LEGACIES & DIAMONDS

Part V: What It Feels To Burn

By James Jordan

The nine X-Men listen in awe at the news Sinister has just revealed to them. They are all silenced. The hush of the room echoes as even the slightest of movements occur. The gaping hole created by Havok behind them ‘stands’ clear of any development. The steel walls give a new age feel to Sinister’s lab and this ‘new age’ proves true now that Sinister seems to have finally found the X-Men in a stalemate. What are they to do but listen?

“Computer,” the somber voice of Mr. Sinister orates. At command a computer’s light turns on, and a sound similar to that of a cell phone ring is heard.

“Computer online,” the machine makes known as its mechanic and structured voice hits the ears of every X-Man in the room.

Sinister’s face is toward the X-Men, all the better for them to see the smile on his face; the smile of their inability to touch him. Without emotion he requests, “Computer, open file 1025.”

“Opening file 1025,” the computer’s voice echoes of each action and motion it takes. The gigantic monitor shows millions of files flashing brilliantly across the computer’s face. The searching is abruptly stopped as the requested file is opened. The screen reads Adam Summers, codename X-Treme. Displayed in the left corner is a photo of the seemingly third Summers brother. His long blonde hair strays before his face, not allowing much visibility of finer features. “File 1025 opened; page one of five hundred and forty-three.”

Sinister chuckles and turns away from the screen to address the X-Men. “And believe me, I’ve barely put a dent in what is known of his history,” he informs. “But, to save some of your time, I suppose I could review his file in the most brief of manners.” Sinister sighs as though pressured to tell the X-Men of the third Summers brother.

“How is this possible?” Scott questions. He squints his eyes when he looks at the screen, unable to believe that the man known as X-Treme is his brother. Thoughts race through Scott’s mind as he creates excuses as to why Sinister is lying to the X-Men about his life and family. He thinks to himself, ‘It must be a fluke or diversion to distract us from our mission.’ However, Scott knows he can’t lie to himself. “It’s true,” Scott whispers under his breath, allowing his thoughts to breach the outside world.

“Entirely,” Sinister pauses as his eyes grow sympathetic to Scott’s emotions, “I’m sorry that you are taking this hard Scott. I understand this day has been an emotionally turbulent one for you.” Sinister’s sympathy for the X-Man comes across mockingly. In all his years fighting and stopping Sinister, Scott has never known the tormentor to show the slightest bit of human emotion.

“But truth is truth, and fact is fact. Adam Summers is your brother,” Sinister spats.

Alex Summers, a.k.a. Havok, has been quiet since he arrived in Sinister’s lair but he lets his voice, timid and weak, speak, “I don’t understand… how did we not know?”

“Alex, you of all people should know that in the world of the X-Men there are always twists and turns. Those thought to be gone return, lost ancestors arise from nowhere, celestial gods take human form… all is possible. And the list goes on,” Sinister observes. “Do you really have to question how this is possible?”

And Sinister is right; Alex doesn’t have to question the existence of his long lost brother. The crazy world of mutants has proven time and time again that anything is capable of occurring. Alex understands this first hand after finding happiness in an alternate world while his true friends and family believed him dead.

In a way this arouses feelings in Alex that he has not felt before. Is he selfish for wanting to return to the life that was never really his? Is he selfish to want his family to grieve his death while he lives happy? His reappearance in this world has not given Alex a clear sense of mind, it has only confused him. Adding this with Sinister’s newest revelation and Alex feels… broken.

Scott stares idly at ‘X-Treme’s’ photo. He is both angered and amazed. Both emotions seem to bring him to tears because he did not know of this brother. A third of his life has passed him and he doesn’t even know his own family. Adam Summers is so close to him, yet so far away. By blood he is his brother, yet he is nothing to him but a stranger. This fact almost perturbs Scott. But what frightens him most is the uncertainty. The questions he has.

“Whose is he? My mother’s or my father’s?” Scott asks softly. Scott is not naïve. It’s impossible that this child was conceived from both of his parents. As disheartening as it is to believe that one of his parents was deceitful in marriage, he knows he must accept it.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sinister begins, “But it was not her choice to bring this child into the world.” Sinister stops, allowing Scott and Alex to absorb the information they are receiving. The two of them know that by ‘her’ he is referring to their mother, Anne. “There was no affair involved whatsoever. Adam is a child of rape.”

“Oh God,” Scott cries, his eyes watering. Scott brushes his hair back with the sway of his hand. Thoughts of his mother screaming and crying as she is held down and raped by a man enter his mind. He feels a chill rush down him and hit his bones. He immediately thinks to himself, ‘Was it painful?’

Scott’s attention comes to his brother, who seems to be in the same state as him. Alex’s hand clutches his mouth as he, undoubtedly, thinks of his mother’s rape.

“When your father and mother were taken captive by the Shi’ar Empire for experimentation, I’m sure you’re aware, that the then emperor, D’Ken, took an interest in your mother,” Sinister pauses looking to the large computer monitor as pictures of the various people he’s speaking about appear. First Anne and Christopher Summers and then D’Ken appear. “As you may also know, there was a period of time when D’Ken had your mother to himself. Your father, meanwhile, had been deactivated from the Shi’ar spaceship. This gave D’Ken time to use Anne for his pleasure. And that is exactly what he did.”

“D’Ken raped my mother?” Alex questions. His eyes are still reddened and watery. It sickens him that his mother was raped by an otherworldly being after being treated like nothing more than a science experiment. The fear and confusion she must have faced.

“Correct, Alex,” Sinister replies. “During Christopher Summers absence, your mother became pregnant with Adam. She gave birth to him before your father was able to know.” Sinister begins moving closer to the computer system. Once he is in front of the computer he presses buttons almost aimlessly and continues his retelling, “And then, as the story goes, your mother was murdered in front of your father by D’Ken.” With a final strike to a key Sinister poses a question, “Now, let’s continue with the show. I’d like you boys to meet your brother.”

“Opening capsule 5; Adam Summers,” the computer reiterates of Sinister’s already stated plans. A noise is heard and all the X-Men bring their attention to a wall on their left. The steel wall opens slowly, a bright light visible at the bottom where it has already opened. A long cylindrical item can be viewed. However this item is obstructed by the moving wall. The wall soon disappears into a slit in the ceiling and the cylinder is completely realized in the eyes of the X-Men. Inside floats a blonde haired man. He is naked, pale, and attached to several tubes. The half brother of Alex and Scott Summers lies before them. His eyes are closed and his body seems peaceful in the transparent glass cylinder.

“Removing glass exterior of capsule 5,” the computer states of its forthcoming actions.

Scott begins to approach the capsule, when he feels a cold hand touch his shoulder. “Scott, you don’t have to go alone,” Jean says in support of her husband. “You always have me, remember that.” Jean, no matter how is appears, has always been the strong one in the relationship.

Scott looks to his wife lovingly. He reaches out his hand, and Jean takes it. The two walk forward toward the capsule as it opens. The water spills out, hitting the two’s feet as they stand before Adam’s apparently lifeless body. The capsule is fully open and Adam falls to the hard steel ground. Jean and Scott pause about ten feet away from him, examining his fallen body against the cold steel floor.

“Is he okay?” Scott questions of his half-brother’s mental state.

Jean murmurs, not answering her husband’s question, “He dreams about your mother almost every night.”

“I can’t understand how this is possible… I have another brother, Jean,” Scott states.

Havok approaches Scott and Jean’s position, standing still before his brother. “Can we help him?” Havok asks in concern of his brother.

“We have to get him back to the mansion,” Scott replies.

Silence follows Scott’s answer as the three glance down at the poor soul known as Adam Summers, X-Treme. There stare goes around his entire body before Havok reaches down and picks Adam up into his arms. Jean and Scott walks steadily back while Havok saunters along with his brother in his hands. He stares at his face. It’s similar to his own. From the cheekbones to the hair, Adam appears to be his brother. In a way he thinks that if he had seen Adam amongst the public he would have known that they were tightly bonded. He feels a deep connection, something stretching beyond life and love. He is his brother.

Sinister smiles tauntingly exclaiming, “Amazing isn’t it? A family affair!”

“Quiet Sinister,” Archangel snaps. “You destroyed Adam’s life.”

“Why, Mr. Worthington, Adam’s life was already destroyed. I just continued what he was used to,” Sinister retorts at the comments of Warren Worthington III. “And now that I’ve delivered my final surprise-the final surprise-I hope you’ll all remember this day. Because it will be the last time you see your children.” He looks to the three babies in his hands, grinning. “I suppose this day if full of finalities and endings.”

Sinister lifts Rebecca Blair above his head with one hand, observing her as he says, “I think young Becca should be first to go…”

“NO!” Dazzler screams as she runs for Sinister. Converting the sounds of the children’s cries into light, Dazzler blinds Sinister. She runs for him to take her baby, but is surprised as she is struck by Sinister’s fist. She flies to the ground.

Angered, Sinister spouts, “You insolent fool! Not only will your child suffer a painful death, but I will be sure you do not make it out of here alive!”

Dazzler cries, as she reaches for her bloodied lip. Her hand trembles from supporting her sitting position on the ground. “Please, please, don’t hurt my baby… please,” she cries in desperation. Moonstar bends down to help Dazzler to her feet. Dazzler refuses the helping hand, however, and shamelessly begs, “Please, don’t hurt my baby.” Sinister does nothing, however, ignoring the requests of Allison Blaire.

“Coward,” Chyna utters to Sinister in spite. “You can’t harm them so you attack their children? You’re sick.” Chyna scrunches her forehead in acrimony. She may not know these ‘X-Men’ characters well, but in a short amount of time she has come to respect them. They fight for a world that does not want them there, and they are constantly foiled by villainy of men and women like Mr. Sinister.

Sinister brushes her off, “I’m not merely attacking their children, Chyna… I’m attacking their hearts, a far less cowardly act then a physical attack. Brave, if I do say so myself.”

The animosity of Scott raises with every word Sinister says. He can’t let Sinister destroy another member of his family or anyone else’s. Scott decides to do what he promised himself he would one day: kill Nathaniel Essex. With these thoughts Scott rushes toward Sinister. He rips off his glasses and blasts Sinister’s arm. Sinister lets out a short lived scream and punches the mutant known as Cyclops across the face. Scott is thrown across the room before he hits a metal table, striking his head.

“SCOTT!” Jean yells to her husband. She rushes to his side, bending to be near him. He’s bleeding from the forehead, and at the sight of this wound she lets out a shriek. “Are you okay?” she questions between cries.

Scott says nothing. Jean holds her mouth, overwhelmed by emotion. Sinister has taken so much from her and Scott. She’s ready to give in. She’s ready to let Sinister just win. Her eyes glare across at the other X-Men and she sees that they are all in a similar state. Maybe he’s already won.

The cries of the children sound throughout the entire lab. Their sounds orate and bounce across each wall creating small echoes. The lab grows colder and colder with each cry from the babies.

Jean stares at her children, helpless to do anything. They need her. She looks to the X-Men next. The panic and inability to do save the children or harm Sinister is visible in their eyes. Jean feels as though they are all staring at her, depending on her to do something. They need her.

Jean finally realizes what Sinister is doing to her and her family… her X-Men. She stands with confidence, understanding what she must do now. She wipes her tears against her sleeve. Her cheeks beam red, and her eyes are bloodshot. She begins walking forward, in front of the X-Men. She turns her body towards Sinister, staring deep into his face observing every small feature. The blackness of his eyes, the pale complexion of his face. Never in her life has she taken the time to just marvel at the structure of her most destructive enemy. Maybe it’s because she always feared him?

But standing tall, fear is far from what Jean feels for this man. Hate, anger, and frustration are possibly the best words to describe the emotions soaring through the heart of Jean Grey-Summers. Relieving herself of the calm exterior she has provided her entire captivity, Jean’s reveals her new self with a bout of confidence. She has masked herself with reasoning, forgiveness, and mercy to support her husband. She is his ‘rock’, the woman that keeps him grounded. She can’t do that anymore. She’s nothing but herself… and Jean is nothing short of powerful.

With a blink of an eye Jean releases her apoplectic emotions, letting it burn through her. A warm sensation comes over her body, washing away the cold cries of her and Dazzler’s children. She feels warm. Her eyes turn a fiery red as she lifts her arms gracefully. “Give me my kids,” she says smoothly. With those words she pulls her arms back, signaling her telekinesis to bring the three children out of Sinister’s arms.

Sinister falters as he feels himself being pulled forward, resisting Jeans attempts to seize her children. His efforts prove fruitless as the babies fly into Jean’s grasp. She does this all without losing sight of the man before her. Sinister is nothing short of astonished at Jean’s change in personality.

Expressionless and motionless Jean commands, “Hank, take the children.”

Hank looks around himself confused. “Jean,” he begins but is unable to finish as he slides down the floor, still standing, and ends a foot apart from Jean Grey-Summers. The babies are lifted into the air above Jean’s head. Swiftly she places them into Hank’s arms. Jean motions her arm backward which subsequently moves a surprised Hank in the same direction.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Sinister exclaims of Jean.

“Down,” Jean orders of Sinister. The villainous man looks to Jean confused, and he immediately hits the ground sending the Legacy Virus disk out of his front breast pocket. Jean grins, “I’ll be taking that.” She pauses as she telekinetically moves the disk into the hands of Cecilia Reyes. Jean looks back to Sinister, still grinning. “What do you fear?”

“You aren’t Jean!” He screams to the red haired woman, laughing; mocking her and her display of power.

The X-Men look on and watch in amazement as Jean, single-handily, begins to take Sinister’s torments to an end. They, like Sinister, are frightened by Jean and what she is doing. She seems to have lost control of her powers, mind, and body. None have seen Jean this way in a long time.

“But I am Jean,” she begins with a smirk, “and so much more.” She lifts her hand in front of her face and watches it burn with fire. “I can’t remember a time in my life when everything was so clear. Not like this, at least.” She twists her hand around, examining it. With a bright smile she turns her attention back to Sinister, who still lies on the ground. “You’re beneath me,” she simply declares.

Sinister lets out a chuckle, a smile forming on his face. The chuckle soon turns into fractious laughter. “You don’t have the gall to kill me,” Sinister remarks. “No matter how godly you are, you will always be Jean Grey-Summers at the core.”

“You’re right,” she affirms, allowing the fire to burn out from her hand. Her expression turns from amused to dismal and forlorn. Her mouth gapes open as it appears that she rethinks what Sinister is explaining.

Jean kneels down in front of Sinister and whispers, “I am Jean Grey-Summers. Do you understand?”

“Of course I do,” he says, becoming relieved. Jean motions her hand to lift Sinister up onto his feet. He sighs, as it seems Jean’s grip on his actions is faltering.

Jean smiles darkly and with confidence informs, “Good, because I want you to know that it’s just me when I kill you!” Sinister’s eyes grow large, as Jean hurtles him into the air. He strikes the ceiling and begins falling. He screams as he approaches the ground faster and faster. His life is spared however as Jean stops him an inch from the ground. Sinister whimpers.

“Jean, stop this! Don’t kill him,” Archangel beckons from behind her. He approaches her slowly and places a single hand on her shoulder tenderly. “Don’t destroy yourself.”

Jean concentrates on Sinister while he is telekinetically brought back into mid-air. Her arm remains in the air, holding him in place. “I’m not destroying anything, Warren,” Jean retorts to Archangel’s comments. “So back off and we’ll keep it that way.”

Warren ignores her last comment and begins turning her around, “Jean-”. Before he is able to finish Jean strikes him with her open palm. She growls, clenching her teeth. Warren is sent soaring backwards with the blow. He hits the back of the wall with great force.

“Let this be an example. Stay out of my way,” Jean demands. “This is my fight.”

Without much warning, Jean’s hair begins to light on fire. Slowly and curvaceously the fire begins to consume the rest of her body. She is raised into the air effortlessly. She floats comely before Sinister as her body becomes emblazed in a fiery Phoenix raptor. She gazes at Sinister, and motions her head to the side, confused. “I can sense your mind,” she commences. “Why do you no longer fear me?” Jean questions innocently. Her voice is filled with serenity, peace, and understanding. Her voice is a conglomerate of a vast amount of ideas. She stands as something the world is not ready for… something the world cannot comprehend.

Sinister laughs and replies, “I just realized you’re becoming what I always hoped you would, Jean. Higher than Homo sapiens, higher than mutants in both a literal and figurative sense…” He smiles letting it be known that his forthcoming fate does not disturb him. “You are a god. Thus my extraordinary legacy lives on in you.”

Jean advances closer to the man floating before her. “I’ve often wondered why no one refers to you as Nathaniel Essex,” Jean says. “It seems completely logical as it is a petty human name for a petty human. You are not extraordinary.”

With these crowing words Jean looks gravely into the eyes of her prey. She places her hand on Sinister’s forehead, and he is instantly struck with fire. Jean feels his essence and soul begin to fade away. With each failing piece of Sinister’s body, Jean strokes the being within herself pleasingly.

“What does it feel to burn?” she inquires of Nathaniel Essex before his swan song is heard.

He smirks and lets out a deep laugh, “I should be asking you that question… Phoenix.” The once sinister Nathaniel Essex’s presence is felt missing as he burns to the bone. Jean’s attention is still on this man even after his passing as she glares at his skeleton which floats before her. Gracefully she lifts her head to the air with her hands and explodes in a blast of fire.

Scott, drowsy and slightly fluttered from being unconscious, opens his eyes. He is shocked to feel that his glasses are no longer on his eyes. Panicked he reaches for them, but realizes that something is different. In a total twist of fate Scott for the first time since he was a young boy sees colors other than red. And the first thing he sees; his wife in flames destroying the bones of the once living Mr. Sinister. “Phoenix,” he utters incoherently as he returns to his unconscious state.

The bones of Nathaniel Essex, the infamous Mr. Sinister, dissipate into nothingness. Still consumed by fire, Jean falls to the ground after the massive display of power. The fire soon fades and Jean reverts back to her normal form.

The X-Men stare at her motionless body in awe. Jean has never lost control like this before. She has always been reliable, and they are all taken aback by her fusion with the Phoenix. They are frightened by Jean, knowing what she may now be capable of.

“Oh my god, Jean,” Dani comments. “You killed him.”

The Blackbird

A feeling of uneasiness washes over the beautiful red head. Never in her life does she recall doing something so vile and disgusting that she is granted unsettling feelings. But than again, never in her life has she killed a man.

Jean Grey-Summers can’t seem to keep the images of Sinister’s burning face out of her head. The smell of his charred flesh reaching her nose is something she longs to forget. The fact that when she committed the act she didn’t see anything wrong about it is something she’ll always feel the need to make penance for. But most extreme in her mind is the fear she’s feeling for herself and everyone around her.

Jean’s manifestation of the Phoenix raptor is, without a doubt, a danger to the world. She allowed herself to let her power overcome her and help her accomplish a personal vendetta. She let the Phoenix influence her actions. What will her friends think of her if they know about the Phoenix’s part in the death of Sinister? She doesn’t want to be feared nor does she want to lose a piece of herself. Jean has never felt more alive in her entire existence. However, she understands that she has two beautiful children, a loving husband, and friends that many are not fortunate enough to be graced with. She can’t sacrifice the trust and acceptance of those loved ones.

‘But does that really justify my choice?’ Jean thinks to herself.

“Jean?” a soft voice calls to the disgruntled telepath. Jean looks up from her lap with the eyes of a wounded warrior and views Cecilia Reyes looking down at her. “I got you coffee,” Cecilia states offering the cup to Jean’s hand.

Jean accepts the dosage of caffeine with both hands, resisting the use of her telekinesis. “Thank you,” Jean replies to Cecilia delicately. Jean stares into the brown coffee. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, inhaling the bitter, yet soothing, odor. The smell is intoxicatingly wonderful, and for a moment the smell of death is forgotten and she is merely a normal woman in a Starbucks.

But Jean isn’t a normal woman, and she is definitely not in a Starbucks. Most Starbucks don’t have holographic projection technology or blue furred employees. Jean sighs at the realization, and looks up to Cecilia. She fakes a half smile, and begins fiddling around with her stirrer.

Cecilia sits beside her friend, noticing her lack of composure. She turns her knees in the direction of Jean and rests her hand on Mrs. Summers’s shoulder. Cecilia slouches to look at the face she has come to know so well over the years. “Are you okay?” she questions.

Jean makes a chuckle and stares into her lap, “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay.”

“Jean you can’t be so hard on yourself, you did what you had to,” Cecilia palliates.

Jean’s eyes look up to meet Cecilia’s. Bags have formed beneath her green eyes, and her face has grown pale and weary looking. “Yeah, I did what I had to,” Jean says sarcastically in self pity.

Cecilia pats her friend on the thigh and tries to comfort her worries. “If you didn’t…” Cecilia begins, choosing her words carefully, “kill him… someone else would have. You saw Allison and Scott, we all did.”

“No one else was capable of killing him, and you know it, Cece,” Jean proclaims of Dazzler and Cyclops’s attempts to harm Sinister.

Cecilia pauses, almost in defeat. She doesn’t know what can make Jean feel better about this entire situation. “Well, if this even matters, Sinister had it coming.”

Jean nods, “I guess he did… but, I don’t know.” Jean looks up to face Cecilia for the first time during the conversation. “I just have never felt that way before.”

“You were upset,” Cecilia says, justifying Jean’s actions.

“No, Cece, I lost control,” Jean snaps back coolly.

Cecilia places an arm on Jean’s shoulder once again and tries to empathize what she is going through. “Oh, Jean-”

“I’d really just like to be alone, Cecilia,” Jean interrupts. Cecilia is slightly taken aback, but refrains from commenting due to Jean’s fragile condition.

The Puerto Rican doctor stands to her feet and glares down at Jean. “If you want anything, someone to talk to, or whatever, I’m going to be in the back with Chris and Hank.”

Jean nods, now looking back to her untouched coffee. Cecilia nods as well and leaves Jean alone with her thought.

Once she is positive that Cecilia has left, Jean lifts her head. The Blackbird is, like its namesake, shrouded in black and darkness. Yet, despite the shadowy colors of its interior décor, the X-Jet is filled with lightness and joy. The storm has passed and the inevitable calm has settled in. It’s all around Jean. Dani and Allison are tending to the three children. She knows Allison is smiling again and understands Allison’s feelings of happiness because that’s where Jean wants to be. It’s something that only a mother can understand. Jean desires to be with her children, much like Dazzler is with her own, but she is so confused. She wants to be cradling Rachel and John in her arms with Scott beside her, cooing them to sleep. She wants to live her life like a picture. But Jean is all but too aware that most pictures don’t include comatose fathers and mothers aflame.

On some days Jean secretly wishes that her life was not as it is. She wishes that she never developed telepathy and telekinesis, she never became an X-Man, she never married Scott and gave birth to two beautiful children… on some days she just wants it all to dissapear. Jean understands her life isn’t normal, and on most days she accepts this. Jean has even learned to see the wonderful and amazing parts of her unique life. In fact, she wouldn’t have it any other way. But every once in a while when she feels vulnerable or scared, Jean wonders what it would have been like to not be a mutant. Guilt often shrouds these feelings and Jean questions her thoughts. Is she selfish for thinking this?

And maybe that is why she has chosen to invade her friend’s minds for the first time in her life. She doesn’t want to lose anymore of the normalcy she retains. If she really is the Phoenix once more it means she has become something else. She is no longer a mutant, maybe not even a human; she is something that she can’t even begin to conceive.

So with the explosion that obliterated Sinister’s bones, Jean also obliterated the X-Men’s memory of the Phoenix force’s part in Sinister’s death. She can’t risk the normalcy of her life. She also despises the fear that she caused her friends when the Phoenix first emerged. And in a way, by sweeping the Phoenix force’s emergence under the rug, Jean truly believes that everything will be okay. Like the proverbial tree in the forest, if no one is around to hear it fall-does it really make a sound?

Now Jean sits in fear that the Phoenix may arise within her again. She must face these feelings by herself, a long journey accompanied by no one.

Worthington Estate; Chicago

Warren is the first to step through the opened mahogany doors. The doors are elegantly designed, and they may be the only piece of the mansions foyer that was left unscathed by the fire set by Sinister’s Marauders when Cecilia Reyes and Hank McCoy were taken captive earlier that day. Warren sighs, looking around the once beautiful room. He places his hands on his hips and comments, “Well this is just lovely.”

Dazzler enters behind him, holding her baby. She has been smiling since her daughter was placed in her arms, and her face has yet to change even as she sees the mansion in such disarray. “It needs work, but the mansions done worse,” she says to Warren, her daughter playing with the long strands of strawberry blonde hair growing from her head.

The rest of the X-Men soon file in, and all marvel at the foyer for a moment. “This is nothing!” Dani replies looking at the charred pieces of furniture and window shades. She takes a step further in and scrunches her neck to her chest. The hard wood floor has grown moist, soft and brittle because of the fire extinguisher that was used to deplete the fire. Archangel begins moving before her and she stops him with her hand. “Uh, ya might not wanna do that. The floor feels like it’s gonna cave in.”

Cecilia sighs and moves past the brittle area and toward the elevator that leads to the X-Men’s lower levels. Obviously frustrated Cecilia remarks on her coworkers concern with the mansions décor, “While you guys comment on the amount of work the mansion needs, I’M going to be productive and get the Legacy Virus disc saved on the computer. I should probably start creating more serums while I’m at it, too.”

Cecilia steps into the elevator and is about to press the down button when Hank comes running toward her. “I should probably go too,” he begins, “to prep the lab for Scott, Adam, and Chris.” Cecilia holds the elevator door, and Hank steps in beside her. “Thanks,” he says graciously.

Cecilia looks up to him and smiles, “No problem, big guy.” The elevator soon closes, and the two X-Men dissapear.

Allison giggles and looks to Warren, “I’ll bet anyone in this room that they’ll be married in under two years.” Warren crosses his arms and smiles to himself as he accompanies Allison.

“Is Jean coming in?” Dani questions while moving further away from the door.

“She said she wanted to be with Scott,” Havok replies also moving away from the entrance.

“Oh, okay,” Dani says. “I’m going to go check the messages, Alex. You wanna come?”

Havok nods and begins following Dani into the kitchen, but stops after realizing the door not being closed. He turns around and views Chyna standing in the slight ajar doorway. She leans against the door beam and plays with her fingers. It is obvious she feels out of place. “Hey, you coming?”

Chyna looks up from her hands to see Alex looking at her. Slightly taken back she replies, “I don’t know. It’s really not my place to do so.”

“Pfft,” Alex remarks. “You’re one of us, now. I know I haven’t been ‘one of us’ for too long, but I understand enough that the X-Men, myself included, trust you.”

Chyna grins with a closed mouth and steps into the house. She walks beside Alex. “Wow, this place really does look like shit.”

Alex laughs, “Now you’re getting comfortable… common, let’s go see what Dani’s up to.”

Danielle Moonstar presses her tanned finger against the message machine, and waits for it to roll out words of unheard calls. She sighs as the message machine replies with its mechanical voice, “One unheard message.”

“6:43 P.M., first message,” the machine reports. Dani moves her hand in a circle, getting frustrated as she awaits the first message.

“Oh, uh, hey… it’s Bobby,” the machine begins bringing Dani to full attention mode. Her eyes grow big as she realizes that something must be wrong. Dani moves closer to the machine.

“Hey,” Alex says as he walks into the kitchen with Chyna.

“Shhh!” Dani hushes, showing no mercy to the X-Man known as Havok.

“Yeah, um… I know this is really odd, and that I haven’t talked to any of you in a long time… but this is really important. Oh, God. I don’t know how to begin!” Bobby’s voice is filled with urgency bordering sadness.

“I don’t know, I guess I might as well just come out and say it. I’m sorry if this is a bit blunt, but… Charles is really sick.”

Dani clutches her mouth as these words leave Bobby’s mouth and are orated through the machine. Her eyes begin to tear, knowing what Bobby is beginning to get at. “Oh, God… no.”

“The Legacy virus is slowly killing him. I don’t know if he has much time left.” Bobby pauses as his breathing becomes heavy and he obviously begins to cry. His voice has become more emotional and it is obvious that talking about his mentor’s state is killing him.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry… I didn’t want to get like this on the phone but, but, Charles is dying. I know he’d want to see you all before he passes. I think tonight’s it. You guys need to get up here… we don’t have to settle our differences, just say goodbye to the man. He deserves to go happy.”

With these final words the message ends. It doesn’t take Dani much time to absorb the information when she turns around to Alex. “Tell Beast to stop prepping the med lab… we have to go.”

NEXT ISSUE: It’s guest stars galore as the Uncanny X-Men visit the Xavier mansion for one last goodbye to their mentor.

Author’s Notes

Heya boys and girls, ladies and gents alike!

Well there it is: the death of Sinister in all its glory. That was certainly a fun scene to write. In fact the entire issue was fun to write. This was probably my favorite issue to write, and probably my favorite issue that I’ve written for X-Men Unlimited. It had a lot of drama in it, and it downplayed the action despite Sinister’s death. I really liked writing Jean’s “inner monologue” thing she had going on too.

To follow up on Jean’s Phoenixy developments read the X-Men: Generations mini and some of the more recent Uncanny X-Men-specifically the X-Men/Avengers crossover, Supernova- issues all written by the amazingly talented Ryan Krupienski and Dino Pollard. In general you should be reading Uncanny X-Men, it’s a GREAT series. Definitely the best X-Men fan fiction series on the web… and definitely twenty times better than anything Chuck Austen has pulled from his ass on Uncanny X-Men in the MU. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the Austen bashing… it’s almost like second nature! I’m an Austen-bashing junkie, admitted, and I need help.

Anyway, I hope you all liked it (and you better, I plowed right through that thing!). And as per usual, I love feedback and constructive criticism… so if you wanna comment on the series, or if you have a question, just drop a line at moviegoer1989@hotmail.com.

I want feedback, goddamnit! LOL, let that be a hint to all of my readers. If there are any of you out there, make yourselves known. I won’t bite, pinky swear 🙂

Okay, well, I’m outtie.

Peace,
Jim
10/22/04