This is Alicia at her world-building best! One should also note that this is the only area of her archive where you will find stories by other authors. Here the reader is triply blessed, for both Cascade and DuAnn Cowart have contributed stories to Alicia's Pantheon series. ~JenMorrioghan
White Rabbit by Domenika Marzione
Notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
(PG-13)
Alex Summers has always known that you don't leave
the X-Men behind for good. As he embarks on a new life in the 'ordinary'
world, Alex tries to strike a balance between being a civilian geologist
and being Havok. But his two worlds are about to collide in an event that
changes them both forever and Alex finds himself drawn back into 'the good
fight' in a way he never expected. [Archivist's note: 'White Rabbit' picks
up in 2000 (technically during the Outsider's Arc) and runs through 2012.
'Pandora's Box', the fic meant to run concurrently with the end of 'White
Rabbit', is available below.] This is just an absolutely stunning
epic--there's no other way to put it. Read and enjoy, and for pity's sake
send feedback. :) A fic like this deserves as much feedback as it can get;
the epic is a rare beast in these latter days.
Life Abides
(PG)
Cable recuperates
from his injuries as he and Domino wait for their daughter to be
born. Originally a small, introspective vignette, this somehow
managed to turn into a comedy. I suppose you could say it took the
bit in its teeth and ran with it.
Armistice
(PG)
Apocalypse is dead, and as Domino watches Nathan
taking a late-night walk, she wonders where their lives will lead them
next. Just a 'moment', here, that I wrote while in a particularly
lyrical mood.
New Order: Quality Time by DuAnn Cowart
(PG)
Domino tells Cable about her afternoon alone with
month-old Clare. I'm a huge fan of this particular narrative style,
and Duey pulls it off with her usual dazzling style and elegance. This is
a lovely look at Domino as a new mother.
Namesake
(G)
Sam and Dana's son is born, and little Nathan Thomas
has a late-night 'talk' with his godfather. I wrote this one for
Cascade. It turned out very mushy. I suppose that's a hazard of the
subject material. ;)
New Order: First
Impressions
(G)
A very young Clare
Summers is introduced to her even younger 'cousin', Harry Wisdom. Will it
be bonding over building blocks, or open warfare? This one was written
to cheer myself up before one of my Latin exams. It still makes me giggle,
and is still my only attempt to write a story through the eyes of a child
this young.
As Time Goes By
(PG-13)
Several years after Apocalypse's death, Cable and
Domino celebrate a very special anniversary. Another story written for
someone; in this case Duey, as a fic-gift for a very special occasion.
This was also my excuse to write Nate and Dom as mooky old
people. They're indecently cute, really.
Pandora's Box
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 in progress...
(PG-13)
A new crisis is brewing as history threatens to
repeat itself, but will Nathan master a new and dangerous aspect of his
powers in time to stop it? [Archivist's note: Runs concurrently with the
last few parts of 'White Rabbit'. A new part will be added each week until
the story is complete.] Something new and experimental for me. I don't
know whether to call it a spin-off or companion fic to 'White Rabbit'. The
original plot was in existence for some years before this, but I doubt I
would have started this without Domenika's encouragement, and the
inspiration provided by 'White Rabbit'. It's not been an easy fic to
write, but in the end, I'm glad I stuck with it.
Kicking And Screaming All
The Way Out To Pasture
(PG)
Nathan Summers
begins to realize just how little he likes the role of 'semi-retired
desk-jockey' . This series took on a new twist
when I realized that the older generation was just as fascinating in the
context of the world I'd created as my original characters were. They
would have their own challenges to face, and some, like Cable, would have
some serious adapting to
do.
Peacekeepers: Denver
1 2 3 4
(PG-13)
A seemingly ordinary day is shattered when a
terrorist group calling itself the Unity commits an atrocity of
unimaginable scope. This is the story behind the most pivotal event in
the Pantheon timeline's first twenty years. It sets the stage for 'Black
Knights', has major effects on a number of main characters, and its
'legacy' winds through the rest of the series, never very far from the
surface.
Peacekeepers: Remnant
Shadows
1 2 3 4 5
(PG-13)
When Forge gets in touch with the XSE with the
promise of valuable technology, Bishop dispatches Logan to Madripoor to
meet him and take custody of the blueprints, sending along Nicholas as a
telepathic bodyguard. Nicholas has to be one of my favorites among the
characters I created, and happened to be the first to get a 'solo' story
of his own, even if he did have to share it with his father.
Underworld
1 in progress...
(R)
Months after Denver, Clare and Zara visit a notorious
night club for psis, and certain truths finally come out into the open.
This story went through a number of incarnations. It started out
as 'the story about the leather chicks', then took on the title 'Sisters
Are Breaking It For Themselves'. It took seeing 'Moulin Rouge' for this to
settle into the form it eventually took. I'm sure that anyone who's seen
the movie will see the connection in this story.
Black Knights
1 in progress...
(PG-13)
A year after the Unity's attack on Denver, a group of
young XSE officers, led by Clare Summers, begin their own private war
against the terrorists. As I said in the introduction, this was
initially supposed to be a series of shorter stories, but I've turned it
into a single story, instead; I think it works better that way. This story
is essentially where the 'kids' really get to grow up.
Black Sheep by Cascade
(G)
Alison Guthrie, the younger of Sam and Dana's
children, contemplates her life on the eve of going to college. Alison
is a baseline human, no mutant powers whatsoever. She's also probably the
most likeable of all the 'kids'. :) Cascade has always had an amazing gift
for creating original characters, and she's shown no signs of losing
her touch with her second generation.
Stanford: Fresh Start by Cascade
1 in
progress...
(PG)
Sequel to Black Sheep. Alison begins her life at Stanford. She meets new
friends, but finds that her 'family history' follows her wherever she
goes. The only problem with this story is that Cascade isn't writing
it more quickly. Then again, I'm hardly one to complain about long delays
between parts, am I?
Water Music
(PG)
After her father's death, Clare reflects by the
water. Clare was 'speaking to me', the day that I wrote this. I wish
she'd do it more often.
What You Can Get by Cascade
(PG-13)
Nate and Clare get a little downtime after a mission, and Nate finds his mind dwelling on what he can't have.
Causality
1 2 3 4 5 6
(PG-13)
Under attack from the XSE for violations of the Cairo
Accords, Stefano DaCosta travels back in time to try and change history,
and a reluctant Nathan Guthrie is sent back to stop his old friend.
This was Cascade's birthday present for 2001, and it mostly definitely
got out of hand as I wrote it. It wasn't supposed to be a 300K
monster--but I still think it reads rather well, and it definitely lays
the groundwork for Pantheon stories yet to be
written.
As You Were
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Epilogue
(R)
The sequel to 'Causality'. Stefano DaCosta's attempt to alter the timeline have been stopped, but his actions have incalculable ripple effects in the here and now. Nate Guthrie, Clare Summers, and the rest of the XSE struggle to adapt as they find themselves facing a rapidly changing world. Yet another story that wasn't supposed to be nearly as big as it turned out. It wound up being a lot of things--a sequel to Causality (in the sense that it covers the aftermath), a very complex character piece, and a significant chunk of a couple of major plotlines for the series as a whole. In the end, I was very happy with it. :)
As I mentioned in my introduction to the Outsider's Arc, this was a series that I never intended to begin--at least, not yet. The ideas had been running through my mind for quite some time, but I never intended to do anything about them until I was done, or close to being done, the Outsider's Arc. After all, it would seem to make more sense to finish your first generation epic before you start your second.
Then I started to reflect on things. I'd never been afraid of tipping my hand in regards to future developments in the Outsider's Arc ('Epinikion' being a prime example), so that concern really didn't hold water. I also reminded myself that this was all supposed to be fun. If I wanted to write about the children of my current heroes and the world as it would be, why not do it? There were so many possible stories to be told, so much potential in the future world I'd envisioned. The events of the Outsider's Arc would be background, at best.
T here was also the matter of having a pack of very insistent original characters in my head, demanding to be written. I'd written a number of original characters before, mostly notably in the Outsider's Arc, but they'd always been in the background, secondary characters there for plot purposes. Designing a whole group of original main characters was something that wound up being a lot more intriguing - and challenging - than I'd ever imagined. I believe the only truly classic Mary-Sue trait any of them definitely have is that they're all more or less 'over-powered'. I've tried to make them all reasonably three-dimensional as I write, and they certainly possess a variety of personality flaws and assorted maladjustments...;)
Initially, I'd divided up Pantheon into three subseries; 'New Order', which was supposed to chronicle the characters' childhood; 'Peacekeepers', telling the story of their experiences as young XSE officers; and 'Black Knights', about the aftermath of the incident at Denver. At this point, I've largely abandoned the subseries idea, as I've had too many stories that don't really fit in any of those categories. I've even turned 'Black Knights' into a single multiparter, rather than a series of short stories. I've also started to write stories about the older generation, set during the Pantheon timeline (with many more of those in the works).
The Pantheon timeline 'begins' in 2005, overlapping initially with the end of the Outsider's Arc. The stories here range from that point up to 2041, and have an even greater range of style and tone. Fluffy comedic pieces co-exist with grim character studies, action-suspense, and alarmingly complex time-travel stories, so they all have separate ratings with perhaps a bigger range (G right up to R) than you might find in my other series.
I've listed the entire series as it appears on the Pantheon archive itself here, even the stories that I myself haven't written. This is partially to keep the series together, partially to get my fellow Pantheon-writers as much exposure as possible. :) I was never so happy as when Duey, Domenika, and Cascade decided to join me in playing in this 'universe', and I'm hoping to see more by them, as well as more by other writers, too, if I can just persuade some folks to join the fun. Cascade's had a particularly important contribution to this series, with the addition of Nathan and Alison Guthrie to the cast of characters.
As usual, if you read anything you like here, I'd love to hear about it. I've included Duey and Cascade's addresses after their stories for ease of feedbacking to them, as well. New Pantheon stories are liable to come out fairly regularly; the series has become a great deal of fun to write, and new ideas are almost always spilling over onto 'paper'.--Alicia