NOTE: This takes place one week prior to the events of Astonishing X-Men

Undisclosed Location

It was cold but she was wet.

Laurie Collins had seen a lot. She had spent almost a year living in one of the coldest regions of Alaska, but she had never felt anything so chilling. It was as if she had just come out of a bad case of influenza. The virus that had infected them had clearly gone now. She noticed with a whimper than Joshua Guthrie was gone too. She had hoped and prayed it was just a nightmare but this was what happened to those who followed the X-Men. Its students were often cursed, beaten and killed for the mistakes and choices of their teachers. Laurie was a survivor and this would be no different.

Cautiously she shifted Hope Abbott’s arm, which was draped lazily across her leg. Laurie then moved forward, blonde hair cascading from her shoulders and into the nape of her back. Brushing her fringe behind her ear, she listened intently to the all but silent murmurings from behind the thick bricked wall. She was caged, like a criminal. Iron bars ran across the length of the opening in the wall, and were doubly reinforced. Laurie traced them with her hands, peeking through the cracks, until she tripped forward. Her chest was pounded by David Alleyne’s elbow – which cradled Noriko Ashida.

He stirred slightly.

Laurie grunted as she pulled herself back onto her feet. Kevin Ford and Cessily Kincaid rounded out the quintet of captured teenagers. One of them was already gone, possibly dead but her memories were hazy at best thanks to the virus. Turning her attention back towards the small opening ahead, Laurie was faced with the frightening grin of one of her captives. Her heart raced but she held her ground, more confidently, she held his gaze. People saw her as weak, but she was determined to fight back – even if she had to do it alone. Laurie had never wished for any of her classmates to be awake so much.

“What do you want?” Her tone was blunt and demanding.

He stifled a chuckle. “I want nothing. You all mean nothing to me. I’m just part of the bigger picture, and I need you to ascend.”

“Killing six…seven…” Joshua was at the forefront of her mind. “Killing seven teenagers isn’t going to suddenly help you ascend to godhood. Especially not where we come from, you’re going to have the X-Men after you in full force.”

“You really think you mean that much, pretty girl?”

Laurie shivered. “The X-Men look after their own.”

She believed what she was saying, but she had no reason to believe that the senior members of the X-Men were any less affected by the virus. Beast had offered reassurance and safety, and he had already failed in that statement. It was also a worry that she knew some of the X-Men were in California for some reason. The manor had been quite empty on the night they had chosen to attack. Laurie had to hold her own, she had to make him second guess or at least get him close to her. Her bravado was working. She saw him moving forward but she didn’t like the look in his eyes. It reminded her of her father.

“We didn’t have much trouble getting you here.”

She smirked. “You didn’t get all of us. There’s a hell of a lot more than seven students at that school. Better luck next time.”

“You keep saying seven. Lover boy is further away than you think sweet cheeks. He can’t help you now. I read your profile. We’ve been keeping an eye on your school; our benefactor has an avid interest in your species.”

Laurie stopped. “Where’s Josh?”

“There are other plans for the Guthrie boy,” his eyes trolled across her body. It took in the slight curves of womanhood. Laurie was shy but undoubtedly beautiful. It drained her to play the hero. “My, my, my…You aren’t like those ugly muties on the telly. You’re even sexier than those we pulled outta the gutters for Phase One.”

Taking her chance as he gripped the bars, Laurie played on the sexual thoughts he had for her. It was almost like she could sense them already but she boosted everything he felt to euphoric levels. His desires became his needs in an instant as the blonde stepped forward, her hair waving around her face in the movement. Her face was tense but unafraid as she drawled lazily at him.

“You want me. Come in and get me.”

His keys rattled in his hands.

DISORIENTATION

Part III: Who We Are

By Chris Munn and Gavin McMahon

Danger Room

Karima nodded.

“Y’ were infected by Malice. Ah don’t know how it happened but Integer got rid of her, and we freed y’.” Cannonball had spent the better part of ten minutes explaining the situation to her. Just like most of Malice’s victims, her memories were shady at best. He had little hope that she would know how to find the students that she had helped abduct. Plague Dogs were still fresh in the air, his nostrils flared at the stench. “Students were taken. Ah don’t know why but ah do know that we need t’ get them back.”

He looked down at her.

“Can y’ help us?”

Karima Shapandar looked around the room. It was like the Xavier Institute she remembered from her previous visit but different. It almost seemed as if everything was more futuristic but the X-Men had always been renowned for their assets. Fairies, lizards and rocky monsters stared down on her and each of them expected her to have the answers. It was an unnecessary pressure but she had no idea how to react normally. Omega Sentinel was an aspect of her life that tended to get her into a lot of a trouble and it seemed to have happened again. Her long hair hid her face but she brushed it back.

“I don’t know where they are. But I promise that I’ll help you find them.”

Ben Hammil groaned loudest of all. “You’re bound to have some way of getting the information. You’re a machine.”

Karima caught the fiery boy’s attention. Her mind started to race. “Yes, actually. This mechanical body should have the co-ordinates of all of its recent journeys. We could track those that have been visited often.”

Sooraya Qadir, hidden behind the veil, looked down on the shameless woman but she tried not to judge. She felt uncomfortable in the gathered crowd, a war was brewing as always in the affairs of mutantkind but as long as her friends were taken, she would search for them. Her uneasiness did not go unnoticed as she saw the young Megan Gwynn’s eyes were now trained on her but upon discovery Megan was quick to look away. Sooraya backed away from the crowd, pushing past Nicholas Gleason and Alani Ryan to reach Santo Vaccarro but she was annoyed by his blatant ogling of the woman.

“Somebody get me Integer!”

Victor Borkowski broke into a sprint.

Undisclosed Location

“I don’t need to be watched over. I’ve already presented Sinister with his prized trophy.”

Doctor Richard Palance would go down in history as a mad scientist but he was so much more than that. He would be renowned as the man who isolated to mutant gene, the man who found the scientific replication of the very gene that separated the species. His madness didn’t extend beyond his methods. Sinister had offered him a way to experiment. He had gifted him with Mimic in the beginning, and those squirming ‘Morlocks’, and now once again with the students of the X-Men. Some of which had interesting powers to say the least. Palance also had Mister Sinister to thank for the endless security he had been given, even if they watched over him suspiciously.

He wasn’t a trusting man. The human race was flawed and in need of improvement, but mutants had failed to reach their full potential. Doctor Palance would be the architect of a new, superior race and those who now guarded him would fall to their knees in servitude. In his youth, it had been known as delusions of grandeur, but now it was little more than a way of life for the man. He was the future, and success was not optional. Sinister had his own theories, but Palance wasn’t afraid to take what he wanted.

Joshua Guthrie had enough DNA to share between them, and Sinister had been particularly interested in him. It begged the question of ‘why’.

Philippa Sontag, the brutish enforcer known as Arclight, hunched forward. Her short purple bob bristled around her ears as her brooding eyes glanced forward. She stood alone with the mad Doctor in their cavernous base. “Sinister has an invested interest in your work.”

She was curt but he hadn’t expected much. “Can’t you follow your cronies. We’re safe enough here. Its location isn’t known, or registered.”

“I’m fine here.”

Crashing was heard as it reverberated across the base. Arclight immediately slipped into a defensive position, moving her hands into a widespread action. It was a simple clap to anyone other than her, but Arclight had the ability to throw forward some incredibly intense pressure from her hands. Palance shifted uneasily, refitting the silver mask that hid his horribly scarred face. He had been secluded from the outside world on his own command, but he had taken every opportunity to secure the place that he had called his home and his laboratory.

The sounds came from the cellblock – where he had kept his several mutant hostages. His eyes shifted lazily around the dark room and realised his guard and laboratory assistant Doctor Herbert was missing. His throat cleared as Pandemic moved forward, he knew what to expect before he even saw it.

Laurie – the blonde with empathic toxikinesis – moved from the considerably dimmer light of the cells to stand before him. His manmade virus temporarily short-circuited the abilities of the mutants but the effects were temporary. They had to be, he didn’t want to cure the genome before he could harvest and replicate it entirely. She was followed by the remaining five mutants.

Arclight growled. “You said this was sorted.”

“Clearly we didn’t give them enough credit.”

Arclight moved forward offensively. Noriko followed her lead, electrical energy crackled around the silver gauntlets that climbed her thin arms. David moved to stop her but then realised the importance of her actions – they had no choice but to fight their way out of this situation. Laurie was all but frozen with fear, her heart actually hurt in her chest but she couldn’t allow herself to fail now. It was up to them to free themselves. It was now or never.

“You’ll destroy the base,” panicked Palance as Arclight moved to attack.

Arclight howled as she released the psionic wave of energy across the cavern. “Phase Two is complete and you’re services are no longer required. I have orders to shut this down if things got complicated. Sinister’s taking no chances this time.”

Noriko shot her flickering electrical energy into the oncoming force, gritting her teeth as she slid back slightly. Her bright eyes widened as she forced as much of her energy outwards, she could visibly see that Arclight’s powers had been temporarily held at bay. Sweat clustered on her forehead as she struggled to remain balanced. It was a war, and she was on the frontline. Her breathing worsened quickly.

Arclight’s menacing eyes saw victory.

Western Asia

“I have always looked in the wrong places. I will rectify my past mistakes on this day.”

Nathaniel Essex, the man more commonly known as Mister Sinister, prodded at the red feathers as he spoke to no-one in particular but he sensed that he was being watched from the shadows. He had set out to find something very specific in his latest endeavour, and Palance had been a vehicle in doing so. Although, he had found the man’s speed to be his main nuisance as it had brought the meaning to working at a snail’s pace to a whole new level. Still, his results would finally allow him to study a new species.

In the many attacks upon his work, he had discovered that he had come into contact with a Guthrie from Kentucky on two separate occasions. It had pleased him to discover that there were a lot more mutants in that particular branch of the family, and his observations had told him that another had arrived at the Xavier Institute in recent weeks. Cannonball, the Avenger, was an unfortunate complication but one that would always have occurred. His brother’s disappearance would be of interest to him no matter what his affiliation.

Yes, the Guthrie’s were a key in his discovery of mutantkind but he admired much more than that about them. Joshua Guthrie was unconscious in his cell but even when he had been awake he had that Guthrie strength. It would make harvesting the others all the more enjoyable. He slowly began to hum at the prospect.

Vertigo shivered, before moving back through the shadows to her post. She had been given the job of babysitting because her powers forced the boy to sleep, but she was becoming more and more curious about Sinister’s plans. Not that he had noticed, or so she thought.

Undisclosed Location

Whirlwinds of energy burst through a wall behind them as Noriko struggled against the much older Arclight. Laurie covered her mouth as the dust and dirt flew over them. Hope hit the ground, her head bleeding from a collision but she was quickly brought to her feet by David. They had managed to take down the man with the keys in quick succession, Laurie’s knee and Noriko’s electrical powers have bought them their freedom. However, it had been silly to think that was their only challenge. It was clear that Mister Sinister and his Marauders were heavily involved in their abduction.

David groaned. “This is getting a bit out of our league.”

“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Laurie replied but she didn’t feel as confident as she pretended to be, especially when the whirlwind settled into the familiar frame of Riptide.

His eyes danced with malevolent passion as he looked towards them. Riptide’s abilities would be an issue for Laurie to lock onto, and Hope and David were completely useless against him. “Who’s mine?” His grinned widened as he watched the silver girl move forward, her movements lacked elegance but her bravado was top notch.

“I guess that would be me.”

Kevin whimpered. “Cess…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve–”

Cessily’s words were cut short as her body was thrown through the air. Riptide had burst forward without warning and assaulted her. It was a lesson to them all, this wasn’t a game. He turned back to face them, the same malevolent glare evident, and Laurie immediately sensed failure in their future. In the corner of her eye she saw Noriko buckled and get tossed across the room. David was quick to move to her, and Riptide locked onto the young African American. It seemed like he was going to strike, almost reminiscent of a viper but he didn’t have time to react to what happened.

Before Riptide could gather his speed, the silver liquid seemed to snake across his skin. It caught his arms and legs before slowly enveloping the rest of his body. Cessily wasn’t out of the running yet but Arclight and Riptide weren’t the only Marauders they had to worry about. Laurie slipped forward as the others moved in. History 101 hadn’t prepared her to fight these guys but she could easily identify them. Blockbuster, Harpoon and Prism burst into the room, and Laurie decided to play hero.

“Everybody grab someone. We’re bursting out.”

Kevin removed his dark black gloves, a precaution against his deadly power, and stepped forward. His knees buckled, his head exploded with pain as his dark mane slipped over his eyes. Scrambler’s hands tightened around the young man’s head. Kevin’s mouth began to bubble as he watched others move on towards their respective villains. He felt as though he was going to black out until Scrambler was knocked off his feet by Hope – as she ran passed, quickly pursued by Harpoon.

“I’m too young to die! I’m too young to die!”

Hope’s legs had never carried her as quickly as they now did, and she was both afraid and grateful. The pretty sixteen year old remembered celebrating her birthday just a fortnight ago and worrying about the restart of the semester, but compared to now she had never had a problem before in her life. She slipped beneath one of the low-arcing entrances as the sounds of battles faded behind her. Her breathing caught in her throat and she stumbled several times before she actually fell. It was darker away from the main base, but she saw light a hundred or so yards away. It was faint but she sure she could make it there and get help for the others.

Slipping out of her hiding place, Hope was faced with the monstrous form of Harpoon. His jagged weapon charged with a glowing energy and held at his side.

“I’m too young to die! I’m too young to die!”

Bolting in the opposite direction of where he stood, Hope wished for safety. It had been years since she prayed but she found herself doing so now. His heavy footsteps warned her that slowing down would mean the end of her life. Her legs began to burn with the pressure as they thumped her along the endless passageways. Hope ran straight into a wall as she turned, backing away slowly she found herself forced face first into the wall a second time.

It was different this time. She felt a searing pain in her side. Hope cried silently as she felt her top stick to her side. Her wound was bleeding heavily. His harpoon had cut through her stomach. Sobbing as she pleaded for mercy, he moved behind her and released it. Her blood continued to run freely but it was a different feeling that ran through her body as she slipped to the ground.

Hope looked up to see Harpoon raising his weapon over her body. It would be a kill shot and she understood that. Thoughtlessly, Hope rushed forward and through her astral projected body through the Scandinavian behemoth’s body as it started to convulse and spasm. Her astral form disrupted system; it didn’t matter if the system was biological or mechanical. Hope turned on him quickly, before he could recover, and slipped her hand into his brain. Harpoon fell to the side, and she turned to her bleeding body. She needed help.

Kevin recovered shortly after Hope had run into the distance, and grabbed the Asian man by the hand. Scrambler’s screams echoed around him. It was pleasing to see his face contorted in such pain as the necrosis of Kevin touch slivered up his arm, rendering his hands useless. It was the silent form of Cessily that pulled him off. Riptide lay unconscious, deprived of oxygen, where he had formerly stood.

“The heroes don’t kill.”

Kevin let go but punched Scrambler with his gloved hand.

Laurie ducked another swipe of Blockbuster’s hands, his bulging muscles as terrifying the glee on his face at targeting her. She tripped as she back into David – who was harnessing the skills he had stolen from someone else at the Institute as a black belt. Prism would have been an easy target but her powers hadn’t been effective so they had swapped. Blockbuster didn’t have enough of a mind to really process extreme emotions, he was limited in that sense but she could still find something to grasp onto and intensify. Surprisingly, he wasn’t reacting to the fear pheromones that she was releasing.

David grunted. “Is Nori okay?”

“I don’t know, David. I’m preoccupied.”

It was a quick glance, but Laurie noticed Arclight standing over their friend’s body. Noriko was unconscious, but the others seemed to be wrapping up their assailants. Hope was missing but she had seen her run off. Harpoon was a big guy; she hoped her classmate would be the one to return.

Blockbuster’s hand crashed into the earth beside her. Prism was knocked to his knees and David delivered the shattering blow, as his body erupted into thousands of shards. Anger raised in Blockbuster at the sight of it. Laurie grasped onto that anger and quickly turned it in her favour. She could almost sense the regret as it slivered into his brain, and he turned his attention towards Arclight. However, she was quick to act pre-emptively and she blast Blockbuster through one of the now empty stasis tubes that lined the walls. Laurie didn’t want to think about what those meant. It had given them enough time to surround her; she was the last obstacle in their way.

Laurie, David, Cessily and Kevin prepared to take her down when they were presented with more company than they had wanted. Five men stood in the doorway, and the pained teenagers felt all of their happiness transformed into frustration. It had been hard on their minds and bodies’, fighting their way out was just getting harder.

“Never worry, Arclight. We’ll save you from the children.”

Arclight snarled. “I have this covered.”

“Hardly,” drawled the same lazy accent. “Never send a Marauder to do a Nasty Boy’s job.”

Western Asia

His cell was bright. He could see everything.

Her body was curvaceous but wrapped in the succession of green and white swirls that made him feel nauseous. Joshua had no idea why he had been so important but he had saw evil’s face when he had been taken to Sinister. Sinister, Vertigo, none of them uttered a peep about the others at the other base. He had no idea whether they were alive or dead but he hoped they were dead. It was easier than becoming the guinea pig in some madman’s clinical trial. Her eyes refused to meet his, and she allowed him time to recover but as her hand pointed towards him.

Joshua felt the familiar drowsiness and slumped forward.

Undisclosed Location

Ramrod’s bat exploded in his hands.

“Step away from the children.”

Cannonball stood at the front of some gathered students. It wasn’t one of his best decisions but he wasn’t sure how much he trusted Omega Sentinel and they were reinforcements if necessary. Omega Sentinel’s hand was the source of the explosion, and her face was blank and vacant like that of any machine. Her dark eyes zoned in on the students but then focused solely on Arclight. Before Cannonball could even strategise a plan for them to follow, Omega Sentinel launched forward and tackled the woman hard – mid flight.

Santo cheered but Cannonball was in no mood for games. It didn’t help that he noticed Joshua and Hope were both unaccounted for. Cannonball moved forward as the man known as Ruckus – whom he had faced briefly before – moved to the bottom of the stairs and let out a supersonic scream. Surprisingly quick on his feet, Santo moved into the front of the other students and his teacher and blocked off most of the sonic vibrations. His body was durable enough for that at least.

Cannonball spoke quickly. “Guys, think smart. Take them down hard and fast.”

His bottom half exploded into a flurry of energy as he burst his way through the sonic field and forced Ruckus into the air. Slab – super strong and super ugly – moved in to take down Santo – who was visually the biggest threat that was offered to them. Nicholas growled, his lupine face contorting in anger as he noticed the unconscious body of Noriko and the less than spectacular health of his other colleagues. He was quick to attack, and he hit hard as he tore part of Slab’s neck from the body but he was still no match. He was thrown through the air like a ragdoll, first he hit the ceiling and then he crashed into the earth. Cessily immediately moved forward to protect him from the thunderous fists of Slab – her body melting and reforming to create a shield as she did so.

Santo grabbed him by the wrist and threw him back onto the ground. Sooraya – a pacifist – and David quickly moved in to check on Noriko as the fighting began. Santo’s hand was firmly placed against the squirming man’s face as it exploded forward from his shoulder and Slab’s face made a cracking noise beneath it.

“Boo yah! I am the…” Hairbag slammed into his face and knocked him back.

Victor stepped forward. “This is so gross.” His elongated tongue shot forward, wrapping around Hairbag’s ankle and pulling him back into the dusty ground. Hairbag immediately reacted with his claws but Megan skipped forward and blew a small portion of dust into his face. It was surprising how quickly he looked euphoric. “What is that?”

Megan chirped. “I call it pixie dust.”

“You heard the man,” Ben growled as he stormed between the two of them and planted his fist firmly into Hairbag’s face. “No messing around. In, out, get it done.”

Alani shifted uncomfortably as she watched the scene take place. It was a far cry different from anything the young Polynesian had ever experienced before. Her dreamy island of Hawai’i rarely saw any battles such as this. She never noticed as Ramrod slipped behind her, his mutant power forcing the very wooden tables around her to transform into a weapon. Her eyes briefly shot skyward as the battering ram slammed on top of the patterned mutant, Ramrod had expected bloodshed. Instead, the table burst into thousands of dust particles as it decayed around her ghostly skin.

She was shocked, frozen. Laurie slipped behind him, her powers telling him that he felt sad, so sad. Ramrod’s personality immediately became suicidal and he re-enacted his previous show on himself. Laurie moved towards the young brunette. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Come with me,” she said as she led the other student into the dark tunnels of the mines.

Omega Sentinel and Cannonball didn’t have to work hard to take down Arclight and Ruckus; they were professionals at what they had done. They landed in the midst of all the other bodies that had been beaten, and Cannonball looked on the battered and bruised students. His eyes then turned towards the stasis tubes and broken equipment. He never noticed the dark puddle behind him reforming into the horrific shape of Gorgeous George – but Sooraya did as her body exploded into a sandstorm and overcame him quickly and efficiently. Her destructive ability was normally hidden beneath a veneer of serenity.

As she reformed, she spoke quietly. “Sometimes even Allah’s people must fight back. Allah can forgive us our sins.”

Laurie and Alani returned with the bleeding Hope in their arms. Cannonball rushed forward, his face panic stricken as he saw her injuries. It made him think of somebody else who was unaccounted for.

“Where’s Josh?”

Omega Sentinel looked around. “Where is Palance?”

Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

“My brother is missing and we have several students in the infirmary because they weren’t able to defend themselves, Hank,” Sam snapped as he finally lost his cool. Hank McCoy was a great headmaster and a founding member of the X-Men but he wasn’t doing enough, and Sam couldn’t sit back and watch anymore. His brother had to be his top priority but these kids needed guidance. “This school is meant to be a safe haven. We have the resources but we’re not teaching them.”

Hank looked up from his notes. “I know, Sam. There is a lot to do and no time or people to do it. These kids are our priority and we have angry parents on the phone because of what happened here. I’m doing my best, the same as you are.”

Sam paused. “And my brother?”

“We’re going to do everything we can for Josh. It’s a matter of locating him and locating Sinister,” Hank promised. “We’ll find him and we’ll bring him home.”

“I have to believe that. I want your word that I’ll be on that team,” Sam continued. “I have to know I did something.”

“You have my word.”

The Kentuckian shrugged his shoulders. “It might be best if I go home for awhile. I want to make sure the rest are okay.”

“And the students?”

Sam stopped at the door. “What about them?” His curiosity was piqued.

“I wanted you to train them. You’ve been there, you know the ropes.”

Sam considered the offer.