Oh my aching joints. This Last Gladiator stuff is more physical than I remember. Perhaps next year I'll send Colossus to represent the school. The boy may not be too bright, dumb as a post really, but taking care of giant robots is kind of his specialty.


I was just starting to relax in the hot tub that I had Private Hudson install in my room, wiping his memory afterwards, of course, when a loud crackle broke the silence. Weird reddish smoke filled the room. This was followed quickly by a deep booming voice.


"Xavier!" Mephisto thundered.


I sunk down in the hot tub until the bubbling water was under my chin. I prefer taking my tubs au natural, if you know what I mean, and didn't appreciate showing the family treasures to the Dark Lord.


"Why have you not fulfilled your obligation to me?"


His question was more of a command than a question. I looked him in the eye and tried to reach into his mind. His psionic shielding is strong. "Forget it, Mephisto. I'm not going to get Jon's soul for you."



"Have you not heard how I've tormented your precious X-Men?" he taunted. "Let me show you."


Suddenly images of my various students struggling with a host of crises filled the room. Cylcops curled into a ball on the floor of his room weeping, Nightcrawler appearing in handcuffs before some judge, Angel locked in the bathroom (his bird-like digestive system can't handle Big Macs very well but he won't stop eating them) and the such.


"Looks like a pretty typical day to me," I sniffed in disinterest.


"BAH!!!" he bellowed. "You have 24 hours Xavier! Bring me Jon, the Intergalactic Gladiator or you and your precious mutants are damned for all time!"


And with that, he vanished.