**PROLOGUE: Chapter 03 - The Attack**
>> XAVIER INSTITUTE.
"So, Logan, were you successful?"
Scott asked, seated in the Xavier Mansion's room alongside the X-Men—Emma, Kurt, Angel, and Henry McCoy. They were all gathered to gather more information about the Purifiers and the Marauders.
"Yeah. We got the information we were looking for, thanks to our ex-friend, Amelia Voght, who 'kindly' gave us the location where Sinister and his people might be," Logan replied after they had forced Amelia to reveal the whereabouts of her former group, the Acolytes, who were now allied with Sinister and the Marauders.
Scott, aware of the alliance between the Acolytes and Sinister, had sent Logan, along with Storm and Kurt, to track down Amelia, hoping she could provide the location of the Acolytes, which might lead to Sinister's whereabouts.
"Great... Rictor was also successful in his mission and managed to infiltrate the Purifiers, but he hasn't yet obtained the information we need about the babies' whereabouts," Scott informed the group.
"Logan, where's this base?" Warren asked.
"In the middle of Alaska... A bit far from Cooperstown," Logan replied.
"This fight won't be easy, especially since the Acolytes will be there with Sinister and his crew," Kurt commented, concerned.
"Yeah, I know. The Acolytes will complicate things, but we can't just sit still. We have to act as quickly as possible," Scott said, looking at the group.
"Logan, I'm sending you and a team to attack that base to find the babies' whereabouts."
"Emma will be there with you mentally, protecting you from any telepathic attacks from Sinister or Exodus, if they're really there," Scott added.
"I want you to get out of there immediately once you have the information... We don't need any more casualties," Scott said, finishing his instructions.
"Got it," Logan replied, nodding along with the group.
"Henry, you said you had something to tell me. I hope it's good news," Scott said, looking at the blue-furred man in the room.
"Not exactly good news, just that I've finished analyzing the weapons you found in the city," Henry replied.
"Did you find anything?" Emma asked.
"Unfortunately, nothing... Just that the design of one of the weapons you brought back seems somewhat familiar," Henry commented, trying to recall where he had seen a similar weapon before.
The meeting continued with the group discussing further plans for the invasion of Sinister's base. After a while, the meeting ended, and everyone left the room except for Scott and Emma.
"Do you want to tell me something, Emma?" Scott asked, noticing she had stayed behind.
"Yes... Scott, I think you should take some time to talk to the students. They're complaining that they're being left out of this...
—And this means a lot to them... The birth of a new mutant."
"It's good to tell them that they might not be the last generation of mutants."
"You should talk to them before they make some stupid decisions," Emma concluded, slightly worried because, as a telepath and their teacher, she had a sense of what these kids might end up doing if Scott didn't talk to them.
"Alright... I'll talk to them right now," Scott said.
---
>> TWO HOURS LATER.
In the elegant room of the Xavier Mansion, a young girl fixed her furious gaze on a TV screen displaying the latest events.
This girl was Noriko Ashida, also known as Surge, a mutant with electricity-based powers.
"Hey, I can come back later if you two need some time..." said a boy entering the room, accompanied by his friend.
This boy was Julian Keller, also known as Hellion, an Alpha-level mutant with telekinetic powers.
"We don't need any time," replied the other boy beside Julian.
The other boy was David Alleyne, better known as Prodigy, a mutant with the power of attack precognition. He also had a second power called psychomimicry: an ability that allowed him to telepathically gain or duplicate the knowledge, mental abilities, and physical skills of others.
"Shut up, both of you. Look at this," Noriko said, arms crossed, pointing at the television screen showing news of the Purifiers' attack on the city in Alaska.
"The Purifiers," Prodigy commented, frowning.
"Sons of bitches," Hellion said angrily.
"That's why Cyclops told us to stay out... The Purifiers were involved in Alaska. They must have the babies now," Surge commented, expressing her anger to her friends.
After meeting with Scott a few minutes earlier, the leader of the New X-Men, Surge, expressed her desire to help in the search for the missing babies. She argued that her team was ready to face any challenge and that together, they could significantly increase the mission's chances of success.
However, Scott quickly denied their help. He explained that he already had too many problems to deal with and couldn't risk the safety of more mutants on this mission.
"If Cyclops didn't say anything, he must have a good reason. Don't do anything stupid, Nori," Prodigy said, trying to calm his friend.
"Don't do anything stupid?! Are you kidding me, David?! You were there... You know what those bastards did to our friends!" Noriko shouted angrily, referring to the Purifiers' attack on the mansion that caused 45 student deaths.
"David's right, Nori," said a voice that had just arrived, interrupting the discussion.
"Oh, crap," Hellion said.
"Cyclops is right too... to a certain extent."
"He didn't tell you anything to protect you, but there are other ways to solve a problem besides resorting to violence."
"I know a thing or two about training mutants... I'd like to talk to you three about a different approach," said the man who had just entered the room, Professor Charles Xavier.
"I believe that together we can..." Charles began before being interrupted.
"Fuck!!! Shut up. Just shut up," Surge shouted angrily, pointing at the professor.
"Nori," Prodigy said, trying to calm her.
"NO, where was he when they were trying to kill us?" Noriko said angrily, approaching the professor.
"Tell me... where were you when we, your students, were being blown to pieces inside a bus, or when we were taking bullets to the head? Or when they were ripping out our hearts?"
"Where were you when those damned Purifiers came to kill what was left of us in your damn mansion!!" Noriko shouted angrily, grabbing the professor's collar.
"There's nothing more you can teach us, Professor...
—We already know how to die," Noriko said, letting go of the professor and walking out with her head down, tears in her eyes.
---
**ELSEWHERE:**
**DALLAS, TEXAS.**
**Forge's Residence.**
"There have been no significant changes."
"Madrox remains in a coma, but his brain functions are stable."
"If we can contact Emma or Rachel, maybe they can figure out what's going on..."
Forge said, focused on a computer screen that was communicating with someone.
"Emma's unavailable... And Rachel is on a mission with my brother somewhere in space," Scott said from the other side.
"I see. I'll keep monitoring the timelines for anomalies, but there's no way to predict what's coming," Forge commented.
"Understood," Scott replied.
"But, Scott, this is uncharted territory. If Madrox doesn't wake up..." Forge expressed concern for his friend.
"We need to understand what's happening here, Forge. The risks are worth it," Scott said calmly and coldly.
"Listen to what you're saying, Scott. You're sacrificing Jamie's life (Madrox). And Layla is just a teenager," Forge commented, displeased with Scott's words.
"Forge," Scott said with a deep voice.
"Our species is on the brink of extinction... Whatever's happening here, if we don't find a way to control it, all our lives will come to an end."
Scott ended the conversation and disconnected.
---
>> BACK AT THE XAVIER INSTITUTE.
Inside a room in the X-Mansion, ten teenagers were gathered in a heated discussion.
"I thought Cyclops and we had an agreement, after everything we've been through, after everything we've done."
"They killed 45 of our friends," Noriko said angrily to the group of teenagers.
"It wasn't the X-Men or the weirdos from X-Factor. They killed students, they killed our friends, and it's us who are going to take them down. Not the X-Men."
"So I don't give a damn what Cyclops says... I'm going after them."
"If the Purifiers have those babies, they'll kill them... And if by chance they don't have the babies, then I'll take them down once and for all."
"So, who's in?" Noriko asked, finishing her speech to the group.
"I'm in. They killed Brian," Hellion said quickly, confirming his participation.
"I'm in too," said Cessily Kincaid, also known as Mercury, a metallic polymorph capable of taking on various solid and liquid forms.
"This is wrong, Noriko. Rescuing the babies is right, but that's not what you want... You want blood."
"We've seen enough blood lately," said Dust, a mutant with dust manipulation powers.
"I'll go, but if we rescue the babies, I'm not holding them. Babies give me the creeps," said Rockslide, the large mutant with a granite body.
"I'll go, but only for the babies," Anole, the green, reptilian-looking boy, affirmed.
"I can teleport us there. But, um, I don't want to kill anyone. I don't have to do that, right?" said a pink-haired girl named Megan Gwynn, aka Pixie, a mutant with various powers, some even magical.
"Don't do this, Nori," Prodigy said, trying to stop his friend's madness.
"What about you, Josh? You in or out?" Noriko asked the yellow-skinned mutant sitting in the corner of the room with his head down, still unable to forget the deaths of his friends.
"Those people killed Laurie. If I go with you, I'll kill them all, and I don't want to do that."
"So no, I'm not going... But if you need healing, you know where to find me," said the strongest mutant in that group, the Omega-level mutant Elixir, with biological manipulation powers.
"Hey... Is there room for one more?" said another teenager who had just arrived, Hisako Ichiki, aka Armor, a mutant capable of creating armor around her body.
---
**WASHINGTON, D.C.**
**Reverend William Stryker's Church.**
"Father Matthew has summoned the pastors from the East to the Washington Cathedral."
"Soon, our brothers from all the eastern churches will be among us. We need to prepare for their arrival."
Inside the cathedral, two men walked through the corridors while talking.
"How many churches are we talking about?" asked a man in a red coat beside the other.
"Hundreds... But only from the East. This is happening worldwide, brother," replied the man in a white shirt.
"All my life, I prayed to find people like me," the man in the red coat commented.
"I just never imagined there would be so many."
"And with so many weapons."
The man in the red coat said, looking at a group of people wearing robes with a white cross symbol in the center, standing next to a massive pile of various weapons and ammunition.
The Purifiers.
"Trust me... You haven't seen anything yet."
"Wait here, Brother Jake. I'll be back as soon as I have more information. Brother Jack is instructing the pastors now," said the man in the white shirt.
"Sure, I'm here to serve," Jake replied.
"They're checking the reverend's records from the present... It's not clear what went wrong," said the man in the white shirt as he opened the door and entered the room where the Purifiers' meeting was taking place, beginning to listen to the man giving the lecture.
"But our priority is to find and execute the little Antichrist. We have Purifiers in every town and city for hundreds of miles around Cooperstown," said the man giving a speech to the Purifiers.
'The little Antichrist... I see, so they don't have the babies. Mission accomplished,' thought Jake, who was listening to the conversation from behind the door.
This man in the red coat was none other than the mutant Rictor, who had successfully infiltrated the Purifiers at Scott's request.
"We've also hired a special team to track down the child and assist with any mutant resistance."
"Meet your new allies..." said the man leading the Purifiers' meeting.
A group of masked men, dressed in red clothing and armor adorned with a golden cross symbol, entered the room.
The leader of the group was a tall woman with long, straight black hair, displaying a distinct Asian appearance. She wore imposing golden armor, and her hands bore enormous golden claws.
"Oh my God, no," Rictor said upon seeing the group the Purifiers had hired to help hunt the babies, instantly recognizing who that woman was.
A damned ex-enemy of Wolverine.
---
>> SEVERAL HOURS LATER.
>> IN FRONT OF THE PURIFIERS' CHURCH.
Several hours after the New X-Men's discussion, they left the mansion and quickly set out to find one of the Purifiers' churches. After searching several, they finally reached one of the fanatic group's bases. The group of young mutants remained hidden on the roof of a house near the church, silently observing the activity below.
"Laura?" Noriko asked her friend behind her.
"I smell weapons. I smell anti-telepathy implants," replied Laura (X-23), using her heightened sense of smell to detect the presence of their enemies.
"They're here," Laura confirmed, pinpointing their location.
"Finally, this is the eighth church we've checked," Rockslide commented, scratching his head out of boredom.
"No kidding. That Sentinel pilot following us here wasn't much help," Hellion complained, referring to the government's Sentinel robots that protected the X-Mansion.
"Anole, as soon as we're inside, I want you to find out as much as you can about the babies while we create a distraction," Noriko instructed.
"Laura, how many enemies?" Noriko asked again.
"Seven Purifiers on the outer perimeter, all armed with anti-mutant weaponry."
"Two guards on the upper level, unarmed. The side entrance is the one we're looking for, and it's the most heavily guarded," Laura replied, fixing her gaze on the church.
"Wow," Armor commented, impressed by the number of Purifiers in the area.
"You haven't seen anything yet, Armor," Rockslide warned.
"Alright, people, let's go," Noriko commanded.
The group quickly advanced toward the church. With skill, Hellion and Mercury silently neutralized some of the Purifiers guarding the perimeter.
After a brief wait, the New X-Men finally managed to enter the church.
Anole, with agile movements, scaled the church and quickly entered the communication room, using the computers to search for information about the babies.
"They don't have the babies... They don't..." Anole said before being interrupted.
Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and placed their hands over his mouth to prevent him from shouting.
"What the hell are you doing here?" said the presence behind him.
With his superhuman strength, Anole quickly managed to pull his opponent off his back and slam them to the ground.
"Rictor!?" Anole said, immediately recognizing the figure sprawled on the floor.
"Uh, aren't you with X-Factor?" Anole asked, surprised to see the mutant there.
"You need to get out of here," Rictor said, standing up quickly.
"What are you talking about? The babies aren't here, but we can still give the Purifiers a beating," Anole said, confused.
"We...
—Oh my God, no... The New X-Men," Rictor muttered, his face pale with concern.
"You don't understand, kid... We've got a bigger problem than the Purifiers," Rictor said, rushing out of the room to warn the New X-Men about who else was in the church besides the Purifiers.
"Oh God, please protect these kids," Rictor said, running through the church corridors in search of the teenagers.
But it was too late, and the New X-Men were already causing chaos in the church.
"I'm gonna fry your ass, you bastard!" Noriko growled, mercilessly electrocuting one of the Purifiers, who was nearly fried by the electricity shooting from her hands.
But to that Purifier's luck, Hellion quickly appeared and pushed Surge away from him.
"Get off, Hellion," Noriko shouted angrily at her friend who was holding her back.
"No, don't do this. You don't want to be like..." Hellion said quickly in the midst of the battle, but before he could finish, he sensed a concentration of energy behind him.
He turned around and saw a Purifier aiming a large energy weapon at him, which instantly fired a powerful beam of light in his direction.
"Watch out!!"
Hellion shouted, quickly pushing Surge to the side, allowing both to successfully dodge the shot.
Hellion stood up and fired a powerful telekinetic energy blast at the Purifier.
"You!!... You were at the mansion," Hellion said angrily, recognizing the Purifier as one of those present at the mansion during the attack.
"Of course I was there, Mr. Keller. I was the one who sent your little bus friends straight to hell. And when I got the chance, I gave Ms. Collins a nice gift: a bullet right between her eyes."
"And today, we'll send the rest of you back to Satan," the Purifier said with a cruel smile, looking at Hellion.
Meanwhile, a woman stealthily appeared behind the distracted Hellion.
With a swift movement, she plunged her enormous sharp claws into Hellion's body, cruelly piercing him and leaving him there like a human skewer.
"Oh no!!"
"Julian!!"
His friends screamed, horrified by the scene.
"Come into my arms, children... Come to Lady Deathstrike," the woman said, lifting Hellion's impaled body like a trophy of flesh.
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