Just Desserts
by Contrail
Disclaimer: All X-Men characters in this story belong to Marvel Comics Company. Their use in this story is not meant to challenge said ownership. Please ask me permission before archiving this story. It is extremely unlikely I'll say no, I just like keeping track of where my stories are.
This is a sequel to Devil's Due by Laersyn. Devil's Due is archived here. Cyclops's message to Excalibur at the beginning of this is taken from Devil's Due.
WARNING: This story contains violence of a graphic nature. If you are not 18 or older or are offended by such material, move on to something else.
Telepathic communication is denoted by ::'s.
Cassidy Keep, County Mayo, Ireland
Shadowcat, aka Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde and a member of the British mutant team known as Excalibur, was searching through the burnt remains of Cassidy Keep with a scowl on her face and tears threatening in her eyes. She phased through a collapsed archway, looking beyond for clues as to which of the X-Men's foes had done this. _Who'd do this?_ she thought to herself as she searched. _Of course, with our kind of enemies, the easier question is who wouldn't do this?_ She sighed internally. She hadn't known either Banshee or Siryn well, with Banshee having been retired during her stint with the X-Men and Siryn having mostly associated with X-Force. Sean had spent some time with her while she was recuperating on Muir Isle, though, and more than that the X-Men had always been an extended family, and while the various branches had been drifting apart for the past couple of years, the murder of one of their own affected them all.
And someone'd gotten to Professor X, too. They'd always argued a lot, Kitty and Xavier, but his death struck her to the core of her being. He was the founder of the X-Men, and their leader for most of their existence. It was his dream they followed, and in his mansion that she'd spent two years of her life and met the friends that had meant the most to her over the years. The two acts alone could have been explained as the violent lives the X-Men and associates finally catching up to them. But together, they felt more like the start of an organized campaign to wipe out the loose collection of mutant teams bound together by their pursuit of Xavier's Dream, or at least that's how it felt like to Kitty.
This portion of the castle wasn't providing any useful information, just burnt furniture and seared stone. Kitty had only just turned to make her way back to the Midnight Runner when her commbadge beeped and Brian's voice came through the commlink. "Everyone needs to return to the Runner immediately. I just received a call from Cyclops saying that the X-Men are in dire need of assistance." Kitty had already started to make her way to the Runner after the first sentence, but when she heard that the X-Men needed help, she started running as fast as she could, phasing through anything that was in her way. Cyclops wouldn't have called unless there was something horribly wrong.
She reached the Runner at about the same time that Wolvesbane, running on all fours in her fully wolven form, and Meggan, who was carrying a slightly grumbling Pete Wisdom, did. She phased through the Runner's hull, careful to choose a spot where she wouldn't disrupt anything. Nightcrawler was already there, listening to Cyclops' message, which was being broadcast to the whole cabin.
"...Morlock Tunnels...X-Factor, anybody, need assistance...Excalibur, X-Force...does anybody read..."
Nightcrawler's face was grim as the others entered. "We leave for Westchester immediately." Kitty shared a concerned look with Kurt. For the two of them, the Morlock tunnels would always be associated with the Mutant Massacre and the battle against the Marauders in which Kurt had been put into a coma. Kitty had nearly died as a result of that battle as well, and was a living ghost most of the time for nearly a year afterward. The two of them hoped against hope that that night wasn't being replayed, this time with the X-Men as the victims instead of the Morlocks.
In the Midnight Runner, Over the Atlantic Ocean, En route to Westchester
"...So we need you to meet us in Westchester. You're the only telepath we have available," Kurt said to the woman who's image was displayed on the com panel.
"I'm sorry," Emma Frost replied, "but I must remain here in Massachusetts. Now more than ever, the children need someone to protect them."
Kurt found her concern odd, still thinking of Ms. Frost as the White Queen who had helped rule the Hellfire Club. The two of them had not interacted much since she had come to be the Headmistress of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and old perceptions died hard.
"We've already talked to Cable, and he and X-Force are headed up there, so that they can protect the kids."
Emma shook her head. "They'll take hours to get here, and I won't leave the kids undefended between the time I leave and the time they get here."
"Look, the Morlock tunnels are a veritable maze. We'll need a telepath to find the X-Men and whoever they were fighting, and we can't rely on Jean or Betsy being in a condition such that they can spot us and guide us to them. Would you rather we stop these murderers now, while they're far from your school, or do you want to wait until they're on your doorstep killing your students to do anything about them?" Nightcrawler was rapidly losing his patience with her.
Her face did not betray a change of emotion, but her eyes hardened, boring into him like sharpened icicles. "I'll come," she said eventually. "Give me your ETA, I'll meet you there." Kurt breathed a sigh of relief and started giving her their ETA.
The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Westchester, New York
The Midnight Runner disengaged cloaking and sank to a landing on the lawn of the Mansion. The hatch opened up, and the members of Excalibur filed out, with Kurt and Kitty in the lead. As the last person's soles touched the lawn, a glowing portal opened in front of them, and an immaculately dressed Emma Frost stepped out of it, her face a careful mask of icy calm that belied her irritation at being here instead of the school, protecting the children whose lives had been given into her care. Emma had opened her mouth to saying something, probably bitingly sarcastic, when the door to the Mansion opened.
Everyone turned to see Polaris, aka Lorna Dane, rush out of the door and down the steps towards them. Polaris looked like she'd been through a war. Her uniform was shredded, her left arm and right leg were bandaged, the rest of her body had little cuts and scrapes all over it, and her long green hair had been hacked off, leaving only a couple of inches of it. "Thank God you're here! X-Factor was attacked last night by the Marauders. It was horrible, I'm the only one who made it out alive, and that's only because I fled instead of trying to fight them. I came here as fast as I could, to warn the X-Men before it was too late, but they were already long gone by the time I got here."
Both Kitty and Kurt blanched when Lorna identified the attackers as the Marauders. Memories flashed through their minds of the piles of bodies found in the Morlock Tunnels the night of the Mutant Massacre, some friends, some strangers, almost all of them dead from the wounds they had received at the hands of the Marauders, of how easily those tunnels had become killing fields. Their faces took on nearly-identical expressions, grim and unforgiving.
"We're going down there," Nightcrawler said. "We'll find the Marauders, hit them hard and fast, take them down as quick as we can, because that's the only way we'll be able to get out of there without losing anyone else. Then we'll try to save whatever X-Men are still alive. And you'll follow my orders," he said, throwing a look at Ms. Frost, who returned it with an icy one of her own, "because if you don't, not a single one of us will make it out of this alive." He looked at each member of the group, making sure they all understood.
Satisfied that they all understood the seriousness of this venture, Kurt turned towards the Mansion. Squaring his shoulders, he said, "Let's go." Excalibur, plus the two additions, headed towards the Mansion, and the unknown horrors that were waiting for them in the tunnels beneath it.
The Morlock Tunnels underneath the Mansion
Nightcrawler halted them a little ways into the Alley, and turned to Emma Frost. "I want you to scan for the Marauders. If you can determine what X-Men are alive and in what condition they're in, that would be good, but locating the Marauders is your first priority."
Emma Frost gave him an 'I'm not stupid, you know' look, then shut her eyes, concentrating on filtering out the psychic fog caused by the number of deaths that had occurred in these tunnels, so she could locate and categorize the living minds. Several long, tense minutes passed before Emma opened her eyes again.
"Four of the Marauders -- I'm afraid I could not tell which ones -- are some distance that way, and Cyclops is very close to them, alive and in pain. Other than the five of them, and our little group, I can not sense any living person. Either the Marauders have lost four of their number, or the missing Marauders are so heavily psi-shielded that I cannot detect them. However, I was able to pick up from Cyclops the path he took to get where he is."
The group was grimly silent as they realized the implications of her statements. Finally Nightcrawler said, "We're splitting up. I don't want to risk our only telepath getting taken out of commission in battle. So I'll be leaving some of us here to protect Ms. Frost, and the rest of us will go take care of the Marauders." He didn't state his other reason for splitting the team, namely not wanting some of his teammates to have to see the carnage, or help take care of the Marauders the way they were going to.
Polaris immediately spoke up. "I want to be part of the strike force." Nightcrawler looked at her, seeing the determination on her face, and the cold fires of her desire for vengeance on the Marauders, for events both recent and past, burning in her eyes. He nodded, knowing that she would be able to do that which must be done.
"Polaris, Shadowcat, and Peter Wisdom, you will come with me; Wolvesbane, Meggan, and Captain Britain, you will stay here with Emma Frost. Wolvesbane, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open for anyone approaching; Your enhanced senses should help. Meggan, I want you to keep watch as well, by looking for the electromagnetic fields of human beings." Nightcrawler turned to Emma Frost. "I want you to mentally link the four of us that are going after the Marauders and guide us to where they are."
::Done.::
::Okay, Let's go,:: Nightcrawler broadcasted by way of Emma to the rest of the strike force. ::Kitty, I want you to phase into one of the walls and follow us phased and hidden, only sticking your head out when you need to take another breath. Hopefully, you'll be able to surprise them. Given the way they took the X-Men out, they've probably set up surveillance and hidden passage ways ahead of time down here. Emma, let us know when we get close to where the Marauders are.::
Shadowcat nodded and phased into the floor. The four of them headed down the Alley, Nightcrawler leading the way with his excellent night vision, Polaris and Pete Wisdom following behind, and Shadowcat pacing them beneath the floor.
They'd only gone about thirty feet down the tunnel when Nightcrawler motion for the others to halt. ::There's a corpse a few feet ahead. I'm going to investigate it.:: He headed forward to where the corpse was, kneeling beside it so he could identify it, feeling a little sick and a lot outraged when he saw what had been done.
::Who...?:: Shadowcat's question came across the link.
::Caliban. You don't want to see what they did to him.:: Shadowcat felt a flash of sorrow for the Morlock, who'd once had a crush on her, and had loved her enough to release her from the promise she'd made to save Colossus's life, an event that seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago.
Nightcrawler lead them past and to the east of the body, heading for the tunnel that Emma said Cyclops had gone down. The three of them were tense, focused on analyzing ever little sound or shadow, waiting for an ambush to come, not knowing if it ever would. It was in this state that they made their way further into the tunnels, drawing ever closer to the ones they hunted.
The small band stopped just short of the cavern where Cyclops lay. ::I can't fine tune my lock enough to tell you more specifically where the Marauders are.:: Emma's mindvoice 'sounded' like she was talking through clenched teeth. Admitting weakness had always been hard for her.
::That's okay, Emma, I have an idea on how to pinpoint their location. Polaris, can you find and recognize their electromagnetic fields?::
::I believe so.:: Polaris concentrated for a couple of minutes, then reported, ::I got them. They're in what looks to be a secret passage or room, with a lot of high tech equipment. The four waiting for us are Arclight, Scalphunter, Blockbuster, and Harpoon.::
::Are you certain?::
::I lead the Marauders for a time, when I was possessed by Malice. I know them quite well.:: Her mindvoice rang with distaste for that period of her life.
::Okay. Emma, I need you to drop the fix and relay Polaris' perceptions to the rest of us, so we'll know where our foes are. Polaris, I need you to keep track of the Marauders' locations, and when I say 'Go', I want you to....:: Nightcrawler continued to outline his plan of attack.
The proximity alarm went off once again. "Aw, no!" Blockbuster exclaimed. "We were just about to leave."
"Well, let's go see who these late visitors to our little party are," Scalphunter said. Blockbuster set Cyclops back down on the floor of the cavern, and the four remaining Marauders filed into their hidden monitoring station. One of the screens therein always displayed the section of tunnel outside the cavern. Scalphunter looked at that screen first. "We may not have to make that trip to the UK after all. The intruders are Nightcrawler and Peter Wisdom of Excalibur, and Polaris." Scalphunter started flipping a different screen through various views of the tunnels.
"I knew we should have take care of her with the others in Washington."
"We'll take care of that oversight now. Too bad Scrambler bit it; He would have been useful for taking her out. Still, we should be able to hit her with more than she can handle. It's not like she's Magneto." Scalphunter paused for a moment, as a picture of the second group in the Alley, flashed across the screen. "A-ha! I knew the freak wouldn't come here without the rest of his team. Excalibur, minus Shadowcat, and plus the Slush Queen. I guess they were hard up for a telepath. They'll have to wait until we deal with this three.
"We wait for them to come into the cavern, and get them while they're still gaping at the carnage. Harpoon, I want you to keep an eye out for Shadowcat. She's probably hiding somewhere phased. One full strength slay-spear should take care of her." The Marauders watched and waited for the trio to enter the cavern.
Polaris and Nightcrawler entered the cavern, with Pete Wisdom following a short ways behind them. Their eyes scanned over the carnage, doing their best to keep from recognizing the bodies, looking for Cyclops. When Nightcrawler spotted him, he let out a surprised "Scott?!?!?" that was only half feigned. He hadn't been prepared for what had been done to Scott.... However, he didn't let that surprise last, as the small scrape of booted foot on metal announced the Marauders' arrival. ::GO!:: Nightcrawler shouted mentally.
The two groups moved as one. Nightcrawler teleported and drew his sword in one motion, reappearing behind Harpoon and striking his head off in one stroke, causing both Harpoon and the harpoon he was charging to topple to the floor. Two yellow clad hands reached up from the floor and grasped Arclight ankles. Before she could react, Shadowcat had phased her and yanked her into the floor, then let go, making good on a threat Shadowcat had made to her over three years before.*
[* During the Mutant Massacre, in Uncanny X-Men 211]
Polaris deflected Scalphunter's initial volley of fire with her mutant power of magnetism, then reached for the part of Scalphunter's arsenal he wore on his back and the body armor it was attached to, magnetically breaking the armor to pieces, and pulling it towards her. With a meaty thunk and a ripping sound, Polaris pulled the metal through Scalphunter's body, shredding heart and lungs and breaking the chest plate of his body armor on the way out. Scalphunter collapsed in a heap on the floor, blood pouring from the gaping hole that had been his chest.
Meanwhile, Pete Wisdom threw a handful of hot knives at Blockbuster. Where they struck, they left grooves and holes that were instantly cauterized by the knives. Experiencing the uncommon sensation of pain, Blockbuster yelled, "You're gonna pay for that, you British twerp." Blockbuster rushed Pete, who calmly took aim, and fired a barrage of hot knives at Blockbuster's neck. The hot knives cut through it like a knife through butter, and Blockbuster fell headless to the ground a couple of feet short of where Pete was standing, the head landing and rolling to end up at Pete's feet. Pete muttered, "Bloody predictable."
Shadowcat phased out of the floor, and the four mutants stood for a few seconds, taking in the fact that the battle was over. Most of them felt no real triumph, just a dull relief that the Marauders were stopped, and disgust at what they'd had to do. Slowly, they started moving to take care of various things that needed to be done. Polaris piled the corpses of the Marauders in an isolated corner, to be disposed of, while Kurt set about bandaging Scott's wounds.
Kitty was saddened and angered when she saw what they'd done to Ororo, but only lost her composure when she spotted Jubilee among the bodies, and realized what had happened to her. She turned to Pete, and cried into his shoulder as he stroked her hair, a grim expression on his face. Pete had seen many things in his time with Black Air, but rape, particularly of young women, was something that never failed to bother him. He felt a grim satisfaction that those who had done this were dead.
The small group that remained in the Alley waited tensely for Nightcrawler's group to return. Emma had told them the results of the battle, but they wouldn't know for certain until they returned. Finally, Rahne's ears pricked up and she said, "I can hear them."
Shortly thereafter, Kurt's little band started to appear out of the gloom of the tunnels. Kurt was in the lead, carrying the battered and bandaged Cyclops, with Kitty and Lorna behind him, and Pete Wisdom last, with his hand resting on Kitty's shoulder. They walked slowly, with their heads hung low, bowed down with grief.
The two groups met, and Kurt said softly, "It's over."
Epilogues
Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
Bishop.
Elizabeth Braddock, aka Psylocke.
Robert Drake, aka Iceman.
Jean Grey-Summers, aka Phoenix.
Samuel Guthrie, aka Cannonball.
Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit.
Joseph, aka Erik Magnus Lehnscherr, aka Magneto.
Jubilation Lee, aka Jubilee.
Logan, aka Wolverine.
Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver.
Dr. Henry McCoy, aka Beast.
Ororo Munroe, aka Storm.
Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus.
Rogue.
Warren Worthington III, aka Archangel.
And finally, Charles Francis Xavier, dreamer of the Dream.
They were heroes, and many had gathered here today to morn them. Sean and Theresa Cassidy had been buried near Cassidy Keep a couple of days earlier. The X-Men's funeral had been delayed until Cyclops was well enough to attend. Scott Summers stood at the head of the crowd, leaning heavily on a cane and wearing black sunglasses to hide the empty sockets where his eyes had been. Beside him stood his son, Nathan, known better as Cable, telepathically lending Scott his eyes so that he might see the funeral.
Behind them and to their right stood X-Force, mourning the young man who had once lead them, and had always been their friend. To the other side stood Generation-X, minus Husk, who had sought the comfort of her family, grieving for the young woman who had sometimes been endearing and sometimes been annoying, but who had always kept her cheerfulness in the face of danger, and made life at the school interesting. In the between the other two groups stood Excalibur, Kurt, Kitty, and Rahne crying for the friends they had lost, while Brian and Meggan cried for Brian's dead sister and Pete and Lockheed (in complete agreement for once) lended their sympathy and support to Kitty.
In a separate group stood the families and friends of those who had died. Scott's grandparents, Phillip and Deborah Summers, mourning the woman their grandson had married. The Greys', mourning the daughter they had thought they lost before, and had now lost for good. The McCoys' mourning their famous scientist/superhero son, a silent Trish Tilby standing nearby. The Guthrie clan, with Paige crying into her momma's shoulder. The Drakes' were there as well, Bobby's father openly weeping.
All the mourners, human and mutant alike, wore black in honor of the dead. A gray sheet of clouds that blocked out the sun added to the somber mood of the day. Those gathered there to mourn the X-Men spoke in turn, sharing stories humorous or tender, speaking of the bravery, compassion, enthusiasm, and heroism of those who were gone, and how much their presence would be missed. Finally, after everyone had had their say, the caskets were lowered into the ground and covered with earth. After the last one was interred, the group broke up, some heading towards the front of the mansion and their cars, others into the mansion. As the people departed, it started to gently rain, as if the skies themselves mourned the woman who had so often commanded them.
Later that day, after most of the guests had either gone or were sleeping, four people gathered in the room in which Rachel Summers had once convinced the X-Men to go on, to decide the future of the X-Men. Katherine Pryde and Kurt Wagner of Excalibur sat on a couch, while Emma Frost, Headmistress of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and Lorna Dane, the last surviving member of X-Factor, sat in chairs to either side, turned towards the couch for ease of conversation.
The four sat silently, not sure where to start. Finally, Kurt cleared his throat. "I asked the three of you to meet here so we could discuss what to do next."
"Shouldn't Scott be here as well, then?" asked Lorna.
Kurt shook his head 'no'. "I felt that, given his current state, he isn't in any condition to be making decisions about the future."
Lorna nodded, although she didn't look entirely happy with his explanation.
"I suppose the first question is, should we even try to keep the X-Men going?" The response to that was an emphatic 'yes', and Kurt smiled briefly. "So, the real question is, where are we going to get this new team of X-Men?" Kurt had already settled this question in his own mind, but he wanted the others perspectives on it as well. "One possibility is gathering one from the already existing teams."
"Since X-Factor is... defunct, I'd be willing to serve as an X-Man." Kurt raised an eyebrow at her. Lorna had always been a reluctant heroine at best, and he'd thought there was a good chance that she'd decide to try and rebuild a life away from superheroics again. Answering his unspoken question, she continued, "My normal life died years ago, and I keep thinking that maybe if I'd been more willing to fight, things wouldn't have turned out this way..."
Kurt nodded. "I don't think we can count on getting any help from X-Force. For one thing, I've talked to Cable, and he's going to be taking his team out west to 'do their own thing'. For another, I've worked alongside them occasionally, and I don't think there's any of them that I'd be comfortable working with regularly." Lorna nodded at this.
"I do hope you are not considering using some of my students on this new team. None of them are ready to be X-Men yet, and I won't have you endangering them because you need a larger team."
Kurt looked at Emma Frost with a bit of surprise, wondering that maybe she had actually changed. Or maybe she just didn't want her new pawns being taken from her. "I wasn't considering them. They're all too young for such responsibility to be placed on them if there's any other option. However, I would like to talk to you about the possibility of transferring the one you've code-named Chamber to Muir Isle. I think the facilities there would be better suited to helping him than your school."
Emma inclined her head in response. ::I'll meet with you privately after this meeting is over to discuss it.::
Kitty frowned. "I don't think that Excalibur will be much help either. Brian and Meggan can't operate outside of Britain for very long, Rahne came to Muir to be with Moira and I don't think it would be fair to her to ask her to come back to the States, Pete's already complaining about being here, I don't want to leave Pete, and you're the leader of Excalibur."
Kurt nodded. "I intend to stay here to help with the rebuilding, which means I'll have to give my leadership to one of the others. I'll see to that before you leave. However, two people does not a team make, so we'll need to recruit and train new members. The X-Men have done this before, at the time that I joined to be specific. Because much of the Professor's files were lost to the Phalanx, I'll need your help, Ms. Frost, to find potential recruits, since we need a telepath to run Cerebro."
Emma nodded.
"I think that settles everything. If no one has any other questions or concerns, I'll adjourn this meeting."
The early morning light shimmered on the marble tombstones as Kitty, kneeling, laid flowers before them, then stood up. Feeling awkward, she read the names and dates once again.
Logan, ??-1996.
Ororo Munroe, 1969-1996.
She cleared her throat and said, "Hi." She paused, then continued, "I guess if you can see me, you're wondering about the new uniform. Or maybe not, I'm sure you remember the period where I had a new uniform every week. Well, I decided my old one was rather ugly, and impractical for sneaking around in. Black and dark blue's much better for that. Besides, it felt like the right time to make a change. Speaking of changes, Kurt's leaving Excalibur to take charge of rebuilding the X-Men, and guess who he's leaving in charge? Yep, me. You always said I had leadership potential, Logan, and I hope to prove you right. Still, I wish you guys were here to give me advice."
She felt tears welling, and tried her best to keep them down. Only a couple of glittering drops escaped to roll down her cheeks. "I'd give almost anything to have you here, alive, with me. Still, I know you'd want me to carry on, that's something you taught me. It's kind of hard right now, though. You taught me a lot about life, and you were there for me when I first came to the X-Men, giving me people to look up to while my real parents were falling apart. I want you to know that, no matter what, I've always loved you and always will. I intend to make you proud of me.
"I have to go now; My team's leaving in a couple of hours and I have to pack and stuff. I'll visit you again when I can. You know how things go." Kitty turned away and headed back towards the mansion, and a new era in the history of Excalibur and the X-men. When she reached the edge of the cemetery, she hesitated, then turned back.
"Good-bye," she whispered.