Barcelona.

Diode woke up with a start in the hotel room. It appeared there was a mob scene just outside. Roni wrapped the bedsheets around her naked body and ran up to the balcony. She slid the patio door open and was met by cheers and dozens of camera flashes.

"What the hell...?" Diode muttered as she winced and shut her eyes tightly. She opened them and saw what seemed like hundreds of television news crews, both European and American, as well as dozens of photographers and photojournalists. She retreated back into the room after shutting the door. She quickly pulled the blinds down across the inside of the glass door, as well.

Roni sat down on the edge of the bed. Joseph, who laid in the same bed, grunted as he sat up, "What's wrong?"

Diode gripped her forehead and sighed, "I can't believe we slept together..."

Joseph looked to his side and sighed, "Yeah. It was just light groping at first..."

"Erg!! Don't talk about it!" Diode shouted as she shook her head. "No, I mean, now there's like proof of it."

Joseph closed his eyes and could sense the high concentration of radio waves just outside, being broadcast around the world. He shook his head, "They don't suspect anything yet."

"You can hear what they're saying?" Diode asked as she pulled the sheets around her tighter.

Joseph nodded, "They're just really obsessed with us, mainly because we're outed mutants puting a positive spin on things. We're bona fide celebrities. Not that I'm bragging about it."

"I'm sort of used to it...being a comedian. Aw hell, who am I kidding, this is insane," Diode declared.

"I can just disable the transmissions," Joseph said.

Diode shook her head, "No, don't do that. There could be weather advisories that need to get out across Europe. We just need to roll with the punches until we can get out of here."

Joseph remained silent for a moment, "When I said Xorn cured my amnesia...it didn't mean my memories were erased...even though they were mostly just implants. You know that, right?"

Diode nodded, "Yeah."

"I didn't use that as some excuse to get you into bed," Joseph said. "I respect you more than that."

"I know, I get it," Diode said. "It was just spontaneous. My emotions got out of control and I had that vino rojo...man, was that a bad idea!"

Joseph sat up, "Was it?"

Diode shook her head, "I...don't wanna go there." She stood up and began dressing herself with clothes from the previous day which were discared on the floor, "We still need to find those church vandals, remember? The reason we're in Spain on assignment? I don't think Warren would appreciate us spending money on a hotel just to firk each other instead of stopping a mutant threat."

As Diode retreated into the bathroom, Joseph sighed. He said off-handedly, "Yeah, these...punks are getting on my nerves. We better find them soon."

Archangel unlocked the door to his SoHo apartment and opened the door wide. Maggott stood behind him with a bunch of JC Penney bags full of clothes in his hands. Archangel and he took the liberty to buy some new clothes, since Maggott's stuff burnt up like the rest of his apartment building.

Archangel stood in the hall and held the door open as Maggott entered. Psylocke was wearing black lingerie, reading a Time Magazine on the couch. She sighed, "I thought we were going to make luv, luv."

"Change of plans," Warren said. "Maggott's apartment complex went up in flames. He needs a place to stay."

Maggott cleared his throat and tried not to stare at the skimpy outfit Psylocke was wearing. Psylocke sighed, "Well, if it makes you uncomfortable." She put on a black silk robe, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, I helped everyone to safety," Maggott said as he gulped, trying to mask his mind from Betsy, as he was the one who started the fire. He downloaded his consciousness into Eany and Meany.

"Well, alright," Betsy said. She smiled and winked at Maggott, which caused him to blush.

He cleared his throat, "Um, do you have a guest bedroom? I'll just hit the hay for the night then."

Warren's eyebrow rose, "Right. I'll show you." He lead Maggott down the hall and opened a door to a darkened room. He flicked the light switch and the room was a simple white-walled space with a single bed in the corner with a nightstand and dresser. Maggott walked in, "Thanks."

"Um, what do you usually eat for breakfast?" Warren asked.

"Don't worry about it. Thanks again," Maggott said as he shut the door.

Warren's wings lowered as he walked back into the living room. Psylocke laid on the couch lengthwise with her robe opened. She smiled seductively as she tossed the magazine onto the coffee table and lifted her right leg and crossed it over the other.

Warren smirked, "What's gotten into you?"

Psylocke smiled back, "We haven't had sex since the Crimson Dawn incident, Warren. I was beginning to think I lost my soul along with my shadow powers and Asian features, but...I was wrong."

Warren sighed, "Yeah...it's been awhile. Things have been busy with work and everything. And the whole thing with Shadow King a couple weeks ago..."

"Yeah. When Jean called, I thought she was joking, but...I honestly didn't remember the anniversary of Charles's death, either," Betsy said as she trailed off. Jean's presence had come to her while Warren was at the mansion with the original five X-Men and asked her to help in the astral fight with Farouk. With the 'Shadow War' ended, it left a void in the lives of the X-Men, past and present. Wolverine sacrificed his life in order to destroy the former Weapon X complex in Almagordo.

"The thing is," Warren began as a lump formed in his throat. He paused and gripped his mouth, "We were his first students, and we...fought with each other like a bunch of spoiled kids."

Psylocke rubbed Warren's back, avoiding his wings, to console him, "You five are just more like family than you realize."

Through the entire ordeal, it seemed only Warren and Betsy could truly appreciate the liberation of Xavier's soul, as well, as they were the only ones on X-Corp who actually met him, save for Joseph, but even then...it was awkward for him. Granted, Psylocke and Xavier were never really chatty with each other, but there was a mutual respect and she proudly carried on his dream.

"This damn job has just...," Warren said, "it's just drained me. Us. Demanded so much of our time. This is the first time we've had a chance to really talk about what happened.

"And now that the media is hounding us after the Shadow King incident...don't you think we should give them something to talk about?" Psylocke asked.

"Like what?" Archangel asked as he chuckled lightly.

"We haven't set a date or even location for the wedding," Psylocke said. "The media is going nuts over it...and so am I."

"Oh," Warren said as he motioned to sit down. Psylocke sat upright and allowed her fiance to park on the couch. He rested his chin onto his fists as she gently leaned against him, "I...was thinking maybe we could have it at the mansion."

Psylocke rolled her eyes and jokingly pretended to cry on Archangel's shoulder, "Not there! Not there!" She lifted her head and shook the hair out of her eyes, "But seriously, Scott and Jean already got married there. That's their place, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Warren said. "Well, where do you think we should have it, then?" he asked.

Psylocke looked off into the distance for a moment, "I don't like the idea of our enemies being keen on where we're getting married, now that I think about it."

"Vargas is dead, the Jigoku are dissolved, the Church of Humanity is imprisoned, Warp Savant is neutered, and there aren't any Sentinels in production right now," Warren said. "And if anyone is dumb enough to start a fight at our wedding, with all of our superhuman guests in attendance, they deserve to get their asses handed to them."

His hand began to stroke Betsy's leg, but she pushed him away, "Let's have it at Madison Square Garden."

"Are you sure?" Warren asked as he smiled, hoping she was lying.

"Yeah, I mean, we can have people pay to get tickets, along with our invited guests which will get in free," Psylocke began, "we can donate the money to help troubled young mutants out there. It's also good publicity to show a mutant marriage on television."

"Well, it'd be like any other wedding on television, won't it?" Warren asked.

"But this will show that mutants are down to earth people, that we aren't beyond humans any more than bees are above ants," Betsy said. "We could totally achieve Charles' dream and then spend the rest of our lives together in peace."

Warren sighed and arched his head back against the couch. Betsy leaned in and laid her head against his chest. She looked at the engagement ring on her finger and closed her eyes.

Archangel stroked the side of his fiance's face, "Did you get any visions lately?"

Psylocke remained silent. She inhaled slowly, "Just vague things with the media. Nothing we haven't expected already."

Archangel stared intensely in front of him as if he tried to burn a hole in the wall, "This thing with Pyro could really hurt our image..."

Psylocke looked down, "John's got a lot of anger you don't know about. His wife died."

Warren nodded, "I know...I don't blame him. He's just got to administer a little bit of self control when everything we say gets warped out of context."

Betsy asked after a brief silence, "What about the date? The wedding?"

"I'm not sure," Warren said. "We might need to wait awhile, with Logan's, um...just until everyone's calm again. We lost Storm already...without Logan, it's just...I don't want to overshadow his death. Supposed or otherwise."

Betsy laid her head onto her lover's chest, "I know it's hard for you. You weren't fond of Logan."

Warren tilted his head as he lightly massaged Betsy's head, "No. We had our arguements and I thought he was psychotic, but still...I didn't want to see him die. He helped Strange and I fight for the Crimson Dawn to save your life, you know."

"And look where that led us," Betsy said with a smile, "I went bonkers and almost killed the lot of you."

"Still," Warren said as he kissed Betsy on the cheek. He looked down and gripped her left hand and rubbed her engagement ring with his thumb, "It brought us to this."

As the two sat on the couch calmly, Betsy said, "...I haven't a clue who I'm picking for Maid of Honor. Allison or Rogue?"

"I was thinking Hank or Bobby for best man...," Warren said. "I'm...conflicted. They'd both deliver kickass toasts at the reception...I dunno. Then again, Bobby would probably throw a better bachelor party." Warren laughed as Betsy playfully elbowed him in the ribs.

"I was thinking maybe Rogue, because, if she catches the boquet, it'd be absolutely perfect for her and Pietro," Betsy said.

Warren smirked, "And Pietro would no doubt catch the garter, so there you go."

Betsy turned to face Archangel after she read his mind, "Wait, wait, wait! Bobby called me a whore? Even after you announced we were getting married?"

"...uh...yeah," Warren gulped. "He was kidding. I'm sure. Pretty sure." He rubbed his neck.

"Still hurts? Wisdom got you good, there," Betsy said. "Have you talked to him, since...?"

"No," Archangel was quick to answer.

"Well, you should," Betsy said.

"I'll send him a fruit basket with a note that says 'Thank you for cauterizing me in the neck and burning my shoulder.' And end with, 'Oh, and you're a dick.' How does that sound?"

"Charming, dear," Betsy said as she rolled her eyes.

Pyro grumbled as he landed the smaller Seraphim-B jet on the runway of the Barcelona Airport. Photography crews were on the scene. He exited the hatch and climbed down the latter which retracted from the jet's interior. He lit a cigarette and continued down the pathway to the airport itself. He was to pick up Diode and Joseph from their assignment to investigate possible mutant vandals at a local church. Joseph could easily fly back under his own power, but a hurricane has restricted him. The Seraphim-B was more capable of flying through harsh weather.

Flashes popped in Pyro's vision like multiple strobe lights. A kaleidoscope of noise flooded his ears with questions, in English, no less.

"...get away from me," Pyro muttered under his breath. He promised himself he wouldn't say anything more to get him in trouble at work. He continued on his way to the terminal, where he met up with another media frenzy which surrounded Diode and Joseph as they carried their duffle bags over their shoulders.

"Pyro!" Diode shouted. Pyro's ears perked up and he could just barely see the top of Joseph's silvery mane.

"I'm comin'!" he shouted back amidst the commotion. Eventually, after weeding through the reporters and paparazzi, the three coworkers met up. The camera flashes, autograph requests, and questions failed to cease, however.

"We have a problem," Joseph whispered loudly enough for Diode and Pyro to hear.

"No shit!" Pyro said as he looked from side to side at the human chain of blinking lights. "I'm this feckin' close to having a seizure!"

Diode calmed him down, "No, the vandals."

"You didn't find 'em?" Pyro asked.

Joseph and Diode shook their heads.

"Well, feck!" Pyro exclaimed.

"We didn't get a chance to," Diode said. "With all this attention following us...we probably scared off whoever it was when we went to investigate."

"Did you call Archangel?" Pyro asked. The two shook their heads again. Pyro scowled, "Damn it, what do I have to do for you two? Wipe your asses for you? I'm a former terrorist fer chrissakes, an' you need advice from me? Man alive, Warren is the boss, he knows how to handle it!"

"It slipped our minds," Joseph said in defense. "We weren't thinking of the most obvious solution."

"As usual...," Pyro retorted.

"Hey!" Joseph shouted. "I seem to remember having to restrain someone by force because his powers were out of control from the Legacy Virus. I prevented you from fucking up big time. You owe me."

"Yeah...almost set that church on fire," Pyro recalled with a smirk, "but that's not the point. I wasn't in control, so you didn't do shite to help me!"

"Boys!" Diode shouted. Pyro and Joseph turned to face her, "If you're done trying to verbally increase your penis sizes, we might do better if we go somewhere private. And that sort of sounded gross, but you know what I meant."

With that, Joseph magnetically surrounded himself, Pyro, and Diode and flew out of the airport terminal past the media hounds and into the air. "This private enough?" Joseph asked.

Diode flinched, "I think we're too far off to just use our cell phones."

"And with all these signals cluttering the airwaves, it's even harder," Joseph said.

Pyro looked down at the ground beneath him and shivered as he pressed his temples, "Let's hope Cerebro is up and running. Let's all concentrate..."

X-Corp.
Cerebro.

[[Emergency thought patterns detected. Searching...]]

Xorn casually walked up to Cerebro's console located just outside the main chamber of the circular mutant-detecting machine. He had been pacing through the office, as he has been up before dawn meditating. He wore a white robe over his body, which was mostly covered by metal chains to hold the protective mask over his head.

The screen blipped on as a map of the world appeared on it. The image of the globe rotated until the eastern hemisphere was in full view and zoomed in on Europe, then Spain, then Barcelona, until the match was made.

[[Search complete. X-Corp Employee #32560: PYRO. X-Corp Employee #32559: JOSEPH. X-Corp Employee #32561: DIODE. Requesting backup.]]

Xorn pressed a button on the console, which was a "speed dial" linked directly to Psylocke's mind. Hopefully she'd get the wake up call.

"Help is on the way, friends," Xorn said as he rushed off to put on something a little more professional.

The Seraphim landed vertically onto the Barcelona runway. A magnetic shield immediately surrounded it as Joseph, Diode, and Pyro descended through the top hatch, which opened up to accommodate them.

Archangel was there to greet them, with Psylocke, Maggott, and Xorn behind him, "What's going on?"

"The media is hounding the feck out of us out there, Worthington!" Pyro shouted. "So much as though we can't get our jobs done!"

Joseph glared at Xorn, and then said to the rest, "We didn't find the church vandals. If they are mutants and what was said was true, they're causing a stir. A lot of religious squabbles are starting to brew based on the ethics of man and mutant and their relation to God."

"Christ," Archangel swore with a twisted pun intended. "It's the Church of Humanity in reverse."

"It's not that severe," Psylocke said. "If we stop them now, it won't escalate like Stryker's crusade."

"But there's still the media," Diode said.

"Psylocke and I will handle it," Archangel said. "The media wants to know just about everything about the wedding--"

"Wait, what's this about a wedding?" Pyro asked.

"Er...what rock have you been living under, mate?" Maggott asked.

"Excuse me! I don't watch television, I'm way too feckin' cool for it," Pyro boasted.

"Sorry, we thought you knew," Archangel said. "I proposed a few weeks ago. We're getting married, Betsy and I."

Pyro exchanged a glance with Psylocke and lowered his eyes, "Wow...congratulations."

"We apologize for not formerly announcing it to you all first, but it leaked out before we got a chance to," Psylocke explained. The other X-Corp employees silently accepted the apology.

"Here's the deal," Warren began, "Betsy and I will handle the paparazzi. Everyone else, partner up and find the vandals. Without the extra attention of the media focused on everyone, you should be able to get to them. If there's trouble, contact Betsy mentally and we'll come in to help."

"These bastards followed me all the way to Greece," Pyro said. "What good are you going to do? They'll still follow us. They're like the Chinese. There's millions of 'em. Er...sorry, Xorny."

"Pyro, don't get me started," Archangel groaned. "Your antihuman comments were way out of line."

"Well, ssssoooor-ry!" Pyro shouted. "When are you people gonna learn I haven't changed who I am just by being an X-Man?!"

Archangel sighed and turned towards the left side of the Seraphim's interior and pushed a button which opened the hatch and a set of stairs extended downwards. As the titanium-reinforced metal hit the concrete, Archangel said, "Go."

Joseph and Xorn were the first to walk down the stairs. Before Xorn reached the floor, he was hit in the back by a magnetic pulse. He was thrust forward and ended up hitting the magnetic field which still surrounded the vicinity around the Seraphim.

"NO!" Diode shouted, but Joseph ignored it.

Xorn looked back in shock. Even though his only face was made of a metal mask, the light shining through his eyeslots were enough to convey his confusion.

Joseph stood there with energy pulsing out of his entire body, "I'll give the media something to chew on..."

He dove at Xorn as he shouted savagely. Archangel tried to jump in and grab him, but the door was magnetically sealed shut. The Seraphim unexpectedly flung into the air and tomahawked into a nearby open field. The onlookers shouted out of fear that the hunk of metal would explode, but it did not, miraculously. The crowd seemed to collectively exhale a sigh of relief, but tensions were still high. Joseph turned his attention back on Xorn, who simply stood motionless just a mere ten feet away from him.

"Joseph, what has enraged you, my friend?!" Xorn asked. "Why have you put our colleagues in jeopardy?!"

Joseph pointed to his temple, "You cured my amnesia, you son of a bitch!"

"I fail to see the logic behind your disdain," Xorn said. He held up his hands, "My power healed you. I do not control the pinpointing of ailments, the power heals everything wrong within the organism."

Joseph snarled, "Yeah, I'm just an organism!" He glanced at the smoking Seraphim hundreds of yards away, "Are you going to heal them? Or are you thinking how the hell are you going to heal yourself after I'm through with you?"

"My x-gene does not include a personal healing factor," Xorn said. "Calm down, we must find the vandals..."

"I'M the vandal, you idiot!" Joseph shouted as magnetic energy exploded from him and knocked everyone back, even the paparazzi photo-stalking media crew. Xorn was slow to get up.

Joseph magnetically snatched Xorn's mask and yanked it off of his head. The immediate area turned into a strange spectrum of electric blue. Joseph was shocked by the gruesome face of Xorn, only a few tiny bone fragments surrounding a tiny blue sphere which had a luminosity that appeared to make it larger than it really was.

Xorn breathed, "How...how could you be the vandal?"

Joseph laughed, "The church...that fucking church...filling my head with more lies! The ballad of my life!"

"Let me help you, Joseph!" Xorn implored.

"You made me all crazy en la cabeza, Xorny," Joseph laughed. "I think you've helped enough!" He magnetically nabbed a video camera and had it set in front of him. Joseph yelled, "And Magneto...if you're watching, you are a CAT FUCKER! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Hammer Bay, Genosha.
Avalon Tower.

Magneto, who wore a silver business suit, rattled his fingers against his desk within his presidential office. His trademark red and violet helmet sat next to his phone on the desk. Gomi cleared his throat as he switched the television off with the remote.

"...I have never owned a cat," Magneto muttered.

"I'll inform CNN," Gomi said as he brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Resorting to slander. My, how Charles would enjoy that his dream has turned into...this," Magneto said with a smile.

"Shall I fetch the Joseph Protocols?" Gomi asked.

Magneto snorted, "Are you kidding? I'm not going to cry over name-calling. Let's see what the boy has in him. Maybe he'll get rid of this embarrassing sphere of mutant celebrity influence Worthington has created by killing X-Corp."

"You want to know something funny...?" Pyro muttered as he slowly got himself up in the aisle of the Seraphim. He had a cut on his forehead and a bruise against his jawbone. Sparks flew out of exposed wires and metal panels which were pealed back.

"...what?" Diode managed to ask as she limped to stand up, even though the jet was slanted upward during its tumble.

"All the money at our disposal...and we couldn't get a nonconductive jet?" Pyro asked.

Archangel sighed as he gripped his ribcage, "There's no way we could have anticipated Joseph would flip out..."

"Everyone okay?" Psylocke asked as she held her bloody lip.

Maggott brushed his bulky, dark blue form off. Eany and Meany sat on his shoulders, "Guess the g-force Joseph used actually saved our lives, ag? We stuck to the walls as the jet flipped end over end."

"Yeah, our fecking savior!" Pyro shouted. He turned to Diode, "What is up with him?"

Diode clenched her fists and sighed, "Okay...I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but--"

"Weird," Joseph said as he towered over Xorn, who laid on the runway with metallic debris pinning him down.

"...what?" Xorn asked.

"Your brain. So small, yet so full of information and knowledge," Joseph said. He reached into the mass within Xorn's skull and physically pulled it out. His body went limp as the tiny irradiated skull fragments fell victim to Earth's gravity. The portion of Xorn's skull still connected to his body simply took on a blackened appearance.

Joseph held the tiny glowing orb in his fingers, "It feels...alive."

"Joseph, back away from him!" Archangel commanded. "Xorn isn't to blame for restoring your memories!"

"Spare me, Worthington!" Joseph spat. He looked at the glowing particle and placed it back inside Xorn's skull. Xorn remained limp, however. "I've put up with this enigma of my life far enough!" Joseph shouted.

"No, listen to us!" Psylocke shouted. "I've probed your mind and have found layer after layer of memory implants. You're not Charles Lensherr, but you're also not the electromagnetic field given life, either. Deus and Astra went through a lot of trouble to keep your true past hidden from you. Not just to keep it from you, but everyone else, as well."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?!" Joseph cried as he gripped his forehead with frustration. "WHO AM I?!"

"We're your friends, Joe!" Diode pleaded. "Just calm down and we'll figure it out!"

"Is Xorn alright?" Archangel asked.

"I can't sense his thought patterns, they're too advanced," Psylocke responded.

"Shit...," Warren swore, "he better not be dead. I'm not losing an employee on my watch!" He flapped his wings and in a whoosh of air, he was instantly by Xorn's side.

Joseph grabbed Archangel by the neck, "Tell Betsy to probe further, I want to know who I am!!"

Archangel grimaced as he saw the media as they formed a mob around them. The cameras have shown everything thus far. X-Corp was ruined. Joseph snapped.

Psylocke ran up to Joseph full speed and generated her psi-blade from her right fist. She shouted as she drove the blade directly into Joseph's cranium. He convulsed with pain as his synapses overloaded and he lost consciousness. He dropped Archangel to the ground.

"Who is he?" Warren asked telepathically. "Did you find out?"

Psylocke looked at the cameras, the flashes, and muddled indistinct mass of people and sighed. The other board members slowly approached their bosses and looked at two of their own, practically lifeless.

"We've got a big problem, here," Psylocke said telepathically to the board members of X-Corp.

"Well, duh," Diode chimed in within the psi-web.

"No, you don't understand," Psylocke breathed, "I broke down into the center of the memory implants in Joseph, his true memory, his true self..."

"Is he a de-aged Bill Clinton?" Pyro joked.

"Not really," Psylocke said, "he's the long thought-dead Kevin MacTaggart...Proteus!"

"My God..."

"I apologize, but...who?"

"He has a higher body count than most of our bloody enemies!"

"I sort of take offense to that," Pyro said.

"How the hell are we gonna deal with this?!" Maggott exclaimed. "I mean, we've been lucky to not deal with Sabretooth, but this?"

"Damn it..." Warren said. Archangel cleared his throat as he approached the congregation of cameras, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. Um..." He cleared his throat and paused as he made sure attention was solely on him. Here were two of X-Corp, out cold for no apparent reason. He grabbed Psylocke and pulled her tightly against him as he put on a fake smile, "We're here to announce plans for our wedding!"

Psylocke appeared to be shocked, but nodded and cheerily gave the thumbs up. With that, attention easily shifted gears as the camera crews, photographers, and reporters seemed to engulf the engaged couple.

Nice save.