NEW DIRECTIONS

By Rob Ballard and Lauren Fox

Lake Taghkanic, in the Taconic Hills, about sixty kilometers north-northeast of Poughkeepsie, New York.

A stiflingly hot wind gusted at her face. Lorna looked up into the hazy summer sky and let her mind wander. ‘God, even the desert isn’t this hot!’

She’d sometimes decided to fly out here, away from the city and the pollution and the crime and the noise. It was a place to relax, to meditate and reflect on where her life was going. She found herself needing that more and more often these days.

Early in their X-Factor days, Alex had said that leading a mutant team was one part ‘heroing’ and three parts babysitter. She’d scoffed at the idea at the time, said that he was being mean, and needed to be more of a ‘people person’. After all, she thought that most of the time hanging out with Guido and Jamie was a blast. She’d had a tough time with Rahne at first, but God knows that it wasn’t her fault if she was somehow genetically linked to Alex in Genosha. Even Quicksilver came around after some coaxing. Sure, things weren’t perfect, but they got the job done.

Now it seemed like X-Factor was nothing more than a bunch of strangers thrown together by a very weird course of events. ‘Maybe Alex was right,’ she thought ruefully and sighed.

X-Factor Headquarters
Poughkeepsie; New York

Shard watched dispassionately as Fixx ate her breakfast, a generous portion of bacon and scrambled eggs topped with ketchup. “How do you EAT that garbage?”

Fixx had had enough. Ordinarily, she considered herself an easy-going, patient person, but she was tired of Shard’s constant disparaging remarks. She pointed at herself, and said with very little patience left in her voice, “At least I can eat! What’s with you, lately, anyway? Ever since you’ve come back, you’ve been copping that little attitude of yours! It’s been hard on all of us, you know.”

Shard’s intense expression softened a little. “I’m sorry, I’ve been a little on edge lately.” She gestured around the kitchen, but implied much more. “This team, this life, it’s like, lately we’ve been spinning our wheels. And I guess I’m used to a lot more military-style discipline of the X.S.E. Instead of doing something, it just seems like we’ve been sitting around here, mostly feeling sorry for ourselves.”

Fixx considered her statement carefully. “Everyone needs a chance to let go, sometimes.”

“Not me,” Shard folded her photon-based holomatrix arms, “I get things done. I like results.”

“You’re a workaholic. Sometimes the pleasure of taking trips is the fun you have getting there.”

Shard scoffed at her teammate, “What’s so important about fun?”

Fixx shook her head, “If you aren’t having fun, or at least trying to make the situation bearable, then what’s the point in fighting for what you believe in? In the X.U.E., all we did was fight. Day in and day out. It was like, after awhile, what were we fighting for? Our way of life? Our freedom? Who could remember? And we totally lost the concept of what our purpose was. We didn’t enjoy yesterday, we didn’t enjoy today, and we weren’t going to enjoy tomorrow, so no one cared anymore.”

Shard seemed to be listening with at least a modest amount of interest now.

“So? What did you do? What could you do about it?”

“We got back to basics. Some of us adopted pets, some of us would play games, and sometimes we’d even date. Much to the chagrin of the team leaders, at first, but when they saw what it did for morale, they began to come around. I adopted a miniature collie that had been abandoned. I named her ‘Sasha’. She was such a good dog…” Fixx thought for a moment about the dog, then returned to reality.

“See Jamie out there?” They both peeked out the window at six Jamies, all playing volleyball. “There’s someone who knows how to have fun! We make fun of him, we chide him, but you know, he’s the happiest mutant I think I’ve ever met. C’mon, lets go play!”

Shard smirked, “I don’t think so.”

“C’mon! What’s it gonna hurt? It’ll do you some good to cut loose in a non-battle simulation! Afraid I’ll beat ya?”

“No! I just…” Shard couldn’t resist the challenge, as Fixx headed out the door. “I’m gonna spike your butt right back into your own timeline!”

‘Finally, some progress!’ Fixx thought with much relief.

“Trevor, that’s it! You come out… now!”

Forge already knew he’d never have the patience to have children – Trevor was living proof. But, for as smart and cunning as the boy was, he was no match for someone with the mutant ability to create the ultimate technological advantages.

He flipped a switch on the wall, and the room suddenly vanished. At least, it appeared to. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a vast arid landscape. There was nothing around for miles but dirt, rocks, and a high mesa off in the distance. Trevor found himself on a small rock ledge, twenty meters or so off the desert floor.

“As you can see, Trevor, I have some reality warping powers of my own. So don’t think you can hide from me, especially on my own turf. Even if it is just a hologram!”

Trevor came down from the ledge as easily as if he were walking down an invisible flight of stairs. A lone eagle flew in circles, high over their heads.

“Forge, I want Mystique back. And I want out of here!” he whined. “It isn’t fair! I don’t like it here, and you can’t keep me here!”

“Trevor, it’s for your own good.”

“I don’t care!”

Forge allowed himself a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “All right, I agree, Trevor, this isn’t working. If I try to get Mystique back for you, will you agree to calm down?”

A wave of disbelief colored Trevor’s young expression. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Forge held up his hand, “Shaman’s honor,” he said, with as serious an expression he could muster.

“Okay… but I want to play some more Nintendo!” Forge returned the room to normal, and Trevor ran off to the den to play video games.

He did not know how he was going to keep his promise, but he was certainly willing to die trying. After all, it was either that, or lose his sanity.

X-Factor briefing room, 0803 hours

Being the leader of a team had it’s ups and downs, Lorna figured. You’ve got to be privy to a LOT of confidential information. She was able to keep in pretty close touch with her friends in the X-Men. For the most part, the team was at her beck and call. But it wasn’t all fun and games – you also had to answer lots of e-mail, and wade through a bazillion mutant-human discussion lists. Then there were the morning briefings. These she did not look forward to, at all.

“People! I’m trying to talk, here! Jamie! Wake up!” Polaris lifted his chair a couple of centimeters off the ground, and slammed it to the floor. Suddenly, the Multiple Man was wide-eyed and all ears. “Thank you for your attention,” she nodded.

“I hope you enjoyed your day off… I know I certainly did. Now, it’s back to business. Before we can be a team again, we have to be able to function together as a team. Forge has scheduled a few sessions for all of us in the team room.”

Lorna was surprised by the lack of response she got from her new team. She hoped they wouldn’t be so apathetic when the time came to count on one another.

“Our next order of business is Trevor. As you all know, his parents were killed when Sabretooth went on his mutant rampage after sinking his teeth into X-Factor. Much as we may want to,” Lorna said as Forge rolled his eyes, “we simply can’t take care of him,” and at that, Forge nodded an enthusiastic agreement. “We’re a mutant strike team, NOT an orphanage! So, the way I see it, we have two choices – either Mystique comes back and finds suitable care for him, or…”

This was met by a chuckle from Shard and a “Yeah, right!” from Jamie.

“I agree, that’s not a very likely possibility. Barring that, I plan to speak with Father Bloch about finding a home for him, with good foster parents, where he’ll be reasonably safe from government scrutiny and mutant hounds.”

Lorna paused for a moment, not wanting to forget that she planned to lead the new X-Factor more like a democracy, and less like the personal kingdom that Alex or Val seemed to try to make it. “Of course, I’m open to suggestions. Does anyone else have any?”

Everyone seemed to think those were good ideas, and so Lorna continued. “Good, then. Forge, I’ll leave it up to you to get in touch with Mystique and work out the details. Make sure she understands that we aren’t playing games here. Despite her recent altruistic streak, she’s still a criminal in my eyes. This will be the one and only opportunity she’s going to get to have a say in Trevor’s future. She won’t get another.”

“In my opinion, she’s had too many chances already,” Shard mumbled, and Jamie nodded.

Fixx suddenly began to slump in her chair. Her normally rosy colored cheeks were ashen, and a wave of exhaustion seemed to crash over her. Even though she never uttered a sound, it didn’t take long for the others to notice. Jamie began gently shaking her.

“Fixx?! Fixx! Get up! Are you all right?” Lorna called. Forge took her pulse and listened for breathing. “Heartbeat and respiration appear normal,” Forge stated.

At first, no one noticed the lone sprite – one of Fixx’s psionic manifestations – ambling around the corner and in through the briefing room doorway. Usually Fixx’s sprites moved with efficiency and gracefulness, but this one did several slow loops, almost crashed into a wall, and bobbed and weaved it’s way back into Fixx’s unconscious mind.

“Is it just me, or did that fairy thing seem drunk?” Jamie asked.

Before anyone had a chance to answer, something began to appear next to Fixx – at first, it was so out of focus that no one could make out what it was. Gradually it morphed into a human form – it was blonde, handsome, and spoke with a deep voice that Lorna never thought she’d hear again – the voice of Alex Summers.

Alex’s shimmering form stood standing there, and he appeared to be speaking to an unseen figure. As he faded in and out of focus, he didn’t seem to be aware of the others’ presence.

“Scotty, I know this is tough on you. But believe me, we’ll figure out what’s going on someday. You’ll have to trust me until then. Elektra and I will take care of you, while we search for a way to get me home where I belong. I can’t be your father, but I’ll be as much of a father as I can be until we get your real father back.” Alex smiled, and put his arm around an invisible figure that no one could see.

Lorna, seeing her former lover, was near hysterics. Alex was gone. She saw the explosion…the debris raining down upon them… and the fireball that still haunted her dreams in the middle of the night.

“Alex! ALEX!? Forge! What’s going on?!”

Forge was scrambling with a device that he had quickly retrieved from the next room. “I’m trying to get some sort of temporal or spatial fix on it… give me a moment…”

He twisted dials and adjusted sensors frantically. Shard and Jamie just sat there, stunned beyond belief.

Lorna lost whatever cool she had and lept out of her chair toward Alex. “Wait, Lorna!” Forge cautioned, “Don’t get in the scanning field while I’m trying to get a lock!” Lorna stopped just short of nearly tackling the shimmering Havok.

Forge asked her, “Lorna, are you getting anything from him? Any electromagnetic signature at all?”

“No, I’m not! Alex? Can you hear me? Answer me!”

But there was no answer, Alex was smiling, eyes closed, and his arms wrapped around as though he were hugging a small child. Then, the image gradually began to fade, and after a few seconds, the vision of Alex Summers was gone once again. Lorna cocked her head in disbelief, and finally fell back into the nearest chair. She barely whispered, “Forge, please, please, tell me you know where that came from?”

“I’m…” he stuttered, still trying to glean something useful from the readouts, “I’m sorry, Lorna, I don’t have a clue. I didn’t even get an energy signature to start from.”

Lorna shook her head sadly and buried her face in her hands. The normally wisecracking Jamie silently came over and put his hand on her shoulder.

A moment later, Fixx suddenly awoke, rubbing her eyes and looking around. “Wow! Oops! Sorry guys, I must have dozed off! Haven’t been sleeping at all late…” Fixx stopped in midsentence, noticed Lorna, and whispered to Shard, “Geez, what did I miss?”

NEXT: The team tries to piece together the mystery of the ghost of Alex Summers! Plus: X-Factor learns that someone has their eyes on them!