These tunnels, they are long and feel never-ending. For some unknown reason it feels like I have been searching for hours, yet finding nothing, heck, I don't even know what I'm looking for. I hear a voice, a strange and faint voice.

" . . . come to me . . . "

I have no idea what to do; I'm frozen in my tracks. Which is pretty ironic since they call me the Iceman. With all my strength, I attempt to break free, but to no avail, I'm trapped. I see it, a face, it just appears in front of me. A big grin across it. I . . . I . . . I . . .

In a cold sweet, Bobby woke up abruptly, falling from the cot that he slept on. He hit the dirty ground, and just lay there, not wanting to move.

"Hey, something on your mind, babe?"

Jean had been looking for Clark for the past hour, she really needed someone to talk to but would never let her vulnerability show on the outside. Stay strong, is what her father had always told her. She sat down next to Clark, leaning on his shoulder.

In a soft voice, he answers her. "You're the telepath, you tell me . . . "

"Clark, you know that I would never . . . "

"Yeah, I know."

"So."

"So . . . Jean. Are you okay? Charles, the professor, he was family to both of us. We never even got to put his body to rest, never got to honor his memory. I . . . "

Tears formed in Jean's eyes, but she held them back.

"Clark, we honor his memory always, every day that we work to obtain his dream. Every day that we work to achieve peace between both humans and mutants. I . . . " She paused as a tear fell from her eyes. "I know that we'll do him proud."

Both paused for a moment, and total silence followed. Clark realized something that he had really known since their first few moments in the tunnels. Jean hugged Clark's arm, and closed her eyes, finally feeling some comfort.

The other teen concentrated really hard; the strain could be seen in her eyes.

"Come on, Jess, I know you can do it . . . "

After a few more moments, a flower sprung from the ground and bloomed.

"Yeah, way to go!!!"

The hug, followed by a sincere kiss. A shadow fell over them. They turned to see a normal size man in black rags, his face covered by the shadows.

"Brad, what's happening . . . "

"I don't know, who are you stranger?"

The man in rags didn't move, his eyes glowing white through the shadows over his face.

SNIKT

"Callisto," he said, "I wish to leave, and return to my friends and family."

"What makes you think you're parents are still alive?" the leader of the Morlocks asked.

"I don't know. I just have this feeling. Either way, I must know!"

"Silence!" Callisto said. "Do not take that tone of voice with me again, young man."

The boy clinched his fists by his side. He could feel the energy building up. By now, his fists were probably already turning green. He raised his hands, palms out, and released the energy into Callisto.

Callisto and her chair were knocked backwards, and the boy began running out. Stupid! he thought. I should have just run. Why did I bother asking? Now, I may not even have a chance to talk to Jean. She has to know . . . something is not kosher here . . .

An older gentlemen had been plowing the fields all day. The dust and dirt filled the air and the sun shone over his wrinkled sweaty face.

He was very happy, and very content.

Years before, his wife had died of illness. He could almost remember the dead silence from when he found her laying on the bed, lifeless. His daughter had left for live in the big city many, many years ago. That life was a bit of a struggle for her and recently she was forced to send her teenage daughter to live with her father on the farm, while she tried to save up some money from her struggling job. The girl, only fourteen years of age now, had to adapt to a life much different than what she had known. No more lights and craziness, well, maybe the latter.

The man shifted the gears and shutdown the tractor, wiping the sweat from his brow before climbing to the ground. He paced himself as he began to walk towards the barn, where Emilie was. At first glance all looked normal, but than he realized that there was silence, dead silence. He began to walk faster toward the barn, not knowing what to expect. As he moved, his legs began to move faster and faster until finally he was running over to the barn.

The wind rushed through his hair, the sweat flowed. He reached the door and took a deep breath before opening it. As the old wooden door opened, the sight was horrible. Cows, chickens, and other animals all around were on their sides, dead and partly wasted away. In the middle of all of them was Emilie, shaking and in shock.

The Pestilence has begun.

"Cap, you Avengers have to start hunting the mutants, like your charter states," Gyrich said.

Cap remained calm, and his expression failed to change. "Gyrich, think what you wish, but the Avengers League wasn't reformed to hunt mutants. It was reformed because the world needed them."

"Bull," Gyrich replied. "You were commissioned to hunt mutants. One group in particular. If you choose to not hunt them, then you can kiss your government sponsorship goodbye!"

"Mr. Gyrich," Martian Manhunter began. "I believe that you will not do such a thing. Right now, you have us in your pocket, and won't take us out willingly."

Gyrich ignored the comment. "Captain America, I want you to find and capture the mutant group known as the X-Men. And I want them captured within the next month!"

Gyrich cut the connection. Martian Manhunter looked at Cap.

"What shall we do?" he asked.

"We find the X-Men, and do as we are told."

*(X-Men #4 - Ritchie)

Life can never be simple, never normal, he thought. Ever since he was born, he had grown up with constant ridicule, being teased in every grade while growing up. His unique large hands and feet made him the easy target. Life at home wasn't any easier; his father, the basic drunk. Both Henry and his mother were beat, sometimes badly battered. This occurred almost every night up until about the age of sixteen, when he ran away. His mother wouldn't run though, and he had to leave her. After a few weeks of being alone, stealing and fighting for food, Xavier found him, helped him and gave him a chance for the future. He became a part of the first class of the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. This is when he learned that his distortion and mutation had a name; he learned that he was a mutant. By his playful and fun exterior, you would never even suspect the real pain and beast within him.

From the shadows, a familiar figure watched him; taking notes, and recording behavior.

In a cell, almost a world away, Reed Richards sat in darkness. The events from years past play over in his head once again. They always end the same way, his wife disappearing right in front of his eyes, then it all goes black. What happened right after that, if only he knew? Did he really cause the death of all the people he held close to his heart?

But now, it's the same day after day. Locked away, far from the rest of society, deemed unfit. Deemed dangerous. Steel walls all around him, a collar around his neck, no exits in sight. Unlike normal inmates, his intellect lets him stand out, the government calls upon him from time to time to create inventions and weapons. They always do the same, promise to re-look over his papers, maybe give him time off on good behavior. Yet, they never do. Never do. Soon.

End Interlude

He continued running, looking over his shoulder, until he hit something and fell down. Looking up, he saw a pale skinned man. It was Morph.

"Hey, there, William," Morph said. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"Morph!" William exclaimed. "I need to leave, but Callisto doesn't want me to!"

"That doesn't sound good." Just then, Morph saw the two Morlocks coming. William did as well. He lifted his hands, and fired green plasma at them. They fell down, trapped until a shimmering field of green. William turned to the X-Man standing beside him.

"I have to go now. Tell Jean I said goodbye, and that I'll try to contact her again."

Morph nodded. "I will."

William turned and ran out of the tunnels.

Clark's head quickly turned after he heard a noise coming closer. Through the darkness he saw a small built figure.

"Jean . . . Jean, get up!"

BANG BANG BANG

Clark quickly turned his body in front of Jean as three bullets cut through the darkness.

"What? What's going on?" Jean said, fear in her eyes.

"An attack of some sort, stay low!"

Clark ran right at the source of the fire, hitting a small built man directly in the chest. Clark's hands melted into the man's body, as four holes formed and shot a round bullet at Clark, causing him to lose his footing. Clark's eyes glowed red for a moment, and then two thin shots of heat vision shot out, hitting the other man directly in the chest. The young mutant fell to the ground, sobbing. His chest burnt red.

"Who are you?!?" Clark asked, his voice ringing through out the tunnels.

Jean ran toward the two and grabbed Clark's arm.

"Wait up, something is wrong here!"

Jean went down to her knees, right in front of the boy, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Are you okay? What's you name?"

"He . . . HE . . . Killed her . . . he killed . . . Jess . . . Killed her . . . "

"What? Who killed her?"

" . . . de . . . .de . . . death . . . "

Before the young boy could even finish, a figure stepped out of the shadows. Black rags covered his body. He lifted his arms in front of his body.

SNIKT!