Xi'an Chi Xan cradled Charles in his arms, letting the sleeping child sleep through the torrential downpour that was going on outside. The weather in the Savage Land was somewhat unpredictable, even with the sophisticated monitoring devices that lurked in the upper atmosphere. This particular storm had come without warning just as the clock changed over to what passed for nighttime in Xavier City. A deal literally cut with the devil meant that there was year-round 24 hour a day sunlight in the the area, which had taken quite a bit of getting used to. There was a strong psychological component in most people that seemed to crave the regular night and day rhythms. As such, Xi'an and the council had ordered that all city lights would be dimmed at certain hours and that only certain types of businesses could operate in the middle of 'night.' Such things would eventually fade, of course, making way for a city that would never truly sleep -- but for now, Xi'an thought it served its purpose well.

The man formerly known as the Desert Ghost stared out the window, watching as the rain splashed down on the veranda of the home he had shared as of late with Shakti Haddad. Though their romance was not a well-kept secret these days, he still found himself sneaking in and out of her home. It wasn't simply the idea that some might accuse of him of favoritism in his daily dutities -- though that did play a part -- but also because Xi'an knew that he was making more and more enemies and those enemies might see Shakti and  Charles as an easy way to strike at him.

"You're being silly," a woman said to him. He jumped a little at the sudden interruption but did not bother turning around to see the young woman locally known as Bloody Mary. A mutant, born Mary Wilkes, she had been brutally raped and murdered not long after the founding of Xavier City. The perpetrators had done their heinous deeds because they hated her for her mutant abilities and her strangely unearthly beauty -- and the fact that she had resisted the advances of one of them days before. The crime had been all the more horrific as it seemed so out of place in a city that had been founded on the peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans.

Following her death, the men and women in Xavier City had come to realize that her mutant ability to project her consciousness outside of her body had somehow allowed to survive in a ghost-like state. Unfortunately, her appearance mirrored her last vivid memory of herself and so she always looked beaten and bloodied, her clothing torn to shreds. With the "deceased" testifying against the men, the trial went very quickly.

"What do you mean?" Xi'an asked, shifting his hold on the still sleeping little boy. He was growing so fast that it sometimes boggled Xi'an's mind. Did time really go so quickly?

"Sitting here, thinking about how you shouldn't put Shakti and Charles in danger."

"Are you a telepath now, too?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Xi'an." Mary moved around in front of him. Her long blonde hair was matted with blood. "Shakti can take care of herself and you'll never be able to protect Charles completely. Life's full of dangers. Believe me, I know."

Xi'an sighed. "I thought we'd agreed that you weren't going to go floating through people's houses. You frighten them."

"Do I frighten you?"

"No. Of course not." Xi'an looked away, his face growing tight with concern. "But you're right about my thoughts."

"It's better to enjoy your life for what it is, Xi'an. Embrace it. No matter what risks you take, they're worth it if you're able to find that special someone who makes life more wonderful."

Xi'an smiled softly. "Thank you, Mary. You've become a good friend to me."

"Oh no," Mary whispered, looking around wildly. Xi'an rose from his chair, sensing her fear, and his motion woke up Charles, who began to complain.

"What's wrong?" Xi'an asked, setting Charles down gently on a nearby couch.

"They're coming for me again. I have to go!"

"Who's coming?" Xi'an demanded but the ghost girl was gone, vanishing without a trace. Xi'an tried to tune out the complaining whines coming from Charles, concentrating on sounds that danced around the periphery of his senses. He heard the sounds of horses' hooves and he smelled dust and sweat. For a brief second, he thought he caught a glimpse of something impossible outside the window. There in the city streets seemed to be a group of three men, dressed as if they had stepped out of an old west vid. Their leader had long stringy white blond hair and he held a gun in one raised hand.

And then the apparitions were gone.

Morphine Somers lit a cigarette and blew out a long plume of smoke that seemed to float through the filtered air with a life of its own. He was standing on a moving platform, one that slowly moved past a glassed-in room. The X-Men, defeated in seconds by a sneak attack, were being locked into place by the members of the Brotherhood, who were attaching power dampening collars on each. Morphine stared intently at Tim Fitzgerald, wondering how and why the energy being had been felled by Payne's gas assault. Was he playing the proverbial possum? If so, he was far more clever than Morphine had given him credit for being.

"My Brotherhood are the deadliest men and women on the planet," Magneto Rex said at his side. There was a bit of obvious pride in his voice. "I sought them out one by one and then trained them, just as the original Magneto did with his own followers."

"You mentioned that you were going to sell us off to someone else... does that mean that you're just a glorified mercenary or do you actually have some sort of social agenda?"

Magneto Rex stared at the green-haired man with rising fury. "I allowed you to speak to me without respect in Xavier City because I was a guest playing a part.... but here I am ruler. My word is absolute. You will address me in a proper manner."

Morphine blew smoke into the man's face. "Or what? You'll kill me?"

"What makes you think I won't?"

"The fact that I'm still breathing at the moment is a big clue. Whoever's paying you for the X-Men must want them -- and me -- alive. Otherwise, why not just kill us all and turn over the bodies as proof we're gone. It'd be a lot less dangerous for you if we were dead."

"There is no danger," Magneto scoffed. "But you are right... you are wanted alive." Magneto nodded as his Brotherhood filed back into the hallway. The moving pad on which he stood was now no longer facing the prison, having moved on towards a section of living quarters. He gestured towards a black woman who wore a green and yellow skirted outfit. "Psi-Witch, please escort Mr. Somers to his quarters. Given his position of power on the Xavier City council, I think we should offer him a little more comfort than the X-Men."

Psi-Witch smiled, projecting her words straight into the minds of Magneto and Morphine. No shocking problem, M. I've always wanted to meet the famous Mr. Somers.

Morphine found himself liking this attractive young woman, who seemed utterly without fear of either him or her supposed master. He nodded briefly to Magneto Rex and began walking alongside the Brotherhood's telepath. "You're familiar with me?"

You were the most striking of Doom's cabinet, she teased. And I've always had a thing for green heads.

Morphine laughed at that. "You're a bit of a flirt, aren't you? So what is a nice girl like you doing working for an obvious egotist like Magneto Rex?"

He's not that bad, she answered with a giggle. Morphine wondered if she did all her talking mentally and she answered his thoughts. I prefer this to speaking aloud. It's much more personal, I think. As for why I'm here... why not? As noble as the X-Men's dream of living with humanity in peace sounds, I don't think it will ever work. So why not use my powers to make my life a little easier?

"A girl after my own heart," he said with a smile.

As soon as the Brotherhood was out of sight, Skullfire abandoned his corporeal form. Shifting into his actual energy body was actually quite liberating for him and he relished the new sensations for a moment before flying around to examine his teammates. He wasn't sure which of them to awaken first -- and he needed to make sure he made the right decision. If the Brotherhood caught him before he'd freed them all, he wanted to have the best possible person at his side. With a sigh of regret, he decided not to awaken Luna just yet. Instead, he nudged Eddie with an electric touch, causing the brutish mutant to jump slightly.

"What the shock....?" Eddie asked, his steel like features registering confusion as his head began to clear.

"Some chick named Payne knocked you out with her bodily gases."

Eddie stared at Skullfire with a blank expression. "You're serious?"

"I'm afraid I am."

Eddie snorted and shook his head. He looked down at the power dampening bonds he wore. "How come you were able to get out of yours?"

"They're programmed to match our known powers. The Brotherhood's not aware of my recent shift in abilities."

As Skullfire burned away Eddie's bonds, Metalhead looked around. "The Brotherhood, huh? So our Magneto buddy's going all-out on the retro kick, isn't he?"

"You got that right. He--"

The sound of a door opening made Skullfire whip around. A massive man was entering, his body covered by rock-like plates. He was the one that Magneto Rex had called Tectonic, Tim remembered.

The member of the Brotherhood froze in place as soon as he realized that two of the X-Men were free. He cursed under his breath, knowing that Magneto was going to be furious. He'd been assigned guard duty but had snuck away to get a beer, thinking things were well in hand.

Eddie didn't bother waiting for the enemy to get his bearings. The silver-coated X-Man ran forward like a maddened bull, roaring as he did so. He slammed hard into Tectonic, knocking the man through the air. The evil mutant landed on his backside, leaving a sizable indention on the floor.

Tectonic gritted his teeth and clambered back to his feet. "Yer gonna regret that, pal."

Eddie grinned, raising his fist. "I don't think so. Felt pretty shocking good, actually."

Tectonic caught the X-Man's fist in the air and the two men began straining against one another. Tim turned away from them, wondering what he should do. The racket they were making was sure to bring reinforcements from the Brotherhood. Sighing, he set about freeing the other X-Men, hoping that Eddie could handle the big man by himself.

Tectonic spat in Eddie's eye and drove a knee into the younger man's midsection. "Stupid little turk. Ya really think the humans are ever gonna fergit that you're not like them? Yer better! Why not act like it! They should be shinin' our shoes!"

Eddie ducked under a backhanded blow, slamming his own fist into Tectonic's side. A whoosh of air escaped the Brotherhood member's lips and he crumpled over. "Not all humans are like that," he whispered. "And even if they were, doesn't mean we can't take the high road and fight to change things."

"Yer a dreamer," Tectonic hissed.

"Sure I am. I'm an X-Man." Eddie delivered a punch that shattered the big man's jaw and sent him into the darkness of unconsciousness. Metalhead then staggered back, rubbing the injured knuckles. "That guy had the hardest head I've seen."

"You obviously haven't looked in a mirror lately."

Eddie looked over his shoulder, a smile spreading across his silver face. "Luna!"

Luna gave him a wink as she moved up beside Tim. The rest of the X-Men were slowly coming to their feet, some looking more bleary-eyed than others.

"Where's Somers?" Krys asked, her eyes scanning the room around them. "Did he sell us out?"

"He's innocent on this one," Tim answered. "He's been taken off to wait until the Brotherhood can sell us off to their employer."

Shakti touched the side of her head. "I can sense him. He's not far from here."

"Are the Brotherhood still shielded from your thoughts?" Henri asked, shaking his head to clear it. "I can check this place out at superspeed and find them if you need me to."

"Not necessary," the team's telepath answered. "Someone new has just docked with the Asteroid."

"Who is it?"

Shakti narrowed her eyes. "Someone who should be dead."

Deep within the Savage Land, several miles from the refuge of Xavier City, lay a silver capsule. Its contents, so recently discovered by Noah Wingfoot, had been undisturbed for many decades... but a snap-hiss and sudden opening of the tube was ample evidence that it would remain silent for no longer. A metallic hand, painted a vibrant shade of purple, gripped the side of the capsule's door and pulled the body from within.

The figure was shaped like a man but it bore obvious signs of being an artificial being. As it scanned its surroundings, the being extended one of its arms, picking up a small object that had been dropped by Noah. It was a communications device but not of a design that the figure recognized. With a shrug of his metal shoulders, the being tossed the device in his mouth and swallowed it whole, allowing his body to internalize it and add it to his overall matrix.

"Acxhnzus," it muttered, shaking its head to try and get its vocabulators back online. How long had it slumbered? How many years.... was Arno Stark still active? Had Sunset Bain managed to cheat death once again? "Xisnfisns *fzksksnasz*." The figure staggered back as someone flicked on within his head. Confident that he could now speak clearly, he looked off into the distance, his telescopic sight finding a glimpse of Xavier City. "I hope they're friendly," he remarked in a clear voice.

X-51 set off across the jungle.

"Sucks to be Tectonic," Payne laughed.

Psi-Witch said nothing but the look on her face said that she shared the other woman's opinion. Neither of them cared much for the strongman of the Brotherhood, who was constantly making sexual remarks to them. In fact, Psi-Witch had recommended to Magneto that it be Tectonic who watched over the X-Men. It wasn't just that she wanted some peace for once -- she also wanted to avoid having him ruin this moment.

Alongside the two women were the twins -- Night and Day -- who held hands and whispered together. Psi-Witch didn't need telepathy to realize that they shared a bond that was at worst sickening and at best inappropriate. They at least seemed to share her excitement at the arrival of the man who'd been funneling them funds as of late. Magneto had been the driving force behind the Brotherhood but he'd been a mere dreamer, unable to finance the rebuilding of Asteroid M... until their backer had come along. He'd allowed them to become more than just a small cult of believers... now they were at the forefront of a new mutant movement. Once word got out that the X-Men had been defeated, Xavier City's residents would listen to Magneto's words. They'd see what he knew as the truth --what all of the Brotherhood knew of as the truth: humanity would always hate and fear that which was different. There could be no lasting peace.

"You really think he was a god? I heard that was just a delusion."

Psi-Witch rolled her eyes, restraining herself from smacking Payne in the head. "He was a god," she repeated for the hundredth time.

"Hush," Magneto said. The Brotherhood was assembled in the main hangar, where a small vessel was touching down. He strode forward, cape whipping at his heels and Psi-Witch couldn't help but think that he certainly looked the part. "Welcome," Magneto said, raising his voice as the ramp began to descend from the ship. "The X-Men are held prisoner and are awaiting your arrival."

The man who stepped into view was tall and very slender. He wore a tattered brown robe whose hood was pulled up high, hiding his features. "Are they unharmed?" he asked.

"Yes... though Xi'an isn't with them. Morphine Somers came in his place. We're holding the Councilman in a private room."

The cloaked man glanced over at Psi-Witch, feeling her gentle mental probe. He batted it aside without much effort. It wasn't that he was a skilled psi -- he wasn't -- but his mind had been altered significantly and  foolish were the telepaths who went looking too far into his psyche. "You said the X-Men are imprisoned?"

"Yes," Magneto agreed. "Why?"

"Then who is that?" the cloaked man asked, nodding towards the opening doors. Magneto barely had time to register shock before the X-Men launched an attack. Krystaline encased Night in a full body prison shaped out of crystal, preventing the man from using his darkforce powers to defend himself. His sister, Day, did manage to access her light generation abilities, momentarily blinding Eddie before Luna dove for her with claws flashing. The Brotherhood female went down, blood flowing freely.

Psi-Witch found herself locked in a mental tug-of-war with Cerebra. The two young women stood their ground, barely moving, until sweat began to drip down their backs. With a tremendous effort, Shakti pierced the other woman's defenses and shut down her mental processes. Shakti sagged backwards, exhausted, but Skullfire was there to catch her.

Payne never managed to emit her noxious fumes, felled by a superspeed flurry of punches from Meanstreak.

Magneto used his powers to pull up a section of flooring, forging a small wall around himself and his employer. "Stop!" he commanded. "This is my home... and despite what your eyes might tell you, you have no advantage here! I command forces that you barely comprehend!"

"Lay off the dramatics," the cloaked man chuckled. "You're not scaring them."

Meanstreak ignored the sullen expression visible beneath Magneto's helmet, instead staring hard at the cloaked figure. "What's all this about, man?"

"If I called, I doubt all of you would have come running. Well... you might have. But I need more than just you. There's something sick at the heart of Xavier City, Henri. Something dark and crazy... and the only way to fight crazy is with more crazy, I always say."

"I thought you were dead," Henri muttered.

"I was. I got better. And richer." The cloaked man reached up and pulled his hood back, revealing a green skinned face parted by a leering grin. Long white hair hung loosely about his shoulders.

"Jordan," Henri whispered, a mixture of emotions going through him as he recognized his old friend.

In X-Men 2099 #28: Brotherhood continues as the Phantom Riders continue their hunt for Blood Mary and Halloween Jack gives us all the lowdown on something called The New Illuminati. Plus: X-51 comes calling and that can't possibly be a bad thing -- can it?

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Originally I'd planned for "Brotherhood" to only be a two issue storyline but as I was planning this issue, I realized there were some things I wanted to explore that couldn't be done without expanding it a bit. I'm actually combining two of my ideas into one story and I think it'll be the stronger for it. "World Tour" will still be coming after this arc, don't worry.

Let me know what you think of the Brotherhood 2099 group. Should they make a return appearance? Or would you like to see Magneto Rex come back on his own? Expect his origin to be told in this year's Annual.

Please let me what you think of the series!