Domina glared at the man in front of her defiantly. He was a tall powerful man, flanked by three beings he called his Horsemen. They were physically unimpressive to say the most she could. "We refuse your offer," she stated. "The Neo will not take sides in this petty war."

Apocalypse's face screwed into a frown. "I fear that you are not thinking straight. You will be drawn into this war at one point, and you would no doubt much prefer it if you are on the winning side."

"I told you that we refuse your offer," Domina stated again, as if Apocalypse was the stupidest being on the planet.

"Domina," Jaeger said, "perhaps it would be beneficial..."

"Shut up Jaeger!" Domina shouted spinning around to face her mate. "I will not allow this insolence, especially from my own husband!"

"Famine," Apocalypse said, "demonstrate for the Neo our power."

Marius St. Croix stepped forward, grinning. He walked up to Domina. The leader of the Neo War Clan stared at Marius defiantly. The tall, powerful African, once a deformed, hunch-backed freak, grabbed Domina's face, and the woman screamed.

Jaeger and Rax stepped forward to defend their leader, but saw that it would be to little use. The longer Famine held on, the more feminine his traits became, until finally Domina fell to the ground dead, and Famine stepped away from the corpse as a woman. The physical change started to regress slowly, but Marius would retain the traits of Domina for nearly a half hour thereafter, while his body processed her energy.

Jaeger and Rax stared at the corpse of Domina for nearly that length of time. Their leader had fallen. This Apocalypse and his Horsemen were powerful beings indeed.

There was a loud squeal in the air, and a teleportation portal materialised in the midst of the Neo. The super-mutants backed away from the portal, while the Horsemen approached it. Three mutants sprang from the portal: Empath, Monet, and Post.

"Prelates," Apocalypse growled. "Take them, my Horsemen!"

Scott Summers sat alone in his cell. He had pounded on the walls for hours to no avail. He knew why. There was no other prisoners to hear him. There were no Prelates within several hundred yards of him. He was all alone.

"Maddie," he whispered. "Help me. Please."

Madelyn pulled her hair back. She already wore a vinyl combat suit, identical to the one that Jean Grey wore. Iceman and Lady Goliath stood behind her, and Nathan held Bobby close. There was nothing else in the spacious warehouse that the three inhabited.

"Spittin' image," Elisabeth said.

"A little more cleavage," Bobby joked.

"Bobby!" Maddie exclaimed. She turned to the mirror and frowned. Bobby was right.

"Jerk," she muttered, adjusting her bust.

"What's that, Miz Grey?"

"I said --" Maddie turned to face her team-mates. "-- bring me the heads of the X-Men! Never mind, I'll do it myself!"

"Like ah said," Elisabeth laughed, "spittin' image."

Madelyn headed towards the citadel on foot. Jean Grey had been sent to find a powerful omnipath - whatever that meant - and bring him to Onslaught. That gave Maddie an opening of several days to pull this stunt. And stunt it was.

She would enter the citadel as Jean Grey, claiming to be coming back for a surprise inspection of the Prelates' barracks. She would also demand to see X-Man, claiming that she would have her way with him on the way to her mission and then dispose of him. She hoped that Grey hadn't already had her husband executed.

(See the Astounding X-Men for more on their search - Benn)

Bobby and Elisabeth watched Maddie set off towards the citadel. Nathan squeezed Bobby's leg. He looked down at Scott's young son and saw the boy's father in his eyes.

"Unca Bobby," he whispered, "I need t' go t' the baffroom."

"Sure Nathan," Bobby said. Bobby jumped at a sudden resounding boom outside. "Lizzie, take Nathan to the bathroom," he muttered. "I'll see what that was."

Elisabeth hurried Nathan off towards the warehouse's meagre toilet, as Bobby carefully approached the window nearest the sound. He got to the window and leaned in as close as he could. He looked around and couldn't see anything. He started to back away as a streak of flame burst through he window. Bobby dove to the ground, raising his ice sheath around his body as he did so.

A large hole had been punched into the wall where the window was. Through the smoke and flames left, a Japanese man flew into the warehouse. The man turned to look at Bobby.

"I am Sunfire," he declared. "Where is the child called Dayspring?"

"Lizzie, get Nathan out of the building!" Bobby cried in a panic as he placed an ice barrier in front of Sunfire. It quickly melted, and Sunfire flew closer to him.

"I will not ask you again," he growled, grabbing Bobby's throat. "Where...is...DAYSPRING?!?"

Maddie entered the perimeter of the citadel. Mimic joined her in an instant. The mutate stared at her in shock.

"Milady," he stammered. "I had no idea you'd be back so soon."

"I came to inspect your barracks," Maddie said. "I meant for this to be a surprise. I shall rejoin the assault team once this inspection is concluded."

"It's good you came back," Mimic continued. "Lord Onslaught wanted to see the X-Man. The Prelates and Mutates felt that it would be best if you took him, but you had left by then."

Madelyn didn't let her utter surprise show on her face. Why would Onslaught want to see Scott?

"Very well," she said. "The inspection can wait. Have a Prelate bring Summers to Onslaught's throne room." Mimic stared to fly into the air, but Madelyn called out to stop him.

"Yes Mistress?"

"Do you know what this is in reference to?"

"The Five, Milady."

Pestilence and Famine approached the three Prelates while Death held back, pacing like a tiger ready to spring. Marius glared at Monet.

"Hello dear sister," he purred, his voice sounding slightly like Domina's. "I had heard that an X-Man had sucked the life out of you."

"I am the perfect mutant, brother," Monet growled, "I woke from the coma rather quickly."

"Only to be cast back into it!" Marius leapt at Monet and the two began pummelling each other.

Pestilence's eyes darted from Empath to Post and back again. The mutant once known as Infectia took the cloak she wore and threw it in front of her.

"You do not know who you deal with Prelates," Pestilence declared. Her hands were bathed in a bluish light, and Empath screamed. "It is a flesh-eating bacteria. A rather fast acting one at that." Empath looked up at Josephine, trying to hold back tears.

"Die witch," he rasped. Pestilence felt her mind seized by the powerful psi. He started to turn Pestilence towards her master, Josephine fought back violently. Control of her mind was wrenched away from Empath, and she lashed out with a viscous kick at Empath's head. Empath fell to the ground unconscious. Post stepped forward, his guns ready to blow Pestilence to pieces.

Monet flew into the back of her team-mate, throwing Post forward several meters. Post stood, and assessed the situation. The Prelates had lost. The Neo were unattainable by Onslaught. Using his comm-link, he opened a channel to the teleporter called Mainframe back in New York.

"Get us out of here!" he called. A portal appeared, and Post drug his team-mates into it and back to Onslaught Island.

Apocalypse grabbed Death by the shoulder and spun him to face him. "Why did you not attack?" Apocalypse rumbled.

"I felt that Famine and Pestilence had it handled admirably," Death explained. "I did not want to show an overzealous amount force in front of the Neo."

"You shall attack when I order it," Apocalypse growled. "Am I understood Essex?"

"Yes," Nathaniel Essex replied begrudgingly.

Jaeger stepped forward. "The Neo shall join you, Apocalypse. We are your allies in this war."

(That X-Man being Rogue, leader of the X-Men Unlimited squad! --- Benn)

Iceman squirmed underneath Sunfire's grip. He could feel the heat generated by Sunfire underneath his ice sheath. Sunfire just gripped tighter.

"Tell me!" he roared. Bobby crossed his fingers, and hoped that Lizzie had managed to get Nathan out of the building.

"NO!!" Bobby screamed, slamming Sunfire in the gut with an icy platform. The Japanese mutant was thrown across the room, crashing into some crates left from when the warehouse had last been used as storage.

Bobby bulked up his sheath into an armour and erected a slide to where Sunfire had landed. He hoped that his attack had knocked Sunfire unconscious. He found a charred hole where Sunfire should have been. He could only see water underneath. Bobby crept closer and saw Sunfire an instant too late to act.

It was Bobby's turn to be flung across the room.

Maddie tried to prevent her knees from knocking together. She approached the throne room, and saw that Mastermind was there with Scott already.

{Hello lover,} she flashed. Scott looked up at her, a fire in his eyes, but also something else. A dark, horrible look. Maddie nearly gasped when she realised what that look was. The look of a dead man.

{You'll never be a love of mine Grey,} Scott flashed back.

{Who said I was Grey?}

The look Scott flashed her nearly betrayed her facade, but he composed himself quickly. Wyngarde paid it no attention, instead focusing on Maddie's more alluring features.

"Onslaught awaits?" Scott said softly, but strongly.

"Yes," Maddie replied. "Once we are within the throne room, leave us."

Wyngarde nodded, and led Scott and Maddie into the throne room. There sat Onslaught in his full glory. Maddie raised herself to her full height and bowed to the High Lord.

{Grey?} Onslaught said, {I am surprised to see you are still here.}

Strangely he didn't register any difference in the telepathic signatures of Jean Grey and Madelyn. Why? Madelyn paid it no heed, and continued with the façade.

{No matter. I had planned to tell the X-Man of my Five before I killed him. I lied to you when I said that the Five Protocols were merely to draw X-Man here.} Onslaught continued. Madelyn listened but found herself unable to look into his eyes.

{I have composed a new, reorganised Five. With McCoy's death, my original plans were shattered. But I can see now that my vision has only been altered, not destroyed. Observe...}

A telepathic projection of a short man invades their minds. Scott tensed.

{Wolverine,} Onslaught laughed. {The deadliest of all my Prelates. He is to be McCoy's replacement.}

The image of Wolverine shifted from their minds, only to be replaced with that of another, winged, mutant.

{Angel. One of my original Five. A worthy addition.}

Angel faded away to be replaced by another prelate. A green haired woman.

{Polaris. Drake's replacement. A ferocious fighter and dangerous mutant in general.}

Polaris's image was moved and an image of Jean Grey appeared.

{I have chosen you, Grey, to become one of my Five. You should be honoured.} Onslaught addressed her, still unable to differentiate between Jean Grey and Madelyn.

"Yes my lord." Madelyn answers.

A new image invaded their minds. He was a teenager with a head of brown hair and a shock of white hair near the front. Energy spewed from his eyes. Maddie had seen the other members of the Five before, but never had she seen this mutant.

{Who is he you ask?} Onslaught said, shifting slightly in his throne. {About two years ago you became pregnant with Summers' child. McCoy injected the foetus with a virus that quickened the maturation of the child, causing it to be born very early. You believed that child died, but she became McCoy's pet 'Phoenix Project'. Unfortunately she was allowed to escape at the same time as her father.}

Scott grinned. McCoy's final gift to him, the freedom of his daughter.

{Now that she beyond our reach, we have turned our attention to other uses for the virus. Meet Dayspring, the son of X-Man.} Scott had to hold himself back from leaping at the High Lord, and Maddie tensed visibly.

{Coupled with my 'Children of the Atom', the Five will ensure my victory over humanity!} Onslaught laughed. {I understand you wish to dispose of Summers yourself, Grey?} Onslaught said in a suddenly different tone, nodding his approval. {I want his skull for display once you're done.}

"Do you have possible replacement members, my lord? If something should happen to the Dayspring, or the others?" Maddie asked, choking on the words 'my lord.'

{My adopted son, Cypher would make a worthy replacement, as is Logan's partner, Shadowcat. Then, perhaps, the Iceman, if of course, we could find him.}

"Very well," Maddie grunted. "I will take my leave of you, my lord." Maddie telekinetically picked Scott up and carried him out with her. She strode down the hall like that for some time before finally releasing Scott.

"I thought he was going to find you out," Scott gasped. He grabbed Madelyn like he had six months ago and kissed her.

"I'm better than you think," she breathed through the kiss. "But I don't understand why he didn't differentiate between my telepathic signature and Grey's."

She didn't notice Mimic come around the corner and see them kissing. It appeared as if Scott returned it willingly. That was unlike the X-Man. Mimic harnessed the psi powers he had permanently gleaned from Jean Grey and pulled the truth from Madelyn Summers' brain. By the time she had felt Mimic's probe, and realised she'd let her guard down, it was too late.

"You spoke too soon," Scott said over the blaring klaxons. Madelyn silently cursed herself and used her telekinesis to dismantle Scott inhibitor collar.

"You ready to fight, love?" she asked, hearing the approaching Prelates. Scott smiled, an aura of energy already surrounding his head.

"Oh yeah!" he cried, spinning around and blasting at Mimic.

(During the events of AOO: ALPHA --- Benn)

(See Children of the Atom, New Mutants, Brand X, Astounding X-Men and Bishop: The Last X-Man for more on this storyline --- Benn)

(Remember that Madelyn is the unwitting clone of Jean Grey, and therefore has almost totally identical attributes as Jean, including telepathic signature --- Benn)

Iceman and Sunfire were deadlocked. The battle had long since moved onto the streets of Onslaught Island. Bobby hoped that no Prelate patrols would approach the battle, because it would be over right then. In the fight, each move the one made, the other countered perfectly. The two had been reduced to close quarters, hand-to-hand combat. Sunfire punched Bobby in the gut. Bobby kicked Sunfire hard in the small of his back.

"We are evenly matched," Sunfire growled at Iceman.

Bobby shook his head and uppercutted Shiro. "Ain't over until the fat lady sings," he replied.

Shiro drove his elbow into Iceman's nose. "She's just about to."

Bobby felt the heat gathering in the air. Sunfire was about to use his powers. At this close range, the heat would boil Bobby in what was once his ice sheath.

When Sunfire blasted him with solar plasma, Iceman was ready. The ball of fire was flash frozen, losing all of its heat. The momentum of the blast still carried the ball towards Bobby, but a round of well-placed icicles shattered it. Gaining a second wind, Bobby leapt into the air and slammed Sunfire in the head with a flying kick. Shiro's head snapped to the side, but he spun with the kick, blunting the force of the blow.

As he spun, Sunfire kicked out in a high roundhouse. Bobby didn't see Shiro's kick until it was too late to stop himself. Sunfire's foot connected and threw Bobby to the ground. Bobby looked up and saw Sunfire standing over him, triumphant.

"You lost," he growled. "Where is the child I seek?"

Bobby almost started when he saw Lizzie and Nathan in a nearby alleyway. Iceman looked back at Shiro, his eyes narrowed. He spat on the Horseman, the spittle sizzling on Sunfire's heated armour.

"You'll never find him," Bobby growled.

Sunfire leaned down to him. "Oh, yes, I will," he whispered, then slapped Iceman with a viscous backhand, knocking him unconscious.

Scott and Madelyn fought their way through at least a squadron of Prelates. The two clutched each other's hands, working in a tandem that never let up. Madelyn would cover one side of them with her telekinesis while Scott would blast through the other. They made it to the outer fence of the citadel, leaving a wake of bloodied Prelates in their midst. Madelyn tore the fence apart, and Scott covered their escape.

A powerful psychic roar filled their consciousness. Onslaught. Word had reached him of the betrayal of 'Jean Grey.' Scott looked at Madelyn, a panicked look on his face.

"Get us out of here babe!" he cried. Madelyn's eyes widened in terror, and she seized Scott in a telekinetic grip. The two soared over the island, until they landed where Maddie sensed Nathan was.

Scott was horrified to see the man clad in dark armour approaching Lizzie and Nathan in an alleyway, and Bobby laying on the ground unconscious. The Horseman didn't even notice them. Scott took that as an advantage. He blasted Sunfire with all he had.

The man flew through the air, and landed in a pile of rubble several hundred yards away. He stood after a moment, and flew into the air, this time under his own power. He landed in front of Scott, fire in his eyes.

"How dare you?!" he declared.

"That's my son you're after," Scott growled, his fist clenched at his side. "You're going to have to go through me to get him."

"Very well," Sunfire said after a moment, shedding the chest-plate of his armour. He turned, sat the chest-plate down, and spun back to Scott.

"PREPARE TO DIE YOU INSOLENT FOOL!" Sunfire screamed as he blasted Scott with solar plasma.

In X-Man #03: X-Man faces Sunfire with the life of Nathan Summers hanging in the balance. Can Scott possibly defeat the most powerful of the Horsemen? And what is the prophecy of the Dayspring?