Rise of the Powers of X #3

It is the morning of Moira Kinross’ 13^th birthday. Sitting at the breakfast table, she figures this is the last day she has to worry.

She hugs her mother and steps outside. She has been careful all her childhood to make sure she doesn’t die of an accident. But this day it all ends and what she counts as life begins. This time it will be different. She has plans of Xavier and Magneto working together. Mutant solidarity. Something no one has tried before.

She heads down the meadow and sees something that should be impossible. An adult Charles Xavier sitting on the bench. Without turning around, Xavier orders her not to run. It wouldn’t do any good. He has frozen everyone in a half mile radius. He just wants to talk.

Keeping her distance, Moira shouts she doesn’t believe him. This is the day her gift activates. He comes here today, it is for one reason… Xavier gets up and assures her she is wrong. He does want to talk. He needs her to understand what is happening and why. He aims a weapon at her head. He wants to talk for one last time…

The present:
An Orchis base:
Moira X is the only one who sees the writing on the wall. It is a Dominion, she states. She has met it before. The letters Shush, company form.

Omega Sentinel informs Moira that they need her. They are moving to phase two. Humanity has served its purpose. Moira asks for a second. She will be right with her.

She finds a note with the message: No, she hasn’t met him before. Omega Sentinel has. In fact, he brought her here. Moira asks why he wants her to join with him. In a new message, Enigma explains that, if Moira joins with him, he will be able to travel to the timelines of her previous lives. A far larger space to which she is the only key. As it is, he is trapped in this timeline and its dependents. However, even with these limitations, he can assist with Nimrod’s present AI uprising. Great for the AIs, Moira replies, but what is in it for her? She finds another letter, commending her for her educated self-interest. That he can work with.

In the meantime, the No-place, almost out of space and time, finds itself under attack by Enigma’s Arachno-Sentinels. Rasputin IV does her best to fend them off, shouting for Cypher to hurry getting the No-place somewhere else. They are starting to break through! “Cypher” replies; he needs more time for the tendrils to grow. Rachel adds, they all need time. Xavier needs to finish his mission with Moira.

From her prison, Mother Righteous shouts that she can get them out of here if they release her. Rasputin shouts to ignore everything she says. Mother Righteous is a Sinister-spawn liar. Yes, she is a Sinister-spawn liar, “Cypher” repeats with a straight face, while assuring them he is almost there.

A Sentinel hand reaches into the No-place. They are breached.

The past:
Xavier aims the gun at Moira, who asks if it doesn’t work or go badly or… No. Let her rephrase. Is it bad enough for Charles Xavier to do this? He replies that the man he was before wouldn’t have, but he is the man left behind after she convinced him it was best to compromise. She does all that and then she betrays them! Because it is actually all about saving her own skin.

Moira babbles that she doesn’t know what she did to hurt him exactly, but she knows why she did it - he has to understand: she doesn’t want to die. She wants to live! She is trapped! They are all trapped, he replies. To be human is to be trapped. She was a fool to think that being a mutant changed that, and she convinced them all to be fools. He raises the gun, damning her and him. No! Moira shouts and tries to run. He is damning himself! He knows what he is throwing away! Xavier replies that he comes from a cold place. Poor little rich orphan boy… he wanted to be part of a family. He wanted to be loved. He thought he could have both. He was mistaken. It turns out that he can have one or the other. He is making the choice.

Telepathically, he orders her to stop and she thinks down. She told him it’s not a dream if it’s real. It needs to be a dream again. Xavier, the curator of the dream, is dead. The two of them killed him. The world must go on without him and finally it will go on without her.

The No-place:
Being attacked by the arachno-sentinel, “Cypher” activates the “Untouchable” failsafe, managing to fend it off until Rasputin defeats it. The tendril is attached, allowing the No-place to move and the breach is closed. Rasputin wonders how he defended himself. Then she gets a look at him, eyes empty, a red diamond on his forehead. He asks her not to jump to conclusions. He swears he is part of the plan. They are all on the same side. Panicked she shouts, if it’s Mr. Sinister’s plan; it’s wrong! She runs toward the aperture and shouts to Rachel that it is Sinister and they have to stop Xavier from killing Moira. Rachel is furious when she learns that.

In the past, Moira is covering her eyes but notes she is still alive. It’s not that easy to kill a child. She’s known him in most of her lives. Is he really going to do that? Isn’t there another kinder way? This is the kindest way available to them, he replies resigned. The other way is worse. The best way is leaving the corpse of a child in her family’s garden? she asks, head hanging. Yes, it is, he replies. Isn’t that petrifying? He aims the gun.

That moment, Rasputin races toward them, sword drawn and murder in her eyes. She orders him away. Xavier deflects her blow with a TK shield. Angrily, she berates him for working with Sinister and lying to her. Xavier assures her it is his plan, not Sinister’s. Fed up, he tells her he will live with her hate, he’ll be hated to save them all, and he’ll stand with whoever he needs to for that! Running away, he throws down two small red diamonds, creating an army of Madrox Sinisters to hold her. But she is willing to kill an army of him to stop Xavier.

He knows, but the question is will she be fast enough to stop him? He uses his telepathy to halt the running Moira in her tracks. However, Rachel intervenes telepathically and tells him her team wants to talk to him about the dream. About Krakoa and what it means. Why he can’t wipe it away, no matter what, and especially not like this. She orders him to listen, and he does.

Looking down, he sighs that Rachel doesn’t know what she is asking of him, but he agrees to not destroy mutantkind. He’ll save Krakoa using the other way.

He turns to Moira and tells her he is hoping she will make the right decision in the end, that she will think of something else besides herself. He sends her a telepathic message and makes sure she forgets.

Walking alongside Rasputin, who has killed the chimeras, he explains the chimeras are designed to dissolve. He regrets this but they must cover their tracks if they are to move forward in any way. Rasputin harumphes that they need to remove the mistake and go. They leave and the aperture disappears. Not remembering what just transpired, Moira runs off.

In the present, Enigma has contacted Moira X. He explains that he is projecting into her cybernetics. She asks what his offer is. He explains what a Dominion is and what a titan is. He boasts how he will absorb all intelligence from this locale in the near future. Moira figures this is the A.I. rapture Nimrod and Omega Sentinel want, but he clarifies that the absorbed aren’t there anymore in any meaningful way. He makes it clear that, with the Phoenix dead, he cannot be stopped and all intelligences will be absorbed in time, but he is offering Moira an exception. She will be a fully coherent titan and be whoever she wants to be. With the message, he sends her proof of his veracity.

Moira feels this is Faustian. It is, a little, he agrees. But, as God does not exist and Voltaire insisted they make him, Enigma did. He is God and he offers her a place at his right side. So, does she take this one-in-ten-lifetimes option?

Moira agrees and opens up a port in her artificial body. Then Enigma starts the connection and Moira’s consciousness is expanded.

One of the other A.I.s calls, they need her help. She replies that she has good news. A Dominion has contacted her and wants to help them, she lies.

No-Place:
Rasputin IV and Professor Xavier have returned. Mr. Sinister (in Cypher’s body) expresses his disappointment at Xavier’s weakness. Xavier should have sent him. He continues that they are rid of the hunter-killers for now. He enthuses that it is good not to have to pretend to be that sap anymore.

Rasputin draws her sword, her intent clear. Xavier holds her back and stresses that they need him. Like Krakoa needed him? she demands. Very well, Xavier replies and lets her go. Sinister protests as he is impaled by her sword a moment later.

Rasputin muses that felt good and hates herself for feeling good. That she enjoyed this speaks about how bad a father he was to her. To feel shame for yourself is sometimes necessary, Xavier tells her. Damn right it is! Rachel shouts and swears at him. He replies it was the best option they had. The alternative is so much worse. But she’s won. They will try it. They will resurrect the Phoenix, Rachel spells out. She knows it will work.

Xavier apologizes and kills her with the weapon intended for Moira.