Epilogue the First Muir isle was a beautiful place, even in the pouring rain. The Excalibur team had returned from Sinister's lab via Widget's teleportational gate, and now a celebration was underway for his at least temporary defeat. "I still wish we had gone," Rahne Sinclair sighed, the little redhead curled up against her lover's side on the couch. Dani Moonstar reached down to stroke Rahne's hair gently. "Don't worry," she reassured her, "next time there's a big fight, I'm insisting we go along." "It wasn't all that fun," Rachel Summers protested, sitting across from them with Widget. The redhead took a sip of her drink, "Fighting that army of cloned Marauders was actually pretty scary at times." Widget smiled slightly, Kate Pryde's metal skin looking more human than usual in the firelight. "Though it was very satisfying to get some payback, considering all the crap Sinister has pulled," she said. Cecelia Reyes smiled as the African American doctor looked around the living room, "Is Jackie around?" "I think she went after Pete," Rahne quietly offered, "she left just after Llyan and Lisa went to bed early." "Though probably not to sleep," Dani chuckled. "Whrf," Lougheed looked up, the grey skinned mini-dragon complaining at the noise. "Then I'll go see if I can find then," Cecelia smiled, "if you see her first, tell Jackie I think her condition is stabilizing. She shouldn't have the flame bursts any more." The communication room was mostly dark, lit up by only the computer screen as Pete Wisdom looked at the images, a glass of whisky by the black haired man's side. "Am I interrupting?" Jackie Farnsworth asked, the white haired woman dressed in a comfortable skirt and sweatshirt. "Hi," Pete straightened up a bit, his usual black business suit a bit wrinkled. "Still brooding over Sinister's disappearance?" Jackie asked. "Not exactly," Pete gestured to the screen, "see, I think I figured out where I recognized that teleport signature from." "Her?" Jackie looked at the image on the screen. "Think so," Pete agreed, "though I'll need to try and find Nate Grey to confirm it." "And if it is her?" Jackie asked, looking at the redhead on the view screen with the power data and biographical details beside her. "If Madelyne Pryor is back," Pete said quietly, "the X-Men are in for a rough time of it." Jackie leaned forward, then surprisingly wrapped her arms around it. "I'm sure you'll do everything you can," she murmured. "Ah, Jackie...?" Pete blinked. "You can be a remarkably dense man, you know that?" Jackie smiled slightly then she kissed him lingeringly. "I bet you tell that to all the guys," Pete smiled wryly as she pulled back. "I think it's part of your charm," Jackie chuckled as she kissed him again. Epilogue the Second The ground rumbled, then erupted outward in a flash of power as the group emerged from the depths. Siena Blaze staggered a bit as they reached the surface then the blonde dropped to her knees, "Damn I'm tired." "Good job," Codex smiled as the rest of them quickly fled out of the tunnel Blaze had cut through rock with her electromagnetic powers. "Everyone all right?" she called. "Thanks to Skids," Shades smiled, the black haired woman looking around them warily. Skids smiled tiredly, the force field user leaning on her boyfriend Rusty. "No problem," she sighed. "Freelance," Codex asked, "any sign of Excalibur?" "Scanning," the armored woman said in her usual dead tone of voice. "Picking up teleport residues three miles east," she reported after a moment, "they appear to be gone." "Good," Reaper nodded, the pale skinned man smiling grimly, "we're in no shape for that kind of fight." "I think Wisdom might have just let us go," Codex shrugged as she added, "but I'm glad we don't have to risk it." "So," Bezerker asked as he tiredly staggered over to sit on a rock, "what are we going to do now that we're not working for Sinister?" "I have no intention of going anywhere," Sienna took Codex's hand. "Oh great, here go the lovebirds," Reaper groused. Shades promptly smacked him on the back of the head, "It's romantic, damn it." Looking over at Codex she added, "I think we should stick together. No reason we have to keep calling ourselves Marauders though." "Everyone?" Codex looked around only to be met with nods. "Good," she said, "and our ride should be here soon." "Ride?" Skids blinked. Off in the distance but growing louder they heard the sound of a jet engine, then it came over a rise, the mini- jet the group had used on a earlier mission. "Do you always have to be so prepared?" Rusty asked wryly as they walked up. "Yup," Codex smirked. Epilogue the Third "This isn't over," the woman's voice echoed through the facility as Sinister visibly stiffened in surprise and a bit of fear. "Wait, I..." Sinister started to say. THOOM! Sinister disappeared, an odd red/purple energy distortion whisking him even as the self-destruct systems in the lab activated. He wouldn't see the collapse of years of his work, the destruction of priceless genetic samples, instead he found himself in another base, this one very different in design. Instead of a dark, hidden lair it most resembled a castle, with high ceilings and polished floors, beautiful wall hangings and subtle colors on the walls. The hallway Sinister arrived in led to a larger chamber where a holographic representation of the world hung, red marks noting certain locations. "You shouldn't have gotten greedy, Sinister," the redhead said, her green body armor gleaming in the lights. Outside the window the icy wastes of Antarctica stretched out, but the technology of the floating castle kept them comfortable and warm. "I am sorry, Madelyne," Sinister started only to choke, invisible fingers grasping him crushingly by the throat. "What did I say about you calling me that?" Madelyne Pryor said, her green eyes flashing with anger. "Genesis..." Sinister choked out, "I meant Genesis!" Madelyne released him, turning back to the globe. "How bad are our losses?" she asked him calmly, almost as if she hadn't been angry at all. "Total," Sinister admitted, "lad, samples, clones and data." "Not quite," Madelyne answered, "I had a hotlink running into the base and have tactical data on Wisdom and Codex's teams." "Know your enemy," Sinister nodded. "What next, m'lady?" "I think it may be time to let some old friends know I'm back," Madelyne purred, manipulating the globe to zoom in on one area: Upstate New York, home to Xavier's School of Higher Learning. To be continued... in X-Men, the Genesis Chronicle. Notes: Yes, I'm doing a sequel. :) With the return of the comics Excalibur (lead by Pete Wisdom, can I call `em or what?) I thought it might be time to start something new. I do have plans for other characters in this series, so keep your eyes open. A big shout out goes to Strife, whom gave me some of the ideas that lead to the new story.
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