Abyss is messed up. Just thought you should know.
Abyss, Chapter 03
"Alright, mates, time for action!" Pyro said from the passenger's seat of Avalanche's jeep. Blob sat in the back (along with Toad), and Lance was at the wheel, naturally. "Now we kick ass, Brotherhood style!"
"Shut up," Avalanche said. "You're not a part of the Brotherhood. You're just a flunky we got stuck with."
"Is that any way to talk to your navigator?"
"You only got shotgun because Fred doesn't fit there anymore, and Toad's the only one who can fill in the rest of the backseat," Avalanche told him. "Now shut up and stay put, or I'm throwing you out."
"You know, you boys are being very unfair," Pyro complained. "I think I deserve a chance. How come I can't be part of this team?"
"One, we don't like you," Avalanche explained. "Two, we didn't accept you into the team, you were forced onto us. Three, you don't know anything about us. Four, we don't like you."
"Who says I don't know anything? I know quite a bit," Pyro said, slyly. Avalanche glared at him, and Pyro realized how conspicuous he was being. "I mean, I know you're Lance and you're from Chicago or something like that. And Dukes, he's a big Texas boy. You used to work for Mystique. What is there to know?"
"What's Fred's middle name?" Toad asked.
"He has a middle name?"
"Frederick J. Dukes," Blob reminded him. "C'mon, Allerdyce, what's my middle name?"
"Ah... uh..." Pyro scratched his head. "Joseph!"
"Lucky guess," Blob muttered. "Okay, well which X-Man did Lance go to high school with?"
"All of them!" Pyro yelled, annoyed.
"Before coming to Bayville," Blob specified.
"Oh... uh... what's her name, the one with the accent," Pyro said. Of course, to Pyro, they all had accents. "Jean!"
"EEEEEHHHH!" Blob yelled. "It was Kitty."
"Who did you think I've been talking to all the time?" Avalanche asked facetiously. "Idiot."
"Okay, okay, gimme another one," Pyro said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "Wait, ask me what color Pietro's eyes are!"
"Pyro's got a boooy-friieeeeend!" Blob teased. Toad laughed, and Avalanche grinned.
"Fuck you, Dukes... I... argh, ask me something else!" Now frustrated with the quiz, Pyro folded his arms. "I know lots of stuff!"
"What's Toad's real name?" Avalanche asked.
"It's not Toad?" Pyro asked, honestly.
"What made you think it was Toad?" Toad asked.
"Well you're all on a first-name basis, but everyone calls you Toad. So, I figured Toad is Toad."
"But everyone calls you Pyro," Blob reminded him.
"Yeah, but that's only because I'm not really part of the team," Pyro explained. "Wait, I mean-"
"No, no, too late," Avalanche said. "You admitted it. You're not part of the team."
"Yeah, so shut up and do what you're told," Toad scolded. "Hey, it IS fun bullyin' the group bitch!" Pyro crossed his arms and pouted. It didn't matter if he didn't fit in. It wasn't like he really wanted to. He just wanted to have fun.
But of course, his fun often came at the expense of others. Today would be no different.
--
The treatment station was an underground facility in Bayville's east side, connected to both the sewer system and the city's water distribution pipes. Though none of the pipes fed directly into the sewers (nor was any sewage treated here), they were still connected, since the treatment station had once been used to treat sewage, though now it was used to purify drinking water. Few people knew about this, and it was probably for the best, even if there was nothing unsanitary going on.
Various City Public Service workers were doing their jobs, checking the pools of water and the cylinders that pumped it through the city. Their relative peace was interrupted by a loud banging noise from one of the side entrances. Someone must've gotten locked out. One of the engineers checked to see what the problem was.
"What's... AAAAH!" An engineer was swallowed, along with the unhinged door, into the void in Abyss's right arm.
"What is that?!" another engineer gasped as Abyss stalked in, holding Kelly over his head with his uncoiled, spring-like arm, and carrying a duffel bag slung across his shoulder. CPS workers watched in shock as the two more engineers were swallowed. Immediately, they began to flee.
"Someone call the police!" one of them yelled. "He's got the mayor!"
"If you don't run, I'm going to catch you and swallow you!" Abyss threatened. Soon, there were no engineers to be seen, though their panicked screams could still be heard in distant hallways and chambers. Abyss laughed and continued into the station.
--
The Scarlet Witch was alone in a dark cavern, cold and dry. Nearly blind in the darkness, she felt the rough and rocky wall, using it to guide herself through. She heard only the faint howl of the wind, and saw no light at the end of the cavern. She stopped for a moment to gather her bearings, but she felt an urge to keep going. Wanda didn't know what to expect at the end, but she was beginning to dread it. The cold was beginning to sting her skin, from her face to her neck, to the top of her chest. She wrapped her coat around herself to stay warm.
"Wanda," a familiar voice called. Wanda turned, her hand pointed outward and ready to attack. A pillar of light appeared behind her, revealing Magneto in full armor, his cape billowing behind him and his face shrouded by the shadows of his helmet.
"...Father?"
"Wanda, come with me," Magneto insisted. "Let us begin a new relationship. Be my daughter once again. We can be happy if you'll only me grant me forgiveness."
"No... I don't forgive you!" she called out. "I'll never forgive you!"
"Wanda, you lower yourself by serving human masters," Magneto said. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Your rightful place is among your own people. You belong with other mutants. Come, join my side, and together, we will rule this planet, and usher in a new age of peace, for all mutantkind."
"I... no! I'm not like you! Mutants and humans should be equals, they-"
"You can't expect me to believe that," Magneto retorted. "You can't convince me that you believe this, if you can't even convince yourself. You know what you want, Wanda. You want power."
"No!" Wanda screamed, grabbing her head. "I just want you to leave me alone!"
"That's what you dreamt of when you slept in your padded room. You dreamt of freedom. The power to do whatever you wanted. The power to crush your enemies and reward your friends, and to reshape the world as you see fit. You've spent years dreaming of your own ideal world, and now that you've seen the real world, you prefer your romantic fantasy. You want the power to change that reality. You want the power to make your vision the new reality."
"Stop it!" Wanda screamed, shooting bolts of blue lightning at Magneto. He was completely unharmed, not even noticing that he was being attacked. "Go away! I'm not like you! I'm not like you!"
"But you are, Wanda," Magneto continued. "You're strong. You're ambitious. You have the power to choose your destiny. Don't throw your life away as Pietro has. Leave him and his friends. Come with me. I can show you how to create your ideal world."
"That's enough!" Quicksilver said, standing at the opposite side of the tunnel, also dressed in his blue-green uniform. "Don't listen to him, Wanda. You belong with the Brotherhood. You belong with me. When has Magneto ever watched out for you? He just wants to use you, like he's used me! I'm your brother, Wanda, and I care about you. I know where you belong, and it's right where you are."
"But it doesn't feel right," Wanda said to him. "There has to be another way."
"Your options are limited," Pietro told her. "It's him, or me. We can make it on our own. We don't need Magneto. We don't even need the Brotherhood! Just you and me, sis." Quicksilver offered his hand and smiled... but it was that famous smile of his, shallow and insincere.
"I...I don't trust you," she said. "You've only ever thought about yourself, Pietro. Just like our father!"
"If I don't look out for myself, no one else will!" Pietro argued. "And now I need to look out for you. You need my protection, and I-"
"I don't need anyone's protection!" Wanda fired at Pietro with her hexes, but like Magneto, he was impervious.
"You say you don't need my protection? Then why'd you ask me to come?!" Pietro demanded. "Who are you kidding? You're just a closeted little girl who never grew up! You might be serious, but you're still immature. That's why you need me, to do the thinking for both of us!"
"Shut up!" Wanda screamed, continued to shoot hex bolts at him. They had no effect, and Wanda only managed to exhaust herself, holding on to the wall to keep herself from falling over.
And then... a third pillar of light appeared. Standing in it was the Scarlet Witch herself, looking calm and confident. Wanda watched her doppelganger in awe, as if she were a different person altogether.
"What? But... ? How?"
"I was in your place once," the Scarlet Witch explained. "But now, I've found my purpose. They're both right, you know. But not entirely. You do crave power. You do prefer the world you imagined to the one that exists. But this isn't all there is. You can still cope with the real world. The world outside of your cell."
"But I left it, a long time ago," Wanda said. "Why don't I feel free?"
"Because you never truly left your cell," the Scarlet Witch revealed. "You've only focused on small things. You need to look at the world around you. There's more to it than Magneto, or SHIELD, or the Brotherhood. Wanda, you need to start living in this world."
"You said you found your purpose," Wanda said. "What is it?"
"Life," the Scarlet Witch replied. The light around her faded, and she disappeared into the darkness. Wanda turned to Pietro, who also vanished, followed by Magneto.
Wanda jumped in her chair, jolted by the sudden shift to the real world. The cavern was gone, and she was back in Agatha Harkness's house, seated at the dining room table. Sitting adjacent to her, Agatha quickly put her hand on Wanda's shoulder, and began to speak in a language Wanda didn't recognize. Somehow, she felt a wave of calm rush through her body.
"Tell me, child, what did you see?" Agatha asked.
"I... I can't really describe it," Wanda said. Agatha smiled.
"Nobody ever can."
"I have a lot to think about now," Wanda explained.
"You are on the right path," Agatha told her. "Now rest, child. You have taken your first step. But remember that sometimes, we find greater meaning in the journey, than the destination."
--
Edward Kelly's wrists were tied together with a railing at the edge of a small, but deep pool of water. There were several more in the large room, with cylindrical machines pumping water through various pipes, some overhead, some hidden in the walls or in adjacent rooms. Abyss walked around the pools, inspecting them and carrying his stuffed duffel bag.
"I don't know what you think you'll accomplish," Kelly said, "But whatever you're planning to do, you'll just prove that mutants need to be locked away!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't care," Abyss said coldly. "Just as long as you and the rest of your worthless species dies, I don't care if you think I'm Hitler." Abyss took a Coke bottle from his duffel bag, though it was filled with a strange blue substance. The open bag contained several more. Abyss took off the cap and sniffed it from arms' length- or rather, having no nose, he inhaled some of the invisible fumes coming from the bottle. He wretched and flinched, and then grinned, pouring the thick substance into the pool.
"What are you doing?!"
"Poisoning the water, you idiot," Abyss answered. "I've cooked up my own little recipe from everyday items you can find under your kitchen sink, or in your average exterminator's storehouse, at the local laundromat, and even in your local sewers! Hah! I'm the Martha Stewart of chemical terror! This stuff's so concentrated, that a single drop diluted in a bucket of water is still enough to kill most adults. Now, this is a twenty ounce bottle, and this pool's got... I don't know how much water. The question is, will it be enough to dilute all of this wonderful poison? Let's find out!"
"You can't!" Kelly shouted. "You're putting millions of lives in danger! Humans and mutants!"
"If I have to drop a few mutants, so what? It'll be worth it if they can take the humans with them." Abyss uncoiled his arm and began to suck in some air around the pool. He was careful not to absorb any water, but just generate enough wind over the pool to help stir the contents. The water was now a light blue, slightly cloudy color, much to Abyss's delight. "Looks like the mix is complete. But before I start pumping this out to the city, I want to see if it works." Abyss walked back to Kelly and untied Kelly's hands. Kelly immediately tried to run, but Abyss's coil-arm quickly grabbed him and pulled him back. He pushed Kelly to the edge of the platform, inches away from the pool.
"Someone will stop you," Kelly warned. "The police, maybe the X-Men, but you won't get away with this."
"I'll make you a deal," Abyss said, grinning with his large teeth. "I won't pump this out to the city... if you jump in."
"What? You want me to kill myself?"
"Yes!" Abyss said excitedly. "If you let me watch you drown in poison, I'll spare this city. Nobody will have to drink this water."
"And if I refuse?" Kelly asked cautiously.
"Then I push you in and pump it anyway. Either way, I'm going to watch you flop around in the water like a gutted fish. So which is it, Kelly? Do you want to die alone, or would you feel better knowing you had company?"
Kelly peered down at the cloudy blue water. If Abyss was telling the truth, and a single drop in a bucket of water was lethal, then he could expect to be killed in seconds if he swallowed any of it. But he had millions of lives to consider.
"Alright," Kelly said. "Do I have your word that you won't filter this into the city's water supply?"
"I promise," Abyss said. Kelly rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. All he had to do was jump into the water. He lifted a foot over the pool, breathing heavily, sweat dripping across his face. Behind him, Abyss rubbed his hands together, grinning in anticipation.
But suddenly, a green whip grabbed onto Kelly's ankle, pulling him over the pool and up into the pipes overhead.
Toad was crawling on the pipes and retracted his tongue once Kelly was safely holding onto them. Abyss growled, but turned to his right when he realized Toad wasn't alone. To his right were Avalanche, Blob and Pyro. To his left, Spyke, Callisto, Torpid, Cybelle, Sunder and Tarbaby. He was completely surrounded.
"This is the thanks I get for protecting our species!" Abyss yelled, uncoiling both arms and opening them into funnels aimed at both groups. Blob planted his feet and grabbed Pyro's tank, holding him forward but keeping him anchored. Pyro held out his fists and generated twin streams of fire right into the void. The flames were easily absorbed, but some of them managed to catch the inside of Abyss's arms, forcing him to snap back and recoil his arm.
"Score one for Pyro!" Pyro announced.
"Don't get cocky," Avalanche warned. On the other side, Spyke's flaming arrows pierced the other arm, again forcing him to recoil. Once Abyss was back to his normal configuration, Callisto jumped at him, kicking in in the head and then dropping to sweep his legs. Abyss fell backwards, but pushed his arms behind him and uncoiled them slightly, using them as springs to push himself back and kick Callisto in the chest. Sunder caught her and put her back on the ground.
Cybelle removed her gloves and melted through the railing with the acidic sweat on her palms. Quickly putting her gloves back on, she pulled the bar off the now-weakened railing and lunged at Abyss, smacking him in the head. Blob than picked him up, and nodding to Sunder, threw him towards the Morlock strongman, who smashed him with his large fist and sent him flying over one of the clean pools. Abyss extended his arms and grabbed two pipes to steady himself. Torpid ran for him, also removing her gloves, but Abyss threw out both fists and punched her in the chest.
Avalanche raised his hands and created a tremor not below, but above Abyss, loosening pipes and ceiling tiles and dropping them onto his head. Abyss pointed his unfurled arm upwards and swallowed the falling debris, leaving him open for Tarbaby to jump in and grab his feet, sticking them onto the ground with the tar on his hands. Toad jumped onto Abyss's shoulders and then to the ground, adding his own slime to Abyss's feet.
"Traitors! Traitors!" Abyss screamed. "I'm trying to defend mutantkind against humanity! Why can't any of you understand what I'm trying to do?"
"You're not trying to defend anyone," Spyke told him. "You're just a bitter sadist. You don't care about mutants. Just yourself."
"Okay, you got me," Abyss admitted. "I wasn't even going to honor the deal I made with Kelly! But I'm still pretty pissed. So, let me introduce all of you to the infinite world that exists inside of me!" Abyss uncoiled his arms, and then as much of his legs as he could. Air began to rush up through Abyss's legs and into the holes in his shoulders, but he wasn't done. Soon his entire torso uncoiled, revealing that all of the black holes were actually one large one, his coiled skin the only thing that could resist and contain them. Now his entire body was uncoiled, floating around like a shower of loosely connected ribbons with a laughing head and neck attached to chest and shouder armor. Even his fingers spun outward, no longer distinguishable from the rest of his body. Air and debris were violently sucked into the black hole where Abyss's chest had been, vanishing past the blue aura crowning it.
Kelly held onto the overhead pipes, lying on top of them and hugging them with his arms and legs. Toad jumped up and did the same.
Blob held his ground, resisting the violent storm, grabbing Avalanche and Callisto to keep them safe. Sunder likewise held Torpid and Cybelle, though he had to move away from the suction in order to keep from flying in. Tarbaby held to a distant railing, and grabbed Spyke's shoulder as he started to slide away. Glued to Tarbaby's sticky hand, Spyke was anchored long enough for him to shoot long bone-spikes into the floor, which he then held onto for support.
Pyro was running away from the wind tunnel, but making no ground. Avalanche grabbed his hand and pulled, bringing him closer to Blob.
Railings and floor panels were ripped and swallowed, and the nearby pumping stations began to break apart as pieces flew into Abyss's void. The contaminated water began to fly upwards, but Abyss couldn't be harmed by anything he absorbed.
"We can't hold this off much longer!" Callisto yelled to Avalanche. "We're going to give!"
"Pyro, burn him up!" Avalanche commanded. With his free arm, Pyro launched another line of flame, but the storm was too violent now. The fire was almost immediately extinguished, and Pyro tried intensifying it, but to no avail.
"Sorry, mate, the show's over!"
Avalanche groaned. "Spyke, can you hit his head?"
"I can try!" Spyke aimed one of his hands and created three spikes in a formation not unlike his mentor Logan's claws. Spyke shot them out, but all three were swallowed into the void before they could reach Abyss. "It's no good, the wind's too strong!"
The floor beneath Abyss, now deprive of any loose panels, begun to curl upwards, and the wall next to him began to curl outwards. The nearby machinery loosened, and an entire pumping cylinder flew at Abyss, ripped apart in mid-air. It flew down at him, dropping on his head and squashing his ribbon-like torso. The floor continued curling upwards and the wall was pulled off its roots, flying to Abyss. Abyss was being bombarded by pieces too large to swallow, and when they joined together, they begun to cut into Abyss's wind effects. With Abyss's storm reshaping the debris, everything curved inward at a particular angle. Soon, Abyss was trapped inside a roughly ball-shaped prison made from the floor, the wall, and large pieces of machinery. The storm stopped, and inside his prison, Abyss was unable to break free or pull the pieces loose.
"I didn't expect that," Toad admitted, jumping down to the ground level with a shaken Kelly in tow. "Can we do that all again? That was kinda fun."
"No," Avalanche replied, removing his goggles and rubbing his eyes. "Let's not. How long until he breaks out of that thing?"
"It'll be a while," Spyke said. "You better call in your folks so they can take him away."
"I thought you said the Morlocks take care of their own," Toad reminded him.
"The government can probably do a better job of containing him," Callisto explained. "But we're done here. When you report this to your superiors, don't tell them we were involved."
"Don't you want any credit?" Blob asked.
"We do, but... let's just say that we don't have the best relationship with the government." Callisto began to lead the Morlocks out of the treatment station. Toad went to join Avalanche, Blob and Pyro as they watched them depart. Last among them was Spyke, who stopped next to them.
"You know, you guys aren't so bad," Spyke said.
"Back at you," Avalanche replied. "I'd rather work with you guys than the X-Men."
"I know how you feel," Spyke said in agreement. Before anyone could ask why he felt that way, Spyke gave them a casual salute and followed after the other Morlocks.
--
Mayor Kelly had been returned to city hall, where he explained what had happened, and grudgingly admitted that even though a mutant was behind the plot, it was mutants who had helped him. As requested, he did not mention the Morlocks' involvement, though he and the Brotherhood both wondered why they didn't want the public to know they had performed a heroic act. City Public Service closed the treatment station until it was cleaned up and repaired.
SHIELD took the caged Abyss into custody, freeing him from the wreckage under a standard power-canceling beam. He was returned to a cell at Stokes Maximum, and fitted with special devices on his neck, wrists and ankles that prevented him from uncoiling himself.
And so, the Brotherhood had finally succeeded in actually capturing one of the Fugitive Nine, after one had been killed and another allowed to escape.
"And you say just the three of you took him?" Bishop asked, appearing on the Brotherhood's viewscreen in the control center.
"Well, he kind of took himself," Avalanche elaborated. "It's all on the report."
"Right, so where are Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch?" Bishop asked.
"They're following a lead on Gambit," Avalanche covered.
"...Alright. You're all dismissed." Avalanche reached to sever the connection. "Hold on a second. Pyro, we need to discuss the conditions of your probation. We may have a problem." Bishop waited for a second while the other boys watched. "...In private."
"Oh, right," Blob said.
"Oh, blimey!" Pyro shouted as the boys started to leave. "I thought I was in the clear! Don't tell me there's more for me to do? I don't think I can handle it!" Once the others were out, he added, "So what's going on, Commander?"
"Pyro, don't ever let anyone tell you that you're a good actor," Bishop scorned. "Now what did you find?"
"I've got a few photos you might want to look at," Pyro grinned, putting a memory stick into the console slot. After a few moments, Bishop saw the photographs on his own side screen, including a page from Wanda's diary and several images of the mutant detection system Toad had installed a few days earlier.
"This is what we were looking for," Bishop confirmed. "I suspected they had allowed Omega Red to escape. Now I know the Scarlet Witch is responsible. And what's this machine?"
"It's some kind of mutant detector," Pyro said. "It's pretty lousy if you ask me, but it looks like something my old boss Magneto used to have."
"They built their own mutant detector without our knowledge? Good work, Pyro. Keep your eyes open. Let me know if they so much as breathe strangely."
"You can count on me," Pyro said, saluting. When Bishop disappeared, Pyro began to laugh, throwing his arms out and spinning around ecstatically. "They don't know anything! Oh, those twits are going to be in such deep shit, and I'm going to be reaping the benefits! Ah, life is grand. It truly is!"
--
Wanda looked up at the stars from the roof of the building, contemplating all she had learned. She sat in a chair that Pietro had set on the roof, as a stand-in for the patio furniture he still intended to buy. She set her glass of wine down on the ground and sighed.
"What's with you?" Lance asked, stepping out onto the roof. She looked over to him and stood up. "I heard you went to see Agatha Harkness today."
"I did," Wanda told him. "I went to see her... about my powers."
"Oh, that," Lance said. "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about the problems you've been having. Did you get that straightened out?"
"Sort of," she explained. "I've got a lot of thinking to do now."
"I won't keep you, then," Lance said. "Just wanted to see if you were okay. Oh, and we're ordering pizza from that new place a few blocks from here. You want anything?"
"No, I'm fine," she replied.
"Alright then." Lance walked away. Wanda continued to gaze at the stares. She considered what the illusionary Magneto, Pietro, and Wanda's double had told her about herself, and about her future. Agatha had advised that the journey could be more important than the goal. But, what did Wanda think of all this?
"Lance, wait," she said. He stopped and looked back. "Mushrooms, pineapple, and pepperoni."
"Toad's gonna be pissed," Lance smirked.
"That's his problem," she said, leaning back in her chair.
Yeah, the whole Dr. Nathan plot didn't rear its head in this one. So yeah, now you know why Pyro's probation was lifted: he's agreed to be a mole, and it looks like SHIELD is already concerned with what he's found. But all is not what it seems here...
Just to let you know, I'm aware that some of what Wanda heard from the Magneto hallucination sounds like foreshadowing for an Evolution version of House of M. That's not going to happen. Just letting you know right now that by "Wanda preferring her fantasy to the real world" and "Wanda wants the power to change the world," it's not meant as literally as it sounds.
And here are this week's profiles: Abyss, Spyke, and finally, Toad.
Abyss (Nils Styger)
Age: 22
Sex: Male
Hair Color: Bright Blue
Eye Color: Glowing Blue
Place of Birth: Unknown
Occupation/Status: Escaped Prisoner/Mutant Terrorist
Affiliation: The Xavier Institute, but admires the Brotherhood
Mutant Stance: Regards humans as vermin, but has no particular preference for mutants
Known Mutant Abilities:
-Coiled Body: Abyss's body is essentially hollow and capable of uncoiling itself like ribbons. This allows him to use his limb like springs, as well as to expand his reach. Only the top layer of his skin exists, though somehow his body manages to hold itself together when fully coiled, giving the impression of a full skeletal and muscular structure underneath. Despite this, he has normal physical strength. The only parts of Abyss that cannot uncoil are his feet, his neck, and his head.
-Void Suction: Inside Abyss's hollow body is a gateway to an inner pocket dimension. Abyss can control the rate of flow into this hole, slowing it down to a near-stopping point, or quickening it to become a miniature black hole. The void is located in Abyss's chest, but to his hollow structure, any opening in his coil system can conceivably lead to the void, whether it be his hands, chest, or even feet. Usually, Abyss will uncoil an arm and use it as a vacuum tube of sorts, with the void's opening at the shoulder joint.
-Inner Void: The actual void's dimensions are unknown, but anything that wasn't damaged during the trip will remain intact for a short amount of time, after which an unknown force rips it apart at the molecular level, allowing Abyss to absorb matter and turn it into energy. That's right, this is how he eats.
Non-mutant Abilities: Oddly enough, is fairly skilled in guerrilla chemical warfare
Personality Profile: Abyss is a true sociopath- concerned solely with his own motives, without consideration for others or even society itself. Abyss joined the Morlocks shortly after the Apocalypse Crisis. Though he was quiet and mostly kept to himself, he began to follow Spyke's lead, and eventually developed a taste for blood. When his methods became too extreme, the Morlocks kicked him out. Despite this turn of events, Abyss's train of thought has been there since the beginning- his time with the Morlocks only gave him the audacity to follow through with his sick ideas. Regarding the world with both hate and recklessness, Abyss seems to have abandoned reason entirely, and acts solely on his own emotional whims. To that end, his own irrationality is probably his deadliest weapon.
Author Notes: Abyss is based largely on Callisto's warning to Spyke that others would follow his lead. In this case, the follower has taken a more extremist approach to Spyke's methods. I've written Abyss as the worst kind of mutant supremacist- someone who doesn't even care about mutant rights, but uses it to justify his racism. Abyss hates anything human, and even mutants who just look human are scum. I think what makes him a little scary is that he's a bit like Pyro- sometimes, he seems to be downright mindless in his chaotic antics. Unlike Pyro, he's actually smart enough to be a serious threat, though not quite as big as Magneto.
Though I didn't mention this in his story, there might be some subtext to Abyss's irrational hatred of anything even resembling a human, considering his own freakish appearance. This is more in line with the traditional Morlocks, who seemed to resent "top-siders" simply for not being freakish. I may go into detail later, but I really haven't decided if Abyss is secretly jealous of "beautiful people" or if he genuinely prefers those with abnormal appearances. I think it might be a little of both somehow, but I'm swinging towards the latter.
Spyke (Evan Daniels)
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Hair Color: Blond (hidden under bone helmet)
Eye Color: Brown
Place of Birth: New York, New York
Occupation/Status: Vigilante/Former member of the X-Men
Affiliation: The Morlocks, has strained ties to the X-Men
Mutant Stance: Believes in equality between mutants and humans, but is focused on protecting mutants
Known Mutant Abilities:
-Bone Spikes: Capable of growing sharp bone-spikes from his skin, which he can then shoot. Curiously, this caused him no pain, and he seems to have some kind of selective healing factor that quickly seals any openings. Spyke can also grow plates on his skin, though he lost control of this power a few years ago, and is now covered by seemingly permanent bone plate armor.
-Flaming Arrows: In addition to his bone spikes, Spyke can heat the tips to red hot temperatures. The heat appears to last as long as he is in physical contact with the spikes, after which they will begin to cool.
Non-mutant Abilities: Skateboarding, basketball, various other sports- however, he may be a bit out of practice
Personality Profile: Evan Daniels has always had a rebellious streak- sometimes, he's just been rebellious for the sake of it. As an X-Man, he was usually impatient and rarely took things seriously enough to commit to them. When his mutation grew out of control and he joined the Morlocks, Evan experienced an awakening. Spyke quickly learned to fend for himself as well as the Morlocks, and in a short amount of time, learned responsibility. However, his impatience and rebellious attitude remain- Spyke is neither diplomatic nor rule-abiding. Now living in the sewers and watching out for mutants that can't protect themselves, Spyke is willing to fight for their rights as human beings, by any means necessary.
Author Notes: I hated Spyke when he was an X-Man. My reasons for that are probably the same as anyone else's. But he became an interesting character when he was given to the Morlocks and became their protector. "Uprising" already sowed the seeds of Spyke's further separation from the X-Men, so I've taken that further- five years later, Spyke's all but abandoned his ties to the X-Men out of disappointment that they're not taking a more active role in helping mutants. This makes him something of a middle-ground character- he's not particularly close to the X-Men anymore, but he's also not exactly friends with the Brotherhood. Because his allegiance is based more closely on that of his fellow mutants than on his own opinion, he's pretty much the opposite of Abyss and Magneto. I'll go further into this later... not during Fugitive Nine, but definitely in the next story.
Toad (Todd Tolensky)
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Hair Color: Dirty-blond
Eye Color: Yellow-green
Place of Birth: Bayville, New York
Occupation/Status: Member of the Brotherhood/Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Affiliation: The Brotherhood
Mutant Stance: Indifferent; he is satisfied simply being left alone
Known Mutant Abilities:
-Enhanced Physique: Toad has increased leg strength that lends itself towards a super-leaping ability as well as kicking. The bone structure of his legs is also reinforced to absorb the shock of landing from long falls. He also has enhanced agility and flexibility, often allowing him to remain in a crouched posture without damage to his spine.
-Prehensile Tongue: Toad has a long, green tongue that he can use both as an extra appendage and as a powerful weapon. The tongue has been measured at 20 feet, but due to its mildly elastic properties, it is capable of being stretched out a little further. Toad's tongue had been shown to be strong enough to shatter glass and fling an adult human upwards into the air.
-Slime Generation: A gland in the back of Toad's throat allows him to create a sticky slime-like saliva which can harden like glue. Sometimes, the slime is thick, and other times it has a thinner consistency. Toad's tongue is often regularly coated in a thin layer of this slime, usually too thin to have any substantial effect. It will remain hard at room temperature, but will begin to melt at higher temperatures (allowing it to remain in liquid form within Toad's mouth).
-Wall-Clinging: Toad has the limited ability to cling to walls and ceilings, and subsequently crawl along them for short stretches (though he usually just hops). The nature of his power is unknown, but he apparently can't do so with gloved hands (though shoes don't seem to pose a problem). Unlike Nightcrawler, Toad can't stay on the wall for too long before gravity takes effect on him.
-Low-Light Visibility: Toad can see fairly clearly in low-light conditions.
-Odor: Toad has a natural odor that is only intensified by his refusal to bathe. The purpose and exact nature of this odor remains unclear. It seems to be based on his sweat, though Toad's sweat has no other superhuman properties.
Non-mutant Abilities: Trained in stealth and recon, knows his way around several high-tech devices, is a fair (but not great) pilot. He's also filled with useless knowledge. And I do mean useless.
Personality Profile: If Toad had an actual mental disability, he could be considered an idiot savant. Toad may very well be the most intelligent member of the Brotherhood, but a combination of self-esteem issues and general immaturity keep him from realizing his potential- not to mention his social awkwardness and ninth grade education. Despite this, there have been signs that an uncultivated genius intellect lies beneath his disgusting, uneducated exterior. He'll sometimes do brilliant things, like solve complex puzzles, all the while doing it idly and not even fully realizing that he's solved a problem until it's brought up, and then he is unable to explain how he did it because he himself doesn't remember what he was thinking at the moment. Most of his genius seems to be focused on his eccentricity- he seems to be unusually proud of his own disgusting tendencies and general toad-ish creepiness, though it's unclear how much of this is genuine and how much is an act (see below).
Toad's homely appearance has resulted in serious self-esteem issues that he masks by putting on an outward facade of (over)confidence. Ironically, this is what causes his moronic appearance- he's often too busy trying to look cool to really think things through, and in these moments even his accidental genius will fail him. He rarely drops this mask, so his moments of brilliance are rare. Toad's self-esteem issues have also caused him to develop a wry, sardonic sense of humor with an emphasis on cutting sarcasm- as a youth, Toad could be said to have a mean-spirited (but not cruel) sense of humor. As an adult, Toad has truly developed what is often described as a "wicked tongue." This in and of itself is another sign of his inner cunning. In addition, he's gotten fairly good at analyzing story material by reading comic books and watching movies. His analytical skills aren't exactly professional quality, but they have impressed Wanda Maximoff- a feat in itself. His analytical skills sometimes translate into the real-world, where he can pick apart flaws in a plan (though he usually can't offer a better solution on his own), but even that fails at times.
Toad is picked on by his friends and his ugly appearance and terrible hygiene make him a butt of jokes among the team, but he is also considered to be a good and loyal friend, especially by Fred, Lance, and even Wanda. Still, his friends aren't cruel when picking on him, and also show some restraint- none of them want to be on the receiving end of Toad's sarcasm. Toad can often be found giving unwanted "advice" to Pietro.
Lately, he's had the job of "tech expert" pushed onto him. Having been employed at the Xavier Institute and having knowledge of Magneto's own devices, Toad has a unique understanding of this machinery, but is not skilled enough to invent anything on his own. Mystique saw his potential as a spy and recon agent and trained him as such, and Toad seems to work best when he isn't being observed by others. Despite being seen as one of the weaker members of the team, Toad is greatly loyal to them, and despite his cowardice, he is willing to risk his well-being for his friends.
Author Notes: Toad's the most fun to write. That doesn't mean it's easy, though. I have to avoid crossing the line between "witty smartass" and "intellectual." I think of Toad as having rough intelligence, but no booksmarts, and sometimes not even common sense. He's a bit scatterbrained and rarely thinking straight or focusing on the objective... but he has observational skills that might even amaze him.
Also, yeah, he's the tech guy. I didn't want him to be some kind of poor man's Forge, though, so I took a page from 616 Toad and decided that he's good with technology... but not THAT good. In other words, he can program a VCR, but he'd never be able to explain how it works, as he doesn't quite know himself. He'll stick to following manuals.
Regarding Wanda... let's face it, it's not gonna happen. Since I'm writing a slightly more mature Toad, he's sort of begun to accept that it won't happen, and he's starting to find satisfaction in simply being her friend. Likewise, Wanda's warmed up to him, but again, she just wants to be friends. Their different personalities do make an interesting pair, and I've found the pairing (and I mean this in non-shipping terms) pretty fun to write.
NEXT EPISODE:
As Dr. Nathan's plan nears its completion, another member of the X-Men becomes his captive. Scott grows desperate, and Fred is willing to help... but a strange woman with the haunting voice is getting in the way. What part does she play in Dr. Nathan's secret plan, and why is she after the Blob?
Next: LORELEI
Be here next Friday. Or don't. I need a drink.