The Animal Unleashed 3

A/N: Sorry it took so long for this last part. My computer broke and it took months to get another one. That and I have been swamped at work. But here is the first chapter and hopefully I will be able to write the rest of it soon. Please read review and enjoy!

only the oc's are mine the rest are marvels, don't sue me

The Animal Unleashed; Part Three-Rebirth

Pain. Pain and darkness. He felt the burning pain all over his body. From his chest down to his toes he felt like he was on fire. He wondered how anyone could feel this much pain and not die of a heart attack. Hell his eyeballs even hurt. But slowly the pain was ebbing away like the tide sweeping back out to sea.
He thought of the coast. With that occupying his thoughts he was less aware of the pain. He remembered the last time he saw the water sweeping in and out from the shore. He loved the coast, the feeling of the warm wind blowing in from the water. The last time he had seen it he was with his mother. She loved the smell of the saltwater as it permeated everything.
He remembered how beautiful she was, how strong she was when any form of hardship rose to challenge her. He liked to think he got his strength from her, but he never felt that he was as strong as her. She was the courageous one not him. He was just a stubborn child. He knew he was stubborn but that was because he never liked to let anyone get close and he thought that being stubborn and always right would piss people off and keep them away. Until her.
The thought of her snapped his mind back to the here and now. Again the pain assaulted him, but it was less than before, more bearable. He felt pulled to consciousness by something powerful. No someone, and his voice was calming. But what was he saying? “...COME BACK! WE NEED YOU TO COME BACK... SHE NEEDS YOU TO COME BACK!!! NOW COME BACK!!!” screamed in his head.
“Okay, okay. Stop yelling.” Alexander Cash croaked. He opened his eyes and squinted as the horrifyingly bright light blinded him. “What happened?” Alexander asked. Then the memories of what happened came back like a tidal wave. He shot up on the hospital bed, his body morphing into his metallic form. But now conical spikes bubbled up on his metal skin and a strange yellow mist of energy began to seep from the bottom of each spike.
“WHAT THE HELL!?” Alexander yelled as he felt the spikes pop out of his body. Then the memories hit again. He remembered Harmony being struck down by Cyclops’ optic blast and her moaning as he held her screaming for help. He remembered kissing her as his tears dried and the sorrow was crushed by the rage that built in him for Scott Summers.
Alexander remembered kissing the semiconscious Harmony, his love. He had promised her that he would avenge her. As he ran toward the sounds of the raging battle he remembered feeling the weird energy growing in him. But he thought that it was just his hate filled adrenaline fueling his body. Then he remembered running into the clearing and seeing his friend Logan, the Wolverine, being felled by the same crimson blast of energy that had hurt Harmony.
Again he remembered the hate fueling him. Then the blur of battlggedgged his memory. He remembered that psycho Sabertooth attacking him, and the feeling of his sword arm slicing into flesh. He thought that the feeling of the flesh separating as his arm slid through it felt...well weird. He felt the slight resistance of the muscle and bone give way, and then the ease of the cut as it sliced through. “It was like running your hand through water.” He though absently.
Then he remembered that Cyclops was in front of him and the red haze of blood rage colored his vision, then the feeling of slicing through flesh again, and then the build up of energy again. He remembered as he though it was too much, too much to control, like it was going to burst out of his skin. Pain, fire coursed through him and he felt his skin bubbling and pulling from his bones. Then he felt the pop of the spike as they shot from his body and he remembered screaming as he felt the energy speed away, but felt it begin to slowly pool again and grow. Then explosions and then all became black.
Alexander rubbed his head and it snapped back to the memory of Harmony. “What? Where is she?” he asked lookingund und the bright room, yet not seeing anything.
“She is right beside you Alexander,” Charles Xavier said laying his hand on the burning metallic skin of the young man.
Alexander whipped his head around to the sleeping form of Harmony and a bed a few feet away. He suddenly felt dizzy and laid back down, never taking his eyes off of her beautiful face. His body slowly relaxed as Xavier rolled his wheelchair up to Alexander’s side.
“Alexander...” he said, “I want you to look at me. Relax your mind, she is fine but I am here to help you.” Alexander looked at the Professor and his brow creased.
“Why do you need to help me? I’m not the one with a hole in my gut, she is, and where is Mr. Logan?” Alexander asked tears making his eyes shine. “Did he get a private room?” He looked around again.
“That is one reason why I am here to help, the other is to help you with your second mutation.” Xavier waved slightly to the still protruding spikes all over Alexander’s metallic body. The yellow energy mist had oddly disappeared from them though.
Alexander looked at them and then back up at Xavier. “What are they?” he asked. He reached up to touch one on his chest. His metal finger tapped on the tip causing a slight hollow sound. Alexander pushed on the spike a little and was shocked as it turned back to liquid and was reabsorbed into his skin.
He looked at Xavier in fascination. Xavier nodded his head and said, “Alexander that is your second mutation. You have developed that power to... well shoot explosive energy rounds in the form of these spikes. From the reports from Jean and the aftermath from Beast and Storm, you are quite powerful in this form.” Xavier looked at Alexander and had a tear drop from his. “A. “Alexander I want you to change back into your normal form to see how the spikes react.”
Alexander nodded and tried to morph. It didn’t work. “What?” Alexander said as he looked at himself. He closed his eyes and began to strain himself, trying desperately to morph into his regular flesh. Nothing still.
“Alexander, stop. Try making the spikes go down first.” Xavier said.
Alexander nodded and concentrated. One of the spikes liquefied and was re absorbed. Then another and another. Alexander opened his eyes and looked tired. “It’s hard,” he said looking again at Harmony.
“Well I expect it will be at first. Concentraite on reabreabsorbing them Alexander, then morph back, you cutting up our bed,” Xavier said, trying vainly to be humorous. Alexander nodded and continued. It took twenty minutes, but finally all of the spikes were gone and he morphed back to his normal self.
“That was weird professor. Why did this happen? How did it happen?” Alexander asked as he glanced at the sleeping form of Harmony. Xavier shook his head slightly, the udder sadness of the actions from the day before overwhelming him for a moment.
“Two students hurt, on critically, and Logan dead. What a horrible tragedy,” He thought. He looked at the boy and cleared his throat, “Well all of us have the gene to cause a second mutation, some haven’t yet gone through it as of yet, some may never. You, however, went threw a very traumatic event. I believe the second mutation happens much like the first, at puberty combined with an event that cause ext emo emotional distress. Yesterday was much like the day that your mutation first appeared yes?”
Alexander looked back at the headmaster of the school and nodded, “Yea, m-my mom was hit by a car while we were walking across the street. She was pinned underneath and I was a bloody mess. I looked up and saw her. The driver was freaking out and I just lost control. I remember feeling my skin go ice cold and then I saw these blades like those of swords and they were in my hands.” Alexander looked over at Harmony and saw his mother laying in her hospital bed, ventilator breathing for her.
“I remember that I went after the guy, he jumped away. So I just started wailing at the car with these swords. Heh I had no idea that they were my own arms. I ripped that car to pieces with them. The cops said that there wasn’t a piece of that car that weighed over twenty pounds. By the time I was done the EMT’s were there and they pulled mom out and took her away. None of them would touch me, partly because I was waving these swords around,” he lifted his arms up and waved them around in the air, “and screaming for that guy to come out and fight me. The moron was huddled in a cop car peeing himself.” Alexander looked at the ashen faced Xavier.
Xavier looked at the haggard Alexander as his loss combined with the knowledge that he would have to tell the boy that his best friend was dead.
“I calmed down after a while, that’s when they told me that I had a broken leg. I didn’t even feel it,” Alexander trailed off as he looked again at Harmony. “They took me to the hospital, but none of the doctors wanted to help me because I was a mutant. Then this nurse stood up to one of them. She yelled at him for wanting to transfer me to another hospital. She said that I was a human in need of help, and if he didn’t help me she was going to call her brother who was a lawyer for the ACLU to sue his and the hospitals ass off. They set my legs a minute later, and mom got better after a while. She is still in physical therapy though,” he said remembering the pretty nurse.
Xavier patted Alexander on the knee and said, “Alexander, a lot has happened to you in your short life. I think you are strong enough to handle a lot more. Yesterday was a shock to us all and it was a miracle that you and Harmony survived, being students without the complete training and control of your powers.” Xavier looked at the floor feeling very tired and heartbroken. How he hated to tell this boy what had happened to Logan.
Xavier looked back into Alexander’s eyes angan,gan, “Son, you saw Logan fall. He was hurt very badly and...”
“Professor!! We need your help!” Ororo yelled as she rushed into the infirmary’s private room.
“What is it?” Xavier asked as he looked at Ororo.
“It’s Jean, Charles. She’s out of control! She’s tearing up her room and, well...” she trailed off glancing at Alexander, “you have to see.”
Alexander looked at Ororo and wondered what they were not telling him. “Wait!” he exclaimed as the professor began to wheel out of the room to help with the grieving Jean. “What were you going to tell me Professor? I need to know. Does it have to do with what Dr. Grey is doing?” he asked.
“Alexander my boy,” Xavier said, his voice filled with sadness, “You are a very perceptive man. She is grieving over Logan’s death.” With that he wheeled out of the room feeling the anger, hatred and sadness mingle and grow in the young man who had found a friend and brother in Logan. A brother who had fallen, like his mother. But this one didn’t get up.

Dr. Jean Grey was venting a miniscule portion of her rage and sorrow by tearing apart the early years of her life. Everything that had to do with Scott Summers was being burnt and blown away by the fire that raged inside her thanks to the Phoenix entity. Every piece of paper, shred of clothing, and every nick knack that had been bought, written or given to her by the man who had murdered her future and ripped out her heart.
She felt the swell of hate and sorrow rise to a level very near her own coming from Alexander. She heard in her mind his anguished scream that reminded of her own screams and weeps of sorrow and loss. She felt his pang of guilt for not being fast enough to stop her loss. That caused her to pause the burning of her past. “He felt regret for not stopping my loss?” she thought. “Why does he think of me before his loss, Logan was like a brother, no a father to him, yet he thought of me first?”
Professor Xavier and Ororo entered the scorched room. The walls were black and smoking, the burnt ashes of her things in a pile on the floor. Yet there was no structural damage, and nothing a coat of paint wouldn’t fix. “Jean?” Xavier said quietly as she stood there weeping silently as she was washed over by the emotion the the young man in the infirmary.
“Charles, Alexander is feeling for my loss, not his. Why? Logan meant just as much to him as he did to me,” she sobbed. She collapsed to her knees, the ashes of her life covering her. Xavier came over to her and hugged her. “Alexander is grieving in his own way. He is a selfless soul, he feels for you first because he can’t deal with the loss yet. In time he will grieve for himself,” he said as he stroked her ash covered hair.
“Come Jean lets get you to bed, you’ve done enough for today and tomorrow...” Xavier choked as his control over his own sorrow slipped. “Tomorrow we will lay him to rest. He has deserved it.”
Jean, still sobbing allowed Ororo lead her out of the blackened room and back to her and Logan’s room. Xavier looked at the smoking remains of the room and shook his head. “How could it have come to this?” he asked himself. He looked out of the window into the distance feeling for Scott. Vengence was wanted by all those betrayed by the former field commander. Yet the shock and befuddlement by the sudden turn of the most devout believer of the cause for peaceful coexistence lingered over the school. How could this happen indeed?

Jean lay on Logan’s side of her bed, inhaling his scent as she sobbed. She was numb from everything else except her crying. She was numb from the betrayal of Scott, numb from the loss of Logan. He was no longer there to rub her back after a long day with the students, no longer there to hold her as she slept, keeping her safe from the world. No longer there to tell her she was beautiful after a horrid training session in the Danger Room.
“I miss you so much Logan. I need you to be with me. With us... me and our baby. Why were you taken away from me?” she sobbed into her pillow. She didn’t know how she was going to make it the next day. That was the day that they were going to bury him. That meant that he was really dead, that he wouldn’t come back to her. That they wouldn’t be a family.
They were going to bury him at the Shinto Shrine he built years ago. Xavier had thought that it was time to let everyone know about the beautiful building that Logan had built, and it would allow Charles to fulfil his promise to his dear friend. To Jean it was fitting. He loved that shrine and she often felt his happiness during the day as he found time to stop there, even for the fewest of minutes.
She wrapped herself up into one of his flannel shirts and looked out the window with her tears filled eyes. She saw the sunset and again wished that Logan was here with her. He loved sunsets, to him it meant that it was almost hunting time. She felt the twitch of a smile as she remembered the way he looked as he ran out to the forest at night. She watched from the window and felt as well as saw the smile on his face as the cool grass and soft breeze had soothed his wild heart. He was happy then, just like he was happy when he was with her. Jean began to cry again as she longed for him, and late into the night her sobs could be heard by all, and were joined by all at least once in the night.

Scott Summers was in excruciating pain. He had lost his arm to the fat little fuck when he had shot some weird spikes out of his body. Scott had been to slow too dodge them with the huge cut that Alexander had caused. It had gone down to the bone, and it was painful even now. What shocked him most though was who saved him from the little bastard.
Magneto. Professor Xavier’s greatest enemy, and until yesterday Scott’s as well. He had passed out as Magneto had picked him and Sabertooth up with electric orbs. He had woken up in the infirmary of Asteroid M the night before with a person he didn’t know leaning over him. “Don’t worry Scott. Majenta is a healer that has awoken to the cause of our kind. Though she is weak you will be fully healed in a few sessions with her,” Magneto said. Scott had passed out as he saw a glow emanate from the healer.
Now every few hours an Acolyte would come in and give him a pain pill then leave him alone in the cold room. He had been visited by Magneto a few times, seeing how he was doing. Each time Magneto was as nice as can be, forming a base relationship with the injured man.
Scott finally gave up fighting the pain for consciousness and passed out. When he woke the next time he felt no pain. He moved a little and felt no soreness. “Ah Magenta can do wonders can she not?” Magneto said as he strode into the room followed by Sabertooth. “How do you feel?” he asked.
Scott looked at the two men that were enemy’s mere hours ago. He moved again sitting up on the bed. “A little stiff, but I’m fine. Thank her for me, Oh yea I JUST LOST MY FUCKING ARM TO A KID!!!” Scott replied angrily. He was pissed that he didn’t have his arm and that a simple teenager had taken it from him.
“Do not worry Scott, we have the means to replace it with one almost as good as the original.” Magneto said as he sat in the only chair in the room.
Scott looked around at the rock and metal room. He asked, “Are we in Asteroid M?”
“Very observant my boy, very observant,” Magneto replied with a slight grin. “Well now for the meaning for my actions. Saberttooth here informed me of your request for his help. Naturally I assumed that there had been a rift in the X-Men for some reason, giving me a very good chance to attack and stop Xavier and his rose colored view of the world. But low and behold,” Magneto said sarcastically, “I find you both out of action and about to die. Put there by a young boy.”
Magneto looked at the two men and sighed. “Well Scott I have an offer to propose. Join me. You now know that Xavier’s fantasy for a world with flat scans and mutants living in harmony is preposterous as long as he allows mutants like Wolverine into his home. Am I right?” Magneto asked.
Scott looked up at Magneto, hate swelling in him. “Is he dead?” He asked.
“I do not know Scott, but join with me and the next time you meet, he will be.” Magneto replied.
Scott thought about it for a minute. He hated that the Professor had allowed Logan to come into the school, train the children as well as the team. He hated that his own wife had left him for that beast. He hated that he had lost his arm to a child that looked up to that murderous man.
“I’ll join you.”

Alexander Cash was sitting beside Harmony’s bed as she continued to sleep. He was dressed in his usual black attire that was resistant to his mutation, after having been released from the infirmary hours ago. He had been trying to control his second mutation ever since. He found that it was pretty easy to control, but required a lot of concentration to work properly.
“Remember Alexander,” he thought to himself, “first power the energy down, then reabsorb the spikes, then morph. And vise versa.” He morphed into his metallic form. Then he concentrated to only form the spikes without the explosive energy. His head started to hurt again as he slowly formed the spikes. They popped out on his body, at first one by one then in twos, threes and finally in the tens.
“Ow my head!” he thought as he rubbed his metallic head. “Now for the energy,” he thought as he felt it build up like a fire. He tried to control the amount released into the spikes and succeeded slightly. He still felt too much in the spikes than he wanted. “Okay now to power down.”
Alexander began to push the energy back down into his body. It resisted but not as much as it had the first few times he tried it. Finally it was gone and he took a deep breath. He made the spikes melt back into his skin, and now that part was almost as easy as the next part, morphing back into his regular form. He panted slightly from the strain of concentrating on his control.
It was late he knew. He looked at the wall clock and saw that it was one in the morning. He took another deep breath and thought, “Well might as well get some sleep before tomorrow.” Rage and hate for Summers mixed with his sorrow for Dr. Grey. He vowed that he would get vengeance for Logan and Harmony. “I will kill that man I swear!” he whispered to Harmony’s unconscious body. Then he looked to the sky and promised Logan the same.
As he laid his head on the bed beside Harmony’s stomach he heard soft foot steps. He looked around to the door of the room and was shocked at who stood there. “Dr. Grey? What are you doing here?” he asked the teacher. He noticed that her face was puffy from crying and her eyes were bloodshot.
“Can...can I talk to you Alexander?” she whispered in a choking voice.
“Sure. We’ll go for a walk outside if you like, get some fresh air,” he said as he kissed Harmony’s hand and walked to the door.
“O-okay,” she said.
They walked out side into the cool but comfortable night, the way lighted by the motion activated lights on the outside of the house. “I’m sorry for what happened Dr. Grey,” Alexander said as they took a path to the garden.
Jean looked at the young man and nodded her thanks. “I wish you would worry more about your grief than mine Alexander. It is not good to hold it in,” she said.
“Dr. Grey look, I’ll grieve when I have time. You know how much he mattered to me. He was like a brother, no a...a father to me. So I have a job to do. I will kill Scott Summers for him, for Harmony, for you, and for myself,” he said, his anger obvious through his voice.
Jean began to tear up again and she threw her arms around Alexander. He was shocked for a moment then when he felt her tears soak through his shirt he wrapped his arms around the older woman. Alexander felt like he owed it to Logan to take care of her for him, he felt his own tears begin to flow as he rubbed her back and “shh”d her soothingly. He let his tears go silently, like his mother did when he left her and his sister that last day before he came to the school. “Silently strong,” he heard his mother say.
He led Jean back to her room and put her in bed he got her a glass of water and a new box of cleanex. As he put them on the table he noticed that Jean was asleep. “Sleep peaceful Dr. Grey, you deserve it,” he whispered. He walked out of the room and took the elevator beck down to the infirmary. As he walked back into the private room he saw that Harmony still had not woken up. He turned out the light again and sat back down. He put his head beside her stomach and whispered, “I love you Harmony,” and fell asleep.

The dawn came upon a grey and dreary day. It sprinkled rain through out the morning as the students and faculty dressed in sober clothing. Today was the day one of there own was being put to rest. Charles Xavier had awoken at the crack of dawn. He showered and dressed slowly, feeling the sorrow sweep over him.
As he finished tying his tie he cracked. He put his head in his hands and sobbed uncontrollably. Logan’s face loomed in his sight and then was joined by all the other students that had perished for his dream. All dear to him as students and family, some were closer, like sons, some brothers. He loved them all dearly. Then he saw the face of the one man that had been like the son he never had. Scott. His betrayal hurt almost as bad as the death of Logan.
“Why Scott? Why?” he moaned. After a few minutes he regained his composure and left his room. Other early risers were walking slowly through the mansion quietly greeting one another as they passed. They all looked shocked and saddened. Logan, unbeknownst to anyone, had become the rock of the institute. Though he was not always there, his spirit and presence was felt.
Logan’s honor, courage, compassion, and rough wisdom had become the hallmark of Xavier’s. He had done his duty with steadfast reliability and unquestioning faith. He accomplished his mission at any cost to himself, while always keeping every one else out of harms way. They all depended on Logan to be there for him, and he had been. Everyone was better for having known him.
Xavier wheeled into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, noticing that Piotr was in the back yard burning something. He took his coffee and wheeled outside. Coming up to Piotr he said, “Saying your goodbye’s in your own way?”
“Yes professor. I am burning some incense from Saint Petersburg in his honor,” Piotr replied.
Xavier nodded and went back into the house leaving the giant of a man say goodbye.

The procession started at the large back door of the mansion. Kurt Wagner led it as the priest who would lay God’s child into the earth and usher him on his way back to the light of the creator. Next came Professor Xavier, leading the Pall Bearers who carried the coffin that held Logan.
The six chosen were Piotr Rasputin, on of Logan’s closest friends and teammates. They had been through wars together, facing life and death with matching honor and courage. Hank McCoy, the man who could come closest to understand what it was like to feel the beast inside claw and tear to come out. Remy Lebeau, a thief turned hero who knew how much being a loner and outsider felt. Rogue, the untouchable beauty that suffered like Logan did for so very long from knowing that it was near impossible to let anyone get to close for fear of one day killing them. Warren Worthington III, who was able to break through Logan’s shell and find out, in some part, how he ticked. And Alexander Cash, the young boy who took after Logan in so many ways that it was eerie to some. The boy who had earned Logan’s respect and had returned that with the love of a son, the one thing Logan had never had.
They were followed by Jean Grey, Logan’s fiancé of a few hours at his death. She had finally broken down and told the Professor that morning as she wept once again in his lap. She was dressed in somber black, her hair covering her tear streaked face, and was being supported by Kitty Pryde and Jubilation Lee, both of whom had been life daughters to Logan. Behind them came the rest of the faculty and students of the Institute. All were somber and most had tears falling from there eyes.
They marched to the Shinto Shrine that Logan had built and the Pall Bearers placed Logan’s casket on the ground next to the grave. They stepped back and joined the other mourners. Kurt stepped to the head of the coffin and placed a few drops of Holy Water on the oak lid in the form of a cross. He looked at the crowd and stopped on Jean’s shivering form. She was sitting beside the Professor and was silently crying as she stared at the oak casket. Xavier put his arm around her as Kurt began to speak.
“I am knowledgeable in how ziss is supposed to go. But in ziss case, I believe zat Logan vas such an extraordinary man zat I must vere from zee normal proceedings,” he said quietly. “Logan was a hard man, not in zat he mistreated people, but in zat he survived so much hardship through his life. He vas mistreated by people in a horrible vay, tested on like an animal, trained to kill vitout thought of mercy. However, Logan fought those instincts, and became a better person. Yes he had killed, but alvas zas zee last resort. He became a distinguished member of the X-Men, giving his body numerous times to save ze lives of his teammates. Myself included. He punished himself for every failure and mistake. He strove for control and perfection over his power and himself. He constantly asked him self whether he vas a man, or an animal. I stand here today, as do us all because of his sacrifices. I tried to help him find his answer because of zis, and now I believe I have his answer. Logan, my friend, is most defiantly ze greatest man I have ever known.”
As he finished his eulogy Kurt became aware of the people gathered around once again. To a person, they were all sobbing with grief. Everyone had someone else’s hand in theirs, or their arm around another’s shoulder, or in a full embrace of grief. Kurt had long since begun to cry and now looked back down to Logan’s coffin. “Once again, my friend, you have joined us all in union. I am just sad zat zis union is one to grieve over you,” Kurt whispered.
Long minutes later Charles Xavier released Jean’s sobbing form and wheeled to the front of the crowd. “Logan was a dear friend of mine. He had been since the first days that I brought him here to help the original team. He came and went as he pleased with my blessings because I felt the anguish that he had from not knowing who he was. Many a night did we sit and chat about things from a simpler life, a simpler time. I believe that he was far older than his appearance. Because of his gift he would probably out live all of us here today saying goodbye. Logan was a simple man who believed in honor, respect, duty, and courage. He studied the martial arts in Japan, he fought in at least one major war, and he risked his life for us all numerous times voluntarily. Logan did it all with a quiet courage and honor. I wish that he were here now to help us all through this, but alas he is not, at least in body, but his courageous and honorable spirit will live on in us all. Goodbye my friend,” Xavier said. Once again every person gathered there wept.
So it went for another hour. Each person, be it student or faculty that was touched in some way by the private, haunted little man, came to the front and spoke there piece on how Logan affected them. They all saw the sorrow in each other, the loss his death caused, especially on Jean. Her features were gaunt under her flaming red hair. Her eyes swollen and dark from crying. Everyone knew that the world for her had turned upside down. They also knew that her loss was doubly so because of the man that had killed Logan. Her ex-husband Scott.
When the procession of speakers finally ended. Kurt stepped back to the front and nodded at the pall bearers to once again take up the casket. They stepped forward and lifted it slightly and placed it on the machine that would lower it into the grave. As they stepped back, Kurt began to speak again, “And now ve place our dear friend back into the earth from vhence he sprang with the grace of God. Go Logan. Go back to God’s embrace and be at peace vith him, and yourself knoving that ve, your true family are safe vonce again by your hand. Know that ve vill miss you and love you alvays. Espirtu sante, God bless you and keep you, amen.” Kurt made the symbol of the cross over the casket with his hand and hit the switch to lower it with his tail.
The coffin began to slowly lower and all of the gathered began to cry once again. Xavier hugged the weeping Jean to him and rubbed her back as she was shook with the force of her tears. When the casket finished its’ decent one by one the gathered mutants walked forward and dropped a handful of dirt onto it, then slowly wandered back to the mansion leaving the distraught Jean with the professor and Kurt.
Kurt sat beside of Jean and took her hand into his, “Jean, I know how hard zis iz for you. We all feel zis loss. If you need anything just ask,” Kurt said with a sad voice.
“Thank you Kurt,” Jean whispered and hugged him. She forced her self to her feet and took a few tentative steps toward the grave. “Can I have a few moments alone with him?” she asked. Both men nodded and left. Jean walked to the side of the grave and fell to her knees. “Logan, I love you so much. I can’t believe you are gone. How could this have happened? I don’t know how I can raise our son by myself,” she said. She began to cry once again as she grasped a fist full of dirt and slowly let it trickle through her fingers and onto the coffin.

“Okay the defense system of the institute is a fairly simple one. It reads the bioreadings of each individual when activated and attacks anyone that is not logged into the system as a friend or ally,” Scott Summers said as he walked around the briefing table in the war room of Asteroid M.
“So how do we defeat it Mr. Perfect?” Sabertooth asked as he began to pull a wing off of a fly that had inadvertently landed near the psychopath.
“Well you fucking sicko, you either have to cut the power to the system which is nearly impossible since the generator is five levels under the mansion itself surrounded by non magnetic rock. Or you can just defeat each individual security measure that you come upon,” Scott said crossing his remaining arm over the new mechanical one. Magneto had had one of his followers craft it for him. When Scott had received it he had been struck by how much it reminded him of Forge’s work on prosthetics.
Sabertooth let the now single winged fly go and grinned insanely as the fly spun around in circles on the table as it attempted to flee the pain it was going through. Scott winced at the reminder of his injury and felt his anger grow. “So,” he continued, “after we get through the security system we will have, depending on the number of X-Teams that are on a mission, between fifteen and fifty X-Men to deal with, non of which are push overs.”
“We know the deal Redeye,” Toad said from his perch at the end of the table. Magneto looked at Scott and nodded in pleasure. “The first X-Man is now the first convert to the real cause,” he thought. “How many do you think will convert after our victory over them Scott?” he asked.
Scott looked at the silver haired man and shrugged his shoulders, “Probably none of the team members and at least some of the students would rather die fighting us than coming over to our side. Especially that fat fuck Alexander Cash.”
“Ah the young man who defeated Sabertooth and took your arm,” Magneto said smiling at the looks of hate that came to their faces. He put a finger to his chin and said, “He is quite interesting to me. You say his skin is made of a metallic substance? Yet when I rescued you two I had no control over his body, nor his projectiles. I wonder why?”
“Those projectiles are a new mutation for him," Scott said, venom dripping from every word. “Somehow he has gone through a second mutation.”
“Yes. Well I must congratulate the two of you for one thing. You ridded me of one of my most dangerous enemies. Logan was a valiant warrior but extremely misguided. He would have been great in the fight for the cause,” Magneto said with a twinge of regret at not facing his fierce enemy again. “So we prepare for war yet again my brotherhood. This time it ends with total victory!” he yelled. Magneto clinched his fist in the air and blue electricity flared from it.

It had been two days since they had laid Logan’s body to rest, and Jean had not come out of her room. The others were worried about her. To their knowledge she was not eating or drinking. Unbeknownst to them, she was eating and drinking slightly. The only people that she was letting into her room were Xavier and Alexander. Both of whom were bringing her food.
Alexander spent most of his time with Harmony who had awoken earlier that day. She was in a surly mood. Angry and saddened over the betrayal and murder of Logan, and attempted murder of herself and Alexander. Alexander was with her now quietly telling her about the funeral when he got a mental summoning from Professor Xavier.
“Alexander, please come to my office,” said the disembodied voice. Alexander looked up at the ceiling and nodded.
“Harmony, babe, the Professor is calling me. He wants to talk to me about something. So I’ll be back as soon as I can okay?” he said as he kissed her on the cheek.
“Okay, I’ll be here. If I’m asleep when you get back wake me up okay?” she asked.
“You got it,” Alexander said as he smiled at her. He walked out of the room and took the elevator up to the main floor. For some reason he felt a slight knot of dread pool in his stomach as he took the long walk to Xavier’s office. He reached the door and knocked.
“Come in Alexander,” the Professor said through the door. Alexander opened the door and was slightly shocked to see Ororo, now the Gold Team, and overall field leader, and Kurt, the new Blue Team leader sitting in the office with the Professor. “Please come in and close the door Alexander,” Xavier said, motioning to the third chair in front of his desk. “Please be seated,” he said.
Alexander closed the door and said, “Yes sir,” his fear growing slightly. “What is this about?” he thought to himself. He crossed to the empty chair in between the two veteran X-Men.
“Alexander, there is nothing to worry about, you are not in trouble,” Xavier said in a soothing voice to the uncommonly nervous teenager. He steepled his fingers in front of his face and gave a slight smile. “You are here for another reason entirely. As you know this institute is setup to help young mutants like yourself to learn to control their gifts, and to use them respocibly. You also know that when you graduate from here everyone has a choice to either go out into the world as an ambassador of mutants everywhere and prove that we are just normal responsible citizens of the world,” Xavier said. He leaned forward to emphasize his point as he continued, “Or every student could chose to stay here at the institute and teach others, and at the same time join one of the teams and help fight those who would destroy us and all that we work for, and help to stop those mutants who misuse there gifts and do harm to the innocent people of this world, both mutant and non mutant.”
Xavier motioned to Ororo and Kurt and said, “Now you have a year left before you graduate, yet I now make you the offer that you would have gotten then. If you chose to join one of the teams you will go into immediate action. You will be placed in the X-Men, and it is up to the team leaders as to whether you would be in Blue Team or Gold. You would still be responsible for your studies and class work as well as any missions that come up. However you could refuse at this time, continue as normal, graduate, and still have the chance to join one of the teams next year.”
Alexander was dumbstruck. He was starring at Professor Xavier with his mouth hanging open and his breath coming in excited gasps. “Y-you want m-m-me to join the X-Men!?” He stammered. He watched as Xavier smiled and nodded his head. “The X-Men, not the Generation-X, or X-Force? THE X-MEN?” Alexander asked with nonbelief.
Ororo, smiling turned to look at the large teen. “Yes Alexander, THE X-Men. Since I am now overall team leader I have decided that we need...,” she paused as a tear came to her eye, dampening the whole situation greatly. “Replacements for...Logan. You were very impressive in the battle with the sentinel and with Sabertooth and...him,” she said with a sad voice.
“Yes ve vant you to join us because of your experience with what happened and because you have a great grasp on battle tactics,” Kurt picked up. “Also Logan told me zat you vere his best student. He said zat you picked up ze lessons quickly and vose a fierce and aggressive opponent. Ve think you vould be a great asset to ze X-Men,” he finished.
“So my boy,” Xavier said looking proudly at the young man before him, seeing Logan’s spirit alive and well in him. “What do you say? Will you join the fight?”
Alexander looked at all three of them still searching for any hint of a lie. Seeing none he looked Professor Xavier in the eyes and said, “Yes sir. I will join the team, and I promise that I will strive to bring honor to the position I fill.”
“Good. Now you may go back to Harmony while we finalize which team you will be joining for the training mission tomorrow morning. Eight o’clock sharp,” Xavier said with a smile.
Alexander stood up and shook everyone’s hand and quietly exited the room. The three remaining people in the room began to discuss it when they heard a loud “WHOOHOO!!!” coming from the hall. They smiled as they formalized the teams.
Alexander hurried into Harmony’s room, ready to tell her the good news when he saw that she was already sleeping. He sighed slightly and pulled the covers up around her. He sat down in the chair and he too quickly fell asleep.

Jean Grey was finally able to get up from her bed. She had forced herself to fight the debilitating depression she had fallen into over the death of Logan. Alexander and the Professor had both proven to be the rocks of support that she could use to begin to pull the tattered strands of her life back together. Her other friends had also tried to give her that support but she had pushed them away for the time being, wanting to wallow by herself in sorrow.
Now, when the mansion was asleep, she had forced herself to make a decision. Would she lay there, in their bed and waste away killing herself and their baby, or would she live for him and bring his progeny to life? She chose to live. She would never fall in love again, she decided. But first she had to do something.
She dressed slowly, running her hands on Logan’s clothes, inhaling his scent as it lingered on the fabrics. She put on a pair of blue jeans, his favorite pair that he said showed her perfect figure. Then she put on one of his favorite flannel shirts. The shirt immediately warmed her cool skin as she wrapped the large, well worn shirt around her. She then put on a pair of boots that he had bought for her and walked to the large window.
She opened it feeling the cool air hit her hot and swollen face. She stepped out of the window and used her telekinesis to float to the tree before landing. She walked slowly along the path that would lead her to the shrine that Logan had built, and that now was the final resting place for him. She felt the tears welling up again as she got closer and closer to the beautifully crafted building.
When she reached the red gate she again marveled at the design and craftsmanship that Logan had put into it. She let a tear drop down her face as she walked to the new mound of dirt that covered the casket in which he rested. Jean sat down next to it and placed her hand on the fresh soil, feeling the coolness of it. “Logan, I-I’m back. I decided that I am going to live for you now. I know that you would want me to continue on with my life and forget about you,” she said. “Well I can’t forget you, our son will remind me of you for the rest of my life. I promise he will know all about you, and I will continue your search for who you were before Weapon-X. I love you Logan, and our son will be fine. Oh how I wish you were...” she stopped as she heard a slight sound.
It sounded like the slight snapping of a twig. She stood up and began to focus her mind to her surrounding area. The sound came again, just as light and just as near. Jean looked around herself, a nugget of fear forming in her heart. She wondered what was out there, was it an enemy coming back to attack the school again? Was it Scott, who had betrayed the school and the dream, for stupid jealousy?
A new sound came to her ears. Like a low grumble that runs up and down your spine, the growl wafted in to her. There! It sounded like a footstep, but not quite. Jean focused even more as the sound of weight on soil came to her again, and again. The sound was slowly coming quicker and louder. Jean hovered in the air ready for an attack when she realized that the sound was coming from behind her. She spun around at the same time that it happened.
In the mound of dirt that had covered the coffin containing Logan’s body, something was moving. The little nugget of fear in Jean burst into horror as the thing moved. “This cant be real!” Jean moaned as what ever it was, was moving towards the surface of the mound.
Suddenly a hand with three silvery adamantium claws shot out of the mound of dirt. The fingers splayed as they touched the cool night air, then the hand slammed down on the hardened ground and began to push down, lifting the rest of its body out of the grave.
Jean was in udder horrid shock at the sight. Her brain ceased to function as another adamantium clawed hand pushed out of the mound of soil and pushed down on the ground. Then a head with hair that came to two peaks above each ear popped out of the soil with a frustrated growl. The arms pushed again and the shoulders and neck exited the soil.
Logan shook the dirt from his head and face, catching a slight scent of roses and baby powder. He looked up at the floating Jean and said jokingly, “Hiya Darlin’. Couldn’t wait to bury and be dun with me huh?” He watched as Jean blinked twice before her eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out, falling to the ground in a loud thump. “Hmph, can’t take a joke,” Logan grumbled, pulling himself out of the now vacant grave.

Jean began to come back to consciousness with the feeling of movement. She felt like she was swaying back and forth, like someone was carrying her. The next thing she noticed was the little song that was repeating over and over in her head, but in another, familiar voice. The empty vacant spot that had been Logan’s mind was filled again, with...Logan! Now she recognized the song, it was “Tie A Yellow Ribbon.” For some reason Logan was always fond of that song from the forties.
She heard him singing it through the psylink! Jean’s eyes snapped open and she began to writh as Logan was carrying her back to the mansion. He looked down at the red haired beauty and smiled. Jean used her telekinesis to fling him back and shoot her up twenty feet in the air.
“Shit Jean! What the hell did you do that for!?” Logan roared at the floating form of his fiancé’ high above as he picked himself up off of the ground.
“Y-you’re not real! You’re j-just a figment of my imagination!” she yelled at the dirt covered man. Logan laughed a little.
He sat down and looked at her and smiled. “No, I’m not Darlin’. I’m completely real,” he said.
Jean put her hands to her face and said, “No...no your not. You’re dead. I watched you die, in my lap. I felt your mind leave. You can’t be real!” Jean began to cry again as the emotional strain again overtook her.
Logan’s smile disappeared. He stood back up and said gently, “Jean, I thought I was dyin’ too. But apparently my healin’ factor put me in a...I don’t know, hibernation mode so that my body could heal the damage. Now please come down here and look at me.”
Jean looked at the dirty man that looked like Logan and thought about it for a moment as the tears fell down her cheeks. “He looks real,” she thought. “He was pushed back with my teke, and he smelled real, even under all of that dirt. I can feel him through the psylink, he is slightly saddened by my disbelief, but he is taking it all in stride.” She slowly lowered herself to the ground in front of Logan.” He smiled at her again, and she stepped up to him, thinking, “I could ask him a question that only he would know...but that means that he would know it anyway if he was a figment of my mind because I would know the answer too. The only way to find out is to touch him.”
Jean hesitantly raised a hand to the smiling Logan’s face and lightly touched his dirt smudged cheek. She felt it! She felt it again with more force and it was real. She wiped the dirt off of his face and was overtaken by happiness as she realized that he WAS real!
“LOGAN!” she cried out as she jumped into his arms, “We thought you were dead! Oh it killed me!” She kissed him with tears, for the first time in four days, of joy rolling down her face. Logan held her to him as she tried to crush his life out of him again. “Jean...I need to breathe Jean,” he gasped out as he picked her up in a giant hug.
Jean sent a mental signal to everyone in the mansion that Logan was alive. As they hugged and kissed, she lifted them up and flew them to the mansion’s door, where the first of the newly awoken occupants were groggily gathering. They landed to the shocked sounds of the others.
“What the hell?” Piotr said rubbing his eyes.
“Vas iz zis!?” Kurt exclaimed as he stepped up to Logan and gently, almost fearfully touched Logan’s dirt covered arm. As he did the clothes that Logan was wearing split were they were cut at the back to originally dress his “corpse” and began to peal off of his body.
“Damn!” Logan said as he clutched the back closed. Jean let out a small giggle and said, “Can someone let him borrow a shirt or something?” Kurt shook his head and ‘bamphed’ to Logan’s room and grabbed a pair of his pants and ‘bamphed’ back. Logan took the pants and pulled them on as discreetly as possible.
The utter silence around them was thick as they all stared at the ‘dead’ man in front of them. “What are you staring at?” Logan asked with his back turned to them.
“Well Logan, we are apparently staring at a dead man,” Xavier said to Logan.
“Oh, well I’m not dead and technically I never was,” Logan said as he turned to them all and smiled slightly.
“But...I took your pulse,” Hank said shocked.
“Yeah, and?” Logan replied, enjoying this slightly as Jean took his hand back in his and said “Mine, mine, mine. Forever mine,” to him through the psylink.
“YOU DIDN’T HAVE ONE!!!” Hank exclaimed sounding like he was ready to lose his mind.
“I know, I didn’t feel his mind either,” Jean said.
“Nor did I Jean. So Logan, I suppose you have an explanation?” Xavier said smiling as he felt Logan’s mind and realized that he was truly the Logan that he had seen buried two days ago.
Logan looked at them all and smiled, “It was the healing factor I guess. What must have happened was that it shut down every other bodily function so that it could heal me like hibernation.”
“Ah, that explains it!” Hank exclaimed excitedly as he jumped over the now forward moving crowd. He poked Logan on the shoulder then enveloped the man in a bear hug. “Glad your back my friend, we missed you,” he said.
“Da, comrade,” Piotr said lifting Logan up and nearly crushing the life out of him. “You do not know the sorrow your death gave us all.”
“Well Logan,” Xavier said as he rolled up to Logan with a huge smile and grasped his hand, “I must say that your return has pleased us all immensely. I’m sorry but I just can not articulate how pleased I am that you are alive. Now come everyone, back to bed. We can fully enjoy Logan’s miraculous return tomorrow.”
One by one they all walked up to Logan and welcomed him back in some way, then entered the house and went back to bed. Logan and Jean followed them in. They were walking arm in arm when Logan noticed a scent that wasn’t normal for this time of night coming over the ventilation system. “Jean, there is someone else I have to say hello to before we can go to bed. You go on up and I’ll be up in a little while, okay?” Logan asked kissing Jean on the cheek.
“Alright Logan, but make sure he goes to bed when you guys are done. Oh and Logan, he has just been put on the Blue team,” Jean said as she began to take the stairs back to their room.
“He has, has he?” Logan asked looking pleased. “So he wants to take my spot huh? We’ll see.”
“Logan! He isn’t taking your spot, he is trying to make you proud,” Jean said with a smile.
“I know Darlin’. I am proud of the kid. By the way how did he take my...you know, my dyin’?” Logan asked.
“Not very well, that compared with Harmony almost being killed by S-sc, him,” Jean replied with a look of pure hatred.
“That bastard. Well you go on up, I’ll be up in a few,” Logan said kissing Jean again. He turned and headed to the elevator, Jean, ecstatic watched him go. Logan stepped into the elevator and went down to the Danger Room level.
Though it still wasn’t completely fixed, the Danger Room was still a good place to let out some steam without putting the rest of the school in danger. Logan walked up to the door and put in the codes to open it. As it silently opened Logan heard the cries of rage and sorrow emit from the lone occupant. Logan quietly stepped inside and closed the door.
He watched as Alexander went flawlessly through the kata that he had taught him. The young man did not even glance at the door that he knew had opened and then closed. This was all the he put his attention into. Logan felt a swell of pride as he watched the blossoming warrior go through the moves as perfect as he himself would. “Damn the kid is good,” he thought to himself.
Logan watched as Alexander morphed into his metallic form and changed katas smoothly, now performing a sword kata with his arms. Logan decided now was the time to make his presence fully know. “Hey kid, you missed a strike,” Logan said as he stepped towards Alexander.
The teen whirled around at the sound of his sensei’s voice. “Logan? L-Logan?” Alexander asked as his body lost its metallic shine and pulled back into its normal flesh.
“Yeah kid back from the grave, but none the worst for wear,” Logan said to the dumbfounded Alexander.
“Y-you were...were dead. I helped bury you,” Alexander said, not believing his own eyes.
“Alexander, breath. I am alive. Healing factor remember? It put me in some form of hibernation until I was healed fully,” Logan said cheerfully.
“Hyber...WOOO!!” Alexander screamed running to Logan and grabbing him in a tight hug for a nd bnd before stepping back and clearing his throght and put out his hand. Logan laughed slightly and took the teen’s hand and shaking it.
“Good to see you kid. That was one hell of a beating you put on those two fucks,” Logan said as he took in the young man who had in the last few days had grown up a lot.
“Yeah well, it wasn’t good enough for what they did to you and Harmony,” Alexander replied.
Logan nodded with a mixture of sadness and rage. He looked at Alexander and said, “So what the hell are you doing in here at two in the mornin’ kid?”
“Oh just blowing off some steam. I couldn’t sleep so I came down to see if I couldn’t exhaust myself,” Alexander replied.
“Well I’ll help you with that. Prepare yourself kid. It’s time for your final test before you join the big boys,” Logan said as he popped his claws. Alexander jumped back and he morphed into his metallic form and his arms formed into his five foot swords.
The two warriors circled each other searching for an opening through which to attack. Seeing none they attacked each other at the same time. Logan trying to make the combat close and hand to hand, Alexander tying to keep it at a distance where he was most effective. Their weapons clashed against each other in a shower of sparks and screeching metal. They parried and deflected each others strikes as they continued to seek an advantage on the other.
Alexander struck at Logan’s side causing the older mutant to block the strike and giving an opening to Alexander. He took it and used the flat side of his sword to whack Logan in the ribs. Logan jumped back and growled in frustration. He attacked Alexander with small and quick slashes producing a ‘clang’ with each one. Alexander kicked out at Logan’s legs making the man jump back again, allowing Alexander to take the momentum again. He swung his sword arms in short arcs forcing Logan to back up quickly, blocking the strikes that came in at him.
Alexander suddenly trusted a sword at Logan’s head, making Logan duck into the kick that was the real attack. The foot connected with the top of Logan’s head with a ‘ping’ as Logan stumbled back and smiled slightly. He launched him self at Alexander taking the teen by surprise. They landed on the ground and punched each other with moderate blows. Alexander’s arms were now like normal but still metallic and he had made his body smooth so as to not cut Logan as the fought. Logan got his feet on Alexander and kicked him off, throwing him a few fawayaway. They both got to their feet, Alexander panting slightly and Logan grinning with pride.
Logan knew that he had one edge on Alexander, energy. Alexander had been doing katas for who knows how long and that required concentration that helps to sap your strength. It was a matter of time, in Logan’s mind, before the teen would be totally on the defensive. He was surprised at the tenacity that Alexander attacked him with and noticed that he was being forced back slowly. “Well that is enough of that,” Logan thought as he changed stiles.
Logan swept one of Alexander’s metallic legs as the teen stepped forward, causing him to fall back stumbling. Logan dodged in as Alexander’s sword arms swept over his head, making a ‘swoosh, swoosh’ noise mere inches from him. “That was close kid!” Logan yelled as he placed a kick into Alexander’s chest making him leave his feet and fly back a few feet and landing on his back with a heavy ‘CLANG!’
“Nice move Sensei. That surprised me,” Alexander said panting, as he got up and backpedaled making more of a distance between him and the advancing Wolverine. “What was one of the first things that you taught me? Don’t underestimate your enemies and always hold back a trump card?” Alexander yelled as he suddenly stopped retreating and stood in a defensive position.
“Yeah I taught you...,” Logan began to say as he too stopped advancing. He smelled something in the air. He looked at Alexander and was shocked to see the young man’s skin begin to bubble on his chest. “What the hell!” he exclaimed as the bubbles formed spikes all over Alexander’s chest. He looked at Alexander’s face and saw the look of concentration and a slight pain cross his face as a wisp of yellow energy mist began to emanate from the bottom of the spikes. “Not good,” Logan thought as he began to advance again.
Alexander put just enough energy into the concussive spikes to cause an explosion. He knew how much to put in because he had been practicing all day and had finally got a marginal handle on it. As Logan was quickly approaching to finish the fight, Alexander let the spikes fly. They shot out of his chest with a loud ‘phshoom’ and struck the floor, the walls, the ceiling and finally Logan in the chest with a series of small but powerful explosions.
Alexander saw the look of shock on Logan’s face as the spike bored into his skin then exploded making small wounds that healed almost as quickly. Logan flew back as the explosions continued around him and Alexander charged, sword arms trailing behind. Logan landed with a thump and slid a few more feet. A second later Alexander landed on top of Logan with a clang, his sword arms crossed over his neck like a pair of scissors, ready to snip it off.
“Looks like I got you Sensei,” Alexander panted, careful to not sound elated at having defeated his teacher and hero.
“Maybe, maybe not look down,” Logan said.
Alexander looked down and saw Logan’s fist staring back at him, the adamantium claws slowly poking out of the skin. “A draw then?” Alexander asked sheepishly.
“Okay kid, a draw,” Logan replied with a smile, “now get off of me. You’re crushing my ribs.”
“Sorry,” Alexander replied and got up, morphing back to flesh.
“So the spikes, those new, or were you just keeping those a secret?” Logan asked standing up and crossing his arms.
“Uh well, they are my second mutation. Or that’s what the Professor says. They sort of came out the day...” Alexander trailed off with a look of sadness.
“Alexander,” Logan said putting his hand on the young man’s shoulder, “I’m not dead. At least not anymore. I’m sorry you saw that happen but believe me, I’m okay.”
Alexander looked at Logan and grinned a little before yawning. “Sorry, as I was saying. I’m now learning to control how much energy to put in them. It’s hard but I’m picking it up quickly.”
Logan rubbed his chest and said, “Yea, I can tell. Okay enough talk, time for you to go to bed.” They walked out of the Danger Room and took the elevator to the second floor and went to bed.

The next morning the X-Men, old and new, met in the Danger Room for the mornings exercise. The two new members had differing reactions to the donning of the uniforms and actually being on THE X-Men. Alexander was nonchalant about the whole thing. He was friends with two of the members and was acquaintances with the rest. The other new member was a year older than Alexander, and was less than a few months from graduating the institute and had already accepted the offer to join one of the teams. But he didn’t know it would be the X-Men.
Travis Sharp called himself Sure Shot because he could form an explosive ball of kinetic energy in his hands and shoot it at his enemies. He could even control the path of the shot while it was in mid flight. The shot gained power from the friction it caused traveling through the air. Running from it just made it worse.
They had gotten dressed in the men’s locker room, pulling on the padded leather uniforms with a mixture of fear and awe. Fear from making fools of themselves and awe at the chance that they were givin. Alexander’s uniform was different from everyone else’s. He had leather pants and steel toed boots made out of the material that was resistant to the sharpness of his body in its metallic form. His shirt was completely different. He had the same material as the rest of his cloths, but the black cloth was made into a sleeveless padded vest. It gave his arms free movement and did not interfere with his sword work.
He had one question though, what about his spikes? Obviously it had been made before his second mutation had taken place. He was going to ask some one about that as soon as possible. Shogun and Sure Shot were standing alone in the Danger Room chatting quietly when the rest of the team entered the cavernous room. They both stood straighter as the veterans walked towards them. “Okay,” Storm said as she came to a halt in front of the two teens, “it’s simple today. We are going to work on functioning as a team. Luckily before Forge saw called away he had repaired most of the robots and combat systems, so we will be fighting the ‘bots. We will fight as one team if cut off Shogun, you report to Nightcrawler, Sure Shot, you report to me. Goal is to disable all enemies with no losses on our part. Any questions?”
Storm looked around and before she could talk again Shogun spoke, “One, but it’s not about the exercise.” Shogun pulled a little at his vest and looked up, “Uhh what about my spikes? How am I supposed to use them through this vest?” Storm quirked an eyebrow and said, “We’ll have to get that fixed but not now. If you need to use your spikes take it off. Any thing else? Okay let’s go.”
They heard the computer voice acknowledge the command to begin the simulation and fanned out into defensive positions ready to cover one another’s back. Shogun and Colossus morphed into their metallic forms, and Shogun formed his sword arms. He fought beside Gambit. The taller man looked over at Shogun and said, “Dis is were de fun begins.” The first of the robots entered the room, one was Avalanche and the other was toad. They attacked what would be the blue team if the group was split in two. Nightcrawler shouted out, “Rogue, Wolverine, take out Toad! Shogun, you and me will take Avalanche! Gambit cover us!”
At the same time two more robots attacked. One was a Juggernaught ‘bot and the other was a Pyro ‘bot. The gold team would take care of them as the blue team would handle Avalanche and Toad while they watched each others back. Shogun took it all in as he ran forward through the black smoke and smell of brimstone as Nightcrawler ‘bamphed’ in front of him as they charged the Avalanche ‘bot, and glowing cards flew over their heads. Suddenly the ground shook heavily as Avalanche used his powers to try and knock down the two X-Men coming at him, the cards exploding around it. Nightcrawler ‘bamphed’ in behind the ‘bot as Shogun stumbled from the shifting earth.
Nightcrawler and Avalanche were fighting hand to hand by the time Shogun caught his balance again. The ‘bot was giving the blue furred mutant fits as it blocked every punch and kick that he through at it. Shogun finally got to the fight as Nightcrawler was hit in the gut with a strong right punch. The thin mutant was lifted up in the air, his being knocked out of him as was about to be slammed to the ground when two silvery swords were trusted through the robot’s stomach. Shogun pulled his arms in opposite directions, cutting the robot in two at the waist.
Nightcrawlerl tol to the ground and landed on his feel as the robot sputtered sparks from the severed wires. At the same time Shogun noticed that the Toad ‘bot was out of commission as well, three claw slashes had opened up its chest and Rogue had ripped out its computer core. They were beginning to regroup and join the fight with the Juggernaught ‘bot that was giving the gold team trouble, when another ‘bot entered the fray.
A Cyclops ‘bot.
Wolverine and Shogun both charged at the robot, leaving Nightcrawler yelling at them to wait for the rest of them. Both men had a blood lust coursing through their veins as the closed in on the one armed robot. Shogun had figured this would happen. The computer had split up the teams, creating the perfect divide and conquer scenario. What he hadn't counted on was that they would face a Cyclops ‘bot so soon after what had happened. Wolverine was the faster of the two and almost reached the bot before he was hit with an optic blast.
He flew back, his chest smoking. Shogun yelled over his shoulder, “You help the others, they will be overwhelmed when the reinforcements arrive. We’ll handle Summers!” As he finished he was hit with a powerful blast from the bot. He didn’t even slow down, the ‘clang’ from it ringing in the room. The bot backed up as Shogun swung this right sword arm at it.
Suddenly Wolverine was flying through the air over Shogun and attacked the Cyclops ‘bot. He slashed at the ‘bot, taking a glancing blast from the bot’s eyes. He snarled as his side smoked from it. Shogun pressed the combined attack as he came in from the side thrusting at the bot’s head and following up with a wide slash at the hip. The head thrust missed as intended but the slash at the hip connected. A shower of sparks arched out of the deep cut and the ‘bot screeched in ‘pain’. Wolverine went in for the kill and drove his claws into the bots chest.
The bot still had a little fight left in it as it basted Wolverine in the chest, throwing the mutant back, his uniform in ruins. Shogun shrieked in rage as the scene from a few days ago replayed in his head. First Harmony’s smoking wound, then Logan’s limp body, both lying on the ground, the result of an optic blast. Shogun charged and scissored his sword arms at the Cyclops bot’s head, lopping it off completely with a spurt of sparks. The bot fell and Shogun roared in rage at it not being the real thing.
“Shogun, Wolverine! Help!” Phoenix cried as a Magneto bot launched an attack on the battered teams. Nightcrawler had a bleeding nose as he teleported above the Pyro bot and kicked it in the head, with Archangel diving at it with a piece of pipe to take it out. Storm, Colossus, Gambit and Rogue were fighting desperately with the Juggernaught bot. Leaving Phoenix and Sure Shot on their own, trying to hold off the Magneto bot.
Shogun looked at Wolverine and said, “I think you should help with Juggenaught, I’ll go after Magneto,” as they began to run to the fight.
Wolverine looked at Shogun and said, “You sure about that kid?”
“Yeah with you helping Juggernaught will come down letting ya’ll to help us. Magneto doesn’t know me and Sure Shot! We’re wildcards.”
Wolverine nodded and charged at the Juggernaught bot. He leapt up onto the back of it and began to hack at its helmet. Shogun ripped off the vest and concentrated on making his spikes. “Sure Shot Phoenix back away!” he yelled. “Sure Shot shoot a ball at him!” he said as he powered up the spikes with as much energy as he dared. The yellow energy mist began to form a fog around him as a black kinetic energy ball flew past his head growing in speed and size as it went.
The Magneto bot ripped some steel spikes out of the “crumbled buildings” around them and threw them at Shogun he winced as they screamed at his head. They suddenly stopped a few feet away then bent into a ball and slowly, as if resisting the pull flew over top of him.
“Now Shogun!” Phoenix yelled, straining to control the metal that Magneto tried to kill him with.
The bot let go of the metal as the ball of black energy chased him through the air. Shogun waited until the bot flew near him. By now he was obscured totally by the mist but he strangely saw through it clearly. He shot the spikes at the bot in a blast of yellow, his body feeling like spouts of water erupted out of it. The bot was struck in the back by three of the spikes, the massive explosions tossing it trough the air like a rag doll. It bounced on the ground as it landed and amazingly began to move.
“Now! Sure Shot! Hit it now!” he yelled. The black kinetic energy ball, now almost three times it’s original size, hit the bot and detonated, knocking almost everyone off of their feet. Even the now helmet less Juggernaught bot was brought down. When the smoke from the explosion cleared a large crater was all that was left except for the helmet that the Magneto bot was wearing.
Wolverine was the first to recover from the shockwave from the explosion. He jumped on the chest of the Juggernaught bot and slashed its throat in a shower of sparks. The computer voice sounded over the speaker, “Simulation ended!” and the buildings disappeared leaving only the tired X-Men and destroyed robots.
“Very good my X-Men, very good,” Professor Xavier said as he drove his electric wheelchair into the Danger Room.
“Do you think it was wise to have such a hard simulation on their first day Professor?” Archangel asked as he landed next to the group.
The professor looked at the two panting teens. Alexander had retrieved his leather vest and was pulling it on over his now normal flesh. Travis was kneeling and wiping the sweat off of his face. Controlling the kinetic shots took a lot of concentration and energy from him.
“Yes,” Xavier said, “It was necessary. After what happened a few days ago, I believe that Magneto will attack us in a matter of time. Scott took a lot of information with him when Magneto rescued him. He now knows how enetenetrate the school’s defenses. That means that we are in very great peril.

On Asteroid M the new team Magneto had formed was practicing for just such a fight. He had combined the remnants of his Brotherhood and the Acolytes. He placed Cyclops as the field commander and Exodus, as his second in command. Something that Exodus was having a hard time dealing with.
Cyclops had fought against them for a long time and now he comes walking in, missing an arm and fully embracing the way of Magneto? Exodus couldn’t believe it. To ad insult to injury, he was placed as Exodus’ superior! That was infuriating to the max.
Exodus was humiliated to the warriors that flocked to Magneto’s side in the cause. How could he lead them now when Cyclops fell, or betrayed them to the weak and simpering followers of Xavier? But Magneto was his leader. He was the messiah of the new mutant world. He would, grudgingly, do his bidding.
They fought like individuals, exactly what a team should not do. Cyclops was angry at their lackluster performance. They went through the exercise dumbly, without the feeling of life and death. That was what they would be facing. Death at the hands of the best trained fighters in the world. They dealt with death all the time. Just like the death of the killer Wolverine. That was the only thing that brightened Scott’s spirits now. Knowing that he had killed Logan in front of that slut Jean. Scott began to yell at the team of mutants trying to whip them into shape. They slowly began to respond. Scott smiled.

Alexander was checking in on Harmony after his classes ended. She smiled brightly as he entered her room carrying a hand full of flowers he had picked. “Here you go babe,” he said as he sat down beside her bed.
“Wow! Alexander, they’re beautiful,” she replied fingering the soft petals. She put the flowers on the nightstand and grabbed Alexander’s collar, pulling him in for a kiss. “I missed you dork,” she said as they breathed in each other’s scent.
“I missed you too,” he replied. He hugged her gently, keeping in mind the stitches.
“So how did the first day as an ‘X-Man’ go?” she asked as he sat back down on the chair.
“It went alright, the training exercise was exhaughsting though. And I don’t like how all of the other’s stare at me in class. It feels like I’m new again,” he said, his brow furrowed. He looked up at her smiling face and sighed.
“Ha. You will be looked at weird for the first couple of days. You’re an X-MAN FOR FUCKS SAKE! Not only that but you are a year from being graduated. That’s almost unheard of!” she exclaimed, punching him in the arm.
“Alexander, come to my office please,” The disembodied voice of Professor Xavier said in his mind.
“Uh oh. Sorry babe, the Professor is calling. I’ll see you later okay?” Alexander said to Harmony.
“Sure honey. I’ll see you later.” They kissed again and it took all of his will power to leave her in that room all alone again.
Alexander was upset to have to leave her again after not seeing her all day. But the Professor had called, and his role as a new X-Men member meant he had some responsibilities that he had to take care of. So with a heavy heart he finally reached the Professor’s office door and knocked. “Come in Alexander,” Xavier said in his mind.
Alexander opened the door and was slightly shocked to see Logan in the office. He stepped inside and closed the door after himself. He walked to the desk and stood up straight. “Sit down, please Alexander. You’re not in trouble. I just wanted to go over the exercise a little,” Xavier said.
“I’ve talked to Ororo and Kurt both and they said that you are a natural in both tactical and strategically fighting,” Xavier said. “You saw what the enemies plan was and you sent your teammates to the places that they needed to be. You also took out one of the most powerful mutants in the world, though it was only a robot. However, let me assure you that the real man will not be so easy to defeat.”
Alexander felt a swell of pride at the accolades from the leader of the institute. He glanced at Logan and noticed a small smile on the older mutant’s face. “Thank you Professor, and I know that Magneto will be extremely hard to beat,” Alexander replied, “but I think that we can do it as a team.”
Xavier nodded and folded his hands on the table. “Good, good. Now, for the reason as to which I called you both here. I saw how the two of you reacted to the Cyclops robot and I have to say it was slightly troubling,” he said in a sad voice.
“Chuck, he’s gone. He has turned his back on you, on these students and on the world!” Logan exploded. “He tried to kill Harmony and the kid here. He almost killed me! If that doesn’t just beg to be hated, and a sign that he will kill us, I don’t know what is. I know that the next time I meet that man, either he will die or I will.”
Alexander looked at the sorrow in the professor’s face and said sadly, “I too have a score to settle with the man. Death is the only way to finish it.”
Xavier looked at the two men before him and knew that the man he thought of as a son would die at their hands. But what hurt most was that that man deserved that death a thousand fold. He had betrayed everything that Xavier stood for, and tried to kill a team mate and two students. He looked down at his desk and nodded. “Thank you both for coming,” Xavier said as he drove his wheelchair to the door and opened it. He smiled at the two as they left the room.
Logan turned around and said, “If there was any other way...”
“I know Logan but you are right. There isn’t,” Xavier replied and closed the door.

Logan walked to the door to his and Jean’s room and took a deep breath. He knew that she knew what he wanted to say to her before he opened the door and felt her frustration jump along with her defiance. He opened the door and stepped in. As he closed the door he saw her staring at him from the chair she sat in. In her lap was a now closed book called “What to Expect when You Are Expecting.” Logan smiled at her.
Jean gave him a small angry look waiting for him to say what he was thinking. “Okay,” he said throwing his hands in the air, “I don’t want you fightin’ with us until after you have our baby.”
She sighed and replied, “Logan I can fight until the first trimester is over. After that I will take a leave from the team, not before.”
Logan growled low and said, “But Darlin’ if you get hurt bad enough, you could lose the baby. I couldn’t take that, just like I couldn’t take losin’ you.”
Jean got up out of the chair and wrapped her arms around him, inhaling his scent again. It was heavenly to have him with her. Oh how she wanted to die more and more as the minutes passed by without him there.” You will not lose me, and we will not lose this baby Logan. I swear it,” she said as she nestled her head into his chest.
“I know Darlin’, I just want the both of you safe. That means that I have to ask you that. Please Jean, don’t go with us when we fight Magneto again,” he begged looking into her eyes.
“She kissed him with al the love in her heart and said, “We’ll see.”

Alexander was kissing Harmony at the same time that Logan and Jean were talking. He was ecstatic to finally be able to spend more than a few minutes with her. As they broke the kiss Harmony sighed and asked, “So other than ‘official X-Men’ stuff, what did you do today?”
Alexander looked at her and smiled, “Missed you.”
Harmony laughed and lightly punched him in the arm. “You big dork! You did not,” she said. She moved gingerly, sitting up further in the bed.
“I did I swear,” Alexander replied. He patted the pillow behind her and made sure she was comfortable. “Other than that nothing. Algebra sucked, and I have about fifty problems to solve. I had a little fun in gym class watching all of the shocked looks on the faces as Logan walked in to take over from Kurt. Stacey even fainted when he started to talk,” he said, humor lifting his voice.
“Also I had one other class that really made me miss you.” Alexander had a sly look o his face as Harmony looked at him wearily.
“Which one?” she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
“Anatomy,” he said winking sexily.
That made her blush slightly but she covered it up with another punch and said, “Oh you are such a perve!”
Alexander laughed and replied, “It’s because I’m chubby. The more fat you have the more endorphins you produce, and the more hungry you are for sex.”armoarmony rolled her eyes and humphed, “You are crazy. The things you come up with. Geeze.”
“Haha I really read it in a magazine!” he said as he laughed.
“Shut up and kiss me,” Harmony said as she pulled him to her.

A month later Cyclops knew that his team of evil mutants was ready to take on the X-Men. He had narrowed them down to a fighting group of twelve, including himself and Magneto. He had kept Toad, Pyro, Blob, Exodus, Avalanche, Sabertooth, Sankya, Magenta, Vought, and Needle as his strike force.
He had them working relatively well as a team, though every once in a while they had a dust up about some stupid thing or another. They had learned to depend on their strengths, and account for their weaknesses. They had become efficient and deadly. They were ready.
Cyclops entered Magneto’s chamber and looked at the ly sly spinning stars out side of the asteroid that thy lived in. He thought that they were beautiful as he stared. Finally Magneto addressed him. “So Cyclops, my boy. What news do you bring of our team?”
“They are ready to fight the X-Men. They still need a little work on depending on one another, but that will come around in the test of battle. They fight good together though,” Cyclops said as he watched Magneto pace in front of the window.
“Do you believe that we will be victorious?” The older mutant asked in a low voice.
Cyclops was slightly stunned that the Master of Magnetism would ask whether he would fail or not. But then again the X-Men and Charles Xavier had thwarted him countless times in the pass. “Yes,” Cyclops said confidently, “I believe we will win. They have lost their field leader, me. I have killed the best fighter they had, and Xavier and Jean will be full of grief over that loss. They will be in turmoil from the moment we appear.”
Magneto turned and looked at Cyclops. “Ah such confidence. Do you honestly think that they will crumble so easily? We will attack their home, the place that they say the children of the atom are safe. I think it will be a vicious fight.”
Cyclops thought for a moment but he could not imagine that they could function without him. He was their leader. He could see the battle evolving around him. He was gone leaving them like a chicken without its head. No they will fall, and fall quickly. “We will win Magneto. We will win,” he said.
Magneto eyed him and nodded. He turned back to the view waving Cyclops away as he did. “This will be a long war,” Magneto thought.

Harmony was pretty much healed as finals week came around. Alexander had been spending a large amount of his time with the team and away from her, but their relationship was as strong as ever. He had stayed by her side as much as possible and had helped her through her physical therapy. The emotional damage that had occurred from the incident was minimized by his devotion to her. When she woke up in the night screaming from seeing a red light blaze at her, he was always there to comfort her.
They had basically moved in with each other since she had been released from the infirmary, though it was in relative secrecy. She looked out the window of his, now their room, and watched him run diagnostics on the defense cannon that helped protect the mansion with Kurt, and marveled at how he had filled out in the last few months.
Alexander had hit another growth spurt and had grown to almost six feet tall, and his chubby body had thinned out with the rigorous training of being an X-Man. Now underneath his cloths his muscles corded and flexed with his movements. Harmony sighed in contentment at the thought of him as she watched him.
He had also gained quick control over his new powers. He was able to control the amount of explosive energy that he shunted into his spikes. He also learned to aim his spikes like a sniper. He waicklickly becoming one of the most powerful X-Men to ever come through the Institute.
As far as his connecting with the veterans of the team, he had integrated with them flawlessly. His ability to see the course that a battle would take had caused them to respect his opinion and input in how to react to each situation. Though one of the newest members, he had earned the respect of them all.
Harmony had already decided to stay on and join a team after she graduated with Andernder the next year. She didn’t know which team she would be put into, but she didn’t care as long as she was near Alexander. Another thing that she enjoyed about him that had changed was that he had loosened up a bit. Outside of classes he had begun to call the faculty by there first names. He didn’t loose any of his respect for them, he just allowed himself to get close to people other than herself and Logan. Harmony went back to their desk and started on the homework that Dr. Grey had givin them.
Outside, Alexander and Kurt were chatting quietly as they worked on the cannon’s computer. “So Kurt, how do you thing we are doing as a team?” Alexander asked as he put in the new aiming software into the CPU.
“Vell, ve are doing fine mien friend. Ve are vorking off of one another almost perfectly,” Kurt said as he began to upload the system. “You are fitting in vell vit de team. You are a formidable opponent to deal vit,” he continued.
“Thank you,” Alexander said closing the access panel to the CPU of the cannon. He leaned up against the cannon and looked at Kurt and asked hesitantly, “Kurt...um, when do you think that we’ll go up against Magneto?”
Kurt looked at the teen and scratched his head before replying, “I do not know Alexander. But ven ve do, I have no doubt zat you vill perform magnificently.”
Alexander nodded and closed the control panel. “Well what do we have to do next?” he asked as they walked back to the mansion. The cannon whirred as it closed back down into the hidden place in the ground.
“Nozing for a vile. Go have some fun vit your friends,” Kurt replied as they walked through the mansion.
“Okay see ya Kurt,” Alexander said as he hurried to the stairs and began to climb them. He walked to his room so that he could take a shower and get ready to take Harmony to a movie, the first time to do so since she was injured. It was now late May and the movie season was in full swing.
He opened the door to his room and looked at Harmony at his desk. He loved watching her as she bent over her homework, concentrating on the questions. She turned as he closed the door and smiled at him. “Hey, whatcha doin’?” she asked as she put down her pen and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him quickly.
“Nothin’. Me and Kurt just finished upgrading the forward defense cannons, and I wanted to take a shower before we go to the movie. What about you? Are you almost finished?” he asked as he hugged her tightly.
“Yeah almost. I have a few history questions that I have to do before tomorrow’s test but I know you’ll help me with them,” she said slyly.
Alexander rolled his eyes and said, “Babe, you have’ta start doing these yourself...”
Harmony cut him off, saying, “They’re about World War Two!” She laughed at seeing his eyes light up in excitement and pulled the questions out.
Alexander rubbed his hands together. He loved World War Two history, it was his favorite subject. To him nothing was greater than learning about the sacrifices that so many men gave so that he and his family and friends, no the world could be free from tyranny, and fear. But it kind of struck him as ironic that he was now in a fight much like theirs in that he was fighting for peaceful coexistence, and equality. How could people forget the lessens learned only sixty years ago?
“What are the questions?” he asked.
Harmony smiled sitting down at the desk. “Okay,” she said, “Who commanded the Third Army after the Invasion of Normandy?”
Alexander smiled and said, “That’s my favorite General. George S. Patton. ‘La Audace, La Audace, La Audace.’”
“What?” Harmony asked as she finished writing the answer.
“Oh it was something he always said. Audacity, audacity, always audacity. He meant that you should always do everything with out fear of the repercussions. Next Question and then I have to shower,” he said pulling off his shirt.
Harmony almost sighed looking at his muscled and tanned chest. She tore her eyes away and asked, “What American divisions jumped into Normandy?”
“Crap, that’s so easy. It was the 101st Airborne Division, and the 82nd Airborne division,” he said.
“Oh and what was one company from either division?” she said reading the last part of the question.
“Cool! I read about one. It was Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne. You know a lot of historians say that they were the best infantry company ever. They are true heroes,” Alexander said, giddy from talking about history.
“Ugh you are such a nerd!” Harmony exclaimed smacking him on the butt as he went into the bathroom and got ready for their date.

An hour later, as Harmony and Alexander were leaving for town, Logan and Jean were spending a quiet afternoon by the lake. Jean had begun to show her pregnancy and had finally givin in to Logan’s wishes taking a leave of absence from the team. They were lying out on the lawn above the lake and talking quietly.
“What should we name our child Logan? I was always partial to Steven for a boy,” Jean said as she looked at Logan as she laid her head on his stomach.
“Steven is good. But what about James?” he replied with an odd feeling of familiarity about the name.
Jean thought for a moment then rubbed her growing belly, “What do you think little one? Would you like to be called James?” she whispered in her mind. She felt the beginnings of a mind growing inside of her, and it was the most extraordinary thing she had ever felt before. She had shared the feeling with Logan through their link and had laughed as he was brought to his knees with joy. He had pulled her close to him and kissed her belly and finally her.
Logan was a happy man. His dreams had become less horrible the more he was with Jean. Though he still had no more knowledge of his past, he tha that his drive to know it had lessened. He would not let it take him away from Jean and their baby. As the months had passed small chunks of his past did come back to him. He had remembered a small mining town that he lived in at some point. It must have been a long time ago, he figured, since there were no cars in the memory.

But how old did that make him then? His healing factor slowed his aging so it was almost impossible to tell without his memory, but the town was a clue. He also remembered the face of a girl that lived there. Not her name but just her face. She had red hair and looked like Jean. Her eyes were the same color green as Jean’s and she was just as beautiful. The only other thing he remembered from the town was the look of pain on the woman’s face. She had stared up at him and looked in his eyes with the pain of death. It had driven him crazy not knowing what had happened and he had almost left to try and find out what. But one look at Jean and he decided that when the baby was born and his vengeance taken out on Cyclops, he, Jean, and the baby would go up to Canada and look for some sibilance of his past.

Alexander loved driving his car. It was exhilarating knowing that he was in control a huge piece of machinery. He was flying around the curves slightly speeding, windows open, and the wind blowing in his and Harmony’s hair. He glanced at Harmony in the seat next to him. She was smiling and tapping her fingers to the beat of the music playing from the Toyota’s CD player.
“Hey?” Alexander said over the wind and music, “What movie are we going to see again?” Harmony looked at him and grabbed the Texas Longhorns baseball cap off of his head and put it on. “Ahh come on that’s my new hat!” Alexander said with playful sorrow.
“Well ask stupid questions and I take away your favorite things,” Harmony said as she punched him lightly in the leg.
“It wasn’t a stupid question, I just wanted to know if I should expect to take a nap or not,” he replied with humor.
Harmony looked at him with a shocked expression. “If you even think about going to sleep during the movie, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you!”
Alexander laughed lightly and grabbed his hat back putting it back on his head, and said, “Just kidding honey, just kidding. We’re gonna see the new Matrix movie right?”
“Yeah I guess,” Harmony said rolling her eyes and laying her hand on Alexander’s leg. “So how is being an X-Man treating you?” she asked.
“Oh you know, training, sparring, fixing stuff. It’s really not as exciting as we all thought. I figured that we would be fighting bigots and evil mutants every other day you know,” Alexander said as they entered the city’s limits.
Harmony patted his leg and said, “Maybe it is just a quiet month.”
“Maybe, but I just want to end this war with Summers and Magneto. I want it all to be over so that we can live in peace,” he replied.
Harmony laid her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I know honey, I know.” They continued on their way not knowing that above them on Asteroid M their enemies were planning that very thing.

“Hurry up people!!” Cyclops yelled as his new team geared up for their first mission against the X-Men. He had made a plan to attack any of the X-Men that were away from the mansion. Vought had been staking out the mansion and had reported back that the boy and his girlfriend had left together and were headed to the city. Cyclops had immediately called to team together. This was his chance to get the little shit for taking his arm.
He flexed to mechanical arm and starred at the metal hand. He hated that boy and he would make him suffer.
“Cyclops? Cyclops!” Vought said, breaking him out of his trance.
“What?” he asked.
“We’re ready,” she said turning to enter the capsule that would take them down to the ambush point. Cyclops nodded and, clenching his new metal fist, entered after her.