Chapter 11: The Coils of the Snake
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters or logos.
The group remained silent for several minutes as they waited for their leader to begin. While Wolverine and X-23 appeared unfazed by this sudden change of subject, although the girl seemed slightly rattled by the decision she had made. Kitty Pryde shifted uneasily alongside Nightcrawler, while Rogue's empty stare became more focused as she prepared to listen to what the Professor had to say. The adults in the room seemed to have to be more composed in comparison to their younger counterparts, but still somewhat anxious seeing how the recent findings from their missions had yet to be fully discussed.
"Now then, I would like to call attention to the several problems that we may be faced with in the future. Every single one of us must be prepared for what may happen, in case the day comes when we are faced with the worst possible outcome." Charles Xavier explained carefully.
Beast leaned forward slightly in his chair, his fur covered hands resting against each other. "I am not entirely sure what your reasoning is, but I would assume that all of these recent issues we have faced may have influenced your thoughts concerning this particular subject."
"I am in complete agreement with Hank." Storm turned towards their superior with a stern expression. "It would probably be good wise for the rest of us to discuss recent findings before we continue, seeing how those of us who were present last night have yet to fully divulge the series of unfortunate events that took place before we returned to the institute."
Shadowcat shrugged with a look of concern. "He's got a pretty good point if you ask me, but nobody's bothered to tell the rest of us what's going on."
"Not to mention that you left me and Rogue alone with those crazies last night." Kurt added with a pained expression. He paused to let out a groan, lightly rubbing his side with a three-fingered hand. "Ugh… I'm still feeling the affects of that indoor mutant football game."
Rogue let out an unladylike snort as she ran a pale hand through her two-colored hair. "Tell me about it. Who do ya'll think damaged the chandelier in the dining hall? Sure in heck wasn't either of us, that much I can say for sure."
The Professor raised an eyebrow in response. "We I suppose that their little game might explain the reason why that statue in the foyer is missing an arm, but for now I digress. At the moment it would probably be a better idea if we return to our previous discussion."
Nightcrawler glanced around the room, silently observing the others for a moment as he remembered something rather important he had been dying to ask for while now. "Speaking of which, why exactly did you leave Scott and Jean in New York last night?"
"You said that Magneto was seen recently, but after last night I've been wondering if there's anything else going on that the rest of us don't know about." Kitty replied with a look of curiosity.
X-23 seemed to notice this exchange, but honestly enough the business they were discussing was of little importance to her, and she had decided to listen mostly out of courtesy for the people who had offered her a place to stay. Wolverine leaned against the wall and folded his arms as he listened to the conversation. He cast a look of interest at their leader, who seemed to notice the gesture almost immediately. Although he was actively listening to the words of his students, the bald telepath gave his old friend a small nod in acknowledgement before turning his head to face the larger group.
The Professor observed his team from behind his desk, waiting a few moments for the commotion to die down before addressing the situation. All eyes slowly moved back towards him as the several smaller discussions began to die down, allowing him to speak to them once more. He raised a hand to silence the students, all of which seemed relatively eager to learn the full details of the previous day's events. Even Rogue, who normally showed very little care for such trivialities, had partaken in the meeting tonight.
"We intend to share these details now that most of us are present." Xavier replied solemnly, his eyes scanning the room quickly to make sure that no one would interrupt. "As the majority of you are already aware, our team departed to investigate the situation in Manhattan after Magneto and his Acolytes were sighted in the general vicinity. We were also searching for signs of Logan since he had yet to return from his own mission, but along the way we encountered some unforeseen complications."
"Unfortunately that's probably the understatement of the century!" Wolverine sneered with an unpleasant grimace.
His response earned a small nod from his superior. "He was searching for X-23 at the time, but due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her past, such troubles were not entirely unexpected from the beginning." The telepath explained. "The HYDRA organization that originally created X-23 is still at large, and thus they sent others to enact their ambitions to recapture her."
The Goth sitting across the room sat a little straighter in her seat. "So, what exactly happened out there?" Rogue questioned.
"Did these HYDRA people do some damage?" Kurt chimed in nervously.
Logan unfolded his arms, allowing them to hang loosely by his sides. "Unfortunately it wasn't exactly that simple. He answered in a gravely tone. "As it turns out, the organization hired some criminals from New York to do their dirty work, and unfortunately for us they were a lot tougher then even I had expected from some."
Kitty Pryde placed one leg over the other and leaned back so that she was in a more relaxed position. "Well it couldn't have been so bad if you guys all made it back in one piece. I mean, we've been through quite a lot over the last few years, so it doesn't seem so surprising that you ran into some trouble during the mission."
X-23 gave her a fierce glare, eliciting earning a defensive look from the intangible mutant. "They are not to be taken lightly, nor is the threat that they pose to anyone foolish enough to defy them." She spoke aggressively.
"All things considered I got a feeling that this is gonna get a lot worse." Wolverine interjected in a calmer tone. He paused for a moment, scratching the side of his head carefully. "The truth is that we barely made it through that mess alive, and it wasn't even the HYDRA guys that did most of the damage."
Charles Xavier added in a firm nod. "From what Logan was able to tell me upon our immediate return, I believe that we may have made another enemy."
"So now we have to deal with Magneto and these HYDRA guys too?" Kurt looked as though he was afraid of the answer, but did his best to hide his discomfort.
Logan folded his arms with a bitter expression. "I'm not gonna lie to you, elf… The guy that the Supreme Hydra employed is the boss of his own criminal empire. From what little I was able to find out, most people in the underground know him as the Kingpin. To make things worse, he looked royally pissed when we put an end to their little business deal, and he's also the reason why the ice-twerp wasn't able to train today."
The three students present looked as though they had just been splashed in the face with a bucket of cold water, but Rogue was the first to recover, although she seemed more annoyed than scared by the prospect. The pale girl sunk down in her seat, her expression turning sour as she imagined what kind of trouble they were bound to run into. Having been used like a puppet during the Apocalypse incident months ago, she felt as though someone violated her in a number of unimaginably horrible ways. If her powers hadn't made her miserable enough, people had even gone as far as to use her as a tool, thus the reason why she held such a powerful grudge against her adoptive mother, Mystique.
Nightcrawler shook his head worriedly. "Oh man, that sounds pretty rough even for someone as energetic as Bobby."
"It's not the I don't feel bad for the kid, but since he acts like such an immature clod all the time, something like that was bound to happen eventually." Rogue commented.
The Professor folded his hands and inclined his head slightly. "For the time being we can only hope that he learns from this experience. Since he managed to survive this experience with little more than a few broken bones, the rest of us should be grateful that it was not worse."
"Right now I'm more worried about what the bad guys are up too, and then there's Magneto floating around doing who knows what? We've got a lot of enemies right now, and any one of them could cause us some major headaches if we don't plan for the possibilities." Wolverine added with a grimace.
Beast rested his hands in his lap with a calm expression. "For the time being I believe that we should focus on finding out what Magneto is up too. We don't know if or when our other enemies will emerge, but we have some solid leads that our old friend is up to something. In this particular case it would probably be a better idea if we wait until Scott, Jean, and Remy return with more evidence."
"Although we were not able to establish direct contact with him earlier, Warren has agreed to help in any way that he can." Professor Xavier replied with a knowing expression. "Considering that one of our new enemies appears to control the New York underground, I do not believe that we have seen the last of him."
"I have faith in them." Storm replied with a strong yet almost motherly expression.
Professor Xavier nodded in agreement. "As do I, but the stories I have been reading about the crimes in Manhattan are deeply disturbing. Our former students have proven themselves many times, but I still fear that this investigation into Magneto's actions may become more dangerous if they choose to involve themselves in matters beyond this scope."
The dark-skinned weather witch let out a small breath. "I agree with the others… We should be more concerned about what exactly Magneto is up to in such a crowded city, and why he stole that artifact from the museum. That newspaper article detailing the theft shows that he only made off with a single item, leaving all of the other valuables untouched."
"As expected he has very little interest in riches, but after the Apocalypse incident I would not be so sure his actions are motivated by greed. From what we have learned from X-23, it appears that one of motives is to gather more mutants to his cause." The bald telepath paused to take a breath before turned towards the girl. "If you would please explain your encounter with him firsthand, the rest of us will now listen."
X-23 hesitated for a moment before beginning. "I was on the run from HYDRA in the wilds when he approached me. It was surprising that he was able to come so close without my detection, but when I attempted to defend myself, he used his magnetic powers to control my adamantine skeleton. From what he said to me, I am certain that this man knew about my situation and was using this knowledge to tempt me into joining some kind of group."
Her male counterpart let out a low scowl. "That bastard… It's just like him to prey on the weaknesses of others to get what he wants. No doubt he wanted you to be his new stooge after Gambit few the coop and he lost his leverage over Colossus."
"Whatever the reason was, he offered me protection and claimed that there were others he had recruited to his cause." She replied with a look of indifference. "It might have sounded interesting to someone else, but to me it seemed more like he was trying to use me just like HYDRA did. I refused his offer and left without saying much else, making certain to place several miles between us before settling down for the night."
No sooner had she finished that an awkward silence fell over the room, creating a sense of unease for the room's occupants. Those who new Magneto's methods were exceptionally worried by this new bit of news, but they seemed as if they were too busy considering the possibilities to address the issue with the group right away. X-23 noticed the sense of discomfort radiating from her new teammates, but since she did not know this enemy well, any opinions she had would probably be of little help to the others.
Hank McCoy frowned as he turned to face their leader. "It is obvious that he's trying to rebuild his ranks, but I am more concerned as to how many mutants Magneto has managed to recruit at this point. With the growing animosity towards our species, there are bound to be many who will flock to his side if given the offer."
"Which is why we should be prepared." Wolverine cut in suddenly.
"From what we know so far, some of his old followers have already returned and are actively pursuing his goals, whatever they may be…" The Professor explained solemnly. "Logan encountered Sabertooth during his mission, and the article describes multiple metal pods departing from the scene of the heist. Judging by these factors alone, my guess would be that he has already gathered a handful of followers."
"I am more curious to know how many of these mutants are familiar to us, and how many are new to his cause." Storm replied with a look of concern.
X-23 scowled in a manner reminiscent of her counterpart. "Who exactly is this man anyway, and why does he want to recruit mutants?"
"It's a much longer story then I'd care to tell, but that's neither here nor there." Logan let out a small sigh, cracking his wrists as he allowed the thoughts to linger for a moment. "Right now all you really need to know is that the guy you ran into is some kind of extremist bent on uniting all mutants under his beliefs. I'm sure Chuck could give you some more specifics."
The Professor gave her a small nod of acknowledgement as their newest member turned to face him. " Logan speaks the truth… Magnus was once a dear friend, but his past experiences made him bitter and angry at the world. He believes that mankind will eventually attempt to destroy our kind, and has worked hard to gather followers for this reason. He sees war as the inevitable outcome of our struggles, and will stop at nothing to prepare for this day."
The volatile mutant paused as she processed his words, but she despite her earlier silence, she was developing a sense of curiosity surrounding the subject. She did not know exactly where these feelings came from, be they a newly developed concern for her allies or simply her habit of gathering information about enemies, but at the very least X-23 knew that she was not finished asking questions yet.
"I may have accessed your profile while infiltrating SHIELD headquarters, but before you say anything else I want to ask you something." She took a step towards the telepath's desk, but despite the sudden action there was no hostility in her tone when she spoke. "What did you desire in opening this school, and what do you hope to achieve through teaching mutants how to use their powers?"
Charles Xavier surveyed the troubled youth as the two mutants made eye contact, a knowing expression appearing on his solemn face as he remembered Logan asking him the same thing once. "I understand your question, but there are many reasons as to why I founded this school for gifted youngsters, and explaining every single defining experience would take some time. The basic reason I decided to start this school is to train young mutants to use their abilities for the greater good, and stand up to those who would wish to perform evil deeds."
"That's about what I thought you would say, but you seem to care for those that you've never even met. Why?" the Weapon X mutant interrogated aggressively.
The telepath looked as though he was about to speak again, but Storm turned to face the child instead. "If you doubt his sincerity, then I suggest you do not judge others based on your own perceptions of mankind. Were it not for the help Charles provided me when I was young, there is a chance I may not be alive today."
X-23 backed down with a less aggressive expression as she struck a pose similar to Wolverine, her arms crossing in front of her chest as she leaned against the opposite wall. Judging by their reactions, words, and mannerisms, she had very little doubt that their intentions of her new teammates were pure. Being raised as a weapon, she was largely unfamiliar with such feelings for fellowship and companionship, but however little she understood, the young mutant made a vow to herself that she would one day comprehend the broad spectrum of emotions that come so naturally to most ordinary people.
As another silence fell, Storm's thoughts returned to the day she had first met the Professor all those years ago. Closing her eyes her thoughts regressed to the day, and for the moment she saw herself as she once was. A child stood before an intimidating man with sinister eyes, his evil expression turning to fury as he scorned the small number of valuables she had given him in exchange for shelter and food. He advanced towards her menacingly as fear gushed through her body, but her shoulders relaxed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned just in time to see the face of a younger Charles Xavier.
The Professor addressed her as though the conversation had not paused. "So, I believe that you mentioned something about what kinds of followers Magneto may have gathered by now."
"O-of course it will be of concern to us." Her mind raced as she shifted these memories aside and brought her focus back to the present. "It is obvious from the testimonials in the Daily Bugle that someone different may be among he Acolytes."
Logan's head perked up as his attention shifted back to the conversation. "Really now… What exactly did the witnesses have to say?"
"Not very much." Storm replied quickly. "The journalists interviewed the security guards that were on duty that night, but the security system had been compromised and to make matters worse the power supply had been cut off. All they remember was feeling as though someone was draining the energy out of them, and then they lost consciousness."
"I do not believe that any known follower of Magneto has that kind of ability. It may very well have been someone entirely new to his team of dangerous renegades." Beast deduced immediately.
Wolverine looked around grumpily. "If they were crazy enough to go along with him, then they're just punks."
"I am not so sure if that is the case, because many mutants fear their powers and are afraid of what others will think as a response." The Professor folded his hands calmly, although those who knew him best could see a glimmer of unease behind his eyes. "Magnus has a way of convincing people to fight back, especially those mutant whose powers have been exploited in some way by others. Many of our kind have tragic pasts, which can be easily exploited an extremist offering them the promise of justice."
Kitty's shoulder slumped as she recalled her own experiences. "Looking back, I remember how afraid I was when my powers first manifested. Lance convinced me to do some shifty things, saying he understood how I felt and was just trying to help." She looked around at the others and smiled. "I'm glad you guys were there to help me though that time."
Logan snorted as he thought about the young former villains. "If you're asking me, those goons from the Brotherhood were just a bunch of saps being used by Magneto. They haven't caused any trouble since that time they played hero a few months ago."
"They were never truly evil, just misguided by the adults around them." Beast explained. "I daresay, some of them might have joined us if the circumstances had been different. I am sure that Kitty would agree based on some past experiences."
The intangible mutant gave him a small nod, although her blank expression seemed to waver for a moment. "It's kind of… complicated." She answered cautiously.
Professor Xavier noticed her discomfort, although he already knew that she had been involved in an on and off relationship with Avalanche in the past. It did not look as though she had placed the experience behind her completely. It was true that he would never pry into such a personal subject using his powers or otherwise, but ever since the Apocalypse incident, he had heard that she was staying up late talking on the phone again. He believed it was good to see that tensions between mutants were beginning to drop, and hopefully things would only become better. Unfortunately, based on recent revelations he had a feeling that things were about to become even more complicated then before.
"Perhaps it would be better to return to the main subject of this meeting." Squaring his shoulders evenly, the telepath sat up a little straighter in his seat, his face twisting into a small frown. "Unfortunately for the time being we can only wait for the enemy to make a move, and we have yet to hear back from Scott and Jean. I suggest that until new developments are made we will continue with business as usual."
Wolverine let out a small groan reminiscent of a sneer. "We can't just ignore these problems, considering after that hell back in New York made things even worse. I say we send more teams out in the field searching for clues."
"While I do agree that these problems cannot be ignored, I do not believe that it is necessary for us to send out more teams just yet." The Professor explained to him. "I have faith in the abilities, and so should you considering that you personally instructed them when they were students here."
"Furthermore, sending more groups in right now might draw attention from possible enemies, which would only exacerbate the problem." Beast commented sagely.
"All right, all right, you've made your point. Excuse me for being worried about those kids, but something tells me that the mission won't be the only thing on their minds." The feral mutant crackled his knuckles with a defeated expression. "Also I've been hearing some pretty nasty stuff about Manhattan in the criminal underworld. They say that there's some kind of crazy gang war going on right now in New York."
Storm raised an eyebrow. "Considering what we have faced in the past, I don't think that common criminals could possibly cause Cyclops and Jean very much trouble."
Logan cast her a glum expression. "Criminals maybe, but common, not so much. The way I hear it, a lot of them are superhuman freaks with some really crazy technology."
Professor Xavier nodded gravely. "I too am also aware of these stories through reading the Daily Bugle, and Warren has also told me some interesting things seeing how he has fought crime in the city as Angel. This Kingpin you mentioned earlier may very well be one of the criminals vying for power in Manhattan."
"We trained them to help people, but the last thing the X-Men need to do right now is get involved in that messed up gang war. I just hope those kids know what they're doing." Wolverine answered with a glum expression.
"They are not kids… at least, not anymore." The telepath replied with a knowing expression. He paused for a moment before looking towards the room's other occupants. "For now this meeting is adjourned. As soon as there are some new developments, I will be sure to alert the rest of you, but for now I suggest we all continue going about our business."
A murmur of agreement swept throughout the room as they stood up from their seats, the group mumbling their formalities as they left through the double doors and into the halls. The mob slowly split as they headed off towards their individual rooms, X-23 and Wolverine heading off towards the other side of the building to her guest chamber while the others went off to the student rooms to get ready for dinner. Logan spared a glance down at his female counterpart, but when she said nothing he decided that it was better not to force conversation. Charles was bound to obtain some false documents to hide her presence from prying eyes, but it made him wonder how exactly she would react.
Meanwhile
Scott Summers looked around nervously as he swallowed the last bite of his lunch, using his hand to push the remaining dishes aside. His girlfriend sat across from him with a neutral expression as she copied his action, the couple having finished their meal. They had stopped at a local restaurant somewhere in Queens to have dinner before finding a hotel to stay the night. Cyclops drained the remnants of his drink with a satisfied expression, silently watching her through the tint of his ruby-quartz glasses.
"So Jean, what do you think of New York so far?" he asked casually.
The redhead cast him a playful look as she considered him. "You know, the Professor didn't let us stay here so we could enjoy ourselves. We have a mission to accomplish, not to mention that Angel said he would meet us tomorrow morning." She replied, setting her own glass down with a light thud.
Cyclops shrugged cheerfully. "You do realize that we can do both right now. Since it's getting late I think we should find a place to stay for the night, then meet up with Warren later. I hear that this city can be pretty dangerous after dark, even outside of the red light districts."
"After those robots attacked us in the woods, I believe that anything's possible in a place like this. The Professor also gave us some warnings before we even came out here, although admittedly I wasn't quite certain that he was telling the truth until recently." Jean answered.
A waitress placed the bill on the table as she swept through the dining room, giving them a formal smile before heading back to the kitchen. Scott watched her leave with a bored expression before turning back to his girlfriend who merely snickered in response to his brooding visage. The two sat back in their seats and enjoyed the atmosphere for several minutes until it came time to leave. Cyclops reached into his pocket and placed a few bills on the table, only to find that she had already done the same.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it this time." He replied with a friendly smile.
She gave him a playful expression before flicking his hand away with hers. "Like I said once before, a woman doesn't always need a man to take care of things."
Cyclops rubbed the back of his head carefully with an awkward expression as he thought about the time the girls started the Bayville Sirens. "Actually I was offering because you paid the last time. After that fiasco last year I decided you were guys were right about a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I can't do my share too."
The redhead smiled and put her own money away. "If you and Kurt hadn't stepped in there's a chance we might not have been so lucky back there. And come to think of it I actually did pay the last time we went out."
Scott reached out and placed his hand over hers as he used his remaining hand to place the money on the table. The two exchanged glances before rising with their fingers intertwined. They cast loving expression towards each other and headed for the exit, exiting out into the streets moments later. Several people passed by as they walked through the parking lot, but no one seemed to pay them any mind. It was a pleasant change for them, especially in comparison to Bayville where they were feared and despised by the general population. Spyke's extremist actions hadn't helped their political standing, even though he was only protecting other mutants from hate crimes and persecution.
They opened the doors to the X-Van and started the car, heading out into the streets once they were both safely buckled. Cyclops took the exit leading to Manhattan when it came up. Several more minutes passed as they looked for a hotel in the general vicinity. As they entered the business district, several large buildings loomed overhead, blocking the setting sun as the orange light gave way to the evening dusk. For a while they enjoyed the piece and tranquility, but several other cars zoomed past them at alarming speeds, quickly ruining the moment.
"Did you see those jerks?" Jean asked, staring incredulously at the man beside her. "Whoever they were, they must have been driving at least one hundred miles an hour."
Cyclops spared a glance at his side mirror, his eyes catching sight of a pair of cop cars following the same path as they zoomed by. "Looks like there's a police chase going on." He mused to himself before turning to his girlfriend. "Considering where we are right now, it's really not all that surprising. Just another day in the city that never sleeps, I guess…"
They returned to the matter at hand, discussing their options and going over the different hotels in the area. The couple had different thoughts on the subject, but both had agreed that the best option was staying someplace where the accommodations were simple yet comfortable. Jean gave the brochure she had found a small flick before tucking the paper into the handle of the door, her expression calm and casual. They had decided not to take advantage of the professor's generosity, or stress their own budget, by accepting a standard inn over a five-star hotel.
The red-haired telepath relaxed as the GPS directed them to their desired destination, but a loud rumbling in the distance caught her attention from the virtual roadmap. Looking out the window she saw a large column of smoke rising up from the distance, followed by several screams of terror and a loud series of crashes. She looked positively mortified considering how clearly they could hear the screams even from this distance, but a glance to her left told her that Scott was much less than bothered by the sudden string of events.
"Well aren't you going to say something?" she asked with a scolding expression.
"Crazy stuff always happens on the big city. It's probably just a fire, and the professor told us to be inconspicuous while carrying out this investigation." He glanced over at her with a worried expression, but shrugged nonetheless. "I know it's hard to ignore a crisis, but heroics would probably make our job harder, and right now the mission is our number one priority."
Jean paused for a few seconds to consider his words, but just when she looked as though she were ready to cooperate, a large object came flying through the air, landing with an explosive crash onto the street in front of them. Scott floored the brake pedal with his foot seconds before smashing into the smoking debris, taking a moment to straighten his ruby-quartz glasses as he observed the wreckage in the middle of the road. The couple shared a collective gasp as they realized that the obstruction was a truck, lying upside-down in a crumpled mess as if someone had picked up and thrown the vehicle into the air.
The female psychic found her voice a moment later, her eyes widening slightly as she pieced the scenario together in her mind. "Did you see that? That car came flying through the air from over there!" She pointed towards the smoking buildings a considerable distance away. "Are you still sure it's just a fire?"
"I guess not…" Cyclops admitted with a serious expression. "In any case, it might be in our best interest to check this out in case the situation provides some clues to our own case."
She nodded quickly. "All right, let's go!"
Scott glanced back to make sure the road was clear before backing away from the smoking vehicle, cautiously inching the X-Van around it as if the opposing car was going to explode at any moment. Once they were safely beyond the wreckage, he drove down the route heading in the general direction of the police sirens and smoke. Although he was not overly familiar with the city, he recognized a few roads from his Christmas trip to New York with Rogue, the same mission that had introduced them to Angel. Several minutes later, they began to see people fleeing the vicinity in their vehicles and on foot, but a horrifying sight greeted them as they drove onto the scene.
Large sections of the street had been smashed due recent circumstances, many of the buildings broken or missing walls, and the debris scattered around the square indicating that establishments had been completely leveled. Several police cruisers had been toppled in much the same manner as the one they had seen a few miles east, but if that weren't enough there were several officers lying unconscious on the ground, some of which were bleeding profusely as several of their colleagues loaded them into an ambulance. More officers sat in wait behind a small group of vehicles across the square, all of which were crouched with their guns at the ready as they watched the door of the store.
The two mutants exchanged understanding glances as they stopped the X-Van a considerable distance from where the police were standing guard, hoping that they would be able to leave the area unseen on the off chance that they were not needed. Scott withdrew a small yellow visor from the van's glove compartment, exchanging it for his sunglasses with a lightning fast movement. "Just in case…" he added hastily as Jean noticed his action.
Unfortunately this notion was shattered instantly as the door of the store flew off of its hinges, sending showers to glass and metal splintering in different directions. Although they had been through a lot in the last few years, the red-haired telepath couldn't help but let a small gasp escape her lips as she caught sight of the person responsible.
An incredibly large figure emerged from the broken entry, his unnaturally large frame easily filling the exceptionally large entry where the double doors had been moments before. His form was covered with what appeared to be some kind of thick gray armor, which seemed to be a part of his body than anything else, but the most intriguing thing about his appearance was the large black horn protruding from the area above his head. His face was still human in appearance, but the man's features were alive with satisfaction, and a large bag of valuables was grasped tightly in his hand.
"What is that thing?" Jean replied with a slightly baffled look.
Her boyfriend shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me, but from the looks of what happened her it seems we might be forced to step in."
The female mutant paused again to watch through the windshield of the van as the law enforcers poured on a shower of bullets at the thuggish monster, but the assault seemed to annoy their target at best. The beastly man let out a savage roar as he dropped his stolen goods, instead seizing a nearby car and throwing it at the squadron of police that had targeted him, causing the police to scattered in fear. Having seen enough, Scott Summers bust from the door of the X-Van and used a focused beam of energy to divert the flying vehicle's path into an unoccupied sidewalk. Jean also vacated the van, a serious expression engulfing her pretty features.
It only took a moment for the villain to notice them standing where the beam had come from, eliciting a scream of outrage from him. "Little brats! Who do you think you are, messing with the Rhino's business?"
Despite being clearly outsized by the animalistic villain, the two mutants stood their ground. "I don't know who you are, but when you put innocent people in danger it makes it our business." Scott stared down his enemy.
"You're awfully annoying for a guy who's about to be mashed into paste." The villain laughed.
Rhino ripped streetlight from the ground with an effortless flare, and threw it at the two mutants, but Jean focused her powers on the light in time to stop it from hitting them. She relaxed for a moment as if breathing a sigh of relief, but the villain had only used the first attack as a distraction and was now bounding towards them with surprising speed for an enemy of his size. Her boyfriend shot a blast at the armored villain, but if it caused him any pain the beastly man ignored it.
Cyclops dove to the side, but due to the sheer vastness of the enemy he was unable to move fast enough. Fearing for his life, Jean pulled him into the air and out of the enemy's reach, confusing their opponent for a second or two. The Rhino was unable to stop his charge and instead crashed headfirst in the X-Van, pushing over the armored vehicle with a single stroke. He struggled for a moment to remove his horn from the side of the van, tossing it at them once he was free. Scott countered with another blast from his visor to shift the path of the vehicle away from them, but seeing that it was about to crush an arriving police car prompted his girlfriend to stop it with her telekinetic abilities.
"I see you guys got some powers too… Maybe this won't be so boring after all." The gargantuan villain scoffed.
"What are you anyway, some kind of mutant?" Jean asked as she set her boyfriend down several meters away.
Rhino ignored the comment with oblivious indifference. "Enough talking, now you both die!" he screamed boisterously.
Cyclops focused a much stronger blast than before at the much larger man, this time managing to do some damage. The heavyweight villain fell backwards with a crash as he landed on top of fire hydrant, the gushing water scattering against his mighty form as he shrugged off the attack. He took a defensive stance as he braced himself for the attack as several subsequent blasts bounced off of his arm and torso, a look of pure rage reaching his eyes as he felt stabs of pain through his supposedly impenetrable hide.
The villain charged again, but was repelled from harming Scott by a telekinetic blast produced by the woman floating above the battlefield. Although not the brightest bulb in the box, the Rhino quickly grew annoyed with her interference and changed tactics. Cyclops shot more blast at his enemy's back as the beastly man turned to engage Jean, but was forced to dive sideways to avoid a car door that had been thrown at his head. Once he was clear, the armored giant began lobbing handfuls of broken asphalt, metal tubes and other debris at the psychic. While she managed to halt most of them, the Rhino leapt into the air under the cover of his manufactured barrage in an attempt to swat her out of the sky like a bug.
She was too late to repel him, but before he could strike, she was seized in midair and taken to safety. The redhead looked up at her savior as they landed safely on a nearby rooftop, quickly noting his masked red and blue outfit and some strange type of rope-like material coming from his hand. Although initially bemused by his strange appearance, Jean seemed to shrug it off seeing how much she had seen of super powered individuals. She remembered seeing a photo of this man in the newspaper awhile back, although the name escaped her for the moment.
"Not that I'm not grateful that you saved me, but who are you?" Jean asked quickly.
"The name's Spider-Man… I'm a little surprised you don't know, but then again I've never seen you guys before either." The web-slinger replied with a small nod.
Rhino ignored his previous prey for the moment, his beady eyes focusing only on the masked hero. "Wall-crawler!" the villain bellowed, his word echoing loudly into the distance for a few seconds.
"I take it you know that guy?" Jean glanced sideways from the villain below to the man who saved her life.
"I would explain more if we weren't about to be smashed, seeing how that is a more pressing issue right now." Spider-Man pointed his thumb at the monstrous criminal. "Thanks for holding him here, but heroes or not I recommend that you and your friend leave the living bulldozer to me. This isn't the kind of fight for amateurs."
The web-slinger shot a web blast and took to the air, swinging lower to entice the villain into attacking him. Jean ignored his warning and headed back towards the fight in time to see her boyfriend blast the large villain into an electric fence surrounding a construction zone. The Rhino recoiled only slight as he entered the area beyond and seized one of the steep rods, but his opponents dodged and weaved around his slower attacks, the telekinetic mutant using her powers to slow his strikes and Scott peppered him with more blasts.
"Do you know how to stop this tank?" Cyclops addressed their new ally with a slightly puzzled expression.
Spider-Man looked down at being addressed by the newcomer to his city, but didn't have a direct answer seeing how very few things could penetrate the villain hide. As the two mutants bored into him, the masked hero silently wished he could give them a better answer, but a quick glance around brought an idea to his mind as he caught sight of the construction equipment positioned near the unfinished building.
"Can your power's break through steel?" the wall-crawler asked.
Scott Summers nodded. "If focused properly… Why?"
Although they were busy avoiding the Rhino's strikes, he pointed towards the large construction vehicles, receiving a quick nod from the male mutant as if he had understood immediately. Jean looked on and guessed, but a small use of her telepathy quickly confirmed her suspicions.
"Just wait for my signal, I'll run interference." Spider-Man answered quickly.
Swinging forward on his webbing, the masked hero weaved around the Rhino's attacks, his spider sense giving him the awareness he needed to dodge flawlessly. Jean repelled some of the debris using her own powers, but the villain now seemed intent on smashing his arch foe and was thus too busy to care. Using his enhanced strength, Spider-Man wrapped a blast of webbing around one of the flying chunks of concrete, throwing it into the larger villain's face. Rhino shattered it with a barehanded punch, but the clever hero latched into the top of a crane and swung into the air, using the opening created to kick the enemy from behind.
The armored villain stumbled forwards slightly and fell onto his stomach, and although seemingly unharmed for the moment, the battle was decided. "Now!" Spider-Man shouted over his shoulder.
Cyclops raised a hand to his visor and shot a blast at the chain above the Rhino's head, releasing the wrecking ball from its hold and sending the heavy sphere crashing down upon the enemy's head as he attempted to stand back up. The heavy object created a loud cracking noise as it smashed into the villain's skull, the strike that would have killed any normal human grounding him instantly. The heavyweight fighter hit the ground with a thud as the wrecking ball landed beside him, the sheer force of the object rendering him unconscious. Spider-Man landed a few paces in front of the two mutants as they watched to make sure the enemy was knocked out before speaking amongst themselves.
The arachnid hero turned to face the others. "You guys were pretty good, and I take back the amateur comment from earlier." He added hastily.
"Who or what are you?" Cyclops took a step towards the masked hero.
Spider-Man turned swung into air, positioning himself on a steel girder above their heads as police siren blazed in the distance, his mask hiding his jeering expression. "That's a question better left unanswered, although I wouldn't mind working with you two again if something comes up."
Once the web-slinger had left, Scott turned to face his girlfriend, scratching the back of his head with a gloved hand. "He's certainly a strange one, but I guess that's not really much coming from someone who's a mutant."
"I think I may have heard of him awhile back, but maybe we should follow his example and leave so the police can handle the cleanup." Jean replied sagely.
Cyclops seemed to nod in agreement. "All right… I think we've already caused enough of a commotion in this city without even beginning the investigation into Magneto's activities."
"Tell me about it…" she added sarcastically. The telekinetic mutant seized her boyfriend by the wrist and they took to the air, disappearing behind into an alleyway a few blocks away.
Several Hours Later
Several miles away in an underground hideout, an elderly man sat behind his desk in the middle of his office. He wore a gray suit and tie, and walked with a slight limp as a result of his advanced age, but nothing would stop one of the most fearsome crime bosses that ever lived. Due to the nature of the room there were no windows around, but at the very least he was safe from prying eyes. His was Silvio Manfretti, known and once feared throughout the criminal underworld as one of the most powerful crime lords in the world. With time had come age, and now he was a mere shadow of his former self.
After a moment of remembering the glory days of his youth, Silvermane stood up to address the knock on his door. With considerable effort and seized his walking stick and unlocked the door, revealing the presence of a strange man. The newcomer was over six feet tall with a muscular human torso and arms. His hair was short and combed nightly and his eyes were a strange yellow tint, but most peculiar were his muscular humanesque robotic legs the strange flesh-colored protrusions coming from his shoulders.
"What do you want, Smythe?" the elderly man questioned, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You know I am not long for this world, so unless you have finished working on the equipment I requested, then begone!"
Alistair Smythe was a former employee of the Kingpin, but after being declared useless by his former employer and removed under threat of death, he found himself working for yet another crime lord. While he had once been human, the formerly crippled man had always had a talent for creating advanced robotics technology. This combined with his hatred of Spider-Man caused him to do experiments on his own body, turning him into a cyborg and giving him the ability to walk again, although his conditions did have drawbacks.
The scientist bowed his head in respect to his employer. "My apologies sir, but you have a guest from the HYDRA organization. I think it would be wise to hear what they have to say rather than ignore the request." He explained in a deep mechanical-sounding voice.
Silvermane looked slightly surprised to hear that the organization his mafia had partnered with so many times had contacted him, but nevertheless was intrigued. "Send them in…" he replied.
Smythe stepped aside to reveal the man wearing the green and yellow uniform of the HYDRA organization. He seemed to be little more than a field agent for the spy network, causing a sense of outrage to fill to the old man's chest. To think that they thought so little of him to send a low ranking grunt as their contact was certainly an insult to the Manfretti name. The man stepped forward and addressed him before the old mafia boss could voice his displeasure.
"I am agent number 107 of HYDRA… I was sent here by Baron Strucker himself to deliver a message." The green-clad agent handed Silvermane a sealed envelope.
He left as soon as the document had changed hands, two of the crime boss's guard followed after him. Silvermane removed a series of papers and began reading them, his elderly eyes coming to life for a moment as if he had read something of great value in the pages. Once the door was closed, the cyborg standing I front of his desk decided to voice his own concerns and thoughts. The half-robot man turned to face his superior with a dismal expression, eliciting a small glare from the elderly man.
"It was most certainly strange how quickly he left." Smythe replied cautiously.
Silvermane shrugged off his comment. "That one was merely a messenger sent to make a delivery to me. He had no reason to remain."
Alistair raised an eyebrow in concern. "I see… Still you seem to have seen something interesting in those documents. May I be so bold as to ask what exactly they have offered you, and why?"
"Let me just say this to you, Smythe…" A truly sinister smile lit the old man's features, making his weathered visage glow with life for the first time in a while. "Should this deal prove to my advantage, I will have everything that I ever wanted in these past forty years!"
Note to Readers: Well now we've got Magneto, the Kingpin, HYDRA, and the Maggia involved in this story as villains… I must really like to make things hard or the good guys. It took me a while to update because I've been busy with college exams and whatnot, but here it is. I hope anyone who read it enjoyed this chapter considering how much work I put into it. Sorry if there are any errors in Spelling or Grammar, but it was late when I wrote most of it.
Please REVIEW, it's been awhile since I've written and I am in need of some good critiques, opinions, or suggestions for the story.
