NOTE: This issue takes place between Uncanny X-Men #58 and New X-Men #1

Hank McCoy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked a few times. Once more, he set the specially-designed glasses on the large nose he sported. His yellow, catlike eyes took a moment to adjust and he went back to work, reviewing the information on his computer screen.

He still wore a navy vest and his dress shirt was loose at the collar and the cuffs were rolled up. The gold tie and navy jacket were slung over the back of his chair and his shoes were…somewhere. The massive desk was awash with papers and documents as he tried to focus on the flatscreen monitor in front of him. The windows were open and thankfully, a night breeze came through to cool him slightly and give him some sort of relief.

“I can’t believe you’re still up.”

“Hmm?” Hank looked and saw his wife, Cecilia Reyes-McCoy, dressed in a blue robe and with her arms crossed. He hadn’t even heard her come in, or smelled her for that matter. It showed just how engrossed he was in his work.

“Come to bed already.” Cecilia walked behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his body. She scratched him under his blue-furred chin and he couldn’t help a little purr escape.

“You go, I’ll be up there soon.”

“Uh-uh, don’t think you’re getting off that easy.”

Hank looked up at her with some confusion and Cecilia scoffed, crossing her arms again and leaning on the edge of the desk. “Don’t you give me that look, McCoy. You think I’ve forgotten that excuse when you gave it to me last night? Or the night before? Or every other night for the past month?”

Hank leaned forward and took her small hand in the palm of his much larger one. “I’m sorry, Ceci. But the new semester begins next month and there’s still a lot I need to do. I’m not sure how Scott and Jean were able to handle it all.”

“Well there were two of them and they had a lot more people on-staff. Plus, they put Domino and Kurt in charge of the field squads.”

“You think I’m overworking myself,” said Hank.

“You’re the one who insisted you can shoulder all the responsibility by yourself,” said Cecilia.

“Yes, I suppose my pride is receiving a much-deserved smack-down.”

Cecilia cocked an eyebrow. “Smack-down?”

Hank chuckled. “I think I’ve spent too much time with some of the students.”

“And not enough with your wife. Ever since Scott and Jean left, you’ve been running yourself ragged.”

“There’s a lot to do to prepare for the new semester. New students, new teachers, and then there’s the other stuff. Havok’s rogue team is giving the rest of us a bad name and I’m not sure what to do about it. We’ve still got Cassandra imprisoned in the Z’noxx Chamber. And then there’s Dani suddenly taking off without a warning. Not to mention the recent debacle with X-Corps.”

“Have you talked to Warren about that yet?”

“No, but not for lack of trying on my part,” said Hank. “The man’s been avoiding paparazzi his whole life, there’s no way to reach him when he doesn’t want to be reached.”

“How could he lie to us like that?” asked Cecilia. “For months we didn’t know what happened to many of our teammates and now we find out it’s because Warren was using the X-Corporation to bankroll his own top-secret mutant militia.”

“It’s left a black mark on our record and caused some friction in certain political circles. But some good did come of it. For instance, because of their actions, Black Womb seems to have shut down their operations.”

“Yeah well, I wouldn’t start celebrating just yet. I’m not so sure we’ve heard the last of them.”

“The attack on the mansion, you mean.”

“Have you made any progress on finding Alex’s team?”

Hank shook his head. “We have unconfirmed reports that they’re operating out of Genosha. But both Magneto and Jean continue to deny that, both in public and private. If our favorite fugitives are indeed in Genosha, the government doesn’t know about it.”

Cecilia leaned forward and gently kissed Hank’s nose. “I’m going to bed. Don’t stay up too late, we’ve got some new arrivals coming in tomorrow.”

The X-Men in…

TRANSITIONS

By Dino Pollard

The gates to the Xavier Institute opened and the leather-clad rider drove the motorcycle past them, allowing it to roar. Students who had stayed over the break or who had returned early looked up in surprise to see the new arrival. The bike came to a stop at the front steps leading up to the mansion.

Hank stood in front of those steps, hands in his pockets. The biker hopped off the Harley and reached for the helmet. Long, brown hair spilled out as the helmet came free and the young woman set the helmet on the seat, running up to the school’s Headmaster.

“It’s so good to see you!” said Kitty Pryde.

Hank laughed and embraced the young woman. “You too. It’s good to have you back, Kitty.” He looked at the Harley. “And I’m glad you’ve been able to put your inheritance to good use.”

“Thanks.” Kitty broke the embrace and ran her fingers over the bike. “When I’m riding, I feel like he’s still with me. I just wish…”

“It’s not your fault. If you were there, Sabretooth would have killed you as well.”

Kitty nodded somberly. “I know. I just…I miss him. Him, Bobby and Charles.” She looked up at the Institute. “Feels like I only come back for funerals these days.”

“Not this time.”

“No, guess not,” said Kitty.

“I thought you were coming with someone…?”

Kitty smirked. “He couldn’t keep up.”

Another vehicle came through the gates, this one a black, Mustang convertible. A middle aged man with red hair sat behind the wheel, a pair of circular sunglasses covering his eyes. He pulled up next to the Harley and climbed out of the car.

“Bleedin’ cheat is what yeh are, Katherine Pryde!”

“Oh please,” said Kitty.

“Don’t give me any lip, lass! I saw what you did!”

“Sean? Kitty?” asked Hank. “I feel like I’ve wandered into the wrong movie.”

“It’s nothing, just a little wager between friends,” said Kitty. “Sean here insisted he could beat me here in his new car.”

“And she cheated,” said Sean.

“I so didn’t!”

“Yeh rode between cars!”

Kitty shrugged. “You never said that wasn’t allowed.”

“Then on the sidewalk!”

She sighed. “Maybe next time you should lay down some ground rules.”

“Fine.” Sean pointed a finger at her. “But yeh won’t be gettin’ one red cent, I promise yeh that.”

Kitty smirked. “Wanna try again? Double or nothing?”

“I’ll pass,” said Sean. “Just get your bags out’ve me car. I’ve had enough of you for one day.”

“Sour grapes,” muttered Kitty as she reached into the backseat and pulled out her suitcases.

“Y’know under normal circumstances, someone cheated me, I’d shove me foot up their arse.”

“Yeah, but you know I’d just kick your ass,” said Kitty.

After Kitty went inside the mansion, Hank looked at his old friend. “She would, you know.”

“Whose side are yeh on, boyo?” asked Sean.

“It’s good to have you both here agian,” said Hank, putting his arm around Sean. “I was a little worried you wouldn’t come, given the way you left.”

“I had issue with Scott and Dom’s tactics, had nothin’ t’ do with you, lad. And since neither of them are here, I’ve got nothin’ t’ worry about, do I?”

“For now, at least,” said Hank. “For now.”

Peter Valentino was nervous. It had been a long time since he was out on a date. The last time he had feelings for one of his teammates, it was with Cameron Dalin, who had politely turned him down. Since then, Peter hadn’t found much in the way of romantic possibilities. That is, until Neal Shaara came to the X-Men.

Peter fell for the young man’s quiet nobility. He was also amazing while in a fight, the way he had destroyed those creatures who attacked the mansion a few weeks ago without even hurting Cassandra Nova. To have that type of control over his powers, it was something Peter envied.

The two men sat in the back of a movie theater. There were maybe only ten people total at the showing, which was fine by Peter. He didn’t feel comfortable in large groups, especially given how nervous he was to begin with. He felt he and Neal had established a pretty good connection and he definitely detected some flirting when they were both holed up in the infirmary together.

Peter looked down at the arm rest, but Neal’s hand wasn’t there. Instead, it was buried in the popcorn. Peter laid his hand down on the arm rest, moving it closer to Neal’s side, hoping the other man would notice the movement.

He didn’t.

Peter started to lean closer to Neal. The Indian mutant could feel Peter’s eyes on him. He turned his head and spoke in a low voice. “What’s wr—”

Neal’s mouth was silenced as Peter leaned in and kissed him. Neal’s eyes widened and he pulled away. Peter looked at him in shock. “I—”

“What are you doing?” asked Neal.

“I—I thought—oh shit!” Peter stood and ran from the theater. Neal’s cheeks reddened and he felt like everyone in the theater was watching him. It took him a few moments before he finally stood himself and followed his friend.

“Peter! Peter, where are you?”

Neal pushed open the doors of the theater, hoping he hadn’t upset his friend to the point that he had used his shapeshifting abilities to disguise himself as he ran off. Neal looked around, outside the theater and mentally kicked himself. He had been surprised by what happened, but he didn’t want Peter to run off like that.

“Hey.”

Neal turned and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Peter leaning against the wall of the theater. His complexion was darker though, and slowly it shifted to normal as he stepped forward.

“Hey,” said Neal. “Peter, look I’m sorry if—”

“All that time we spent together, I thought that something was happening with us. And after all the flirting in the infirmary…”

“Flirting?” asked Neal. “I was flirting?”

“That’s what I thought…”

“Oh wow…” said Neal, rubbing his forehead. “Look…I’m—I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. It wasn’t my intention, really.”

“No, it’s probably my fault,” said Peter.

“Y’know what…I—I think I should go back to the mansion,” said Neal.

“But we came together. In your car.”

“Right…” said Neal. He reached into his pocket. “Hey, why don’t you drive the car back? I think I…I need to just fly a little.”

“You need to fly,” said Peter.

“Yeah, just…need to think about things.” Neal tossed Peter the keys. “I—I’ll see you later.” He turned his back and generated a burst of heat beneath his soles, rocketing him into the night sky.

“Sure, whatever,” said Peter.

“Now this I don’t believe!” said Sean as he entered the War Room. Rogue sat there, clad in a green costume with white trim. She stood and embraced him.

“Been too long, Irish.”

“I’ll say, where’ve yeh been hidin’ out?” asked Sean.

Rogue simply smirked. “It’s a long story. Lot of it Ah’m not at liberty t’ talk about. But Ah’m back now an’ ready to get started.”

Sean looked to the other new arrival who sat at the large circular table with an X engraved on it. The Cheyenne mystic/inventor known as Forge smiled at him and extended a hand. Sean happily shook it.

“Thought yeh were workin’ with X-Factor?” asked Sean.

“After our last job, Val said the organization was being restructured. It’s not my kind of work anymore. Fortunately, when I spoke to Hank, he said the school could use someone to help out with the technical side of things.”

“I was just being kind,” said Hank. “In truth, we just needed to fill our Cheyenne quota with Dani gone.”

“Any word from her?” asked Sean.

“None, I’m afraid,” said Hank.

Sean looked around the room as the rest of the group filed in. Kitty and Cecilia were there as well as Piotr and Illyana. Also were the newer recruits from just before Sean left—Anna Hong, Ever, Neal Shaara and Martinique Jason. He took his seat at the table. “So what’s on the agenda, boyo?”

“We’re still missing someone,” said Hank. “Where’s Peter?”

“He hasn’t shown yet?” asked Neal, their awkward conversation from last night still very fresh in his mind.

“I saw him this morning, he said he had some personal issues to deal with,” said Ever. Neal didn’t fail to notice Ever’s glance at him.

“Well, we should get started. We have a lot of ground to cover.” He sat at the table and adjusted his glasses, opening the leather-bound folder. “Now, as you are all well aware, we’ve lost some of our numbers. Dani’s left the school with some of the students for a mission. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get much more out of her beyond that. Domino has also pulled her own vanishing act. Astrid has told me she intends to return to her psychiatric practice in England. And Paige is doing some work in Genosha, helping refugees there adjust to their new surroundings.”

“And unfortunately, they’re not the only ones leaving,” said Martinique. “With Storm’s recent recruitment into the Avengers, the X-Corporation needs some additional hands.”

“Both Martinique and Anna will be moving to those positions,” said Hank. “Which is why I’ve called the rest of you in—the Institute is quickly becoming short-staffed.”

“We spoke about this on the phone already,” said Kitty. “I assume the rest of us are staying on as teachers.”

“Yes and there’s also something else,” said Hank. “As you know, we haven’t had much in the way of an active team of X-Men. Which is something I think needs to change.”

“Tell me about it,” said Rogue. “Petey an’ I went up against Alex’s squad lately. They’re givin’ all of us a bad name. Magneto pulled some dirty politics to get us outta there.”

“So the reports are true?” asked Cecilia. “They’re in Genosha?”

Piotr nodded. “Although how much Jean and Scott know, we can’t be sure.”

“I’ve had difficulty confirming this with them,” said Hank. “Suffice to say, we’ll have to keep an eye on the situation in Genosha. And that’s precisely why we need a new squad of X-Men.”

“I guess that’s why I’ve been asked to sit in on this meeting?” asked Illyana.

“Nyet,” said Piotr. “I don’t want my sister being endangered.”

“It’s not your decision,” said Illyana.

“She is just a child.”

“Don’t pull that, I was just a child when I was running missions with you guys,” said Kitty.

“Peter, I understand your trepidation. Unfortunately, we don’t have much in the way of options,” said Hank. “I’m far too busy running the school and Cecilia has concerns of her own to worry about. That leaves a small strike force. You could use the help.”

“Then we can turn to some of the students,” said Piotr.

“I may be physically younger but I’ve got more experience than they do,” said Illyana. “Piotr, please. I want to be part of this.”

Piotr grew silent and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. He would concede, but he wasn’t happy about it.

“So who’s running this group?” asked Ever.

“Don’t think it’s much of a question, is it?” asked Forge. “Far as I’m concerned, only one of us has the experience needed to lead a team like this.”

“I agree,” said Hank and he turned to Sean. “What do you say?”

“Me?” asked Sean. “Are yeh sure about that?”

“After our time at Interpol, you’ve got my vote,” said Kitty.

“Don’t think anyone here’s gonna challenge yah, sugah,” said Rogue.

Sean nodded. “Alright, if yeh’ll have me, I’ll take the job.”

Peter Valentino sat out on the pier overlooking the lake. He tossed several stones across the water, skipping them. He had missed the meeting and he was sure he was due for an earful from Hank later. But he didn’t care. He just couldn’t face the embarrassment.

“So here’s where you’ve been hiding.”

Peter looked up and saw Anna approaching him. She sat down on the dock next to him. “We missed you at the meeting.”

“I had a lot on my mind,” said Peter.

“Date didn’t go the way you hoped?”

“What date?”

“That bad, huh?”

“I’m getting sick of this place,” said Peter. “At first it was all new and exciting. But first Cameron left. Then Bobby died. Feels like everyone I get close to at this place eventually goes, one way or the other.”

“Maybe a change in scenery is in order,” said Anna.

“Yeah, and what kind of change would that be? I’m not going home if that’s what you think.”

“Ever considered the life of an expat?”

“Huh?” asked Peter.

“Martinique and I have been offered jobs by the X-Corporation. We could use someone like you with us,” said Anna. “How’d you like to see Hong Kong?”

Peter slowly smiled. “Maybe a change would be nice.”

Far beneath the grounds of the Xavier Institute sat a chamber specifically designed to render psionic activity impossible. Nothing went in or out. And its current occupant was also a prisoner of the X-Men, albeit a willing one.

Cassandra Nova lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She could hear voices. Something in her head.

The time grows near.

“I know.”

Are you prepared for what’s to come?

Cassandra shrugged. “There’s only one way to know for sure.”

To be continued in Astonishing X-Men #1