The Story

Chapter 8

"Split Infinity"

The X-Men, the New Warriors, the Ani-Mates, and the Supercools set down on the lush island landscape just before their carriage crumbled.
“ Safe!” shouted Bird-Brain. “ Thanks! ”
“Yeah, that’s not annoying,” said Nova.
“You guys should be safe here in your new island home,” said Shadowcat. “Provided it’s uninhabited.”
“Then maybe you should take a look at this,” said Kymaera from mid-air. Storm flew up to meet the young Atlantean. “There’s a cabin in the middle of this island, see?”
“I shall send our fastest to inspect the cabin. Perhaps it is unoccupied. Nightcrawler! Rogue! Approach the cabin, but do so carefully. We do not wish to alarm its occupants.”
“Alex, Mickey- go with them,” Dwayne barked. “But be careful.”
“I guess we should go, too, guys,” Joe said. “We might know something that could help.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me,” protested Rina. “I’m sticking to you tight until I get my powers back.”
“We can’t go without permission,” Chuck said, looking to Storm for advice.
“Go,” she said, gesturing dismissively. Charles, Kyle, Rina, and Joe quickly piled into the Pogo Plane, zipping up to meet Rogue, Nightcrawler, Powerhouse, and Turbo. They got airborne just fast enough to miss the ambush which poured from the jungle’s canopy.
Wave after wave of short, yellow-skinned trolls armed with crudely-fashioned clubs and spears charged at the combined forces of the X-Men and the New Warriors. Xandarian muscle and Canadian ferocity stood with escrima sticks and Russian steel, and slowly, they began to turn back the tide set against them. Just as it seemed the heroes would triumph, the ground beneath their feet began to shake, and four giant lizards erupted into the battle.

“Seems familiar…” Joe muttered as he landed the Pogo Plane. Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise. “Of course! The Infinity Watch! They’ve got the gauntlet! If anything can send us home, that can!” He hopped from the plane, jogging toward the tiny shack.
“Only problem with that, kid, is that we’ve been expecting you. And no one gets the gauntlet without a fight.” Moondragon’s voice sent a chill down Joe’s spine. “Infinity Watch! Stop them!”
“Ahh, since when are you in charge?” asked Pip the Troll as he popped in from God-only-knows-where. Pip slammed two meaty little fists into Charles’ back, knocking the young man to the ground. As Charles turned to counter-attack, Pip was gone, harassing Powerhouse and Turbo intermittently.
“With Adam away on an errand, I’m the obvious second-in command,” replied Moondragon, firing a mental blast at her nearest opponent. Moondragon’s telepathic assault left Joe’s ears ringing, but thanks to Dr. Strange’s ring, that’s all it did. Joe returned fire with his Wonder Glove, managing to clip the startled Moondragon on the side of her head. Moondragon dropped to the jungle floor, dazed but not out of the fight yet.
Gamora the Assassin ducked under Rogue’s punch, returning with a kick of her own. Rogue’s intrinsic fighting instinct, stolen long ago from the Kree by way of Ms. Marvel, brought her arm up to block Gamora’s attack. The two women circled each other, then began their attacks again.
Kyle and Rina were safe from the fight crouched behind the Pogo Plane. They were safe until the Pogo Plane rose into the air, lifted easily by the towering hulk of green muscle known as Drax the Destroyer. “Hello little people,” said Drax. “Do little people want to play with Drax?”
“Oh damn,” said Rina.

Speedball bounced recklessly between all four of Monster Island’s giant protectors. He also bounced recklessly off all four creatures, never seeming to harm any of them.
“Storm!” cried Shadowcat. “How about a wind gust towards the hyperactive kid?”
“Very well, Kitten,” answered Storm, using her weather control powers to hoist Shadowcat up to meet Speedball. Shadowcat grabbed hold of Speedball’s wrist as the Masked Marvel reflected off of one of the giant lizards, and dropped herself and Speedball out of phase. The two went racing toward, and then through, the ground. In a small, tight pocket of empty space beneath the surface, Shadocat let go of Speedball’s arm. Faster and faster, the kinetic field began to build. Shadowcat waited…
“My punches aren’t having any effect,” yelled Nova.
“Mine aren’t either, hot stuff,” answered Kymaera. “Let’s try lifting, shall we?” Nova and Namorita slipped under the arms of the nearest beast and slowly lifted it off the island.
“Where… ugh… are we taking… this thing?” grunted Nova. Kymaera just smiled, and cocked her head toward the water. “Got it,” said Nova.
“Petey!” called Wolverine. “Fastball special!”
“As you wish, Wolverine,” answered Colossus. He lifted his teammate into the air, tossing Wolverine full-strength toward the head of their nearest opponent. Wolverine caught himself on the monster’s face, etching three deep trenches across its eye.
“Rage!” shouted Night Thrasher. “We’re going to do that too!”
“Okay,” answered Rage. “But do you really think you can lift me?”
“I’m not- oh, you’re joking.”
“Right. Okay then, here we go!” Rage tossed his teammate on to the shoulder of the fourth beast. He pulled from his belt a few incendiary flares and a smoke grenade, then tossed them all into the gaping hole that must have served as the monster’s ear. A bright flash of light was followed by a howl of rage and agony, and the monster slowly began to topple. Night Thrasher pushed off, and leaped into nothingness.
Several more flashes of Wolverine’s claws, and the beast crumpled to the ground. Wolverine dug his claws in tightly, and rode the beast’s body down. They landed with a terrible >thud.< “Works every time,” snickered Wolverine.
Nova and Kymaera dropped their foe into the salty sea. The monster began to thrash violently in an attempt to stay afloat. “Be right back,” smiled Kymaera as she ducked beneath the water’s surface. Nova waved, then zipped back at superspeed to catch Night Thrasher in mid-air. Storm moved to focus her winds on keeping the waves caused by the monster’s splashing at bay. She didn’t have to worry for long. A few seconds after Kymaera disappeared, she was back, dragging the unconscious monster to the shore.
Kitty touched Speedball again, phasing him back through the surface of the island. Once they reached daylight, Kitty let go, leaving a very charged, very fast, very solid Speedball to rocket towards the remaining beast. The impact was followed by a loud crash and a flash of light. In its wake, Speedball and the monster lay on the ground. “Oooooh,” moaned Speedball. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Well,” said Dwayne, “it’s obvious this island isn’t unpopulated. Let’s just hope our friends are all right.”

Nightcrawler teleported next to Powerhouse, snatching Pip in mid-swing. The two wrestled across the length of the island, each using their own power in an attempt to disorient the other. Freed from their individual distractions, Turbo and Powerhouse sped to assist their comrades. Turbo dive-bombed Moondragon, using both gauntlets to fire pressurized blasts of air at the psychic. Simultaneously, Moondragon launced a telepathic assault on the young woman. Each woman attack met the other, and Turbo and Moondragon both fell unconscious to the ground.
“I don’t like using this particular power of mine,” Gamora confessed to Rogue. “But Time-gems are wonderful for boosts of speed.” The alien woman’s form blurred, and Gamora was able to land several powerful blows to key pressure points on Rogue’s body. As Rogue passed out, Gamora leapt to confront Charles.
Powerhouse grabbed Drax the Destroyer by the giant’s purple cape, using his gravity powers to drop Drax’s weight to zero. Powerhouse spun the huge man around in a circle before letting go, sending the giant spinning into the jungle. Rina and Kyle dove to avoid the falling Pogo Plane, which landed relatively unscathed.
A puff of smoke and the smell of brimstone marked Nightcrawler’s reappearance, now holding Pip’s unconscious body.
Charles was not a bad fighter. In fact, in his home dimension, he was undergoing rigorous martial arts training. Still, he stood no chance against an enraged galactic assassin. “The Benassi Touch of Death will make short work of you!” she cried. Now fully in her battle fury, Gamora slammed her arm into Charles’ chest. The Benassi Touch of Death short-circuited Charles’ nervous system, dropping him to the ground. Kyle screamed, and Joe leapt angrily at the woman.
Kyle rushed to Charles’ side, searching frantically for a pulse. He couldn’t find one.
Joe wrapped his gauntleted arm around Gamora’s wrist. Spinning behind him, Gamora flipped Joe to the ground by that arm, shattering the bones in at least four different places.
“Bitch,” Joe spat through the pain, clawing desperately at the Time Gem affixed to Gamora’s forehead. No! Gamora thought, panicking. I can’t be separated from the gem for even one moment! As Joe’s hand closed around the gem, Gamora vanished.
“Chuck!” moaned Kyle.
“I… can… still… save… him,” Joe whispered through gritted teeth. Joe placed the time gem on his own forehead. “Just… need to… turn… back time.”

“Nooooo!” cried Kyle.
Joe looked over to his friend, sleepily. “Kyle?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you talking about?!?” Kyle screamed, shaking Joe. “We don’t have time for your stupid games! Chuck is dead, Joe- can’t you see that? Chuck is dead! Quit playing around.”
Joe looked to the ground in front of him, where Charles Curtis Hopkins II lay motionless. “Chuck?” Joe asked softly. “Chuck, are you dead?” Joe fell to his knees. He reached to check the body for a pulse when he realized that he couldn’t move his broken right arm. Tears began to form in Joe’s eyes.
As Joe choked back his crying, Timeslip ran forward, grabbing him by the shoulders to command his attention.
“Joe,” she said. “Joe, you’ve got to listen to me very carefully. You can not let me get my powers back- do you understand? The world, all time, everything depends on it! Do you understand?”
“Not now, Rina!” Joe cried. “Not now! Can’t you see that Chuck is dead?!?”
Joe closed his eyes and started to cry. Chuck is dead. Chuck is dead, and my arm is broken. Chuck is dead, my arm is broken, and something itches terribly on my forehead. Joe reached his left hand to his forehead to investigate the strange heat welling there.

“That didn’t work at all,” Joe moaned, pulling the Time Gem from his forehead. “I need to concentrate harder- really pull at the timestream!”
“Don’t bother,” Charles said, standing up. “Cripes you guys, just ‘cause it’s called the Benassi Touch of Death doesn’t mean it actually kills you. It just paralyzed me for a minute. God.”
“Oh,” said Joe, looking a bit foolish.
Rina shook her head back and forth, clearing away the after-effects of her own time jump. “I was in a bubble,” she said to no one in particular. “There was fog, and a man I didn’t recognize. But it was definitely my future. Hot damn! Joe, you were right! I’m going to get my powers back!” Rina closed her eyes, concentrating. “Nope, not back yet. But I’m going to get them! Isn’t this great!” Rina ran up to Joe and gave him a great big hug.
“AAAAAAAH!” shouted Joe. “Arm! Arm! Really broken! OW!”
“Sorry!” Rina took a step back.
Just then, Drax came barreling out of the woods as Moondragon began to stand to her feet.
“Stop!” The voice boomed loud enough to shake the nearby trees.
“Adam!” cried Gamora as she stooped to recover her time gem.
“You- you were gone,” Joe said.
“I’m back now. Oh, and I’m really sorry about your arm.”
“It happens,” said Joe. Obviously, Gamora’s advanced training in all varieties of histories, cultures, and customs never covered sarcasm.
“I have returned,” said Adam Warlock. “What is going on here?”
Quickly, Joe, Charles, and Kyle recounted the events which led them to Monster Island.
“I shall speak with Mole Man,” said Warlock as he disappeared from view.

As the day stretched into evening, the Supercools, the X-Men, the New Warriors, the Ani-Mates, the Moloids, and the Infinity Watch shared a magnificent feast prepared by Mole Man.
“It is settled then?” asked Adam Warlock.
“Mole Man has agreed to grant the Ani-Mates asylum,” spoke Storm, “So our business here is concluded.”
“And it turns out that Joe’s prediction wasn’t quite as disastrous as we thought,” chimed in Speedball, “So I guess we’re done here, too.”
“I’ve learned that my powers will come back some time soon,” added Rina. “So I’ve decided to hang around with Joe for a while longer. He seems to be connected to my powers, somehow.”
“Since the Infinity Gauntlet couldn’t help send us home,” Joe said, having some difficulty eating with his right arm in a sling, “I’ve decided to take Night Thrasher up on his generous offer of hospitality while I look for a way home. So, Rina and I will be flying back to New York. Chuck, Kyle- are you coming with us?”
“Well,” Chuck said, “I don’t want to lose touch with you or anything, but we are X-Men now.”
“Actually…” said Kitty. “Storm, would you rather tell them?”
“Having seen you both in action, we have come to determine that your education would be better served at the Massachusetts Academy. I shall contact Sean and Emma about the matter when we get home.”
“Awww… we gonna miss da widdle babies,” taunted Marrow, now completely recovered from Fabian Cortez’s attack.
“Generation X is stupid!” yelled Kyle.
“Generation X is a fine place to learn to deal with your mutancy,” said Nightcrawler. “Sean is a wonderful man. And Emma… Sean is a wonderful man.”
“Oh, yeah?” asked Kyle. “Well, I’m not even really a mutant. So nyah!”
Silverware clattered and breaths were sharply inhaled as everyone turned to see how the X-Men would deal with such a cruel betrayal from within. Finally, Colossus spoke. “Friend Kyle, I know it is easier for you now to deny your mutancy. But some day, you will learn to accept and even love your special gifts.”
“Perhaps you should go with your friend, Kyle. And you, too, Charles. There will always be a place for you among our number, but you belong with Joe and Kyle.”
“I guess you’re right,” said Charles, only a little disappointed.
“Well then,” said Adam Warlock. “Now that everything has been settled, I hope you will agree to spend one night here on Monster Island, so that we may all enjoy one another’s company a while longer.” Everyone agreed that this sounded like a wonderful idea.
“Mmmmm,” sounded Alex from the far end of the table. “This entrée is FABulous!” Nita, Mickey, and Joe giggled softly to themselves.

Interlude

"It's a Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad World"

“Aw, MAN,” moped Wall. “I really thought we were gonna do it. I thought we were gonna beat the X-Men. But they kicked our butt.”
“I let Colossus outsmart me,” sobbed Rend.
“I let my powers get the better of me,” moaned Badger.
“I was beaten by ‘No Powers Boy,’” wept Spectrum. Everyone turned sympathetically to face their poor, poor, poor, feeble friend.
“Mr. Negativity was there, too,” offered Amelia Voght.
“Mr. Negativity? You mean Dismay over here? He’s Mr. Negativity,” snapped Oubliette.
“Yeah! I’ll bet he’s the reason we’re all wearing our poopie-faces,” said Cortez.
“Yeah, Mr. Negativity!”
“Thanks for brining us all down, Mr. Negativity!”
“Stupid Negative Mr. Negativity!”
“But, I-“ Dismay tried to defend himself.
“Shut up, Mr. Negativity.”
“Fine!” cried Dismay. “If you don’t want me here anymore, then I don’t want to be here anymore! Amelia- send me away some where.” Amelia waved her hands, and Dismay disappeared. No one felt much better.

“Stupid Acolytes,” muttered Dismay. “I’ll show them who’s Mr. Negativity.” He began to walk aimlessly down the streets of New York.


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