Kitty Pryde, Pete Wisdom, Excalibur and the X-Men are trademarks of Marvel Comics. This story is an unauthorised work done purely for my personal enjoyment, and is not intended to infringe on any of their rights in or their profits from these characters. But this story is copyright to me.
Comments, especially (constructive) criticism, always welcomed. Please
e-mail me at
mshakespeare@callnetuk.com
Notes:
< > indicates thoughts
The Board were all present. Coffee had been served to those who wished it, and the meeting was ready to come to order. It promised to be a fraught one. "As you are all aware, we suffered major trading losses in the Far East recently. Indeed, so bad were our losses that we may have to close down our Far East operations altogether" the Chairman spoke gravely. There was a subdued murmur at this, but everyone present had read the report and knew the seriousness of the situation. "Therefore, at thi -" The intercom beeped. "Sylvia, I specifically stated that we were not to be disturbed!" he went on angrily. His secretary was apologetic. "I'm sorry sir, but Miss Heskey has called, and wishes to discuss the Bank's financial position". The Chairman looked at the Board members. They nodded their heads. "Very well, put her through". There was a pause, then a melodic feminine voice came over the intercom. "My dear David, I'm so glad you agreed to let me speak. I know you are meeting to discuss the response to recent trading figures, and I have a proposition which I believe may help you out of your current predicament."
"Please, go on. The Board and I would be very interested to hear what you're proposing".
At the other end of the line, the beautiful blonde smiled to herself. < It won't be long before I reestablish control over the Bank. Then I can go about bringing my plans to fruition - taking back Brian, removing Meggan from my way, and gaining complete control of Kitty Pryde. After that I can begin my campaign to take control of this anarchic, undisciplined little mudball. I'll bring them the stability, and peace, they keep demanding, because everyone will obey me! >
And Sat-Yr-9 smiled in quiet satisfaction at the prospect.
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The meal had been a large, three course affair. Meggan had insisted on preparing a big meal to welcome her friend back, even if it was only for a short visit. Kitty and Betsy had all helped out in the kitchen, Brian being assigned washing-up duties afterwards, much to his chagrin.
Now, everyone was settled down in the main living room, ready for a long, pleasant talk amongst friends. The huge fireplace was alight, the large, comfortable leather armchairs positioned to their occupants' satisfaction, and drinks handed round. Brian, of course, had pride of place near the fire; Meggan sat on his lap, arms around him. Betsy relaxed in a chair near the window. Kitty had picked the largest chair, and was now sunk deep into it, almost disappearing into its depths. Lockheed was curled up in Kitty's lap.
"So, Kitty, I hear they finally came up with a cure for the Legacy Virus?" Brian got the conversation under way. Kitty smiled. "Yeah, finally! Actually, they have you to thank for it". At Brian's quizzical look, she elaborated, "You remember when you were Britannic, going round sounding like a sub-Thor clone?" Meggan giggled, as did Betsy, while Brian looked a bit sheepish - this was still something of a sore subject with him. "Well, when we saved Zero, he said something about having a cure for the Legacy Virus. But what we only found out later, after his destruction, was that he'd downloaded the information into Douglock. So anyway, after the Demon Under London affair, Doug began remembering what had happened. Incompletely, at first, but it was there. So what we did, Hank and I, was to get Doug to download ALL his memory into the computers at the mansion, then Moira and Hank started searching them for the data. It took a hell of a long time, and a lot of work, but they eventually found it - Stryfe's data on how the Virus had been constructed. With that, coupled with the research data that Moira had already come up with on Muir, and hey presto! - Hank and Moira came up with a cure, and published it worldwide. The rest you know."
"Of course, we threw a big party to celebrate". Kitty giggled. "As I recall, you two were off on a romantic trip to Goa, and couldn't be reached in time". Meggan giggled, and even Brian smiled at the memories THAT brought. "Well anyway, you should have seen Rahne - she grabbed Sam and started dancing with him, up close, REAL close, MUCH to Tabitha's annoyance!" The rest laughed with her - they knew how shy the Scots were-girl normally acted, and how happy she must have been to act in such a way. "And Moira ended up in a big clinch with Sean - which put Emma's nose out of joint, I think! And, you remember when we went down the pub the first time, with Pe - well, you remember how drunk Moira got? Believe me, it was NOTHING on what she was like this time round! I guess the relief of no longer having to worry about living with that bloody virus meant she just let her hair down. And she was gloating about having put one over on Rory Campbell, and his work for the Hellfire Club; a bit of friendly rivalry there, I think!" Of course, Kitty didn't know about Rory stealing Moira's research for the Hellfire Club some time before.
Betsy was smiling at this somewhat abbreviated account - she knew the details, how Kitty had had to reconstruct the computers in the first place, after OZ:T's confiscation of the existing ones; the long hours, working into the night, spent poring through the files, setting up search algorithms to find the data; then the weeks spent creating an anti-virus, designed to hunt down Legacy and destroy it; the trials and errors, the heartbreak of failure after failure, before final success. She also knew another detail of the work, one which, she noted amusedly, Kitty had completely omitted. "But Kitty, didn't you come up with a way to keep mutants with Legacy alive until the cure was found?" Brian and Meggan looked surprised - as far as they knew, biology wasn't one of Kitty's fields of expertise. Kitty looked embarrassed at having been reminded of it.
"Well, yeah, I did. Y'see, I was talking to Ororo, and we got on to a discussion of Legacy. Anyway, she mentioned about how the virus uses the mutant's own power, by latching onto the X-chromosome, to attack the victim. I said something about how a good way to keep a victim alive might be to neutralise their power, so that, even though Legacy was active, it couldn't cause any damage. Anyway, I guess it was because it was Ororo I was talking to, given what had happened with her, but I suddenly thought, 'Neutralise!'. 'Forge's Neutraliser!' We got him to knock up a new one and send it over, and we tried out on a couple of mutants who were infected with the virus, Pyro for one. And it worked! Legacy remained in their bodies, still active, but it couldn't do damage because their mutant ability was switched off! So they could be kept alive until the cure was found. It didn't cure it, but it did save the victims' lives, which was what was important".
Meggan laughed delightedly. "Kitty, that was brilliant! I'd never have thought of that. Would you, Brian?" The latter shook his head. "I think it's safe to say that the idea wouldn't have come to me. That was a real brainwave, Kitty". Betsy nodded her agreement. Kitty was by this time bright red with embarrassment at the compliments - < it was pure luck, guys! > - and desperate to change the subject.
"So, how's human / mutant relations this side of the Atlantic? Recovered from Onslaught yet? It's still bad over in the States, what with OZ:T, Cerebro and the Benassi satellite, Magneto and so on, but what about here?"
Brian looked a bit grim. "Not as bad as they were after the Onslaught episode, but not as good as they once were. There've been some politicians, mainly on the right, stirring up trouble. And, as usual, some of the tabloid media have joined in the witch-hunt, like they always do over immigrants, travellers, single mothers and the other members of the pantheon of right-wing demonology. Pathetic, really, how xenophobic Little England can get sometimes. It's one thing being proud of being British; another being hostile to everyone else! But, that seems to be the reaction sometimes. Hopefully, it'll get better, as long as there aren't any more such incidents."
Meggan nodded her agreement with her husband. "People are still afraid, I can feel it. And there have been a few instances of attacks on mutants by gangs, possibly connected to the Friends of Humanity, who seem to be moving in over here. I just wish there was something we could do".
Kitty nodded. "I know the feeling. I just wonder if us X-teams do enough for pro-mutant propaganda, y'know, to try to improve relations? All we seem to do is keep fighting opponents, winning battles but causing damage to bystanders which fuels the hatred. Maybe we ought to be more active in the PR field - what do you think?"
Betsy nodded her agreement, as did Brian. "I quite agree. We talk so much about mutants being persecuted, and how we have to protect them, without seeming to realise that maybe the best way to protect them is to make the effort to stop humans fearing them so much, educate them, teach them that most mutants aren't interested in causing destruction, just in living quiet lives of their own. Would you agree, Brian?"
"Absolutely, Betts. People fear the unknown. If the X-Men were to spend as much time as the Avengers or Fantastic Four playing the PR game, they might do a lot more good for human / mutant relations. We were lucky, in Excalibur, that we had contacts in the law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Maybe the Professor should concentrate more on that".
"Maybe, Bri, but YOU try telling him that his whole approach for years has been wrong!" Kitty grinned at the thought of his reaction. The others all smiled, especially Betsy, who knew the Professor better than Brian and Meggan did. The were a few moments silence, as people drank their drinks, and Brian stoked the fire, putting a couple more logs on. Everyone settled into their chairs again, relaxing and unwinding, especially Kitty, after her recent adventures with the X-Men in Europe.
She glanced at Brian. "I hope that isn't alcoholic, Bri......" He smiled at her concern, and shook his head. "Don't worry, Kitty, I'm still off the hard stuff. This is a nonalcoholic beer - it might not taste the same, but at least it's safe. And I'm surprised - after Pete Wisdom, I wouldn't have thought you'd be too worried about someone drinking".
Betsy snorted at that remark. "You aren't Pete. He just got drunk, not argumentative and violent, which you used to be. So Kitty has every right to be concerned for an old friend - and you should be grateful she is".
Brian held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay! Three to one the women, I suppose I'd better just surrender gracefully!" The three women present laughed at his expression.
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More figures emerged from the trees, different this time, clad in gleaming metal armour and carrying swords. Their eyes glowed with a pale green fire, and their skin was white. They looked over towards the figure standing under the tallest pine trees. He waved his spear at the house, and they began to move towards it. The other figures, those who had emerged earlier, also began to approach. He smiled. Soon this land's defenders would be dead. Then he and his fellow Lords would rule, and no-one could stop them.
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The fire had begun to die down now. The light cast onto the furniture was ruddy, slowly fading away as the logs were consumed. "So, where's Kurt? I would have thought he would be over here too" Betsy asked. Kitty was curled up in her seat now, Lockheed sleeping across the back of the chair. Kitty swirled her drink - "dry martini, stirred not shaken, I wish Ian Fleming had got it right!" - and looked up. "Well, Kurt's decided to stay with the X-Men for the future, at least for now. You know he had doubts about Excalibur, about whether we were pulling our weight? Well, he still feels that way. As to why he decided not to visit now, I think it's because he and Amanda have been having a few .... problems in their relationship, and he wants to stay in the States to try to patch things up". Meggan looked concerned. "Why, what's caused the problems?"
Kitty shrugged. "Don't know, he won't talk about it. And in any case, I'm not exactly one to offer advice on relationships, am I?"
"Still nothing from Wisdom, then?" Brian spoke softly. "Not that I'm his greatest fan, I'm not. But you seemed to be happy with him. I wasn't here when you broke up, what happened?"
Kitty sighed. "To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure myself. I went away on that stupid SHIELD business, and met this young man, Rigby Fallon. We hit it off straight away - we were both interested in computers, about the same age. And - we clicked". She winced at the memory. "Heck, we kissed. He made me feel young again, something Pete didn't, and I liked it, even though I still wanted to be with Pete. In the end, after that affair with Nightmare, I had to tell him. He left, and I haven't heard a word since, though I heard X-Force ran into him. I guess he's just not interested anymore ......". Meggan gave her a sympathetic look - she knew what it was like to have uncontrollable feelings for someone, she'd had them for Piotr during Brian's absence. Fortunately for her, Brian had forgiven her - Kitty had not been so lucky.
Betsy picked up on an earlier comment. "You said Kurt's decided to stay with the X-Men for the future, does that mean you're not so sure?" Kitty nodded. "It's not the same, the camaraderie just isn't like it was before. Hardly surprising, I guess, especially considering how long it's been since Kurt and I were part of the team, but it still makes me uncomfortable. The easy familiarity just isn't there anymore. At least, not for me". She stroked Lockheed's head absently.
"Peter's happy - did you know he's started painting again? Remember Meg, he painted YOU, as I recall, just before we left. Anyway, now he's reallt getting back into the swing of things. Seems he prefers the atmosphere at the Mansion to that on Muir Isle - 'more conducive to creative expression', I believe were his words. He's even talking about getting a studio downtown, where he can exhibit his work. Good for him, I'm glad he's happy. It's just I'm not, not anymore........"
"So," Brian asked, "does that mean you're coming back to Excalibur - such as it is? What with Rahne and Douglock going back to the New Mutants, or X-Treme as I believe they call themselves now (ugh, what a terrible name!), Kurt and Piotr still with the X-Men, Wisdom departed and Amanda off in Limbo, there isn't much of a team left. We haven't heard from Feron, Micromax, Cerise or K'ylun since the wedding, we have no idea where they are. At the moment, Meggan and I ARE the team".
Kitty smiled slightly. "Well, I ha -"
~ CRASH! ~
The dining room windows exploded into fragments of flying glass, the shards spilling across the floor. Through one window leapt four shadowy figures, one huge with three heads, the others human-like but misshapen, all with blazing red eyes. From the other window came figures with gleaming swords in their hands, eyes of pale green fire. All of them converging on the four heroes.
"Who in the name of - " Brain was on his feet, Meggan shifting to her semi-animal form, Kitty and Betsy quickly into a fighting stance. Lockheed launched himself into the air. But the attackers struck first. Meggan suddenly clutched her head, screaming in pain, and fell to the ground. Betsy moved to help, then stopped as if hitting a wall. She could feel a stirring in her mind, something dark and foul rising to the surface - < the Crimson Dawn! > - , clawing at the edges of her sanity. She fought to contain it, control it, before it cut loose.
Brian saw the armed figures move towards his wife and sister. "NOOOOO!" he roared, throwing himself into them, bowling them over with the force of his attack. He barely had time to avoid a sword stroke aimed at his neck - more of the attackers were coming through the shattered window. One of those he had hit laughed, a cruel, chilling sound. "Mortal fool, think you to stop US?? You will fall, and Winter shall claim this land!"
Kitty found herself facing the four misshapen figures from the other window. The three-headed one simply stood still, one head focussed on her, the others directing their attention elsewhere. The remaining three converged on her; lopsided, hulking brutes, eyes differing sizes, drooling, stinking of death and decay. As the first one reached for her, Kitty lashed out, striking it in the face with a kick. It flew back into the woodwork panelling, then picked itself up and again advanced towards her. Kitty felt a burning sensation in her foot. She looked down; her shoe was dissolving, smoking away! She quickly kicked it off - <some sort of acid!> - as the attackers moved towards her. Lockheed hovered helplessly - if he unleashed his flame blast, he would hit her AND the others. Kitty grabbed a chair, using it to smash into the face of one of the creatures as it reached for the defenseless Meggan. It staggered back, crashing into a second creature, unbalancing it. Brain meanwhile seized the arm of the one attacking him, and, with a burst of superhuman strength, tore the arm off. The being simply laughed, as the sweet smell of pine sap filled the air. "Fool, we are the People of the Pine; we do not die as others die!" It reached for his throat with fingers like claws. Others moved in with swords upraised.
Betsy struggled with the voices in her head, whispering of madness, destruction and death. She would NOT give in; she had fought them so long, as she had the Shadow King, too long to give in now. She couldn't use her telepathic powers now - she was already overextended by her internal battle. <My mind is my own, damn you, not yours to play with! I WILL control my own mind, and body - I am no-one's toy!>
Meggan lay curled up on the floor. She felt an evil presence in her mind, and it was causing the innocent elemental physical pain. She was fighting to drive it out, but failing. Her will had never been the strongest of Excalibur - Kurt and Kitty had both surpassed her in that - and it was her willpower which was failing her now. The darkness within her was a tangible force, twisting her perceptions; she saw herself raped and beaten by Brian, callously seduced and abandoned by Kurt; Kitty laughed at her as an ignorant idiot; Betsy considered her a weak, spineless coward. <It's not true, it's not true!> she said to herself, only to hear the mocking echo, <Of course it's true, fool. You just haven't the guts to admit it ......>
Kitty felt rage rising within her, a rage she hadn't felt since Madripoor, when she'd taken on the rage and bloodlust of Sabretooth. She had always fought to control her temper, a flaming anger as fierce, when unleashed, as that of Logan. She fought it down - <I haven't time for this!> as she faced the attackers closing on her. One opened its' mouth. She phased instinctively, just as a stream of shining silver was spat at her. It passed through her, but as it passed her body felt a burning sensation. <Oh great, they can hurt me even when phasing!> she thought in despair. She looked wildly round for a weapon - and spotted something which gave her hope. "Brian! The arm you tore off - it's burning like a log! The People of the Pine - the smell of tree sap - I think those things have tree sap for blood! Get them outside - NOW!" She screamed at the top of her voice, over the din of battle.
Brian threw himself into the attackers facing him, and pushed them all out of the broken window, onto the lawn.
"Lockheed! Go burn them, dragon!" Kitty yelled at her friend. With a loud roar the little purple dragon flew outside. Brian hurled himself to one side as Lockheed unleashed a mighty blast of fire, hot as a furnace. The People screamed as they caught alight, and began to burn with a hot, yellow fire, the overpoweringly sickly smell of pine trees filling the air.
Kitty somersaulted back over the table towards the fireplace, and snatched a poker from the rack nearby, intending to use it as a weapon. She levelled it at her assailants -and was amazed as they stopped advancing on her. <Why are they afraid, it's certainly not hot at the moment. So heat can't be it - Iron, it MUST be because they're vulnerable to Iron!> All this time she had fought the rage burning within her - now she stopped fighting it. Whatever had reached into her mind to find her darkness, her evil side, had awakened the anger she normally kept under tight control - she decided to let it have its' way.
And cut loose with everything she had. The rage was a weapon, and she used it as such
The first fell with head smashed in, with a roar of pain and fury. The second reached for her - she smashed the poker down on its' arm, and was rewarded with a scream of anguish. She saw the three-headed creature, its' eyes still focussed on her. But now she noted where else it was looking - Betsy and Meggan! "Mind control" she breathed, "it must exert some kind of mind control, it's making me lose control of my anger - a BAD move - and it's hurting Betsy and Meggan!" She threw herself at it, hammering the poker down onto one head, which collapsed like an eggshell.
Betsy felt the Crimson Dawn's whisperings die away, and her mind clear. She looked round, and saw one of the People's swords on the floor, which she quickly snatched up. The third creature was trying to get at Kitty from behind - she leapt forwards and drove the sword between its' shoulder-blades. It fell forwards, screeching its' death agony. Kitty smashed the second head, then the third. The being fell like a toppling tree, to lie motionless on the ground. Kitty felt the rage draining away, leaving her mind free and clear again.
Meggan began to stir, as Kitty and Betsy ran over to help. The darkness within was dissipating, the pain leaving her body. After a few moments she could stand again. Brian and Lockheed flew back through the window. "All the People of the Pines are burnt to ash", Brian announced. He looked round the room. "Is everyone alright?"
"Yes, Brian, no-one has suffered any permanent damage" Betsy responded, one arm around Meggan's shoulders. "But who, or what, WERE those creatures?"
"I have no idea", said Brian, "but I guess we're going to have to find out".
Kitty sighed. "So much for a relaxing visit amongst friends. I guess I'd better stay, at least long enough to help out with this".
"Yah!" cried Lockheed, enthusiastically, as everyone began clearing up.
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He was enraged. His forces had been defeated! He had heard that this land's defender was weak, and his consort vulnerable. But they had triumphed over his forces! He ground his teeth. <Soon>, he promised, <there will be a reckoning!>
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