Chapter 4

Gaia had been watching the boy for the past ten minutes. She wondered if her was a spy, or perhaps a mutant that had never been here before. But when he broke into the mansion, she decided it didn’t matter. “That’s breaking and entering, and trespassing on private property,” she whispered.

The boy slipped silently through the dark hall, keeping close to the walls. Gaia figured he didn’t want to be caught, which is exactly what she planned to do. “Surprise!” she yelled as she leaped onto his back.

The boy gasped and aimed an elbow at her ribs. Gaia grunted and landed a solid punch across his face. She backed up a bit, trying to catch her breath. Before she could, the boy tackled her and pinned her to the ground. “You should learn more defense,” he growled.

“Yeah, well you should learn not to mess with Gen X!” a voice shouted. The boy turned and received a fireworks display right in his face. He screamed in pain and tripped over Gaia. Before he could recover, a pair of strong arms wrapped around him in a bear hug, and the lights came on.

“What’s going on in here?” Synch asked as he walked in. The first one he spotted was Jubilee, who still held a spark in her hands. Then there was Gaia, who was hunched over, holding her side. Finally, there was Monet, who was holding a stranger in her arms. It only took him a few seconds to recognize the stranger. “Nate?!” he shouted as he ran towards Monet.

Jubilee blinked and looked at him. “Oh my God! It’s Nate!”

Gaia grimaced and asked, “Who’s Nate?!” Monet remained silent as she held on to the stranger.

The boy groaned and managed to slide from Monet’s grip. “Something tells me this was a bad idea,” he said with a sigh.

“Nate, is that really you?” Monet asked, a look of disbelief on her face.

The boy shook his head. “No, Monet. That’s what I was trying to tell you. I’m not Nate Grey!”

“So, let me get this straight,” Jean said. “You look, talk, and act exactly like my son, but you’re not him? I find that hard to believe, Nate.”

The boy frowned. “Stop calling me Nate! My name is Gemini!”

“Nate don’ gone off de deep end, non?” Gambit muttered to Rogue.

Gemini groaned and leaned against the wall. “Why won’t you all believe me? Aren’t you the same people that accepted Madelyne Pryor once?”

“At one point we did,” Storm answered, “but that was before she tried to kill us. How can we be certain you won’t do the same?”

Gemini glared at her. “Fine! You don’t want me here, I’m gone!”

Jean placed a hand on his arm. “Look, maybe we can--”

“No!” he shouted. “I’m sick of this! You had your chance!” With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the thick doors behind him.

“Should we stop ‘em, Chuck?” Wolverine asked.

“No, my friend,” Xavier replied. “I think I’ll leave that up to Generation X.”

Wolverine shrugged and headed for the door. “Guess you’re right. By the way, Chuck, I know everyone’s scent that’s ever worn the X in this world. And take it from a pro, that ain’t Nate.”

“You’re late,” Jackie said as the king of the Darkness Realm emerged from the shadows.

“I ran into some trouble,” he replied, brushing some dust away from his shoulder.

“More Goths?” Jackie asked.

“Yes. I want more guards at the front gate.”

“I’m afraid there’s another problem. It’s Ariel,” Jackie said slowly.

The king spun around, a wild look in his eyes. “What has happened to her?!”

“Calm down, sir. She just became disturbed when you didn’t return on time.”

The king sighed and walked towards the palace. “Cancel all my appointments tonight, Jackie. Make sure everything’s directed to Sara.”

Jackie’s eyes widened in surprise. “But sir, what about Hainite trading proposal?”

The king’s dark eyes flashed with a crimson light. “Tell them to wait, or terminate the whole thing. Nothing’s more important than her.”

Jackie nodded as he disappeared into the palace.

Running the Darkness Realm was a stressful job, but he could handle it. He had handled it for nearly a decade. But in times like this, he wondered if it was worth the strain on his marriage. He walked down the twisting hallway, hoping that Ariel wasn’t too upset.

The king finally arrived at Ariel’s door a few minutes later. As always, the demon Tusk guarded the door. The hulking beast was one of the largest in the kingdom, and far more dangerous than the rest. He leaned over and peered down at the king. “You make Queenie mad,” he growled. “You not welcome here, Black Eyes.”

The king smiled grimly. “We’ve had this talk before, Tusk. I want to talk with Ariel.”

Tusk shook his large head. “No way, Black Eyes. She mad at you. Tusk let you in, she be mad at Tusk. Tusk only want Queenie to be happy.”

“Tusk, don’t forget who’s in charge here,” the king reminded him.

“Tusk not forget,” the demon said. “You boss of whole Darkness Realm, but Queenie my boss. Queenie not work for you. Tusk keep Queenie happy, Tusk be happy, too.”

The king sighed. “Look, old friend. Queenie’s mad at me, right?”

Tusk nodded gravely.

“Right. So I have to go in there and make her happy again, right?”

Tusk shook his head. “Nope. You not welcome.”

The king sighed. “Tusk, please. I have to see her. She needs me.”

Tusk was about to refuse him again when the demon suddenly froze. “Queenie ready now,” he said, quietly stepping away from the door.

“Thank you,” the king said as he entered the room.