Story:
"Dad, I have an idea." Hope whispered her plan to Cyclops through their comm. As he listened he surveyed the area to make sure it would work, and the plan seemed sound.
"Hank, you need to get out of there. It's about to get real hot." Beast didn't need to be told twice. He was more than happy to get out from in front of the enraged mutant.

As soon as he was clear, Cyclops turn back to Hope, "Let me get in to position, and we'll be ready." Cyclops moved forward, closing the distance between himself and Magneto.

Havok heard the chatter between his brother and the rest of the X-men laying plans to take out Magneto, but there was still one more Brotherhood mutant left to him.
"Polaris, I need you to send me forward. We're getting rid of this guy."

Polaris lifted Havok up by his metal harness and sent him forward. As he touched down Havok sighted in and began building up energy.
"I hate these long distance shots..." Havok knew this shot was just out of his range, but he also knew his blast would still pack enough punch to get the job done.
"Here goes!" Havok released the energy blast, and it shot straight and true toward his target! With Phantazia's attention taken fully by Quicksilver, she never saw the blast coming and even at this distance still had enough force to lift the witch from her feet before she fell unconscious to the ground.
Havok spoke into his comm, "Last one's for you, bro."
"Got it."



Actions:
Havok, leadership: 4, fail.

1.) Domino moves to N14 in stealth.

Free: Gambit perplex Havok's ranged +1 (9)

2.) Beast moves to P18

3.) Cyclops moves to K15

4.) Polaris TKs Havok to K20

5.) Havok targeting Phantazia. 10 on 15 (+1), needs a 6 to hit for 4, Roll: 4,2= 6 to hit and KO. 4ap for the dmg, 2 for the KO. he'll share 3ap with Polaris for the TK assist.


The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
1.) m10a015 Magneto (-4) (3 Promotion Tokens) R14 @@
w/ Lazarus Pit
2.) wxm006 Toad (KO'ed!)
3.) ffgsx005 Rogue (KO'ed!)
4.) gx033 Blob (KO'ed!)
5.) gx034 Pyro (KO'ed!)
6.) mu042 Unus the Untouchable (KO'ed!)
7.) mu052 Mastermind (KO'ed!)
8.) "Phantazia" (KO'ed!)
9.) mm086 Mimic (KO'ed!)
A.) "Mammomax" (ff064 Juggernaut) (KO'ed!)
w/ Unstoppable
B.) ct033 Avalanche P9 (KO'ed!)
C.) ic167 Victor Creed (KO'ed!)
vs

X-Men
1.) [29] UL063 Cyclops (-2) [K15] @ *Ult X TA against BoM*
2.) [11] DR002 Colossus (-8) ""KO""
3.) [9] CT068 Logan (-2) [O8]
w/ Automatic Regeneration
4.) GX039 Lockheed (-1) ""KO""
5.) UI041 Shadowcat [J15]
6.) [3] MU003 Beast (-4) [P18] @
w/ vault
7.) [3] FF083 Nightcrawler (-6) ""KO""
w/ Passenger
8.) [2]xp071 Gambit [G12]
9.) [7] mm039 Havok [K20] @
A.) [5] mm031 Polaris (-1) [C21] @
B.) dr004 Jean Grey [B6]
C.) [6] ul093 Phoenix (-6) [J14]
Red A.) [2] xp220 Betsy Braddock (-4) [F11]
Red B.) [8] xp084 Storm (-4) [E12]
Red C.) [5] av025 Quicksilver (-2) [U19]
Yellow A.) aw061 Dazzler [D22]
Yellow B.) mm028 Domino (-1) [N14] @
Yellow C.) [11] "Xorn" (ul200 Magneto) (-5) [H16]


HOs: H20
LOs: K9,
SO: Gamma Bomb H13 DISARMED!
Immobile: The Gamma Bomb can’t be destroyed and begins on the green starting line. At the beginning of each player’s turn, if it’s not disarmed, click the dial once to the right. Once per game per character, a character occupying this square can be given a free action to roll a d6. On a result of 4 or 5, click the dial 4 clicks to the left (12 is the maximum), and on a result of 6, disarm it. When the red line is crossed, deal 3 damage to each character and destroy each object, wall, and square of blocking terrain within 8 squares and then remove this object from the map.

Map: Xavier Institute
The "Danger Room" map on the far left is not used in this match. The X-Men use the three leftmost starting zones, while the Brotherhood use the three starting zones furthest to the right. Both players must place at least 200 points worth of characters in each of their available starting zones.

Special Markers: representing the wounded X-men, these markers do not affect gameplay (for movement, line of fire, being attacked, etc) with the exception that other characters cannot end their movement in the same square as a special marker, and special markers can be carried as if they were characters friendly to the X-men. If a special marker is brought to E8, F8, or G8 on the indoor map, they are removed from the game and the character that carried them scores 3 IXP for each.
Note: due to a glitch in the map program, special markers will occasionally swap places with hindering terrain tokens when "update map" is pressed. When this happens, simply continue to press "update map" until they swap back to special markers.

Destroy the X-Mansion: If 10 or more walls are destroyed during this game, then the X-mansion has suffered complete loss of structural integrity and is considered demolished. Indoor terrain is considered outdoor terrain for the remainder of the game, and the X-men will have incurred story penalties and a -15 TXP loss.

Turning Point in History: If Xorn or Wolverine KO Magneto (or vice versa) they score double victory points. If Phoenix is KO'ed, immediately replace her with mm052 Bishop in the same location. If Jean Grey is KO'ed, immediately replace her with mm073 Cable in the same location. If Magneto moves to the X-men's indoor starting zone, they are considered to have completed the "Destroy the X-Mansion" condition above and the game ends immediately. When any of the above events occur, please contact GarganisScorpion for a story post update.[/quote][/quote]

... a lovely idea, but Phoenix blocks Cyclops' LoFire to that blocking terrain in O9...

Shi...... I planned this out three turns ago, and put her in the wrong damn square....

I'll redo this tonight.

K, I updated my previous post with the new turn.

Mags has to clear, and he doesn't have LoF for outwit to anyone that will stop me from doing what we both know I'm going to do. He can see Quicksilver, Havok, and Cyclops. Of those the most damaging to my turn is Havok's leadership, so I'm gonna have him outwit that. If you would rather it be something else we can change it when you get on.

Here comes what should hopefully be the final turn.

Brotherhood turn:
Free: Magneto outwits Havok's leadership

Mags clears.

Story:
Cyclops settled into position in front of Magneto and spoke into his comm, "Ok, on my mark, three... two.. one.." Cyclops dropped to a knew and spun toward Wolverine to blast away a large statue separating him from Magneto.
"Dammit pretty boy! What the hell are you doing?!" As soon as the barrier was down, Logan felt himself being lifted off the ground toward Magneto. "Ahhh hell, not again...."

Wolverine braced himself for the pain. He expected Magneto to start bending his adamantium bones any time now.. but wait. This was different.. He wasn't being lifted by his bones, he recognized the weightlessness that came from telekinesis.
Wolverine looked over toward Cyclops, and instead, saw Hope with one hand lifted toward him, and the other pointing at Magneto. Logan looked back and saw that Magneto was preoccupied with Quicksilver and Havok in the other direction. The Master of Magnetism didn't see him coming!

Wolverine took advantage of the distraction and lead with a vicious right cross as he touched down that sent Magneto reeling. *snikt**snikt* "Howdy bub! Long time no see!" Wolverine followed the punch up with a slash across the chest, but Magneto was able to gain enough of his wits to slow the momentum of Wolverine's swipe. The two men were locked in a test of will against brute strength! Domino saw the contest, and popped off a shot that clanged off Magneto's helmet distracting him enough for Wolverine to overcome his Magnetic field!
As soon as his claws pierced flesh, Wolverine felt the force against him lessen again. With a guttural yell, Wolverine brought his other arm around and stabbed Magneto through the chest lifting the mutant leader off the ground with the force of the blow. Logan retracted his claws and tossed Magneto to the dirt gasping for breath, and walked away.
"Hey, Slim, told you he was mine this time."
Scott watched as Wolverine walked away back toward the mansion, and then turned his gaze to Magneto slowly bleeding out on the front lawn.
"Someone help him. I don't want him to die before we figure out what this attack was for." Xorn walked forward past the X-Men to approach Magneto.
"I shall take care of this one." Xorn's entire body began to glow with the same white light as before, and before anyone could do anything to stop him, the light lanced out from Xorn to engulf Magneto. The bright light blinded everyone nearby momentarily, and once they finally blinked the flashing lights away both Xorn and Magneto were nowhere to be seen.

Bishop and Cable watched the scene from further back near the mansion.
"He never was one for subtlety." Bishop sighed.
"We're going to have a hard time clearing this one up without blowing our cover."
"Yeah.."

Actions:
1.) Gambit moves to K16.
Free: Gambit perplex Cyclops dmg +1(3)

2.) Cyclops pushes to blow up the blocking terrain at O9. Takes a click for the push.

3.) Phoenix TK Logan to Q13

4.) Wolverine will Flurry on Magneto.

First Attack: 9 on a 15, needs a 6 to hit, roll: 6,4= 10 for a hit. BCF roll is: 1. PC from Domino on the BCF roll, new roll: 6 for 5dmg after toughness and the KO. Double VP for Wolverine getting the KO. 5ap for dmg, 2 for KO. No Lazarus pit because there are no other friendly characters on the map for Mags.

And that'll be game. Thanks for sticking this one out with me, it was a long one, and you really got the stiff end of the dice rolls :/


The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
1.) m10a015 Magneto (KO'ed!) w/ Lazarus Pit
2.) wxm006 Toad (KO'ed!)
3.) ffgsx005 Rogue (KO'ed!)
4.) gx033 Blob (KO'ed!)
5.) gx034 Pyro (KO'ed!)
6.) mu042 Unus the Untouchable (KO'ed!)
7.) mu052 Mastermind (KO'ed!)
8.) "Phantazia" (KO'ed!)
9.) mm086 Mimic (KO'ed!)
A.) "Mammomax" (ff064 Juggernaut) (KO'ed!)
w/ Unstoppable
B.) ct033 Avalanche P9 (KO'ed!)
C.) ic167 Victor Creed (KO'ed!)
vs

X-Men
1.) [29] UL063 Cyclops (-3) [K15] @@ *Ult X TA against BoM*
2.) [11] DR002 Colossus (-8) ""KO""
3.) [16] CT068 Logan (-2) [O8] @
w/ Automatic Regeneration
4.) GX039 Lockheed (-1) ""KO""
5.) UI041 Shadowcat [J15]
6.) [3] MU003 Beast (-4) [P18]
w/ vault
7.) [3] FF083 Nightcrawler (-6) ""KO""
w/ Passenger
8.) [2]xp071 Gambit [K16] @
9.) [7] mm039 Havok [K20]
A.) [5] mm031 Polaris (-1) [C21]
B.) dr004 Jean Grey [B6]
C.) [6] ul093 Phoenix (-6) [J14] @
Red A.) [2] xp220 Betsy Braddock (-4) [F11]
Red B.) [8] xp084 Storm (-4) [E12]
Red C.) [5] av025 Quicksilver (-2) [U19]
Yellow A.) aw061 Dazzler [D22]
Yellow B.) mm028 Domino (-1) [N14]
Yellow C.) [11] "Xorn" (ul200 Magneto) (-5) [H16]


HOs: H20
LOs: K9,
SO: Gamma Bomb H13 DISARMED!
Immobile: The Gamma Bomb can’t be destroyed and begins on the green starting line. At the beginning of each player’s turn, if it’s not disarmed, click the dial once to the right. Once per game per character, a character occupying this square can be given a free action to roll a d6. On a result of 4 or 5, click the dial 4 clicks to the left (12 is the maximum), and on a result of 6, disarm it. When the red line is crossed, deal 3 damage to each character and destroy each object, wall, and square of blocking terrain within 8 squares and then remove this object from the map.

Map: Xavier Institute
The "Danger Room" map on the far left is not used in this match. The X-Men use the three leftmost starting zones, while the Brotherhood use the three starting zones furthest to the right. Both players must place at least 200 points worth of characters in each of their available starting zones.

Special Markers: representing the wounded X-men, these markers do not affect gameplay (for movement, line of fire, being attacked, etc) with the exception that other characters cannot end their movement in the same square as a special marker, and special markers can be carried as if they were characters friendly to the X-men. If a special marker is brought to E8, F8, or G8 on the indoor map, they are removed from the game and the character that carried them scores 3 IXP for each.
Note: due to a glitch in the map program, special markers will occasionally swap places with hindering terrain tokens when "update map" is pressed. When this happens, simply continue to press "update map" until they swap back to special markers.

Destroy the X-Mansion: If 10 or more walls are destroyed during this game, then the X-mansion has suffered complete loss of structural integrity and is considered demolished. Indoor terrain is considered outdoor terrain for the remainder of the game, and the X-men will have incurred story penalties and a -15 TXP loss.

Turning Point in History: If Xorn or Wolverine KO Magneto (or vice versa) they score double victory points. If Phoenix is KO'ed, immediately replace her with mm052 Bishop in the same location. If Jean Grey is KO'ed, immediately replace her with mm073 Cable in the same location. If Magneto moves to the X-men's indoor starting zone, they are considered to have completed the "Destroy the X-Mansion" condition above and the game ends immediately. When any of the above events occur, please contact GarganisScorpion for a story post update.

Stats before game:
Astonishing X-men After Issue #9

1.) Cyclops 78pt; 66ap [16,2]
-Next @ 94,105,110

2.) Colossus 79pt; 77ap [19,1]
-Next @ 95,*100,104

3.) Wolverine 57pt; 22ap [5,2]
w/ Automatic Regeneration 12pt
-Next @ *60(L),*70,*75

4.) Kitty Pryde 33pt; 7ap [1,3]
-Next 36,40,51,*56

5.) Lockheed 16pt; 2ap [0,2]
Feats:

6.) Beast 50pt; 35ap [8,3]
w/ Vault 3pt

7.) Nightcrawler 47pt; 26ap [6,2]
w/ Passenger 5pt
-Next @ 61,83,*86

8.) Emma Frost 61pt; 10ap [2,2]

Team Experience: 646 [161,2]
Team Total: 466 pts
Squad Size: 300 pts



Stats in X-Men Annual:
Astonishing X-Men:
1.) [29] UL063 Cyclops
2.) [11] DR002 Colossus
3.) [16] CT068 Logan
4.) [3] MU003 Beast
5.) [3] FF083 Nightcrawler

Other X-Men:
6.) [2]xp071 Gambit
7.) [7] mm039 Havok
8.) [5] mm031 Polaris
9.) [6] ul093 Phoenix
10.) [2] xp220 Betsy Braddock
11.) [8] xp084 Storm
12.) [5] av025 Quicksilver

Victory Points: 1113 (1000 + 113 for double VP from Mags)



Stats after X-Men Annual:

Astonishing X-men After X-Men Annual

1.) Cyclops 78pt; 95ap [23,3]
-Next @ 94,105,110

2.) Colossus 79pt; 88ap [22,0]
-Next @ 95,*100,104

3.) Wolverine 57pt; 38ap [9,2]
w/ Automatic Regeneration 12pt
-Next @ *60(L),*70,*75

4.) Kitty Pryde 33pt; 7ap [1,3]
-Next 36,40,51,*56

5.) Lockheed 16pt; 2ap [0,2]
Feats:

6.) Beast 50pt; 38ap [9,2]
w/ Vault 3pt

7.) Nightcrawler 47pt; 29ap [7,1]
w/ Passenger 5pt
-Next @ 61,83,*86

8.) Emma Frost 61pt; 10ap [2,2]

Team Experience: 1759 [439,3]
Team Total: 466 pts
Squad Size: 300 pts

Okay, so lets take inventory of where all the X-men characters are at after this issue, including Choonhui's team. For the purposes of recruiting and upgrading we'll combine the two teams' TXP pool together before we reorganize everything.


77 AW 22 E Banshee [8,1]
50 E M&M Cuckoo #1 (Esme) [9,3]
40 R M&M Cuckoo #2 (Celeste) [14,1]
40 R M&M Cuckoo #3 (Sophie) [6,0]
40 R M&M Cuckoo #4 (Phoebe) [2,1]
38 GX 12 Cypher [0,3]
47 AW 061 R Dazzler [5,1]
35 MM28 R Domino [9,0]
44 Xp 71 E Gambit [21,1] + [0, 2] = [21, 3]
44 MM V Havok(MM) [29,3] + [1, 3] = [31, 2]
26 Xp 37 R Iceman [8,3] + [1, 1] = [10, 0]
50 DR Jean Grey [16,1]
53 SN 076 R Meggan [5,2]
47 Utl LE Morlock Leader [17,1]
61 MM68 E Northstar [3,0]
86 U Ultimate Pheonix - Racheal [40,1] + [1, 2] = [41, 3]
50 MM31 R Polaris [19,0] + [1, 1] = [20, 1]
59 IC56 R Professor X [0,3]
45 R AW55 Psylocke [14,0] + [0, 2] = [14, 2]
63 AV25 Quicksilver [12,3] + [1, 1] = [14, 0]
52 XP84 Vet Storm [66,0] + [2,0] = [68,0]
39 Sn 31 R Tessa /Sage [22,0]
35 MM030 X-23 [1,2]

78 Cyclops [23,3]
79 Colossus [22,0]
57 Wolverine [9,2]
w/ Automatic Regeneration 12pt
33 Kitty Pryde [1,3]
16 Lockheed [0,2]
50 Beast [9,2]
w/ Vault 3pt
47 Nightcrawler [7,1]
w/ Passenger 5pt
61 Emma Frost [2,2]


Uncanny: 69 TXP & 1 TAP
+ Astonishing: 439 TXP & 3 TAP
= 509 TXP

UPGRADES AND CURRENT STATUS

Banshee: Does not upgrade. Banshee did not appear in this issue. He is on Muir Island, serving as headmaster of the new X-Academy facility.

Stepford Cuckoos (Esme, Celeste, Sophie & Phoebe): do not upgrade and did not appear in this issue. They have been moved to the Muir Island academy where they attend as students.

Cypher: do not upgrade and did not appear in this issue. He has been moved to the Muir Island academy as a student.

Dazzler: Upgrades from her R AW dial to her R M&M dial by spending 1 IXP and 1 TXP. She appeared in this issue but didn't affect the battle. She will be moving to the Dark Future at the end of this issue.

Domino: Does not upgrade. Despite using her Probability Control to great effect in this issue, Domino was not given any XP rewards and thus remains just shy of an upgrade. At the end of the issue she leaves the team feeling unappreciated and unrewarded. Perhaps the life of an international soldier of fortune will suit her better.

Gambit: Gambit spends 7 IXP and 7 TXP to upgrade to his V XP dial. He will be moving to the Dark Future at the end of this issue.

Havok: Havok did not upgrade, though he played a pivotal role in Magneto's downfall. Saddled with guilt over this, Havok splits from the X-men to try to gather the remains of the Brotherhood and help lead them to a better life.

Iceman: Appearing in this issue but only as a bystander who did not affect the outcome. By special editorial edict Iceman has been granted the last 1 IXP he needs to upgrade to his E XP dial, for a cost of 10 IXP and 10 TXP.

Jean Grey: Will spend 15 IXP and TXP to upgrade to V Ultimates Marvel Girl. She remains with the X-men but carries with her now a mysterious gift from her daughter from the future.

Meggan: Appeared in this issue but only as a bystander who did not affect the outcome. Having suffered semi-permanent power drainage from Rogue, Meggan retires from the X-men to return to the British Isles in search of her people and a return to the magical world in which she belongs.

Callisto/Morlock Leader: Appeared in this issue but only as a bystander who did not affect the outcome. She will upgrade to V Callisto at a cost of 15 IXP and TXP. Callisto will be moving to the Dark Future at the end of this issue.

Northstar: Appeared in this issue but only as a bystander who did not affect the outcome. He does not upgrade, and will be leaving the team to return to Canada in response to a call from his sister and his former team, Alpha Flight.

Phoenix: Phoenix has not been upgraded. She will leave her mother as the guardian of something very important, then return to her own timeline in the Dark Future at the end of the issue.

Polaris: Will spend 20 IXP and 20 TXP to upgrade to E MM dial at 70 pts. She will be leaving the X-men alongside Havok to try to pick up the pieces of Magneto's movement. Her powers have changed in the wake of Magneto's fall; having lost her magnetic abilities, she finds herself strong, invulnerable, and given to bouts of irrational anger.

Professor Xavier: Appeared in this issue but only in the intro, remaining protected inside the mansion throughout the battle. He does not upgrade.

Psylocke: Does not upgrade. She will be moving to the Dark Future at the end of this issue.

Quicksilver: Will spend 4 IXP and TXP to upgrade to LE Sir Pietro Maximoff. He will be leaving the X-men to try to take his father's place and rally the remains of the Brotherhood towards a better cause.

Storm: Will spend a whopping 55 IXP and TXP to upgrade right to her most expensive dial, the WatX E 107 Storm.

Tessa: Will spend 21 IXP and TXP to upgrade to E Sage. With her new identity she will be leaving the X-men's active roster to act as a liaison with the Hellfire Club.

X-23: Did not appear in the issue. She has been moved to Muir Island and enrolled as a student there.

Angel: Did not appear in this issue, but will be sent to the Dark Future in the epilogue

Cable: Appeared only in the intro of this issue, will be sent to the Dark Future in the epilogue

Bishop: Appeared only in the intro of this issue, will be sent to the Dark Future in the epilogue.

Cyclops: Upgrades to the 100 point AvX E Cyclops dial, by spending 22 IXP and TXP. He will remain as the leader of the Astonishing X-men.

Colossus: will spend 21 IXP and TXP to upgrade to his WatX dial at 100 points. He will remain with the Astonishing X-men team.

Wolverine: Spends 8 IXP and TXP to upgrade as far as his 65 pt LE Mutant Mayhem dial, unlocking several along the way. He leaves the X-men in the wake of this issue, for parts unknown.

Kitty Pryde: Young enough that the Professor wants to send her to Muir Island for her protection, Kitty argues that her recent experience with the X-men qualifies her to remain with Cyclops and his team. Colossus' presence on the duty roster may have something to do with this as well. Will she stay or will she go? Either way, at least she now has her new pet mutant purple dragon to watch over her, which she has named Lockheed.

Beast: Spends 9 IXP and TXP to upgrade to his E Xplosion dial. Will he remain with the X-men, go teach classes at Muir Island, or perhaps he and Bobby will go apply for membership with the Defenders?

Nightcrawler: Does not upgrade. He may remain with the X-men, if he can escape the pull of the Dark Future.

Emma Frost: White Queen spends 1 TXP and IXP to upgrade to the Marvel 10th Anniversary White Queen dial. She is primarily affiliated with the Hellfire Club, but is to be stationed on Muir Island as the Academy's headmistress, working alongside Banshee.

So that's all the characters that had been present on both X-men teams accounted for. After all upgrades, this leaves you with the roasters seen below, and an excess 295 TXP.

So, msthomps1: to select the starting roster you will have the usual 300 points to begin with. It would be preferable to take characters at the full points that they have unlocked, so as not to undo the hard work of previous writers. After that, you will be allowed to make use of the leftover TXP to recruit characters. So for example;

100 pts Cyclops
100 pts Colossus
59 Professor X
33 Shadowcat
Total: 292, with 16 TXP leftover. + 295 TXP = 311 TXP to build with.

V Ult Jean Grey - 65 pts - costs 130 TXP
Lockheed - 16 pts - costs 32 TXP
E XP Beast - 59 pts - costs 118 TXP

Which spends a total of 280 TXP, and that's your starting roster of X-men.


Professor X 59 pts; [0,0]
(R IC-59)
Phoenix (Racheal) 86 pts; [34,2]
(U Ult-86)
Banshee 77 pts; [7,0]
(R AW-48, E AW-77)
w/Nova Blast 10 pts
Quicksilver 67pts; [10,0]
(R IC-18, E IC-24, V IC-28, R AV-49, R AW-52, E AW-62, R AV-63, LE AW-67)
Northstar 61 pts; [3,0]
(R MM-51, E MM-61)
Meggan 53 pts; [4,0]
(R Sin-53)
Storm 107 pts; [13,0]
(R Ult-24, LE Ult-34, R XP-35, E Ult-38, E XP-40, V DR-40, V XP-52, V Ult-56, E M10A-59, V GX-86, V M10A-98, E Mu-100 E WatX-107)
w/Armor Piercing 10 pts
Jean Grey 65 pts; [1,1]
(R IC-31, E IC-39, R M&M-40, R WatX-40, R Ult-48, V IC-50, V DR-50, E Ult-53, V M10A-54, LE IC-59, V Ult-65)
Polaris 70 pts; [0,1]
(R MM-50, E MM-70)
Callisto 62 pts; [2,1]
(R ULT-41, LE ULT-47, E Ult-51, V Ult-62)
Dazzler 48 pts; [4,1]
(R AW-47, R M&M-48)
Psylocke 45 pts; [14,2]
(R XP-29, E XP-39, LE XP-44, V XP-45, R AW-45)
Gambit 51 pts; [14,3]
(R XP-28, E XP-44, V XP-51)
Havok 44 pts; [31,2]
(R MM-31, LE MM-35, E MM-38, V MM-44)
Cuckoo #1 (Celeste) 40 pts; [14,1]
(R M&M-40)
Cuckoo #2 (Esme) 50 pts; [9,3]
(R M&M-40, LE M&M-50)
Cuckoo #3 (Sophie) 40 pts; [6,0]
(R M&M-40)
Cuckoo #3 (Phoebe) 40 pts; [2,1]
(R M&M-40)
Tessa 39 pts; [21,2]
(R Sin-39)
Cypher 38 pts; [0,0]
(R GSX-38)
Domino 35 pts; [7,1]
(R MM-35),
X-23 35 pts; [1,2]
(R M&M-35)
Iceman 36 pts; [0,0]
(R XP-26, E XP-36)

Cyclops 100 pts; [1, 3]
(LE IC-39, V DR-40, R Ult-43, R Mu-50, R IC-55, E Ult-55, E IC-68, V Ult-69, E Mu-75, E ffGSX-75, V IC-78, E WatX-94, E AvX-100)
Colossus 100 pts; [1,0]
(V DR-60, R Ult-74, R XP-79, E XP-95)
Wolverine 65 pts; [1, 2]
(R CT-40, E Ui-41, R IC-44, R CM-44, E CT-49, R MM-49, R Ult-52, E CM-53, E MM-55, LE AW-57, U AW-60, V CT-60, E IC-61, U IC-64, V CM-64, LE MM-65)
Kitty Pryde 33 pts; [1, 3]
(R XP-28, R Sin-30, E XP-33)
Beast 59 pts; [0, 2]
(R Ult-41, R XP-42, LE XP-45, R Mu-50, E XP-59)

Iceman and his special "editorial edict"

... and how many levels did Storm's upgra0de leap over?...

I hope the editorial staff and msthomps1 were not too disappointed with the villains' performance in this game/issue... In my defense I would point to: Havok's Leadership rolls, Domino's Super Senses rolls, Unus failed Impervious and failed Super Senses rolls, defused Gamma Bomb, poor villainous attack rolls... the luck of the dice was with the good guys!...

Iceman has suffered as a 26 point rookie for the entire length of the RPSC as far as I can tell. He's an interesting character and it sucks that no one uses him in their stories because of his weak, ancient dial. So I felt I couldn't let Choon's work that got him 90% of the way to his first upgrade ever go to waste.

If no one uses him still, that's fine, but at least now he could be recruited onto the new Defenders as a nice support piece and taxi. And anyone can be useful with an 18 defense.

Storm upgraded through all of her dials in one go. For whatever reason (*cough*cheeseteam*cough*) Choon decided he didn't need to spend any point on unlocking her better dials and just left her to accumulate XP, racking up over 60 points by the end of his run. Storm is another high-level mutant and it bothered me to leave her as a 50-point scrub.

You can't fight the dice rolls, so don't feel bad. I only wish magneto hadn't taken one on the chin right at the start of the game, because it seriously neutered the threat he was supposed to be. Especially if he promoted to his other dial while still on his opening click. The idea when I was setting up the match was to use the Brotherhood as cannon fodder to soften the X-men up, while gathering promotion tokens to eventually leave powerhouse Mags fighting the remains of the X-men. But sometimes you just gotta play with how the game flows. Thankfully, whether Magneto had a really strong performance or a really weak performance, either way the story can explain it (as you'll soon see).

Just to organize things easier for you msthomps1, as well as anyone else who may be interested in running the X-Academy or Dark Future X-men stories, here are the characters broken down by group. This includes characters who were not currently part of any team, but are grouped together here for consideration as potential recruits.

X-Academy (students)
Cuckoos (Esme, Phoebe, Celeste, Sophie)
Cypher X-23 Armor
Elixer Jubilee M
Husk Magma Karma
Moonstar Wolfsbane Cannonball

X-Academy (faculty)
Banshee Emma Frost

Dark Future
Gambit Bishop Cable
Callisto Psylocke Dazzler
Hope Summer Rachael Summers

Leaving to join other teams
Quicksilver Havok Polaris
Domino Sage Northstar
Meggan Wolverine

Recruitable by the Astonishing X-Men
Cyclops Colossus Jean Grey
Iceman Beast Angel
Professor X Storm Nightcrawler
Kitty Pryde & Lockheed


So, msthomps1, you can see above which characters you have to select your new team from. The characters in the "recruitable" section that have their names of a certain color reflect where they will end up if they are not selected for your squad.

You have 448 points to build your team with. Unspent points are lost. On top of that, you also begin with up to 20 points worth of feats and ATAs. You can PM me your choice or post it here, either is fine.

This thinking-through and reorganization of so many mutants represents a load of work on your part, Gargan, and I would like to commend you for investing so much time and energy into this silly little RPSC of ours...

THANK YOU!

Gargan, I think your PM box is full, it won't let me send you a message.

On to the team though
Seeing as this team doesn't resemble the Astonishing X-Men at all anymore, I feel the need to rename it. I have members of both the blue and gold strike forces, and I'm sort of headed in that direction with the story. In the wake of Magneto's all out attack on the mansion, the following time rift that dragged away several key members of the X-Men, and outright mutant hatred popping up more frequently, Professor X and Cyclops have agreed that a new team needs to be formed. A team capable of hitting hard when necessary, and most importantly, keeping the mutant race safe! Cyclops will be leading the team personally while Xavier and others oversee the new academy on Muir Island. Welcome, the X-Men: Strike Force Alpha!


X-Men: Strike Force Alpha:
1.) AVX E Cyclops 100pt; 7ap [1, 3]
2.) WXM R Colossus 100pt; 4ap [1,0]
3.) MU Storm 100pt; 0ap [0,0]
4.) GSX Angel 50pt; 0ap [0,0]
5.) ULT Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) 65pt; 5ap [1,1]
6.) UI Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) 33pt; 7ap [1,3]
(Lockheed will be represented on her next upgrade to the 36pt LE until I can afford to recruit him again. He'll just be chilling in the X-Jet or something until then.)

Total: 448

Feats/ATAs:
Cyclops - Suppressive Fire 5pt
Colossus - Unstoppable 5pt, Lunge 5pt,
Storm - Recharge 5pt

Total: 20pt

Wait wait.. I thought we had decided that I was going to get to keep Wolverine because Braden's Weapon X was using Daken instead?

[MSThomps1, this is an example of why in-game dialogue is rarely considered "canon". And also, no, Weapon X is starting with Daken but Wolverine will be an integral part of their storyline, when Braden is ready to resume.]

Distracted by attacks from all sides, the Master of Magnetism had failed to see Wolverine's approach until it was too late. Weakened and seemly addled by delusions of grandeur and persecution, what emerged was a contest between force of will and brute animal strength. And in the end, a momentary faltering of Magneto's will was all it took for the best there is to do what he does best.

"Hurrrk!" Magneto groaned in pain, impaled on Wolverine's claws. Three adamantium spikes slid through his torso with little resistance. Blood welled up and gushed onto the ground in fitful spurts. The icy pain seemed to clear the fog from Magneto's eyes, and in a snap he fixed Wolverine with a sharp stare and an equally powerful magnetic field. One hand clutched his belly, vainly trying to keep his life's blood contained for a few minutes longer. But Magnus was old, his strength faded before this battle had even started. He knew that his time was short.

"You pitiful beast..." Magneto growled out, his words sounding wet with blood bubbling up in his mouth. "No amount of Xavier's guidance has ever changed what the humans did to you. For all his misguided charity, you remain their tool, their 'weapon x' to use against our own kind. I was going to lead mutantkind into a golden age... but you've killed that dream as well."

Magneto stumbled for a moment, his helmet falling from his head and clattering to the ground. With a strain he marshaled the last of his strength and stood to face his killer.

"But I won't allow my murderer to kill again!"

Magnetic fields converged and twisted around Wolverine in drastic contortions. The strain upon his metal-bonded skeleton became intense, magnified again and again. Wolverine's claws visibly twisted and bent, hinting at the painful deformations occurring within his skeleton. Logan's mouth twisted open, letting loose a howl of pure agony. Silvery spurs of adamantium erupted through his flesh, pulled from his skeleton and carving their way out through his skin. Even with his mutant healing factor there was nothing Wolverine could do against the hundreds of razors embedded within his own body, cutting him apart from the inside.

"Father!" Quicksilver cried out. Before the sound of his voice had reach the rest of the battlefield Quicksilver had slammed into Magneto. The strike instantly halted his torturous assault upon Wolverine, leaving him bleeding out and howling in pain. The master of magnetism collapsed under the blow, the last of his strength having fled his body.

"Pietro...! Pietro, how did it come to this? I've lead our people astray..." Erik gestured weakly to the remains of the once-fearsome Brotherhood, now demolished and scattered across the institute grounds.

_____________________________

"Not much time left now, Princess," Bishop warned Rachel Summers. Their mission was almost at an end. With the Brotherhood defeated, the bomb neutralized and Magneto breathing his final breaths, there remained only a few crucial tasks. Bishop alternatively watched the unfolding drama and his chronometer, nervously counting away the seconds. Rachel was more concerned with finding her mother.

"Ms. Grey?" Rachel called out across the razed institute ground. She strode swiftly and with purpose towards the unassuming redhead who was tending to the wounded. Time was of the essence after all. "Ms. Grey, a few moments of your time if you please. It really is quite important."

"Phoenix, some of our friends are hurt and need our help. Can't it wait?"

Bishop traded a stern look with Phoenix, strengthening the younger woman's resolve. "No, no I'm afraid I must insist. I have something for you."

"What is i.... it. Oh I see."

When Jean Grey looked again, Rachel was holding out her hands and carried something fiery and red between them. The fire engulfed her vision. She couldn't blink, she couldn't speak. Staring into the heart of the thing was too dazzling. There was no more battlefield, no one else but Jean and Rachel and the thing that Rachel held out to her.

"This is the Phoenix," Rachel told her.

"I thought you were?"

"I used that name so as not to divulge too much about the future. Time isn't predestined but it isn't so fragile that a butterfly's wings could break it either. Still, caution was best until we were sure our mission was complete. Now that my work here is done, I think it's safe that you know who I am: Rachel Summers. I'm your daughter."

Jean's head whirled at the implications. So she and Scott must reconcile eventually... soon, even. Perhaps she was wrong to have kept him at such a distance lately. Perhaps -

"Time enough for that later. This is starting to burn my hands," Rachel pressed, taking an urgent step closer. "This is the Phoenix. It is immensely powerful. You will come to know it, and it will know you. Someday, you will pass it on back to me."

The ethereal fires of the Phoenix passed from between Rachel's hands and flowed forward into and around Jean. She heard a bird's shrieking cry inside her mind, and found herself enveloped in ghostly flame. Through the wall of orange and red she could faintly see her professed daughter.

"Be careful. It is dangerous, and it could overwhelm you. Do not allow it to become corrupted. If you can keep it pure, it will be your greatest defense against the coming Onslaught. But if you cannot control its hungers then it could be an even greater danger itself."

Jean nodded weakly, her mental focus taxed. The flame, the power... responded to her thoughts. It was not unlike her own mutant abilities in a way. An exertion of her will would pull the force back, draw it into herself where it could be controlled. The flames shrank away, returning to their host...

Jean Grey collapsed under the strain, fainted. Bishop caught her and laid her down next to her patient, while Rachel looked on sadly. "I wish I could be with you for what will be coming, mom."

________________________________________

Wolverine's long howls of indescribable pain were finally quieted to a pitiful mewling. He should have blacked out to escape the torture, but his healing factor kept him awake through the entire ordeal.

"Can you help him?" Xavier asked, attempting to ease Wolverine's pain with a soothing application of telepathy. It was a daunting task, even for the world's preeminent psychic.

"I can. But I cannot undo what has been done to him," answered the mysterious Xorn.

"Then do what you can."

Raising his arms and summoning forth awesome energy from within his metal shell, Xorn grabbed firm hold of the twisted magnetic fields that had ravaged Wolverine's supposedly unbreakable skeleton. With careful, careful application of those same forces Xorn pulled the adamantium out. As each spine was plucked and fell to the ground the flesh and bone began to knit and close up at last. Meanwhile, Xavier rolled onward to the next suffering soul.

"Eric..."

"What will you do now, Charles? (kaff kafffff) Go hide if you wish. They will (hauch hauuugh!) find (haaugh) you eventually..."

"Don't talk, old friend. Save your strength."

He had taken the liberty of contacting Magneto's mind telepathically for the sake of easing their communication. He had no doubt that whatever Magneto's last words might be, they would be meaningful. But once he did so, Xavier became acutely aware of another presence within Magneto's mind. Of course! That's why Magneto had launched this sudden, unprovoked and rather uncharacteristic assault. His brain was clouded in layer upon layer of psychic shrouding that clouded his judgement and fostered the irrational hatred that lay at the core of his crusade against the humans. Someone had purposely nurtured the worst in Magneto, and turned him from a misguided freedom fighter into the rabid mutant terrorist that the humans feared he was.

"Cyclops, Beast. I need you to secure Jason Wyngarde... the one known as Mastermind. He must not escape!"

The professor's longtime students sprang into action, knowing better than to question their mentor's orders. Mastermind had been subdued in the battle but it certainly wouldn't hurt to take a little extra precaution that a tricky mutant like him didn't slip away in the aftermath. It was his illusions that had pushed Magneto into this suicide attack... but why? The X-men would uncover the truth. Meanwhile Charles Xavier would do his utmost to see this psychic cancer lifted from Magneto's mind so that he might die with dignity. It was the least he could do. Wielding his great mental powers like a surgical scalpel, Xavier cut away the illusions and the anger, the seething hatred that infested Magneto's mind and took it away. Magneto's eyes were at last cleared, and saw the world as it was one last time.

"Pietro, my son... say goodbye to Wanda for me. You have both done so much good... I am so proud. And Lorna... Lorna you were too precious (kaffff) to risk you on my fool's crusade. I regret keeping secrets from you for so long, but I did it to protect you. (cough cough) I cannot protect you any more... but I did leave you answers. Look up... to the... starrrrsss..."

Magneto's final breath hissed from his lips and he fell silent. Quicksilver gently lowered his father's eyelids in grim silence and Polaris fell into Havok's arms, sobbing. A solemn moment hung over the battlefield where one of the greatest titans of mutant liberty had met his end. And then,

"Something's happening!" Polaris cried in panic.

The iron core of the earth, spinning endlessly through space, creates a protective shield of magnetic force that deflects the harmful solar winds and deadly cosmic radiation from our world. These lines of magnetism extend from the inner core, out through the poles and millions of kilometers out into space. And the death of the master of magnetism had caused a sudden, unprecedented ripple in the shield. A brilliant aurora of spectral lights burst out across the sky, painting the blue with streaks of every other color imaginable. Metallic objects as small as coins and as large as the Blackbird levitated into the air, hung there, dropped to the ground, then rose again. Lights that weren't attached to any power source flickered to life then shorted out with pops of broken glass.

"Timeslide is T-minus zero," Bishop stated. "It's time."

Amidst the chaotic wake of Magneto's death, a spark appeared. The spark surged and grew and split into a doorway, then an arch. A tear in the fabric of time itself. On the other side was the future. They caught glimpses of dark vistas and monolithic robots and a cruel empire where the fittest ruled over the weak. Everyone present shied back from the sight, save the travelers that called it home.

"Getting a lot of interference from the EM-storm. It's messing with the time-bridge."

"Hurry then," ordered Cable. Bishop gave a quick nod and escorted Rachel through the barrier. She was the top priority, but they didn't intend to leave anyone behind. "Xorn, you coming?"

Xorn had finished his work on poor Wolverine. Though stripped of his adamantium, he would survive. Xorn turned to Cable and hesitated. He seemed to know something the others didn't. What was he waiting for?

More sparks appeared, rapidly tearing their way through time and space and carving out more holes in reality. Some were large, some small, and none had been planned for.

"What is this?" Cable gasped. The instruments in his robotic arm had gone wild. He drew his gun as a matter of reflex. Something beyond the general chaos didn't sit right with him. Something was familiar about this.

"Stryfe."

From one of the portal emerged an armor-clad figure with a billowing red cape. He seemed to be made almost entirely out of shining steel blades, though clearly he was human beneath his metallic exterior. He smiled.

"Cable. So this is where you've been hiding."

Cable leveled his gun and clicked the settings up to full burn. There was no time for second-guessing. He fired, emptying the full charge of his viper-beam cannon at his longtime nemesis. Stryfe fought back with a devastating telekinetic wave of his own. The two met in a clash of energy and kinetic force that sent destructive blasts tearing across the grounds, forcing scattered X-men to run and dive for cover. Time portals rippled and collapsed, some closing up and others swallowing up anyone nearby. The lingering effects of the EM-storm only added to the mess, creating a swirling cauldron of exotic energy and reality-bending forces. No one knew what to do. Until Xorn stepped in.

One by one, each hole in time was sealed up at his gesture. Metallic detritus slammed into Stryfe, sending him staggering backwards into his native time period. The body beneath Xorn's armor grew bright. The temporal energy crackling at the edge of the portals was soaked up into Xorn's chest as he consumed them. Cable understood now. He gave his longtime ally a quick military salute. He deserved that much. Then he departed, allowing the last time tunnel to be collapsed.

Space/Time had been set right, and the magnetic anomalies had ceased. Xorn had grown white hot under his armor, and was becoming translucent and ghost-like at a steadily increasing rate. Not even the most brilliant minds witnessing this fully grasped what they were seeing, nor were they prepared for what came next.

With shaking hands Xorn reached up and took off his helmet. Beneath it was the face of Erik Lehnsherr, wearing a resigned smile. He glanced down at the worn features of his own dead body, then looked to Quicksilver and Xavier. "Perhaps now, history will forgive me."

And then he was gone.

What do you mean, "gone?".... Did Xorn go through a time-portal? simply vanish without any sound?... you can't leave me hangin' like this, man!...