NOTE: This takes place after the events of X-Men #50

Xavier Institute
War Room

“In a surprising turn of events at the nation’s capital, the notorious Reverend William Stryker announced a new initiative to, quote, ‘exorcise the influence of Satan from our mutant brethren.’ Stryker has announced the establishment of several camps where trained ‘exorcists’ can work with mutants to, in his own words, ‘expel the evil from their bodies.’ Mutant rights activists all across the country have expressed outrage at this initiative. The ACLU has released a statement reaffirming its stance that mutancy is neither a disease nor the result satanic influence, but a simple genetic difference.

“Another surprising turn of events came at the rally where Stryker made this announcement. In unveiling his team of ‘saved’ mutants known as the Nephilim, the rally was attacked by the terrorist group called the X-Men. In the middle of a heated battle, the terrorists’ leader and former government operative known as Havok, surrendered to Stryker’s forces and expressed a desire to convert to Stryker’s cause.

“The Genoshan government, which has long been accused by the international community of harboring mutant terrorists, has had no comment. Also remaining silent are the mutant training school, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and the pro-mutant X-Corporation. Likely, the latter two have refused comment based on the fact that several of the terrorists had once been affiliated with both organizations. This is Trish Tilby reporting from Washington.”

Hank McCoy turned off the television feed. He glanced over the faces of the X-Men gathered together around the table. All were seated save for Scott Summers, who remained standing against the wall, arms folded. His ruby-quartz visor concealed his eyes and Hank found it interesting that his old friend still wore it despite having complete control over his optic blasts.

“This is bad,” said Hank.

“I thought we wanted these imposters gone?” asked Illyana. “Now they are. Looks like Stryker did our work for us.”

“Not that simple. They’re trouble, but in the hands of Stryker?” asked Sean. “Somethin’ doesn’t smell right about this.”

“Agreed, Irish. I can’t see Alex just switching sides like that,” said Forge.

“Maddie Pryor was hangin’ with Stryker. Think she’s got somethin’ to do with this?” asked Rogue.

“That’s a very good point,” said Hank. He pushed a button and holographic projections of the Nephilim appeared above the round table. “Here are the members of Stryker’s group. Madelyne Pryor, the Orphan-Maker and Overrider are all known to us. We have some intelligence in our files on these two.” The holographic images of Blindeye and Khimaera were highlighted. “The man is Khimaera and the girl is Kachenh Domnur. Both were mutant operatives working for the Iron Hell mutant prison in Cambodia that Alex’s team leveled.”

“Where’d we get intel on them from?” asked Kitty.

“Shortly after Alex’s team first popped up on the radar, Alexi Vazhin brought it to my attention,” said Scott.

“Also present were Cole and Reese, two of the Reavers,” said Hank. “That leaves their teleporter and this man who commanded the Sentinel unidentified. At least as far as our files go.”

“We need a reaction, Hank,” said Sean. “The longer we wait t’ comment, the more the public suspects we’re connected with Alex.”

“I agree, but I think we should follow Jean’s lead,” said Hank.

All eyes turned to Jean Grey-Summers. She sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I’m the Genoshan President, I should comment. Especially while I’m here in the States.”

“And what of Alex’s team?” asked Peter. “Do we leave them to Stryker’s wolves?”

“I don’t know,” said Hank. “At the moment, Cerebra hasn’t been able to locate any of them, save Alex. Wherever Stryker’s hidden them, he’s done a good job of it.”

“Even if we could get to them, might make us look like accomplices,” said Sean. “We’d best play this smart.”

“So a covert op, then?” asked Kitty. “Maybe talk to someone not on the active team? Rogue, what about your connections in the Underground?”

“Absolutely not,” said Rogue. “Firstly, I ain’t gonna risk their hides over somethin’ like this. Second, why are we worried about springin’ guys like Avalanche? Last I checked, don’t we fight the bad guys?”

“Glass houses, Rogue…” muttered Kitty.

“Also it’s not just Avalanche,” said Jean. “Don’t forget that my daughter is among them. So is Remy.”

“He was fool enough to get himself into this mess, so he can find a way t’ get himself out,” said Rogue.

“I don’t agree with Rogue’s assessment, but she does point out somethin’ interesting,” said Sean. “If’n we rescue them, then what?”

“They must answer for their crimes,” said Peter.

Hank sighed. “Scott, you’re Alex’s brother. What do you thi—” He stopped when he looked at the wall where Scott was standing. Only to find the first X-Man had gone.

X, LIES, & VIDEOTAPE

By Chris Munn, Hunter Lambright, and Dino Pollard

The Vault

The mutant called Bishop stood on the tarmac of the superhuman penitentiary. He used a hand to shield the afternoon sun from his eyes and could see a small, single-manned aircraft appearing over the Colorado Rockies. The craft bore an X in a circle on each wing as well as on the tailfin.

He stepped back as the craft’s VTOL system gently lowered it to the surface. The canopy slid open and Cyclops climbed out, clad in his blue and gold uniform with a padded leather jacket emblazoned with a pale yellow X on the chest.

“Scott, it’s good to see you again,” said Bishop.

“You too,” said Cyclops, sharing a handshake with the former X-Man. “How’s the new job going, Warden?”

“Very well. This way, I can keep an eye on things,” said Bishop. They entered the installation, using an elevator to take them below-ground into the heart of the Vault.

“Havok hasn’t said much since he arrived,” said Bishop. “But he has been very cooperative with my staff. How did it get to this point, though? Why didn’t you go after him before this?”

“Actually, a team did go after him, but there were…complications,” said Cyclops.

“Be careful. Between the X-Corps operation going belly-up and now this, the X-Men are losing a lot of clout. Not even Senator Kelly’s word will mean much any more.”

“I’m aware of that. But we have to keep pushing ahead,” said Cyclops. “You’re only holding Alex, right?”

Bishop nodded. “The others are being held between the Cube and the Raft. It’s believed that if Havok were in the same place as the rest of his former team, his life would be in danger given that he betrayed them. With everything that’s happened in recent years, there are apparently people in the government who aren’t too happy with mutants. Or superhumans in general, for that matter. Made it even easier for Stryker to pull strings to get what he wanted.”

“And what is it he wants?” asked Cyclops.

The elevator reached the desired floor. Bishop led Cyclops down several corridors. “Your brother’s going to be a symbol for Stryker’s mutant exorcism camps. An international court is going to hear the case and Havok’s being tried separately since he surrendered.”

Bishop stopped before one of the cells. “Well, here we are.”

“Monitoring off?” asked Cyclops.

Bishop nodded.

“Thank you, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I know you’re taking a risk.”

“Once an X-Man,” said Bishop.

“Good. Give me ten minutes alone with him.”

Bishop entered in a command and the cell door opened. The cell was brightly lit and laying on the cot, reading a Bible, was Alex Summers. He sat upright and set the Bible down beside him. Over his prison fatigues, he wore some sort of harness with a circular device resting on the center of his chest.

“Scott. Didn’t expect to see you.”

Cyclops picked up the Bible and read the cover. “‘The word of God as interpreted by the Reverend William Stryker’?”

“You can have it if you like. I’m sure the Reverend will get me another copy,” said Alex.

“What sort of game are you playing?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Alex.

“Cut the crap, I had Bishop disable the cameras so we could have an honest conversation,” said Cyclops. “Are you trying to infiltrate Stryker’s organization, is that it? Because that’s not a smart move. You’re putting far too much on the line. Going too far.”

“Funny, you didn’t seem to think it was too far when you sanctioned this little terrorist group,” said Alex. “In fact, as I recall, you thought it was a good idea.”

“Not like this. You’re endangering the entire team with this stunt.”

Alex grinned. “You just don’t get it, do you?” He stood and grabbed the Bible from Scott. “My eyes are open. For the first time in my life, I see things the way they really are.”

Alex stepped towards the door of the cell and Scott’s gaze followed him. “My god…you’re serious, aren’t you? This isn’t an op?”

Alex spun. “No more ops, no more missions, not for you. Maybe you’ve enjoyed this life, but being a mutant means I’ve always been someone else’s pawn. The Living Monolith, Erik the Red, Maddie, Scarlett, Hodge, McCoy, the Pentagon, and now you. For the first time in my life, I see what being a mutant has done to me. I’ve been forced to use these damn powers against my will for causes I either didn’t believe in or actively opposed. And I’m sick of it.”

“You’re still a pawn, Alex. And Stryker of all people is pulling the strings,” said Scott. “You think he really means what he says about these mutant exorcism camps? He’s lying.”

Alex nodded. “And you know all about lies, don’t you, Scott? I wonder, have you told the other X-Men about our little arrangement? And by that, I mean the realX-Men. The ones who aren’t running around playing terrorist. The ones who have been forced into a difficult spot because of this.”

“They wouldn’t understand,” said Scott.

“They’d think you were in wrong, wouldn’t they?”

Scott said nothing.

“Right, of course they would,” said Alex. “A terrorist group? Honestly Scott, what were we thinking? It betrays everything Xavier stood for. And you know that. That’s why you won’t tell them, because you know this was a bad idea.”

“I came here to give you a chance to explain yourself.” Scott went to the cell door and banged on it a few times. “I hoped that you were just playing some elaborate game of chess and I couldn’t see your strategy. But it looks like you’ve actually snapped. Enjoy your trial.”

Bishop opened the door. Cyclops began to step out when Alex called out to him one last time. “It’ll come back to haunt you, Scotty. Nothing stays buried forever.”

Cyclops offered no response and the door slid shut. Alex sat down on the cot once more and closed his eyes. He concentrated through a psychic link set up by Madelyne.

{Overrider, did you get all that?}

{Yup. Cameras caught the whole thing.}

{Good. Continue with the plan.}

Xavier Institute

Cyclops had barely exited the hangar when he received a telepathic summons from his wife asking him to meet the rest of the team in the War Room. Once he arrived, he saw the entire team staring at him in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Hank stepped forward. “Scott. You’re one of my oldest, closest friends.”

“…right,” said Scott. “What’s this about, Hank?”

Sean placed a hand on Hank’s shoulder. “I’ll handle this, boyo.”

Hank nodded and stepped aside. Sean moved forward, his eyes filled with anger and all of that anger directed solely at Scott. “I’ll ask yeh this once, lad—where’d you go just now?”

“For a ride,” said Scott.

“Decided t’ take one of the jets for a spin, eh?”

“I’m not interested in games, Banshee. Just tell me what’s going on,” said Scott.

“Kitty, play it again.”

“Play what again?” asked Scott.

Kitty entered a few commands on the keypad and a video appeared on the monitors. Scott’s jaw fell when he saw the image on the screen—it was him. In Alex’s cell at the Vault.

“Play the part we marked,” said Sean.

Kitty did as she was told. And the words Alex said to Scott were replayed for him, in perfect quality. There was no mistaking it when Alex admitted Scott’s involvement with the terrorist group. No mistaking a lack of denial from Scott. Once it was over, Kitty stopped the video.

Sean crossed his arms. “Seems like the only one playin’ games around these parts is you, Scott.”

“Ah can’t believe this,” said Rogue, shaking her head. “Ya not only knew about Alex before the rest of us, but you gave him the green light? What else ain’t ya tellin’ us, Cyke?”

“You don’t understand,” said Scott.

“Then help us understand,” said Hank. “Because all I see is a total violation of everything we’ve spent half our lives fighting for.”

“Fine, you want an explanation?” asked Scott. “We were overexposed. Our hands were tied. Some positive press and next thing I knew, we became ineffective. Sloppy. Things continued to slip past our notice. Black Womb. Iron Hell. Something needed to be done. And X-Corps had failed. We needed someone out there to set an example that mutants would no longer stand by while they were being led to slaughter.”

“I understand what you’re sayin’, but the ends never justify the means,” said Sean. “That’s the idea that sets us apart from people like Mystique. Yeh can’t play judge an’ jury, Scott.”

Scott turned and left the War Room. Sean glanced towards Jean. “Been pretty quiet over there.”

Jean just solemnly nodded. “It’s…a lot to process.”

“Did yeh know?”

Jean looked up. “Excuse me?”

“Did yeh know? About Scott’s involvement with Alex’s team?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“The kind you should answer,” said Forge.

“Of course I didn’t know!” said Jean. “I’d never agree to something like that!”

“Don’t you have a psychic rapport?” asked Kitty.

“It’s not that simple,” said Jean. “And as you’re all aware, my powers have been in a bit of a flux these days. I swear to you, I didn’t know.”

“Then that’s good enough for me,” said Hank. “Jean, would you mind checking on him?”

Jean nodded and left the War Room to go after her husband. Once the door closed, Rogue was the one to offer an opinion. “Y’ actually bought that?”

“If Jean says she wasn’t involved, then I believe her,” said Hank. “Now’s not the time to be suspicious of each other. We need to rally together and figure out what to do next. Because things are about to get a whole lot worse.”

Jean hovered out over the grounds, her telekinesis carrying her to the edge of the lake. Scott stood, his visor in hand, and his eyes glowing with the crimson, solar energy that powered his optic blasts.

“You lied to them, didn’t you?” he asked. “Said you didn’t know anything.”

Jean landed by his side. “Yes.”

“Good,” said Scott. “Just like we planned if this ever got out.”

Jean sighed. “I don’t like this. Having to act like I’m against you and that you’ve been keeping me in the dark.”

Scott wrapped his arms around her. “This is the way it has to be, Jean. We always said that if my involvement with Alex ever came out, you’d play dumb.” He pulled away, keeping his hands on her arms. “You’re the President of the world’s first mutant nation. You’re too important to get sucked into this. Because if anyone else found out that you were involved, it would destroy everything we’ve worked for.”

“How did this even get out, though?” asked Jean.

Scott shook his head. “I don’t know. Bishop said the cameras were disabled. Either he played me or someone else did.”

“So you think there’s more to this.”

He nodded. “A lot more.”

NEXT: Black Magik

THE SÉANCE IN YOUR HEAD

By Hunter Lambright

“What exactly did Irene Adler tell you about the mutant afterlife?”

Dr. Nemesis stared down at Mystique. “It’s imperative that you answer to the fullest extent of your knowledge.”

Mystique smiled. “You haven’t even told me your name yet, and you expect me to give it all away. That’s not how it works. I may be the one imprisoned, but right now? I’m the one in power.”

Nemesis rolled his eyes. “I appreciate the show, really, I do, but we sincerely must get on with this conversation. I don’t have all day, not when the good brains behind this operation wish me to come up with the cure for cancer.” His eyes lit up as he saw her react. “Ah, yes. Cancer. Tumors. All of it. That’s why I’m here, Raven, so if you want me to work quickly, you should probably answer the question.”

The blue-skinned mutant pressed herself up against the glass. “You would hold the key to saving a dying woman’s life against her? You’re a hardcore bastard.”

“The best,” Nemesis agreed. “The answer, before I decide that coming to the Xavier Institute was a waste of my time.”

Mystique smacked the glass and howled. “Irene told me nothing, only that it existed. I would cooperate to save my life, but sadly I have nothing to give you.”

Scowling, Nemesis turned away. “Well, that being that, I guess I’ll have to pack my bags. Thanks for being such a dear.”

“Wait!”

Nemesis cocked an eyebrow as he turned to face Mystique once more. “Yes?”

“I may not know anything, but I know who might,” she said. “My daughter, Rogue. She psychically imprints those she touches. She’s imprinted Irene before. The echo of Destiny is in Rogue’s mind. If you can talk to that echo, you might find what you’re looking for.”

Nemesis tapped the glass. “There, that’s a girl. Looks like I’ll be getting to work on the cure for cancer after all. Just as soon as I figure out how to talk to a dead woman in her daughter’s brain…”

“Ms. Bloom? I have a request.”

Astrid Bloom peered at Dr. Nemesis over her rose-tinted circular glasses. The black woman’s hands continued folding laundry into the suitcase even as she diverted her attention to him. “Oh, honey. I’m just here for the last of my things before I head back to England. You need a telepath, go get Jean Grey.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Nemesis said, his lanky frame somehow managing to fill the doorway. “Please, if you’d accompany me, it would take very little of your time. Time spent deliberating amplifies the time taken away from your packing, as the time spent telepathically takes less time in real time—”

“Can we do this? I just want you to stop yammering about time already,” Bloom said, shutting the suitcase. “Anything to get you to stop talking.”

“Your intentionally brusque demeanor does little to put me off, Ms. Bloom,” Nemesis said. “Your attempts to psychoanalyze me have come up blank, and now that it’s been said, if you’d stop tarrying, we have work to do.”

He led Astrid down to the mansion’s sublevels and into the lab that had been designated his work area. A chair was already in place and occupied. The woman in the seat pursed her lips. Two locks of hair slipped down over her forehead, one white and one brown. “Can we get this over with already? Ah’m getting less and less comfortable with the idea the longer Ah wait.”

“Rogue, if there were a way to make this go faster, I would love nothing more than get back to my side hobby killing Nazis and escaped radioactive Japanese reptile experiments, but that’s sadly not the case,” Nemesis said. “The pace is what it is.”

“Deep,” Astrid said. “Now, if everyone’s here, do you mind explaining why you happened to need to do this at the exact moment I was here at the mansion?”

“I’m not inclined to trust anyone with my mind’s deep, dark secrets that exhibited Phoenix-like power anytime in the last five years,” Nemesis said. “I needed a telepath who isn’t dead, insane, or a student-killer. You fit the bill.”

Astrid nodded, taking this in. “Well, I can’t argue with that. So what are we doing here?”

“Rogue has agreed to let us access her mind. I’m looking to converse with someone she’s imprinted before, someone who is no longer alive, so that I might try to find out if anything pertinent was left in Rogue’s mind when they made contact,” Nemesis explained.

“Ah’m warning you, you might not like what you find there,” Rogue said. “Ah’ve imprinted a lot of people over the years. Not all of them were good guys.”

“Duly noted. Thankfully, I’m highly skilled, and I imagine Ms. Bloom here has had plenty of practice manipulating the Astral Plane. Now, if there are no realconcerns…”

“There is one,” Bloom said. “When we’re going into Rogue’s mind, we have to keep in mind that we may not have the conscious Rogue with us. Her subconscious may not like what she sees. We may be dealing with any number of facets of Rogue in there. She was a villain once.”

Nemesis shrugged, checking his pockets to make sure he mentally registered all of his weaponry. “If we hit that river, we’ll figure out where the bridge is to cross it. Ready?”

Rogue and Astrid answered in the affirmative. Placing a hand each on Rogue and Nemesis’ shoulders, Astrid closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened them, she put a hand to her face to shield them from the sunlight.

It was a pleasant summer day outside, a stark departure from the innards of the mansion. The sound of the river in the background was soothing, putting Nemesis even more on edge. He didn’t like soothing. It usually meant he was being prepared for a trap.

“Where are we?” Astrid asked.

“You mean y’all can’t tell when you’re in Caldecott County, Mississippi?” A teenage boy ran up to them, laughing. He carried a football under his arm. “Sweetest place in the whole South, if ya ask me.”

“Why’s that?” Astrid continued her questioning. Nemesis assumed it was the natural instinct of the psychologist in her.

The boy laughed again. “Well, because Ah’m in love, of course, and the girl Ah love is right here in this county! But Ah’m sure there’s plenty here to love for strangers, too.”

A new figure approached them. She wore jeans shorts cut off high up the thigh and a bikini stop. The trademark white streak in her hair gave Rogue away, although she looked like she’d lost at least a decade. “Cody, why don’t you run on home? Ah’ll show the strangers where they need to go.”

“Sure thing, sugah,” the boy said, winking at Rogue. “If’n anything ever happened to ya, sugah, Ah’d up and die.”

“Ah know,” Rogue said, her eyes glimmering. She waited until he was far enough away before she spoke again. “It was one of the last things he ever said to me before he kissed me the day Ah got my powers, putting him in a coma until the day he died.”

“Are you okay?” Astrid asked.

“Of course,” Rogue said, firming her stance. “Just ripped off a scab Ah thought had scarred already. You want to see Irene, right?”

“Indeed,” Nemesis said. The show of emotion had left him uncomfortable. “Lead the way, Rogue.”

Rogue led Astrid and Nemesis up the river, keeping up a brisk pace until she reached a house with a slightly unkempt lawn and a need for a paint job. “Irene couldn’t see, which meant the gross got outta control sometimes,” Rogue said. “Ah’ll stay here, guard against any unfriendlies. Juggernaut, Black Tom, Garokk, and a whole other bunch of bad guys are runnin’ around up here, too.”

“Thank you,” Astrid said. “I can sense Irene’s presence inside.”

They stepped through the creaky door into the house. “This has been unsettlingly easy,” Nemesis observed.

“I made it that way,” said a voice from the corner of the room, sitting in a rocking chair as she knitted. “I knew you would come here to find me, Dr. Bradley. It was only a matter of time, and in my daughter’s mind, I have all the time in the world.”

Nemesis scowled. “Knowing my name is supposed to throw me off? Please. If you know why I’m here, then I suppose it would be easiest for you to just tell me what I want to know.”

Destiny shook her head. “That’s not how this future works. The imprint I left with Rogue when we brushed during her training was intentional. I wanted to be in her head when you came to find me to give you not information, but a warning.”

“A warning?” Nemesis scoffed. “Bloom, let’s leave. Clearly this has been a waste of our time.”

“Don’t leave, Bloom. This may be the most important thing you do before you leave the X-Men… this time,” Destiny said.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bloom asked, but Destiny was already focused back on Dr. Nemesis.

“You’re trying to find a place that no longer exists,” Destiny said. “Wonderland is no more, at your point in the timeline. Tell me, have you tried talking to Marrow? The X-Men barely questioned her survival because she survived having her heart ripped out once before, but this time was different. And she is not the last.”

“You first say you will warn me, and then you tell me where the path picks up,” Nemesis said. “Surely stereotypical female indecisiveness ends at death.”

“Your insults are nothing to the echo of a dead woman,” Destiny said. “Your warning is this: I have shown you the path, but it is a path down which there is only pain for you. You will pursue the answers relentlessly, but you will not like them.”

“If you know that much, then you know I won’t settle for those answers. Science and physics are malleable in our world. I will make the answer I want,” Nemesis said. “Have you said your piece?”

“Yes,” Destiny said. “I would leave now. Mister Sinister’s echo would love to make its acquaintance with you, Dr. Bradley.”

Nemesis’ eyes widened. “Bloom. Get us out of here now.”

“But—”

“Now!”

Dr. Nemesis recoiled at the white, surgical lighting of the lab. “Find what you were looking for, Doc?” Rogue asked, standing up from her chair.

“I found something,” Nemesis responded. “The ‘what’ is something I’ll have to test. But for now, the answers were… satisfactory. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Well, Ah’m glad for that,” Rogue said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Ah have some business to take care of. And Nemesis? Stop talking to Raven. All she ever does is lie.”

“I’ll take that under consideration,” Nemesis said, jotting down every detail of the encounter with Destiny. He didn’t notice when Rogue left.

“So that’s it, then?” Bloom asked. “Did you get what you wanted?”

“I got more than I bargained for,” Nemesis said. “As did you.”

“I’m not following.”

Nemesis looked Bloom in the eye. “She said that keeping me in that room was the most important thing you’d do before the end of this particular part of your tenure as a member of the X-Men. That suggests that Destiny foresees you coming back. I’m no psychologist, Bloom, but I saw the fear. You’ve seen what happens to X-Men. They die. Iceman. Joseph. Maggott. Professor Charles Xavier. Even Wolverine himself. As an X-Man, you’re a corpse waiting to happen. By quitting, you preserve your own life and return to the quiet practice of a psychologist in England. But the knowledge that you’ll return one day? That’s spells a death sentence, Bloom. And that scares you to death.”

“Well read,” Bloom said. “So what scared you so badly in there?”

Nemesis sighed. “Sinister. Nathaniel Essex, and with him, the knowledge of his existence and his attempts at cheating death. He’s a man that could have been so much more, but he has wasted it with years of a twisted mind and a sickening obsession. He has cheated death, but he brings with it knowledge of death’s cardinal rule.”

“What’s that?” Astrid asked.

“Death’s cardinal rule? You can cheat death as much as you want, but you can never escape the person you were in life.”