Again, a ringing phone woke him.  The rhythm was supposed to be Cyndi Lauper, but he found it to be much more annoying than that.

“Are you serious?” he rolled the other half of his face into the pillow. “I swear you talk to that thing more than you talk to me.”

A soft, smooth arm reached over his back to the side table. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”  She picked up the phone with a bombastic “Talk to me!”

He chuckled and curled into the fetal position, hoping to fall asleep before her phone conversation ended.  But it was no use.  Her conversations had a way of filling a room, even if she was the only one talking.

So, Vance Astrovik decided now was the time to use the bathroom, and he wasn’t going to bother putting on clothes.  But he could still hear her—

“Oh no!  That’s awful!  Oh?  Well, yeah!  Fo’ sho!  I am, like, soooo there!  I mean, I still owe her for that one time in Texas—oh I know, it was so long ago but I never forget a favor!  Just give me an hour, precious!  It’s chill, you know Sugar loves coming to the rescue!  Ciao!”

Vance groaned as he flushed the toilet.  Quickly, he ran his hand through his oily brown hair.  When he looked in the mirror, the circles under his eyes surprised him.  He was unnerved by the five o’clock shadow, and how his hair was so long that the tips brushed at his chin.  But…Vance also realized he didn’t care enough to do anything about it.

He opened the door and walked back into the hotel room proper, still naked.  Sugar had put the phone back and was waiting for him.  Vance smiled and crawled back into bed, on top of her.

“So?” he whispered. “What came through the grape vine?”

“You’re not going to believe this.” She said simply.

Vance chuckled. “I can believe a lot.”

He analyzed her then, with the only light emanating from the empty bathroom.  Her hair was just as sweaty as his, and times like these were the only ones where Vance could see it at its most natural.  The same could be said for her blue eyes and her pink skin (both much brighter than the television would let you know).  But most of the time there was make-up and hairspray and bright lights keeping Vance Astrovik from seeing the real Sugar Kane.

“You know that Mutant Town Free Concert?” Sugar smiled wide at him.

Vance couldn’t help but steal a kiss quickly.  Then he said, “Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal, I guess.  If you’re into that sort of thing.”

Sugar playfully slapped his hand. “That sort of thing?  They’re your people, you know!”

“My people?” Vance squinted.

She slapped him again and laughed, “You know!  Mutants!”

Vance, as quick as he could, pinched at her side, just under her ribcage.  Sugar erupted in laughter.  Vance kept it up. “Excuse me, young lady!  That’s homo superior!  Don’t they teach you human girls anything in your human schools?”

Sugar kept her smile even after he was done tickling her. “Well…they want me to play!”

Vance squinted again. “Really?  In Mutant Town?  Isn’t that kind of last minute?”

Sugar shrugged. “Yeah, but something happened to Lila Cheney.  She can’t play for some reason.  They say it’s an emergency.”

“Huh.” Vance frowned. “Well…I guess you gotta go then.”

Sugar slapped him again. “Uh, pardon me, mister!  You’re coming with me!”

Vance visibly cringed. “To Mutant Town?”

Sugar kissed him quickly this time. “Uh-huh.  Pleeeeeease?  I never get to show you off at my concerts!  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t like my music!”

Vance rolled his eyes and sighed, “Oh, Sugar, how could you ever get that idea?”

She slipped out from underneath him. “Then you won’t mind coming with me!” In the dim light, Vance watched her naked body whip around the room, from closet to closet before grabbing her cell phone again.  He eased himself into the bed as Sugar dialed some number.  He punched at the pillow underneath his neck and heard the conversation again:

“Uh-huh.  Yep.  You got my text?  Yeah, we gotta get to Mutant Town.  Oh, yeah, we got a little time, babe, but we’re goin’ all out.  Mutants love me, honey, so I gotta look good.  Okay.  I’m getting into the shower now.  Sweet!  Oh yeah, he’s coming—” Sugar’s attention turned back to Vance for an instant, “You are coming, right?”

Vance looked at her, took one last evaluation of her naked body, and said, “Well, yeah.”

“Good!” Sugar returned fully to the phone call. “Yeah, babe, he’s in.  Okay!  I’ll see you soon!  Ciao!”  With nothing else, Sugar disappeared into the bathroom.  Sounds of the shower emanated afterward.

Vance reclined back in the bed for a few seconds more.  Mutant Town?  I’ve never been to Mutant Town before…but then he shrugged.  It’s not like he had anything better to do.  Then, he frowned.  It was true—he hadn’t much to do since…Angelica left him.

Vance shook his head and sat up. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach and he clutched it.  Dammit, you were goin’ good, Vance.  Oh well.  He leaned over to the bedside table and picked up the (overlarge) pair of purple aviator sunglasses he had taken to wearing.

Baby steps, I guess.

Peter Rasputin took a small step forward. “Katja?”

He didn’t need to ask.  He knew Katherine Pryde when he saw her.  How could they have gotten so close without noticing each other?

Kitty was sitting at a corner bistro, with an open balcony, but she was already up, dashing through the small space between them. Chairs and tables in her way didn’t move at all as she simply dashed through them.  “Oh, Peter!  It’s so good to see you again!” Then, she jumped.

Peter didn’t exactly expect it, judging by the—“Ooof!” But he caught her.

The hug was tight, with her legs wrapped around his stomach.  Kitty still felt as light, and smelled as wonderful, as he remembered.  He didn’t realize it but he squeezed her tighter, feeling how smooth her skin was through her clothes.  Her hair enveloped his face, soft and thick.

She leaned back a bit, still tight in his arms, and looked at him.  Peter had forgotten that shade of brown in her eyes—just a bit darker than her hair.  And her heart was beating so fast…

Peter, in the same way he had for many years of his life, resisted the urge to kiss her.

Kitty, unfortunately, was never as strong as Peter.

It wasn’t long.  It wasn’t deep.  But it was just long enough for Peter to feel her lips, and then close his eyes.  And then she was done.

She was still looking at him when he opened his eyes, lips pursed with embarrassment.

Kitty was quiet but she said, “It’s been a while…tovarisch.”

Peter realized that Kitty was much smaller and lighter in his arms now, and it took him almost a second to realize he’d turned to metal—and didn’t even know it.  He was now standing three feet taller than he had been, like a reflective beacon in the stormy evening.

And the people around him knew an X-Man when they saw one.

“It was inevitable they’d show up…”

“My little sister’s got that guy on a t-shirt—”

“You know I’d just wish they’d leave us alone for a little while—”

“Thank god they’re around.  With those humans protesting outside of town—”

Peter turned his attention back to Kitty, and then turned his body back to flesh.  Kitty touched the ground again.

“What are you doing here?” Peter asked, because he could think of nothing better to say.

Kitty laughed, “I’m partying with international pop star Alison Blaire.  Heard of her?”

In the air, they both heard that Dazzler had indeed started her concert.  The people over that way sounded like they were going crazy.  The tide of the crowd around Peter and Kitty slowly started to flow against them, toward Dazzler.  Kitty laughed as she was forced into Peter again.

Peter laughed along with her, “Ah yes.  I think I’ve heard of her.  She’s pretty popular around town.  And here I thought it was fate that brought us together again.”

Kitty was beaming.  But before another word, a cracking wave of thunder engulfed their ears.  Peter’s eyes scanned a black sky.  It was strange neither of them had noticed how poor the weather had become.  The wind picked up, and Kitty struggled to keep her hair out of her face.  Pellets of moisture grew wider and wider as they splattered across the pavement.

Peter sighed and looked back at her. “I wish I could stay but—”

“Family man has things to do?” Kitty bit her lip after she said it.

Peter nodded. “Yes.  But…I would like to catch up.  Are you…staying at the mansion?”

Kitty shook her head quickly. “Oh no!  I mean, uh, no.  I’m actually taking care of Rachel’s loft over on…eh, nevermind.  My number hasn’t changed.  I’m in the city for…a while, I guess, so you should give me a call.”

Peter chuckled. “I’ll do that.” He leaned into Kitty once more.  Kitty closed her eyes.

Peter turned her chin with his thumb, and pecked a kiss at her temple.  Then he whispered in her ear, “Katja, you must kiss my cheek from now on.”

Kitty bit her lip again.

Peter smiled and stepped back. “Now, I have to get to market before—”

Colossus would never make it to market.

At that moment, in the distance, Peter watched it like the light from Heaven pour down on Mutant Town.

Lightning stuck.

And the rain was much harder now.

The rain wasn’t so hard yet, and Alison Blaire thanked Heaven for that.

The curtain was still closed.  The lights were already so hot over her.  But her makeup was flawless.  And her hair was sexy.

And Lila was…gone.  Dead?

No.  Can’t think about that.

She focused on the roars she heard behind the curtains.  They’d seen the lights rise.  They’d heard the soundchecks.  They knew she was standing just feet away from them now, separated merely by a thin, long slip of fabric.

The microphone in her hand felt heavy as she brought it to her lips.

“Hey Mutant Town!”

The explosion of voices was incredible.  It shocked her, and she had to steady herself on her feet.  There were wails and screams in pitches that Alison knew echoed for miles.  There was no way anyone in Mutant Town was going to sleep tonight.  Not with a crowd like this.  Not when the very stage was swaying back and forth like there was a hurricane surrounding it.

“Aw, is that all you’ve got?  I thought there was a real crowd out there tonight!”

And it only got louder, if such a thing was even conceivable.  Alison could barely hear the speakers, blasting her own voice.

“Oh, baby!  Maybe I was wrong about you, Mutant Town!  Maybe you do deserve a show!”

It was absolutely deafening.  The teasing was only making it worse.  Any louder and they wouldn’t hear the music!  Alison looked one last time at the sky—only getting darker, the lightning getting brighter.  These people wanted something to happen—

They wanted her.

Alison felt that adrenaline rush.  Just like she always used to get.  The chills up her spine, the sinking in her stomach, the numbness in her knees, the pulsing behind her eyeballs.

There’s nothing left to do but give the people what they want.

Rogue was standing very close to stage already but she had wanted to get even closer.  She supposed she could just fly, like some mutants were doing right now.  But she wouldn’t have enjoyed the concert nearly as much.  And she didn’t want to distract Alison.

She couldn’t help but smile at Alison’s playfulness with the crowd.  It was like she had never left doing this at all.  The music kicked up—an endlessly catchy, looping rhythm—and pretty soon the baby-blue curtains parted.

Alison was there.  The mutants showed their approval with cries threatening to knock the moon out of orbit.  A camera hovered about the stage, projecting her image across a giant white screen in her background.  She brought the microphone in her hand to her lips.

It was a new song.  From the new album.

“When I first saw you

Less than a boy

Fresh from bluegrass

A little coy”

It was techno that moved like disco.  It was hopelessly retro, unapologetically camp.  Ugly, loud, inspiring and completely unique.  Mutants loved every bar of it.  Rogue amplified her hearing just so she could hear the words over the crowd’s cheering.  Sharpening her ears like that made her more aware of the pressure building in the air.  The storm over her head was just about complete. 

“But live life like this

The boy grows up quick

The man ain’t as shy

But his accent’s still thick”

Thunder and lightning wailed in the skies around them, and Rogue watched the mutants dance and shake underneath those skies like nothing was happening at all.  The electricity Rogue could feel in the air was nothing to the electricity in their muscles, pumping adrenaline and blood and chemicals through their veins, to their minds, to make them dance longer, harder.  Rogue was not adept at telepathy, or empathy—not yet—but she didn’t need it to feel that same electricity.  For all the differences in physical frames, and even for the differences in philosophical frames, that one, electric thing bound them.

The x-factor in their genes.  That something ‘x-tra’ that made them special.  They were all children of the atom.  And Rogue’s mind flashed:  Doesn’t that make us all X-Men?

“You know I’m gonna call this

My cannonball run

A Kentucky bourbon kiss

Said come on let’s have some fun”

Lightning split the sky, again, and thunder almost overtook the music.  The crowd still didn’t care.  Actually, Rogue was sure they got louder in the response.  Like they were daring the lightning to get any closer.  She scanned the sky and saw that the clouds swirling over town were so purple, they were actually changing to a shade of crimson.

At that point Rogue got that old feeling in her stomach.  The feeling she got when she knew it was the right point to run away.  The same feeling she got whenever she started to love someone.  It was that same feeling, telling her that everything was about to come crashing down around her ears.

“It can hit you

Just like that

Stronger than a goddamn

Heart attack—

It was furious in its brilliance.

Lightning struck at the stage, sending sparks and smoke toward the crowd.  Instantly it was gone.  The painful crack that erupted in the air afterward faded, only slightly, into shrill screaming.  The stage began the excruciating act of falling apart.  The lights had shorted out, so the only light now was from the fires that sprang in the electrical equipment littering the stage.

Rogue saw Dazzler, a silhouette against the flame.

The rafters that held the flashing lights aloft were now just burning gnarled metal.  It wailed as it fell…toward Dazzler.  Rogue was already in the air.  She didn’t know what was happening—could this celebration really turn on its head in just half a second?  Rogue didn’t know; she wasn’t thinking that.  Her friend needed her help.

Dazzler dropped to her knees, with her hands over her face in what she had to know was a futile attempt to save herself.  Rogue’s attempt was not so futile.

Warbird…Shifting her flight to the back of her mind, she tapped the powers at the forefront, and felt the tingle that went along with her changing DNA.  She caught the flaming rafter, braced herself, just as it was about to hit Alison.

“Marie?” Dazzler said, whispering, but Rogue heard her.  She wasn’t used to people calling her by her real name just yet, but from her old friend it felt right.

Rogue bit her lip, straining to keep the rafters in her hand, and trying not to focus on the searing pain that was cutting down to her bone faster than her healing factor could keep up.  The entire apparatus that held the lights was now in her hands, still sparking and fiery.  It was melting and twisting out of her grip.  Soon it would rip in two pieces, maybe more, and it would fall into the crowd.  Rogue didn’t know how many more people were still in front of the stage, but judging by the sheer numbers, there was no way everyone got to safety in the few seconds since this had started.

She felt the metal coil out of her hands like a melting chocolate bar.  She screamed, as though it would save Dazzler or her brethren in the front rows.

Opening her eyes, she saw something move through the stage beneath her feet, like a ghost.  Kitty Pryde?  No, that had to be her mind, the heat, playing tricks on her.  She closed her eyes again and tried to balance—

And the weight became less so.  Rogue opened her eyes.

Standing to her side, catching the half of the rafters she couldn’t, was a gleaming tower of a man almost twice her height.  Colossus was unmistakable.

Pumping their arms together, the fiery wreckage left their hands and soared through the air to land with the rest of the burning remains of the stage.

Eyes flashed to each other…Dazzler, Rogue, Colossus, and Shadowcat.  Then they scanned the sky, and the landscape of Mutant Town.

Clouds swirled in a crimson sky.  Lightning flared, thunder bawled.  Streams of electricity, every few seconds, would jet from the heavens like the white-hot love of God.  And it was destroying Mutant Town:  fires burned as far as their eyes could see.

The people didn’t know which way to run.  Mostly, because they would just end up running into each other.  Screams rivaled the thunder.

The X-Men gazed once more at one another.

“What do we do now?” Dazzler was barely audible.

Rogue turned back toward the chaos, gave the obvious answer. “We do what we know.”

“You got it?”

“Yes, Glob.” Caliban smiled. “And you’ve got…”

“Yeah.” Glob Herman’s massive, waxy hand revealed a small roll of cash.  He placed it in Caliban’s palm.

Caliban pocketed it, and then pulled a small bag from his other pocket.  It was strangely green, and very damp.  There wasn’t much in the bag, but it lined the entire bottom.  Glob snatched it out of his hand.

They started to walk along the tunnel again.

“The concert’s started by now, I can hear it.” Lorelei’s hair was parting, lifting away from her ears. “It doesn’t sound like Lila…”

“They all sound alike.” Glob said. “Now, sorry to split, Cal, but we gotta meet Bling.”

Caliban shrugged, and his wide trenchcoat shook with him. “Caliban understands.  I’m going to find Callisto.”

Lorelei and Herman gave Caliban mutual fist-bumps.

But before they could split from each other, a match called their attention, striking to light somewhere in the tunnel ahead.

Herman didn’t like the look of things. “Not again…*”

(*- Glob is still a bit nervous after what happened to him in X-Men Unlimited issue 43- Bryan)

Lorelei was peering, trying to make out who it was…but Caliban had excellent vision in the dark.

It was an especially wide tunnel, especially dry, reaching those outer fringes away from the subway, where the Alley started to sink deeper.  If one kept going deeper, there wouldn’t be a way out.  There wasn’t even concrete that far out.  The Alley was so vast; it was meant as a bomb shelter for the entire populace of New York circa 1958.  No one knew why construction stopped.  It was just one of those embarrassing things no one wanted to admit was a good idea at the time…but finally construction stopped, so there had to be a stopping point, right?  No one knew, but it was the perfect place for Caliban to make his deals.

It was inevitable one of them was going to show up to spoil it for everyone.

He raised the match to the cigarette in his mouth.  Soon, more light erupted from his other hand, as two playing cards illuminated everything with a ruby glow, a ruby color like Gambit’s eyes.

“Caliban.” The Cajun accent was thick. “I been waitin’ for you.”

“Oh shit.  That’s an X-Man.” Glob said.

“Yeah, I know.” Lorelei was taking a few steps back. “What do we do?  I’ve never met one before.  They’re on our side right?  He probably knows Storm right?  Or Maggot?”

“Shut up, Lorelei.” Caliban said. “Both of you, run now.  This man is a known murderer.”

Gambit laughed, exhaling smoke in the eerie glow. “Oh, ho ho!  You really goin’ there, mon ami?  I just want to talk.”

Gambit didn’t move, and neither did Caliban.  The cajun’s eyes blinked red, and the Morlock’s eyes shined golden.  Glob, with his fire-lit arm, following Lorelei, was retreating farther the opposite way down the tunnel, toward the surface.  It left only Gambit’s playthings to light the way.

“You know I’m s’posed to be killin’ you right now?” Gambit scoffed.

“Try it!” and Caliban leapt at him.

His fingers were pointed like white daggers, and his face had become more contorted around his brow, and down his jawbone.  When he snarled, Gambit saw his teeth were pointed as well.

Gambit swelled the cards to their breaking point and flicked them at Caliban.  They exploded right in the Morlock’s face.  Caliban hit the concrete with a dull sound echoing.

Gambit immediately had two more cards lit, and his foot around Caliban’s throat.

“I said, I want to talk.” Gambit said through teeth clinching his cigarette.

Silence then, and Caliban kept his eyes squeezed shut.  Suddenly, though, the Cajun relaxed his foot.  Caliban blinked a few times, and finally saw that Gambit was otherwise preoccupied.  Caliban scrambled to his feet.  Gambit didn’t move, for fear the cold narrow steel against his throat might slice too far.

Callisto angled the knife deeper against Gambit’s flesh. “Let him go, Marauder.”

A few more seconds passed before Gambit said, “You know your boy is a drug dealer?”

Callisto brought her staff up between Gambit’s legs.  The Cajun howled in pain, and then dropped to his knees.  Callisto brought the staff up again around Gambit’s neck.

Her face was very close to his when she said, “I don’t care.  We’ve got more important things to worry about.”

Gambit squeaked, “Dat so?” Then, gasping, “Like what?”

Callisto said, “Like why its so damn hot in here.”

She let him up.  Caliban sort of cowered behind her, as Gambit sprang upright.  Gambit flinched a little, examining the air around him.  It was warmer, wasn’t it?  Gambit was used to such a swampy heat, like in the tunnels, but this was a bit different, wasn’t it?

Gambit narrowed his gaze. “Fire above.”

Caliban shuddered. “What?”

Callisto nodded. “You’re an X-Man.  You have to help me.”

Gambit looked back at Caliban.  He said roughly, “You and me’re still gonna have words, homme.”

Callisto took off running in the opposite direction.  Gambit took off after her.  Caliban after a cautious few more seconds, wearily trotted after them.

“Fire?” he whispered.

Saugerties, New York

Years Ago...

“Thank you.”

Charles Xavier wheeled though wide threshold, eased himself down the front step.  Turning around, he extended a hand to Arnold Astrovik.  The man was slow in taking it, but did with the hand that wasn’t holding the door.

“Well, thank you for coming so far out.” Arnold grunted. “But I think Vance has all the attention he needs right here.  You know I’ve asked Vance’s teachers, and you know, I’ve even asked Vance himself, and nobody around here thinks my boy is too special.  I think you might’ve mixed things up a little bit when you thought about my son for this school of yours, I’m sorry to say.”

Now Charles frowned. “Tell your son I wish him luck, Mister Astrovik.” Then, he spun around continued down the concrete walkway to where his taxi had been waiting.

He’d been trying to speak directly to Norma Astrovik, the twitchy wife of Arnold.  She’d not really been listening, instead flashing nervous glances to her husband every few minutes.  Charles had gone on about how special Vance was, how he had abilities beyond normal children—all in a rhetoric he’d used before, one that didn’t shock parents into thinking their child an anomaly.  He’d finished uninterrupted.  The Astroviks didn’t ask any questions before asking him to leave.

Charles had been in this situation many times before.  The only reason they’d accepted him over this Sunday afternoon, Charles realized, was so that they could get some verification of what they’re son had become.  By this time, they no doubt knew who the “X-Men” and “Magneto” were.

Charles heard the heavy door slam behind him.  Another missed opportunity.  What potential this boy had too…but Charles could say that about many other children whose parents had been too afraid of the inevitable.

The sun was setting on the Sunday afternoon and Charles still had six other potential—

Something made Charles stop just as he reached the curb, and his taxi.  It felt like someone was tapping at his shoulder…

Charles looked at the sky in front of him, and then, curious, looked over his shoulder at the lovely, spacious Astrovik residence behind him.  He saw the boy, at the second story window, peering, chin in his palm, messy brown hair coming down to his chin.

Charles spun his chair around to look at him.  The boy visibly froze in the window.

Hello there.

The boy brightened and, That’s you, isn’t it?  I knew it!

Charles’s eyes widened.  The boy already knew how to respond to telepathy.  Or maybe he didn’t.  Maybe the boy was going on reflex.  He didn’t seem to know he’d called Charles’s attention with his ‘tapping’…

What do you know?

Vance’s thoughts were fast and there were many, but the few he pushed forward were, I knew you were like me!  Do you know the X-Men?  You’re the guy they call Professor X, aren’t you?

Charles was taken aback.  Only his students called him ‘Professor X’.  Charles found it a rather amusing ‘code-name’ by his students, since he’d picked all theirs for them.  But to hear that his name had spread to suburbia…when he had clearly tried to keep his distance from the team, in a public capacity anyways…

I’m just a teacher, Vance.  I wanted to be your teacher, but you’re going to have to get along on your own for now.  Don’t be afraid of what comes naturally, do you understand what I’m saying?

Vance was pressing right against the window now. I won’t!  I’m not afraid at all!  I’ve already seen myself, you know?  My future anyways.  I used to want to be an astronaut, but—now, I just want to be a hero.

Charles smirked. What about an X-Man?

Vance’s thoughts were still a whirlwind. Well, I relate to them a lot but…people don’t seem to like them very much.  But the Avengers!  Oh, man, everyone loves them.  Nobody’s scared of them…they’re heroes!

Charles nodded. But you’re a mutant, Vance.  Is that really something to be afraid of?  Don’t think like your parents.  When you want to be more than a hero, then you’ll be an X-Man.

Charles felt Vance repress his own thoughts then, and he spied a light turn on in Vance’s room.  Someone had walked in on their conversation.  Charles was quick to turn to his attention back to the taxi.

Charles was able to get himself into the backseat, and fold up his chair without any help, in a few quick seconds, but he was angry now at the potential being wasted.  He maneuvered his legs into the best position in the car, and didn’t look back at the Astrovik residence.  But the boy—Vance was his name—was one that Charles made a special note to remember in the future.

“What’re you thinking about?”

Vance whipped his chin to look at her. “Hmm?” Then, he shook his head a little bit. “Oh, uh,” then he chuckled, “it’s nothing.”

“You always say that!” Sugar slurped a Perrier water bottle through a straw. “You can’t think about nothing.  It’s impossible.”

Vance smiled at her, and squeezed her thigh. “Honey, I do the impossible every day.”

“You dork.” Sugar pushed him. “We ought to be coming up to Mutant Town by now…” Sugar stood up in the limousine, sticking her torso out of the sunroof.

Vance slumped.  He wasn’t looking forward to this.  Someone was bound to recognize him, and that was the last thing he wanted to—

“Vance!”

He groaned, slumped, “I don’t want to look, honey.  I’m good.”

“No, you have to see this.”

“I said I’m good.”

Sugar stamped her foot and knelt inside.  The look in her eyes hooked Vance’s own. “You need to see this.”

Vance squinted, but then did as he was told.  He stood, and at first the wind blew his hair into his face.  The wind was surprisingly warm.  And there was a burning stench on it too.  He brushed his hair off to the side of his face with his palm, then looked into the distance.

He couldn’t believe it.

Fire.  Blazing infernos roared through the buildings, maybe three blocks ahead of the limo.  He barely knew there were buildings there; it just looked as one colossal wall of flame.  Waves and waves of heat brushed over Vance’s face, blowing his hair back.  He could taste the burning.  Vance could see clearly for a few blocks, before the haze became too great.  There was smoke in the skies, floating toward Jersey, obscuring the stars and the Moon.  There were a few, smaller buildings closer to Vance that were as yet untouched by the fire, but they were touched by something else.

Vance saw mutants—clearly they were mutants—throwing bricks, tires, sometimes fiery tires through the windows of these buildings.  The buildings said ‘Pawn’ and ‘Bail Bonds’ and ‘We Buy Diamonds’ and ‘No Credit Check’ and they were being plundered.  Most of the mutants had some kind of cloth covering their mouths, probably more from for smoke than the fact they’d be identified.

“When did this happen?” he heard himself mutter.

The limo had to slow down, because traffic was being diverted.  People had started to crowd the streets now.  Seconds later, they were all around him.  Most of them weren’t looters; they ran in random directions, calling muffled names, trying to keep wide-eyed in the smoke.  Soon, it was going to be too crowded.  Soon, there would be trampling.  Soon, there was going to be a riot.  Vance knew he was watching it happen.

Red and blue lights flashed in front of him.  Vance took comfort in that.  But the police didn’t have nearly enough men, even if they could get every member of the force here in the next thirty seconds.  Vance gulped.

He crouched back down in the limo.  He saw Sugar.  She was huddled to one side in the car, her arms wrapped around her chest.  Her eyes were clinched shut, but she said—

“It’s horrible.”

Vance nodded, but he knew she couldn’t see him with her eyes closed.  Before he could say ‘yes’, she said—

“You’re going to save them, right?”

Vance bit his lip, squeezed his eyes shut like he needed a second to think about it, but then nodded again, half-hoping she still couldn’t see him.

“Oh thank you!”

She did see him.  Vance opened his eyes.  Sugar was leaning forward, a new look in her face.  She pulled him into a hard, long kiss.

When she was finally done, and their lips parted, she said, “They want you to save them.  Give the people what they want.”

He grimaced.  Vance didn’t want to play the hero again.  But did he have a choice?  Had fate put him into another life-or-death situation?  Was this going to be his life?  Had he ever made a real difference, like Tony Stark or Captain America did?  Vance thought it funny whose voice came into his mind at that point.

“When you want to be more than a hero, then you’ll be an X-Man.”

But Vance wasn’t an X-Man.  And where were they?  Shouldn’t Vance have seen them by now?  Storm, the Phoenix, or even Wolverine…or was there only him?  The sometime Avenger.  The New Warrior.  Justice.  Marvel Boy.

What would they call him in the papers tomorrow if he died like a hero tonight?

“Hey, Vance Astro!” Sugar slapped his chest.  “Don’t just sit there!”

Vance grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”  And he flew through the sun roof.

“I think he’s gone.”
 

Lorelei stopped running.  The Glob was close behind her.  “What do you think he’s gonna do to Caliban?” she whispered.

Herman shrugged. “I don’t know.  Caliban can take care of himself.  Damn, girl, you hear that thunder?”

Lorelei listened for a second.  She did.  Her hair, though still moving, was thick and damp with sweat.  “It’s hot as hell in here.  What’s going on?”

Herman looked about as nervous as a six-foot humanoid glob of wax could look.  But he shook his head, shaking his entire waxy frame along with it. “I don’t know, but you better bet your ass it has something to do with the X-Men.  Gambit showing up?  You think that’s just coincidence?  I don’t.”

Lorelei nodded, but wasn’t sure if she agreed.  Weren’t the X-Men supposed to save them?  But she focused on walking.  In these narrow tunnels, one could never be sure what you might trip over—

“Ah!” Lorelei’s foot hit something, and she spilled to her knees.

Glob Herman brought over his flaming arm, the only light they had in this part of the Alley.  “Jeezus!” he said.

Lorelei groaned. “Owww fuck!  What was that?”  But then she saw what Herman’s light shined upon.

A man lay there, along the corridor, unconscious.  He hadn’t even stirred when Lorelei tripped over him.  Lorelei, still down on her knees, took a closer look.

He was beautiful.  His short, blonde hair was stylish, sleek.  Long, dark jeans ran down his legs to cover heavy, black boots.  His jaw was chiseled, but when Lorelei ran her fingers along his cheek, his skin was smooth as silk.  He wore a chic blazer over a tight black long sleeve shirt that clung to sculpted chest muscles.  There was a design up near the shoulder of the shirt: a bright, white, eight-pointed star.

Lorelei said, “He’s not a Morlock.” She knew all the Morlock boys.

“Then that means he’s trouble.” Glob said simply.

“Step away from him.”

Glob and Lorelei both gasped.  Lorelei leapt to her feet, to get closer to Herman.  He raised his arm again, illuminating the tunnel ahead of them.  The answer was standing there:  a girl, her blonde hair pulled up in pig tails.  An oversized shirt with a giant smiling face, striped leggings, no more than thirteen years old.  Above her shoulder was a floating green…something.

Herman said, “Layla…right?”

Layla, frowning, approached them quickly.  Doop hovered ever so closely over her shoulder.  Layla kneeled over the unconscious man.

“Who is he?” Lorelei asked.

Layla turned to her, still frowning. “You two need to get out of here.  Find a tunnel that will take you out of Mutant Town.”

Then, Layla caressed the unconscious man’s cheek.  In the firelight, Lorelei saw the man’s eyes move under their sockets before opening.  His left eye glowed like it contained a fire all its own.

The man said, “Am I dead?”

Now, Layla smiled.  She said, “No…not by a long shot.”

NEXT ISSUE: A White Queen contemplates her Legacy and a Villain stands revealed in the New Age Kristalnacht!