RESISTANCE IS FUTILE

By Kyle Trainer

New York. The Statue Of Liberty.

Ah, New York. What a veritable smorgasbord of testaments to the human spirit. The Empire State Building, reaching towards the heavens. Central Park, a natural beauty amidst a sprawling metropolis. The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of truth, justice and the American way.

The Statue of Liberty, which sits on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor, was designed by a French sculptor named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Presented by the peoples of France, the Statue has symbolized freedom since 1886, when it was completed. An inscription on the pedestal, placed there in 1903, reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Many people, flocking to the growing power that was the United States of America, saw the Statue long before they set foot on American soil. They stared in awe, and after reading the inscription (few actually did get to read that inscription, but some could), they felt a renewed sense of freedom and faith in mankind. Some vowed to never leave this place, while others vowed to treat everyone with the same respect they wished to be treated with.

One such man came in, settled, and had a child. That child had its’ own children, who in turn had spawned their own. From that line came the man known as Robert Drake, who also believes in treating everyone with respect and dignity.

But fate has not seen fit to let mankind treat Robert with this same respect.

The X-Men, inside their jet the Aurora, crashed into the side of the Statue of Liberty, while the Aurora was pressed against another jet. This craft belonged to the Israeli government’s Mossad program… but more on them later.

“Ohhhhhhh… my head… feels like I just did the lambada with Juggernaut…” With a quote like that, it’s hard to feel sorry for Bobby Drake. His throat is dry, his body sore. “H-Hello?”

No answer.

“What happened?” Iceman opened his eyes gingerly, blinking a few times. Just as the Aurora hit the Statue of Liberty, Iceman was rising out of his chair. The last thing he remembered was being thrown back into one of the storage booths, barely large enough for a man of his stature. He recalls nothing else. His throat scratchy, he still tries to yell out to his fellow X-Men, but his voice barely carries out of the cramped booth. “Fellow X-Men? Someone needs a hand… hello?”

Silently cursing… or at least attempting to… Iceman tried to raise his left arm. He found himself unable to, because the metal walls of the booth had been crushed around his body. He was unable to move, unable to speak loud enough for anyone to hear, and unable to go to the bathroom.

Trying to forget the pain of his cramped location, Bobby focused on the moisture of his hand. Ice built up, and gritting his teeth, Bobby tore through the metal with a blade made out of the solid ice. Focusing harder, he felt the ice spread from his arm over his entire body, until every inch of his frame was covered with solid ice. An ice sheath which he often wore in battle… as Iceman.

“There… you… GO!” Iceman tore out of the metal container, his entire body covered in a thick, spiky ice, and fell to the metal floor of the Aurora. As his strength began to return, Bobby began to feel his voice come back, if ever so slightly. It must have been the pressure on his chest keeping his voice low.

“What the heck…?” Bobby has just looked out a window and discovered what a mess the Aurora really is. The ship plunged straight into the Statue’s midsection, but the dorsal fin caught onto the edge of the crater, trapping it where it was. The walls were cracked, and wires stuck out of every console. And… in the cockpit area, sat a large, yellow machine. “The… the Professor’s wheelchair!”

Hoverchair, actually, and it was empty – laying on its side, as empty as the rest of the Aurora. At least it appeared to be empty, since many of the metal plates were loose and out of place.

Iceman attempted to walk towards the hoverchair, but had to hold onto the side of the ship, since the Aurora was titled downward. He slowly walked down… towards the controls for the ship, holding onto the loose metal panels for support…

“GOTCHA!” And before the scream finished, the metal plate Iceman had been holding onto flew out, knocking him to the side. Someone jumped on his back, and he immediately grabbed them and flipped them onto the ground. Before he saw who it was, they swung a blunt object against his leg, knocking him down. Once more, they jumped on his back, raising a sharp object in the air, preparing to jab it down.

Focussing on the moisture in the air, and careful not to freeze this person too badly, Iceman forced the ice outward, building it up even more. The person was held tightly in his ice column, when he slid out from underneath it, breathing heavily again. He turned around, and saw the person he had defeated.

“Marrow?! What the HELL was that for?”

“No reason.” Marrow spit down onto the ice column which Bobby had yet to remove. “Just felt like it…”

“I… I don’t know what to do with you, Marrow!” Bobby turned to her. She seemed unable to free herself. “Should I free you, or go look for the others myself?”

“Without me, how will you know who took them?” Marrow grinned, her pointed cuspids glinting in the light from the Aurora’s emergency lamps.

“Fine.” He reached out with a hand, dispersing the ice within a moment. The remaining molecules splashed down on the deck. “Now tell me.”

“A group of people, I don’t know who.” Marrow cracked her back. She dropped a bone from her hand and began removing another from her side. “I was stuck under that pile of wreckage. My bones were stuck on the wall there, so I couldn’t move.”

Glancing out a window, Iceman looked down. “HOLY!!! IT’S THEM!”

Marrow and Iceman look down upon the Uncanny X-Men.

“Hmm… I guess we might as well get to it then… unless…” Bobby Drake paused to think.

“Hey, popsicle!” Marrow pushed Iceman from behind, startling out of his thoughts. He turned to her. “You plannin’ on just staring into space all day, or do you want to jump down there and find out why they rear-ended us?”

“Do you even know what that is?” Iceman turned, formulating a plan in his mind. “How does someone who lived in the sewers – and not to mention went directly to that weird dimension – learn that kind of stuff?”

“Hey, I’ve learned a few things since I got here!” Marrow said defensively. She had undergone a severe personality change recently… becoming more calm… more peaceful. As though some higher power had decided to alter her status in life… odd. Her face, however, returned to a familiar sneer.

“How to moan about things over and over and over and over again… I mean, that Rogue could teach a body a thing or two about ‘angst’, couldn’t she? And don’t get me started on that bald weirdo.”

“Huh… well, nice bitterness. Notice a lot of it isn’t directed at Storm any more – not sure if that’s a good thing or bad.” Iceman turned away again. The stress was getting to him… his friends… splitting apart like this – no. He would be calm. In control. And with that… he smiled.

“Marrow, I think I see our plan forming right before our eyes!”

“Meaning?”

“Shut up and grab that maggot!” Very leader-like, Iceman pointed at one of the two slugs that constantly slithered over the body of the mutant Maggott. They were his digestive system given form; supposedly had some kind of bond. But one of them had just crawled across the floor of the Aurora, leaving behind a trail of saliva.

Meanwhile… elsewhere in the Statue…

“You can hold out all day, Storm. We can wait. We trained for a while for this – more months than I spent with the X-Men. As much as I respected all of you, this is bigger then all of us. We need answers, Storm, and as the X-Men’s leader it’s up to you to give them to us.”

The soliloquy got no response. The figure turned back to the unconscious woman he believed was not unconscious. “Fine, be like that! I can use my powers to awaken you, Storm, if you’re really asleep! Just give me a minute to figure out how…”

We’ll get back to him…

Back outside the Statue…

“Hey, Walter?”

“Yes, Ysanne?”

“Isn’t it about time for the you-know-what?” Ysanne turned to him.

“Why… I believe it is!” Walter turned from where he was bent over and motioned for Ysanne to come stand next to him. She came over. These two harmless young adults, looking as though they couldn’t harm a fly. They looked young enough to be in high school – and just as innocent. But Walter suddenly stands tall, his hands behind his back, as does Ysanne. “Guard! At your mark!”

Why, yes! Someone carelessly forgot to mention that Ysanne and Walter are two members of the Elite Guard, the team sent to capture the X-Men by the Israeli Mossad!

“Good job.” Walter turned to the two other people which joined him and Ysanne in line. They were his comrades, his allies, who he had been with for months. “Commander?”

“At ease.” As she emerged from the side of the Statue of Liberty – where a huge hole now gaped open – Ruth Bat-Seraph pushed a small strand of her blue hair over behind her left ear. She wore a small amount of body armor – only bumpy on the shoulder and knees – and had a bo staff tucked behind her back. Her hair, only recently tinged with dye, was made that way for a mission she was on.

Her last mission before being put with the Elite Guard – a group of Mossad agents she is supposed to lead. She knows why they were given their task – to capture the X-Men. The Israeli Government is testing Sabra’s feelings. Seeing if she will capture her allies in the X-Men. She doesn’t know what to do.

“Good job, Walter.”

“Well done, Guard. Excellent strategy of entering their craft through a puncture in the fuselage, without moving their ship. I can see all but two X-Men present – where are Iceman and Marrow?”

“Not there,” Walter answered immediately.

“Very well. They may be loose on the island.” Sabra looked over at the captured X-Men, then back at her group. “They are incapacitated, correct?”

“Yes,” Walter answered.

“Wonderful.” Sabra looked over her team. “You are the elite of the elite. The Elite Guard! You have completed your mission with skill. Excellent performance, Intercept, Basilisk, Trine, and Millenia.”

Intercept – Walter, who can teleport over small amounts of space, and use telekinesis.

Basilisk – a young boy trapped in a huge body of a reptilian creature, who generates a basilisk field that absorbs ambient energy.

Trine – a three-sided woman with either incredible fighting skills, a dragon-like form, or an intellectual powerhouse.

Millenia – Ysanne, who can traverse small amounts of time to avoid her enemies.

They looked back at the X-Men. Not the threat they had imagined. Already down… but two members missing. Basilisk stared at Xavier, who didn’t talk, but was shaking and moving – curious.

Sabra walked back into the hole, and climbed into her ship – the Seventh Day. The Guard looked around, wondering what to do… not noticing a slug crawling on Maggott’s body.

“BANZAI!”

“What in the…?” Intercept saw her first. Not the origin of the battle cry, but nonetheless, she was a danger to them. She sped down towards them from the hole where the Aurora had crashed, knees tucked to her chest. She reared her hands back and threw something from halfway down her fall. “Scatter!”

He had good reason to say that. Marrow’s abilities, as they all knew, involved throwing bone shards removed from her body – usually very sharp bones. And that is what she did. From her left hand came a shower of bone shards, sharpened to perfection – but from her right hand came a creature. A living creature. A maggot.

“Snowball…?” Marrow, still throwing her bones with rapid precision, kept her projectiles near the Elite’s, but away from the X-Men – as planned. As Iceman planned. And his plan had almost completely worked, except…

“Hello up there.”

And then it came. Two ice slides shot down, coming from above in the hole. One of them turned into a semi-tunnel and curved underneath Marrow, catching her, and sliding her to the ground. She shoulder-rolled and came up, a bone in each hand. The other slide, branching off from the one which had caught Marrow, caught the maggot, which sped through the air like a missile. The slide ended just above the X-Man known as Maggott’s chest, dropping Meany atop her counterpart, Eany. The two quickly reunited, but then turned and clawed their way into Maggott’s stomach.

That was how he got his energy, see, because they are his digestive system given form. And in the Aurora, mere moments ago, Iceman fed Meany a healthy diet of snowballs and ice. The slug transports the energy to her master…

And Maggott awakens, as part of Iceman’s plan to rejuvenate him. Japheth blinks thrice, looking up to see Marrow staring at him. He has shocked even her with his method of feeding. “When we get home, you an’ me are going to have a long talk, gronk?”

Standing, Maggott stretches his muscles. His body, now a healthy shade of blue, is packed with muscle and power. Maggott sees the Elite’s forming again, and they begin to move towards him and Marrow, but a hail of snowballs and icicles from Iceman puts them back on the ground.

“Boo!”

“Kakknaper!” Maggott, as surprised as a ‘fearless oke who’s seen everything on this planet or that’ can be, turns around. He throws a punch immediately, which is caught by a hand he sees before he sees the face. “How did you – oh, sherbert.”

“If that’s what you choose to say,” Intercept, using his telekinetic energies to back up his own muscle, holds Maggotts arm, and punches him across the island with his other fist. The second Iceman sent his barrage, Walter moved over to where Maggott was. This was part of the Mossad’s battle tactics – always keep a watch over your fallen foes. But Intercept has yet to say his patented catch-phrase… “Have good day now.”

“Mon ami, I don’ think there will be a day dat won’ be annoyin’.” His name is Gambit. He can charge up objects with their own latent energy, which releases itself in a small explosion – an object such a Intercept’s shoulder pad. “Dere you go now…”

*WACHOOM*

“AAH!” Before he could even teleport or say anything, Intercept began to scream like a little girl. The uniform he wears – a blue body suit with armor for the shoulders, legs, chest, and arms – is the standard outfit that the rest of the Elite’s wear, save Sabra. It is supposed to be flame-resistant. The body suit is… but Walter’s hair isn’t.

“GAAAAHHH! Get it off me!”

“Done, homme.” Spinning around, his overcoat swirling over his body, Gambit gives Walter a hard kick in the side, sending him tumbling over the edge of the island into the water. “Dat’ll teach ‘im to mess wit…”

But Gambit forgot to look behind him. The creature’s name is Basilisk, and despite having no memory of being in a normal human body, the eight-year-old boy inside the red-skinned creature knows the Elite Guard are his friends. The X-Men are his foes. So he dives into Gambit’s back, bringing the X-Man to his knees, and turns around. Gambit, being within the creature’s basilisk field, is unable to move. Any energy within the field becomes part of the field itself, strengthening it.

Basilisk can also use the field to absorb enough of people’s body energy so they fall into unconsciousness – though he isn’t quite sure of when to stop absorbing the energy. He just stops when someone looks bad enough.

“Sugah!” But how can someone attack Gambit without Rogue interrupting?

“It’s times like these Ah think highly of whatever wiped out th’ dinosaurs.”

Slamming into Basilisk, even at full speed, only pushes him forward. He doesn’t fall. Rogue drops back, wondering what to do.

“Have no fear, Belle, ’cause the Snow Man is here!”

Sliding down on his ice slide, still pelting the other members of the Elite Guard with ice, Iceman leaps off of his slide and sends it into Basilisk’s back. He lurches forward again, but turns around, smashing it. He begins to move towards Iceman, faster than seems possible.

“Bobby, look-AAAAAAAH!” Speeding towards Iceman to carry him out of the way, Rogue finds herself in the basilisk field. It slows her down, and she drops Iceman just outside of it. But as she drops to the ground, clenching her fists, she smiles a bit. “Ah think you just lost, dino.”

Her ability to absorb someone’s thoughts and powers upon skin contact has always been either a liability or a saving grace. It is the latter as she reaches out and presses her arm against the lizard, gaining some of his energy. The energy loops between the two until the field collapses on Basilisk, knocking him out. Rogue falls backwards too, but Iceman slides in, catching her.

“Good job, Rogue. Good job.” Iceman looks around. Gambit is down, but so is Basilisk. Rogue is weakened, and Xavier is still unconscious. And who knows where Storm is. The other two members of the Elite Guard are being assaulted by Maggott and Marrow, who are throwing chunks of rock and bones at them to keep them cornered in one area.

His plan was to get Maggott up, and then the three would assault the Elite Guard while the X-Men regained their strength. Luckily for him, the X-Men were merely unconscious, and woke up early on in the battle. Except for Xavier… who is just lying there, twitching.

Well, no plan is perfect.

Leaping into the air, Iceman slides over to the Professor. He sets Rogue down, telling her to watch Xavier for now. She nods, falling to the ground.

Iceman then slides over to where a member of the Elite Guard is turning into a dragon and rising from the things being thrown at her.

“Uh…” Looking around, he finds that the creature – which retains a human face, legs, and upper torso… until her shoulders. “Can I direct you to Japan, maybe?”

The creature makes an odd sound.

Inside the mind of Charles Xavier…

“Run, Charles… RUN!”

The voice, tinged with fear, pierces the depths of the Korean jungle.

Charles Xavier remembers this; remembers his days of service. He participated in the war – a war in which they half-succeeded – but he now regretted it. He had lost many friends; his step-brother had gained a power which had affected his life and mind to this day. All in all, it was not a good period in his life.

“Magnus, come on!” Turning, Charles keeps his face livid, his body tensed. He clutches a rifle at his side, and stares at the man coming towards him, the man clawing his way through the jungle. A man he didn’t meet till AFTER Charles left the war.

Magnus.

“Your head…? What happened?”

“An old… friend.” Magnus looked at him, his face calm. “We got in a dispute – wasn’t the first time. I hurt one of his children… and so he hurt me.”

“Come ON, Magnus! We have to get out of here!” Charles said, and did things that betrayed his thoughts. He was amazed – how was he here? Again? With Magnus, who he met after the war? And why did Magnus’ story affect him so – and sound so familiar?

“The Sentinels will be upon us!”

“Then let them come,” Magnus continued to move slowly. Charles helped him, amazed at what he was saying. Sentinels? In the Korean War?

“Charles, I need to tell you something.”

“Tell me while we GO!”

This wasn’t possible. Charles Xavier was asleep. He would wake UP! He couldn’t be in Korea… with the man who would become Magneto… with the man whose mind he would steal. This was impossible.

“Charles…” Magnus stopped. He held Charles with him. Charles looked from side to side, wanting to leave – though he really wanted to know what Magnus would say.

“Charles… your dream?”

“Yes?” That was it – the key to these dreams. Xavier’s dream of man and mutant living side by side.

“I… I wish to apologize.” Magnus grimaces. He spasms quickly, then stops moving. “I… I apologize for not believing in it.”

“Magnus, no,” Charles cups his friends head in his hands, holding him off of the dirty jungle ground. “Please.”

“I do now, you see.” Magnus nods. His eyes close. “I believe in your dream. Your vision. All these misguided years… all the quests, the battles, and the confrontations…”

“MAGNUS!” Charles leans over. Magneto’s head sinks back. “M-Magnus?”

“Ch… Charles. I’m… sorry.” Magnus leans his head back, staring at the sky. Shadowy forms of giant robots fly over head. “I know the way to peace. I can be released from this… only if you release me.”

“What…?” Charles is shocked. His friend… his enemy… Magneto, the Master of Magnetism. And he is apologizing for years of being against Xavier’s dream.

“If you release me,” Magnus sputters. “I will be free of this world. I believe in your dream… and I’ve found peace.”

“MAGNUS??”

But there are no more words. The Sentinels streak over head, dropping explosive devices.

And the last thing Xavier hears is Magneto’s voice:

“I’m sorry…”

Meanwhile… back in the real world…

Her name is Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm, and she has just woken up… only to find herself face-to-face with a man she once knew well.

“Hello, Storm, welcome back.”

“JOSEPH?! I… what is this? I am… a captive?”

“I’m afraid so.” Joseph, wearing the blue bodysuit like the rest of the Elite Guard wears, puts his face down. The face of Magneto, the Master of Magnetism.

“I had to use my magnetic powers to stimulate your brainwaves enough to wake you up.”

“What happened?” Storm asks as she notices her hands are shackled behind her back.

“Our planes collided and hit the Statue. Both are fireproof, and survived the explosion of some of our fuels cells. Your ship slammed into the Statue where she holds her book, while we skidded down, closer to the ground. We retrieved your X-Men from your ship, bringing you down to the deck. You were chosen for interrogation because Xavier has only recently returned to you.” Joseph blinks, his face harder then when he left the X-Men. He looks changed.

“But… why were you coming for us?” Storm looked around. She and Joseph were sitting at the base of the Statue, and she could hear a battle going on. She could swear she just saw a snowball hit the waters of the Hudson River.

“A number of governments decided the X-Men were a threat to them. We have word that one of your members broke into a military base where important technology was being held. The Elite Guard was chosen to find you because of our superhuman abilities and connections with you.” He pauses. “Our mission as given to us by Gabrielle Haller.”

“And you agreed to hunt us down? None of us stole any technology!” Gritting her teeth, Storm began building an electrical charge in her hands. She sent it through the shackles, from hand to hand, building it up, knowing she might have to fight her former teammate. And for some reason… that didn’t bother her.

“That you know of. You have members like Maggott and Marrow, who you don’t even know anything about. And Gambit?”

“Joseph,” Storm stands, interrupting him. “You have no right to say anything. Or should we speak of your actions as Magneto?”

“We don’t even know that I am Magneto.” Joseph smiled. “We are still working on tests to determine that. That is why I work for the Mossad… in exchange for my identity.”

“I’m sorry you have to do that.” Storm paused, thinking, still building up a charge. “You don’t know what will happen if you turn out to be Magnus, do you…”

“Look, are you going to give me answers here and now, or are we going to take you back to Israel with us?” Joseph turned to her, angry, his palms glowing with energy. “Your choice.”

“It appears I must make my choice now, then.”

Storm focused the electric energy on the shackles, which created a feedback and they exploded. With her hands free, she lashed out at Joseph, knocking him back. He protected himself with a magnetic shield quickly, and pushed her against the Statue.

“AAGH!” Storm grimaced in pain. Her shoulder hurt badly, possibly sprained. Maybe broken. She lifted her right arm, and shot lightning at him. It dispersed. Storm, unable to fly, began walking along the side of the Statue. Joseph closed his force field around himself, coming towards her.

She feigned terror. “By the Goddess… Joseph, please…”

“Well.” As soon as he was close enough, Storm threw a harsh wind towards him. The wind picked up several pieces of the Statue, and slammed into Joseph, pushing him back. He grunted, while Storm sped towards the battle. He shook his head, regaining his balance, and followed her.

While Sabra worked on transmitting data from the Mossad computers, she frowned at what she saw. The X-Men were being taken in through circumstantial evidence. She didn’t know if it was right to take them in now. She knew if they were taken back to Israel, they would end up in the hands of the mutant-hating Russian government. She wondered what to do.

Behind her, someone crawled out of a small hatch in the back. Once outside, Gabrielle Haller looked up at the wreck that was the X-Men’s ship, and began walking up the steps towards the upper part of the Statue.

Meanwhile, Sabra contacted the head of the Mossad.

“Commander, I’m not sure if it is right to bring them back. If they end up in Russia, in the facilities… what will happen to them? Sabra asked.

She had aided the X-Men before, and wasn’t about to let them be captured again. It could be Operation Zero Tolerance all over again.

“IF they end up in the so-called facilities, we will study their genes and see if we can’t reverse their powers.” replied the Mossad Commander.

“Sir, that has caused every single subject to become brain-dead…”

“That is not important!” interrupted the commander. He paused, “Unless you have changed your loyalties?”

“Sir, merely promise me they will not end up in the facilities. Those monsters will spend their time turning the X-Men inside out!”

Sabra was wondering what to do. She knew she couldn’t let the X-Men be given to those… facilities, as they were called. No human should go there… or mutant for that matter.

“I promise nothing!” Her commander narrowed his eyes. “They are mutant scum, Sabra, and do not deserve your attention. Now…”

“Now nothing!” Sabra reached out to turn off the monitor. She just couldn’t do it – she couldn’t sacrifice the X-Men for her own sake. She couldn’t let bigots like her commander do things like that. “The Elite Guard shall see you upon THEIR return, Shalom.”

The commander turned instantly livid as soon as she reached out and flipped off the monitor, then Sabra began programming the computers to return to Israel, without a single stop on the way.

Back outside the Statue…

The X-Men are doing quite well. Intercept has rejoined the fight, getting into a wrestling match with Gambit.

Flipping the Cajun over, Intercept quickly ‘teleports’ behind him. Before Gambit lands, Walter kicks him in the back.

“Must hurt, huh?” Walter was known as the trouble-maker of the Elite Guard. While he was totally devoted to his country and his position, he didn’t enjoy fighting so much. He preferred cracking jokes from the sidelines. “Shame.”

“Sure is.” Gambit, still in pain, grabbed Intercept’s boot from the ground. He smiled. “You’ve got one heckuva hotfoot, non?”

“NOT AGAIN!” Leaping back, Intercept squeezes his eyes closed. His boot exploded, and Walter falls to his knees, his eyes tearing. He is not the strongest person, and cannot handle pain well. Pouting and blowing on his foot, Intercept wipes a tear from his face. “Owowowow…”

“Dat’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen!” said Gambit, rubbing his back, staring at the whimpering Intercept. That is probably why Intercept uses his ‘teleporting’ so much… because he is not such a good fighter.

“WALTER!!!” came the scream from the air, where Rogue wrestled with Trine, the dragon-woman who considers herself close friends with Walter, despite the fact that Millenia/Ysanne was engaged to him. One of her other personalities surfaces, as the schizophrenic turns into an agile fighter, in a skinnier form. She grabs onto Rogue’s back and punches her in the face, aiming her to the ground.

“Get down there NOW sweets, or I’m going to take care of both of your legs!”

Trine leapt off Rogue’s back, and landed on an ice-slide Iceman is using to fight Millenia. Trine accidentally shatters the slide on her way down, causing Iceman to fall a bit. Millenia zips a split-second back in time, ending up underneath him. She kicks him hard, and he topples to the ground.

Meanwhile, Maggott and Marrow had worked out Basilisk’s power and managed to force him backwards to the edge of the platform, and he toppled backwards into the water.

Storm lands hard on her back, with Joseph on top of her. She creates a small rainstorm overhead, which soaks all the combatants. Then Storm sends an electric shock through Joseph, knocking him backwards.

Just then, a loud sparking noise came from inside the Statue – several of the assembled fighters turned to see live electrical cables snaking around, whipping closer and closer to…

“Oh, no! The extra fuel tanks Basilisk took out!” Intercept, from the ground, stares in horror as flames ignite the extra fuel tanks the Seventh Day might have needed if they lost enough fuel in the crash. And Intercept doesn’t have time to get over there and move the tanks before they explode.

Creating a huge gust of wind, Storm struggles to stand. Though it hurts, she sends the wind into the flames, picking up the containers. The Mossad member with the flaming foot stands on one leg, using what appears to be telekinetic energy to rip the ground that is on fire out of the ground, and sends it over the edge. Right into the Basilisk, who had just climbed back onto the island… and they send him over the edge again, the flaming containers atop him.

“ROBERT!!!” Running over, Intercept sends a telekinetic grip down into the murky water. He feels around with his mind… finding something trapped under the wreckage. He moves the wreckage over, and with much effort, pulls Basilisk back onto the island.

Everyone is now looking at each other, the fight momentarily paused because of the weather patterns Storm just initiated. But before the fight can begin again…

“NOOOOOOO!” The cry comes from the man who has been unconscious until now – Charles Xavier.

“Charles…!” Trying to pick herself up with more wind, Storm forgot about her arm. She cannot stand to move it much again. In pain, she lands and begins to run towards the Professor. So do Joseph, Iceman, and Maggott. Marrow stays back, still locked in a fight with Millenia. Trine stands over them, staring at the old man. Everyone looks, but no one else moves.

“What happened?” Iceman, his breath escaping him, pulls Joseph out of his way. Joseph eyes him, and Iceman softly mutters, “Just in case.”

“Nothing… I…” Also catching his breath, Xavier looks around, “It was a dream, again…”

Storm stared, not saying anything, for she knew Charles’ dream was about Magnus.

Looking around, Xavier lifts an eyebrow at the sight. “A standard day for the X-Men… Joseph?”

“Yes, Charles, I have returned.” Smiling, Joseph rubs Xavier’s shoulder.

“Would someone like to explain what happened here?” Xavier, glancing to his side, sees the other X-Men and Elite Guard walk towards him. They surround him… making him a bit nervous, even though there are more X-Men. Rogue holds Gambit in her arms, looking content.

“No need, Xavier.” The voice causes the teams to spread, revealing Sabra standing in the gap. “I will explain shortly.”

“Sabra, what…?” Iceman stares at her, shocked. Marrow raises an eyebrow as well. “What’s going on…”

“I will explain shortly. Elite Guard, to the Seventh Day, please.”

Despite not wanting to, the five other Mossad members – including Joseph – walk towards their craft. Sabra holds Joseph back, waiting a moment. After the four of them have climbed in, Sabra stands over the hatch.

“I have set the jet to go to Israel. I will return there after I have cleared up the matters relating to these X-Men.” She glances at Joseph, who appears relieved. “Joseph will stay with me.”

“But Sabra…” Walter tried to stop her.

“No, Intercept. If anything happens, he will be here. You return to the base, and then I am putting you on leave.”

With that, she slams the hatch shut, and walks to the X-Men with Joseph. The Seventh Day shakes and pushes out the other side of the Statue, tearing out a big chunk of concrete. “The ship is made of strong metals, like your craft. They will make it back.”

“Now, if someone wouldn’t mind getting us up to your jet, Joseph and I are officially your captives.” Sabra narrows her eyes, “We wish to learn the truth of a few… rumors.”

“We…”

“Joseph, I am your commanding officer, so please.” Sabra turns to Iceman, “Robert, if you wouldn’t mind using your ice-powers to hold up the Statue until your government sends officials to fix it…?”

“Sure thing.” Stunned, Iceman sends a cascade of ice along the Statue’s side. It lines it until it reaches where the hole shows where the Aurora is. He creates steps to the Aurora along the side of the Statue. “All aboard… I guess.

“

And the X-Men all go up the stairs, curious about what Joseph and Sabra will tell them.

And curious about what they will do if the Israeli government attacks again… or any government, for that matter.

Epilogue

Under the Xavier Estate…

In the sewers beneath the Xavier mansion, a small group has made their home for the past month. Their presence shielded by technology, they have been biding their time for the right moment…

Now, they believe, is that moment.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive. Xavier is among them and they have split in two. This is just the signal we have been awaiting.”

Paris, as he was once called, smiles. They are his to control.

“We shall strike when they are at full strength.”

“But…”

“That is what we are supposed to do, that is what we will do.” He smiles, “Magnus will protect us, children… so says Exodus!”

NEXT ISSUE: The return of Exodus signals only one thing, folks – the ACOLYTES! But why are they here? Who told them to attack now? Answers, answers, and some more answers in the first part of an epic tale! Oh… and someone very, VERY powerful returns! Guess who?!