Convergence Infinites: Halo

Chapter Forty Two

20 ABY

2020

Earth

Chaos.

That was the word that best described that day. The day the Scarlet Witch said enough, the day she said, "No more mutants."

'M-Day', as it would come to be known, was one of the most infamous days in the history of mutantkind. Few knew the cause, that Wanda Maximoff of an alternate timeline had done this in grief, and those that did were unprepared for the result of Wanda's words. In an instant, the world's mutant population was reduced from millions to a mere few hundred, through a mass worldwide depowering. Some would rejoice at losing the deformities and burdens they had been cursed with. Others fell into depression from losing what they felt had made them special. And there were some that were less fortunate, and were unable to cope or even survive with what remained of their inhuman forms. But whatever the eventual sentiment, the initial reaction amongst all mutants was one of panic.

It was the Xavier Institue for Higher Learning, also known as the X-Mansion, home of the X-Men and the near two hundred mutant students they taught that was truly hit hardest.

Chaos erupted immediately. Students cried out for their lost powers and compared who among them had and had not retained their mutations.

Headmistress and Delvargus beloved wife Emma Frost was among the first to know of the depowering. As soon as the so-called 'House of M' timeline ceased and reality reverted back to its original state, Emma found herself standing on the institute's lawn, feeling somewhat disorientated. She was vaguely aware of her other life, but for now, it was like a dream, a dream from which she awoke into a nightmare.

Her disorientation quickly washed away as her mind was bombarded with the panicked thoughts for hundreds of young mutants, crying out for help.

"No," Emma uttered as she finally recalled the Scarlet Witch's words. But before she could properly conceive the true gravity of the situation, she heard a scream.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Please, God, no!" Emma sprinted back towards the school, praying that her hunch would not prove true. As she entered the school, she was horrified to find that it was. Students were running, screaming, terrified. But Emma was the headmistress and she needed to put the students at ease.

"Everyone, stay calm!" she commanded, but few students noticed she was even there in their blind panic. She would have to try a little louder. "Everything... uhhhhn... is going to be alright." Emma struggled to maintain her focus from the sheer volume of mental activity she was picking up. She struggled to push through the students' thoughts to make telepathic contact with her protégés, the Stepford Cuckoos.

"Too loud. Make it stop," the trio pleaded as one. Although incredibly talented telepaths in their own right, the girls were not nearly as well trained as Emma and had more trouble keeping the screams out, which Emma herself, though she loathed to admit it, was barely able to cope with herself.

Emma needed to reach Cerebra to see the full extent of what the Scarlet Witch had wrought, but it was no easy task. Emma put a student or two to sleep to keep them from harming themselves and others. By the time she made it into the institute's basement, the strain of the situation bore heavily on her psyche and Emma could feel a warm trail of blood trickling down from her nose. As she staggered down the hall, leaning against the wall for support, Emma could sense the thoughts of the students that realised they had lost their powers.