#chatlog: extermination finale

[multiverseofmiracleshq]

Emma Frost attempted to throw herself a ( thirtieth ) twenty-seventh birthday party at Krakoa’s White Palace. The party was crashed first by Cable and the three time displaced X-Men he had taken hostage so he could find the young and a currently at large Scott and Jean. The second intrusion was the aforementioned young X-Men and a surprise appearance by Doctor Strange, who claimed to have a solution that would involve no one permanently dying or being sent away. Time was not their friend, however, and there  was only one chance to be had.

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL COMPLETE CHAT LOG COVERAGE OF THE IC

EMMA: Who didn’t love a party? There were some people out there ( those dreadful souls ) but they were irrelevant. It was easier to ask who did love parties, and there was only one relevant answer: Emma Frost. A privileged state of existence had made her privy to many of them but too often they slipped into the void of boredom and disinterest. If you wanted to throw a party you had to throw a good one, and Emma had done just that on all accounts. The White Palace was always primed for people, an alabaster tomb awaiting guests. Diamonds were shipped in, table cloths were spread and every hair on each servers head had been smoothed to perfection. Per instruction a rather large white chair ( a throne, if you wanted to be technical ) had been placed on the dais at the front of the ballroom. A full thirty minutes before guest were allowed in she had taken to it so that every layer of white silk could be arranged just so. Once everyone of note had filtered in Emma waved off whoever she had been speaking to with one gloved hand before rising. The half hour in the chair did its job - she noted mentally - as the dress moved along with her exactly as the designer had promised. “I’m thrilled to see you all here.” Accented syllables cut over the crowd. “Even if it’s six days late. That doesn’t matter. What does is that we are all here and looking divine. There may be conflict in our world, but please, try to enjoy yourselves. It’s a party.” A party for a year she was not turning for the third time. White painted lips covered fangs, claws put away for the night. “Run wild, darlings.”

MESMERO: He sat quietly and on his own, martini in one hand and fingers tapping in the other. He and Emma weren't what one would call friends but nevertheless he was here. This was more out of desperation than anything. He was bored. He desired to do something, to sew chaos, to see a little action but he fought against such villainous urges and drowned his ambitions in alcohol and false friends. "Well isn't this a lovely twenty-seventh birthday party?" he said with air quotes around Emma's supposed age to no one in particular.

SCOTT: Memory problems had been the beginning, what followed had proven to be a whole lot worse. The delirium, the dissociation from himself; Scott was even losing what little control he had over his abilities --- forgetting to put his glasses back on, not knowing even when they were on. It was a surprise to himself that he even attended this bash, that he'd left Jean in her state. But apparently, there was news, something in the pipeline that could help. If he were being honest, he couldn't really distinguish if that were a dream or not, but regardless he couldn't just sit around. Jean was down for now and to keep his mind distracted, he just couldn't miss Emma's party. Hopefully there was a solution. Hopefully Nate found the original X-men.

ERIK: Erik wasn’t one to ‘run wild’ as it were, per Emma’s advice. Not at parties at least.But it was nice to have an excuse to dress up in a nice suit every once in a while. He acquired a drink and kept quiet as the party began, glancing around the room and observing the crowd as the volume slowly increased. Per usual, his white suit made an appearance tonight. It was paired with a bright purple tie and a pocket square to match, and the color stood out well. Wearing this outfit around Emma made him smirk-- an expression that he hid while taking a sip of his drink.

IDIE: Idie had been one of the first to arrive. Being late was something Idie did not enjoy -- being late gave her anxiety, which often led to her getting sweaty, which was something she did not need in a white dress. She was fond of the dress she had found; it was an ivory white dress, which cut off just below her knees. It had a plunged neckline, and a black waistband which was embroidered with sequins. The skirt of the dress was a mixture of delicate tulle and silk, and flowed as Idie walked. It made Idie feel like a fairy -- she hadn't felt this dressed up in a long time. Her hair was braided and twisted up into a neat bun that sat on top of her head. She looked around the ballroom, eyes glancing over familiar faces. She wasn't sure why she was invited. It felt strange to be at such a place. Making her way through the room, a waiter passed and offered her a drink, which she accepted. She clutched the flute in her hand, eagerly looking around for someone she was more acquainted with.

LORNA: Emma Frost, as a rule of thumb, sucked. She sucked and Lorna knew for a fact she was like thirty but who was she to rain on a parade? No one, this time. “It looks like it should be themed winter wonderland.” Lorna scoffed in response to whoever had spoken. With all the diamonds it was a bit extra but again, she wasn’t raining on parades. Turning then to look at how actually had spoken, heavily lined eyes narrowed at Mesmero. “Out of all the places I expected you to be, here wasn’t one of them.”

MESMERO: “Seems a little too innocent for Her royal highness." He said returning a glance with who turned out to be Lorna. He wasn't eager to be in her vicinity. "I could say the same to you. You hardly strike me as a fan of all of this excess." He said before sipping his beverage.

LORNA: “I’m a fan of free booze.” She gestured with her glass. “And we all know something’s going to go wrong.”

MESMERO: "For once we can agree on something." He replied with a faint smirk. "Only reason I bothered showing up was in the hopes of seeing something go wrong if we're being honest."

CABLE: There was a party happening tonight-- that’s what everyone was getting together for, right? Nathan had only been to a handful of parties and they had all been.. fairly interesting. He wasn’t quite sure if he liked them yet, and tonight wouldn’t help him make up his mind. There was no time for fun tonight. It was time to end this, and he didn’t care what anyone else had to say about it. Nate had three of them already, this was good. After securing them, Nate had taken them all to his safehouse and began scratching things off his checklist. At the top of the list was getting Warren his real wings back, and that wasn’t pretty. Truthfully, he felt a bit bad about what he had to do. Grafting new wings onto the other mutant was a painful process, one that left Warren weak and barely conscious even after the drugs had worn off. Nate grabbed him and dragged him over to join Bobby and Hank, who were both handcuffed just like Warren. The other two were almost fully awake now, and it was time to go. “Ready to take a trip?” It wasn’t a question he was going to wait for them to answer. He linked the three of them together, the device coming to life with a hum and blue energy radiating off of them. Then he grabbed onto them, pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and one of the gadgets on his arm teleported them away. Seconds later, they appeared in the middle of Emma’s party. A blue light preceded their arrival and then the four of them were surrounded by dressed up mutants who were suddenly face to face with them. “Hey guys.” Nate spoke up, his voice carrying through the room. “Anyone wanna tell me where I can find Jean and Scott? Oh, and who wants to watch these three for me? I’d owe you one.”

EMMA: Oh, for the love of -- “Nathan.” Emma’s voice was carefully confined, ice cold anger slick under pleasantries. “I was very clear about the terms of your invitation, and I believe this exceeds them.”

MESMERO: "That didn't take long." Mesmero muttered to Lorna.

LORNA: Green eyes flashed in interest. “Erik owes me five bucks.”

LAURA: Living on edge was something that Laura was used to but didn’t like. Her instincts had told her to come to Emma’s excessive party and it looked like they had paid off. Logan hadn’t attended for a more pressing reason and out of respect for her friend Scott she had kept an eye on his older self. The second the blue light faded away and her vision returned, one fistful of claws popped out at the sight of the young X-Men. “What did you do to them?”

SCOTT: Once he'd started rejecting the alcohol and refused to mingle, he started to question why he even bothered showing up. A part of him wanted to speak with Emma, but as she was the center of this party, he didn't want to get in the way of her spotlight. A few of the other X-men were here, but he wasn't too concerned with sharing their present dilemmas. Just as he was debating his departure, a bright light illuminated the center of the room and lo and behold, Nathan. "You found them." He said, his voice too quiet to carry. But no, two were missing, and of the course the two missing were --- "Emma," he said her name as he came up behind her. "Do you know what this means?" They had to stay hands off for most of the hunt, mostly because when their presence bounced off one another, it started creating ripples that reflected just how narrow their time was. Nathan had to handle it, and for the most part, he had.

CABLE: Nathan offered Emma an eye roll and nothing else, then turned to Laura. “You can put the claws away. They’re fine.” His normal sarcastic tone was lost for a moment, being replaced by a stern and somewhat caring one. “Like I said before, Warren needed his wings back. So.. he’s a little tired. But they’re all fine. It’s easier to transport them when they’re knocked out, that’s all. Make sense?”

EMMA: One did not scream at their own birthday party, otherwise Emma would have done just that. A full blown shriek because of course they had to have this little drama on the one night she had ( openly ) claimed as her own. “Yes, darling.” One hand gently fell to rest on Scott’s arm. She loved him differently than she once had, but seeing a proud man suffer was never pleasant. Here she was throwing a party while one mutant hung close to death and four others followed closely behind. “If we knew where Scott and Jean were, we wouldn’t be in this predicament, would we?” The blonde hummed. “See, the two you haven’t caught may very well be the hardest due to sheer hormones and willpower.” Scott and Jean: an obnoxious set of lovebirds. “I can tell you, Nathan, you’re out of time. Your father is here and your mother isn’t, so you need to do more or they’ll both be gone.” Scott may have been happy at the sight of three but Emma was malcontent. Lips twisted into a sneer then as she cast a disinterested look towards Laura. “The boy is right. You can stand down, guard dog.”

IDIE: Idie had long finished her first drink, and was now onto her second one. The peach flavoured drink had left her feeling a little spacey, but the sweetness she had very much enjoyed. Taking sip from the flute, Idie's attention was suddenly caught by the mesmerising blue light. Edging closer to see what the commotion was, her eyes widened in horror when she saw the state the three young X-Men were in. She could feel her body tingle with adrenaline, and she fought to calm herself before she did anything drastic. She watched Cable speak, her eyes locked on Warren, Bobby, and Hank. It felt as if her heart was beating in her throat. She watched Emma as she spoke with a calm dignity. "Don't call Laura a guard dog," Idie said -- a little too loudly. There had been a roughness to Idie's voice as she had spoken, her eyes fixated on Emma.

CABLE: The softer tone Nate had just used fell away instantly as his gaze flicked back to Emma. His jaw tensed, and the bright glow from his bionic eye flashed for a brief moment. The two he had left to catch were his parents. If anyone understood how stubborn they were, it was him. “Yeah. I get that. I’m here because I need help-- something I don’t like asking for.” He saw Scott next to Emma, and his resolve hardened even further. “Sorry about your party, but this is a little more important.”

LAURA: She hadn’t expected anyone to speak up for her, and while her initial look at Idie was cynical the mutant softened to give her a small nod. Her claws slowly slid away until all that was left was a closed fist. Her eyes moved then to lock on the young X-Men. If they showed they were in pain she’d cut them out.

EMMA: “Well, I don’t know about that.” Emma muttered under her breath before rolling her shoulders back to look at Nate. “Fine. I’ll try Cerebro, but we already did that. Your small mother is masking their minds, or using someone else. Unfortunately, darling, I had to put your normal sized mother down this morning and Charles is away on diplomacy so we’re rather low on aid. Hank, Warren,” Emma looked to the older versions of the chained X-Men. “Care to assist carting your younger selves to a holding cell?”

STRANGE: The plea to save the original X-men from predestined fates had proven to give him pause, but Strange had originally wanted to turn them down. As the Sorcerer Supreme, his duties were laundry list long, and included on that list was allowing for fates to play themselves out. If the original X-men were predetermined to follow a specific path, he was not the one to write them a new one. However, that had been before he'd been made aware of the Krakoan resurrection pods, and before he'd decided that he would sever a group of young kids from their present realities once again. With the two remaining original X-men and Gwendolyne Poole, Strange created a wide portal, triangulating the position based on Scott's tether to his elder self. Stepping through, they appeared amongst many. Obviously a party. "Sorry to interrupt." He spoke loudly, although the room was already fairly quiet. "But it appears you may be looking for these two."

TIME-DISPLACED JEAN: “Are we late to the party?” Jean couldn’t help but use false confidence to cover shaking hands. She had nothing but time during the hiding portion of their fugitive days and that time had led to practice and refining control. Her head turned to her captured teammates and there was a brief flash of pink before their cuffs clattered to the ground. “We’re not going back, but he,” that was directed at Strange. “--he won’t let you guys die either.”

CABLE: ”What the--” Alright, so this wasn’t exactly part of the plan Nate had put together in his head. The flash of pink caught his eye and when he saw that his capture X-Men had been set free, a sudden rush of anxiety and anger hit him. ”Hey!” Warren wasn’t exactly in a place to run-- or fly-- away, but the other two were awake enough to flee if they wanted. “What the hell is going on?”

GWENPOOL: This was a par-tay. Super over the top with some we’re richer than god kinda vibes, but still nice. Gwen had taken a stroll when Jean had started talking, momentarily distracted by a scantily clad server in white to grab a lil’ dish of caviar or whatever they were serving. She had just gotten her hands on it and back to the group she had so stylishly arrived with when the angry murder Cable started talking. Really, she was more familiar with the sexy Josh Brolin was but she was willing to ride this plot out. Grabbing her mask and yanking it off her head so that pink and blonde hair hung wildly around her face, she waited for Cable to finish having his temper tantrum. “This guy is what the hell is going on.” She jutted a thumb towards Strange. “For those new to this shindig, this my very good pal Doctor Stephen Strange,” a slight exaggeration, “And he helped me out a few years ago when I was having a tiny little reality problem. As in, he severed my ties to my reality and got me a sweet permanent existence here. When Kid Asshole ( that was Kid Omega ) mentioned what was going down I thought to myself: geez, gwen, what a great time to help the children. So, here we are! I connected ya babes with my dude and he can help them live here as their own people.”

IDIE: Idie noticed the nod from Laura, and shot her a soft smile back. Finishing off her drink, Idie starred at the newcomer, but it was Gwendolyn who caught her eye. Eyes flickered to the young Jean who had just spoke, and then in a flash the young X-Men were free. Idie felt as if everything was moving fast, and she was going in slow motion. "You were going to kill them?" Idie almost shouted. A mixture of disgust and anger swirled through her body. She walked slowly away from the crowd, and went and stood by Gwendolyne. She could feel her body shaking. What had been in her drinks?

LAURA: There were a lot of heartbeats escalating in the room. The weird one who spoke too fast was - surprise surprise - speaking too fast and everyone was paying attention to her so Laura stalked to the other side of the room where Idie was. They weren’t friends. They knew of each other than anything else, but Laura could smell the booze and she seemed scared. “You’re drunk and you need water.” Her voice was low. The servers were still there so she signaled for one to bring over a glass. “I need to go check on them. You can come if you stay calm.” A sloppy ( probably first time ) drunk  was the last thing she needed but Laura didn’t want her freaked out. Moving over to the stirring X-Men, one boot clad foot kicked away a set of the restraints. “Hey,” she crouched down in front of Warren and Hank. “Are you guys okay?”

TIME-DISPLACED HANK: Hank shook his head quickly feeling the effects of the drugs wearing off as the the migraine set in. "Ordinarily if I were put in this situation the answer would be a resounding no, however, all things considered, I'm peachy." Hank said with some strain as his vision began to finally focus in on all that was going on around them.

STRANGE: Strange passed a glance to Gwen, watching as she gave a very colorful rendition of their plan. Regardless of the circumstances, this was not something he wanted to spur into a habit, so to find himself in a similar position as he had been in before was making him want to cut her off and get to the point faster. However, he remained quiet until she was finished, where he could tack on some points. "Severing them from their reality would wipe the present X-men from existence, which is where Krakoa comes in. I'm told mutants are now able to resurrect infinitely. We will have to have a talk about how that damages the fabric of reality at a different time, but we can use the pods to our advantage. In essence, the original X-men will die." As he scanned the room, he could tell they were running out of time. With the original X-men within walking distance of their present selves, it seemed to have been almost accelerating the symptoms. "You," he directed his words at Nathan Summers. "Will have to allow the original X-men to be transported in my care, along with these two." he indicated the two X-men he had standing with him. "And we should do it now."

TIME-DISPLACED WARREN: It was all a haze. Warren had felt them teleport but even after Jean had released them, he had barely moved. It was almost impossible to get his eyes to focus correctly, and all the voices around him were muddled and foggy. He knew they were arguing about them, but that was easy to figure out. Laura’s voice managed to break through, but he kept his hands pressed over his face, covering his eyes. His wings hung limply at his sides and spread oddly around him across the floor. They ached, almost burned-- more than they ever had even when they had been made of fire and metal. Every inch his arms moved, his shoulders cried out in protest. Luckily, the muscles on his back were almost numb. “I’m.. I don’t know.” Warren finally managed to answer. His voice was groggy and rough, but it was there. “I have feathers again, don’t I? I’m not imagining that part?”

IDIE: Idie stared at Laura. "I'm drunk?" She took the water from Laura and started drinking it. "I only had the fizzy peach drink..." Her voice trailed off and she stared down at the glass. "Did that have alcohol in?" She followed Laura as she tried to wrap her head around this new found information. Kneeling down beside Laura, she looked at Warren, her eyes wide. "Yes, Warren." Idie's voice was soft, but it trembled slightly as she spoke. "You have feathered wings again. Try not to move, okay? We'll get you out of here." She was unsure of how they would get the young X-Men out, and unsure of the plan Gwendolyne had explained would work. Taking a breath, she tried to calm her nerves, and took a large sip of her water.

LAURA: “You’re drunk.” Laura repeated bluntly. “There was alcohol in there. I smell it.” From her position on bended knee Laura gave Hank a tight smile. “You look peachy.” The words were supposed to be gentle enough to be slightly teasing. Offering an arm, she rose slowly to help him stand if he needed it before crouching again before Warren. One hand hesitantly reached out to brush one of the white feathers, the soft down confirming they were real. “It seems that you do. I’m assuming Cable followed through on what he promised.” She echoed after Idie. Her mind was numb at times to torture. She had been through enough herself to be desensitized, but here she was forcing her mind to go into the painful places of empathy. She shook her head when the other mutant spoke again. “No, they want you two moved, and I’d rather help you than have Cable drag you along. Can you stand?”

CABLE: Nate reacted to the finger being pointed at him by instinctively moving in front of the three younger X-Men he had managed to get hold of. Their plan sounded insane. Everyone had been shocked, practically appalled, at his ideas when he first brought them up. But this? This was really the solution they wanted instead? “You do realize that if we kill them, even for just a few minutes, that will result in their older selves being wiped from existence. You realize that, right?” It sounded so obvious to him. Why it didn’t to everyone else, he couldn’t imagine. “Severing them from their existence sounds great in theory but pulling it off is a whole other thing completely! My plan leaves everyone alive.”

EMMA: “Our darling resident hothead brings up a good point.” Emma hummed in a begrudging agreeance. He was far too much like his father for her liking. “The X-Men are clearly barely  hanging on. Scott, Hank, Bobby and Warren can testify for this personally. Jean isn’t here at all, and the second any of you die we run the risk of losing them all and that unborn child. Jean,” Emma glanced to the shorter redhead and moved towards her. “You need to do this for yourself.” For a moment her eyes went white as Jean’s went pink, two telepaths talking among themselves. “No,” Emma broke away with a shake of her head. “Whatever you’re planning is too dangerous. Cable will escort you to the past and I will personally wipe your minds since you are unwilling.”

STRANGE: As if he hadn't analyzed every possible outcome already. Hadn't anyone paid attention before? Exhaling, Strange rubbed his brow. "As we are running out of time, young Summers, I did not believe I would have to explain every facet of the plan, but that is already taken care of too. I would not be here if this wasn't going to work. I do not waste my time with bad outcomes."

TIME-DISPLACED JEAN: “You’re wrong, Emma.” Jean shook her head firmly. “It’s going to work. Doctor Strange is going to put you guys in stasis temporarily. We die and then they regrow us in the Hatchery. Two of us. That way we can stay and one set can go back where I’ll be the one to wipe the memories. No fighting it. You know the Five can do it quickly, and Strange will help Tempus with the time part. You have to at least give us a chance.”

TIME-DISPLACED WARREN: ”That asshole.” Warren muttered under his breath, both angry and in pain. It had been a strange journey for him throughout their entire time here. At first, Warren had wanted nothing else except to go home to their correct time. He hated it here. He hated what he saw himself become. Despite it all, he had fought hard to find a place here and make sure history wouldn’t repeat itself. And now, all of that had been taken away from him. He was left with limp wings and a head full of pain and confusion. “My legs might work, but my wings? Not so much.” A half-hearted laugh escaped him as he attempted to move and stand up. He was still pretty weak. A couple blinks later, and his vision was at least improving. But the best he could do was sit on his knees, letting his arms and wings hang limply against him. “Where exactly are we going?”

SCOTT: "And what if it doesn't work?" he knew even posing the question to Strange would get him a look, but it needed to be asked. "I don't think we have enough time for this to go south. This isn't something I want to take a chance on."

TIME-DISPLACED SCOTT: "I'm willing to take that risk." he spoke up. "It is my future after all."

IDIE: Idie nodded, taking in what Laura had said. Her heart felt heavy as she watched Warren attempt to move. Reaching out, she placed her hand softly on his arm. "I don't know, but they have a plan." She could hear the two Scott's talking, and did her best to drown their voices out. "Let us help you stand, Warren. We won't let go of you, okay?" She looked at him, her eyes wide. Her vision felt slightly blurred, but she did her best to power through it. "I promise."

EMMA: “Then your wife and unborn child die.” Emma turned to look at Scott. “As do you and your friends. Why is this a debate? Fine,” there was a sigh of frustration. “The Council voted, but now let the five of you do the same since you’re ruined my party. Do you want to indulge this fantasy and risk death or send them back?”

CABLE: ”Two of you?” This plan sounded more and more ridiculous as it was explained to him. “That’s---” Slowly, his expression shifted from one of horror and surprise, to one of understanding. It was coming together, even as his father protested like he had been doing moments before. “---that could actually work.” He took a glance at the X-Men behind him, and then back to Strange. His anxiety pooled in his gut, One thing he hated was deviating from a plan once he had settled on it, but it was dawning on him that maybe he couldn’t win this fight. But he wasn’t fully convinced yet. This was an outcome he hadn’t predicted, which would create a timeline he had no insight into. That’s what scared him. “This is crazy.”

WARREN: “What the hell, let’s just go for it.” The older Warren made himself be heard. His mind was muddled but he was present enough to hear everything that had been said so far. “This is already a mess. We need to stop fighting and do something about it.”

BOBBY: He had been staying silent so far, but Bobby nodded when Warren spoke. “Okay -- cool. But that has to be it. We can’t take any more risks after this.”

HANK:  Hank offered his younger self a small smile before shutting his yellow eyes tightly do to the pain of just being near his younger self. "I suppose it is my turn to speak then, yes?" He said clearing his voice. "While I am entirely sympathetic to the struggles and tribulations of my younger self, it is with a most heavy heart that I must decline this proposition. While I am comfortable risking my own life for your sake." He said giving a look genuine sympathy to the time displaced five. "I cannot in good consciousness risk the loss of Jean's child when she is not here to speak her mind."

SCOTT: He looked incredulously between Warren and Bobby. "You're willing to risk your lives, Jean's child, for what -- a maybe? Sending them back has a 100% success rate, you can't actually be considering this. It's a no, two to two. We'd need Jean to break it and I have a feeling she's not going to take the risk."

EMMA: This was really a dreadful night and Emma hated playing the referee. Stripes were never a good look. “Then I suppose Scott is right. I can pull her back to conscious, but at the sake of repeating myself yet again: time is precious. Everyone relevant, feel free follow to the Hatchery. Someone call the Five. The rest of you are free to drink my very expensive champagne and then disperse.” With that Emma turned on one heel to gather the necessary people, a telepathic message being placed to Charles.

MESMERO: "Well this was more dramatic than anticipated." He said placing his empty cocktail down. "Waiter. Some of that expensive champagne out hostess was talking about. Thank you."

LAURA: With a body rigid and at attention, Laura listened to them debate before Emma left. She was still crouched down and her legs were numb but her attention turned to Warren. “Seems like you have a chance. If that’s what you still want.” The future had cut off his wings and tried to get rid of him. She wouldn’t blame him for wanting to go back. Nothing here seemed worth it. “Good things we only need your legs then.” Maneuvering carefully to avoid the trailing feathers she helped him stand and took the majority of his weight before waiting to move.

STRANGE: With a swirl of his hands, Strange opened another portal, leading those Emma deemed as relevant to the Hatchery, where the pods were kept. As they emerged, Strange took a moment to look around, the images of his mind probability finally aligning. He'd wondered what this place looked like and how exactly the mutants were managing it.

IDIE: Idie helped Laura get Warren to his feet, being as careful as she could in her current state. Idie looked at the portal Doctor Strange had opened, and then up at Warren. "Do you want one of us to help you through?" She asked quietly.

LOGAN: Everything had been quiet. It was nice, in a way. But in another sense, it was much too stifling. Logan chose to stay with Jean, even though there was nothing he could do. And then the quiet was interrupted by a portal, causing him to jump to his feet-- hands fisted together and at the ready. The group of people he was met with surprised him, and he allowed himself to relax. But only a little. “--what the hell is going on here?”

LAURA: She had known he had been in here. When he jumped up Laura stepped forward slightly even though it was a heavy step weighted down with the additional body mass of Warren. “They’re waking her up.” Her voice was quiet for the sake of her father. “And Emma is calling the Five. They may want the kids to stay here.”

LOGAN: “Waking her up?” Logan’s eyes narrowed, even though Laura was doing her best to keep him calm. “That’s a horrible idea. They can’t do that.”

EMMA: The only indication of a greeting that Emma gave Logan was a brief sniff as she entered the Hatchery. Surrounded by the large golden pods and the life that was in the process of blooming she took a second to reflect on how idiotic it all was. “The Five will be here shortly. They were at the Sextant Habitat and Illyana will be teleporting them in. This is Jeannie’s life at risk, Logan, so yes. We will be waking her up.” Moving around him, Emma made her way to where Jean was lying just as prone as she had left her. Bending down she pressed their foreheads together, fingers resting gently on the redheads temple as the telepathic connection was reestablished. The plan had been to keep her in the Healing Gardens but this had been a last minute change as an extra precaution. They said to make more mutants but had been slow to do follow through, so life had to be protected. After a few moments Emma pulled away and took a step back, body turning so no one saw her catch her breath. It wouldn’t be an issue. Eyes were likely to be trained on the telepath people preferred to stare at unless Emma had her tits out or was being decidedly more useful.

SCOTT: As Jean came to, Scott rested beside her, his first instinct to grab her hand but the situation, on top of other trivial problems, kept him from doing so. "Hey, welcome back." Despite the distance between them, his voice was soft. Speaking as quickly as he could without overwhelming her, Scott tried his best to explain the situation, doing what he could to remember the details. He managed to get all the important parts though, like how the original X-men were willing to put everything on the line for a possibility. "We don't have a lot of time. You have to decide now."

JEAN: For the first time in years, it had been quiet. Jean knew that was something that Emma had done for her, a gift for the woman who been unable to find unrest even in death. The only hum came from something she couldn’t quite place, something that she now knew to be the baby. Had her mind made that connection it would have fought and what she needed was rest. Then, Emma was back. There was almost a whisper of an apology left in her head and then people filled her vision and Scott was talking to her. Purposefully not touching her. The ache of sadness cut through the confusion as Jean shifted her legs to hang them off the cot. “That’s... a lot.” She had to clear her throat. There were a lot of questions, including what day is it? but that could be figured out later. “Putting me back to sleep my not be enough long term. That may have been our only chance at that angle.” Her mind was already filling too quickly. “So now, I’m awake. I don’t want to lose this baby. I can’t think of anything worse. But if you think you can do this, Stephen,” her eyes found the sorcerer. “You have one very quick chance.”

LOGAN: “Okay, wait just a second here--” Logan let Jean speak her mind, but it didn’t feel right. “Doesn’t any of this sound too messy to you guys? What if it doesn’t work?”

EMMA: “Everything’s messy with you lot.” There was a reason she preferred the immaculate nature of the White Palace. “If it doesn’t work we either send the children back or their older selves die. Whichever occurs first.”

ILLYANA: There was an intense glow as a portal open and six forms emerged. Illyana stood off to the side as the Five arrived: Tempus, Hope, Proteus, Elixir and Egg. They began readying themselves for a resurrection and preparing as the Captain nodded towards Emma. “They will be ready by the time you are done.”

SCOTT: He moved from where he'd been at Jean's side, standing off a bit with his arms folded across his chest. This was no longer his decision, no matter how ridiculous of a decision it was.

STRANGE: "We will have to begin by putting the present X-men in stasis so they remain unaffected by the...resurrection process." he stated his words as if he were giving the X-men are more time to choose, but he was already moving his hands, conjuring up a mystical energy that reflected as a glow around the present X-men. As he closed his fists, the glow around his hands dissipated but remained around the mutants. Then, suddenly, like a snap of fingers, the mutants were encased in an energy pod, similar to the ones the past X-men would be going in to fairly soon. And a few moments later, their time in this world was frozen in place, a stasis completed. "Now, for the fun part."

LAURA: Fun part. Laura had killed too may people for it to be fun. It was the last thing she wanted to do, the person she wanted to no longer be. Murder had been associated with her name for far too long, but when Emma’s message appeared in her mind she slowly stepped away from Warren and left a claw slide out. The younger X-Men had authorized this. It was approved. She was still nauseous as she made her way to Bobby and moved so swiftly he wouldn’t have seen it coming, one claw to the jugular so that he was dead before he hit the floor. Blood dripped from the claw before she wiped it on the white of her pants she had been required to wear to Emma’s party. They didn’t have a label, but she was still sad as she looked up at Warren. “No matter how this ends,” her voice was quiet in his ear as she rose up on her toes. “I’m glad I got to meet you.” Her lips found his then, one hand rising up so that her claw could move in a practiced arc. Pulling away, she eased the body down to the floor to rest on the stone and feathers. She knew death. They weren’t there anymore, but it was still sad all the same. Done with her task Laura nodded once to Emma.

CABLE: “I.. don’t like this.” That was an understatement. But what else could he say? As Nate primed his gun and hesitantly took aim at the younger version of his father, it felt incredibly wrong. For a split second, he debated breaking away and getting to them before anyone had a chance to do any harm. Maybe he could still slide them back in time, to go forward with the original plan and save them from killing anyone. But he didn’t. He took a sharp breath in and his elbow bent back, his gun raised and he was ready to shoot. Then he pulled the trigger, and Scott was down right along side Bobby and Warren. Nathan was good at making himself feel numb, and right now he needed to choose it more than ever.

HANK: Hank hesitated for a moment, having his eyes shut not wanting to look at the corpses of his fallen comrades. He thought back on how to end this as painlessly as possible. Thought back to the Goblin Queen and what she had taught him. With a muttering he used a spell he never imagined using. One instant he was standing the next he was on the floor, blood streaming from his ears and eyes.

LOGAN:  Upon receiving Emma’s request, he sent her a glare that was harsh enough to make his face burn a light red. His Jean was weak, barely been awake five minutes and he had missed most of the discussion that had lead them all here. Now he was expected to kill the other version of Jean? Again? It was incredibly ironic and it made him sick. It took a lot for him to be anxious, especially to make his limbs shake as a result, but he was feeling it this time. As he moved away from Jean’s side he couldn’t look at her or anyone else as he made his way over to the young version of her. Jaw set in stone, eyes only meeting hers for a brief second before he muttered a quiet “Sorry” before he released one silver claw. Logan moved just as Laura had with Bobby and Warren-- it was quick. And little Jean went limp, then he caught her and lowered her to the ground with the rest of her friends.

EMMA: Five dead bodies. Five frozen X-Men. Emma stood among the carnage and looked to Logan with what was, in actuality, exhaustion. She looked at him with sympathy and not pity because they both were powerless to help people they loved and she hated that more than anything. “It’s done.” Her voice was bogged down by weariness. “You may begin,” she nodded to the five.

EVA: It was a process. The inception of Krakoa had been the creation of the Five: five mutants with different powers bonded together for one purpose. Eva Bell had not manifested until after the events of the Phoenix. She had been swiftly taken in, a new mutant in a new world. The Five had been formed deliberately. They were brought to bring each other together, to fuel one another to defy nature again and again, multiple times a day for day after day. Even when they thought their energy would be depleted they found themselves more energized. There had been a party in the Sextant Habitat and that was where the Five had been, enjoying a nice break from the work. Emma had called though and they had come without hesitation. Eva watched the murders in a sympathy that bordered on disgust. She knew people died because she regrew them. Watching them die was just different. They were skilled at what they did though, well practiced. Eva focused on her role and felt time roll as her mutation grabbed a hold of it, Hope’s powers speeding up the process. They were fast but it could still take a day to regrow. The additional magical presence of Strange felt like an intrusion to their tight unit but Emma had advised they were needed. The group stayed silent as they worked, ten pods darkening with forms. The first five finished and Eva stepped towards the main group and held out a hands towards the pods where people were ready to be cut out. “They’re ready. The others will be in a moment.”

TIME-DISPLACED SCOTT: Dying hadn't been something he'd remembered, the process a lot more like falling asleep than a flash of light. One moment he was preparing for this inevitability (because if he were mind wiped and sent back to just become his future self it may as well have been a death sentence) and the next he was overwhelmed by a sense to breathe. The instinct was so powerful that he clawed at whatever was containing him until his arm reached open air and he felt dirt under his skin. Whatever encased him clung to his body as he tried to pull himself to his feet, his world still shrouded in darkness.

EMMA: Death gave way to life. She had watched the Five work before but it was still spectacular. Illyana had been sent away to fetch the clothing they had arrived in and it was waiting when the children emerged from their pod, completely naked and covered in what many considered to be the rejuvenating goo of Krakoa. The clothing was handed out until they were all in their time period appropriate getups and Emma reached out to take Jean’s hand. “You know what to do.” Her voice was quiet. “Make sure that the scene is exactly as you left it from every shirt tuck to hair placement. Assume your positions and then complete the telepathic wipe. You will have years of anger and tears, of sleepless nights and sorrow. You will age and you will die, but you will also love. You will laugh and you will see what it is like to grow old. You will not cease to exist, Jean, you will become who you’re meant to be. The second you do so the loop will be closed and one day in the future you will sit in stasis waiting for yourself to  make the right choice, and then you will wake and meet your baby later on. We are all better for having you here, Jean Grey. For having all of you.” Emma kissed her forehead before stepping back to allow room for Nate. “I’ll see you again soon, darlings.”

CABLE: The whole process was incredible and terrifying. Nate found himself almost unable to watch as everything progressed, his mind wandering until the young team had assembled in front of him. They were pristine, just as he had remembered them, and ready to go home. He watched and listened as Emma gave them a speech he hadn’t expected, but one he found himself glad to be witnessing. Everything had finally lined up. It was his turn to finally make things right after feeling like the entire universe was against him. After Emma finished, Nate lifted his mechanical arm and fed the correct coordinates into the body-sliding device. “We’re all set.” He looked up at them, motioning for the five of them to come close as he walked a few paces towards them. There was a hint of a smile on his face, feeling a mix of strange relief and anticipation. Once they were all linked, he activated the device and the six of them disappeared in another flash of white-blue light.

TIME-DISPLACED JEAN: For some odd reason, death felt different every time. Maybe it was because of the how and why. Once again her last memory had been of Logan and his claws, but this time she had seen the remorse in his eyes. She had refused to look away because she heard her friends bodies hitting the ground around them and that was something she couldn’t witness. And then, it was golden. Or maybe it was orange. It was hard to tell. All Jean knew is that it was surprisingly calm and she felt like she could float there forever until something in her urged her to reach out her arms and push. She pushed and the shell that held the pod in place cracked apart so she could climb out. Hank, Warren, Scott and Bobby were clamoring to the surface as well and Jean went from having seen one of her teammates naked to all of them. Still, that little sliver of calm remained as she moved forward to take the offered towel and dry off. She grabbed Scott’s glasses and put them on his face with both palms briefly caressing his cheeks before she pulled away and tugged on the clothes offered. “Okay,” she took a deep breath before looking from Strange to their future selves, frozen in time. “I take it they’re back in the past and we’re here. Let’s finish this.”

STRANGE: Strange had remained on the sidelines for the events that transpired, from the deaths of the past X-men to the re-emergence. He didn't move from his place until the second set had been properly clothed and returned to some state of cognizance. Finally, this was a chance to give the young mutants and opportunity to live their lives separate from the paths determined for them, and in this case, Strange was happy to help. Another set of careful movements and the glow returned to his hands. As this was tearing through the present fabric of reality, it took more than a simple use of magic. "I will establish these mutants as a whole separate from their predestined selves." in this case, he had to guide the magic to do his bidding. "I will allow for the emergence of a new reality as a result of severing the ties between past and present." as he spoke, the glow between his hands moved in tendrils around him and the young mutants, surrounding them. "From this moment forth, your lives will be your own, untethered to the lives of your doppelgangers." as he finished, the light that surrounded them became overwhelming, crowding the room. And then, as quickly as it had begun, the magic was gone, having been swallowed up by his words, adhering to his commands. Lowering his hands, he looked over his shoulder to where the present mutants were still in stasis and with a flick of his wrist and a small pop of light, the stasis ended. "It is done." he said.

TIME-DISPLACED JEAN: It is done. With that being said, Jean’s story went from being a closed book to a new chapter. As their older selves popped back into existence Jean felt a strange stirring she couldn’t explain. They had done it. They were free of the past and the strings that would pull them into an inevitable future. Unable to contain her excitement she spun and grabbed Scott by the shirt before tugging him close and kissing him hard.

TIME-DISPLACED WARREN: The last thing he saw was Laura. He felt the light touch of her lips against his and then he couldn’t figure out whether it had felt like only a moment had passed or an eternity. But when he was conscious again, everything felt lighter. His wings were wet and heavy, weighing him down but the pain he had been lost in was completely gone. He emerged alongside the rest of his teammates and stretched out his wings as far he could manage, shaking them off and letting them breathe just as he expanded his new lungs for the first time. They were all naked. He didn’t much care. It was nice to feel awake and alive, and eventually he cleaned himself up and got dressed. Then Strange did his magic-- Warren had only been able to understand part of what was happening before he died. But he didn’t need time to think about it-- before he even had a chance to worry, it had been done. He couldn’t say whether or not he felt different. Maybe he was truly feeling what Strange had done, or maybe it was mind filling in the blanks where it was needed. But it felt.. good. It was the best he had felt during his stay in this time, and that was for the best. This was his time now. And as his gaze eventually met with Laura’s from where she stood, the idea of staying here finally settled in.

SCOTT:  What had been losing time, memories, his sense of self was suddenly transformed into a whirlwind of emotion and memories that weren't his. They were his, but they weren't his. As Scott returned to a present state, he first took a moment to take in his surroundings, processing them. The young x-men were still here, but so was Jean. His Jean. A realization came to him as he churned through years of new memories that this had worked. Against all odds, they'd all been granted lives separate from each other. For a moment, Scott had lost all reticence towards Jean and went to her. "It worked," he said, even though he knew she also knew. "It worked and we're okay." the smile that was in his voice was overwhelming as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. Maybe there was a way to look past all the shit that separated them after all.

LAURA: After committing double homicide Laura hadn’t been able to stand there and watch. Maybe Logan could stand idly and wait to see but Laura couldn’t. She had stalked the beach back and forth, pacing even though sand slowed her pace. When she finally returned Cable was vanishing and the new X-Men were emerging. There was a neutral indifference as they clothed themselves once more, but when they began to mingle Laura looked over to find Warren’s gaze on her and exhaled a small smile. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was quiet even though she knew she had done what was necessary. “How are those wings feeling?” As in, do you want to get out of here?

JEAN: She remembered. It was one memory and then the other as they came back into her mind. It didn’t feel like they were foreign or invasive. These weren’t a strangers memory but her own and a piece she hadn’t realized she was missing finally clicked back into place. More components of her personality were opening up as she remembered what her younger self had seen and done. The minds began to meld and Jean’s view remained her own, bolstered now by additional eyes. Even though there had been such a distance between them, Jean watched her younger self kiss Scott and for a moment remembered what it was like to fall in love with him. Then, her Scott was speaking to her and his arms were around her for the first time in longer than Jean could remember. A smile was on her face as well as she kissed his cheek and sank into his arms. Logan had been there with her, sitting by her side. Logan had been there but in that moment Jean needed to pay attention to Scott and the victory they had. Wrapped in her husbands arms, Jean gave Logan a small smile before her head nestled into Scott’s neck so she could repeat, “We’re okay.”

TIME-DISPLACED WARREN: Warren shook his head at her as he closed the gap between them, one corner of his mouth lifting up into a cross between a smile and a smirk. “Please don’t apologize.” His words were soft. “I was a mess before-- I feel great now.” Feathers ruffled behind him as his wings shook, then stretched out again. “I would be lying if I said I hadn’t missed the feathers. It’s gonna take some getting used to but-” He shrugged. “I don’t think it’ll take long to adjust. Especially if you help me test them out.” The smirk had stretched out into a full smile by the time he was done talking, and then he motioned for Laura to follow him so they could take off.

LOGAN: Jean smiled at him and Logan had been watching for it. He smiled back at her and nodded once, eyes lingering for a beat or two before he looked down and away. It was a strange mix of things that he was feeling, but the strongest of it all was grateful that Jean, and her baby, were alright. That’s what mattered in the end. Things would never be perfect, but he had accepted that long ago.

EMMA: If she were crying it would be from exhaustion, and even then her eyes were only mildly watering. Emma watched the celebration from the side before thanking the Five and sending them back to whatever hedonistic party they had been attending. Illyana spoke with her for a moment before following as well. Everyone was leaving, actually. The party in the Habitat was another booze filled blowout that the mutants loved. Jean and Scott were wrapped up in each other and for a moment her eyes lingered on Logan who was stuck in the peripheral. They had both been the leftovers even though Emma had crafted a hundred excuses to stop herself from ever being cast in that role. Standing alone in the center of a victory in a white ballgown, Emma felt entirely alone and entirely out of place. “It’s my birthday, you know.” Emma broke her reverie as she picked up her skirts and made her way to Logan. “Or, it was. What a birthday it’s turned out to be.” She always celebrated herself but there was a longing for others to do the same without it being hijacked. “Join me for a nightcap? We can celebrate that they won.” She pointed lightly to where Scott and Jean were intertwined. “I could use one, and I have a feeling you could as well.”

LOGAN: The white of Emma’s outfit grew brighter as she approached from off to the side, but Logan tried not to focus on it. It wasn’t until she spoke that he begrudgingly turned to her. He let out a light scoff, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He hated it, but she was right. They won. Logan tried to convince himself he had won too, but it wasn’t exactly the same. “You sure as hell know how to throw a birthday party.” He thought a few seconds more, then gave her an answer in the form of a single nod as he stood up. “Lead the way, I have a feeling we’ve got a lot of booze to get through.”

EMMA: Who would have thought Emma would end her night talking to Logan of all people? She certainly hadn’t, but now she had a very strange desire to drink cheap liquor. Perhaps an unfortunate side effect of her Boston upbringing. “This isn’t the party, trust me. This was a detour. The party has lots of free booze your scruffy little soul desires. Come,” Emma made her way towards the exit of the Hatchery. “We’ll play nice tonight.”