---

---

As they sat there, awaiting their coffees, Desiree found herself lacking the words she had been dying to say. Then again, she wasn’t sure being talkative would've helped. Leighton didn’t seem like much more than a middle man. Though the other woman carried herself with some obvious confidence, she was open about her relative cluelessness and inability to speak openly. Of course, for all Desiree knew, she was the head of this little hunt, and Desiree was playing directly into her trap. It was all enough to give her a massive headache.

Tentatively, Desiree replied, ”No sweat, Leighton. I’m sure I’ll get the answers I need soon enough. Like you said, you never know who’s listening.” She shrugged, a choppy laugh escaping her. ”Once we get to the place you were talking about, though,” She was cautious about referring to it by name. ”I’ll ask so many questions your ears will fall off.”

When their coffees were prepared, Desiree stood to retrieve them. Returning to their table, she took a quick sip of her own, remaining standing. Her joints felt stiff with tension, as she realized that after this they'd be on the final stretch of their journey. She had no idea if the transfer would go smoothly, or if she would even come out alive. Maybe contacting her mother would have been a good idea, or maybe it was best if she disappeared without a trace.

Sliding the mocha coffee over to Leighton, she asked, ”You ready?”

---

---

---

---

The van ride was a quick one but gave Luna time to tap into her telepathy and bring one of her strengths to the forefront. She felt a bit on edge, almost like electricity herself but it was a comfort that brought her strength all the same. She climbed out of the van and looked over at Max, smirking at the boy with amusement and interest. She eyed his gifts to the Underground and started to tap into her telepathy. ”Since when did the Underground want handouts Max? Or is this a simple, I fucked up apology gift?” She glanced at Veil going over to the unknown addition, who seemed to be a twin but if Veil knew and trusted them enough to go right up to him than that must be her long lost brother. So, Luna would let her have that moment and focus on Max.
Luna was also intrigued with how Max was able to conjure all of it up. What did he learn at the Hellfire club. He didn’t look like he was high on those drugs Magik and Vulcan were on but they could have made a different serum, which would have made destroying the lab useless if they had managed to do that. Luna walked closer to Max, cocking her head to the side as she tried to get into his mind but it was like hitting a brick wall everytime. Luna stayed pressed up against his brick wall, slinking around like a snake, looking for any weak spot while she spoke. ”What’s wrong Max, or should I call you Tome, something you don’t want me to see?” She was grateful for Spark Plug leveling the playing field a little and if all else failed, Luna could knock Max out physically to get into his head.

---

---

---

---

Cayden’s jaw dropped when he heard a new voice and saw Ben. ”Ben! Man, have I been dying to meet you,” Cayden said and hurried over to the new addition. ”Wait, that was a horrible choice of words but seriously. High five?” Cayden held up his hand eagerly, the tension from earlier seeming to leave him as the away team had left and Ben showed up. Cayden was a bit surprised with Ben. His size and height wasn’t strange, no the colour of his hair and race but for some reason Cayden had someone a little more outlaw in his mind. Like a pirate. But a ghost friend was still pretty epic and he was hoping Ben would stick around for a little bit.
Sunshine spoke up quickly and Cayden winced a bit looking at her. He could feel for the girl and was certainly sorry she had lost him. ”I am not certain that would be, okay. Casper may have the ability but the consequences of playing with the dead and Ben… He isn’t really back, we can just see him now.” He didn’t want to offend the girl but he didn’t want to lie to her either. After all, Cayden didn’t understand the full ability of Casper’s power, that wasn’t what they liked to talk about.

---

---

---

---

The entire ride to the old Mutant Underground base, Waverley's hands were gripping tightly to the rebar in her lap. She was anxious, and not just because she knew when they were there, she'd have to see Max again. In fact, that knowledge made her more angry than anxious. No, what caused her anxiety to rise was the knowledge that their van was cloaked. As cool as driving around in an invisible car might initially sound, it seemed like a bad idea in practice. She understood it was important that they weren't followed, but getting into a car crash because their fellow drivers couldn't see them didn't sound like a good alternative. Waverley didn't voice these fears, however. Luckily they managed to get to their destination safely.

Waverley, who'd taken a seat near the back to keep an eye out behind them, didn't get a good look at the scene until she was out of the vehicle. As she stepped onto the asphalt, her eyes shot out in front of her, and immediately she saw a familiar effeminate frame and head of blonde hair. She only saw him for a moment before Callie obscured them all with a thick fog, making it difficult to see the details of the boy's appearance. But the split second of clear vision was enough for Waverley to tell: it was him. Just seeing him caused her heart to begin pounding, in part due to her brain replaying the footage of her mother's death, and in part out of pure rage. She exhaled the hatred from her nose, keeping herself from bursting out of control long enough to reach out with her mind, feeling for radio waves the boy might've been emitting. It was a little difficult, with the distraction of her heartbeat pounding against the inside of her chest, but she managed. She was surprised when she felt nothing.

"He's clean," she called out, her voice coming out somewhat croaky. She noticed only then that her mouth had become dry. "They'd only let him out without a tracker if they really trusted him. He's obviously setting us up for an ambush." She shot a glance at Veil, entangled in an embrace with a man in the only other car around. She had expected Veil to march right up to Max and let him have it, but Waverley couldn't blame her for stopping to hug her brother. The side of the phone call that she had heard sounded intense. So it seemed the rest of them would have to take point. When Max claimed that everything was alright, Waverley felt her heart pound even harder against her ribs, as if trying to get out so it could punch the boy in the nose itself.

"The hell it is!" she snarled, lip curved into a frown that could only accurately have been described as royally pissed off. She began to walk towards Max, her heart rate accelerating with every step. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. This wasn't strange; she often heard hear heartbeat in her ears when she was having a panic attack, or when she was stressed or terrified. This was different though. Unbeknownst to her, those around her could hear it as well. It radiated out of her like she was a speaker, the loud thrumming in the unmistakable rhythmm of a heartbeat. It was louder than a heartbeat should ever be. She passed Spark Plug, eventually stopping right in front of the basket on the ground, filled with snacks and drinks, courtesy of their enemy. "We set up a meeting with a murderer, and not only did he not show up with the innocent we're looking to protect, he had the audacity to try and give us a FUCKING GOODIE BASKET!" As if to emphasize her point, she brought up her rebar, and, eyes glued on Max, she jabbed it down into the care package. She felt the satisfying crunch of olive branches being crushed, feeling a splash of liquid land on the legs of her jeans. She didn't care. She huffed like a bull about to charge. When Glimpse spoke, Waverley glanced over at her, shaking her head.

"We shouldn't call him by his supervillain name. It'll just give him some sick sense of validation," she said, before looking back to Veil. Both her hands were gripping tightly to her rebar, and while she wasn't in a fighting stance, it looked like she was prepared to be in one if the need suddenly arose. "Obviously he's lying. So are we leaving, or are we teaching him a lesson? Whatever we do, we should do it before the rest of his fellow goons arrive."

---

---

---

---

Sapphire fell silent, a bit annoyed by this entire situation regarding where they were going. She wasn't going to hesitate to hit someone if they tried anything, however she did know that she had a few questions for Max, regarding a lot of things. The odd thing was, Sapphire despite not trusting Max and Leighton was not going to be the one to throw the first punch unless trouble popped up first. If the pair seemed to be double crossing them, then she wasn't going to hesitate at all when it came to striking first. A thought started to cross her mind, regarding Max requesting Casper of all people as she walked into the room behind everyone else. There was only one reason she could think of, and it had to do with the other reality.

"Wow Max, make me feel special, since the reason you probably wanted to talk to Casper was because of hat Wanda did right? Seriously? Casper of all people? Make me feel special considering the fact that I was there too, and so was Casper's brother who probably would be able to tell you much the same things as him. So thanks, for that for once again making me feel like crap when I'm already in a really bad mood. Actually Max, I have a few questions for you. Namely why the hell do you try playing two sides? You play the villain in real life but in the fantasy world you were a hero. Mind explaining the idiocy to me? Since you can't just keep playing both sides and expecting both sides to take your word and trust everything you say. Seriously..." she said to him, before Waverly freaked and smashed the box, and she shook her head. "I actually would have been fine keeping the gift box... Oh, that reminds me, hey Max, you've got to excuse Waverly, she's kind of got a grudge against you considering her mother was one of the cops you killed with a giant nail, which leads back to why are you thinking you can play both the hero and the villain? Since you are fabulously screwing up with it."

---

---

---

---

Jack looked over at his brother as Casper attempted to do what he could to recreate what he had done in the other reality. He waved slightly, giving Ben a smile, "Hey there Ben, how's it going? Nice to see you again in an instance where we aren't fighting people or I'm not dying. Which reminds me, didn't get a chance to say all of this sort of thing, but thanks for you know, helping me not to die in the other reality, and that thanks also goes to James since at the end there I'd probably would have bled out. And sure, probably would have been brought back when the world shifted back but not dying is always a good thing."

He was a bit saddened by what Sunshine said, and just shook his head slightly. "There are a few differences with that though... Namely... Well, Ben's always been around, he sticks close by to Casper all the time, whereas Erg isn't anywhere around here, I don't think anyway," he said, glancing towards his brother, "And if Casper called for him to show up, there is a chance, and based how Erg felt about Casper and whatnot from what I could tell, I don't think he'd show up Rookie..." he told her softly, not sure what else to tell her.

---

---

---

---

Leighton could feel the hesitation off the girl. And she wanted nothing else than to alleviate her worries, but even Leighton wasn't sure what would happen. The Underground may not show up or may not want to help. Either way, she had to get Des there and see. At least she would have the option than to come to the Hellfire Circle like she did. Leighton stood up, "Promise, I will answer all I can." Leighton turned and scanned the lot and she froze. There, leaning against Des' car was Pyro and alongside him was Anastasia. Shit, so they did track her. Which means if she hadn't spotted them, she would have led them right to the Underground.

She grabbed Des' hand to stop her. "Wait, there are Hellfire members outside by your car. We won't be able to sneak away to the hideout so we have to talk to them. Follow my lead. We'll see if we can drive off and have them leave or worse-case scenario, follow us, in which case I will stop their car."

---

---

---

---

Ana stepped out of the limo and sidled up to Pyro. "It's called being fashionably late. Anyway, I'm here now and since they haven't moved, we are fine." Ana looked in the window of the coffee shop or whatever the place was. A place to get coffee and donuts? How pedestrian. She fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she caught movement as Leighton exited out of the store.

Leighton waited for Des to follow her before she waved at Pyro and Ana. "Hello you two. Fance seeing you here. Not following me, I hope. Her tone hinted at humor and she continued. "Anyway, this is Des and we were just about to head off to headquarters. We'll take Des' car and you two can go ride in that fancy limo of yours, sound good?"

Ana smirked. Leighton was smarter than she gave her credit for. "How about we all ride in the limo? We can have someone send for her car later. Save us all the trouble?" Leighton tensed and shook her head, "I insist, I think she'll be more comfortable in her own vehicle until we get there." Ana looked at Pyro, wondering if he thought the same way. "Fine, but we'll follow you there, if you don't mind. Come Pyro, let's get settled into the back."

---

---

---

---

---

Dunkin' Donuts -

"Oh you know, Miss Queen's got a good point about comfort," Pyro told Anastasia. "I'd be more comfortable on my bike." He had a motorcycle that he used pretty much all the time, liking it since it was good for weaving in and out of traffic - and tailing people. They had a tracking device in Desiree's car, so there wasn't anywhere she and Ice Queen could go where they wouldn't find them

"But I want to hear it from the lass 'erself - why doesn't she come on out and tell us what she wants, huh?" Pyro gambled, flicking the lighter in his hands on and off. He didn't budge from his position, still leaning up against Desiree's car.

---

---

Veil was extremely proud of Spark Plug - she hadn't even thought of asking her to make a fog cover and here it was, the perfect way to cover their escape route. She didn't mind that Spark Plug threatened Tome slightly - he did deserve it, she had to admit. No one was attacking him yet. That was good. She wanted to hear what he had to say for himself before they vanished into the fog. Sage hadn't sent any updated communication as well, which was doubly troubling. "Tome, Casper wasn't available. Additionally, if I'm going to help protect this innocent, I need my team with me - I can't do it by myself," she said unapologetically.

She returned her attention to her brother, Echo. "That's Tome. He's... an experience," she told him carefully. "And my hair isn't a priority right now." She avoided answering the question as to how she was. She was incredibly stressed out. They had walked into what seemed to be some sort of trap or a diversion tactic to keep them from helping the innocent. Sage's information had said Jinx and Ice Queen were involved - not Tome. Glimpse was having trouble getting into his mind, another fact that made her wary. Feedback had more success though, finding that there weren't any trackers of any sort on Tome.

Feedback destroyed the gift basket, making Veil wince. They were so low on resources at the Underground that she probably would have inspected the items carefully first and then ended up bringing them back. Sapphire was showing a surprising amount of restraint by not attacking Tome.

"Tome is the name he chose, so we're using that to talk to him. Even if he's a villain, we're not dead naming him unless he asks us to, Feedback," Veil told her sternly. Some people used their mutant names exclusively, some used them interchangeably. She herself defaulted to using mutant names. Casper was an exception - he had told her he didn't really want to be called Spirit Box, preferring his given name. Jack similarly went between Stretch and Jack. "We're also not attacking him unless he attacks first," she told her people.

"Our priority is the innocent... Tome, if Ice Queen doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, then we're leaving and we'll track the innocent down ourselves." Her gut told her that Tome was telling the truth - that he didn't know what was going on and that this wasn't meant to be a set up.

---

---

Ben instantly retaliated against James for poking him, poking the living mutant back on the arm as hard as he could. He wasn't mad that James had touched him. In fact, it was thrilling to have some semblance of normality back - he felt like Voldemort in the Harry Potter universe, rejoicing the ability to be able to touch again. "I've been dead almost as long as I was alive... If you mean if I feel like I'm alive again, I honestly don't remember what that feels like. I can't recall the feeling of air rushing into my lungs or what the sun beating down on my neck is really like. But if you mean compared to normal death, I dunno, it's like I've just been energized. Like every part of me is buzzing."

Ben was so excited to be able to interact with things that he nodded, high fiving Cayden as hard as he could. There was pure ecstasy on his face as his fingers connected with Cayden's. Sweat was pouring down Casper's forehead, the blue glow stills surrounding his hands and his eyes glowing. It was clearly taking a toll on him, keeping Ben anchored to the physical world. Maybe he'd be able to get better at it with time, but it was clear to everyone there he would need to stop soon and rest.

"Shockingly, Casper can hear you all still and can answer questions about ghosts," he quipped, his voice sounding a bit weary. "I could try to summon Erg, kid, but Jackie's right. Erg probably won't show up for me. He wasn't exactly my number one fan, y'know? Ben's easy. Ben's obsessed with me and he's my best friend, so he likes hanging around... But... I lost my train of thought."

"I got this. I'm the resident ghost, after all, even if he's the one named Casper," Ben interjected. "If Erg wanted Casper to summon him, Erg would have come around by now. Like how Waverley's mother was lurking, wanting to use him to talk to her child and tell her to murder Max."

"Yes, exactly! Ugh, Waverley's mother was a nightmare... Not that she was unpleasant, which I guess she was because she kept asking for Feedback to murder someone on her behalf without any regard to the consequences that would have, but like... She was covered in blood. People look the way they did at the moment of death. Erg might... He might not be all there. Also, I don't want to summon Erg! He liked to brand people! With a red hot poker! He hated me! I don't want to find out if he can brand my face from the afterlife!" Casper was starting to panic, getting a bit hysterical. Somehow though, Ben was hanging on, still visible and tangible.

Sunshine was quiet for a moment, listening to what they were saying. When it came to the afterlife, she believed that people were judged and the wicked ones went to the Fields of Punishment, the normal boring people went to the Asphodel Meadows, and heroes went to Elysium. She could speak Greek fluently and sometimes in the winter months, she would go to the library and watch videos on Greek beliefs in an attempt to feel closer to her dad. As long as she didn't look completely filthy, the librarians usually would be nice enough to help her find a video and get it set up for her on the computer.

"Your power is summoning ghosts and now that you aren't doing drugs, your excuse is that you don't think Erg liked you!!" Sunshine exploded. "He sacrificed himself for all of us, for you too you asshole, and you won't even try! What is the point of keeping you around?! No wonder your brother doesn't even like you!" She didn't have any weapons on her - the closest was the nearly empty Cheez-Its bag.

She threw a small glowing green ball at Casper, hitting him in the face. He instantly started sneezing, his eyes looking red. "I hate you!!!!! You can't just abandon and give up on people!!!" Sunshine screamed, though she was looking at Jack now and not Casper.

---

---

---

James should have expected that, honestly. He didn’t know why telling Sunshine no wouldn’t end up in someone getting sick. He grimaced at his sneezing boyfriend and groaned internally. No, he knew why he did it. He let someone else take the fall so he wouldn’t lose whatever credibility he’d gained with Sunshine. If he wasn;t the one telling her no, it wouldn’t be necessarily viewed as his fault and then he might still have an open pathway to hold reasonable―well, as reasonable as you could get―conversation with her. When the hell did he start doing that?

He focused on Sunshine, watching how she looked at Jack as her tantrum evolved. That was something to consider but right now, he needed her to calm down a little. Just enough to figure out what she gave Casper and prevent her from throwing anymore at anyone else. His heart went out to her; he remembered how she felt she finally found a place to stay and Erg must have been a father figure for her. He could understand how much it must hurt to hear she could have him back. He’d been tempted to ask Casper about his own dad, at least to say goodbye, and sometimes he still felt the tug. He didn’t think he’d ever go through with it but he could empathize with her at least.

He wanted to check on Casper. He looked over at his boyfriend apologetically. He knew getting Sunshine to take back whatever she did would be the better solution so he looked at Jack and jerked his head over at Casper while he walked over to Sunshine, making sure to leave her some space so she didn’t feel trapped. “Hey, why don’t you undo whatever you did to Casper and let’s take a walk outside? I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week.”

---

---

---

Max turned to Glimpse as she addressed what he had placed before them, making some rude remark about the underground not wanting handouts. Max had lived with them, even if for a short time, and they were always short on food and supplies. If they truly felt this way towards someone offering help, then their hubris would be their own downfall. They cannot save lives on empty stomachs and low energy. His eyes looked over towards Veil, a prime example of stretching yourself too thin and paying the price. How many times had he seen her shot? How many times had she been injured on the job? Was it carelessness, partially, but carelessness brought upon by the lack of power and sustenance needed to stay alive. If she kept on the way she did then she may see herself into an early grave. "It was meant to be a gift, nothing more. I understand your feelings towards me Glimpse, really I do. But just because you view me as a bad guy doesn't mean I'm a bad guy. Also I figured it was time for a bit of a name change. Tome doesn't exactly inspire courage or faith in those ones trying to save. Id appreciate it if you called me Warlock from now on. It holds more power and is more likely to inspire confidence i think." Max narrowed his eyes slightly at the mention of him hiding something, and he looked honestly disappointed. "Glimpse, I am in a location surrounded by telepaths. There are five there and if it wasn't for me trying to keep them out then this may of all been for naught. Maybe you could simply ask next time to be let into my mind so that I know not to try and combat a telepath. I am hiding something yes, but not from you guys. We're risking our necks to be here."

His attention was quickly snatched by Waverly, someone hed hardly had time to meet let alone know. She seemed more aggressive than the others, though her mutation must've been the key to why she was here. "They let me out because I'm not a pet. I chose to walk out, they gave us this freedom from day one. I'm not confined to their walls and I sure as hell made sure not to be tracked, I made my own ride in the event that they had tracers on theirs. I am taking every precaution I can to make sure an innocent is delivered to you." Maxs tone throughout this ordeal had stayed steady and calm. Almost as if Reeva, Emma, and the Three in One had rubbed off on him. In truth he was boiling inside, upset by how they were all acting. But he kept thinking of Leightons words and how he needed to prove to them that they were better, are better. Not moments later did Waverly destroy his olive branch, food the underground could've desperately needed now gone and destroyed over what? Anger that he was not with them? Max simply looked away as she hit it and closed his eyes, remaining calm.

Before he could open them he heard a familiar voice. Not a friendly one, but a familiar one all the same. Sapphire was there and it was as if Veil had invited every member that dispised him. She spoke about the other reality, Jack, Casper, and began with a barrage of questions, some which seemed rhetorical to him. Did she truly believe he'd ever ask for her? "Sapphire, and I say this with the best of intentions, I didn't ask for you because we don't exactly see eye to eye. Quite frankly I had assumed if you ever saw me again that I'd be impaled by a spear of ice. I don't mean this negatively but you haven't been kind to me in the past so why would I think you'd start now? As for Jack well...he had a kid there. He left a child behind to save the world! How could I possibly ask him here to talk to me when I know it could cause him so much pain? It had to be Casper, I know him. I heard you guys didn't have an easy time there at the end. I don't know the details of it but from the sound of it you all had it pretty hard while we took on Wanda. I'm sorry for what ever may of happened.

But know that I didn't play the hero. I was and am a hero. I did the same thing there that I would have here, except with more control and power than I've ever experienced. I left because I don't want to run and hide any longer, I'm done living in the shadows and I want to help mutant and human kind. Emma has a vision that will aid all Mutants, and after the events of the other reality I see now that Magneto doesn't share that vision. They made him seem like the media had distorted the stories, the same way they did to me. It was easy to believe when I've been affected by it first hand. But I can't condone his vision, and I will stop it from ever happening. I don't want mutants to have to hide in the sewers or abandoned buildings. I don't want anymore children to have their parents sic purifiers on them when they find out they're mutants. I just. Want. Peace."

His hands were shaking and he leaned against the scooter. Hearing the news that he had killed Waverlys mom in that accident. The world was small, and not only had he worsened race relations that day but it seems he had speared a third person in that incident, Waverly. "I can't say anything but that i am truly sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything to you but I am. It was a horrendous accident that should've never happened but it did. It was never my intention to kill anyone that day." His voice hung low and was somber. He knew she wouldn't accept it. It mustve meant nothing to her, but there was nothing more he could do.

Veil explained her situation to him, why she didn't bring Casper and why there was a whole team with her. He couldn't deny it, it was smart and she was right to do so. Not because he wasn't to be trusted, but because if things had gone sideways Casper couldn't do much in the way of protect or fight. "I hadn't thought of it that way. Smart. Honestly Veil I'd swear you're becoming more of a leader each day. Sapphire I think just confirmed my theory however, and I'm not sure how I wish to proceed with what I know now." Max pushed himself off the vehicle and waved at Echo as he was introduced. "I have no intention of fighting you guys, like I said I'm just the middle man. But I can conjure you up some more supplies if you'd like, hell you can even try and name specific things you want and I'll do the best I can."

---

---

---

---

---

The metro was its usual commute. The bright interior trying to give off a sunny disposition to an otherwise hot and gruesome ride. It was good that winter had come so at the very least the broken air conditioning wasn't as much of a hassle. As Jinx stood there, gripping the bar rail above his head, the smell of his cinnabon masked all others and tempted him to eat it there and then. He did however reserve himself and would await to enjoy it with a nice dunkin iced coffee. He was in a good mood despite the delay, and it warranted for him to not cause any havoc amongst those pedestrians that riddled his cart. As soon as the doors to the metro opened, he stepped out and saw everyone off in the distance. He was told to tail them, shadow them, and so he took that to mean that he was to be unnoticed. There wasn't many places to hide and he needed to move fast so that no one, especially Desiree, could see him.

Jinx quickly threw one of his jinxed at a far off car in the lot, its alarms now blaring and sending their attention to turn their heads over at the sudden noise. As soon as that first sound broke the air he took it as a sign to quietly move to the nearest vehicle. No time to inspect it, or ensure they'd turned, for time was of the essence and he couldn't afford for them to potentially look back and see him due to hesitation. Jinx unlocked the car with his powers, forcing its locks to malfunction and allowing him to slip in and dive, hiding in the back seat. In his haste hadnt noticed a dog was present, now barking at him as its name tage jingled and showed off the name butch. Sure it was a poodle, but any owner who left their dog alone in a car didn't need the dog anyways, and with a name like butch how could he resist stealing it?

Jinx reached over to pet the dog, aiming for their neck in an attempt to pet the dog in order to calm it down. The other hand slowly opened his cinnabon, abandoning all hopes for a drink, and grabbed the plastic fork beginning to finally take a bite of his long awaited treat.

---

---

---

Veil said her hair wasn't a priority and that told Harry one thing, there clearly weren't mirrors in this underground and he would need to purchase three full length mirrors for the place. He noticed his sister dodging his question as she played the part of the diplomat. It was nice to see her so comfortable in her role, how she managed to bear so much stress on her shoulders was beyond him. Add a shoulder massager to the list. Now he didn't know why everyone was so against the kid at first. He seemed harmless, and unlike the purifiers he'd seen. Harry way, unfortunately, ignorant to many of the issues others faced. He knew of Magneto and the common threats Xavier explained so many years ago, but this kid looked nothing like a villain. Hell he was wearing a yellow autumn gucci piece from their last collection. It wasn't until Waverly destroyed the package and then Sapphire explained, that he understood what all had happened.

This kid had left them for another group who worked with Magneto and had subsequently killed someone either on purpose or by accident. Harry made his way towards the group, hardly minding the dust that kicked up and sullied the shoes he was wearing. With arms crossed he stood by his duplicate to his right, creating a new him now to his left. Three Harry's stood there between the Mutant Underground and Max. "I'm not privy to all that's happened here mates, but I do know that if my little Valer-Veil says that there will be no fighting then there won't be any. Now kid is there any way for you to contact your friend without being traced? An ETA would be nice and so would getting out of this dustbowl." "I can try and contact her much in the same way I did Veil. I can't guarantee it'll work but no telepath will pick it up and her responses can't be heard by others if she's surrounded." Harry turned and looked at his sister inquisitively as if to ask her if this was a good idea or not.

---

---

---

---

Callie crossed her arms over her chest, the electricity from her hands dying down as she watched Max approaching with a little gift box, and scoffed slightly. She really did not trust him, though they really did need any kind of supplies even if it was from Max in the first place, she looked at the Echo Clone that approached and stood in between them. "First, not Sparky, either Spark Plug or Callie would be completely fine with me. And completely fine, just stating i'll defend everyone here if the Harry Potter Wannabe does anything hostile." She said giving a slight smile and shaking her head slightly, she'd respond either way which Callie didn't really care just not the name Sparky.

Waverly then stepped forward, getting the sense that she was really angered at Max which was completely understandable, hearing the woman yelling at Max before destroying the supplies. Callie quickly went over towards her, gently resting a hand on Waverly's shoulder and closed her eyes slightly letting a calming feeling flow through the girl. She was understandably mad, but she didn't want her to do something completely reckless in the first place. "Feedback, take a breather try and listen to any frequencies around, just incase someone goes and investigates the odd fog appearing out of nowhere alright?" Callie suggested, while looking at Sapphire and Glimpse as the two spoke out about Max as well.

Sapphire going on about the alternate reality that Wanda Maximoff had made again, which was something she would like to learn more about and Max answering her. She then scoffed a bit, hearing Max wanting to be called by someone else and rolled her eyes she couldn't really believe his explanation for the sudden name change. "Yeah, Warlock is a powerful name, sounds more like you want to instill fear in everyone around you, than confidence and your reasoning sounds more like something Magneto would say. You'd have to earn my respect before I even call you by that." Callie stated, as she leaned herself up against the side of the van thinking of their last time that they had interacted and looked directly towards their former HQ.

"Lets rewind time a little bit shall we? We took you and Leighton in, when you didn't really have anywhere else to go, you go out on ONE mission with Veil, Glimpse, and Sapphire. Shit hits the fan there, during that time I was in charge of the Underground for the time you guys were out in the mission. Vulcan who works for Sinister, and Magik who was drugged up on Hound juice come in and attack us mind you, your girlfriend Leighton is there. AND during that time, the Murlocks get attacked at the same time we do. We all nearly died that night, then the following day after we found that Sinister has a lab under the Cherry Bomb bar. Owned by Shaw, your second mission by the way with us. We all go and do our thing in there, and destroy the lab, you and Leighton then decide to instantly jump into bed with the people who want to kill, torture AND drug mutants. So you pretty much slapped and spat in our faces when you guys left. So you can probably understand WHY we do not trust you at the moment?" Callie said looking over towards Veil, Sapphire, Glimpse and Feedback for a moment. "Am I missing anything else?"

Callie then glared at Max's statement about Veil's leadership, sure they were utterly underfunded for just about everything, Callie saw her as a good leader in her eyes. "Veil has been a leader probably longer and has made a lot of hard choices over the years, you probably have only just started high school then. She's better choices than you have made obviously.

---

---

---

---

Jack was sort of glad that he could actually really talk to Ben again, since his brother's friend was definitely an interesting character overall all things considering. Though unless you really counted the House of M reality, he was a bit guilty for not really at least trying to talk to Ben. That made him feel a bit bad, considering the fact that when he thought about it, it must have been incredibly lonely for Ben, since he only ever was really able to talk to Casper. He also was glad that Casper and Ben both had agreed with his assessment regarding how the whole ghost thing worked. At least he had been paying some attention to how Casper's powers worked.

Then came Sunshine's outburst, and Jack was a bit surprised by it, but not for the reason that most people would think. It wasn't the fact that Sunshine had started screaming at people (especially Casper) and then proceeded to make Casper sick, but it was the fact that her anger didn't even seem to be directed towards his brother. Oh no, her anger seemed directed towards him. All he could really figure out was that she seemed to be projecting her abandonement issues (which seemed to be partially in play at this point) at him, as if he was the one who had abandoned her. Problem is, that didn't make any sense to him.

"...Sunshine, why are you mad at me? I know you were yelling at Casper but, why does it seem like your anger is directed at me?"

---

---

---

---

Now, to be fair, Sapphire wasn't exactly in the best emotional state (helloooooo she broke down in tears not too long ago) but Max was seemingly a dumb person, but she could understand a few viewpoints he was coming from. However, Callie definitely had a few points regarding everything. Though it wasn't those words that really made her mad, it was the fact that Max assumed that she was going to kill him. Not just kill him though, kill him the exact same way she had killed Polaris in the House of M reality. Her mind started swirling as she started sorting through everything from that reality, and she found that she wasn't really feeling her typical self, she actually felt like crying again, despite the fact that she was surrounded by several people at this point.

"...You do realize that I never once actually hated you right? Sure, I didn't trust you, I don't trust anyone unless they give me a chance to. You remember the chaos after you accidentally killed the cops? I defended you, saying that things like that happen to everyone despite the fact that I didn't trust you! Oh, yeah, I hated Leighton, still do, did you ever think to ask why? Or did you think that I was just pissed off at her damn existence as a rich girl who clearly loves money and power more then anything as she has seemingly proven! Oh no, reason I hated her was because when I first met her she acted like almost accidentally killing someone was a damn joke! If you want to be hero, there are a whole bunch of hero teams out there you could be on, hell if you wanted a corporation funded one where you get paid to be there I would have sent you towards X-Factor! Oh, and guess what? I will never kill someone on purpose, accident hell yeah, that happens to me a lot more then you could possibly think, so how about you cut the crap. If you want to make a difference for mutants then join the damn X-Men, not the people who clearly want at least the entire Underground it seems, dead!" she snapped, before she more or less turned away from the group, not all too thrilled by what he was saying. "No, you are no hero, since you instantly decided to leave because of the actions of more or less one person and join the group that tried to kill us, and probably numerous others, without a second thought. Give one damn good explanation about how that is being a hero."

---

---

---

---

Waverley could feel the rage continuing to simmer in her veins as Max apologized. She didn't believe him for a second, though that was likely a subconscious choice more than anything. It was easier to doubt than it was to forgive, especially with such a personal issue. But her distrust of the regrets he voiced was somewhat validated when, almost immediately after he was done, he shifted his tone to compliment Veil on her leadership. It made Waverley seethe with anger, hearing her mother's demise mentioned as a passing apology. It reminded her of the morning she first learned of the accident - or murder, as she thought of it - when Veil addressed the tragedy with only a sentence or two in their morning briefing. The infuriated purple-haired girl prepared to continue her verbal attacks on her mother's killer, when she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

Waverley Watts couldn't remember the last time she felt calm. It was probably when she was a kid, before middle school or high school, before she ended up befriending a group of girls who would rip her throat out if she ever made them look bad. Before societal pressures and the unbearable fear of embarrassment carved out a permanent space for themselves in her mind. Even when all was well, and she was in the company of her new friends in the Underground, there was a lurking dread of humiliation that hung constantly in her mind, an anxiety that never went away, a little voice that told her what thoughts to voice, and which ones to keep inside. But as Callie emotionally uncorked Waverley, not only did her hatred and rage drain out of her, but so too did that voice. She felt nothing but serenity. Is that what Casper felt like when he took those pills? If so, she understood the appeal. It was something she could see herself getting used to, which was a thought she didn't have the sense to be scared of in her current state of tranquility.

Emptied of the wrath she'd held only seconds later, the unnaturally loud heartbeat that exuded from Waverley died down, quickly becoming inaudible once again. Her sharp expression dulled, passionate scowl softening into a thoughtful frown, and her wide, hostile eyes became half-lidded and relaxed. Her tense shoulders dropped as she stepped away from Max and the destroyed care package between them. Without a word, only a small nod to Callie, sat down on the sidewalk. She reached out her mind, scanning the area for any out-of-the-ordinary transmissions that would suggest someone was approaching. When she felt none, she lifted her head, dropping back into the conversation.

"Warlock? In fifth edition, the warlock is the class that makes deals with devils. Fitting for you, I think," she said, though it didn't sounded at all spiteful. It sounded vaguely bemused. That amusement quickly drained however, as a new thought came to mind. Or perhaps it wasn't new. It felt like it had been there all along, but was previously inaccessible amid the noise and rage that had been drowning out most of her coherent thoughts. But with all that gone, the thought surfaced. When Waverley spoke, it was cold, collected, free of fury. "You're not a hero, Warlock. I don't think you ever will be. But that doesn't mean you can't start trying," she paused, lowering her eyes to look down at the asphalt. When she looked back up, while she still looked mostly at Max, her eyes would occasionally glance at the members of her own team as well. "The day you killed...the day you killed my mother and her fellow officers, it wasn't just their families you hurt. You hurt relations between humans and mutants. You gave the people who hate us all the more reason to do so. That's not something you can fix completely...but you might be able to undo some of the damage done. If you really do want to be a hero then...come with us. Veil can mask our faces, so our identities are hidden, but our status as mutants is clear. Once she's done that, we'll go and hand you over to the police. I can send a tip to a few news stations, moderate ones, so they can get footage of it, and make sure that people know the truth about who turned him in. If people see a group of mutants handing over a known cop killer...It might not change everyone's minds, but I think it'll help." As Waverley finished, she looked to the other members of the Underground, trying to gauge their reactions to her suggestion.

---

---

---

---

”Ah, Tome. Yes, I suppose any other name than the one that defines a place to hold and confine the dead would be better wouldn’t it,” Luna noted. The others seemed to latch onto Max’s words and give him what for, shutting him down and explaining their insecurities and fears. Luna stood back and scanned the area around them while they had their little sharing circle and reached out telepathically, looking for anyone else behind the numbers she could see standing with her. She shifted and glanced over at Veil when she got a clear reading. ”No one else is in the area, aside from us,” she relayed.
”And Max, one more thing love. You knocked me out remember? So please do forgive if I don’t have the courtesy of asking your permission to search your mind first, which is counterproductive to someone playing on the other side. If you wanted to play spy, you should have told us in the first place. If you also remember, I tried to be there for you when you made a mistake but instead you left.” Was there a portion of Luna feeling hurt by Max leaving, yes. She had tried to befriend him, something Luna does not come by honestly. She didn’t open easily, only her family and those incredibly close to her knew a different, softer side to Luna. Other than that, it was careful eyes and shut off body language.

---

---

---

---

The high five made Cayden’s hand tingle from the force Ben applied but Cayden could see the pure joy on Ben’s face and grinned right back at the ghost, pleased that there was some joy in the room but there was also struggle and anger. The struggle was plain on Casper’s face, everyone could see it and Cayden shifted. ”Is there anything I can do to help? My grandmother used to also talk about the power of a person’s aura, would that help you with Ben?” Cayden would like Ben to stick around a little while longer but he also didn’t want Casper straining himself just for their pleasure and the knowledge they wanted.
There was another loud outburst and Cayden looked over at Sunshine, hearing her words before watching her blow green at Casper and he started to sneeze. Cayden didn’t think Sunshine would do any serious damage to Casper but Sunshine didn’t seem to have a clear head. Her anger at the situation and them was clouding her judgement and Cayden knew that anger was the symptom, not the reason. He rested a hand on Casper’s shoulder, knowing he shouldn’t jump on trying to help Sunshine when there were two others focused on her right now.

---

---

---

---

---

Dunkin' Donuts -

From his car, Jinx wasn't quite able to hear the conversation between the White Queen, Pyro, and the Ice Queen. All three of them continued to look over at the entrance to the Dunkin' Donuts, as if expecting for someone to emerge - probably the target that Reeva had instructed them to secure, dead or alive. No one emerged from the Dunkin' however. Maybe the target didn't trust Ice Queen after all and had fled out the back entrance. Maybe they hadn't quite finished their coffee just yet.

"If you let her get away, you're dead!!" Pyro screamed at Ice Queen, his voice loud enough that Jinx could hear him clearly. Pyro flicked his lighter on, yet instead of just a small flame appearing, a gigantic dragon made of flames emerged. The dragon flew at Desiree's car as Pyro walked away from it. Just as he cleared the blast range, the car exploded in a giant whoosh of flames. Both the White Queen and the Ice Queen were unharmed.

The volatile pyromaniac then went off at a run to the Dunkin Donuts, going to collect his prey.

---

---

The day Feedback's mother died was not one that Veil looked back on fondly. She remembered the sound of the screech of the police car's tires, the loud thud from Max's attack. The air had smelled like burnt rubber. Her initial reaction had been horror, knowing that the Purifiers would use this to fuel human-mutant tensions. Tome's actions had inadvertently thrown gasoline onto a fire. Tempers had been flying when they went back to the Underground - she remembered Tome's nasty comments towards Sapphire, Sapphire and Glimpse screaming at each other.

They hadn't known then that Tome had murdered Feedback's mother - there had been a bit of bliss in not knowing the identity of his victim. He had been trying to help them to escape, help them get back to the Mutant Underground with the items they had stolen from the Hellfire Club. He hadn't set out that day wanting to kill.

"To-Warlock," Veil corrected herself. She thought the name was a bit over the top, primarily since it reminded her of an old, gruesome horror flick. She didn't really want to hear Tome, no, Warlock say forgotten witches fly? "Telling me that I'm becoming more of a leader each day is patronizing - so quit that. I get it, you believe that you're a hero and you're doing the right thing for mutants. But Warlock, you and I both know you're doing it with the wrong people. Emma Frost and Magneto are two sides of the same coin. They were complicit in what Shaw did, with what he had Sinister do. I know you don't believe me, so if they are everything you think they are, ask them. Ask them for the truth about Shaw. Ask them for proof that they've really cut ties. And once they answer you, go look for evidence yourself. Since if you're going to be a hero, you need to make sure everyone you work with is one too."

Veil noticed her brother, Echo, glance over at her and she nodded. Her gut was telling her - as well as the information Glimpse and Feedback had gotten - that Warlock was being honest here. This wasn't a trap or a set up. She nodded at Spark Plug's summary. That was more or less how the events had gone down - and why she couldn't believe that the Hellfire Club were heroes. They may have had good intentions according to Warlock, the creation of a safe space for mutants, but the ends didn't justify the means. Sapphire was worrying her. Whatever had happened in that other world was more serious than she realized. Sapphire only used words instead of fists when she was broken in Veil's experience.

"... I could make our faces invisible, yes," Veil admitted to Feedback. She paused for a moment, trying to think of how to put this delicately. Feedback's mother's death had been an accident. Warlock would never get a fair trial for it - he would be sentenced to death. Veil didn't want that to happen to him. She didn't like Warlock, he made her wary and guarded and she was never sure what he was about to do next, but he didn't deserve to die for an accident - especially one that happened since he was trying to protect her and others.

Glimpse bought her a second of time to consider though. "... I thought it was Tome, like a book of spells, not Tomb." She then sighed. She couldn't leave Feedback waiting. Feedback needed her closure. She cared desperately about her and it was painful to have to tell her this. "Feedback... he didn't mean to murder your mother. It was an accident. He was trying to save all of us, to just slow the police down, not..." she didn't even know how to finish that sentence.

"He wouldn't receive a fair trial. The judges are hard on cop killers, even harder on mutants. The jury would be the same. I don't know if he could afford a lawyer, though I guess the Hellfire Club might have one on retainer... I know you want justice for your mom, I get it, I really do. It wasn't right what happened to her. I'm so sorry she died... But if someone is going to turn themselves in for her death, it'll be me. I was leading the mission. It happened on my watch. I take responsibility for what happened."

---

---

"Honestly, I have no idea if auras will help..."

Casper sneezed ferociously into his elbow, his neck hurting from the suddenness of it all. His eyes were a bit red and his head felt incredibly stuffy, like Sunshine had shoved a bunch of cotton balls into his ears. Miraculously, Ben managed to remain corporeal through all of this, looking a bit annoyed. Anything that broke Casper's concentration threatened his ability to interact with the physical world - and right now, Sunshine had given Casper a head cold. "Urgh, why is it - sneeze - always - sneeze - like this - sneeze - with you?" Casper complained.

"Maybe don't antagonize the Plague Bringer?" Ben said to Casper, not even bothering to lower his volume. He wasn't used to other people being able to heard his snide comments.

"I AM NOT A PLAGUE BRINGER!!!!" Sunshine screamed at Ben. Anger was being expressed from every pore of her body, the blood pumping thunderously through her veins. She looked about ready to throw a bit of disease at Ben, only to realize it probably wouldn't do anything, as Ben was already dead. She'd have to figure out another way to get even with him. Her eyes narrowed and she turned her attention to James.

Would he even believe her if she told him what was going on? Casper was giving up on Erg. Apparently, everything that had happened in her dream had been real events. The conclusion she came to then was that somehow, Jack was her father - and he had abandoned her. It would have been one thing if her father was a deadbeat or a drunk, but Jack was nice and that made it worse. He didn't even need to live with the Mutant Underground, he had an office for his business. He could have been a father to her, but... That didn't happen. And if someone as nice as Jack could abandon her, well, Sunshine felt the only explanation would be if she wasn't lovable.

Her anger then abruptly shifted, as she burst into tears again and turned, running out of the Mutant Underground, not stopping until she was aboveground. She collapsed against a tree, hugging her knees to her chest and just wailing like a banshee.

Casper was a bit stunned, continuing to sneeze despite his best efforts. "What was - sneeze - that all - sneeze - about?" he couldn't help but ask. It didn't seem like Sunshine was really just mad about Erg, though he guessed that could've been it? No, it seemed like there was something more going on. If it had been about Erg, he figured she would have yelled at him a while ago over this. He looked at the others in the room helplessly.

---

---

---

"Callie, I never said I didn't understand why you can't trust me. To you i am the enemy, I understand how it looks and I understand that with the knowledge you have this looks bad. I wont comment on the mission going awry, it was unfortunate and we all make mistakes and the mistakes we make can change the course of mutant kind. You weren't there on that mission, you didn't see what I saw nor did you see what I did. I risked my life for you guys. I risked death just to grab the computer that I delivered to your underground with all the knowledge stored inside of it. The mission was recon and intel gathering and that was exactly what I did. I hope you put that computer to good use because if not then that mission was for nothing. While we were attacked by the Hellfire Club for breaking into their domain you guys were dealing with Vulcan and Magick, something we didn't know about till later. But Veil was seriously injured and we did the best we could to escape and in that attempt I tried to give us more cover, I wanted to give us time so Veil could make it back safely without the fear of the police following us back to the hideout. I was panicking and I just wanted to pop their tires...I never meant...it was never supposed to happen that way. The next mission I was on I once again did what I supposed to do, I stayed with the group I tried to make sure people didn't break off without a buddy and I went with Havok to save Leighton. What we were told there is what changed my mind. It isn't that I don't believe in the underground, its that i wanted to do more than hide and run. Emma had told me that Shaw was working on his own with Sinister, she didn't condone what they were doing and I was promised that Shaw had be dealt with and removed from their group. We were given a choice, learn what the Hellfire Clubs motives and plans are with the freedom to leave if we so desired, or stay in the dark and with you guys. She spoke of peace for mutant kind and how she plans to achieve it, how could you not want peace? I don't want to argue with you, any of you, but yes Callie you are missing some major pieces in this grand puzzle."

Max had been avoiding Sapphires gaze for the most part, both because he was speaking to Callie, and because he wasn't sure how to respond to her or process the words that now rung in his head. He didn't know why but hearing that he was never once hated by her was very reassuring. It was like words that his family had never spoken. He can handle distrust, that comes naturally with some people, and with the line of work they were all in it was beginning to make sense. His shoulders dropped as he finally met her gaze with a defeated look. "I wont lie to you Sapphire, I never have and I'm not about to start now, but after the accident I was in my own head. I dont really recall much of anything that happened after that, everyone just faded and I was faced with a singular truth, that I was a monster. I had blood on my hands and there was no way to wipe that clean. I don't know why you hated Leighton except from what I had heard form her, and given the perception I had of you I will admit that it may of warped the truth. I didn't due to a singular person but there was a lot of underlying forces that worked me towards that direction. I never realized that your hatred for me was manifested only in my mind. I should've spoken to you, to Veil, about the misgivings that I had. The doubts that clouded my mind. I find myself having to say this more today than I anticipated but I truly am sorry, though I know it doesn't change anything. Though I would like it if we could talk sometime, alone perhaps ...about old things and what happened last week..."

Max wanted to correct on her misinformation about Warlocks, he also heavily wanted to point out that he preferred to play 3.5 instead. But this was not the time to argue semantics, especially given the news of her mother. Her suggestion was wild, if not to be expected. She wanted justice, some form of vengeance perhaps, anything to see the man who murdered her mother dealt with. He didn't want to respond, opting to wait to hear what Veil and the others had to say about her plan before moving on. That was when Glimpse spoke up. Her incorrect understanding of his name quickly fixed by Veils perceptive nature. She really was getting better at this leadership and it wasn't meant as an insult. How could he possibly explain to Glimpse what was going through his mind at the time. Why he did what he did? He would have to at some point so why not now? "Glimpse I know I knocked you out. I had thought the news of us leaving would be easier if you believed that we were entranced or under some form of control. Given your power set and ability to see into minds I didn't want the possibility of you finding out so I...I thought the best option was to put you to sleep. Not my finest idea sure, but what do you expect? I'm a kid! It hurt me so much to do it, and even more to leave you because you were always so kind to me.

I know I'm not perfect. Far from it, and I've made some great mistakes. I acknowledge that. I'm not the best with people and I dont know how to talk to them, I'm awkward, and clumsy, nerdy to a fault and I quite literally had no friends in school. My own parents turned me into the purifiers the day they discovered my powers! I know my social skills are severely lacking and I don't mean to sound patronizing while I'm trying to compliment you. If you feel that turning me in is the best option then I wont stop you. If you want to kill me with your own hands Waverly...I won't fight you. Just know that once there is blood on your hands it never leaves you. That death, even before I knew whose it was, has haunted me ever since. Eaten away at me inside and gnawed at my core knowing that I took a life no matter how accidental it was." Max took a step forward, his head tilted slightly up to expose his neck towards Waverly. If she wanted to kill him he would understand, but he hoped she'd understand the repercussions of what she had done. "I can't take back what I have done, I can't rewrite time-" There was a hard pause as he spoke, his expression changing as he began to pace and and forth in front of his ride. He began to mutter under his breath, an old new habit courtesy of the other timeline. He couldn't rewrite time no, but what if he could alter the reality?

He had heard it several times from many sources, he was a lot like Wanda. If she could alter the universe on such a grande scale then why couldn't he do so on a minor one? Thoughts began to race about on if he should pluck her mother from another reality, one in which she survived, or perhaps he could try and rewrite their own reality so that he never killed her and his powers worked as intended? Both of those sounded like if done wrong could end in a cataclysmic effect that would also be blamed on him. There had to be another way. He thought back to that morning when he accidentally summoned a dead rat, and began to wonder if it was possible to simply bring her mother back to life. "Waverly, this is your decision but...Sinister is a spirit right? Which begs to mean that souls are real. This may be a ride but follow me here. In this other universe I study archaeology, one of my main focuses being in artifacts that could pertain to magic or mutantkind. Now there was a running concept of rebirth or reincarnation, what if these were mutant powers that have been diluted and spread across through several mutants now. I have the power to create things, James the power to bestow life, Sapphire's medical knowledge would help us greatly, and I can only assume that Magick knows some...magic? If we could find someone who can speak to and manifest spirits then perhaps we can find a way to attach the soul to a new body and bring her back to life. Or, perhaps, we could use my powers to help fix any issues that her current body may have and then continue with the plan to use James, Sapphire, Magick, and someone with spiritual powers to do the same thing. I don't know how hard this will be but I'm willing to do the work." He sounded crazy, sure, but this could be an answer.

---

---

---

Echo and his duplicates put their hands up towards Callies comment. "Sorry there love, didn't mean much by the name. I'll make sure to keep Callie on the forefront of my mind just don't taze me if I forget every now and then." He gave her a little wink as he backed up, clearly giving them all space to breathe. Noticing his sisters affirming nod he was about to tell him to speak to his partner in what ever fashion he saw would work best. There was some form of trust here and Harry wasn't about to stomp all over it. Tensions seemed high and he wasn't sure what to do, this was new to him and there wasn't a guidebook on what to do. Ok there was but he wasn't the most studious childe at Xaviers when it came to terrorist negotiations or handling these types of issues.

His eyes darted back and forth between each person as they spoke. Never finding the right time to interject and ask him to call her. A soft breeze blew and he could smell the cucumber melon scent wafting off of the blonde mutant who stood alone against the growing numbers of the Underground. The others...didn't smell quite as nice but that was just another item in a long list of things he would need to gather. When Warlock had finally finished talking there was a chill running down his spine. There wouldn't be a good time to ask him about Leighton and this crossed the realms of what the fuck Harry hadnt considered. But he was living for the drama. It helped him take his mind off of things, but also made him feel great sorrow for Feedback as he knew what it meant to lose a loved one. He made his way towards where she sat and took a seat next to her dirtying his white pants. Veil would know that he would never do such a thing and to do so was highly out of character for him. Harry placed his arm around the purple haired kid and pulled her close. "Hey love, I know what you're going through right now. I just lost my love of 8 years and my world it just feels so...I'm here if you need to talk but you now have a choice before you. You have the chance to have her again, your mother. So whats it gonna be mate?"

---

---

If Ben wasn't already dead, James would have killed him on the spot. He had a shiny new arsenal of awful ways of hurting people and he could have taken Ben's pain tolerance out for a spin. Instead, he shot Ben a pissed off look and bit back a comment as Sunshine bolted. Sunshine clearly had some major emotional baggage that needed addressing, Casper was sick with hopefully boring more than a cold but who knew besides the one person he just pissed off, and he felt the need to casually set the whole situation on fire. James regretted asking for Casper to try this. Not because he disliked Ben but the whole situation clearly stabbed Sunshine somewhere vulnerable and he felt responsible for that now.

"Okay, let's not do that again, Ben. Sweetheart, why don't you go relax? I'm going to see if I can get her to calm down enough to reverse it." James suggested as he started after Sunshine, pausing to give him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at Jack apologetically. "Give me some time with her alone. I don't know what's going on but since it's clearly aimed at you, you're probably the last one she'll open up to." James rushed out of the training room after Sunshine. He really hoped he could figure it out. She shouldn't have to deal with whatever it was alone.

It took him almost no time at all and his heart broke at the sight. He made his way over, making sure she would be aware he was there. "Hey, can I sit? I don't have food but I have hugs and distractions."

"I dunno, can you?" Sunshine mumbled. She rubbed her eyes on the back of her arm, trying to keep the tears from pooling up. She viewed James like a brother, but she still didn't want him to see her cry. It was hopeless to keep that a secret, but still, she had to try for the sake of her pride. "You can," she then added, a bit too quickly - as if she had been worried that her initial knee jerk reaction was going to scare him off. "Not that I need you to or anything..."

James sat with a quite huff of laughter, settling down next to Sunshine. "Thankfully, I still have functioning legs." He was quiet for a moment before continuing. He didn't want her thinking he expected her to open up to him so he'd have to chose his words carefully. "I know you don't need me. You're strong enough to stand on your own two feet; you did it before here and if you absolutely had to, you could do it again. But that doesn't mean you have to. I'm here if you want help making this suck any less."

"I definitely couldn't do it. Fuck, half of us just came back from Magneto wiping the floor with us in an alternate reality and all I could do when I came back was find somewhere to cry." James sighed. "Everything's a mess right now and pretending it isn't, like half of us are doing, is just going to hurt more." James shook his head, lifting an arm so she could get a hug if she wanted. "Anything you want to get off your chest? I'll take it to my grave if you want."

She looked at him suspiciously. She was taking his promise of keeping the secret to the grave seriously. An idea then occurred to her. She was hellenistic. There was one promise that could never be broken, one that even the gods had to abide by. "Swear on the river Styx not to tell," she requested. If he made that promise, then.... then she supposed she could tell him. It wasn't like telling him would hurt or change anything. She knew for sure now that what had happened to her had been real. She hadn't been imagining her sudden transformation into a six year old kid. She hadn't just dreamt that her father's real identity was Jacques Theriot. "It's, like, the biggest thing you can swear on. You can't break it or... I dunno, I think you die or something."

"That serious, huh?" James asked. The name ringed some bells but to be honest, he really had no idea what he was swearing on or why it was so important. Normally, he'd dismiss the idea, agree, and move on but considering he was dragged into an alternate dimension to fight for his life against a witch recently, he wasn't so skeptical now. "Then of course, I swear on the river Styx not to tell anyone without your permission. A thought occurred to James as he made the promise and he frowned. "Will I still die if I'm mind controlled or something? I'm not 100% certain I can promise that."

"I have no idea," Sunshine admitted. "It might be a best effort thing." A lot of her beliefs were rather simple. She hadn't been raised in a community that worshipped the Greek gods. Everything she knew about them had been from old VHS tapes at public libraries, usually stuffy documentaries that didn't go into much depth or detail. She had watched them, searching for clues about her father or maybe just some way to feel connected to him, since all her mother told her was that he was Greek. It then occurred to her, her heart sinking, that that had been a lie. She wasn't Greek. Her father hadn't been. If Jack were really her father...

Her pain fluctuated between sorrow and anger. "I met my dad. In the... whatever that was."

"The other world was meant to make every mutant happy." James said, the last part of that catching in his throat for a second. He didn't want to acknowledge that piece of information so he ignored how it made him feel. Sunshine needed him here and now. There'd be time for aggressive compartmentalization later. "Is it who it was that made you upset or just the fact you had a life with him there?"

Sunshine hadn't known the purpose behind the other world - that it hadn't been random, everything that occurred there. The Scarlet Witch apparently decided that Sunshine would be happy if she were reunited with her father and turned into a six year old girl. She didn't consider the logical follow up to that - that Jack must have been happy to be with his daughter, otherwise that wouldn't have happened. No, it just made her hurt all the more, knowing that something designed to make her happy instead brought her more suffering. "My dad was Jack," she said quietly, not answering James' questions further.

That clarified everything. With Sunshine's abandonment and trust issues, the outburst was far more reasonable. "Wow. Jack's a great dude; I bet he was a great dad too." James said, matching her volume. Memories of his dad still alive in the other world came back to him; the auto shop still going strong, finding someone else to settle down with, supporting him when he opened his own shop on the otherwise of the country. His eyes burned with tears before he blinked them away. "Which means you were also a great daughter, huh? The woman with power over all of reality chose you because she thought you would make Jack the happiest parent in all of existence. Maybe you should consider getting closer with him."

Sunshine looked away from James, directing her gaze towards the sky instead. It was easier to talk without looking at him - it was like no one could hear what she said that way, as if her words just melted away into the air. "If... If the Scarlet Witch wanted to make me happy, I would've wanted my real dad. If Jack isn't my real dad, then I still don't know who my dad is and why he abandoned me... And if Jack is my real dad, he's such a nice person that the only reason he'd abandon a freaking baby would be... if the baby was a monster."

"I'm very certain Jack isn't your father. He would have been what ten when you were born? I'm going to err on the side of nope on that end." James denied the second part. He frowned as he thought about what to say to the first or if he should even offer anything. "You aren't a monster. We have no way of knowing why your dad did something stupid but I'm sorry it happened. If we ever find him, I'll hold him down for you." James said.

She nodded again. "Whatever, it's not like I know how old Jack is anyways... We don't even know if that's his real face. He could actually be the Zodiac Killer or something," Sunshine mumbled. She seemed to have calmed down though, the anger, sorrow, and just tension leaving her. Instead, she looked almost hollow - like when a grieving widow finally accepts that their loved one was gone and nothing could change that.

James chuckled at that, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Thank you for telling me, Sunshine." James said quietly.

---

---

---

---

Jack let out a bit of a sigh when he saw the results of Sunshine throwing a disease ball at Casper as his brother started sneezing like crazy. "Sunshine... Calm down a bit okay?" he said softly towards her, before he looked over at Ben who made a snide comment that ended with Sunshine taking off aboveground. Jack was going to see about following after her, but James beat him to it and followed her up above. "Really Ben? You need to be a bit more careful with your words, okay? Snide remarks like that surrounding someone whose already not in the best state of mind is not helpful."

His mind started going back to just why Sunshine had directed her anger specifically towards him and not anyone else despite attacking Casper (and then Ben). There had to be a better reason, since she was acting like he was the one specifically responsible for her problems. Which didn't make any sense, since her anger was directed towards her abandonment issues and the like, so why would she think he was responsible for that sort of thing? Unless somehow he had been the one who had abandoned her or something like that.

Then it hit him. What if he was the one responsible? But how?

His mind raced back to the reality of House of M, and little Lexi, his kid in that world. She had talked about her friend Fred at one point, the rat, and a guy named Max who was the villain in her dreams. Sunshine in real life carried around a dead rat who she named Fred, and she and Max never got along, like at all. So what if... Somehow, Sunshine and Lexi were the same person? Given their age differences only really being 10 years, it didn't make sense, but he remembered something else that had happened to him, and he instantly pulled out his cell phone and started flipping through it.

Anyone who looked at his phone screen would easily see that for some strange reason, Jack was looking at a few things relating to the Stock Market.

"Merde merde merde merde!" he instantly started swearing, not even paying attention to anyone else, as he was more of looking specifically at the date a few stocks had been bought (though who actually knew that Jack played in the stock market?). It was mostly dated in late 2001, early 2002, and Jack put a hand to his head, shaking it slightly seeing that. "...Everything oddly makes so much sense now..."

---

---

---

---

Sapphire went rigid a bit, before she instantly turned to look at Waverly, "No offense Waverly, but that is probably the dumbest suggestion ever. Since guess what, you essentially want him to die, so he wouldn't be able to make up for everything, you clearly have a very skewed view about how the world works if you think the police in DC actually care about people like us. Yeah, there may be a few good ones, but you should know that the majority hate us!" Of course, the real reason she had snapped at Waverly was because she felt like she had essentially said that she should have gone to prison years ago for accidentally killing someone. Considering right now she wasn't in the best mental state, suggesting something like that was not the best thing to do. "And Veil, like hell you are turning yourself in for something you didn't do damn it!"

She then turned her attention towards Max, letting out a bit of a sigh. "Warped the truth is an understatement. And know this, I will never joke about killing someone, and if I ever do, just know that I will never actually go through with it. It's not something I take lightly, and the fact that Leighton joked about it, it pissed me off to no end, hence why I despise her with a passion, since she not once has actually shown emotion surrounding anything she does, not really. Oh, other person I hate? Glimpse, the idiot over there who actually thought she said something productive when we all know she just said something that was a repeat of everyone else. Acts like she owns the place most of the time, I give people chances unless they prove me wrong, like she so far obviously has. Now, back to the point at hand, eh whatever you want to talk sure whatever, but just know that necromancy in any capacity never works correctly in books. And you are just sitting there like Huh, if only we had someone who could talk to the dead, who is there? You do realize that Casper can talk to the dead right? Or what? Did you just think he was a delusional human? The guy is the son of Xavier, he has the ability to see the dead and interact with them!"

---

---

---

---

Callie looked over towards Waverly for a moment, when she suggested turning Max into the police she knew that it was a really bad and horrible idea. Veil and Sapphire risked their own freedom for her after being shot by some Purifiers, and she remembered seeing Veil once she was out battered and bruised. "Sorry, Feedback I know and understand that you'd like justice for your mom but police will have no issues with torturing anyone whos a mutant. As much as I hate the Harry Potter Wannabe here, I wouldn't wish that on anyone at all." Callie told her, before turning her attention back towards Max and glared a little bit.

"So, yet even Emma Frost knew what Shaw and Sinister were up to, and she didn't even lift a finger to help or even warn us? That makes her one hundred percent complicit with what they were doing, which is just as bad as what they were doing. And who knows what else she knows and hasn't done anything and letting the two of them run things on their own. And never lifting a finger to help others from the two of them. I don't like hiding in the shadows much either, but there are such better ways then whatever the Hellfire Club has planned. Which is never okay like at all, and why do you want us to protect the innocent when you think your group has better intentions for mutants?" Callie said, little sparks she was doing everything that she could to not punch or electrocute Max right then and there. She looked at Max and Waverly when mentioning bringing back her dead mother, from the movies and shows she's seen bringing back the dead never turned out well for anyone ever.

---

---

---

---

Luna cocked her head to the side when Veil corrected her. She looked at Veil then back to Max and smirked. ”Is it now? I suppose one will always lead to the other. Power of the tome leading to the tomb.” Both words sounded one in the same with her accent. She narrowed her eyes at Max when he addressed her specifically. He seemed to be running down the list of people he had wronged, correcting them in their thinking and trying to justify the mistakes he had made and provide reasons for why he had done it. Luna looked around them again, reaching out to keep up the telepathic warding that would help her determine if another person neared them. She picked up on no further readings.
When Sapphire started to speak, releasing all her hate in pain into speech, Luna was hyper aware when her name was spoken. She glared at Sapphire and rolled her eyes at one point but didn’t say a word. Quarreling between members of the same group was not something Luna deemed productive at this time so she wouldn’t respond to that. The hate was directed to Luna but it was also an example of why Max was wrong and that he didn’t know anything about them or what he was involved in. Kid or not, they all had to learn and he still wasn’t. Sapphire knew nothing about Luna other than the outer persona she carried, an armor Luna wore all in itself. If Sapphire wanted to continue to project her hate and pain on the people around her that she didn’t respect or think worthy of her time, so be it. Luna would try her best not to rise to it anymore and focus on her ability to help the group she joined, as she had been doing for months now.
The idea of bringing Waverley’s mother back didn’t sit well with her. It was common knowledge that bringing the dead back never worked. Just look at any horror movie or book on the topic. It was a fascination of the dead that made this knowledge available but Luna just shook her head, it wouldn’t work and the only spirit seerer they had was Casper, which Max apparently did not know.
As Luna scanned the area again, she gave pause, momentarily leaving the space around her and felt another presence within her head. She hadn’t felt something like this since she was a child and reached out for her father in her time of need. Ever since then, he had told her to never do that again. The irony of Luna Braddock and even her Aunt being a telepath was her father not liking telepaths, as did most of the mutants Luna came across. It was why she never ventured into people’s minds unless it was defense or she was instructed to.
This though, this came out of nowhere and the person on the other side of her connection was James. ”James?”

---

---

---

---

Cayden frowned at Ben’s words and visibly flinched from Sunshine’s outburst. He could feel the anger pulsating off of her and removed his hand from Casper’s shoulder. James went off and Jack fell silent for a moment. Cayden looked over at Ben and sighed a little. Perhaps it was the limited interaction Ben had with humans now, the only one ever being Casper and Casper wasn’t exactly good with human emotion either. Not from what Cayden could tell at least. Casper continued to sneeze and Cayden smiled a little. ”I could find some tissue for you,” he offered. Soup would also be an excellent thing but they had nothing in the way of food and even less for Cayden to actually make soup.
Cayden looked back where James and Sunshine had run off and hoped they were doing okay and James was able to get through to Sunshine. He glanced at Jack and saw he was looking at some charts with numbers and names, he was able to see that it was the Stock Market and then Jack started to speak and Cayden looked at him confused. ”Did something else happen?” He had no idea what Jack was mumbling about.

---

---

---

---

Had the situation been any different, Waverley likely would've pulled away from the clean newcomer's embrace, or at the very least, tensed up. After all, he was a stranger, and the Underground worked in an environment where trusting strangers could lead to far worse than a picked pocket. But she didn't. Instead, she melted into him like a puppy brought in from the cold, her body completely relaxed as she leaned into him. Perhaps it was because she was still under the effects of Callie's empathy, or perhaps it was because of the boy's pleasant scent and his striking resemblance to her mentor. Or perhaps it was that he was the first person to try and give her a hug since joining the Underground, a fact that she only realized as her head found the crook of his neck. More likely than not, it was a combination of all of those. She didn't look at Veil, even as she responded to her, eyes staring forward into the fog-covered road.

"Turning you in wouldn't help anyone." She was silent for a moment, before continuing. "It's not about what's just or fair, it's about what will help people. His actions caused the rift between humankind and mutantkind to grow wider than it's ever been before. If people saw us giving him to the police, it might help patch that divide up...I understand that he'd be risking his life, but that's what heroes do. So if he's really a hero, then..." her voice trailed off, and she gave a shrug, allowing the others to make their own assumptions on how the sentence would end. She only half-listened to Warlock's words as he spoke, tuning out bits and pieces as she stared numbly ahead. When he said her name, though, her eyes lifted up to him, narrowing in anticipation of what he had to say. When he offered her the chance to kill him, her lips curved down into a frown.

Ever since she'd seen the video of the nail incident, she'd been struggling with the desire to beat him to death with her rebar. But with Callie's forced serenity flowing through her body, and the boy peacefully presenting himself like a lamb ready for slaughter, Waverley couldn't find an ounce of herself willing to go through with the act. There was no rage in her quieted mind. Then, he went on. As he thought allowed, Waverley's brow began to furrow inquisitively, her head lifting up from Echo's shoulder as she listened intently to what he had to say. It sounded...insane, but it also sounded possible. She opened her mouth to speak, only for Sapphire to cut in. It was all too normal for Sapphire to be cold, even rude. But this level of emotion in her cruelty was new.

"You can't just say 'no offense' and assume everything said after is completely fine," she said, her voice matter-of-fact. "Anyone who would join the Underground knows that the system is broken. Don't think I don't know how the world works just 'cause I'm young. I know the world's fucked up. But it doesn't have to be...Warlock's right about one thing. We shouldn't just give up on what the world could be. Peace...equality...they're not gonna happen unless someone makes them happen. There's no reason that someone couldn't be us...at least in part." She hesitated for a moment, realizing that she'd gotten off topic. She then let out a sigh. "I know you're not angry with me. I know something happened, and you're just lashing out. I don't know what it was, but whatever it was, it must've sucked. So...we're cool. I forgive you." With that, her eyes flicked back over Max.

"Do you really think we could do it?" she asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice, overpowered by the sound of her hope. "Do you think we could bring her back?" Her then cast her eyes to the ground thinking for the moment, before looking back up at him. "And what about the other officers? Can we bring them back? And..and once we have them back, what about Erg? We'd need to bring Erg back for Sunshine...Where exactly do we draw the line? If we have the power to bring people back to life, it wouldn't be right to just bring back our own loved ones. That would be selfish. So where do we stop? What kind of moral obligations would come with that sort of power?"

---

---

---

---

---

Dunkin' Donuts -

Pyro burst into the Dunkin' Donuts, a cape of flames fluttering behind him. The glass door was thrown aside so roughly that it shattered. The customers inside of the store panicked, ducking underneath tables. Some of them sprinted to the bathrooms to hide. The workers dove behind the counter, praying to whatever deities they believed in that they would come out unscathed. They weren't paid nearly enough to die in a Dunkin' Donuts.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Pyro taunted, his sing-song voice more menacing than playful. "I'm going to count to ten. If you don't come out, I'm going to assume you've decided to decline our generous offer of membership... All the better for me."

Aside from terrified whimpers and the background music in the store - Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears - there was absolute silence. Pyro's fire had turned into a pack of three flaming wolves. Each step of their paws left gigantic scorch marks on the floor. "One... Seven, eight, nine, ten!"

The wolves spread throughout the store, looking for their target. Eventually, one of them howled over by the bathrooms and Pyro went inside, kicking down the door of the ladies' room. He kicked in stall after stall, until he found Desiree crouched on top of a toilet, shaking with fear. She tried to focus, to concentrate and wipe out Pyro's senses, but she was too slow - one of his flaming wolves leapt on her and she let out a blood curdling scream.

"Leighton, help!!!!

---

---

Veil's expression was guarded as she listened to Warlock, especially as he mentioned that the goal of the Hellfire Club was peace. The last time a villain courted peace on national television, New York had been razed by Loki's army. She didn't trust the Hellfire Club, especially as they used cruel and brutal methods, ones that harmed mutants just as much as humans. With Magneto in their ranks, that told her that peace was just another world for domination. "Warlock, if we had believed that you didn't leave of your own free will, we would've fought to the death to bring you back," she told him sternly. "We don't abandon each other."

She silently prepared herself to throw up a force field to keep Feedback from killing Warlock. Taking a life, that was something that couldn't be undone easily, something that couldn't just be taken back. But her readied action completely dissipated as things took an abrupt turn for the weird. She didn't even know if what Warlock was proposing was possible. The only person she could think of who had returned from the dead successfully had been Jean Grey thanks to the Phoenix Force. Her brother had pulled Feedback into a hug, offering her what Warlock just had - a chance to see her mother again.

When Xavier had asked her to lead a branch of the Mutant Underground, he hadn't prepared her for discussing the efficacy of necromancy. He hadn't given her any tips on how to dissuade people from heading down the path of the dark arts. Veil adored Harry Potter - and it had had a clear message. Black magic, no matter how good your intentions were, was cursed. "I'm not an expert on magic or necromancy, but I don't think this would end well," she said, looking at Feedback. "I know you want your mom back - I get it, I'd want the same if I lost someone close to me... But resurrecting someone from the grave? That's the sort of thing that gets you cursed, results in the death of everyone around you, maybe even the loss of your sanity. If you're going to dabble with that sort of forces... That's opening a doorway. More than just your mom could come through. You've seen Casper, how paralyzed he can get. He can't control what ghosts come from the other side."

It had been way more than the agreed ten minutes that they would wait. Something must have been seriously wrong. No one had come out of the fog Spark Plug conjured to attack them - maybe the Hellfire Club had realized Ice Queen was double crossing them. "Warlock, contact Ice Queen now. Otherwise we're leaving. It's been too long. The innocent could be in serious trouble by this point - it might even be too late."

---

---

For the first time in ages, Ben actually wished that no one could see him. He was filled with shame. "Sorry," he said quietly to Jack. He had spent decades with only Casper being able to hear and see him. His verbal filter was pretty much gone, as he wasn't used to other people hearing his snide remarks and comments. The glowing blue aura surrounding him faded away quickly, until Ben wasn't there anymore. Casper couldn't even see him at this point. Ben was just gone.

The blue glow in Casper's eyes and covering his hands had vanished as well. "Language!" he told his brother, before sneezing again. He wasn't too sure what was going on with Jack, since he was cussing out his phone from the looks of it. Casper had expected him to be mopey and sad over losing Alexis, not angry and anti-Captain America-y over technology. "Do you - sneeze - need some - sneeze - help with - sneeze - using a phone?" Casper asked his baby brother.

"Oh gods - sneeze - tissue would be - sneeze - great," Casper replied to Cayden. "I feel like - sneeze - my nose is - sneeze - an elephant's glory hole!" He really hoped that this minor cold or whatever disease Sunshine had given him would go away soon - that or he'd probably ask James to use his magic hands to make it all go away. Casper's nose was as red as Rudolph the Reindeer's at this point.

"And what - sneeze - makes sense?" he asked his brother.

---

---

Sunshine let James hold her, not punching him or giving him a bad case of the seasonal flu or anything of the sort. She had memories - fake ones, she had to remind herself - of her father holding her like this in the other world. She could recall getting to watch cartoons on an iPad, going to amusement parks and screaming on the roller coasters, getting into trouble at school and the teacher making Jack come to settle things. It was painful, knowing that in the other world her life had been a lot better, a lot happier. She had to settle for the hand she was dealt in the real world though - one where her mother had kicked her out before she had even finished kindergarten, where she had grown up on the streets and had to flee during the Battle of New York, where she had been sent to juvi for a crime she didn't commit.

"I guess I should go help your boyfriend before he uses cocaine to stop sneezing." She got up from where she had been sitting, for a moment reluctant again to leave the outdoors and go back underground to where the others were. It was incredibly cold and chilly, snowing even - but she still just loved the open air. She could breathe better.

She went back down into the Underground proper, heading to where the others still were in the training room. She walked up to Casper and cured him in the most violent way possible - she punched him and green mist seemed to come out of his body, dissipating harmlessly into the air. "You're cured, loser. Congratulations."