The sun rose over the picturesque mansion, the early morning dawn light bringing to life the lush gardens and forest that surrounded the estate. It was not unusual for the residents of the manor to receive visitors, but this Sunday morning's visitor was one that was not usually greeted with a smile and a warm reception.
Cain Marko stood at the wrought-iron gates that opened onto the Xavier Institute For Higher Learning. He had second-guessed his intentions the entire way from his warehouse home in New York City to here in Salem Center, but still he found himself on the threshold of what would either prove to be a monumental resolution in his life, or a colossal failure.
Taking a deep breath, the former villain known the world over as the Juggernaut pushed the gates open and strode up the walkway. The last time he was here, he had tried legal means to take possession of this estate, but as with all his other previous plans this one had met in failure.
(as seen in X-Men #70 - Eric)
Before Cain could even reach the front door, however, a searing bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of him. Reflexively, his civilian clothes shimmered and seemed to melt away, finally coalescing into the familiar crimson-hued armour of the unstoppable Juggernaut.
"Stand your ground, Cain Marko!" came the unmistakable voice from above. Cain knew who it was before even looking up, "Storm," he said simply.
"I don't know what your intentions are, Juggernaut," said Storm as she hovered in the air just out of Cain's reach, "but rest assured that myself and my fellow X-Men shall repel your attack!"
"Aw cripes," he grumbled, "do we haveta do this every time?!"
"Dat be for certain, mon ami!" came another unmistakable voice, as several kinetically-charged playing cards that were hurled at Cain's feet detonated, forcing Cain to take a step back. He looked over to see the Cajun X-Man known as Gambit, ready to launch another volley of explosive cards.
"Yer crazy, all o' ya!" shouted Cain, as he strode towards the front door once more.
"Ah don't think so!" cried a third voice, that of the Southern belle Rogue, as she slammed into the Juggernaut from up on high, actually managing to drive him backwards a few inches.
"I ain't got time fer this, X-chumps, I'm here ta see yer boss..."
"Something tells me that we're not going to allow that," came yet another voice, this one Cain didn't recognise. He looked towards the front porch to see a tall, muscular woman standing in the doorway. She wore a blue and white costume, with a blue cloak affixed to her uniform with a brooch that featured the Star of David.
"An' just who the heck are you?" the Juggernaut inquired of this recent addition to the X-Men's ranks.
"My name is Sabra, and if you wish to see Professor Xavier, you must get through me first!"
"No problem, babe!" growled Cain, getting tired of the constant interruptions to his schedule.
"That goes double for me, Juggernut!" came a familiar witty remark from Bobby Drake, a.k.a. Iceman, as he descended on an ice slide to stand on the front porch next to Sabra.
"X-Men, attack!" Storm cried, and the Juggernaut found himself bombarded with electrical bolts, exploding cards, ice beams, and crunching blows from the two powerhouse women. Cain shrugged off every attack as he strode purposefully to the front door. Swatting both Iceman and Sabra aside, he stepped up to the front porch, only to be greeted by a *SCHLUKT!* sound.
The X-Men ceased their onslaught as three bone claws popped up in front of the Juggernaut's face. Cain looked down to see the feral X-Man Wolverine blocking the doorway, the trademark lit cigar hanging from his mouth.
"Marko," Logan grumbled, "what're ya doin' here? It ain't even breakfast time yet!"
"Tell me about it shrimp... as fer what I'm doin' here, I wanna see Chuck..."
"What fer?"
"It's... personal..."
"Personal?!" exclaimed Bobby Drake as he extracted himself from the pushes he had been swatted into. "The Juggernaut wants to see the Prof over something personal?!"
"Yeah, frosty, what's it to ya?" snarled Cain in Iceman's direction.
"Seems t'me ya ain't here ta fight, are ya Marko?" asked Logan, taking a puff of his cigar and pointing it at Marko as he spoke.
"'Course I ain't! You of all people should know I ain't the old Juggernaut, 'specially after that stuff with the Hand in Madripoor, an' then that Weapon X business last month..."
(back in Juggernaut #1-3 & Wolverine #2 - Eric)
(in the Weapon X Redux crossover that kicked off in Juggernaut Annual #1 - Eric)
"Ya got a point there..." said Wolverine, stubbing out the remains of his cigar on the front porch.
Storm alighted on the walkway behind the Juggernaut. "Why did you not say something, Cain?" she asked.
"Like you gave me a chance! You lot just jumped straight on top of me, without even wondering why I wasn't fightin' back! If this was any other day, I'd've stomped the lot of you inta the ground, but I ain't here for that... I need to see Chuck..."
"Well Cain," came one more voice from the foyer behind the open front door, "I am here. State your business, and then leave..."
"Well, if it ain't the man himself!" exclaimed Cain, "Arrogant as ever, eh Chuck?"
Xavier sighed, "Why are you here Cain, if it is not to destroy myself and my X-Men as you usually try to do..."
"We need to talk, Chuck..." the Juggernaut said, using the power of the Cyttorak magic imbued within him to shift from his battle armour back to his civilian clothes, "about our childhood..."
(thanks to the Ruby of Cyttorak that resides within the Juggernaut's body - Eric)
The collective gasp of the assembled X-Men could almost be heard at Cecilia Reyes' clinic in Salem Centre proper, as their jaws dropped with the Juggernaut's announcement.
"Cain, I think you'd better come inside..." was all Xavier replied.
"This is nuts!" cried Bobby Drake as he paced up and down the corridor outside Professor Xavier's office, "he's the Juggernaut! One of our deadliest foes, and yet the Prof invites him in for a fireside chat?!"
"Calm yourself Robert," replied Storm, ever the voice of reason, "we must trust that the Professor knows what he is doing. Cain is his step-brother, after all..."
"That may be, 'Ro," answered Wolverine, "but you know the history between 'em as well as the rest o' us..."
Meanwhile, inside Xavier's study...
The Juggernaut looked around nervously. It was not too long ago, in this very room, that Onslaught had ripped the Ruby of Cyttorak from his chest and imprisoned Cain within it's many-faceted walls. After being freed from the Ruby by the combined efforts of Gomurr the Ancient and Doctor Strange, Cain later discovered that Charles himself was Onslaught, and this revelation rocked him to his very core. He had often wondered what he had ever done to Onslaught to deserve being imprisoned in the Ruby, and when he found out Onslaught was actually his step-brother, Charles, the realisation as to why had become all too clear to him.
(in the now-classic X-Men #54 - Eric)
(in X-Men Unlimited #12 - Eric)
Theirs was a rocky childhood, ever since Cain's father had married Charles' mother. Kurt Marko had only really married Sharon Xavier for her money, so that he could continue his scientific research. Kurt Marko treated Charles better than he treated Cain, to keep on Sharon's good side. He considered Cain to be a bad seed, beyond redemption, and Cain had overheard his father saying that. It was this one statement from Kurt that set Cain on the destructive path he had trodden for many years, and it all came crashing down the day he threatened to expose his father's role in the death of Brian Xavier during a nuclear test at Almagordo.
(as revealed in X-Men Unlimited #12 - Eric)
Charles had overheard the conversation and demanded answers, causing Cain to lose his temper and accidentally knock over explosive chemicals which set the lab on fire. The pivotal moment came when Kurt Marko, mortally wounded as he was, saved Charles Xavier before his own son Cain. Before he died, he asked Charles for forgiveness, but not Cain. This was the moment at which Cain learned to hate Charles, and this hatred consumed him for years, moreso when he became the Juggernaut, after which he became one of the X-Men's deadliest foes.
Slowly, Cain came to realise that his dislike of Charles had become an obsession, and that much of his hatred was misdirected. Charles was not responsible for his father's death, he himself was. So, now he found himself in the home of his step-brother, and Cain was about to try and lay these demons to rest.
"Well Cain, I'm waiting..." stated Xavier from behind his desk, derailing Cain's train of thought. Turning his attention to his step-brother, Cain put aside memories of Onslaught, and started to explain the reasons why he was here.
"Chuck, you and I ain't never gotten along... an' that's mostly my fault..." Cain began, pacing anxiously about the study.
Xavier was slightly taken aback, though he never let it show through his stoic demeanour. Forming a pyramid with his hands, Xavier simply said, "Go on..."
"I know it wasn't yer fault dad died... and I know it wasn't yer fault that he always took your side over mine... like he said once, I was born a bad seed..."
"Even bad seeds can become good, Cain. Our childhood may not have been the best, considering the circumstances behind how we became stepbrothers, but you could put that down to sibling rivalry. However, after you became the Juggernaut, you've constantly harassed myself and my X-Men time and again..."
"Yeah, well, I can't make up fer what I've done, jus' like you can't make up fer what ya did as Onslaught," Cain said, suppressing a shudder at the mention of that name, "but lately I've had ta rethink things, thanks to Cyttorak himself..."
"What happened?" inquired Xavier, genuinely interested.
"He gave me a choice - stop squandering his power that I've got, or lose it ferever... doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what I decided..."
"I... see. So you've had to renounce your villainous ways, so as to keep your Juggernaut power?"
"Got it in one, Chuck." replied Cain.
"And so you're here to settle our differences..." pondered Charles, as he rubbed his chin with one hand.
"Pretty much. When you... er, I mean... when Onslaught trapped me in the Ruby, I had to relive the day that dad died... and it got me thinking about how I was wrong ta hate you fer all these years. Much as I hate ta admit it, Onslaught trappin' me in the Ruby probably did me more good than bad..."
(X-Men Unlimited #12 again - Eric)
"I can honestly say that's the first time I've ever heard anyone accuse Onslaught of doing some good..."
"Yeah, well, it happened. I've even got myself an honest job these days, since I can't go robbin' banks no more."
(back in issue #8 - Eric)
Upon hearing this, Xavier's eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "So what now, Cain? What does this mean for you... for us?"
"Well, that's what we're here ta talk about, Chuck..."
"For a start, how about calling me Charles?" Xavier asked, a slight smile on his face.
"Sure, Chuck, whatever ya want..." replied Cain, also with a slight smile.
"They've been in there for hours ! What're the heck are talking about?!" asked Iceman to the assembled X-Men who were maintaining a vigil outside their teacher's office door.
"Ah don't know sugah," replied Rogue, "but Ah bet it's good 'cause Ah don't hear any fightin'!"
At that moment, the door to the office slid open, and Xavier hovered out in his Shi'ar-designed chair, followed by the hulking form of the Juggernaut behind him.
"Ah, my X-Men, it is good you are here," started Xavier.
"We weren't goin' nowhere whilst ya had him in there with ya, Chuck," stated Wolverine as he took a puff of an ever-present cigar.
"Your concern is appreciated, Logan, but I have nothing to fear from my step-brother. Not any more, at least."
"So what you sayin', mon ami?" asked Gambit, "You two kiss an' make up?"
"Ya could say that Cajun," replied Cain, "Let's just say I ain't gonna be tryin' to bust yer heads any time soon..."
"Dat be a relief..." mumbled Gambit in response.
"Cain and I have reached an agreement, of sorts..." stated Xavier, "At long last, my step-brother and I have resolved our past differences."
As Xavier paused, Wolverine gave the Juggernaut an acknowledging nod at this, which Cain silently returned.
"I've also made Cain an offer - one that affects all of you, for you see, I've asked Cain to join the X-Men..."
Meanwhile, in a hidden laboratory buried deep under the bustling streets of New York City...
"He's gonna pay for humiliating me!" vowed Hans Jurgen to the shadowy figure that stood before him.
"Indeed, Mister Jurgen," the figure replied, "with the enhancements our scientific branch have provided you, there is an excellent chance of your getting revenge on the one they call the Juggernaut, as well as putting Multiplex out of business once and for all."
(the Juggernaut laid this wannabe villain out with one punch back in issue #8! - Eric)
(the name of the construction company the Juggernaut works for - Eric)
"Yeah, Multiplex are going to rue the day they ever heard the name Polar Bear!"
"You WHAT?!" fumed Iceman.
"I've offered Cain a place in the X-Men. I believe he is sincere in his efforts to redeem himself for his past deeds, and as such I've offered him a chance to do so by becoming one of the X-Men."
"I can't believe this!" shouted Bobby, spinning on his heel and storming off without another word.
"Don't worry about the kid, Chuck," said Logan, "he'll come 'round. Marko and I have worked together twice lately, an' I reckon he's worth a shot."
"Thanks runt, but it don't matter - I ain't accepting the offer..."
"Cain feels he still has a lot to organise in his life first." interrupted Xavier.
"An' besides, I've ain't never been a team player before, 'cept for bein' partners with Tom. Besides, somethin' tells me I wouldn't exactly be welcomed with open arms..."
(Black Tom Cassidy of course - Eric)
"It's good ta know yer on the right track, Marko." said Wolverine, extending his hand for the Juggernaut to shake. Cain obliged, and after some acknowledging nods from the remaining gathered X-Men, Cain shook hands with Charles, then turned and walked out.
As he left the mansion, Cain Marko felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his broad shoulders. He hoped that somewhere, somehow, Cyttorak was taking notice of his attempts to redeem himself, and that he was at last proving himself worthy to possess the power of the Juggernaut.
At the same time, in the city proper, a young woman found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Brushing her long golden hair from her face, she looked up at the skyline that towered above her and saw buildings and towers that she did not recognise, whilst at the same time seeing others that she recalled on sight. She was sure that she was in New York City, but it didn't look like the New York that she knew.
The woman approached a cop that was walking his beat, and asked "Excuse me officer, but is this New York City?"
"Certainly is ma'am," replied the policeman, "though can I ask why it is you're not sure?"
"Just doesn't look the same," she mumbled, still scouring the skyline for familiar sights.
"Not the same?" asked the puzzled cop, "Are you alright, Miss...?"
"Hunt," replied the woman, "Amber Hunt..."
In Juggernaut #11: Amber Hunt?! Just how is it possible that Amber has crossed over from the Ultraverse to the Marvel Universe?! More importantly, what will happen when Cain finds out?! Plus: Polar Bear comes looking for revenge, and wait until you see who drops in for a surprise cameo!
