Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel Comics and are being used for non-profit entertainment purposes only. The story belongs to Kevin. 

 X-MEN/AVENGERS: Beyond Forever
by wreality24

CHAPTER ONE – SOMETIMES GHOSTS WALK THE EARTH

 The Xavier Institute was quiet that night. Almost a little too quiet. The trees were swaying outside in the night breeze, the halls of the mansion dead silent. And dreams were dancing in the minds of the students inside. 

Charles Francis Xavier – founder of the school – found himself in an unsettled state, unable to sleep. Almost as if there was some sort of . . . driving force keeping him away from the gentle caress of a good nights sleep.

His eyes wide open; he kept looking up at the ceiling, then to the window and at the stars. What was it that was pushing him? What was it that kept him from sleep that early September night?

Finally, unhappy with his current non-drowsy state, he moved himself into wheelchair beside his king-sized bed and wheeled himself outside of his room and into the lower levels – into his Ready Room far beneath the wooden floors and brick walls of the mansion.

It was there he found himself looking at the dead. Images flickered before him on the monitors of the recently departed. Betsy Braddock . . . Peter Rasputin . . . Everett St. Thomas . . . all of them willingly gave up their lives for the sake of their teammates and for the sake of the world. But, why then, did it still tug at his heartstrings? Why did their sacrifices feel more like stabs in the back to him?

He sighed, holding his face in his hands. When he looked up, he saw something completely different. No longer was he in his mansion. No longer was he in his home. No longer was he on his Earth.

All around him, suddenly, there was a war. Massive Sentinels were surging across the remains of New York City and towards . . . Apocalypse?!

It was true. There stood Apocalypse, with an entire army of mutants at his disposal. By his side were Cyclops, Havok, Sinister and dozens more.

Charles watched in horror as both forces – mutant and human – clashed into each other.

 “What is this?” he wondered aloud.

 “Don’t despair, father, for even in the Age of Apocalypse, there exists a ray of hope.”

 The voice was so familiar. He knew he recognized it from somewhere, but where? Who was speaking to him?

 Suddenly, out of nowhere, a beam of magnetic energy surged and separated the two warring factions. Charles then watched as Magneto entered the scene, leading with people Charles knew as X-Men. They charged forward, fighting against the mutants and the humans in the hopes of forever bringing them to peace.

 Just as the battle was drawing to an end, Charles watched as a lone figure stepped up. But before Charles could recognize the figure, it exploded in a blinding flash of light.

Then everything was gone. Replaced by a white surface all around Charles. He sighed, thinking he had just lost his mind.

“Hello father.”

Charles looked up to see a young man standing in front of him. He was tall, thin and had long black hair sticking up from his scalp. Charles recognized him immediately.

“D-David?”

“Dad, it’s me.”

“But, David, Bishop . . . he told me that . . . you . . .”

David shook his head. “Nope. Still around. Daddy, listen, I need you. Can you help me?”

Charles looked his son in the eyes. “What is it, son?”

“I need you, Dad, I need you. I’m in . . . I’m in the M’Krann Crystal. Can you come and help me?”

Charles nodded. “Yes son. I’ll come. I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Daddy. I have so much to tell you . . .”

***

“He’s coming around.”

When Charles Xavier opened his eyes next, he saw his students – the X-Men – standing over him. Scott Summers, Cyclops, peered at him through his red visor.

“Professor? Are you okay?”

Charles licked his dry lips, then leaned forward. “What . . . what happened?”

Jean Grey-Summers, the Phoenix, stepped forward and laid a hand on his. “I sensed a major telepathic disturbance in your Ready Room. When we all got there, we found you lying on the ground. Your mind was taken from your body.”

Charles nodded. “I know.”

The X-Men looked at each other. Henry McCoy, the Beast, looked at his mentor with strange curiosity. “Well then, sir, who did it?” he asked.

Charles looked unsure for just a moment, then looked up at his X-Men. “My son. David.”

“David? But Charles . . .” Jean began.

“I know, Jean. I know. But he’s in the M’Krann, Jean,” he stated, turning his head from her to the rest of the team. “And I’ve got to get him.”

“WHAT?!” Logan, the X-Man known as Wolverine, exclaimed, his cigar nearly dropping from his mouth.

“Charles, please,” Jean pleaded. “The M’Krann Crystal is clear across the universe. You can’t just go there and get it.”

“Jean . . . I have to. He’s my son,” Charles said simply, slipping into his wheelchair. “Now, Hank, prep the Shi’ar telecommunicator. I need to speak with Lilandria.”

Charles made his way out of the room, leaving the X-Men behind. Jean looked over at the others. “I can’t believe he’s going to do this,” she said, settling in a chair.

“We better go wake the others. This is going to be a long night.”

***

“Charles, my love,” Lilandria greeted. “I am sorry, but you know that I can not allow you to do this.”

Charles sighed heavily. “I know, Lil. I know. But, if it means getting my son back, then I have no choice. As a father, I can not allow him to remain away from me – trapped in wherever he is.”

“And as Empress of the Shi’ar Empire, you know I can not allow you to even see the M’Krann. It s my scarred right by blood and honor to do so,” she argued, every word paining her to say so. “Charles. My dear, sweet Charles. I want you to be happy so much. It would bring so much joy to my heart to do so. But I am afraid that I can not allow this. Please understand.”

Charles nodded. “I know. And I do.”

She sighed then, looking sadly at her royal consort. “I am sorry, my love.”

“I understand.”

“Good. And it is my saddest of regret to say this, but I must go. I have matters I must attend to, I’m afraid.”

“Of course, my darling.”

“Farewell, my heart. Until our next meet.”

“Of course. I love you, Lilandria.”

She nodded as the image began to fade. “I love you as well.”

***

“It’s fool-hearty!” Emma cried out. “Going across the whole universe just so Charles can be with his son again?! It’s insane!”

“Ya forgot to mention certain death, darlin’,” Wolverine commented, puffing on his cigar.

“Oh? And where do you stand in all this, Logan?” asked Emma, blowing hair out of her face.

Wolverine shrugged. “He’s the boss. If he wants to go to the other side of the universe, face down a couple trillion aliens, defy his only true soulmate, and reach inside a crystal that’s holdin’ his son captive in the slight chance that he might get him back – well, I’m with him all the way.”

“He seems pretty determined,” Hank suggested.

“Yeah, but it’s not smart,” Archangel counter-pointed.

“SO!?” yelled Iceman. “That’s never stopped us before! He’s done so much for us, shouldn’t we do something for him?”

“He does have a point. I stand with the Professor,” Kurt backed up.

“I’m always up for some space-travel,” Hank said grinning.

Chamber looked at each one of them then. “I think somebody’s going to need to explain things to me.”

Scott tapped his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll show you exactly what’s going on.”

Soon, Scott and Chamber were down in the War Room, sitting before a computer monitor. “As you can see,” Scott began, “the M’Krann is the nexus of all realities. It is the power of space and time touching together as one. When the Shi’ar emperor D’Ken sought to control the power of the M’Krann, Lilandria came to Earth to seek help from her soulmate, Charles Xavier. We X-Men aided Lilandria in defeating D’Ken.

“A few months later, Charles learned that he had had a son with a woman named Gabrielle Haller named David. David turned out to be one of the most powerful mutants on the face of the Earth, but was plagued with three completely different multiple personalities. After being possessed by the Shadow King, though, David was freed of those personalities and slipped into a coma.

“After awakening, David felt the need to help his father achieve his dream by killing Magneto before he could declare war on humanity. He failed in his mission and was believed to be dead.”

’Till now, huh?

“Yes. Until now. But even after David’s apparent ‘death,’ Charles felt like he had let himself and his son down. Another sacrifice in the name of the dream.”

Scott suddenly found his attention turned to the empty Shi’ar telecommunicator . . .

***

Charles sat in his room, staring out at the stars as they began to disappear into the coming dawn. There was knock at the door and he telepathically allowed them to enter.

“Charles.”

Charles wheeled around to face Scott Summers, his first X-Man. “Yes Scott?”

“I just contacted my father Corsair. He’s agreed to help us. The Starjammer will be here by nightfall.”

“What? But, Scott, I . . .”

“Professor,” Scott began, “when I sacrificed Nathan Christopher to the future to save his life, Jean and I went 2000 years into an Apocalypse-run Empire just to make sure he grows up to be a good man. My own father didn’t come to get me after he left the planet, but I’ve forgiven him for that. I want you, Charles Xavier, to be the father I know you can be.”

Charles was shocked and surprised. “Scott, I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say the word, sir. I spoke with the rest of the team and they’ve agreed to come with us.”

“But what about the school?”

“I’ve made some calls. Let’s just say . . . substitute teachers are on their way.”

Charles perked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Forge, Banshee, Dr. Reyes, and some old members of Generation X are on the way. I’ve also contacted some of our old ‘reserves’ and told them to be on alert in case something were to happen.”

Charles put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Scott, I can’t ask you and the others to come with me.”

“Then it’s a good thing you didn’t.”

Charles grinned. “Thank you, son. Thank you.”

***

The soil of Genosha is charred. Nothing is left but dirt, dust, scattered bones. A wasteland where once mutantkind stood above it all. Peitro and Wanda Maximoff should know. Their father was the leader of this once amazing nation.

As members of the Avengers, they have seen amazing sights – both positive and negative. But never anything quite like this. What was it? Only months ago, they were both on Genoshan soil, Wanda investigating it and Peitro sitting in leadership.

“Wanda. This is horrible.”

His sister walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I know, Peitro. I know.”

“No, sister, you don’t. This spot, right here. It was the home of a young mutant family. They had a newborn when I left. It was little girl. It reminded me so much of Luna when she had been born.”

“Peitro. Come on. Let’s get back to Avengers mansion. Father’s dead. Let’s leave him his legacy.”

Wanda pulled out a white rose with a red ribbon on it. It fell to the ground. Then, with concentration, she used both her magic and hex powers to cause the rose to take up root in the Genoshan soil. Peitro then ran back to the boat and pulled out a concrete block, then placed it behind the rose. On it said: ‘TO THOSE THAT DIED ON GENOSHA.’

“Our father deserves nothing, sister,” Peitro said frankly. “He was a fool.”

***

Later that evening, a lone Skrull starship launches from the surface of the Earth to a cloaked vessel known only as the Starjammer. Commanded by the pirate Corsair, it is often the place of many legal and illegal businesses.

Today, it’s strictly illegal.

Professor Charles Xavier, Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Xorn, White Queen, Archangel, Chamber, Nightcrawler, Iceman, and Beast walked on board, ready for anything.

“Ah, X-Men, welcome to the Starjammer. For those of you who don’t know, I’m the captain here, Corsair AKA Major Christopher Summers.”

Scott smiled. “Cut it out, Dad.”

Chris embraced his son. “Oh, and who’s giving the orders here?”

“I missed you too, Dad.”

Chris went on to hugging Jean, then showed the X-Men their small quarters before the ship blasted out of the system.

Little did they know they were being watched from the lunar city on the Blue Area of the moon. Shi’ar operative Cerise watched as her scanners recorded the cloaked vessel’s exit from the system. She sighed sadly and pressed a key on her wrist.

“Lilandria. You were right to send me. Should I enact the right of Arin’In Daelar?”

Lilandria nodded on the comm-unit’s vid-screen. “I’m afraid so. Let their battle of honor begin.”

CHAPTER TWO – WE COME IN PEACE

 Avengers Mansion – Park Avenue, New York City. The home of the world’s greatest heroes: the Avengers!
Captain America – the living legend of World War Two.
Thor – the Asgardian god of Thunder.
Iron Man – the golden Avenger.
Scarlet Witch – mutant witch that controls the mystic arts.
The Vision – the android that can change density with a mere thought.
Quicksilver – the super-speed mutant.
Warbird – former energy flaring Binary and the former Ms. Marvel.
Wasp – the winsome and stylish little vixen.
Yellowjacket – the stunning and size-controlling super-hero.
 Triathlon – the man with the speed, strength, and agility of men three times as strong as he.

 Separate, they are strong. But together, they are mighty. Forged from the fires of the destruction, the tradition of the Avengers has been long in standing. The team has been shaped differently for years, led and followed by both legends, the Avengers have always been ready for anything.

 Just about anything, that is. As the team trains in their personal demolition arena/gymnasium – the Training Room – little do they realize what is coming their way . . .

 As the Avengers continue upon their separate training, they find themselves immediately called to attention at the sound of an explosion. The explosion rips apart the wall of the Training Room, a figure standing in it.

 “Avengers assemble!” Captain America called out, rallying them behind him.

 Standing before them, now, is the alien leader of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard – Gladiator. He stood high and firm, the purple skin and mohawk going wit the red and black jumpsuit.

 “Gladiator!” exclaimed Thor, preparing himself for battle.

 “Greetings, humans. I have come for one reason.”

 “Oh?” asked Iron Man. “And that is . . . ?”

 Gladiator held out of his palm and small sphere of blue energy floated from it. They swirled around the Avengers until the team disappeared from sight. For the quickest of instants, the groups molecules were gone and thrown across the cosmos . . .

 . . . Only to be reassemble here, on the Shi’ar throneworld of Chandler.

 “Od’s blood!”

 “Chandler? But – but how?” stammered Warbird.

 “Greetings, Avengers,” Lilandria said, walking forward. “We are in desperate need of your assistance.”

 “What’s going on here, Lilandria?” demanded Captain America.

 “Trouble, I fear, Captain. For you see, my consort Charles Xavier and his team of X-Men are now on their way here.”

“But why? I thought they considered allies here,” asked Warbird, recalling her knowledge of space-spanning empires.

 “They were. But I’m afraid circumstances have changed horribly. For you see, Charles contacted me requesting to seek the M’Krann Crystal in the vaguest of hopes to return his son to this plane of existence. When I denied him his request, a Shi’ar agent reported that he and the band of space pirates known as the Starjammers were headed here.”

 “And you want us to stop them?”

 “Yes.”

 “Lilandria, forgive me, but why not just have your Imperial Guard do this?”

 “Simply because this is a matter best suited for the right of Arin’In Daelar, which is a honor based right similar to Arin’In Haelar. It is where members of one race must handle the affairs of another. That is why we called you here.”

 “I . . . see,” Cap said, unsure of all this.

 “We must hurry, Captain, for even as we speak, the Starjammer nears our boarders.”

***

 A few hours had passed and the Starjammers were walking on eggshells. Even with their cloaking device, Shi’ar High Command could easily have known of their presence here in Shi’ar space. Corsair kept pacing across the bridge, glancing at the screens every now and again. Raza was constantly watching the sensors, more than ready for anything. Cho’d was at navigation and already had a course laid in for escape. Hepzhpa was on weapons, ready for everything.

 Charles entered the bridge and took a look around. He didn’t need his telepathic powers to tell him what was going on. They were on edge. They were risking a lot. And was for him. Why? Was it some secret and unspoken debt that Corsair owed Xavier for raising his son?

 Of course, it didn’t seem too long ago that Corsair would have punched his lights out for ‘allowing’ Scott to be killed in the line of duty during the Millennial battle with Apocalypse. Charles sighed and moved back to his quarters, where he began to concentrate on what was going to happen when he got to Chandler.

 He was back there only a moment, when Corsair sounded an alert. Charles made his way back up to the bridge, where the rest of the X-Men had assembled.

 “What’s going on?” he asked.

 “Shi’ar Warship on an intercept course. They must know,” Corsair reported.

 “Are we turning around?” asked Cyclops.

 “No. I promised to get you to Chandler. I just never said I would be the one to do it. We’re going to head a planet not far from here. You can take shelter on the surface for eight hours, then you’ll receive a transmission from your pick-up vessel. They’ll proceed to take you to Chandler.”

 “And these people are?” asked Iceman.

 “Charles’ own intergalactic students. Cadre K.”

 Beast grinned. “Ah, the mutant Skrulls. They’ve agreed to help us?”

 Corsair nodded. “They nearly jumped at the chance. You guys are their heroes.”

 “Course laid in, Captain,” Cho’d reported.

 “Good. Best speed to the planet then, Cho’d.”

***

 “They’ve changed course,” reported the Shi’ar commander to Captain America. “What do you want us to do?”

 “Follow them. I still think there’s a peaceful way out of this, but . . . well, let’s follow them and then we’ll talk.”

“There will be no talking,” said a Shi’ar advisor. “This course of action was already chosen for you. You have no choice but to incapacitate the X-Men and take them back to Shi’ar space.”

 “And just the hell are you?” asked Triathlon.

 “My name is Rac’zar, your Shi’ar supervisor. I will be monitoring your progress during this mission.”

 “You mean prodding us into battle, right?” asked Iron Man matter-of-factly.

 “The X-Men must taken care of swiftly and carefully. They can not and will not be allowed to arrive on Chandler and get a hold of the M’Krann Crystal.”

With that, Rac’zar walked off. Iron Man turned to Captain America. “I don’t like this. With all the history the X-Men and the Avengers have together, well, this could just end up being a bad thing. For all of us.”

 Captain America nodded. “I agree. And why can’t I help but shake this feeling that there’s something far more at stake here?”

 “Cap!” exclaimed Yellowjacket. “It looks like they’re heading towards that planet there!”

 “Indeed,” said the commander. “It is an uninhabited planet, but with a suitable atmosphere for human and Shi’ar lifeforms.”

 “Then let’s go there,” said Captain America. “And heaven help us . . .”

***

 Corsair handed the pack to his son. “There’s enough food and water to last you a week. Luckily, Cadre K will be here in a few hours.”

 “Thank you, Chris, for everything,” said Charles.

 “It’s nothing,” Corsair said casually.

 With that Corsair stepped aboard the Starjammer and took off, leaving the X-Men on the planet to face their fate. Whatever it may be . . .