X-Men

#93

April, Year 5

Atomic War!

I

"Just How Powerful Are You?"

Brought to you by Stephen Crosby

So close. Just another mile, maybe less. She could see the sign, the one that welcomed her into Salem Center. Several years ago, she had first seen that sign, illuminated by the headlights of a friend's truck. He'd been with her, then, as had others. They had all carried bats, and they had chased a man. At first, they weren't entirely sure what they were going to do with him. But then he changed, and he attacked her.

They beat him to death with their bats. Outside of Salem Center, they killed him.

Dennis, she thinks his name was.

It wasn't coincidence that she would think of this moment as she approached Salem Center again. Because this time she was not chasing. No, she was the one being chased. Just like Dennis had been.

"It's funny," the little man said as she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, in the shadow of the welcome sign. "I've always heard that humans were better than everything else. That they ruled the world, and lorded over all other creatures that inhabited it. That above all others, humans were superior, and had all the power."

Rolling over and sitting up, she started to back away. The little man wasn't so little anymore. Then, he'd been crouching down on his legs, hopping after her while she ran. But as she gazed up at him, she saw that he was standing tall, at about six feet high.

In his hand was a baseball bat. And there were others behind him, always walking towards her. They also held bats.

"So tell me, human," Toad began, not a hint of a smile on his face. "How powerful do you feel now?"

"Please...." she began with a sob. One of those behind Toad, a man with bright red hair, banged his bat against the ground to silence her. In his grip, the bat was starting to smolder. Toad glanced at him with annoyance.

"No powers, Pyro. We're going to let this human show us just how powerful she is. With half a dozen of her friends, and armed at that, she managed to slay a big, bad mutie. I'm sure she'll have no problem tackling eight mutants all by herself. After all, she's better than we are."

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. Somebody else behind Toad, a striking woman auburn hair, raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"'Sorry?' Hmm, I don't think I read that word in the court transcript. Mostly just a bunch of rubbish you and your friends screamed about that mutie freak getting what 'it' deserved. One of you even said that no jury would convict you. I suppose you were partly right, what with three mistrials. I would imagine the Friends of Humanity paid your legal fees."

Another man, this one with long red hair, stepped up beside the woman. "Let's stop talking and just kill her."

"We need to savor this, Mountjoy," Toad replied. He was standing over her now, lightly patting the head of the bat against his other hand. "Mastermind says you were partly right, because it's true that a jury of your peers wouldn't convict you. Human justice doesn't include mutants. But victims have rights too, you see. And we decided that it was time a jury of his peers got their say."

"Guilty," a large man in the very back rumbled.

"Guilty," a muscular woman beside the large man said.

"Guilty," agreed a stone-faced man standing beside Pyro.

"Guilty," cackled a bald man with large eyes.

"Guilty," said Pyro gleefully.

"Guilty," Mastermind and Mountjoy both said together, almost as if they were of one mind.

"That was seven," Toad said glumly. "And I make eight. Oh dear, we need another four. Mastermind, I'm afraid you'll have to cheat a little."

"Certainly," Mastermind said. "Look behind you, human."

She turned her head, and gasped. They were there, standing behind her. But they were dead. She'd seen them all killed, just before she was allowed to run and be hunted. But there they were, and standing with them was Dennis.

Dennis didn't look like he had when they'd killed him. His skin wasn't green with those disgusting tentacles on his head. No, he looked as human and as normal as she did. And with the others he said one word.

"Guilty."

"And I'll round things out with a guilty verdict also." Toad was smiling at last. "There you have it, human. Justice is served." He raised the bat, but then sniffed. Turning his head, Toad sniffed at the bat gingerly, then stuck his tongue out and licked it. Slowly licking his lips in thought, Toad finally gave a definate nod. "Just as I thought. His blood is still on this. Fitting."

The baseball bat was raised, and then lowered.

Seven baseball bats followed.

The image was sickening. Stuck up to the Welcome to Salem Center sign - actually imbeded into it - was a bloody shape that was just recognizable as a human being. Plastered over the sign was a message, written in human blood.

"Failing to Protect a World That Hates and Fears Them." A massive 'X' had been streatched over the message with the human's intestines.

"Somebody's trying to send us a message," glibbed Archangel. Behind him, Shadowcat was gripping Nightcrawler's tail, to prevent him from leaping at Archangel.

The three X-Men were joined by Iceman, Colossus, and Professor X in the War Room of the mansion. The image on the monitor had been taken from the news story that was on every network, but was unaccompanied by commentary. Having listened to the news all that early morning, Professor X had dismissed them as irrelevent and largely useless.

"That would appear to be the case," Professor Xavier responded to Archangel's remark. "The victim was a woman, one of the group that had killed a mutant at that very spot several years ago. It stands to reason that this attack was carried out by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, continuing with their pledge to avenge injustice against mutants."

"Nobody deserves to die like that," breathed Iceman. "Not even a person who would do something like that. Professor, we have to stop them. We just...we need to stop this."

"I've been putting together everything we know about the Brotherhood." The Professor's fingers were flying over the control panels on his hoverchair. The news image was replaced by a series of faces. Toad. Avalanche. Pyro. Blob. "Toad, of course, has been the spokesperson thus far. However, the incident in Genosha suggests that Avalanche and Pyro are assisting him. Blob is a known associate of those two, and with Pyro had been with Toad in a previous incarnation of the Brotherhood.

"There must be more," Nightcrawler exclaimed. "At the time they attacked Genosha, Pyro was suffering from the Legacy Virus. Somebody must have been with him in the research laboratories. And the riots in Boston were too swift, too coordinated to have occured independently. That suggests a telepath."

The Professor nodded. "I have come to the same conclusions. Whomever had been with Pyro in Genosha would have needed some form of invulnerability or force field to have survived the later explosion, or could have teleported before being harmed. I've gone through previous rosters for anybody with those powers and for any telepaths."

Very few images appeared on the screen. Unus the Untouchable. Mastermind. Vanisher. Spiral. "The Unus and Vanisher have never officially joined the Brotherhood," the Professor continued. "They did work with Blob in Factor Three. We cannot discount the possibility that Toad has recruited new members into his ranks. I fear that we have little information on our foes."

"We never know anything," Archangel commented, his arms folded over his chest. "And because of our public appearances, they know everything about us. Including our real names. If I were you, Shadowcat, I'd tell mommy I loved her."

Shadowcat bristled, but otherwise did not react. Professor X sighed.

"It is true that I have led us into a disasterous position during my time under the Shadow King's control."

"Could he be part of the Brotherhood?" Iceman suggested. "Perhaps meant to weaken us? The timing is close."

But the Professor shook his head. "No, our minds were intimately intwined during that period. Shadow King was acting alone, solely for the purpose of destroying me. We will have to act quickly to make for the disadvatages placed against us. I will try and contact Scott and Jean, and convince them to return-"

"No," interrupted Iceman vehemently. "Jean's pregnant. What Sinister did to her was bad enough. If she ended up losing the baby because of this...." He trailed off. Nightcrawler gave him a considering look.

"I admire the way you are taking charge," he complimented Iceman. "Much like you did during the battle with the Mauraders. A capable field leader is what we'll need most."

Iceman flushed nervously. "I'm no leader," he protested. "You've got the experience, Kurt. A conflict in the field would be disasterous."

"That is just what I mean. You recognized a potential liability."

"Only from listening to Scott and stuff..."

"Yeah, Iceman's been growing since his father was nearly beaten to death and he went solo against Bastion," Archangel broke in suddenly. "That was a huge success, by the way. If not for the timely intervention of SHIELD, he'd be dead right now. And so would have Scott's team, come to think of it. In fact, us mutants did a whole bunch of nothing against Zero Tolerance. It was the government that got their asses in gear, so let's just stop patting ourselves on the back over it." Archangel's wings twitched. "I'm sick and tired of reacting and losing. The Phalanx. Sinister and his Mauraders twice! The Shadow King. And now the Brotherhood. Let's find them, and show the world that you don't mess with the X-Men."

"Much like how the Brotherhood is teaching the world not to mess with mutants." Everybody was surprised to hear this from Colossus. He hadn't spoken a word since Boston. "I want the killing to stop, but that cannot be done by killing. Otherwise, it does not truly end."

Archangel sneered. "Spoken from a guy that always screams stopping butchers right before he pummels them mercilessly. Spare me the born again speil, Colossus. You're the strong man here, but unless you're willing to get those knuckles bloody, you're of no use to us."

"I agree with Colossus," the Professor stated. "If we take it upon ourselves to punish the Brotherhood, then we place ourselves above humanity's laws. We would then be no better than the Brotherhood."

Before Archangel could respond, the Professor continued. His fingers running over the controls, he made the images on the monitor disappear, replaced by a genetic strain every X-Man in that room recognized. The Legacy Virus.

"Unfortunately, despite their actions, the Brotherhood are not our most immediate concern. The reports are coming in. More and more humans are registering symptoms of the Legacy Virus."

"Everything except the fatal one," Archangel cut in. "We know how the disease works, Professor. It amplifies the victims mutant powers, to the point where they overwhelm and destroy from the inside out. Humans don't have powers, so how can this disease kill them? That's why Moira lingered with it for so long."

"Enough Warren." Professor Xavier's voice had a hard edge to it. "The disease does more than increase mutant abilities. 'Normal' attributes, such as speed and strength, would rapidly increase. The human body would be unable to sustain such production, and would literally shut down from the strain."

"And Sinister had a cure," Iceman muttered. "He cured Moira, he could have cured everybody. Scott tried to warn us. I could have stopped Havok. This could have all been-"

"This is all happening because Apocalypse had a cure," Shadowcat reminded him. "How do we know Sinister's wouldn't have been any better? He's only interested in his experiments, not in helping people."

"Those kids never should have trusted Apocalypse," Archangel snarled. Behind him, Colossus rose from his seat. Shadowcat noticed this, and moved place her hand on Peter's shoulder. But he gave her a look, and Shadowcat paused. Colossus then turned his head to look at the Professor.

"In Genosha, they attacked a research facility? Research on the Legacy Virus?"

Professor Xavier nodded. Slowly, Iceman and the others comprehended what Colossus understood.

"One of their own was dying. They would not have destroyed the information," Colossus explained. "The research at Muir Island is gone. Sinister wiped those, and our files here." His fists were clenched tight, steel sledgehammers that have felled mountains. "Only this...what they have...remains. We must take it back," Colossus said forcefully. "If we have to kill them to do it, we must take it back."

Only Archangel gave an eager smile.

The waves lapped against the beach. As the two sat on the cool, damp sand, they remembered good times. Warm nights when they would walk along the beach, discussing their future together. Born of wealthy and influential families, they would marry and live as a wealthy, influential couple. Phillip would follow in his father's footsteps while Jennifer would go on to learn and practice medicine, and perhaps work with her husband and father in-law. They would have children, normal and perfect, and life long and rich lives.

On those nights when they would walk and make love on the beach, never did Phillip Moreau and Jennifer Ransome imagine what truly happened. The mutate caste rising up and, with the assistance of the X-Men and the unlikely couple, toppling the Genosha government. The years of bloody civil war that would culminate with the almost complete destruction of Hammer Bay. And, finally, Phillip and Jennifer being taken by mutate rebels and dragged out to the beach to die.

"Why are you doing this?" Phillip Moreau pleaded. "We've fought Genosha longer than any of you, before you could even concieve fight. For god's sake, Jennifer is one of you-"

"Silence!" The command was emphasized by a brutal kick to Phillip's face. Jennifer screamed and struggled, but the mutates that held her were stronger, bred to work the dangerous mines of Genosha. The leader, the one who had kicked Phillip, glared and Jennifer with contempt. "You were the one who started it all. You are the reason the X-Men came!"

"Yes," Jennifer screamed. "I am the reason they involved themselves in our affairs. They brought down the government! They gave you your freedom!"

"We remained slaves!" he screamed. "Still we are trapped in these suits, unable to breed, barely able to live! Still you are trapped! But those X-Men that were changed, what of them? They are cured, and the X-Men keep the secret to themselves. They could return us all to the way we were, yet they choose not to! You brought us only the illusion of freedom, mere crumbs that we are supposed to be grateful for!"

The leader pointed his hand at Phillip's head. "Our lifespans shorten because of these suits. I feel death creep upon me every day. I will only be appeased when all my captors are dead." His lips curled into a terrifying smile. "Them, and their spawn!"

A hum reverbrated from the leader's fingers, and Phillip Moreau's head exploded.

"NO!!!" Jennifer Ransome screamed out in the seconds before the fingers were turned towards her, and her head exploded in kind.

Dropping the limp, headless body, the two mutates stepped towards their leader and a fourth mutate. Together, they turned from the bodies and proceeded to walk away from the shore. In a few hours the tide would rise. Phillip Moreau and Jennifer Ransome would be gone from Genosha forever.

As the four mutates stepped over the sand, they did not feel it shift. Without warning, a black shape rose from the sand beneath one of the mutate's legs.

*Snikt*

"Aaagghhh!"

Clutching at his crotch, blood flowing between his fingers, the mutate fell writhing to the ground. The other three mutates were suddenly alert, but it was too late. Another black shape rose from the sand. Another sound of metal sliding against flesh, a brief flash of metal in the moonlight, and another mutate fell. His leg was severed just above the knee.

"They're gonna bleed to death unless they're helped," the dark shape growled as it stood to full height, sand falling from it's body. "I ain't feelin' too helpful." Black eyes studied the two mutates that remained standing. "And yer gonna be worse off."

Shaking, the leader extending his hand and fingers. But fast though his mutant power was, his attacker was faster. One swipe, and a stream of blood erupted from the leader's arm. His hand and most of his forearm had just been sliced in half, longways. The two halves flapped from just below the elbow, blood flowing like a waterfall between.

The last mutate, a hulking man who'd once worked the mine, lunged at the attacker with a roar. He was cut off, however, by a boot to the throat. He fell to the ground clutching his throat, and before he could react felt a sharp pain in his side.

"Punctured liver," the growling voice told him. "Even if help got t'you in time, you don't have a chance."

Turning from his latest victim, the dark figure fixed his black eyes on the mutate leader, who sobbed uncontrollably while trying to keep the flaps of his arm together. Glancing fearfully at his attacker, he managed to get out three words. "Who...wh-o are you?"

Raising his arm so that the back of his hand was lined up with the leader's face, his knuckles facing the sky, the man responded. "I ain't yer bub, that's fer sure." With the unmistakable sound of metal sliding against flesh, two of the long blades extending from the man's hand retracted back into his forearm. That left only one blade, sticking out from the center of the back of his hand, between the second and third knuckles.

Another flash of moonlight reflecting. A swish of the air being torn, interrupted by the swift tearing of flesh and bone. The mutate's severed head tumbled into the sand, the body dropping only half a second later.

Glancing over his shoulder at the two other bodies lying in the sand, Wolverine shook his head. "That was a damn shame." He glanced down at the groaning, writhing forms at his feet. "A damn shame."

The next morning, there was no sign of what had occured the night before. The tide had risen.

"I got there was soon as I could, Chuck. Missed 'em by less'n a minute."

"I understand, Logan. Thank you for trying. Now, as you would imagine, we need you here at the mansion."

"If you're planning what I hope, you can expect me there."

"Kitty will take the Blackbird to pick you up."

"Don't. I can find my own way there. Got things to take care of first. I'll see ya when I see ya."

"Logan, I need you here now! Logan? Logan!"

There was no answer. Wolverine had cut the transmission. Professor Xavier was too weakened by recent events to risk a telepathic link halfway around the world. A room away, he could managed. Summoned, Nightcrawler strode into the Professor's study.

"That was Logan?"

"Yes." There was shame in the Professor's voice. "Back when my ambitions were more...political, I had asked him to smuggle Phillip and Jennifer from Genosha." He sighed. "He was too late. They're dead."

"Toad." The word was a curse on Nightcrawler's lips. "He set these events in motion. He lit the fuse to this explosion. Logan will help."

"What is what he said. But apparently he will take his time about it. Wolverine is not as dependable as we would hope, Kurt. I fear that he will be late again."

"I have faith in three beings, Professor. You and Logan are two of them. He will be here when needed." Comforting, Nightcrawler placed his hand on the Professor's shoulder. "What did you wish to speak about?"

"Uniforms," the Professor stated. "Allison's designs were too flashy and soft. Good for publicity, but not for combat. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are just that. Evil. The tactics they employ are brutal and deadly. To survive against them, you must all be prepared. I've already called for the others to assemble in the War Room. Let's join them."

Teleportation is about side-stepping between dimensions to instantly cross distances. Nightcrawler is a natural gateway into one such dimension, one of darkness. That is why he can blend into shadows, and light appears to melt around him. The smoke that appears when Nightcrawler disappears is a brief view into that other dimension.

There is a loud pop as air rushes into to fill in the void left behind from Nightcrawler's and Professor Xavier's departure. They reappear in the next instant, at one side of the round meeting table in the mansion's War Room. On the other side stood Iceman, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Archangel in the rear. Hovering over the table were five full-body uniforms. They seemed black, but also misty in some way.

"The time for colorful costumes has past," Xavier told his X-Men. "Like your previous uniforms, these are made of unstable molecules. Not only can they fit your bodies perfectly and serve as body armor, but they are capable of blending in with the background, effectively rendering you nearly invisible. Furthermore, each uniform has been designed with your specific abilities in mind. These are for combat, my X-Men."

Shadowcat made a face. "They're ugly, Professor. I swear, you have no fashion sense at all."

"The Brotherhood won't care how you're dressed," retorted the Professor. "But if you would rather they complimented your fashion before they killed you, Shadowcat, then by all means put on something gaudy and useless."

"Hey, that costume worked great against Garrok!" Shadowcat protested.

Professor Xavier ignored her. "Also, you will notice that these uniforms include a head piece. Toad's mucus is paralytic, and he has used it more than once to blind or suffocate a victim. And I above all others should understand the importance of protecting the brain. You will all have an opportunity to try out your new uniforms in the Danger Room."

Archangel narrowed his eyes. "I prefer my own costume."

The Professor responded with a glare. "That isn't your costume. It belongs to Apocalypse. And yes, Iceman, you do need a costume." There was a momentary look of surprise on Iceman's face. He'd been about to voice that very thought. It was uncomfortable knowing that a telepath was rifling through your mind. "Being of unstable molecules, the suit will trasmute into ice with you, will essentially become a part of you. That is when it will be most useful, rest assured."

Iceman shruggled. "We'll see."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At speeds approacing ninety miles per hour, gale force winds buffeted the lone man. He stood his ground, however. An immovable Blob. High above him, supported by gentle winds, a dark woman with long white hair floated in the heart of the Storm.

The scene was Dallas, at the foot of a massive glass tower known as the Aerie. It was a skeleton, its glass windows shattered and scattered about the field. Prone bodies also littered the ground. Many were X-Men, while others were of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Of the two teams, only three remained.

A bald little man suddenly appeared at Blob's side. Before the gale winds could lift him into the air, the little man man took hold of Blob, and the two Vanished. They reappeared an instant later, over a hundred feet above Storm. Releasing Blob, Vanisher teleported again.The large mutant didn't teleport with him, and instead dropped towards the ground. Storm was only a slight bump on the way.

"Finally! End scene!"

The illusion rippled, then faded to reveal the main hall of a vast cathedral. Inside were the assembled members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, all conscious and on their feet. Toad was hopping around Blob with excitement. "Storm was the last one! We've figured out how to beat every single member of the X-Men!"

The tall brunette woman known as Mastermind nodded agreement. "And it is about time. Though I enjoy practicing my illusions on all of you, running the same training scenario has been tiring. I was beginning to think you never would have defeated Storm.

"I'm still not sure this was worthwhile," added Unuscione. "How do we know those were all the X-Men? And did we even get all their powers right? The guy with the mullet didn't do anything but jump around throwing knives."

"I remember something about him having good luck," answered Avalanche. "Not sure if it's a power though."

"The girls probably just wanted a pretty boy on the team," Pyro added. "Both Rogue and Dazzler seemed hot for him, and it looked like Spiral-"

"I prefer facts to gossip," Mastermind interrupted. "It was Mountjoy who provided with all the information. Not only does he come from a future where the X-Men are legends..."

Toad barked a rough laugh. Mastermind ignored it and continued.

"But he'd also infiltrated their mansion once, and absorbed several of them. He's retained many of their memories."

"Sounds pretty familiar to me." Bloy eyed Mountjoy with suspicion. "So, that Southern bitch finally found a way to get her freak on, huh? And you were the result?"

There was a glint of metal in Mountjoy's hand as he glared at Blob. The knife rolled over his knuckles, and he smiled. "You know, I just might be Southern. It would explain the craving I have for fried fat."

Blustering, Blob took a step back, his face red. It was clear that he was more than a little afraid of Mountjoy. Everybody was, including Unuscione and Mastermind, though the two of them wouldn't admit it. Only Toad appeared indifferent. Of course, Toad was nuts. Mountjoy shifted his eyes to Toad, and curled his lip.

"I'm getting tired of these training sessions. I want something real inside of me."

Toad didn't back down. "Visit the gay clubs on your own time. I'm even more tired of losing. When we fight the X-Men, we must be ready. Now that we know the perfect way to kill every single one of them, we're almost ready."

"All we need to do is seperate them. Put the strategies to use." It was like the symphony of heaven to Toad's ears, hearing Mastermind speak. Her voice was so magical, her words so perfect. "I don't think it should be too difficult. We all saw them, on live television, fighting amongst themselves. Only that woman got them to stop, and we saw what she did, after. The old man is weak. We can't protect them from me."

Picturing the moment, Toad eagerly licked his lips. "Yes, make them see one thing while we do another. They'll think they're lying peacefully in their beds, but we'll be tearing out their entrails. But first, they must hurt inside. Them, and him. Oh, especially him."

Nervous, Unuscione eyed Toad with pity and fear. "I'm not messing with Magneto." It was a simple fact to her. She started when Toad whipped his head around and shouted at her.

"None of you will touch him! He is mine! Mine alone to hurt!"

"Bloody loon," Pyro muttered under his breath. Luckily, Toad did not hear.

Sympathetic, Mastermind nodded in agreement with Toad. "Yes, he is yours. As your leader, it is your right. Now, how exactly would you like to hurt the X-Men?"

"They are not X-Men," Toad corrected her. "Mutants, they are, but pretending to be human. They told us, told the world, except for Rogue. Maybe she's still one of us, but the rest...in their hearts they are human. They love humans."

The first to catch on was Vanisher. He smiled. "Oh, I see. So we do like we did with McCoy."

"Worse. The fools told us their names." Toad gave a rapturous smile. "We go for blood."

The building was a maze of twisting hallways, each only a few paces long before turning into another. The layout of the building was haphazard, without so much as a hint of a pattern. The walls themselves were uneven in width, varying between only a few inches to over a foot in thickness. After only a few turns, an individual could very easily lose his way, doomed to wander those hallways forever.

Under normal circumstances, Nightcrawler would never dare to teleport. The risk of teleporting of have been too great. His new uniform, however, was equipped to deal with that particular weakness. Low-level sonics emanated from the uniform, bouncing off the walls, slowly building a map that Nightcrawler could view through the goggles that were placed over his eyes. The layout of the entire floor was his to know, and Nightcrawler reveled in the knowledge that he could teleport freely and safely.

The hallways quickly filled with the stench of sulfur, and the air was thick with the dark smoke of another dimension. Again and again Nightcrawler teleported, always to the edge of the map he knew, allowing his uniform to gather more and more data. Though the digital map, Nightcrawler searched for his opponent.

It was when Nightcrawler next appeared that the attack came. Though he'd been expecting it, Nightcrawler had believed that his uniform would give him advance warning. That was stupid. He should have realized that sound would just go right through her.

It occured at the exact moment Nightcrawler appeared, when the sound of air being pushed aside roared in his ears, that Shadowcat struck. She came through the wall in a leaping kick for Nightcrawler's head. Had he been caught completely by surprise, that would have been the end. But when Nightcrawler appears and air is shoved away to make room for his body, pressure is increased for a split second, and Nightcrawler is made aware of slight shifts that would otherwise have been indistinguishable. Too eager, Shadowcat became tangible too soon.

Her foot didn't connect with anything. At the last second Nightcrawler dropped sideways. Planting one hand on the floor, Nightcrawler pivoted the lower half of his body up, executing a standing cartwheel. His legs passed through Shadowcat, who had already reverted back to her natural state of intangibility. She passed through the wall on the other side of the hallway, immediately before Nightcrawler landed to crouch down on that wall.

To stay there was to be a sitting duck, so Nightcrawler prepared to teleport again. He stopped himself, however, his eyes widening with surprise. There was nothing in the lenses of his goggles. The map had been wiped.

A arm shot through the wall, and Shadowcat's fist struck Nightcrawler in the groin. Surprised and hurt, Nightcrawler fell to the ground. Before he could recover, he found Shadowcat standing through his chest. She smiled down at him.

"I win, fuzzy elf."

The fight had lasted little more than a second.

With Shadowcat's victory, the training session ended. The holographic projections faded, revealing that the two X-Men stood in the center of the massive Danger Room. From the entrance, Professor Xavier wheeled towards them.

"Excellent work, both of you. Nightcrawler, your reaction skills have improved. Though you should have anticipated that Shadowcat's intangibility would scramble the electronics of your uniform."

Nightcrawler rose to his feet, unsteady. "I had thought that it may be shielded in that regard. That is the purpose of this training, fortunately. To be certain of our capabilities. You ended the session too soon, Professor. I was just about to teleport directly above Shadowcat, without this." He held up a small stun grenade. His uniform was outfitted with a variety of small explosives and such, along with several daggers.

"I was aware of that, Nightcrawler. But I felt that this session had served it's purpose. Also," Professor Xavier addressed Shadowcat. "Kitty, I have just recieved a message from your mother."

A chill ran through Shadowcat's body. "What is it? Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid so. Your father has been killed."