Vengeance is Mastermind Chapter 14
By Cadet Deming
I don't own the rights to X-Men or the Wolverine Origins Movies, Marvel and Fox Studios do, so please don't sue. I work in litigation so you wouldn't want to anyhow. This takes place between the Wolverine Origins Movie and the X-Men Trilogy in the mid 1980's. Rated M for really adult language and situations, drug and alcohol references. My usual mixture of dark humor/action/suspense. Victor Creed/Wade Wilson/Emma Frost/Jason Stryker/Colonel Stryker. Thank you Fyrefly and S for your reviews-)
Team X Headquarters
It had felt like drowning in fire, contradictory as that may sound. Wade felt like his skin was burning, except he didn't have any skin left, just a grotesque layer of shiny white and red peaks and valleys. He had gotten a third degree burn once before, when his father had once made him touch the flame of a gas-lit stove. Except he was able to take his hand away to get away from the pain. He couldn't escape from his own body.
"Noxzema. I need to take a bath in Noxzema," he moaned.
Wade remembered how when he had gotten sunburns, the white medicated cream had helped cool him off. He used to get sunburns all the time in his quest for the perfect tan. He was always striving for the perfect surface, the perfect California-boy exterior. If he looked perfect on the outside, people wouldn't notice how twisted up he was on the inside. Twisted like his flesh was now.
"We gotta get out of here before reinforcements come. Then you can take a bath in mud for all I care," Victor said.
"People pay good money for mud baths. It's the latest spa treatment," Emma said.
"Speakin' of money, shouldn't we find Jason? I gotta get the rest of my pay for this mess," Victor said.
Emma transformed into her human form. She put her fingers to her temple and frowned.
"I'm not picking up any thoughts from him. Stryker probably already…already…already killed his own son," Emma said.
"Maybe Stryker just put a psionic blocker on him and that's why you're not hearing him. Can I get aloe? Aloe or a cold shower? Aspirin? Extra-strength PCP? Kick? Punch? I know I'm supposed to be immune to drugs, but if Team X can make an anti-healing factor acid, they've got to have something healing-factor proof to take the pain away," Wade said.
"Stop whining and be a man Wade. I can't believe I ain't gettin' the rest of my money," Victor growled.
"What's with this 'be a man' crap I've been hearing all my life? You never hear chicks say they have to prove they're women." Wade said, giggling.
It didn't sound like his normal laugh. It sounded like it came from someone else. He wanted to get going. He felt like he had to keep walking so he wouldn't think about…wouldn't worry about…
"This is temporary right? There's a cure for this, right? I'm indestructible. Stryker told me I'd be invincible. Team X made me the man I am today. Team X made me the monster I am today," Wade rambled.
He stumbled forward as his legs gave way. He reached towards Emma to steady himself and grabbed her forearm. She cringed. It was only for a moment, but he saw her flinch at his touch on her perfect skin.
Victor caught him roughly. Wade dangled from his grip. The pain in his arm temporarily took his mind off of the pain from the burns.
"Don't fuckin' lose it Wade. Keep it together. You and I have been through worse than this," Victor said.
"No we haven't. I lost my mind. Someone help me find it again please," he said, laughing again.
He was laughing at nothing. He was laughing at everything.
"He's going into shock. We have to get him to a hospital," Emma said.
"This time, we're usin' the front door," Victor said.
Team X Operating Room Wing
Marrow dragged herself through the corridors. They were dark, but she preferred it that way. They reminded her of the safety of the sewers. She missed the sewers. They smelled so much more natural than this place.
She had been shot a few times by the attackers, but was slowly healing. She had to get to Stryker. Stryker would know what to do.
She opened the door to the only operating room that had a light on. Stryker was there, cleaning blood off of a metal spike. He was whistling a song she didn't recognize, but it sounded happy. All music sounded happy to her. Happy, but alien.
She entered the room. Jason was lying on the table. His eyes were open and he was breathing with his mouth open. There was a little red dot in the center of his forehead.
"Everyone's dead. The traitors, they shot everyone. Christof fell in the green stuff. It was horrible," she said.
Stryker looked up, blankly.
"Great. More disappointing henchmen. Can't anyone do anything right besides me? This is why I should be in charge of doing everything. All of my children disappoint me. All of my children grow up to be terrorists and come back to haunt me. Am I a bad father?" he said.
"Well, from what I've seen…yeah. Don't you even care that your soldiers are dead? We're supposed to be one big happy family here. You don't even seem glad to see me," she said.
"Why would I care about failures?" Stryker asked.
Marrow looked at him with confusion. She had been so impressed with him. He had taken care of her; made her look sort of human, made her feel like what she thought it was liked to be loved. And he didn't even seem to care.
"I thought this was going to be fun. I'm not a failure. I'm still alive," she said.
"Sometimes, death is better. Isn't that right Jason? But I couldn't kill my own son, could I? I'm not an evil man," Stryker addressed his child.
"What did you do to him? Is he sleeping with his eyes open?" she asked.
"It's called a lobotomy. It's a scientific procedure that was used to keep mental patients under control. I finally found a way to keep people under my control. Now get out there and guard the entrance. I can't have Creed and Wilson and the Frost girl escaping from me a second time. They have to be controlled. Isn't that right, Jason?" Stryker said.
Marrow quickly left the room. Stryker wasn't a good man. He was a very, very bad man.
Team X Entrance Hall
Emma led the way towards the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was fluorescent. Fluorescent light made everyone look ghastly. Victor carried Wade draped over his shoulder. She was surprised at the relative selflessness of the act. Perhaps, the old tradition of soldiers never leaving one of their fallen on the battlefield had actually sunk in with him.
She was consciously trying to not look at Wade. She kept telling herself his repulsive condition had to be temporary. Everything had a cure, if you spent enough money towards it.
Emma was about to breathe a sigh of relief as they neared the doorway, when Tendon or Gristle or Bone Marrow or whatever her name was stepped out in front of them. She was aiming a gun directly at Emma's heart. She transformed into diamond again, although it was getting harder and harder each time.
"I can't let you leave. You've made such a mess of things. Everything around here is a mess because of you," Marrow said, her voice cracking.
A shot rang out and the gun fell from her hands. Victor had apparently hit her right on her grip. She howled and hung her head low.
"Nobody stops me, little girl," Victor threatened.
Marrow looked up again. The corner of her mouth twitched. Bony plates grew to cover her forehead, chest, arms and leg, like a natural armor. She lifted her hands and four long bone claws extended from each of them. She smiled.
Victor growled and set Wade down. He extended his own lethal fingernails and approached her menacingly.
"Is this really necessary? Your teammates are slaughtered. You're outnumbered. There's been enough bloodshed tonight. Let us pass and we'll let you go unharmed," Emma said.
"I don't believe you. Everyone lies. Everyone around here lies to me," Marrow said.
Emma saw an opening.
"Did Stryker lie to you? He doesn't care about any mutants. We're your own kind, not him." Emma said, stepping forward slowly.
"My own kind. I don't have anything in common with you. You're so pretty you make me want to vomit," Marrow said.
"I've had work done. $25,000 worth of work done. I don't want to hurt you, darling. We just want to leave, and take our friend to the hospital in peace," Emma said.
"We just want to come and go in peace. Take us to your leader. Oh wait, we don't want to see your leader again. He's a dick. E.T. Phone home," Wade said.
"I'll get in trouble if I let you go," Marrow said.
"Not if you leave, too. You can walk out the door with us, and do whatever you want to do. You can walk to freedom," Emma said.
Marrow looked at the three of them. Her lip was quivering. Under her grotesque exterior, Emma could tell she was mentally just a little child.
"Ok. Stryker doesn't care about me. I know he doesn't care," she said.
She walked towards the door and opened it for them.
"So where are you from?" Victor asked Marrow, looking at her quizzically.
"Under New York City. My Morlock brothers and sisters live in the sewers," she replied.
"Dude, you're covered in a shell and you grew up in the sewers. You're a real live Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Heroes in a half shell! Turtle Power!" Wade sang off-key.
"Shut up Wade," Victor snarled.
"He'll fight for freedom, wherever there's trouble, GI Joe is there! A real American hero! GI Joe is there!" Wade continued singing.
"I'm gonna fuckin' drop you," Victor said.
"I'm shutting up now," Wade said quickly.
20 Minutes Later, Victor's Truck
Victor started up his truck. Emma sat in the back, cradling Wade in a blanket. He noticed she'd stopped touching him, like he was contaminated.
"I can't believe Marrow didn't want to come with me…I mean us. She was kinda cool for a frail," Victor said.
"You certainly know how to damn with faint praise. So what hospital is closest?" Emma asked.
"Fuck if I know. I don't live here," Victor replied.
"I hate fanfics set in the 80's. GPS hasn't even been invented yet. I can't go to a normal hospital. I don't have insurance. I didn't need it since I never got sick. And Wilson Fisk doesn't exactly have a health plan for assassins. Speaking of which, I haven't done a job for him since I started hanging out with you. I turned down his last few assignments. I should probably check in with his network. I'm so thirsty. Can we stop by a gas station and get a gallon of Noxzema for me to drink?" Wade said.
"Your health is a greater priority than work. We need to find a mutant friendly center. If we're in Westchester County, aren't we near Professor Xavier's school? I recall it having an extensive medical research facility. If anyone had the resources to help, it's him," Emma said.
"The X-Men?! No fuckin' way. I'm ex-Brotherhood of Mutants. I've clashed with them too many times," Victor growled.
He hated the X-Men. They were a bunch of species-traitor pussies that didn't believe in killing and wanted to help humanity. What a joke.
"Professor Xavier is such a bleeding-heart liberal he wouldn't turn away any fellow mutants seeking asylum. Look, I'll call him and see what he says. And you don't need to stay, we just need you to drive us there," Emma said.
"Fine, but even if he says yes, I ain't stayin' long," Victor said.
To Be Continued
Author's note: In the next chapter, I'll finally get to write some X-Men cameos! The showdown between Marrow and Victor was loosely based on an incident that took place in the comics.