Set after the death of Captain America and Uatu the Watcher, X-Men 2099 carries on the tradition of a band of mutants trying to make a life for themselves in a world that doesn't fear or hate them, but are wary all the same. Working in the Savage Land to build a civilisation where man and mutant live in peace, the X-Men have redefined themselves as trouble-shooters, fixing problems when and wherever they arrive. If only it were that easy…


Issue #10

The Taking of Xavier City"
Heir War, Part 3
by David Wheatley

Once known as the Desert Ghost, Xi'an Chi Xan is the former leader of the X-Men, now Head of the Xavier City Council. A man who works to keep the dream of Professor X alive, his mutant ability to touch something and heal with one hand or destroy with the other, added to his keen intellect and devotion to mutantkind, make him a force to be reckoned with.

Xi'an Chi Xan

Formerly known as Cerebra, the founder of X-Nation and driving force of the X-Men, now member of the Xavier City Council, Shakti's nervous system had been destroyed and her powers seemingly with them. Her nervous system has now been repaired by her father, the geneticist, Zail Haddad, but her powers are still gone and she has also been revealed to be pregnant.
Shakti Haddad

The human link in the Xavier City Council, Victor Ten Eagles is the voice of humanity in Xavier City. A master tech-smith, he sports a bionic arm of his own design, and is one of the few people who knew Xi'an in the old days, riding with him as a member of the Lawless.
Victor Ten Eagles

Formerly a member of Doom's cabinet, now a Council member in Xavier City, Morphine has the power to rapidly age whatever he touches. Bearing a striking resemblance to Gambit, and a name closely linked with Cyclops, Morphine is a wild card, whose game plan works out to the benefit of one man - himself.
Morphine Somers

Edward 'Eddie' Van Beethoven is the powerhouse of the X-Men thanks to his ferromorphic abilities. Once trapped in his metallic form, he has only recently regained the ability to return to normal.
Metalhead

The fastest man alive, leaving a blur behind him as he uses his power, Henri Huang went missing before the Phalanx War, somehow returning in time for the expedition of Earth's heroes in to space to breach the barrier surrounding the planet. How he returned and where he was remains a mystery.
Meanstreak

The ability to form crystals out of thin air, to her own requirements, makes Krystalin Porter a vital member of the X-Men, though not as dedicated to the cause as some of her friends, she is one of the original founders of the X-Men of 2099, joining at the same time as Meanstreak, her best friend.
Krystaline

Almost feral, Luna is the least trusted of the X-Men despite having proved herself many times. Possessing vast strength, dense skin and the ability to feed of the emotional pain of others via touch, she has begun to hunger for emotion more now that she has lost the love of her life, Tim Fitzgerald.
La Lunatica

Tim Fitzgerald was Xi'an's last recruit into his band of X-Men. Possessed of the ability to absorb electrical energy and rechannel it in vast quantities, Tim was recently freed from corporeal form as he mutated into a being of pure energy, able to give himself form and mass. Formerly field leader of the X-Men, Tim has been missing since they arrived in the Savage Land.
Skullfire

Bloodhawk: A long-time ally of the X-Men, though reluctant to become a member, Bloodhawk uses his ability to fly and his fearful reptilian appearance to full advantage as a self-styled protector of the Earth and guardian of Nature.
Bloodhawk

Junkpile: Former member of the X-Men, Junkpile originally betrayed the team, killing Serpentina in the process. Junkpile possesses the mutant ability to rebuild his body from whatever mechanical parts are available. A member of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Doom's brief Presidency of America, Junkpile was sent to capture Brimstone Love, leader of the Theatre of Pain. He went missing after the X-Men's showdown with the Theatre.
Junkpile

A powerful psion with a life span of 150 years, he is a man who needs forgiveness from all those who have worn and now wear the X... including himself.
Dust

Long-time foe of both the X-Men and Ka-Zar, Garokk is the former self-styled Sun God of the Savage Land. Reawakened in the year 2099 by the young Strange, Garokk defeated her in mystical combat and usurped the title of Sorcerer Supreme. He uses his new found powers to plot the destruction of the X-Men of 2099 and all they stand for.
Garokk

Bennet du Paris was a Knight of the Crusades, until he stumbled cross the temple of Apocalypse and was transformed to Exodus, a being of great power. Formerly an Acolyte of Magneto, he has survived the passage of time to re-establish the cause of both his former masters.
Exodus

'The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.' - Abbie Hoffman

"You'd better make a thorough job of this," said Morphine, mystically frozen in place in Garokk's cave. "Because I'll take you out if I recover my senses."

"That's much what your friend Meanstreak said," said Garokk as he prepared to bind Morphine to his will as he had done with Meanstreak, who stood behind his master, watching Morphine, who strangely enough was not struggling, or even fighting what was going on. Henri wondered what he was up to.

"Yes, but Henri's always been a feeb," said Morphine. "So bring it on."

"This will hurt you more than it will hurt me," said the Sorcerer Supreme. With his fingers dancing in the air and sparkling with mystical energy, he summoned forth the higher powers of the universe, calling upon their power and magic to alter the mind of Morphine Somers, to make him an coadjutant of their will.

However, the will of Morphine Somers was not something to be easily trifled. Morphine's aims and goals were his own, no matter whose banner he operated under. He was loyal to one man and one man alone - himself. It was the most fundamental part of his character, and this would take a lot of power from the higher powers.

This was no ordinary binding spell that they were using, such as the one applied to Meanstreak - this was a shift in personality, making Morphine in to a whole new person, a whole new entity. The mystical energies lit up the cave, sending a cascade of light up and out in to the air, with Garokk barely able to keep control.

Even the Sorcerer Supreme was out of his depth at times, and this was one of them, but Garokk vowed he would not fail. He had too much to do to lose everything now.

"My sentiments exactly," whispered Morphine, hearing Garokk's thoughts through the link they now possessed. Garokk's head was full of the voices of the higher forces of magic and he did not hear Morphine's quiet words, but he did hear him cry out as if in pain a moment later, then the energies that were evident simply stopped. Garokk fell to his knees as the powers left him, whilst Morphine collapsed on the floor.

"Let me help you, my Master," said Meanstreak helping him up. Garokk was weak, so he allowed Meanstreak to assist him, then they checked on Morphine.

"Awake," commanded Garokk and Morphine opened his eyes.

"What is thy bidding, my Master?" he asked, kneeling before Garokk.

"Whom do you serve?"

"I serve you, my Master." In his mind, Garokk sensed no deviation, no duplicity. Morphine now belonged to him and he laughed.

"Good," he chuckled. "Now we must prepare for the coming Exodus..."

"What the shock?" said Shakti as she looked out of the window of the Xavier City Council Chambers. For a moment over the jungles of the Savage Land bright colours shone like the sun, in hues of green, red, blue and gold. After a few minutes they were gone. She pressed the communication panel on her desk. "Victor, did you see that?"

"Who the shock didn't?" asked Victor. "I tried to trace the lights but it wasn't registering on any of the scanners."

"Not even a hint of the general direction?"

"Nothing, and with the light blanketing the area like that, finding it now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Got it all on the holo-relays though. Wanna see if there's anything missing?"

"Like Morphine?"

"Didn't say that, but if the shoe fits..."

"He has Henri with him though," reminded Shakti. "He's a good man."

"Yeah," said Victor thinking back to a conversation he had had with Krystal, who had voiced her concerns about Meanstreak. *

* (In X-Men 2099 #1 - David)

"Is there a problem?" asked Shakti, not liking the tone that Victor used. Granted it was unusual for Henri to go off like that with Morphine - unless he was following him - but this was something else.

"It's something that Krys said a while back," started Victor as he glanced at the screens. "She said there was something wrong..." He stopped as he watched the screens. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" asked Shakti, making a mental note to continue the conversation with him about Henri later.

"Xi'an," said Victor. "He's back, and he's brought company." Shakti looked at the security monitors and a chill ran down her spine, as this was reminiscent of the Xi'an joining the Theatre of Pain. *

* (In X-Men 2099 #22 - David)

He was with Exodus.

Back in the Exodus's lair, the other X-Men were shaking off the effects of defeat and possession. They all knew this was a temporary respite and when Exodus called they would answer and they would be unable to resist.

Then there was Dust. He was still comatose since his defeat by Exodus on the astral plane. Their swords of truth had created memories with which they fought each other, but Dust had been unprepared for the defeat of the X-Men allowing Exodus to use the willpower of his Acolytes to take him down.

"How is he, Eddie?" asked Tim, unable to free himself, the technology within the citadel restraining him.

"Not sure," said Eddie, whose powers were deactivated, as were all the others. Krys, Junkpile, Bloodhawk were all unable to call upon their gifts as homo superior and break free. Bloodhawk and Junkpile were fastened up, whilst Krys and Eddie had limited movement in a psionic energy cell, and Dust was on the floor with them. "If I was Shakti, then maybe I could say but this is beyond me."

"We thought you were dead," said Krys, the fear at her capture being equal to her joy at seeing Tim again, in his right mind.

"I sometimes wish I were," said Tim. Then he asked thee question they were dreading. "Where's Luna?" Eddie stiffened and Tim saw the look on Krystal's face.

"What happened?" asked Bloodhawk.

"The Theatre of Pain took Latveria," said Krys. "They captured Luna and..." Krys stopped and looked at Eddie, who just looked at the floor. "Tim, she lost control of the hunger. She attacked Rosa," and Tim gasped with horror as Krys explained what had happened in Latveria and how Luna had fled in shame and guilt because of her actions. *

* (As seen in the Family saga, in X-Men 2099 #4, #5 & #6, - David)

"Eddie..." started Tim, but he could find no words to express his feelings. His own guilt at not being their, his anguish at what had happened to the woman he loved and the fear that he would never see her again.

"I know," said Eddie, then he looked at Junkpile. "You're quiet," he called.

"Because," answered Junkpile in Exodus's voice, "I am using him to control Xi'an Chi Xan." Then he fell silent again and the others all looked at each other, knowing that Xi'an had fallen to the manipulations of the Theatre of Pain and Exodus was much more powerful.

However they were the X-Men and their reunion with their missing members gave them a hope and a desire to break free. It was not a question of how, but when and hopefully before Exodus called upon them once more.

In Xi'an's mind, Exodus as using Junkpile's knowledge of Xi'an to attack him, however Xi'an's mental defences were stronger. The abuse of his mind at the hands of Zhao, the Theatre of Pain and Mephisto had made them stronger, unifying his once fragmented personalities in a way that few could have guessed, and as Junkpile could not have known about Xi'an's confrontation with the Lord of Hell, he had an advantage. *

* (In X-Men 2099 Annual #1 - David)

He could not fight Exodus, but he could do all he could to resist, and while it would take an amount of inner strength he had regained his faith in the dream, in the X-Men and in himself since meeting the shade of Xavier, and Exodus could not breach that mental defence, because he could not accept that Xavier and Magnus had both been cast in to hell together.

"Do not worry, my brother," his own astral image said to Junkpile's astral image, "if there will be at least one person in Xavier City who won't let this stand." Morphine was many things, but he was not one to let his plans go for naught.

"We shall see" echoed Exodus's voice and then it began.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Victor as he burst in to Xi'an's office. Xi'an stood at the side of his desk, while Exodus sat behind it, his stance almost regal in appearance, as well as giving the ambience of supreme power.

"Exodus is to be declared Emperor of Xavier City," said Xi'an, in a monotone voice.

"Like shock!" said Victor.

"Kneel before me, flatscan," said Exodus, standing from Xi'an's chair. "Kneel in the presence of your Emperor, the voice of Magneto, heir to the Overlord of the Fatal Attraction."

"Never," said Victor, then he felt a massive psionic pressure on him, pushing him down.

"I don't like invading the mind of a flatscan," said Exodus a sense of disdain echoing in his words, "so unclean with their bigotry, their false superiority. Much easier to force them to their knees with but the smallest ounce of psionic pressure."

"I... will... never... bow... willingly," said Victor, fighting in vain the telekinetic force.

"Willingly or by force, you will kneel," said Exodus, walking over to him, and as Victor knelt before him, Exodus kicked him in the head, sending him across the room. "Then you will crawl on your belly."

"Xi'an," said Shakti as she entered. "Fight him." She had heard the monotone voice and knew he was being controlled; otherwise he would have had the passion, the fire he normally possessed. Somehow he was fighting back, but it didn't seem to be enough.

"He cannot," said Exodus, walking across to her, holding her in place with his psionic powers. "He cannot because I am attacking him with the knowledge of himself, as given by his friend Junkpile. How good to see you again, Shakti Haddad." He sent a mind probe in her direction, knowing from their earlier meeting * she did not have the power to stop him.

* (In X-Nation #5 - David)

What he was unprepared for was that she no longer had powers, and there was a psionic entity growing within her. He probed at the entity, only to be repelled and flung to the back of the room. His hold on her was broken.

"Impossible," he said. "What manner of creature grows within you?"

"Nothing like you've ever known," said Shakti, activating the council chamber's defensive systems. Exodus tried to get hold of her again, but to his amusement, he found his powers no longer had an affect on her.

"Your child is powerful," he said as he deflected the defensive measures being put in action against him. "However there is nothing you can do to stop me, Ms Haddad. Even this. Xi'an?"

"Computer, this is Xi'an Chi Xan. Deactivate defences and acknowledge Bennet du Paris as Emperor of Xavier City."

"Command needs authorisation of three members of the council."

"You may be able to force Victor," said Shakti, "but you cannot force me, and Morphine is nowhere to be found."

"But he will be," said Victor standing, his mind taken by Exodus, "and then you are finished. Computer, deny Shakti Haddad access to systems."

"My authorisation is also given," said Xi'an.

"Command acknowledged," came the computer's voice.

"You many leave now," said Exodus. "You are hereby banished from Xavier City, never to return."

"And if I do not?" asked Shakti, defiantly.

"My psionic powers may not work on you, however Victor Ten Eagles can hold you down pinning you with his bionic arm, whilst Xi'an Chi Xan will melt away your face."

"This isn't over," she said.

"No," agreed Exodus. "But it will be." Shakti turned and ran, fleeing the Council Chambers and headed in to the Savage Land. She had a vague idea of where the lights had come from earlier, and she hoped she could find either Meanstreak or Morphine.

Then a though struck her - where were the X-Men?

She sat in the tesseract chamber, watching the world on the monitors as he did what he did. The Guild took up much of his time and his experimentations on her had ended. She appeased her hunger as much as she could by attacking the creatures he kept in the labs.

She was as much a prisoner as she had ever been, but after her crimes it was worth it. Then the monitors went crazy.

"What the shock?" she whispered. Someone - or something - with a bio-signature similar in wavelength to his own, triggered the alarm, yet it was vastly different in type. "Centre and magnify."

She didn't know of him, but she knew the name, that accompanied the circle that surrounded his head. Exodus.

"Run the file on Exodus," she said. She read of him, what he was and who had created him. In a way, he was an uncle of hers and she shivered in revulsion. How many more were there, she wondered. Then she noticed something on the file. A cross-reference with a file she was even more familiar with. "Open file 7476473 and run cross-reference with current file."

It came up with something she was surprised to see. "He's alive?" The surprise turned to delight. "He's alive!" The delight turned to anger. How could he have kept this from her? How much more did he know about her that she could not reach through conventional means? This quirk of fate had raised questions she knew she could not answer, and to be honest, she did not want to know.

The X-Men were in trouble, Tim was alive and that was all she needed to know. She read the files and found out that she could not get to Magneto's citadel via a tesseract portal, since Magnus had shielded it against such things. Neither could she arrive in Xavier City, for that would reveal her all too soon. There was only one option left.

"I'm coming, sweet thing," she said. The hunger seemed almost non-existent and she activated the tesseract chamber's portal creator and stepped through in to the jungles of the Savage Land.

"It's time," said Exodus and reached out with his powers, summoning his Acolytes to his side. It was time to round up the weak, to find the strong and remove the unworthy, and who better than the X-Men themselves?

In the citadel of Magneto, the X-Men screamed in agony as Exodus' forcibly took control, their efforts at escape all in vain as he summoned them to him. They felt themselves surrounded by the dark power of the scion of Apocalypse and the lights of free will went out in their minds, as his will became theirs.

"You have summoned, and we obey," they said and then they began to discorporate as they were teleported out - all but Dust who remained on the floor. The psychic energy cell dissipated and he was left alone in the darkness. Except for the red glow that emanated from his false eye and slowly his other eye opened.

The X-Men arrived in the Council Chambers and knelt before Exodus.

"My liege," they said as one. "What are your commands?"

"Separate the population of Xavier City. Round them up then cast the flatscan populace in to the jungles. Let them fend for themselves. Xavier City will be the capital of the planet, and belongs only to homo superior! And my first act as Emperor is to rename this city Avalon. And in Avalon there is no place for Xavier." He turned to the window and his eyes began to glow with energy, directed at the statue of Xavier down in the city below.

Just as he was about to obliterate the memorial he was interrupted by a cough and he turned to see who would dare interrupt him, his eyes still glowing with the raw power at his command.

"You're not the Emperor yet," said Morphine, standing in the doorway, Meanstreak behind him.

"And you will stop me?"

"No," said Morphine, lighting a cigarette. "I want you to have my city."

"Your city?" said Exodus, amused, yet unable to psionically scan either of them.

"Yes," said Morphine. "Y'see, I've had a better offer."

"You will give me control of the city? Willingly?"

"Yes. Computer, this is Morphine Somers. Acknowledge Bennet du Paris as Emperor of Xavier City."

"Command needs authorisation of three members of the council."

"Computer this is Victor Ten Eagles. Acknowledge Bennet du Paris as Emperor of Xavier City."

"Computer this is Xi'an Chi Xan. Acknowledge Bennet du Paris as Emperor of Xavier City."

"DNA and vocal scans completed. Command acknowledged. All authority over city legislature is transferred to Bennet du Paris."

"At last," said Exodus and smiled. Then he sent a psionic image across the world, from New York to Latveria.

"People of the world, heed my words! From this day forth there is a new world power - the power of homo superior! I am Exodus, Emperor of Avalon, formerly Xavier City in the Savage Land! I am the rightful heir to the Overlord of the Fatal Attraction, and to the Highlord Apocalypse!"

In New York, Miguel's hand went straight to Mjolnir.

In Latveria, Nostromo began to make plans to help the X-Men and gain revenge for Clarion. *

* (Exodus killed Clarion in X-Nation #7 - David)

In Atlantis, the Fantastic Four wondered what to do, as they were banished from the city and decided to contact Miguel for they knew what Exodus was capable of.

"Mutants of the world, heed me! For too long our race has been victimised, beaten, broken and massacred. Now is our turn! Now we will take what is ours by right of evolution, by right of genetics, by right of survival of the fittest!"

As Exodus spoke, he began to push the seeds of hatred that lay dormant, the fears and despondency after the death of Captain America and the intolerance of it humanity itself.

"There can be no harmony, there can be no peace, there can be only one!" His eye blasts fired at the statue of Charles Xavier and shattered it in to pieces.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," said Garokk, who had been waiting for that moment to reveal himself. "Time to die, Exodus."

Across the world, the racial hatred of a hundred years earlier exploded and the world became a battlefield once more, with humanity itself as the prize.

In X-Men 2099 #11: The Heir War intensifies as Garokk takes on Exodus - winner takes all, with the X-Men caught in the middle and only one of them will walk away.

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