It would take ages to recount exactly how that conversation went, with all the interruptions the X-men made, and then Emma made when they told her their side.

So the highlights will suffice:

"After the X-men split, for reasons I cannot specify, per our rules," Emma said, "there was a long time not a lot happened on the mutant front that was positive. Magneto built his empire on Genosha."

"So Magneto owns Genosha in your universe?" Gambit interrupted.

"Yes. Do you mind?" Emma frowned.

"Weird," Rogue muttered.

"But the government was pressing on us and forming the MRD...the Mutant Registration Department," Emma said. "My own school...which, I gather, I do not possess here--or my evil twin does not, I should say--was shut down. My students were arrested or else went into hiding...I had to myself. So, I sought out the X-men and offered to join their team.... Xavier had left them." She paused here like she was thinking of something unpleasant.

"Why would I?" Xavier said.

"Ya left us here too," Logan said. "For a while."

"I'm not sure I can say," Emma said. "But his absence is likely to be lengthy, so Wolverine has taken over things, with Beast's help, and, for a while, Angel's...but he left also, also for reasons I cannot specify. I think I said it before though."

"Well, not everyone was there for that, and I think we shouldn't include it," Shine said.

"I hope he's not dead," Rogue muttered.

But no one answered her.

"Not all of the X-men came back," Emma went on, after a few more intrusive questions had been asked and either answered or avoided. "Colossus didn't, for personal reasons. Nightcrawler did not at first but did later. Iceman and Shadowcat did. Eventually so did Cyclops." She paused again, then went on. "And Forge."

"Who's Forge?" Scott asked.

"You...you don't have Forge?" Emma said. "Well, I did wonder why no one mentioned him...not that they mention him that often as it is. Well, there's one improvement from my dimension."

"Ouch," Wally winced. "He can't be that bad."

Emma didn't acknowledge that. "The MRD has plagued us constantly, also invading our house even. So did the brotherhood of mutants, led by Quicksilver."

"He's a bad guy?" Rogue interrupted again.

"You really should stop assuming everyone is on the same side as they are here," Emma said. "But I take it he is not one here? Interesting.... Daddy would be so proud of him...not. I hope he's not working with that Blob thing, then. And Toad."

She made a face.

"They work with villains?" Storm said. "It is so strange to hear this..."

"Things came to a head when we learned that enslavement of mutants was incoming," Emma said. "We also get messages from the future, as you have. So we tried to stop it. I can only hope they succeeded. I was gone before I knew how it ended." She bit her lip. "The MRD had backed off. Kelly was persuaded by the future message. I never thought I'd say this, but even if he is a human, he is less thick than Magneto--he decided to start the war anyway. And that is where I left it, with the hope that they averted the crisis, but I simply do not know."

"And is that all there was to it?" Shine asked. "No other events that could have caused dimensional tearing?"

Emma froze. Then she said, "There was one thing...The Phoenix."

"Oh!" Jean gasped.

"We got rid of it," Scott said. "How is possible it exists in two dimensions?"

"For all we know," Emma said, "it may be able to travel them. We know nothing about it. Really." She tugged her hair a little. "It caused trouble. It was expelled in the end...I believe." she hesitated. "But who knows if it really can be defeated...? That is the only thing I could imagine would be able to cause such a problem. But I never heard that it could transport people from one world to another."

"Is that what killed you?" Shine asked.

Emma looked like she was not liking Shine's intelligence much.

"It was," she said shortly.

"Just...straight up?" Jean said. "Oh...I hope it was not possessing me at the time... I mean...the other me."

"It was not," Emma said.

"Oh, thank goodness," Jean said.

"I don't know--I might have survived if it was," Emma said offhandedly.

Jean frowned.

"But that's not good for Jean," Scott said, "or anyone, I suppose. But if it's not gone, aren't they all in danger still?"

"Entirely possible," Emma said. "But how would I know? Could that be why I am here?"

"I don't think so," Shine said. "I know of the Phoenix force, and I never heard it could do something like that. It would be more likely it took your soul with it into the outer plane...if it could do that. But sounds like people linked to the Phoenix do not seem to die unless they are separated from it. So the possibility is, if it linked to you...someone could have removed you from it and brought you here. But you say you shattered, so why are you physically here, then? That doesn't add up. My gut says it was not The Phoenix."

"Is it possible someone gathered the shards of your form," Hank said, "and somehow fused them back together?"

"I don't know if that is possible," Emma said. "I never broke before."

She didn't seem to like talking about this.

"But if it is possible, you are one of the most indestructible mutants in the world," Hank mused. "I could see someone wanting to use that. But while that gives us motive, it does not give us the how or who."

"Let's give her our side," Storm said. "Perhaps we have missed some significant events that would show us a connection."

So they told Emma Frost about their lives in the last two years. The events that mirrored her dimension were minimal. Only The Phoenix Force and the appearance of Sentinels seemed to. All the rest, she either said she'd only heard of happening back in the day, or had no idea what it was.

Except for one thing.

Sinister.

"Yes, he did kidnap Cyclops and Jean Grey in that world also," she said. "He was stopped but found them again later and was stopped again. Nasty fellow." She made a face. "But I never heard he had any power like this."

"He did once," Xavier said, "when Apocalypse was using him to collect Psions.... That was early this year, not long before our DJ friends joined us, in fact. But Apocalypse is now stuck in the Astral Plane, and the Psions were freed. Sinister somehow escaped, but we have not heard from him since we defeated him again, a few months ago. He may no longer be..."

"Well, that is the first thing you've said that sounded at all promising," Emma said. "Can you ascertain if he is alive or not?"

"He must have moved hideouts by now..." Morph said.

Suddenly everyone looked at Mystique.

"Madame," Hank said, "you knew Sinister. Perhaps you know where he might hide himself."

Mystique hesitated. "I might know a few places. He holes up in new ones if he gets caught. But I used to have contacts who would let me know such things. Thanks to that witch, I don't anymore."

"Maybe if ya took us to one, we could persuade 'em." Logan made some claws.

"I do that, and I lose even more credibility," Mystique said.

"What you have to lose? No one trust you anyway," Gambit said.

"Gambit!" Morph said.

"What?" He shrugged.

"I could always just probe her mind..." Emma said.

Mystique stood up. "Fine," she said. "You want to know where Sinister is? Find his lackeys. There were a few of them at the Conference, could have been spying. Maybe that means he is tied up in all this. But they didn't make a move then. Either Likstar scared them off, or they didn't intend to make one at all. That's not like them."

"Can you find them?" Xavier said. "We know a few."

Mystique hesitated. "I can give you names. You can find them in the database?"

"Yes," Xavier said.

"It's a place to start," Storm said. "Do you agree, Miss Frost?"

Emma shrugged. "Anything to start working on this. We should have talked about this before."

"All right, Emma, you were right," Shine said. "No one said you weren't smart. But don't rub it in."

Emma gave her a look like that suggestion was ridiculous. "If you're the expert on this, shouldn't such a simple idea have occurred to you?"

"Yes, but perhaps being the expert means I know enough to know it's risky to try it," Shine shot back icily. "And expert is a loose word in these matters. I know not to play God. We're lucky that the info we shared was enough to provide a hint at all. But it's no guarantee that it's connected."

She tapped her chin. "After all, we'd have to assume that this Sinister and the one you know, somehow know each other, then. That's a lot to assume. If he had the power to open doorways after working for Apocalypse, which we know he did, then how did he know to open one to another dimension? There is still too much unanswered."

"Maybe it was an accident," Wally said. "Like when I went to that 50s world."

"It's possible, but not unless there's some prior connection, like you had," Shine said. "So, I'm tentative about saying this lead will show us what happened, but I'd like to verify if Sinister is still at large or not, though I wouldn't waste time doing it just for the sake of doing it, so I can live with this."

"Dat some optimism from you," Gambit said sarcastically. "At least we have something ta go on."

"Does this mean we all have to go?" Rogue said. "I don't like the idea of facin' Sinister again...ugh..."

"Let's decide that if we first locate his followers," Xavier said.

[Well, it was bound to come back at some point.

How are you all liking Emma so far? I do like a newbie who's not stupid, if nothing else. That trope gets so old in TV shows.]

* * *

A few hours and one or two Cerebro searches later, they had a lock on a few of the Nasty Boys and what Emma referred to as Marauders.

"Didn't you work with the Nasty Boys?" Morph said to Mystique.

"Them, the brotherhood...most of those groups," Mystique said.

"If they're at all like they are where I come from, this must be an upgrade," Emma commented. "However did you convince the X-men to let you in, with that criminal record?"

"How did you get into yours?" Mystique retorted snidely. "They were too desperate to refuse?"

"Why, you--" Emma turned to her angrily.

"Stop it," Morph said. "We can't fight right now."

"Keep her away from me, then," Emma said. "And her mouth."

She stalked onto the Blackbird.

"Why do you let her bait you?" Morph asked Mystique. "Just ignore her."

"Easy to say when it's not directed at you," Mystique said. "I'd teach her to mock me, if I was allowed to."

"Don't feel inferior to her, Raven." Shine walked by and tapped her shoulder. "We all have our stories. Some of us just tell ours, and others don't. Arrogance seems a side effect of telepathy. At least it's not one of shape-shifting."

"I always thought shape-shifting was a humbling power," Morph said. "You have to pretend to be someone else, you can't get a big head about how special you are."

Shine smiled. "There you go."

"You could shut her up," Mystique said to Shine. "You've silenced the other telepaths around here."

"Yes, but I don't want to be mean to her. She's new," Shine said. "Just ignore her, like Morph said. She just wants a reaction anyway."

"And if I say nothing, she'll read my mind instead," Mystique said.

"I see." Shine studied her. "Well, carry on then."

She walked onto the plane.

"Did she just...give you permission to fight with her?" Morph asked.

"Like I need her permission," Mystique said, just as if she wouldn't have been too scared to keep defying Shine if Shine persisted...not for fear of Shine hurting her, but for fear of her commenting on the reason for it, when Emma could hear her.

She tossed her head and walked onto the plane.

"Though I don't see why I have to come at all," she said. "You have fought these fools before."

"Gambit say it bad idea," Gambit said. "But others think you help us find da lair or something."

"That you trust her at all amazes me," Emma said coolly. "Didn't she sell you out to Sinister once already?"

"And it ended badly," Storm said, frowning at Emma. "We try not to dwell on the past, Frost. Mystique will be treated as one of our team as long as she is on a mission with us--I hope that is clear. Just as you will. We do not accuse each other."

Emma pursed her lips.

Mystique said nothing to that.

"Yes, queen." Shine high-fived Storm, who barely understood the gesture. "Tell 'em."

"Please, Shine, act professional," Storm said. "I'm serious."

"Sorry." Shine shrugged.

"I thought it was cute," Wally told her.

"You know how they are." Shine gestured nonchalantly.

"Well, let's get on with it," Rogue said. "Cyclops, are ya sure ya want to come on this, y'know...in case Sinister is there?"

"I had Jean stay home in case of that, but I want to face him head on if he is messing with my team again," Scott said.

"Dang, Scott, stop making me like you," Shine said. "Go back to being a prick. I find this unsettling."

"Miss Likstar, I--" Scott began, then he paused. "You know? I give up. I'm just going to ignore your remarks now."

"Take all the fun out of it for me," Shine said.

Gambit chuckled, though he tried to hide it.

"I'm not looking forward to this..." Morph muttered.

"Are ya sure you're ready?" Rogue asked. "If it's too much, ya can stay home."

"Nah...I didn't freeze up with Sinister," Morph said uneasily, "just with the Sentinels, so it's fine. Anyway, he's probably not going to be there. They're just his lackeys, right? I can handle that."

"If it gets bad, I can pull him out," Shine whispered to Rogue. "But Morph has been doing fine with the missions. At this point, the phobia is worse to think about than actually facing the danger. I think we should just reinforce his confidence or else say nothing."

"If ya say so, Sugar." Rogue buckled in.

Kitty and Colossus were coming.

Mostly because Kitty would be useful for helping them escape if they did get stuck, as long as there was nothing to suck away their powers.

Colossus was just the muscle, though Wolverine said they didn't need it.

Wolverine would have been left at home if Scott had had his way, just for security, but he refused flat out.

"Ain't no one goin' to attack the house. We have all the people they'd want here," he insisted.

"Though that makes us sound like bait," Emma muttered.

They flew out and toward the first location they decided to try.

"So, did ya say Iceman was still on yer team?" Rogue said to Frost. "That didn't cause any problems?"

"Other than he's an idiot, no," Frost said. "Not bad in a fight. Why?"

"Just he had...an attitude problem or somethin', I thought," Rogue said.

"Not to speak of," Emma said.

"So who's the worst member of the X-men there, then?" Rogue asked.

Emma thought. "Probably Rogue."

"What?!" Rogue said.

Gambit started to laugh, but checked it because he figured she'd kill him.

"Well, she's a bit moody," Emma said, "likes to sass Wolverine a lot. Are we talking about cooperation? Or just general annoyance? Because I have different categories."

"And Gambit jus' bet you're de top dog in your own estimation," Gambit said.

"It would depend on what we're talking about," Emma said. "I think Wolverine has the most destructive power, but Cyclops is a close second, sometimes perhaps even outpacing him. It would depend. But there's no competition for mental prowess..."

"Cyclops? Outpace me?" Wolverine snorted. "That would be another world, all right."

"I don't know, I'd like to think we're evenly matched." Scott frowned at him.

"Who cares?" Morph said.

"I bet Morph would be more powerful than all of you," Mystique spoke up, like this was some kind of game. (And, truthfully, on the villain teams she was on, this kind of conversation happened all the time, though she usually stayed out of it. She didn't like people to be reminded that shape-shifting could be a weak power.)

"How do ya figure Morph is more powerful than us? No offense, buddy," Wolverine scoffed.

"Perhaps you don't know all his abilities," Mystique said.

"Oh, do tell. I'd love to hear what you consider impressive," Emma said snidely.

Mystique frowned at her. "We're talking about the most range, correct?"

"Uh, guys--" Morph tried to say he didn't really want to be the subject of this, but no one was listening to him now.

"Well, isn't being virtually indestructible as well as able to mimic a lot of other powers already more useful than Wolverine?" Mystique said. "And there's the extra strength."

"Are you strong?" Rogue asked Morph.

"I mean...uh, kind of, but it's more of being able to reinforce my body..." Morph said. "It's kind of hard to do on the spot, so--"

"But dat yes, den," Gambit said. "Well, ya think you know a guy."

"Interesting." Emma put her hands together 🙏. "But his mental game is weak, isn't it?"

"In what way?" Mystique asked.

"Being brainwashed?" Emma said. "Not that any fool can't fall prey to Sinister's methods--they are not exactly like normal brainwashing--but still, it leaves a scar, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps," Mystique said. "But in other areas, who's to say? Everyone has their triggers." She frowned. "Even you, Frost."

"I do not," Emma said. "Telepaths don't have triggers."

"What's the thing you haven't told us, then?" Mystique said snippily.

"A lot of things I wouldn't bother telling you," Emma said loftily. "I can't explain why anyone would be stupid enough to tell you their secrets, Darkholme."

She called her that purposely to annoy her, since Mystique hated it.

Mystique called her Telepath in the same way. But not that often. She wasn't that good at this kind of taunting.

"Can we get back to the point?" Logan said. "Morph has more power than we thought, so why did he go down so easy, then?"

"Surprise?" Mystique said. "Anyone can be caught off guard. Or perhaps a lack of violent tendencies to begin with. Isn't that part of your whole deal as X-men?"

"Makes me glad, as far as we know, yer powers are pretty limited," Wolverine sniffed.

"Oh, that's a sore point with her," Emma said smugly. "Morph is far more powerful. Isn't that right, Mystique? And you're not even immune to poison."

"Wait, you immune ta poison?" Gambit said.

"Uh...yeah," Morph said.

"Dang it, that's cool," Rogue said.

"Yeah, it is!" Wally said. "Geez, man, why not tell us that? All this cool stuff."

"Well, actually, you know I can't get drunk?" Morph said, trying to change the subject. "Because alcohol is kind of toxic."

"Dude, same," Wally said. "And poison speeds through my body real fast too, so usually I'm not affected, though there was this one time when a rogue Amazon used an allergen, but I guess that's not the same."

"No, allergens get stronger the more they spread through your body, so it was not helpful," Shine said. "Though you recovered faster once they got the cure, didn't you?"

"Sure," Wally said.

"Immunity to telepathy and poison," Rogue said. "Things ain't fair for you other-dimensional people."

Morph winced at being included in that.

"Or just powerful people," Emma muttered, mostly to dig at Mystique.

"Are you immune to poison, Frost?" Mystique said, falsely sweetly. "Oh right, in your diamond form...which you won't use. Why was that again?"

"Shut up!" Emma finally got mad at her.

Mystique was smug.

"Err, both of ya, quit it," Logan snapped. "Enough fightin'. You're like a couple of angry birds."

"Just one of us," Emma said. "An angry raven, you might say."

"Heh." Logan had an affinity for puns.

Wally choked on a laugh, since Mystique looked livid.

"All right, enough," Scott said. "We should be focused on a plan. Now, when we get there, Miss Likstar, none of your scenes, do you understand? This is all business."

"If you want to crash and burn, then fine," Shine said.

"Sarcasm is not appreciated," Scott said. "Can you act professional for once? We're letting you come because of your expertise on dimensions, not your tendency to give speeches to criminals, do you understand? We'll get sidetracked if you do that."

"Dude, you could say it but nicer," Wally said. "We get it. I think Shine is smart enough to know what to do, don't you?"

"Only one right way to answer that, by the way," Shine said, eyebrows raised.

"Smart enough? Maybe, but the self control is another story," Scott said.

"I can't decide if he complimented me or insulted me or both," Shine said.

"Why does he keep calling her Miss Likstar?" Emma asked. "I thought her last name was West."

"For some reason, we all thought it sounded better," Storm said. "And it stuck. Apparently her old students used to call her that, so she's used to it. The Professor and Hank call her Mrs. West, sometimes, but it's so formal."

"Scott does it to annoy her, that's all," Morph said. "He's got a side."

Emma smiled. "I find that hard to picture."

"Ya notice they don't get along," Logan said. "But it's pretty funny to watch. No one can piss Scott off like them. Except me."

"I guess some things do not change," Emma said. "Good to know."

"Tell me--" Wally turned to her. "--is he as annoying in your world, I mean...that Scott?"

"I wouldn't describe him that way," Emma said slowly. "Though very...single-focused, I suppose."

"Yeah, on running the team," Wally snorted.

"Oh, no, he doesn't run the team..." Emma said.

"Yeah, Wolverine does," Logan remembered. "That me must have more patience."

"Hardly," Emma said. "It's a wonder they survived this long."

"Logan can run things," Storm said. "Maybe not the team...but perhaps if it came to it. I take it there was no other option."

"Wow, roasted like it was nothing," Wally said.

"I just meant--" Storm began, "--he wouldn't want to be in charge."

"But why not put Storm in charge?" Rogue said.

"I wouldn't call her a leader," Emma said. "Or Wolverine, for that matter."

"I bet ya wish you were," Logan sniffed.

"I used to do fine," Emma said. "But rookies aren't made the leader. I suppose Xavier is still the leader, in a way. But we shouldn't be talking about this, per the guidelines."

"Yeah, but I don't see how any of that was so bad," Rogue said. "It's not like it matters. We're certainly not like them."

"Storm definitely sounds different," Logan said.

Storm smiled.

Logan looked away quickly.

Emma saw it and frowned. "Interesting," she muttered.

* * *

The Nasty Boys, as they found them, were hiding in some dingy apartment in Seattle, of all places.

It was not raining, for a wonder.

"We'll be sleepless," Wally said to Shine.

"And we're stalking them too," she replied.

Logan kicked the door open.

"Knock, knock," he said.

There was swearing from The Nasty Boys, which did not include Blob at this time. Perhaps he'd gone back to his old team.

But the others were there.

Slab, Gorgeous George, Ruckus, and Hairbag.

"Ew, revolting," Emma said, when she saw them.

At least three of them did a double take at her.

"Well," Slab said, "who is this? She a friend of yours?"

"All right, you jerks!" Wolverine said. "Just make this easy for us. Where's Sinister?"

"Sinister?" Ruckus said. "What are you talking about? Why did you come here? To mock us? You can't leave us be?"

"Didn't you come to the Conference?" Morph said. "At least one of you did."

George got some sidelong glances from the other three.

"What? I was curious," he said. [He was curious George?]

"So it was you." Rogue pointed at him. "Well, what trouble were ya up to?"

"I wasn't up to anything," George said. "I just want to see what that fuss was about. Magneto's creeps were the ones causing the trouble."

"Where is Sinister?" Logan scowled.

"He's not here," Emma said, hand to her head. "And they think he's dead."

* * *

A pause ensued.

"Dead?" Scott said finally. "Sinister is immortal."

"After you drove us out," Ruckus said sullenly, "we didn't hear anything from him. We went back--he wasn't here. Weeks go by, we still heard nothing. Checked his other hideouts, nothing. All we found was his journal, mostly full of science stuff. No one could understand it."

"There was one," Slab said. "It looked like it was saying something about a sword and some scientific jargon...and wanting to know more about it. After that, nothing much. We left the place as it was. Sinister doesn't like people touching his stuff."

"And that's it?" Scott said. "And that makes you think he's dead?"

"Why else wouldn't he have contact us?" George said. "Or anyone? No one's heard from him. Unless she has."

Nodding a Mystique.

She shook her head.

"Hey, didn't you sell out?" Ruckus said. "So you really are one of the X-men."

Mystique frowned at him. "People who believe everything they hear from little snitches shouldn't talk about selling out. I had no choice."

"You never do, sweetheart," George said. "Try your old team. Maybe they'd know. Probably need a new boss." He snickered.

"Well, two of them got arrested already," Wally recalled. "But there's more."

"You won't find him," Ruckus said. "And we're out of work. Maybe we should go join Magneto, huh?"

"If you want to sell out to someone who's trying to plunge the world into war," Shine said. "I hope you have life insurance." 

She walked away.

"Well, I believe them," she said, on the plane.

"I don't think we have much choice. Frost read their minds," Scott said.

"Dead end," Emma said, disappointed.

"What if...Sinister really is dead?" Rogue said strangely. "And...no one knew?"

"Be a good thing for us," Gambit said.

"He might have died all alone," Storm said. "I almost pity him."

"I don't," Logan said. "He hated people, probably wouldn't care if anyone was around. But how can he just die?"

Morph stared at his hands.

"What did you do to him?" Mystique asked Shine. "A sword? That has to be talking about you."

"I did stab him with it," Shine said. "But you know it is not lethal...at least...not in the ordinary sense." She rubbed her chin. "But I did feel something, something icky. Could I have undone his twisted sciences? Truth metal has a way of undoing anything false, including life lived from unnatural means. It's possible."

"Would that mean you technically killed him?" Kitty said.

"Oh...I don't think so," Shine said, uneasily. "He was a walking corpse, in a way. It would have just been tying him to it. Like with the nomu."

"Oh, that was so creepy," Wally said. "But the record does support it.... Whoa, I sounded so smart there."

"You have been on a clever streak this week," Shine said. "Must be hanging around all the smart people. We're just absorbing it."

"I doubt anyone doubts your intelligence," Scott said. "Common sense, on the other hand..."

"Scott, shove off," Shine said.

"Well, this had gotten us nowhere," he changed the subject. "We had better hope the other criminals know something."

"It doesn't sound like they will," Emma muttered.

And what, she wondered, did that mean for her?