all. Standing over Wolverine, the slim man raised a hand towards his red eye.
"Tell us what Magneto's plan is," demanded Cyclops. "Or else!"
She rose up out of the ground, fast and silent. Shadowcat had once been possessed by Wolverine's teacher, and so was perhaps his superior in ways of the ninja. Her foot caught Cyclops behind the knee, and he fell backwards.
"Oh no!" cried Cyclops as he slammed onto the floor. "My visor's open! I can't control my mutant power!
Crimson force smashed through the ceiling. Rubble fell down towards the X-Men.
"Scott!" Jean Grey cried out, and was momentarily surprised at how great her concern was. Scott was the quiet sort, Jean barely knew him, and yet…
On instinct, Marvel Girl focused her telekinesis on the rubble, forcing it to stop inches over Scott's sprawled body. The weight was enormous, and Jean almost couldn't hold it until Cyclops had managed to roll out of the way. Then the rubble fell with a crash. Overwhelmed by the pressure, Jean swayed dangerously, but strong hands took hold of her shoulders, steadying her.
"Take it easy Jean," said Warren reassuringly. Then he looked at Scott, and addressed him with a different tone. "Try not to be so careless next time. If it wasn't for Jean risking herself like that, you'd be dead!"
Cyclops said nothing, though Beast did come to his defense, saying that the girl had been the same one he'd encountered earlier. As he was explaining his to Angel in his own verbose manner, Cyclops had his attention focused on the spot where the short man had been. He was gone, and so was the girl.
"Everybody quiet!" ordered Cyclops. "One of them can move through walls, and considering how fast she got her friend out she must be able to share the ability. That means we can be attacked at any moment. So instead of fighting among ourselves, we need to be alert. More alert that I was. If we fall too, who's going to help the Professor?"
Angel and Beast were both silent, taking in their teammate's words. Then Hank nodded. "Though I undoubtedly could have explained it better myself, your assumptions are accurate." Beast bounded down the hallway. "Keep up with my fantastic strides as best you can. I seek out the Professor where I saw him last, and there is nary a second to waste!"
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"Are you all right, Wolverine?" Shadowcat asked, kneeling beside him several floors below.
In reply, Wolverine took his jaw in both hands, positioning his thumbs just over the chin, and pushed down. There was a sickening sound of frozen flesh breaking.
"Damn this hurts," said Wolverine. "Healing, freezing, healing, thawing, then more healing. Where's Storm? She can hurry this up."
"She's outside, disbursing the hurricane. Then once it's clear, Nightcrawler will get the rest of the Brotherhood to the Blackbird, locked up and out of the way. I haven't seen Colossus anywhere, though."
"Last place I caught his scent was where Scott's began," Wolverine told her. "Also found a gaping hole in the wall about his size. I'm betting he turns up once the storm settles."
"The same thing happened to me with Beast," explained Shadowcat. "Iceman, Archangel, Jean. This must be Mastermind's doing."
"They think we're the Brotherhood," Wolverine added. "Girl's got a sense of humor. They also think they're still kids, untrained, easy at making mistakes. Real shame we can't make the most of it."
Shadowcat agreed. "I almost went to phase Cyclops when I saw Jean stop the collapse, and that didn't make me feel any better. She's pregnant, and none of them realize it!"
"Which means they have a captive they don't know about," Wolverine explained. "And because of Jean's powers, we can't just swoop in and restrain her. We try after any of the others, she'll rush to help. Every time she exerts herself, she puts that baby at risk."
"So what can we do?" Shadowcat asks. "They'll know to stick together, so we can't catch any of them alone. Maybe I could phase Jean out, or Nightcrawler could teleport her-"
"She'd use her powers on you straightaway," Wolverine cut in.
"Storm can alter air pressure. Maybe she can knock Jean unconscious before one of us makes a grab?"
"You really think Storm would take that risk?"
Defeated, Shadowcat shook her head. "No. God no." She slammed her fist against the wall. "Damn Mastermind! This is the one thing we can't fight!"
"So let's not try," Wolverine told her. "Like you said, they'll stick together. If they're thinking like kids, what they'll do is look for Xavier. So we let them. We stay out of their way, and look for Mastermind instead."
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If Cyclops could, he would cry. Unfortunately, his eyes stopped forming tears the moment concussive force started shooting out them non-stop. Nothing could get in or near his eyes now. But his heart was another matter, and at that moment Cyclops felt as though it had been ripped out of his body.
Standing around the kneeling form of Cyclops were Angle, Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl. Lying on the metal slab before them all was the body of Professor Charles Francis Xavier, dead.
"Look at the marks on his chest," Angel breathed softly. "It was that animal with the claws. He did this."
"That metal bar in his head," Iceman said with a shaky voice, "It looks like a part of him."
"Exactly what would happen if a woman made it intangible, and then made it tangible again within a tangible….inside his head." Beast just couldn't help but keep thinking. "I see marks of electrocution, as well. Those handprints on his neck have two fingers and a thumb. This isn't the time for me to analyze."
"And those handprints were made from steel," Cyclops whispered, indicated the Professor's crushed arms and legs. "They did this, those five new mutants of Magneto's."
"We…we don't know that Magneto is…" Jean was feeling faint again. "Oh god. Why?"
"Because they can," Cyclops explained. "Above all else, this is what the Professor was training us to fight. Evil mutants that will kill and destroy and utterly destroy all chance of peace. We need to stop them, before the world finds out." Cyclops rose to his feet and faced his fellow X-Men. His face was hard and stern. "We have to kill them."
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Mastermind laughed with glee at the turmoil going on inside the minds of the X-Men. Everything was going according to plan, accounting for the fact that the other X-Men were searching for her. They wouldn't be successful, of course. Their training and uniforms may prevent her from manipulating them as she did the first five, but it was a simple matter to make her room appear empty. Not just visually, either, but including all senses and means of perception the X-Men possessed.
The X-Men were going to kill each other, and by default Mastermind alone will have killed them all. Her puppets would seek out and destroy, with the others holding back. Eventually Jean would be injured or exert herself too much, and lose the baby without even knowing she was pregnant. But the others would see, and in their despair Mastermind's puppets would cut them down like wheat. And then she would free her puppets, to an extent, and laugh as they all would commit suicide.
Once the X-Men were out of the way, Mastermind would be free to continue her work on Rachel. And as for Xavier….yes, Mastermind decided that she would go down and personally sever his brain stem.
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For the fifth time in a row, Rachel Summers watched as her boyfriend Franklin Richards was incinerated by a Sentinel. The torture loop was beginning to bore her, but she knew it meant good news.
Martinique must be busy, but Rachel didn't allow herself to think it. Any sort of conscious thought would alert Martinique immediately, and then there was no telling what might happen. Her dear sister might decide to just cut her losses and kill Rachel's physical body. With her mind trapped in a self-perpetuating illusion of bad memories and nightmares, Rachel would be helpless to prevent it.
Still, deep in her sub-conscious ninth removed, Rachel knew she had to do something. Because of who her father was, Martinique's illusion abilities were far more powerful and subtle than anything Rachel was capable of. Against her full attention, the X-Men stood even less of a chance than Rachel did. But what could a woman trapped within a tiny little inch of her mind possibly do, aside from having only a rudimentary awareness of the situation?
Had Rachel been a century younger, the answer would have obviously been "nothing." But Rachel had lived through a harsh future overrun by crazed evil mutants, and had not only survived but led a marginally successful resistance. It was in that future that Rachel would eradicate the Shadow King into nothingness, unite all of the world's telepaths into a collective mind, and routinely send agents back and forth through time in order to fulfill various missions vital to the survival of that future. Point of fact, Rachel had managed to keep two individual consciousnesses anchored into that future for over twelve years, all while trapped in a coma and on life support. Anybody who could do that, Rachel gave the slightest hint of deciding, could do anything.
Without concentrating about it, or even realizing it in any proper sense of the word, Rachel Summers reached through time. At the other end were six individuals and she pulled them back.
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Storm found Colossus sitting on a hill overlooking the monastery. Lying in front of him were the shredded remains of Mountjoy. The look that Colossus gave her was one of betrayal.
"There is a line that I will not allow you to cross, Peter," Storm said sternly. "A man like you should never have to murder."
"I have killed before, Storm," Colossus told her. "Proteus died because of me, on a cliff in Scotland."
"There is a difference between killing because it the only option left, and murdering because you want that person dead. There is something about it that changes you forever."
"And how is it that you would know?" Colossus asked. "When was the first time you killed out of hate?"
"Today, when I took that disgusting man's life," answered Storm truthfully. "It wasn't just to protect you. If he lived, somehow, Kitty would know what he did to her. The two of you are…were, the best of us. Already that has changed, but I won't see any of you suffer more than you have to. He's dead, Peter. He won't be able to hurt you or Kitty, or anybody, ever again."
"This doesn't change anything," Colossus told her. "He managed to surprise me because I was focused on something else. Iceman and Beast were under attack by three men who had nearly killed me once, and I was hesitant to help them. Because of my hesitation, my weakness, Mountjoy was able to use me. Later, when he was…was with Kitty, all I could do was watch and experience it. She and I had never… Heaven help me, part of me enjoyed it."
Though such a thing shouldn't have been possible, Colossus felt tears begin to fall from his steel eyes. He saw Storm bend down in front of him. With her hands placed on his shoulders, she looked into those same eyes.
"To Kitty, it was with you, and that is what made it so wonderful for her. Peter, for Kitty's sake and for your own sanity, you have to move on. He's dead. It never happened, do you understand me? You and Kitty enjoyed a wonderful, magical experience. Only the two of you."
"Storm, please remove your arms," Colossus said quietly. She did so, and Colossus rose to his feet. He reached down and picked up the body of Mountjoy, then spun around. With all his considerable strength, he hurled the body far out of sight, out towards the ocean. "There. Now for the others."
Storm looked at him questioningly. "Peter, what do you mean?"
Colossus looked at her calmly. "They knew he was inside of me, Storm. He must have told them what I did. A person like him, he would have bragged. Don't you understand? They have to die too."
As Colossus walked past Storm, she didn't try to stop him. She didn't try to argue for their lives, because she knew that he wouldn't respond to that. What she did, she knew he would respond to.
"Then Kitty would know," Storm whispered, just loud enough for Colossus to hear. "One death can be hidden, but not all of them. Everybody would know what you did, Peter, and they would all wonder. Worse…" Storm closed her eyes. "None of them would care about you anymore. Not even Wolverine, because even he wouldn't kill in cold blood, for no reason. But then they would know the reason, because I would tell them. Do you understand me, Peter? If you do this thing, I will tell Kitty."
Those words did make Colossus stop. He really was so much like a child, Storm thought, with such an innocent, fragile mind that broke whenever faced with such harsh tragedy.
After a long while, Colossus spoke. "We should join the others. They'll wonder where we are."
Without another word, Colossus started towards the monastery. Before following after him, Storm allowed herself a few tears, alone on that hill.
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At first, Nightcrawler had been certain they would discover his presence. From the shadows, he silently tracked the five original X-Men. Nightcrawler's teammates knew his location from the signal his uniform transmitted, so they would know what areas to avoid. Because the uniform also monitored and transmitted his vital readings, they would also know if Nightcrawler was suddenly attacked. So far, in spite of Nightcrawler's initial doubts, that was appearing more and more unlikely.
Under normal circumstances, Nightcrawler should have been detected from the beginning, despite his training and mutant ability to blend into darkness. Cyclops' visor had been redesigned to see in a variety of spectrums, including heat which Iceman could also see in. As a result of his multiple mutations, Beast's senses were nearly as attuned as Wolverine. And, of course, Jean Grey was one of the world's foremost telepaths.
But the circumstances weren't normal, Nightcrawler knew. The original five believed that they were still students, still untrained in their abilities and operating with out-of-date equipment. Cyclops thought that his visor was of a simplistic design, Iceman thought he was just coating his body with frost, and Jean didn't know that she was pregnant nearly to term. Of the five of them, only Beast and Archangel looked as they believed. Beast had had all his hair burnt off in an earlier battle, and apparently Archangel's wings shifted from metal to natural depending on his mental state.
Nightcrawler had started tracking the five at the place they were most likely to have gone; the room where Professor Xavier was lying restrained and unconscious. He'd still looked that way to Nightcrawler's eyes, but clearly the five had seen something very different. They'd all looked sad, grieving, and then they went off to seek out who they believed were the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with a murderous intent. Unfortunately for Nightcrawler and the rest of the X-Men, they were the ones perceived as the Brotherhood. Worse, none of them would be able to really fight back, for fear of injuring Jean and her unborn baby.
Nightcrawler shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't know why he kept running through the situation in his head. It was occurring right in front of him! Maybe it was boredom, he thought, or because he felt helpless. While the others were searching for Mastermind, Nightcrawler was just watching.
In the main cathedral, however, something happened that was actually worth watching.
The original five X-Men had just entered the large anteroom. Nightcrawler had allowed them to go on ahead, until he was sure that his teleportation would go unnoticed. He disappeared then reappeared high up in the rafters. Hidden in the shadows, he watched Archangel fly low beneath him, while the other four were spread out on the ground.
But then, much to Nightcrawler's surprise, Archangel suddenly shifted course and flew up at him.
"He's here! Right above us!"
Taken off balance, Nightcrawler just barely managed to dodge Archangel's charge. Unfortunately, Nightcrawler flipped near the path of Cyclops' optic blast, and was clipped in the shoulder. Stunned, the acrobatic X-Man was thrown into free-fall. There wasn't much time before his momentum would build too much. Desperate, Nightcrawler teleported again, this time to reappear much closer to the ground where he landed with little harm.
High above, Archangel had gone into a dive right towards Nightcrawler. "Nobody would believe I have such good hearing! You sure didn't, you ugly murdering freak!"
No, Nightcrawler hadn't. But then, Archangel had clearly expected for Nightcrawler to still be off-balance, because he wasn't prepared for Nightcrawler to fall backwards and plant his feet up into Archangel's stomach. The winged mutant went hurtling out of control into a row of pews, and for an instant Nightcrawler was concerned that his wings would be damaged. Then he remembered more severe injuries that Archangel had recovered from.
"Ah, you must much not be fond of utilizing your vocal faculties!" Beast exclaimed as he leapt at Nightcrawler. "Clearly you're the sort who prefers to let his actions speak for him. Fortunately, I happen to be multi-tasked in verbal spars and fisticuffs!"
Contrary to popular belief, Nightcrawler's acrobatic skill and agility weren't among his mutant abilities. They were the result of years spent training as a circus aerialist and as an X-Man. Therefore, Nightcrawler didn't take his talents for granted, unlike the naturally gifted Beast.
Crouched down on the floor, Nightcrawler feinted to the side. When Beast shifted his weight to follow, Nightcrawler caught him by the leg with his tail, which had gone unnoticed in the other direction. In the brief instant when Beast was off balance, Nightcrawler caught him with a punch to the face, forcing him to the ground. Then Nightcrawler made a leap of his own into the air, gracefully twisting his body around a second optic blast from Cyclops.
"Iceman, freeze him in place!" Cyclops ordered.
"How? He has to actually be in the area as I'm freezing it!" Iceman explained. Nightcrawler allowed himself a quiet chuckle. Over time, Iceman had grown to be one of the most powerful of the X-Men. But back in the beginning, he'd been the weakest, the most untrained in his abilities.
Still, his words did make Nightcrawler think. It would only be a matter of time before Jean would try to grab him with her telekinetic powers, and any exertion of her part was too risky. In a burst of smoke, Nightcrawler disappeared.
He reappeared right behind Jean, and before anybody else could react he had a short sword out and held at her throat. Archangel had called him a murderer. From the way they'd all reacted to the Professor, and their immediate angry search, Nightcrawler only needed one guess to know what they had seen. Very well, he thought. If they believed him a murderer, Nightcrawler would play the part.
"Nobody move!" Nightcrawler snarled. His eyes flashed at Iceman. "Don't you try anything either! I feel the slightest chill; this dame's dress gets ruined by her own blood!"
"You heard him people!" Cyclops yelled, with his red eye focused on Nightcrawler.
"The same goes for you, girl," Nightcrawler snarled into Jean's ear. "I know all about your powers. Feel that against your back? That's another knife, aimed for your heart. Try to stop one knife the other will cut right in!"
"Give it up," Cyclops said. "You can't take all of us."
"Can't I? It looks like I dealt with three of you pretty easily." Under different circumstances, Nightcrawler would be congratulating himself on the performance of a lifetime. "My pals will be here any minute." What Nightcrawler didn't know was that his vital signs weren't being transmitted. The unique properties of the monastery were preventing the uniform's monitors from functioning properly. "Once they do, you'll all go right back under Mastermind's treatment." Nightcrawler laughed. "Oh, that was rich, him making you all see that cripple dead! Served its purpose too. Made you all emotional, easy to take down." If they thought Magneto was behind everything, it would be easy for them to accept Mastermind's involvement. They'd want to believe that Xavier was alive, after all.
Air rushed past Nightcrawler. In the fraction of a blink, Jean Grey was suddenly gone from his grasp, with his short swords aimed only at empty air.
"ImaynotknowwherewearebutIhaveafeelingthegenefreak holding the pregnant woman hostage is the bad guy!"
The man who'd spoken rapidly at first was on the other side of the cathedral, with a swooning Jean Grey in his arms. He was of about middle height with short brown hair, and wore a blue and yellow body suit. Nightcrawler had never seen the man before, and for a split instant he feared that Mastermind had managed to ensnare him in her illusions.
"Then I say we deal with him," said a woman from behind Nightcrawler. Before he could turn in her direction, he discovered a dazzling mineral forming around his body, rendering him incapable of movement. But this was not before Nightcrawler had managed to turn his head enough to get a look at the new players.
There were four of them; five including the speedster. The dark woman wearing the voluptuous burka also held a fighting staff made from the same mineral which bound Nightcrawler. Towering over her was a large man with Spanish features, who wore bands of varying metals on his arms. Standing next to him was another man, smaller but appearing even more frightening with a face painted like a skull. Standing apart from those three was a second woman, this one Asian, wearing a green body suit. Out of the corner of his eye, Nightcrawler thought he had seen another shape, but it was gone almost before registering; like a ghost.
The Asian woman looked over the four original male X-Men with a considering, cautious expression on her face. "This is certainly appalling. We're suddenly transported without warning to find mutants fighting each other! By Xavier, the child she's carrying is also a mutant!" she shouted, pointed at a very confused Jean Grey.
"What are you talking about?" yelled Marvel Girl. "I'm not pregnant! I've never even…"
"They must be trying to trick us," Cyclops deducted. Bringing a hand to his visor, he fired off an optic blast at the four newcomers. "It's more of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! X-Men, attack!"
The large man stepped in front of Cyclops' optic blast, while at the same time touching one of the metal bands with his hand. Like liquid metal the change went over his body, transmuting his flesh into that metallic substance. The crimson force struck his metal body, and the man barely flinched.
"Here's a quick lesson for you, kid," the man told Cyclops. "Vibranium absorbs kinetic energy."
"I've got another fun fact for you," the skull-faced man said as he stepped forward. "You wannabes are fighting the real X-Men!" His body glowed green-white, causing the white skull on his face to appear as though it were on fire. Electricity was literally in the air, as it leapt from the man's fists towards Cyclops. The blast struck the original X-Man full on, and he staggered back in obvious pain.
"Scott!" Marvel Girl cried out again. Acting on an unexplained desperation, she pushed out with her telekinetic abilities, sending the man who'd saved her careening through the air. He crashed against a wall, and didn't get up immediately.
"Meanstreak!" cried out the dark woman with obvious concern. While moving towards him, she looked over towards Marvel Girl and raised her arm. Instantly, a barrage of mineral daggers appeared in the air, flying towards the female X-Man.
"Krystal no!" shouted the Asian woman. "She's carrying a child!"
But before the shards could find their target, a wall of ice appeared between them and Marvel Girl. It instantly shattered against the stronger minerals, but they also fell harmlessly to the floor.
"Nobody tries to hurt my friends!" yelled Iceman. Without even thinking about it, a wave of intense cold radiated out from his body, towards Nightcrawler and the five newcomers who claimed to be X-Men. The floor and pews touched by this wave were instantly covered with a thick sheet of ice. Fortunately, though Nightcrawler was physically held by minerals from the neck down, he was still capable of accessing his mutant power. He teleported out of the mineral prison, to disappear just before the wave of cold touched him.
As the cold wave neared, Skullfire was also accessing his mutant abilities. He was capable of absorbing and rechanneling electricity, but up until then he'd only focused it into damaging beams of energy. Much like Iceman had done, Skullfire radiated his energy outward, super-heating the air in front of him and effectively canceling out the cold wave.
"Okay, punks," he snarled, with tendrils of energy shooting from his clenched fists. "If you want a fight, you've got one!"
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When Nightcrawler had teleported, he did not reappear in the cathedral. Instead, he burst back into our plane of reality just outside, and almost immediately he teleported again, aiming for another section of the monastery entirely. Because of his uniform's built-in radar, Nightcrawler had access to a nearly perfect blueprint of the massive structure, and so was able to safely teleport.
Another feature of Nightcrawler's uniform was that it had a built-in transceiver, which operated on the same frequency as all the other X-Men's uniforms. This meant that Nightcrawler knew where all of his teammates were in relation to himself, and was immediately teleporting to the location of the two closest.
Storm leapt back in surprise as Nightcrawler suddenly appeared before her. Nearby was Colossus, ambling along down the corridor.
"Nightcrawler!" Storm cried out. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be watching Scott and the others!"
"I've been doing more than that," said Nightcrawler, a little annoyed that Storm and the others hadn't come to his aid. "They've been attacked by another team of mutants, Storm, who also call themselves X-Men! We need to go help our friends, before they're hurt!"
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Mastermind wanted to grind her teeth in frustration. A new complication had invaded her plans with a remarkable suddenness, and she did not like surprises of any kind. Worse, unlike the X-Men, whom she was at least able to sense in spite of their psi-shielding, these newcomers were completely invulnerable to her telepathy. If not for her link with the original five, Mastermind wouldn't even have been aware of their presence. One of them must be a psi of the first order, Mastermind decided. Most likely it was the woman who hadn't displayed any power thus far, unless her identifying everybody as mutants had been more than just a well-educated guess.
Still, Mastermind wasn't overly concerned; simply annoyed. Her illusions over the original five were holding, and they were fighting these new threats as readily as they had been fighting the X-Men. Even better, Mastermind knew that the X-Men would rush to the aid of the original five, meaning that soon all three groups of mutants would be fighting amongst themselves.
The more Mastermind thought about the situation, the more she was enjoying herself. Over a dozen powerful mutants were going to kill each other because of her! Greedy for carnage, Mastermind focused more of her attention on the melee going on in the monastery, and even less attention on the young woman lying comatose in front of her.
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When Nightcrawler's call for help came through on the transceiver, Wolverine ignored it. Professor Xavier's scent was in the air, and he was compelled to follow it. If anybody could help Jeannie and the others, Wolverine figured, it would be Xavier. And if the Professor was under the same spell as them, well, Wolverine was prepared to do what needed doing.
Xavier was still where the original five X-Men had left him before. Instead of a mangled corpse, he appeared relatively healthy though unconscious. Neural disruptors were affixed to his temples, negating his powerful telepathy, while a tube in the arm fed a continuous sedative drip.
Slowly, Wolverine approached. Out popped three claws from the top of Wolverine's hand. A quick motion slashed the tube. The claws retracted, Wolverine reached down and removed the neural disruptors.
"Rise an' shine, Chuck," snarled Wolverine. "I need you to find me a broad that's got a healthy dose of reality coming to her."
The man on the table didn't move though. Breathing was steady, and Wolverine could hear that the heart was beating. Muttering annoyed under his breath, Wolverine glanced around the room for any water. "Come on, Prof. I don't wanna smack you unless I have to- what the?!"
Somebody else was in the room with Wolverine. A man in brown and tan robes was standing over the Professor, directly across from Wolverine. Why hadn't he noticed this man earlier? Reacting, Wolverine popped all six of his adamantuim claws and slashed at the mysterious newcomer.
As X'ian, founder and leader of the X-Men, stepped back from the attack, he regretted alerting Wolverine to his presence. He'd suddenly come across the legendary Professor Charles Francis Xavier and had been wondering how to help the man when footsteps compelled the Desert Ghost to conceal himself. It wasn't some mutant gift for invisibility, but rather the training and experience X'ian had built up over his years with The Lawless. When he'd seen Wolverine recklessly undo the Professor's restraints and voice about how to awaken him, X'ian had decided to reveal himself and offer assistance.
"We are not enemies!" X'ian exclaimed as he backpedaled. But Wolverine wasn't listening. With a roar, he jumped up on the edge of the table and leapt at X'ian.
Skill at concealment was not the only thing that earned him the name Desert Ghost. From a standing position X'ian jumped as well, flipping through the air and over Wolverine. They each landed on opposite sides of the comatose Professor. X'ian landed facing Wolverine and raised his hands while the other man quickly turned around. There was great frustration in Wolverine's eyes, something that could all too quickly turn to deadly rage.
"I wish to help," X'ian urgently stated. He continued to back up until he hit the wall. "Please listen!"
"Wrong day for that, bub," Wolverine snarled. He jumped clear over the Professor's table, landing at a crouch. Claws out in front, Wolverine rushed the Desert Ghost.
History remembered Wolverine well. X'ian knew that, once locked into a berserker rage, almost nothing could get him out of it. In reading about Wolverine, X'ian had connected deeply with the man's struggle between animal nature and peaceful humanity. It so mirrored X'ian's own journey of discovery.
Almost as fast as the mongoose, X'ian grabbed Wolverine by both wrists and pulled them apart. As his head snapped forward and down to strike Wolverine in the throat, X'ian muttered, "I am sorry about your wives," unaware that at that point in time Wolverine had not yet remarried.
The sudden attack halted Wolverine's momentum, and before he could recover X'ian abruptly turned about. Wolverine was lifted of his feet and slammed into the wall. X'ian let go of the man, and again stepped back with his covered hands raised.
"We both want to help this man," he pleaded. "There is no reason to fight."
Blood welled up on Wolverine's throat. He spat on the floor. "That looks like all the reason I need!"
It was an animal that rushed at X'ian, claws wildly slashing. With an inward sigh, the Desert Ghost knew what he had to do, and hoped that it would not kill a great man.
Both of X'ian's hands were covered to the elbow in thick bandages, leaving no skin exposed. As Wolverine rushed to attack, X'ian raised his right arm and stepped forward to meet the charge. At the last instant, X'ian nimbly turned about, lowering his arm even as Wolverine was slashing. No flesh was ripped, but the bandages of X'ian's right hand were torn away.
Underneath the dark bandages was rancid green skin. From the wrist up, the right hand of the Desert Ghost looked as though it belonged to death itself.
X'ian continued spinning as Wolverine rushed past. The bandages had been torn at the back of the hand, when X'ian was facing away from Wolverine. But as Wolverine continued forward, X'ian turned another one hundred eighty degrees, so that he faced the same direction but was behind his attacker. That bared right hand clasped against the back of Wolverine's neck.
"I pray you live," whispered X'ian sincerely.
Cloth melted away, and flesh bubbled at contact. The breakdown of molecules spread out far beyond the handprint X'ian left behind. Before Wolverine could scream, the cartilage in his throat was breaking down. Instead the mutant collapsed to the ground, writhing in silent agony. X'ian hoped that his healing factor was enough to fight off the molecular breakdown.
Now was the time to achieve what he had set out for, X'ian decided as he turned to the comatose Professor Xavier. As he approached the man, X'ian slowly unraveled the cloth around his left hand. This hand, in sharp contrast to the green decay that was X'ian's right hand, was a vibrant gold.
"Such a great mind should not be trapped in such a frail body," X'ian intoned as he laid the left hand of life over Xavier's forehead.

All hell had broken loose inside the monastery. Nightcrawler had returned first, teleporting in a burst of smoke to find Beast standing stock still, his face twisted in pain. The Asian woman who apparently can detect mutants was touching the back of his neck. It would seem, Nightcrawler thought to himself, that her abilities go beyond the sensory.
Shadowcat was the next to arrive, phasing into the cathedral through one of the thick stone walls. A good thing she remained intangible, because one of Angel's wings passed through her as he dodged a burst of electricity from the skull-faced mutant. A jolt of this power struck Shadowcat, and even in her phased state it was felt.
"Aahhh!" Shadowcat leapt to the side, landing behind ice covered pews and safely went tangible. Unfortunately, Shadowcat had no time to properly recover as the speedster previously identified as Meanstreak had taken hold of her in the blink of an eye.
"SorryaboutSkullFacetherehesgotatemperunlikemeIjustwanttoknowwhatsgoingonheresoletsjust talk I'll slow down can you- gaah!"
Shadowcat had thrown her head back, smashing it against Meanstreack's face. The brief distraction was all she needed to go intangible and out of his grasp. This was just in time too, as a streak of crimson courtesy of Cyclops passed through her to strike the speedster. By this time he'd recovered, however, and by vibrating rapidly was able to avoid the brunt of the blast. Still, it had knocked Meanstreak clear over a pew.
Of the three swords that Nightcrawler carried on his person, only one remained. He had it in hand then, fencing with the woman called Krystallin. A fitting name, he decided, considering that her mutant ability involved creating crystal minerals out of thin air. Certainly her crystal staff was giving Nightcrawler a run for his money.
"Vas, you are quite skilled," Nightcrawler complimented as he avoided a swing to the head. With his tail, Nightcrawler had picked up a crystal shard and jabbed at Krystallin with the blunt end. She easily blocked this while fending off his sword. "Very quick reflexes."
"I've practiced against faster," she replied. Behind her, the stone wall broke inward against a steel fist. "Huh?" As Krystallin turned against the sound, Nightcrawler took advantage by teleporting away. He trusted in the newcomer Colossus to keep her busy.
"You are trying to hurt my friends," Colossus snarled. Had Krystallin not thrown up a shield at the last minute, his backhand would have likely knocked her head off. As it was, Colossus shattered the crystal shield and sent the smaller woman flying.
"Hey! Pick on somebody your own size!" The mysterious team of mutants also had a man of metal. He'd spent the last few minutes struggling against Iceman, but at the sight of Colossus harming Krystallin was breaking away. A warm bronze fist shattered an ice barrier, and by the time he reached Colossus the entire body was also made of steel. "Hi, my name is Metalhead. If that form is all you've got, consider yourself outmatched."
This greeting was accompanied by a steel fist thrown into Colossus' face. The heavy impact staggered Colossus, but failed to drive him back. He made a grimace at Metalhead, and raised his own powerful steel arms.
"If you claim to be the strongest of our foes, then you will fall!"
In the middle of numerous brawls Storm made her entrance. Strong winds carried her in through the main opening and high up over the fighting so that she could survey the area. Beast was lying unconscious on the ground, the woman responsible diving for cover while Angel flew at her. Abandoned by Metalhead, Iceman was focusing his attention on Nightcrawler, who was easily dodging every attack while keeping the powerful X-Man distracted. Cyclops and the mutant appropriately named Skullfire were exchanging energy blasts, with an intangible Shadowcat in the middle of it. The speedster Meanstreak was a blur as he circled around Jean Grey, keeping her off-balanced and unable to properly utilize her telekinesis.
Though Storm was anxious to aid her friend and prevent any potential harm to her unborn child, she knew that such action would only prolong this needless fighting. With a wave of her hand, Storm directed a heavy gust against Angel. The winged mutant veered out of control up through the air, giving his opponent some much needed breathing room. Storm hoped to use it for discussion.
"I am Storm, leader of the X-Men," she identified herself to the Asian woman. "Who are you, and why are your friends attacking my family?"
Crouched low to the ground, the woman was poised to defend herself if Storm made any hostile action. "Hunh, I thought you looked familiar. My name is Cerebra. We're also call ourselves X-Men, and we were attacked as soon as we arrived here. Don't ask me how. The last thing I remember was driving out of Las Vegas."
Having sensed nothing dishonest in Cerebra's reply, Storm gently lowered herself to the ground. "We must work together in stopping this fight before someone is seriously hurt. A powerful telepath is manipulating five of my friends."
Cerebra nodded. "Yes, I suspected as much when that woman claimed she wasn't pregnant. She's nearly at term. He," she indicated the unconscious Beast, "should be fine when he wakes up. My powers disrupt the nervous system. Any mental hold on him should be broken. Get me close enough and I should be able to do the same for everybody else, except maybe for the ice guy and the woman. I don't want to risk hurting her child."
Nearby, Metalhead was struggling against Colossus. Even when made of adamantium, he didn't seem to be as strong as his opponent. It was taking everything he had just to hold the steel juggernaught off.
"Uunf, that left hook of yours makes as a nice sound," Metalhead remarked right after catching a steel fist against his adamantium shoulder. "Hopefully I'll remember it. If I can catch the tone just right, it would perfect in my performance."
"Ah, a fellow artist," Colossus grunted as he blocked a punch and shoved Metalhead through a series of icy pews. "Just a moment ago I was admiring how the light reflected off your iron form. The colors will be difficult to hide, but later I will try to paint it from memory."
Left dazed by Storm's gust, Angel was caught off-guard when Cerebra pounced with her mutant ability. His nervous system seized up, effectively paralyzing him and causing a great deal of pain. It broke Storm's heart to see her friend in agony, and silently she vowed to make Cerebra pay if she were not being truthful.
As though she knew what Storm was thinking, Cerebra replied. "We will not know if they are freed from the telepath until after they awaken. In that time we could find the telepath and disable him directly. At the worst I am disabling your teammates without any permanent damage."
"Nonetheless we cannot risk harming Jean," said Storm. "And getting you close to Cyclops or Iceman would be too dangerous. What is the range of your abilities? Unless Mastermind is using her abilities, you should be able to detect her."
Cerebra frowned and shook her head. "My ability to detect mutants is not that refined. At the most I can tell you that other mutants are in this building, and there's a faint presence outside, but in which direction I cannot say."
Likely Cerebra was detecting Toad and the rest of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Storm wondered to herself. Capturing them had been the reason for the X-Men's assault on the monastery. Only Mastermind remained, and it was disappointing that Cerebra could not aid in a search.
Her years of survival on the streets of Cairo helped Storm in noticing an approach from behind. Quickly she turned around, ready to call winds to her aid. A blunt crystal shard narrowly missed Storm's head, and she had to leap to the side to avoid being encased in a crystal shell.
"Krystallin stop!" Cerebra ordered her recovered teammate. "This Storm, and she is not our enemy."
"Where's her Mohawk then?" Krystallin demanded as she glared at Storm. "In all the stories I've heard, Storm had a Mohawk and wore a leather jacket."
"Once upon a time," replied Storm with a reflective smile. "But hair grows back, and leather is not so suitable for flying. If you will agree to the truce, sister, we must put an end to this fighting."
"Consider it ending," stated Shadowcat. She approached the three women. Skullfire was walking behind her, and slumped over his shoulder was Cyclops. "I noticed you playing nice with others, Storm, so I decided to help this guy out with Cyclops. More to stop him from committing murder, actually," she added with a glower towards Skullfire.
"Guy fires at me, I fire back at him," he said, unapologetic. "Its holding back that gets people killed. So what, now we're all teaming against the snowman and the broad?"
"Insult my friend again and we shall see how much electricity you can absorb," Storm warned him. She then directed her attention at Shadowcat. "Jean shouldn't pose any resistance if you phase your arm through her head and threaten to solidify. The rest of us shall go deal with Iceman. Unless," she added for the sake of the others, "any of you are eager to go between those two." She nodded towards Colossus and Metalhead, who were grappling at the other end of the cathedral.
Skullfire shook his head. "Nah. I like my bones unbroken. But who died and named you queen, lady? The only guy I take orders from is-"
"Aahhh!" The earsplitting scream cut Skullfire off and sent slivers fear up Storm's spine. It was Jean that had screamed, and everybody who turned in her direction saw Jean suddenly clutching at her stomach. The first to react was Iceman, the most powerful but in his current mental state the least experienced.
"What are you doing to her!" Bobby Drake screamed. Again a wave of ice erupted from his body, but this time Nightcrawler was unable to teleport away. Frost coated his entire form, and the blue-furred mutant fell to the ground, shivering. Iceman started towards the convulsing Jean Grey, his icy bulk growing significantly with each step.
"Kurt!" yelled out Shadowcat with concern.
"I will see to Nightcrawler!" declared Storm. "Jean is the priority!"
Krystallin and Skullfire had moved to intercept Iceman. Because of Storm's doing, the air around them felt unusually dry. A jolt of electricity from Skullfire did nothing to halt Iceman's advance. Krystallin erected a barrier. "Judging form his size this won't last long," she muttered.
"Dammit." Skullfire turned in the direction of the two battling men of metal. "Both of you stop playing and do something useful!" He brought the message home with a thick beam of crackling electricity that struck both combatants.
Though the electricity pained both mutants, Colossus had a much higher threshold than Metalhead. While the other was momentarily stunned, Colossus used the opportunity to grab hold of Metalhead's arms and lock them behind his back. Being not nearly so strong as Colossus, Metalhead could not break free.
"You are beaten, my comrade. Come, now we must work together."
Instead of releasing Metalhead, Colossus hefted him up over his own head. In the meantime, Iceman had shattered Krystallin's barrier and was continuing towards a convulsing Jean Grey. At the woman's side was Shadowcat, uncertain of what to do.
Suddenly, the adamantium form of Metalhead crashed into the strong but still fragile body of Iceman. He shattered into a hundred pieces at the impact, scattering across the floor. Shadowcat watched the shards skitter past her, her mouth agape. Then she turned to look at Colossus, surprise and terror evident on her face.
"Peter! You just killed him!"
"I have seen Iceman survive worse, Katya," Colossus replied as he approached. "In his state, with your life at risk, I could not afford to be gentle."
"That was shocking awesome!" Skullfire exclaimed. "Juggernaught, I like your style."
Colossus turned, and fixed his steel gaze on the painted man. "My name is Colossus, and anyone who would look favorably on my actions is one whom I would not like to know."
It took a moment for Skullfire to understand the insult. When he did, he took a step towards Colossus, energy crackling from his fists.
"Ignore your anger, Timothy." X'ian walked into the chapel. "These noble souls are not our enemies. As kindred souls, we must aid one another through the crisis at hand."
"Words of great wisdom, my friend," agreed Professor Charles Xavier, who walked in behind X'ian! "Storm, use a warm draft to melt Iceman down and into one puddle. I shall aid him as I did before."
"He's still alive," Cerebra muttered, disbelieving. "I can feel it. Somehow this mutant is still alive."
"Then I will see he comes to no permanent harm," stated X'ian.
Storm did as Professor Xavier asked though she did hesitate briefly. Like the other X-Men, she was shocked and a little skeptical at seeing the Professor walking on his own legs. Her skepticism grew as she watched X'ian kneel down next to Jean Grey, the golden hand he'd just touched Iceman with outstretched.
"Something is wrong with this girl, but the illusion prevents me from seeing the injury." Immediately, he addressed Shadowcat. "Quickly, child, tell me what afflicts your friend."
Shadowcat bristled at being referred to as a child, but something about the man compelled her to answer. "She's pregnant. If you're responsible for the Professor…please, help her too!"
X'ian looked down intently at Jean Grey, worry and concern etched on his face. "What she is experiencing is not an injury in the true sense of the word, and so there isn't much I can do." He looked up at Professor Xavier and Cerebra. "So long as she remains under this spell and unable to participate, both her life and the life of her child are in danger."
Cerebra shook her head. "X'ian, you know how my power works. Disrupting her nervous system would do greater harm than good."
Professor Xavier knelt down beside X'ian and placed his fingers against the writhing Jean's forehead. A short distance away, Iceman's body had pieced itself back together, and he was unconscious in ice form.
"These are not the pains of childbirth," Professor X revealed. "Something is happening to Mastermind, and Jean is experiencing a psionic backlash. I can do my best to shield her from the agony, but already I feel her child's life in peril. We must get the baby out, now!"

"No! No! Aaaiiiggghhhiieee!"
Waves of agony washed over Mastermind's body and mind over and over against. Flames both real and psionic tickled at her flesh and consciousness. Floating before Mastermind, Rachel Summers was free, and she was expressing her rage!
"For what you have done I should kill you sister. Only the link you share now with my mother stays my hand. So for now, I lock away your power so that you may do no more harm. Pray that she and I survive the damage you have wrought!"

"We'll need to cut her open, remove the baby surgically," Storm told the assembled mutants. Most of them were gathered around Jean Grey who was, thanks to Professor X, semi-conscious. Colossus and Metalhead were not in the gathering, but rather kept one on the four unconscious original X-Men. Cyclops, Beast, Angel and Iceman had returned to their modern appearances and were laid out next to one another. None thought to comment at the time on Iceman's human form, clearly the result of X'ian applying his healing ability.
"You," X'ian pointed to Nightcrawler. "Turn over your sword. Krystal, we'll need tools."
"I am projecting them into your mind now," Professor X said to her. "Unfortunately, we have nothing to sterilize with."
X'ian raised his golden hand. "I will neutralize any infection."
"We have a problem, I am afraid." Nightcrawler presented his sword. "This has been dulled in the fight. To risk using it would put Jean and her baby in great danger."
"I've never made anything like a scalpel before," Krystallin stated, worried. "Small blunt objects like these, sure." She indicated the tools. "But such a small instrument with a fine edge…"
"Step aside, darlin'." Wolverine had staggered in. His costume was a tatters, and much of his body hadn't completely healed from what X'ian did to him. But he was alive, and walking towards the ground with one hand raised out in front of him.
Snikt
"I got yer scalpel right here."

What occurred next could not possibly be described in mere words. A trained doctor, Professor Xavier instructed Wolverine in the procedure, which proved more delicate than expected because the baby was wrapped up in the umbilical cord. Still, Wolverine successfully cut the cord without striking anything else. It was Professor Xavier himself who delivered the child, and X'ian immediately laid his hand on Jean Grey as soon as the procedure was done. The wound healed quickly, without leaving so much as a scar.
The aftermath was not so easy to contemplate. X'ian and his X-Men of 2099 faded away soon after the delivery of Jean Grey's son. As they disappeared, Professor Xavier breathed a heavy sigh of regret and sadness. Carefully, the Professor used his telepathy to awaken Scott Summers and the other X-Men whom Mastermind had manipulated.
After taking time to rejoice on their victory and the birth of Scott and Jean's child, the X-Men left the monastery for their Blackbird jet. Inside, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants remained imprisoned, minus Mountjoy and Mastermind. Because Storm's team had set out with the intention of rescuing teammates and capturing enemies, the Blackbird had been modified beforehand to accommodate so many passengers.
As the others were preparing the Blackbird for departure and exploring the monastery, Professor Xavier and Shadowcat stood alone on a nearby hilltop. Only one knew that Storm and Colossus had met on that same hilltop a short time ago.
"Yes, it was Rachel's presence I felt battling Mastermind," Professor Xavier answered, in response to Shadowcat's unspoken question. "How she had been taken captive I would not like to speculate on, but near the end she had broken free."
"So those, those other X-Men," Shadowcat began, "Rachel somehow transported them to us through time, like she once did with Scott and Jean?"
The Professor nodded.
"And when they disappeared?"
"Rachel is gone," the Professor replied, his head down. "Almost as soon as I took Scott and Jean's son in my arms, her presence faded. Mastermind's as well."
As he spoke to her, something seemed to break inside of Shadowcat. Tears began to fall free down her face, but she took no notice of them.
"When she left us, after the wedding," Kitty began, trembling in voice and body, "She asked me to watch over her, after she was born. After the wedding, she was so happy. The entire time I'd known her, I had never seen Rachel so happy. She wasn't just going to live. She was going to exist. Now she's gone and, and I still remember how happy she was. Why do I still remember her, Professor?"
"Temporal paradoxes are a strange thing," answered Xavier. "In times your memories of Rachel may fade. At the moment, I only have a faint impression of her, of who she was."
Like a switch, Shadowcat went from profound sadness to almost irrational anger. "What about Mastermind? Everything she did, she just gets away?"
"It would appear so. Although it is possible that, as she and Rachel were psionically linked at the time, Mastermind was caught up in the temporal flux that may well have claimed Rachel."
"Until we see the body…" Shadowcat trailed off. In the near distance she could see sunlight glinting off of metal. Colossus topped the ridge, clad all in metal. He had not shifted form the entire day, even when the threat had ended. This was the first thing that unsettled Shadowcat. The second was that Colossus addressed Professor Xavier without even looking at her.
"The others have already been told, Charles," Colossus said, surprisingly informal. There was deep regret in his voice, but resolve as well. "I will not be going with the rest of you."
With equal regret on his face, Professor Xavier looked up to meet his old student's gaze. "Peter, there have been other times when-"
Colossus cut him off. "You know why this is different. For too long I have doubted my being here. More and more often I hate you for approaching me that day, taking me away from my family. It is time I take my leave, before this hate drives me to kill you, sir."
Rather than argue, Professor Xavier merely shook his head. Neither man extended a hand for farewells. Without another word, Colossus turned and walked back down the hill.
"Professor!" Shadowcat exclaimed, aghast. He did not respond nor act, however, and Shadowcat ran off herself after Colossus. "Peter! Peter, wait!"
She took hold of his arm and was taken aback. His touch…the steel was so cold. Colossus turned only his head, directed those steel eyes at Shadowcat but avoided her own.
"Peter, you're right," Shadowcat blurted out, much to her own surprise. "Neither of us…we never belonged here. I'll go with you. Together-"
"We are not meant to be," he told her coldly. "Forget what we experienced. I already have."

EPILOGUE

Going ahead with the mental conditioning hadn't been an easy decision to come by. But at the time and, in hindsight while walking down the streets of Paris, Rachel Summers knew that it was for the best.
"My actions earlier had been a mistake." As she talked aloud, Rachel's hand was touching the ruby stone held by a chain around her neck. "Though my intention was to shield the X-Men, plastering my face on international television made me a target. Of course, I wasn't sure then what I was going to do. Once I realized my purpose, and the secrecy I would require, wiping all memory of my existence makes perfect sense."
Though Rachel was walking down a public street of Paris in broad daylight, no eyes were drawn to her. That nobody took any notice of a beautiful red-haired woman wearing a crimson bodysuit and cloak could only be explained by telepathy. She did not want to be seen, and so Rachel Summers was not.
"Shh, stop talking," Rachel whispered as she tapped the ruby. "I won't kill you and that's final. You're blood; or something along those lines, and there are rules against that sort of thing. None that you would respect, but then that's just one of the many things that makes me better than you."
Turning the corner, Rachel let go of the ruby and put both her hands into the pockets of her red cloak. She continued to speak aloud, however.
"Oh yes, they're alive. Both of them, I can feel it. It's hard to miss that signal coming from two sources. Just because I'm one of the most powerful individuals on this planet doesn't mean I don't need help from the other two. Maybe one of them knows how I can place you into a re-education scenario."
The face of Martinique Jason was shouting wordlessly from inside the ruby. Rachel went on, however, ignoring her sister's pleas.
"Sure, it'll be great hanging out with my two brothers, but another girl would balance things out. Then again, maybe three of use would be for the best. A tripod, trinity, triumvirate. Or troika."
Rachel smiled to herself, at the thought of what she would accomplish.
"Yes, a troika is exactly what this world needs."

THE END

NEXT ISSUE: The X-Men have triumphed over The Brotherhood, but mutants worldwide still live in a world that fears and hates them. In an attempt to shelter the next generation, Professor X will reopen the School for Gifted Youngsters. Be here for the first day of class in X-Men 101!