Shakti Haddad was alone and she was afraid. She had done so much in her life, seen so much and she was used to loneliness but giving birth alone was not something she had bargained on. She hadn't bargained on a lot of things, that her child would be the product of an artificial intelligence, that the encounter would leave her crippled and powerless, or that her father would restore her ability to walk.

She had never considered that Xi'an loved her as much as he did, that through everything they had been through they would end up together, especially after he had joined the Theatre of Pain but that was a lifetime ago now and he had changed, merging the man he had been with the man she had known and become a new person, someone kinder, someone less... Lawless. She often imagined he was what it would have been like if Magnus and Xavier had joined forces.

Another contraction shook her from the thoughts, and she tried to force herself to relax, thinking of happier times, places, names. The next one was a few minutes later and they were intense and she gripped the rails of the bed just as Xi'an entered the room, being carried by Henri.

"Xi'an," she breathed.

"I came as quickly as I could," he replied, holding her hand in an attempt to use his healing powers to ensure she felt as little pain as possible. "Tim's on his way with the medical staff."

"Good," she said and smiled. "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," he said. "I didn't want to miss this."

"The city?"

"Is safe," he said. "Brimstone Love is gone, the Theatre destroyed. The past is behind us. Let's concentrate on the future." Shakti nodded. They'd discuss what the battle had cost them later.

---

Skullfire pushed through the jungles of the Savage Land to reach where the evacuation site was only to be greeted by someone standing there that he had not expected to see.

"Dust!" he said as he reformed so the other man could see him. "You're all right!"

"Ain't even close, Fitzgerald," he said. "We ain't even close, any of us."

"You know what's going on?"

"Yeah, an' I know what else is going on."

"Else?" said Tim, questioningly. "Dust, I need to get some of the docs back to Xavier City. Shakti's baby is coming."

"Damn," said Dust remembering the warning Doom had given him, that the Harbinger would come at a baby's cry. He desperately wanted to believe that Shakti's child was not the threat that Kulan Gath was trying to raise. He wasn't sure who the Sons of Set were, but he could guess that Set was the serpent god, but he was supposedly destroyed. Then again, could a God truly die? "Tim, I need to find the other X-Men. Doom's... spoken with me. He needs us to prepare."

"What for?"

"The end of the world."

"Again?" asked Tim.

"Bigger than the Phalanx, bigger than anything we've ever faced," said Dust. "Bigger than he can deal with alone."

"They're on their way to the city," said Tim. "I have to get the docs. Can you get everyone back to the city?"

"Yeah," said Dust. "But tell the others - we have a problem."

"I will," Skullfire answered and continued on his way, leaving Marcus Raven to muse on the past, what had happened one hundred years ago and what was coming. Kulan Gath had been stopped once but the cost had been high and Raven promised that this time this Age of Heroes would not be the cost. It would not happen again...

---

Morphine Somers stood from the medical bed. The medics at Alchemax were little more than educated butchers, but they knew what they were doing and most of his serious injuries had been healed and the resulting bruises would fade in time. Sinister had tried to kill him, and while it had not been unexpected, it annoyed him that he hadn't seen it coming. Plus he was also concerned about his city. He had seen Xavier City destroyed by Brimstone Love and as yet there was no news from the Savage Land. He needed to find out and this was one of the times he regretted the Council's decision to stop Alchemax from having a presence in the City as they would have had offices here.

He put his clothing on and made his way out in to the corridor, looking for a familiar face, anything that would let him know what was going on. He wondered where O'Hara was, and he shook his head. The people here would never let him get that close without a guard.

"Typical," said Morphine as he wandered and then he felt something, a presence in the back of his mind and the hairs stood on end on the back of his neck and he turned. "Thought it was you."

"Hello, Mophine," said the cowled figure and he took down his hood to reveal his face.

"And what is Victor Von Doom doing here?" Morphine asked, looking at his former leader, erstwhile ally and the two last survivors of Doom's Black Cabinet stared at each other. "Surely not checking up on me?"

"You are just a coincidence," said Doom. "I'm here for O'Hara."

"Lucky Miguel," said Morphine. "So is this a house call or do you want something?"

"Yes," said Doom and pointed at Morphine, who was bathed in a red light that emanated from the Sorcerer Supreme's finger tip. "Xavier City survives, but for how long is another matter."

"What's that... to do with... me?" stammered Morphine.

"A warning that your goals will not run contrary to mine otherwise there will be consequences, Morphine Somers. I have learnt enough about what is coming to know the signs and now I shall deal with those who seek to destroy mankind."

"Mankind?" said Morphine. "Saving the... world again?"

"The stakes are much higher," Doom said and released him. "I will allow you to return home." He gestured and a portal opened.

"You're using me," said Morphine. "You're playing to my desire to save the city."

"Perhaps," said Doom. "Or maybe I am giving you another chance. You may not live to get another." Doom's tone told him all he needed to know, that he was not in the mood to be trifled with and whoever was on his bad side at the moment was probably going to regret toying with Doom.

"Okay then," said Morphine and he stepped through the portal and ended up in his office in Xavier City as the portal closed behind him. "Gotta love magic."

Back at Alchemax, Doom smiled and opened another portal. He had a man to meet with and he had little time to waste.

---

The X-Men had wanted to wait at the hospital, but Xi'an had pointed out there was much to do and that the city needed them more than Shakti did right now, so they had all gone about their business, getting ready for the return of the evacuees and as they were heading out Tim returned with the medics in his arms, who looked a little shocked, whether from the speed of the trip or from the electrical energy that made up Tim's body he wasn't sure.

"Dust's awake," he told Xi'an as soon as he could. "He says Doom's warned him there's trouble coming. Soon, by all accounts."

"Shock," sighed Xi'an. "We could really do with a respite of some kind. We've barely had time to get our breath. Did Marcus say what it was?"

"No, but he was very concerned," Tim replied. "If it's got Doom spooked, then maybe it's something bigger than we can deal with."

"We'll find out soon enough," said Xi'an. "I have to get back," he said, looking through the window at Shakti. "We'll let you know."

"Good luck," said Tim and headed out to the others, wondering what had happened to Luna. It had been a while since he had seen her and he was starting to get worried.

---

La Lunatica wept at her loss. Tim was dead, along with the other X-Men and she was back in the hands of her father, the man called Sinister. There was nothing she could do, no way she could escape this time and even if she could where could she go? There was no place on Earth that she was safe from her father and she had learnt her powers had no effect on him. She thought back thinking this must be how Shakti must have felt when she had decided she had no reason to continue living and killed herself.

Shakti had been given a reason to live, but Luna had seen everything she cared about destroyed in an instant. She would never go back to the Theatre, she could never be a part of them. She was trapped in a hell she would never escape from, except through death. Sinister was trying to find Brimstone Love, but so far he had been unable to do so, which was concerning him and Luna thought how much she would love it, if the Stark/Fujikawa special forces had kept back up waiting and taken him down as he revelled in the destruction of the X-Men. It seemed the logical thing to do, if Reno Kaine had been any kind of strategist.

Also without Tim, the hunger would claim her again and the need to feast on emotional pain would be too great and she would be either experimented on by Nathaniel Essex, or he would release her in to a small population and allow her to sate her hungers, as he had planned the last time he had captured her.

No more, she decided. Perhaps her powers wouldn't work on him, but Sinister was mortal now. Morphine's touch had done something to him, undone some of the changes that Apocalypse had made. She knew what she had to do - she had to kill him and then destroy herself and let the legacy of Sinister die with her. She would need to prepare and she wiped the tears from her eyes and stared at the man who was her father.

When he died, he would see the hate in her eyes and he would see what he had truly created - the instrument of his own destruction. For now at least, she had something to live for.

---

Rosa Vasquez looked around for the first time in what had been weeks. Since her assault at the hands of Brimstone Love she had been comatose, and nothing the doctors could do would waken her. Not even Dust and his psionic probes had been able to revive her, but thanks to Doom the spell over her had been lifted and she needed to see her children.

Joaquim and Maddie raced towards their mother and she embraced them.

"We've missed you," Maddie said and Rosa smiled and looked at Joaquim who was staring at her.

"Momma?" he said.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's Momma."

"You look different." Joaquim hung back from the other two. "You..." Rosa held him in her arms and then he smiled. "There you are, Momma!" he said and Rosa knew that everything was going to be all right. It was time for them all to go home.

---

It took a couple of hours to get everyone back home in the city again, so the X-Men were kept busy ensuring that nothing went wrong and that any building damage was not a threat to anyone and towards the end of the work Eddie looked over and saw a sight he'd not seen in ages, that of the woman he loved walking towards him with the kids at her side.

"ROSA!" he called turning back to his human form and he ran over to her and they embraced. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe it," she said and they kissed.

"I was so worried, and so much has happened," Eddie started to say and she smiled.

"Marcus has told me everything, what's been happening with everyone and it's so hard to believe."

"Rosa, Dust's missed things as well. We've lost Victor and Krys."

"Lost," Rosa repeated. "You mean they're dead?"

"Yeah," said Eddie. "Brimstone Love..." She shuddered and Eddie nodded. "He's gone now. Xi'an made sure he won't return. Gave him a hand to the grave." It was a morbid joke but Rosa smiled. "Hey maybe you can help."

"Help?" she said. "Eddie, I've just woken up. I'm not really up to heroics."

"Shakti's baby," said Eddie. "She's giving birth."

"Now that I can help with. Lead the way," Rosa said and they went towards the medical centre. In the shadows, Morphine watched the reunion and shook his head. This all seemed a little too easy and the Savage Land felt wrong to him. There was something in the air that he didn't like and he wanted to know what that was. Doom, in his way, had given him a warning that something was coming, and from what he had picked up, he had also given Dust a warning as well.

Whatever was great enough to give Vic cause for concern needed dealing with and quickly and Morphine had been around long enough to know when certain things were related. It was time to check in with the remaining members of the Xavier City Council.

---

"Where the shock have you been?" Tim said as Morphine arrived.

"About," he replied and looked towards the room where Shakti and Xi'an were. "How's it going in there?"

"Fine so far," said Eddie, and Morphine shrugged and saw Dust standing there.

"Got a minute?" he said, of the man and Marcus Raven looked at him and shook his head.

"Not really."

"Doom." Dust smiled.

"News travels fast."

"Doom warned me as well. Said we may not live through what's coming."

"Ah reckon not," said Dust, "but now's not the place and Ah need to tell Xi'an."

"You're being naïve," Morphine said. "If there is a clear an present danger to us, then we need to deal with it now, not wait until the time's right."

"Give it a rest, Morphine," said Tim. "We'll deal with this when we get time, though while you're here have you seen Luna?" Morphine debated telling him what had gone down, but then decided not to. It wasn't as if he owed Tim any favours.

"Nope, not for a while." That in itself was true. He hadn't seen her since Sinister had dragged her away and that had been a while ago and the look on his face was payment enough. "She'll turn up. Some things always do."

"Indeed," said a voice and they turned to see two people coming towards them.

"Oh this isn't good," muttered Eddie. "Reed. Sue." The Richards came towards them and Dust's eyes narrowed. He had a reason for being here and they would make it that little bit more difficult.

"We're here to see our grandchild," Sue said. "I don't care what edicts Xi'an passed against us, he cannot stop us from seeing our family."

"Now really isn't the time for this," said Tim, wondering if this could get any worse. "Can you not... come back later?"

"Not really," said Reed. "The Atlantis negotiations are on a break and this is the only free time we have. We know we should have called first but..."

"No," said Sue. "We didn't have to call. We have rights, we have..."

"You have nothing," said Xi'an stepping in to the corridor. "Perhaps the real Reed and Sue would, but you're nothing more than trans-temporal duplicates, created by the Watcher to try and save humanity."

"Now wait a minute, son," said Reed but Xi'an was not in the mood.

"No, you wait," Desert Ghost snapped. "Spread the word, Tim. Shakti's given birth to a boy..." Dust started to move towards the room, for if Doom's warning that the end would begin with the cry of a child, then he knew he had to stop it before it was too late and if that meant betraying the X-Men, then he'd do it, but before he could get close he was met with an intense psionic force, preventing him from moving, and the others were in the same predicament, as Rosa brought the child out, crying and she laughed.

"Oh, Victor, the battle's not even started," she said.

"No," said Dust, horrified at what he was witnessing. "Not again..."

"Rosa?" Eddie said and she laughed.

"Rosa is gone, mortal thing. I am Kulan Gath. I am the Harbinger."