Earth-717: X-Men Vol 3
Chapter 4: Cyclops and His Amazing Friends
In the dead of the night, a cargo liner floated alone in the San Francisco Bay. This ship was the Czar, and was not scheduled to arrive or depart from any port in the area. Most people would not pay much attention to a single ship that was floating about, nor would most people even realize that it was out of place.
But Scott knew better.
Moving as quietly as he could, Scott pulled himself up the side of the ship on a grapple line. Once he reached the railing, he leaped over it and landed on his feet. Crouching close to the floor, he scanned his vision side to side, seeing a man near the far left end of the ship. He was patrolling, and had combat gear and an assault rifle.
Moving behind a nearby crate, Scott waited as the man leisurely strolled along the edge of the ship. When the man was in the right position, Scott pounced up and seized him from behind. Wrapping his arm around the man's neck, Scott squeezed hard as he dragged him to the floor. Scott then slammed the man's head against the railing, knocking him out.
Scott took a quick breath as he placed his finger against his ear.
"This is Cyclops. I'm in."
Bobby's voice filtered in through the ear piece.
"Want us to jump in?"
Scott looked over his shoulder.
"Not yet."
Amanda's voice was the next to filter in.
"Why not? You know it's him! This is the ship he escaped on last time. We've got him!"
"I know he's here," said Scott. "But I don't know how many defenders he has."
Scott pushed the guard over so that he could get a look at him from the front.
"Took down a guard. Looks like the same mercenary detail we ran into back in Peru. Sinister must be getting desperate if he's recycling hired help."
"Of course he is," said Bobby. "We're after him, SHIELD's after him. Hell, even Hydra's after him! He's gotta be feeling the heat."
"He'll be feeling it when I get my hands on him," said Amanda.
"Alright, quiet down, you two," said Scott. "Stay low for now. I'm going in. I'll let you know when I need you."
"Got it," said Bobby.
Bobby and Amanda were sitting inside of a small raft that was floating alongside the Czar. Scott had decided to go in first, since he was the most adept at infiltration and hand-to-hand combat without needing to rely on his powers. Bobby and Amanda both switched off their com links as they looked at each other.
While Bobby and Scott were both wearing their modified tactical uniforms based on their outfits from when they were members of the X-Men, Amanda was wearing her yellow bodysuit of her own design. It was specifically created to help her channel her powers. She also wore a set of orange goggles that complimented her long, red hair.
Amanda sighed as she looked to the side, clearly agitated at having to wait. Bobby looked over at her with concern.
"How you holding up?"
Amanda scowled.
"I can't take it," she said. "All this waiting. Chasing. To think we're so close . . . ."
Amanda looked back at Bobby.
"And to think how close we got last time. We had him, Bobby. We had him, we were this close, and he slipped away. He always gets away!"
Bobby shook his head.
"Not this time. He won't."
"You can't promise that."
Bobby was about to respond, but stopped himself and looked down. Amanda frowned and again looked to the side. The two stayed silent for a minute.
"Bobby?"
Bobby looked up at Amanda again. Her face was still turned to the side.
"Would you be willing to put him down? Even if he surrendered?"
Bobby took several seconds to think.
"I don't know," he finally said. "I . . . ."
"You shouldn't have to think about this," said Amanda, her tone growing angrier. "You know what he did. To me. To Scott. To Alex. How many other mutants had to suffer at his hands?!"
"I know, I know. I saw it. I saw the camp. I know what he's done. But . . . . you're talking about murder, Mandy."
Amanda narrowed her eyes.
"I'm talking about justice. About putting that animal in the ground where he belongs."
Amanda sighed as she placed a hand on her forehead.
"Every night, I relive it. The shocks. The needles. The . . . . the acid. All of it just to see what I could survive. No one should have to go through that. No one except him. When I finally catch up to that bastard, I'm gonna make him burn until he has no flesh left to melt."
Bobby gulped.
"Mandy, you're scaring me."
Amanda scoffed.
"You don't know what being scared is."
Back aboard the Czar, Scott continued to make his way towards the centre of the ship. He sneaked his way past a couple of guards, knowing that if he engaged multiple enemies at once, he would more than likely be detected. While Scott was just as much filled with contempt for Sinister as Amanda, he was also far more patient, and waited for the opportune moment before he entered the interior of the ship.
As Scott made his way towards the bridge of the ship, he thought about how long his hunt for Sinister had lasted. It had been nine months since he had left the Institute and abandoned the rest of the X-Men. While he frequently found his thoughts drifting back to Jean, he also could not allow his love for her to compromise his mission.
Every day, Scott reminded himself of how Xavier had betrayed his trust. Of how Xavier had purposefully infiltrated his mind and suppressed memories of his time as the Ruby Weapon, one of Sinister's most powerful slaves. Of how Sinister had then turned his younger brother, Alex, who Scott had long thought was dead, into the Sapphire Weapon.
Scott had only known the truth about Alex's predicament for mere minutes before he once again fell to his death, this time for good.
Ever since, Scott had been chasing Sinister, who had gone on the run after the destruction of the Genesis Camp. He and Bobby used data stolen from Sinister's hard drive to learn about secret bases that Sinister had around the globe, and they had started hitting them whenever they could. Within a few months, Scott and Bobby also learned that both SHIELD and Hydra were actively trying to capture Sinister, but Scott had promised himself that he would get to him first.
Then, only a month ago, aliens had invaded the planet. Scott and Bobby were in Europe at the time, heading for one of Sinister's last known hideouts in Greece. For five days, the entire world shut down. Then, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four repelled the invasion. When Scott and Bobby made it to the hideout, they met Amanda, who was also hunting for Sinister.
Amanda decided to join Scott's team. She too wanted revenge on Sinister for torturing her and experimenting on her for months on end. However, while Amanda made no secret about her desire to kill Sinister, Scott knew that he had to be the one to do it. He promised himself that no matter what, he would be the one to finally end Sinister's reign of terror. Permanently.
Scott placed his back against the wall near the door that led to the bridge. Focusing his concentration, he could hear the sound of someone speaking from the other side. Peering around the wall, he finally saw the man he was looking for. Sinister was there, and he was speaking via video call to a man whom Scott did not recognize.
"I was told I could speak to Cameron Hodge directly," said Sinister. "I will not be trifled with. Put him through, immediately!"
The man on the video turned to the side upon hearing someone's voice. He then bowed and stepped aside as a blonde man with glasses stepped into view.
"Doctor Essex."
"Mister Hodge."
"I apologize for my reticence," said Cameron. "It's becoming more difficult to know who to trust these days."
"Have I given you any reason to doubt me?" asked Sinister.
"Donald Pierce has gone missing, just like Madelyne Pryor. I believe someone is targeting us specifically, but I don't have any leads. I've had to step in to assume leadership of the Purifiers in Pierce's absence. I don't suppose you have heard about anyone who would be after us?"
Sinister shook his head and placed a hand on his chin.
"Not on my end."
"I think it will be safer if we confer in person. Come to my headquarters in Chicago. We'll talk more about your plan then."
"As you say, Mister Hodge."
The video call ended. Sinister then started typing on a terminal. Scott glared at Sinister from behind, knowing that this was his chance. Taking in a breath, he then placed his finger on the side of his visor, ready to take the shot.
"Intruder!"
Scott gasped as he looked to the side. A mercenary had just turned the corner and spotted him. The mercenary aimed his assault rifle, but Scott was too fast, switching targets and firing a shot at him. The shot was only powerful enough to stun the mercenary, knocking him to the floor. Scott then turned to the side to see Sinister grinning at him.
"Scott."
Sinister held his hand forward and fired an energy blast from it. Scott was struck straight in the chest, blasting him against the wall. Sinister then jammed his fist against a button on one of the bridge's control panels, activating the alarm. Bobby and Amanda both looked up before reactivating their com links.
"Scott!" yelled Bobby. "Scott! What's happening?!"
Scott jumped back to his feet despite the pain. He rushed into the bridge room, but Sinister had already fled and was heading for the forward part of the ship.
"He's here!" said Scott, as he gave chase. "He's headed for the bow! Get up here, now!"
"We're on it!"
Amanda boosted into the air, igniting herself. Bobby started to skate upwards, propelled by his ice powers. Scott leaped over a stairway railing and landed on the floor in the exterior section of the ship. Sinister had already sprinted a few dozen metres ahead of him, and multiple mercenaries now stood in Scott's path.
Scott fired a quick shot at one mercenary, blasting his rifle out of his hands. He then leaped forward, dodging a burst of bullets from another one. Landing an uppercut on the jaw of the first mercenary, Scott then quickly transitioned into a roundhouse kick to take down the second mercenary before he could retaliate.
By now, Amanda and Bobby were closing in, and were firing down at the other mercenaries with energy beams and ice blasts. Scott continued to chase after Sinister, before yelling out at him.
"SINISTER!"
Sinister stopped in his tracks, before turning around to face his pursuer. Scott fired a beam from his visor, but Sinister held up his hand and created an energy shield to absorb the blast. Scott and Sinister then stared at each other.
"Poor Scott. You've been chasing me for a long time. What do you think you'll gain from it?"
Scott fumed.
"Justice," replied Scott.
"Justice? For who? Your dear dead little brother? I took him in. I saved his life. I gave him purpose. You were the one who let him fall from that plane, Scott. And you were the one who dropped him from my ship. If you're looking for vengeance . . . . look in the mirror."
"SHUT UP!"
Scott screamed as he fired another energy beam, but this time, a humanoid form sprinted in front of Sinister to block the attack. The beam bounced off of a golden energy barrier that then faded. Scott blinked as he looked at the humanoid form that was now protecting Sinister.
"No . . . ."
The figure was a woman who was covered completely in a black bodysuit with synthetic implants. Modular, lightweight polymer armour lined the limbs, chest and back pieces. Her face was hidden behind the mask section, which had no discernible features aside from two thin, horizontal, rectangular glowing visors, which were parallel to each other.
Sinister laughed as Scott's jaw dropped.
"Allow me to introduce you to the newest member of the family," said Sinister. "This is Claudine Renko, otherwise known as . . . . the Topaz Weapon."
Sinister then looked at the Weapon.
"Deal with him."
The Weapon silently nodded before facing Scott. She then clenched her fists, causing swirls of yellow energy to form around her hands. She then sprinted towards Scott, and the swirls expanded to surround her entire body. Scott fired a sustained energy beam at the Weapon, but it was not powerful enough to break through her defensive field.
The Weapon punched forward with a charged fist, but Scott dodged to the side. Holding his fists together, he then swung and bashed them against her back. Grunting, the Weapon then backhanded Scott against the face as she turned around. She then fired an energy blast out of the side of her fist, but Scott managed to roll out of the way.
Seeing that Scott was in trouble, Bobby skated over towards him. He formed an ice shield in front of him as he charged directly towards the Weapon. She turned just in time to see the attack coming, and retaliated with a charged punch. The energy from the punch collided with the shield, smashing it to pieces.
"Bobby!"
Amanda boosted forward as Bobby fell to the floor, dazed because of the destruction of his shield. The Weapon was about to attack him again when Scott fired a beam at her back. The Weapon shrieked as Scott's beam seared the armour along her spine. In the moment that she was stunned, Amanda shoulder charged into her chest.
The Weapon tumbled backwards, crashing through a crate because of the force of Amanda's charge. Amanda then helped Bobby to his feet. The three young mutants then turned to face the Weapon as she got back up. Yelling in anger, she then slammed one of her fists against the floor, launching a pulse wave of golden energy.
Bobby threw both of his arms forward, and quickly created a massive ice barrier. Once again the barrier was shattered by the energy blast, but it still was large enough to absorb the pulse. Snarling, Amanda then flew towards the Weapon, firing beams from both hands. The Weapon deflected the beams with her energy field, before reaching out and seizing Amanda by the face.
"MANDY!" shouted Bobby.
The Weapon slammed Amanda against a nearby crate. Scott quickly glanced to the side, seeing that Sinister had taken the time to get on a smaller speedboat that was now preparing to leave.
"He's getting away!" said Scott.
Bobby ignored Scott, instead charging for the Weapon. He fired a sustained ice beam with both hands, striking the Weapon in the chest. The Weapon let go of Amanda as Bobby landed multiple punches on her face.
Scott fired a laser blast at Sinister's speedboat, but was then forced to retreat as multiple mercenaries returned fire with their assault rifles. Sinister chuckled to himself as he then pulled a detonator out of his pocket. He pressed the button, which caused explosive charges deep within the Czar to detonate.
Scott, Bobby and Amanda were all knocked off their feet and temporarily paralysed by the massive explosions that rocked the Czar's hull. The Weapon then silently disengaged from combat, performing a backflip that catapulted her dozens of metres into the air. She then landed on Sinister's getaway boat in a perfect three point pose.
Scott crawled to the edge of the ship, gritting his teeth as he watched Sinister escape. After half a minute of struggle, Scott pushed himself off the floor and made his way to Bobby and Amanda. Helping them to their feet, he then led the two of them to a lifeboat. The three young mutants managed to get away from the Czar as the flaming wreckage started to sink beneath the waves.
As Amanda snapped out of her daze, she then slapped Bobby across the face.
"Ow!"
"You idiot!" said Amanda. "Sinister was getting away! Scott said so, and instead, you went after me! Now we lost him. Again!"
Bobby raised an eyebrow.
"You're welcome for saving your life!"
"Saving my life isn't as important as ending his!"
Amanda then folded her arms across her chest. Bobby sighed and looked away from her. Scott did his best to stay calm.
"We didn't lose him," said Scott. "Not entirely."
"What do you mean?" asked Amanda.
"I know where he's going," answered Scott. "Chicago. To meet a guy named Cameron Hodge. Even if the meeting place changes, we still have that name. He's running low on allies and on places to hide. We find this Hodge guy, whoever he is . . . . and we'll find Sinister. And, the element of surprise will be gone. We know he has a new Weapon now, but even she won't be able to save him next time."