SUPERNOVA

Part XI: Road To War

By Ryan Krupienski and Dino Pollard

It has been said that Charles Francis Xavier possesses the most powerful telepathic mind, or at least the most powerful one on Earth. The majority of the time, Xavier will simply ignore these comments, but secretly, he believes them to an extent. So one can imagine his surprise when he finds himself suddenly in some kind of odd void. There is no floor, no walls, and no ceiling. All around him are strange images and equations.

“So nice of you to join me.”

Charles turns in shock and for the first time in his life, he meets his sister – Cassandra Nova Xavier. She sits in a large, comfortable chair. For all intents and purposes, she is identical to her brother, just female. Right down to her bald head. Aside from the difference in sex, Cassandra’s eyes are also green as opposed to Xavier’s blue ones.

“Hello, Charles,” she says. “I believe introductions are in order.”

“No need, I already know who you are, Cassandra,” he replies.

“I’m glad you accepted my invitation to have this little talk,” says Cassandra. “Please, sit.”

Xavier glances over his shoulder slightly to see a chair similar to the one Cassandra sits in suddenly floating behind him. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest.

“I wasn’t really given a choice,” he says.

“True,” says Cassandra. “But given the circumstances, I knew you wouldn’t accept a friendly invitation. I apologize for the use of force, but it really was necessary. And now that you’re here, you might as well make yourself comfortable.”

Xavier reluctantly sits in his own chair and leans forward slightly as he fixes his eyes on Cassandra’s.

“Cerebro,” he says. “That’s how you were able to find me, and that’s how you were able to steal me over to the Astral Plane.”

“Yes, Cerebro certainly played a part, but my abilities are far more than you understand, Charles,” she says.

“What is the meaning behind this? Why are you trying to destroy what I’ve built?”

“Destroy?” asks Cassandra, and she follows up her question with a slight laugh. The laugh does not appear to be evil or sinister in nature, but it still sends a chill down Xavier’s spine. “My dear Charles, I’m not trying to destroy your little dream or your precious school. I’m just taking the initiative to succeed where you’ve failed. And now you are really beginning to stoop to new lows. Magneto? Juggernaut? Genosha? I mean really, Charles, did the Legacy Virus kill your dignity before it was purged from your system?”

“And your way is better, I suppose?” asks Charles. “Using deception, altering the perceptions the world has of us?”

“You’re a fine one to talk about deception, Charles,” says Cassandra. “Weren’t you the one who kept your mutant origins and your connections to the X-Men a secret? Wasn’t it you who manipulated Scott and Jean into thinking that their son was still alive? Aren’t you the one who disappeared with not so much as a goodbye to rebuild a troubled nation with your greatest enemy? If you want to point fingers and accuse people of deception, you should first point that finger at yourself.”

“The circumstances were different,” says Charles. “You weren’t there, you can’t understand the decisions I’ve had to make.”

“And you can’t understand the decisions I’ve had to make,” says Cassandra. “You weren’t there either, were you?”

“No, but it…”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” exclaims Cassandra. “I came here to make you an offer, to give you a chance to see your dream finally realized – with my help. But now I realize that you’ve become so enamored of your dream that you’re afraid of seeing it come to fruition. You don’t want to run the risk that the reality won’t be the same as the fantasy. So you create these pitfalls for yourself. That’s why you keep running off with dignitaries from outer space or leaving your dream in the care of your greatest enemy. You’re pathetic, Charles. Truly pathetic. And I’m sorry that I have to do this, but there really is no other way.”

“What are you… argh!!”

There is a pain that shoots through the body of Charles Xavier – a sensation that feels like dozens of nails being driven into his skull. He grips his head and falls from the chair. Cassandra stands from her own chair and stands over his body as he clutches his head in pain.

“I must apologize for the sucker punch, but it was necessary,” she says. She reaches inside the breast pocket of her suit jacket and pulls out a small pistol. She cocks the weapon and points it at Xavier’s head.

“I realize how cliché this is, but I’m afraid I have no other choice, I’m a bit strapped for time right now.”

Before Cassandra can pull the trigger, she feels a finger tapping on her shoulder. She turns and she sees a man with shortly-cropped white hair and a very muscular build in military clothing standing behind her.

“Hi, I’m Cable. I’m here to hit you.”

Cable’s fist shoots out and strikes Cassandra’s jaw. She seems to reel from the blow in slow motion, and once she lands, an armor of some sort begins to surround her. Cable reacts quickly, however, and the Psimitar attached to his belt instantly flies into his hand and extends to its full length. He throws the Psimitar at Cassandra, and it becomes lodged in her body.

“Oh…” mutters Cassandra. She looks down at the Psimitar stuck in her body, and she sees her body slowly beginning to fade away. “Just lovely…”

Once Cassandra vanishes from the Astral Plane, the Psimitar returns to Cable as he helps Xavier to his feet.

“Easy, Charles, you okay?” he asks.

“Yes… just a little stunned,” replies Charles. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” says Cable. “Let’s get out of here.”

The Xavier Institute; Cerebro

The eyes of Cassandra Nova Xavier open and she sees nothing but darkness. She wraps her frail hands around the large, rounded metal helmet that sits atop her head and lifts it off. She places it on the metal platform before her and stands from the chair. She moves down the metal walkway towards the Cerebro chamber’s exit.

She sniffles slightly, and feels something wet and sticky on her skin. She rubs a finger underneath her nose, and then examines it. Her finger is stained crimson with blood. She exits the chamber and begins to walk towards her office.

“Hmm… blasted Cable…” she mutters. “Both he and Xavier and any other telepaths they have on that island will be guarding against any attacks from the Astral Plane now.”

She enters her office and with a thought and gesture of her hand, the top drawer of the desk slides open. A pistol, much like the one she used on the Astral Plane, hovers from the drawer until it lands in her hand. She removes the gun clip to check it, and then slides it back into place.

“Looks like Charles and I will have to continue our discussion in person…”

Genosha

Charles Xavier wakes up suddenly, and almost seems to collapse once more in his hoverchair. By his side are Cable and one of his longtime students, Nightcrawler. Not far from them sit Jubilee and Proteus, the youngest members of the X-Men.

“Professor, are you okay?” asks Nightcrawler.

“I… yes, I’ll be fine, Kurt,” replies Xavier. “Cassandra just caught me by surprise, that’s all.”

“We’ll have to build up the psi-defenses around here,” says Cable. “We don’t know how powerful she really is, and with Cerebro in her hands that only makes things worse.”

“Unfortunately, we haven’t the time.”

The three mutants look towards the source of the voice as Magneto walks into the room. By his side stands his son, Quicksilver. Some find it strange to see these two men standing side by side, especially given Pietro’s feelings towards his father. The two have something of a… complicated father/son relationship.

“Why do we need to build up the psi-defenses?” asks Quicksilver.

“Cassandra just attempted to invade the Professor’s mind, she tried to kill him on the Astral Plane,” replies Nightcrawler.

“She’ll stop at nothing, I see,” says Quicksilver. “Doesn’t even have the guts to face us herself. Instead, she takes cheap shots and sends her foot soldiers in to do her dirty work for her.”

“Nothing to worry about, I stopped her before she could do any damage,” says Cable. “But that’s only because I caught her by surprise. Next time she’ll be ready for me.”

“Erik, you said we haven’t the time,” says Charles. “What did you mean?”

“Nice to see this helmet still works,” says Magneto, tapping the crimson helmet with purple trim that he wears over his head. “But I meant that we have to work on another defense. Two fully-armed Blackbird jets filled with X-Men have just entered Genoshan airspace.”

“Please tell me Cassandra’s with them,” says Jubilee as her fingers begin to crackle with pyrotechnic energy.

“Given her recent attack on me, I doubt it,” says Charles. He closes his eyes and sends out a telepathic summons. “To me, my X-Men.”

Blackbird One

Cameron Dalin sits at the controls of the Blackbird jet. As the only human member of the X-Men, he feels slightly disappointed that Cassandra assigned him to the role of pilot. But, he trusts the woman enough to follow her dream, and he understands that she knows what she is doing.

Sitting beside him is Cyclops, named the field leader for this team. Seated behind them are Banshee, Colossus, Dazzler, and Kwannon. They comprise Cyclops’ strike force. Cameron is just the pilot, and Cassandra said he plays a crucial role in this mission. What that role is, he is still a little unsure of. But he trusts her judgement.

“We’ve entered Genoshan airspace,” says Cameron. “I’m breaking away from the Blackbird Two so we can do our thing.”

“Good,” says Cyclops. His hand moves up to his visor and adjusts it slightly, ensuring that it’s on properly. Although he no longer needs the visor, he still wears it. Old habits die hard.

“Bozhe moi…” comes the surprised expression from Colossus. He looks out the window and looks down at the island of Genosha. Where there was once wreckage, civil wars, and bloodshed, there is now the beginnings of a beautiful nation.

“It looks like Magneto’s been busy,” says Kwannon. “It’s amazing, so beautiful…”

“Can you imagine?” asks Dazzler. “A mutant paradise.”

“Aye,” says Banshee. “But Genosha will never become that as long as Magneto is in power.”

“Still, you can’t doubt the man’s skill,” says Kwannon.

“If I have learned one thing from my time with Magneto, Anna, it’s that his promises only seem amazing on the outside,” says Colossus. “Magneto is a master illusionist, able to make the misguided see something that isn’t truly there.”

“It doesn’t matter what Magneto has done to improve Genosha, he’s still a race lunatic bent on destroying not only himself, but those around him,” says Cyclops. “And our job is to take him down hard and fast before he bring about any more damage than he’s already wrought.”

“Just got a little message from the Professor,” says Cameron. “Everyone get ready for a brief meeting.”

Blackbird Two

As the Blackbird One breaks away, the Blackbird Two streaks towards a different part of Genosha. This craft is piloted by Danielle Moonstar. Like Cameron, she is somewhat loathe to be reduced to pilot status, but she understands Cassandra’s plans and she won’t meddle with them. By her side is Bishop, the leader of this squad. Behind them sit Havok, Ecstacy, Domino, and Bolt.

“So this is Genosha,” says Ecstacy. “From the way people always talked about it, I expected it to be a total warzone.”

“It was a total warzone,” says Havok. “I should know, I saw it myself.”

“I can tell you don’t sound very enthusiastic to be here,” says Ecstacy.

“I’m not,” says Havok. “Genosha brings back bad memories for me. I was a different person, then. Not quite myself.”

“What happened?” asks Bolt.

“You have access to the mansion’s computers, read the files,” replies Havok. “It’s not something I like to talk about.”

“Whatever the case, it looks like Magneto’s done some good down here at least,” says Domino. “I don’t see any signs of conflict.”

“Hmph,” mutters Bishop. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Farouk put down the rebellion on his own by manipulating everyone’s perceptions. Either that, or Magneto and his Acolytes slaughtered every human they could find on the island.”

“Someone’s awfully cheerful…” says Ecstacy.

“Message from Cassandra, we’ve got a meeting,” says Moonstar.

“Now?” asks Domino. “We have a mission to concentrate on and she wants to have a little chat?”

The perceptions around Cassandra’s X-Men all seem to change as they find themselves sitting in the same void on couches. Pretty much the same void Charles Xavier found himself in earlier. Except this time, these men and women do not pose a threat to Cassandra.

“I just wanted to touch base with all of you first,” says Cassandra.

“We’re en route to the capital right now,” says Cameron.

“We’re also getting close to our destination,” says Moonstar.

“What about my team?” asks Storm. “Why have you kept us behind at the mansion?”

“Because I’m going to accompany you, Storm,” replies Cassandra. “I apologize for the delay, but I had other matters to attend to.”

“I dunno, Prof, I still think we’re going about this the wrong way,” says Iceman.

“Your concern is understandable, Robert, and if there was another way, you know I would gladly sacrifice my life if it meant I could save Jubilee the fate that awaits her. But Farouk has grown in power, and now he’s struck us a devastating blow. I never even saw him coming, this time…”

“We rarely see any of them coming,” says Bishop. “Perhaps we should start to do something about that.”

“And we will, Bishop, once this mission is completed,” says Cassandra. “Today marks the end of an old era and the beginning of a new, my X-Men.”

“Look, I understand you’re worried about this op, but we don’t have time to waste,” says Domino. “We need to get back to the mission.”

“Understandable,” says Cassandra. “And you’re right, I’m just a little concerned. Proceed to the drop points.”

The Xavier Institute; Hangar Bay

Storm stands with her team of X-Men, Iceman, Archangel, Sunpyre, and Skin. The Blackbird Three awaits departure, yet they just need to wait for the Institute’s Headmistress, Cassandra Nova. She has chosen to pilot this jet and lead this team into battle against Magneto and her brother.

The doors to the hangar slide open, and Cassandra walks in, dressed in a uniform similar to the rest of the X-Men.

“Are we set?” asks Cassandra.

“The Blackbird’s prepped and ready for take-off,” says Archangel.

“Good,” says Cassandra. “Let’s go.”

She walks up the ramp, and her X-Men follow behind. Each of them quickly take their seats in the Blackbird – Cassandra and Storm at the front, Archangel, Iceman, Skin, and Sunpyre behind them. The entire team remains very silent during the start-up procedure. They all know of Iceman’s feelings for Jubilee, and his misgivings about this mission. And for that reason, they choose to keep things quiet in order to avoid conflict.

Cassandra thrusts forward and the Blackbird begins to drive towards the runway of the hangar. As it approaches, sensors along the walls detect the Blackbird’s approach, and the hangar doors at the end open. The Blackbird flies out from the hangar and into the skies. Inside the Blackbird, Cassandra activates a switch on the Blackbird, a new addition to the craft. In a flash of energy, the Blackbird vanishes. When it reappears, the X-Men see that they are right near Genosha.

Genosha

Charles Xavier sits before his small group of ‘X-Men’ – Magneto, Nightcrawler, Cable, Quicksilver, Fantomex, Deathbird, Jubilee, Proteus, Juggernaut, Amelia Voght, and Johanna Cargill.

“As you already know, Cassandra’s mind-controlled X-Men have entered Genoshan airspace,” Xavier begins. “Their team is split into two units, however – each one in a different Blackbird, and each one proceeding to a different drop point. As such, we will have to split up in order to effectively deal with them.”

“What are the teams?” asks Voght.

“The teams…”

Charles stops in midsentence as a beeping noise is heard from the monitor behind him. He rotates his hoverchair to face the giant monitor screen. A blinking red dot appears near the map of Genosha, and a small window pops up that verifies this third aircraft as another Blackbird jet.

“Dear God…” says Charles as a sudden realization comes over him. “Cassandra is on that Blackbird…”

“How did they just appear like that?” asks Cargill. “We’ve got all sorts of detection systems, there’s no way they could’ve slipped in like that!”

“Cassandra found the Z’noxx Chamber, this proves it,” says Cable. “She used the bodysliding technology Blaquesmith had down there.”

“So now we’ve got three teams of X-Men to deal with,” says Quicksilver. “Wonderful.”

“Why are you worried?” asks Fantomex as he twirls one of his pistols. “Do you really want to live forever?”

Deep beneath the Xavier Institute sits the Z’noxx Chamber. Or rather, what remains of it. Cassandra breached the chamber and defeated Blaquesmith, then stole the bodysliding technology for her own purposes.

Now, however, three cocoons of some sort sit in the battered chamber. They seem to have an orange, yellowish color. One of them begins to glow brightly, and cracks slowly appear in the cocoon. As it cracks open, a figure steps out of the remains of the cocoon, burning fiercely like a sun.

The Phoenix has risen. And she is not happy.

CONTINUED IN AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #4!