Cracks in the Ice
"It's been two weeks," Roberto grumbled. "Where the hell could they be?"
Both teams of the New Mutants had just finished a Danger Room session and were now getting a much needed snack in the kitchen. "Space is a pretty big place, Roberto," Sam reminded him. "Don't worry. They'll track down the Professor soon enough."
"That's what you said a week ago," Tabitha pointed out. "Maybe I should have snuck on board like Shipwreck did. I'm starting to get worried."
"If you had I never would have forgiven you," Amara pointed out.
"Neither would I," Sam told her. "We need you here."
"Need? What need? Things have been quieter than a church on Saturday night since they left," Tabitha grumbled. "What I wouldn't give for some action!"
"I'm with you," Tim nodded.
"Don't say things like that," Danielle told her friend. "You know with our luck things will start to happen."
"Speaking of making things happen," Starla swaggered over to Sam and playfully traced her finger on his face. "How about you and me have a little fun later Sammy?"
"How about you keep your slimy hands to yourself Glow Worm?" Tabitha slapped it away and stood between her and Starla.
"I'm going to go get the mail," Rahne rolled her eyes and left the room. "Not in the mood for this type of drama."
"Besides don't you have some toilets to clean or something?" Tabitha glared at Starla.
"Maybe later," Starla huffed.
"Maybe now," Logan walked in and motioned with his thumb. "Go on! Git!"
"Humph! Some people have no idea how to have a good time!" Starla walked off in a huff.
"Who does that bimbo think she is?" Tabitha fumed.
"Hold on, didn't you try to do the same thing to Kitty and Peter?" Ray asked.
"That was for revenge," Tabitha glared at Ray. "Totally different. Revenge I might add at something that was your fault in the first place!"
"If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut," Logan told Ray. "And walk away very slowly."
"Logan!" Rahne ran back into the room. She was angry. "Logan!"
"What is it kiddo?" Logan asked.
"It happened again!" Rahne said angrily.
"Where?" Logan growled and shot out his claws.
"When I went to get the mail…Right out in front…" Rahne told him.
"Fine, take a rest. X, Cannonball, Magma, Boom Boom, Berserker and Skullfire come with me!" Logan ordered. They went outside.
"Logan what's going on?" Amara asked.
"He did it again didn't he?" Rina snarled. "That's the third time this week!"
"What do you think?" Logan approached "I can smell that stench from here!"
"Who? What?" Tabitha asked. "What's going on?"
"What's been happening three times this week?" Sam asked. "Come on Logan we wanna know."
"Aiden," Rina growled.
"That creep that tried to seduce Rahne?" Tabitha's jaw dropped. "He's back?"
"Yeah," Logan growled as he pointed to the front gate. "It ain't because he can't get to a bathroom in time!"
"Gross then why…?" Tabitha wrinkled her nose.
"He's marking his territory isn't he?" Sam was getting worried.
"Son of a bitch is getting pretty bold," Logan growled. He took a sniff. "And he's not alone either."
"Two…three…Four more scents," Rina identified. She raised an eyebrow. "At least two of them are female."
"That didn't happen before," Logan thought. "Usually he was alone."
"What the hell is his game?" Ray was shocked.
"He's sending us a message," Logan growled.
"You think he's after Rahne again?" Sam asked.
"Could be but I think he's after something bigger," Logan growled. "I was afraid of this."
"Afraid of what?" Tim asked.
"I was hoping we'd have a little more time," Logan sighed. "Should have known the wolves would be watching us like a hawk."
"What does that mean?" Roberto asked.
"It means that somehow they know the Professor and rest of the team are gone," Sam explained. "That is not good."
"I have a feeling that they might not be the only ones who know this," Logan's eyes narrowed. "And they'll take advantage of the situation."
"We'll just have to keep watch for him," Sam said. "The next time he comes sniffing around will be his last."
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Half a world away, things were about to change, and not for the better. In the Mutant Detention center in an island called Madripoor the first explosive gambit in the Game was about to begin.
Madripoor was an island province of China. It was also a well known hideaway for thieves, murderers, pirates and the wretches of the earth. So naturally it was where the Chinese Government sent the most vicious and uncontrollable mutant prisoners. Those who refused to join the army or 'settle' peacefully in interment camps. It was well known in China that if a mutant did not behave, he was immediately sent straight to Madripoor, never to return. Some of them were former army 'volunteers' in genetic enabling experiments gone horribly wrong. Not to mention one or two dozen dissidents and criminals who had their X-genes forcibly activated.
What wasn't known was that many of the inmates purposely got themselves caught and sent there. There were over a hundred and thirteen very dangerous, very powerful mutants waiting for their chance.
Actually there were one hundred and fourteen mutants at the Madripoor Mutant Detention facility. One of them was a technopathic mutant pretending to be a guard. A mutant who could manipulate machinery to hide his own DNA signature from their sensors. A mutant just waiting until the time was right stationed in the control room of the Detention Center.
A mutant that had just received orders from Shinobi Shaw to begin.
It was easy for someone of his talents to create a minor fake disturbance to distract the guards. Then with one swift stroke he deactivated the mutant suppressor shields in the cells as well as deactivated the control collars many of the inmates wore.
He watched on the monitors the looks of horror from the guards as they saw the mutants emerging from their cells, taking off their collars and shackles. Mutants they had tormented for months, some years.
Mutants wanting revenge.
As the guards quickly fell to their captives the double agent also set free the locks to the main gate. Soon many mutants poured free ready to wreak havoc on the city nearby. Too late the only other person in the control room realized that he was with a mutant responsible with it. But the double agent's gun took care of that problem.
Then he called Shinobi on his cell phone. "Operation Trojan Horse is in Stage Two," He said proudly.
"Excellent work," Shinobi grinned. "Soon the entire island will be ours."
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"This is Randall Robertson reporting for CNN in Madripoor," The news reporter spoke. "Two hours ago a violent mutant uprising in Madripoor's Mutant Detention Center occurred. Officials are still trying to quell the violence which has already taken the lives of at least seventy…"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Some kind of explosion is going on!" Robertson shouted. "Take a shot over there! Oh my god the mutants are loose!"
Mutants were everywhere, all creating some kind of destruction. People fled in terror. And all this was being played on television live all over the world. The New Mutants and the Joes watched in horror at what was being played out halfway around the world.
"We gotta do something!" Sam shouted as they watched the destruction on CNN.
"No, we can't," Logan growled. "In the first place we're not nearly at full strength to tackle a problem like this. Second we wouldn't exactly be invited to go over there and help. And Madripoor's a pretty complicated place to begin with."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Technically Madripoor is a principality, even though it's part of China," Roadblock explained. "It's kind of like Hong Kong only a century ago the French and Chinese government put some slightly different wording in the treaty which meant that while Madripoor would remain under the general authority of China, it would also have a hereditary kingship in charge."
"Wait I thought the communists got rid of all the royal family when they took over in the fifties," Jubilee asked.
"One they didn't kill all of them, just stripped the remaining members of the family of their power and imprisoned those they could capture," Logan said. "And Madripoor was already a special case to begin with. You see according to ancient legend the first ruler of Madripoor was the bastard son of an Empress and one of her many lovers. Her first born son, the legitimate emperor knew he had to kill his brother in order to save face. However it seemed that he didn't have the heart to hurt his mother like that, he'd always been a mama's boy of sorts. He realized it would be easier for him to compete for his mother's affections with a live bastard than a dead memory. So he faked his brother's death and sent him into exile to the island of Madripoor, a place where they sent prisoners, pirates and slaves in order to get rid of them."
"A penal colony you mean?" Sam asked.
"Got it in one," Logan said. "The Emperor thought that his brother would die on the island. But instead the brother not only survived, he managed to overthrow the government and became the ruler of every pirate in that part of the Seven Seas."
"Whoa," Amara was impressed.
"And this Prince of Pirates had amassed a huge and powerful fleet," Logan continued the story. "So powerful they captured the Emperor of China himself. Fortunately the Prince didn't want to rule all of China. He rather liked the pirate life and had no intention of giving it up. And the Emperor wanted to save face as well as his butt and stay ruler of China. Then they figured out a way they could both get what they wanted."
"So what happened?" Danielle asked.
"In exchange for the Emperor's life and for keeping his mouth shut about their royal connection, the Prince was given absolute dominion over the island of Madripoor," Logan told them. "In addition the Prince's pirate fleet would also act as a secret navy for the Chinese government. They'd go on spy missions, raid islands and neighboring countries…"
"And they'd give or sell a lot of the spoils to the Emperor," Sam put it together. "Who could claim that the pirates were outlaws and not responsible for 'em."
"Got it in one," Logan nodded. "And the island has done this little service in exchange for it's freedoms ever since. Even when China was invaded by the West and later the Communists took over, all governments realized how valuable Madripoor's services really were. And they still use 'em to this day."
"Quite a nice little racket," Roberto scoffed. "Kind of like how SHIELD and the Government treats us. To them we're just tools."
"We are not tools!" Jubilee said defiantly.
"Oh please! The government doesn't let this school stay open out of the goodness of their hearts!" Roberto scoffed.
"I hate to say it but Sunspot as a point," Roadblock agreed.
"Then why doesn't the US want us to help stop this?" Sam asked. "Or have any of the military help stop this?"
"Because technically the US and Red China are on opposite sides of the fence," Logan explained. "And major competitors in the arms race, both machine and genetic…"
"But if their mutant army can't control the situation it would cause panic among all the other nations," Roadblock thought aloud. "Unless the US would claim that communism was at the root of all this mess."
"In other words America and all it's allies would take advantage of the chaos to cement their own positions of power," Warren said. "Whether they be pro or anti mutant."
"Mostly anti-mutant. I can just hear that nut Reverend Stryker now," Logan groaned. "Claiming it's God's will that the evil Commies are getting what they deserve at the hands of demon mutants. And then claiming that only God fearing Christian nations have a chance of combating this terrible evil."
"The FOH is going to have a field day over this," Jubilee groaned.
"Not just them," Logan grunted. "You know Magneto is still alive out there somewhere. Sooner or later he'll have his hands in that pot if he hasn't already."
"Not to mention the Hellfire Club and any other mutant faction out there," Warren said. "And all the other mutants all over the globe are going to see Madripoor as an act of defiance against the human race."
"And vice versa for the humans," Ray realized.
"And there's nothing we can do but wait," Roadblock told them.
"If I didn't know better I'd think this entire event was planned," Logan grumbled. "This could not have happened at a worse time for us, what with the X-Men and the Misfits off in outer space tracking down the Professor."
"I don't think anyone could have foreseen this, much less planned it," Danielle told them.
"Are you kidding?" Ray asked. "It was bound to happen sooner or later somewhere. The list of countries with anti-mutant laws and prison camps grows every week! It's no surprise some mutants other than Magneto would fight back."
"Turn on POX News Network," Low Light walked in. "Something's going down." He changed the channel.
"It appears that the army in Madripoor is all but destroyed even though the fighting continues," Hector Ramirez reported. "In fact it appears that the capital city is moments away from completely falling to the mutant uprising."
"This is not good," Logan growled.
"Wait…We're…We're getting something," Ramirez listened in on his headset. "As I said before…POX News has been granted an exclusive. We are being allowed to show the inside of the rebel's base in the Madripoor Royal Palace."
"They've taken the palace already?" Logan's jaw dropped. "I've been there. That place is a fortress! In the past it held off entire armies for years!"
"And the mutants just took it over in a few hours," Low Light whistled.
"Uh we are now being escorted into the capital," Hector Ramirez gulped as he and his cameramen were led inside the lavish building. There were dozens of mutants around them as well as the bodies of hundreds of soldiers being carried away. "I see someone, I believe he may be the leader of the rebels. Sir! Sir may I ask your name and what you plan to accomplish here?"
"You may call me…Factor One," The leader of Factor Three stood tall. He spoke in a cultured voice behind his mask. "I hide my face for it was hideously disfigured by a scientist years ago. A scientist that used me as a lab rat merely because I am a mutant. I would think my purpose is obvious. To free my people from their cruel oppressors and establish a haven for my kind."
He made a motion with his hands. A green skinned, scarred mutant brought forth several videotapes and DVD disks. "These are proof of only some of the atrocities that were done here at Madripoor. Some are too graphic for television understandably, but I wish your network to air as many as you deem fit. Especially parts of DVD 12. Then the world will truly understand why I have done what I must do."
Factor One snapped his fingers. A thin well dressed Chinese man with a weasel like face was dragged out by two mutants. Behind him were two young men and a timid looking young woman dressed in a beautiful red outfit, escorted by several more huge mutants.
"General Coy," Factor One spoke. "You have been charged and found guilty of crimes against mutant kind and humanity. Your crimes shall be paid for in blood, however…" He motioned to the young woman. "Your daughter is innocent of these crimes. She will be spared and treated according to her rank."
"I know that guy," Logan frowned as he watched the scene unfold. "That's the head crime lord of Madripoor. He runs the island. Fury's been after him for years."
"Not to mention a member of the so called royal family of Madripoor," Roadblock nodded. "That must be his sons and daughter."
"Your sons however will share your fate as they are also guilty of crimes against mutant kind," Factor One raised his hand. To everyone's horror he electrocuted all three men.
"Looks like Fury doesn't have to worry about him now," Low Light remarked.
"Smart move, killing off the sons and letting the daughter live," Logan growled. "Like in the early years of the Chinese Empire, the Madripoor family counted only on the bloodlines from the female side of the family."
"Female side? You mean girls were in charge?" Amara asked.
"No, the first born sons of the Empress were," Logan explained.
"Basically it was a system where the Emperor could sleep around as much as he wanted but didn't have to worry too much about any illegitimate kids trying to take over the throne," Low Light explained. "In theory anyway."
"Wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of forced marriage sooner or later," Cover Girl growled. "Giving this Factor One creep a legitimate clam to Madripoor's Throne."
"Oh boy…This is so not good," Sam shook his head. "And I got a sinking feeling it's going to get worse!"
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After speaking a bit more with Ramirez Factor One allowed him and his camera crew to leave. Then he went into a private chamber. "Everything has gone according to plan my lord," Shinobi Shaw emerged from the shadows, speaking Mandarin.
"Congratulations Shinobi, not only have you established a base of operations but you have given me the island of Madripoor. I think ten thousand points is an appropriate number don't you think?" Factor One asked. (Both were speaking Mandarin)
"Very well my lord," Shinobi bowed. "That is more than generous. But I will not rest on my laurels."
"An admirable attitude," Factor One nodded. "But there is something else on your mind. You may speak freely."
"Only a minor question my lord. Why have you revealed yourself?" Shinobi asked. "Is it not better to stay in the shadows like we have always done?"
"Even shadows need light to exist every now and then," Factor One told him. "Besides, I'm tired of rank amateurs like Magneto and Apocalypse taking all the credit. Did you wish to have the spotlight for yourself?"
"Of course not," Shinobi shook his head. "The Black King must always appear to be within the law while at the same time subverting it. If people see me here it would compromise my position. I will gladly stay in the shadows until you wish otherwise."
"Well said, and now I have another question for you. Why here when it would have been far easier to stage a revolution in Genosha?" Factor One asked.
"Our operations in Genosha are too important to be exposed at this time," Shinobi spoke. "Plus Genosha is too isolated for our purposes."
"Yes a conflict with Mainland China is far more dramatic," Factor One nodded. "Soon Shinobi, this sinful world will be changed and purged. And everyone will know that the mutant race will be the true masters of this world."
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Back at the Xavier Institute. "This is nuts," Warren said shutting off the television. "Who was that guy?"
"I've never heard of him," Logan shook his head. "Figures, we spend all our time worrying about Apocalypse and Magneto and then some nut case we have never heard of shows up!"
"China is not gonna give up Madripoor without a fight," Roadblock said. "The end of this battle is nowhere near in sight."
"For us too," Logan sighed. "You thought things were tense before when Apocalypse first showed his ugly mug to the world? It's gonna get ten times worse."
"And all he did was activate a few pyramids and let a few things explode to make people get riled up," Low Light growled. "Now that mutants have taken over an entire island by force…"
"The whole world is gonna explode," Warren put it together.
I played around with Madripoor's history a little bit. Hope you like. You'll see a bit of Genosha too but not much in this fic! Next things are really going to go from bad to worse! How much worse? Wait and see!
