Shatterstar was in jail and he didn't like it. Not one bit.
He was in a police holding cell along with Sunspot, Siryn, Domino, and Meltdown. James was missing and Caliban was in the hospital for severe injuries incurred during their battle against the Externals; Absalem and Crule. Cable had been spirited away by Blaguesmith for some strange reason, leaving the remaining members of X-Force behind trying to explain the mess of how Gideon, a prominent business man, had been murdered. Adding the involvement of Selene, a vastly powerfully mutant with life-force draining powers, was proving an exercise in frustration.
They had been surrounded by armed police when they'd recovered from Selene's attack. It had been Domino's decision to surrender. X-Force was already regarded as a mutant terrorist cell and she didn't want to compound the impression with a body count of civilian forces. As expected, Shatterstar took the most convincing. He had been on edge during the entire mission and challenging Domino's orders with a savagery she hadn't seen since she'd first met him. When the police confiscated his swords, he almost went berserk. It had taken Sunspot to restrain him, almost dislocating his shoulders before he finally relented. They were brought to the 53rd Precinct and put through processing; their gear and clothes taken away and replaced by unflattering green overalls. The detective in charge of the case wanted to place them all in separate holding cells, but clear evidence they were mutants warranted them being housed together, just to keep a better eye on them. An armed contingent of SWAT members were standing at attention outside of their cell, watching their every move.
Sunspot had been taken away first, led to an interrogation room that was nicknamed "The Box" where he could be questioned directly. He was gone for well over two hours before coming back, seemingly none the worse for wear for the strong arm tactics used by the detectives investigating the case. Siryn was escorted out of the cell next and that was when Shatterstar began his restless pacing, unable to stop even as Tabitha complained it was making her dizzy. He couldn't seem to help himself. The barred cell reminded him of his kennel back on Mojoworld; complete with barren cot, old toilet, and the complete lack of privacy. That made it bad enough. But he was also stricken by a puzzling sense of what Meltdown coined 'Déjà vu', as if he had gone through these Earth ordeals of fingerprinting and incarceration before. That duplicity in his thought process was beginning to wear him down, that and the constant awful ache between his ears. When Domino grabbed his arm he instinctively raised his free hand into a fist, poised to strike before he recognized who it was.
"Calm down," she said, pretending not to notice the near-miss. "You're making all of us nervous."
"We should not be here!" he growled. "We should not have surrendered. We could have fought our way through to freedom!"
"Hey, we don't all have a nifty healing factor like yours. We're already down two people and simply can't afford any more losses. Cooperating with the police was the best strategy at the time."
An officer was standing nearby with his hands clasped around his assault rifle. "You really should listen to her, kid."
"Fuck you!" 'Star shot back, giving him the finger.
Tabitha burst out laughing at the unexpected reaction. "You tell 'em, 'Star! Looks like all those hours of watching HBO are finally paying off!" Sunspot was beside her, only his wide, astonished eyes visible in his dark, empowered form.
"Shit," Domino mumbled, forcibly dragging the warrior away from the bars. "You have got to cool it! Pretty soon they're going to question you, too, and you're going to have to hold it together. You hear me?"
"We did nothing wrong. We should not be treated in this manner. I want my swords back!"
Domino figured that's what was really at the crux of 'Star's tantrum; some sort of separation anxiety from his weapons which were tied directly into his DNA. He didn't feel whole without them. "They're in a safe place. You'll get them back. Right now, you just have to be patient-"
"Fekt!" he snarled, tearing his arm free and going back to his aimless pacing.
When Siryn returned, she looked visibly flustered and Domino was filled with dread when they pulled Shatterstar from the cell next. It was clear from his conduct that he was the most agitated of the five of them, and that marked him as a potential weak link in the eyes of interrogators. She could only pray that he could hold it together through the interview.
'Star was taken from one confining environment and placed into another smaller room, surrounded by armed, hostile humans. There was a heavy-set man seated at a table with a file folder open in front of him and the alien warily backed into the furthest corner. "I will not cooperate with you. I wish only to have my swords returned to me and this farce to end."
Detective Marconi only grunted as if he heard requests like that all day long. "Take a seat, Benjamin."
'Star looked at him curiously. "What?"
"Benjamin Russell. That's you, ain't it? See, the rest of your crew refused to give their names."
"I see no reason to call me a name which is not my own."
"Yeah? How come then this police report says otherwise? Now take a seat. Benjamin."
Figuring this to be some sort of interrogation tactic to disarm him, 'Star crossed his arms and didn't budge. "You are clearly mistaken. I have never been here before."
Marconi held up a police photo. The teenager in the picture bore close resemblance to 'Star but his red hair was cut short, there were piercings on his face, and he had no trace of the star tattoo. "Your fingerprints came back flagged. You're in the system, kid. Drug possession, petty burglary, assault. Even prostitution. Not too bright to be peddling your ass in this day and age."
'Star opened his mouth to respond and found his ability to speak was gone. He stared at the cop in complete astonishment, shaking his head.
"Let's just make things clear between us right now. I don't like you, Ben, and I'm in no mood to fuck around. Now, sit your ass down."
'Star's eyes flashed in anger. "I am no longer anyone's property! Not Mojo's and especially not yours! I take orders from nobody!"
One of the cops was moving forward and the alien bared his teeth at him. "Touch me and I will rip your arm from its socket. That is not a threat, it is a fact. Keep your distance."
"This is getting out of control," Detective Jones remarked, waving the policeman off. "Look, Ben, we just-"
"That is not my name!" 'Star raged at her in Cadre. "I will not fall for any more of your tricks! You will release me immediately!"
There was stunned silence for a few seconds and Jones finally spoke up. "Everybody out. I want to talk to him alone."
Marconi looked at her as if she was crazy. "You outta your mind, Jonesy?"
"Probably," she sighed, staring at the agitated teen. "But your methods clearly aren't working. I'll be fine."
Shrugging, the detective got to his feet and gestured at the two cops to leave the interview room. As they walked out, Marconi looked at 'Star and deliberately remarked, "You should be safe with him, Jonesy. I get the impression he's not too partial to the ladies."
'Star shot him a confused glare as the door slammed closed.
"Ignore him," Jones said, sitting behind the table. She deliberately closed the police file and set it aside. "And ignore this. I just want to hear what happened to Mr. Gideon."
Staring back at her uneasily, 'Star considered this change in tactics. "I will speak of Gideon's fate," he said at last. "Nothing else."
Jones clasped her hands together on top of the table and smiled at him. "That's just fine. Whenever you're ready to start."
In their holding cell, Domino and the others heard Shatterstar shouting shortly after he was taken away and waited in dread for the body count to start. To their amazement, things went quiet for the next hour before 'Star was escorted back. He appeared unusually cowed and silent, eyes to the ground. When he was back in the cell, he wordlessly went to the cot and sat until his back was against the far wall, drawing his knees to his chest and clasping his muscular arms around them. He looked like he was in shock.
"'Star? You okay?" Domino asked. She was hauled out of the cell next before she could receive an answer.
The alien didn't hear her anyway. He was left brooding over the disturbing conversation with the corpulent detective. He recognized the name 'Benjamin Russell' as belonging to the teenager he had helped in New York barely two weeks before. Something had happened after that rescue, something that made his temples throb when he tried to concentrate on it. Now he was being told that he was that person, and there appeared to be evidence to the fact. He simply did not understand.
"What'd they say to ye?" Theresa said, sitting beside him. Tabitha was on the other side and Bobby was crouched beside the cot. "What happened?"
"I don't know. None of it made any sense," he muttered. "They said I was here before."
"What the hell are they playing at? You've never been arrested!" Bobby said, frowning.
"They had a file. It had a picture of someone who looked like me. It said- they ..." He pressed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Please leave me alone."
"Sure, Shatty. C'mon guys, you heard him," Tabitha said, getting back to her feet. The three settled against the far side of the small cell, looking at him with concern. "Oh wow, he's really upset."
"The cops'r desperate," Theresa remarked under her breath. "They're pullin' out all the tricks. They managed to rattle me. 'Star's not even been on earth a year yet. He wouldn't know any better if they were lyin' t'him or not."
"Hell, I just laughed at them," Bobby said. "Then again, I could have just flown up through the roof if I'd wanted to and they knew it."
"Domino'll tell 'em where to go," Tabitha said, on the cusp of serious anger. She didn't like seeing any member of her team being messed around with, Shatterstar in particular. "If she doesn't, I sure as hell will."
Theresa looked at her. "Careful, girl-"
"Oh relax. I'm just gonna give them a reminder of who they're dealing with, that's all," she said, and she was true to her word when Domino was brought back less than twenty minutes later.
As astonishing as it all sounded, each of their stories supported the other's. The detectives also processed several independent security camera feeds that further collaborated what had happened at Rockefeller Center. For the police, watching the videos of the battle from various angles was like previewing trailers of some cinematic blockbuster complete with state-of-the-art CGI effects. The five members of X-Force were given their gear back and released. As they walked out of the station, Shatterstar glared back at Marconi and the detective pursed his lips as if pantomiming a kiss. Bobby had to grab onto the alien's arm when it looked like he was about to attack. "Let's go, 'Star. It isn't worth it."
"Watch your ass, pretty-boy," Marconi called out as they left, adding a mocking laugh.
When they got back to the mansion, Shatterstar made it clear he didn't want to talk about what had happened at the precinct. Cable was off on one of his personal crusades and all of the X-Men were away on a mission. Domino debated going to Xavier with her concerns but she was well aware of the caveat of her team and really didn't want to subject 'Star to further stress. What he really needed most was some downtime and she could only hope they would get a few days off to decompress.
It didn't happen. The team was barely settled when they were placed on a mission directly from Professor Xavier. They had to infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carrier to rescue Scott Summers. He had been taken prisoner by G.W. Bridge, the appointed director of a new government watchdog group called Mutant Affairs. Shatterstar was filled with second-doubts ever since his run-in with the police. It helped that he was paired with Tabitha. She was grateful for his support through the matter with Sabretooth and happily watched his back just in case he faltered. Their task was accomplished with remarkable ease and by the end of it Shatterstar felt honoured to have helped rescue a coveted X-Man as Lord Cyclops. When he saw the mutant reunited with his wife, the revered Jean Grey, and the pair start kissing, he quickly looked elsewhere. Siryn and the others figured he was thinking of Feral. They were wrong.
The events following that rescue escalated quickly. Xavier became possessed by Onslaught, a powerful foe unlike any they had encountered before. While the main X-groups tried to deal with him, X-Force had their hands full with Sinister. At least they were a full crew again, with Caliban back in full health and James Proudstar with the team along with his new girlfriend, Risqué. It was good news because by now, Shatterstar was seriously beginning to falter. Too many days of little to no sleep coupled by that headache that simply would not leave. He was beginning to have difficulty concentrating and this was a situation that needed all of his resources at hand. Sinister was a foe immune to all of their individual abilities who had absolutely no hesitation to use deadly force. When the villain had Siyrn in a brutal chokehold poised to break her neck, 'Star managed to separate them before being defeated in short order.
As he lay stunned, Sinister was about to finish him and regarded him with interest instead. "If you had the slightest inkling of the devastating power you wield you might actually become an actual threat. At any other time, it would be ... intriguing to see what you would do with that ability." A being of insatiable curiosity, he actually hesitated in his actions before being distracted by attacks from the others.
Taking advantage of the brief respite, Siryn grabbed her throat, coughing, and regarded 'Star who was trying to shake off Sinister's assault. "I heard that. Did ye know what he meant?"
He shook his head. "He's a villain. Since when does anything they say make sense?"
"Yeah, but 'Star-!"
"Now's not the time, Siryn." He took off after Sinister.
It was rare when they encountered a foe they could not vanquish and Sinister proved as ruthless and canny as any on record. The villain tricked the X-Man, Nathan Christopher, to release a psionic blast and reflected it back at the mutant team at ten times the original force, knocking them all unconscious. By the time they recovered, Sinister was long gone.
"Do we go after him?" James asked Domino, checking on Risqué, who was clearly favouring her left shoulder.
"Are ye mad?" Theresa croaked, still rubbing her aching throat.
"We're staying right here." Dom decided quickly. "We'll regroup first. Try to get in contact with the X-Men and see what they-"
"Shatty?" Tabitha was kneeling beside the warrior who had yet to rise. Sunspot came along side of her and shook him. "Hey, Shatterstar!"
"Caliban senses strange things in friend-Star," the former-Morlock commented, kneading his huge hands together nervously. "Strange, bad things."
"Hey 'Star, wake up," Domino said, pulling on the alien's shoulder and hauling him onto his side. His nose was spouting blood and this altered position made it run into the back of his throat. He woke up coughing. Dom helped him sit up, slapping his back as he struggled to catch a breath. "What's wrong?"
He spat out a mouthful of blood and pressed a hand to his temple. "Mahz coutreh ii," he said weakly. "Hijo de puta ... hurts like a motherfuck!"
Tabitha was staring at him with concern. "What hurts, 'Star?"
"S'not m' name," the alien murmured. "Lemme alone. Alla youse."
In the background, Roberto, Siryn, and James exchanged astonished glances. For some reason Shatterstar's usual heavy, alien accent had turned into a fuzzy Boston drone. Domino loped one of the warrior's arms around her shoulders as Tabitha supported his other side. "We're going to take you to the infirmary. Hold on tight."
He made some vague sound of protest and suddenly slumped unconscious again.
It took a long time for the nosebleed to stop despite 'Star's healing factor. He didn't achieve anything more than a sludgy semi-consciousness, speaking a peculiar blend of Cadre, English, Spanish, all peppered with colourful profanity the few times he was marginally lucid. Cable made sure he was comfortable and then got caught up on events by Domino. She had a lot to say. Hearing it all, the silver haired mutant realized he should have let Hank McCoy conduct his full examination on 'Star. From the sounds of things, something was seriously wrong.
That was made clear when Cable prowled the mansion in the late hours of night and heard the television playing in the entertainment room. He knew his exhausted team and the present student body were all in bed at this time of night. He was astonished who he discovered sprawled out on the sofa and watching a baseball game. "Shatterstar?"
The youth regarded him for a moment and sat up, reluctantly putting the TV on mute.
"You're supposed to be in the infirmary resting."
"I'm resting fine right here."
Cable wasn't unsurprised by the answer, knowing of the alien's preference to TV. "Domino told me that you've been having some problems adjusting since that episode with Shaw. In particular, there was an incident at the precinct that had you upset. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nope," 'Star said. "Don't wanna talk about no fuckin pigs."
Cable had been about to add something and suddenly looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?"
"I said, I don't wanna talk. You deaf?" the alien said shortly. He reached down and brought a can of beer to his lips and drank deeply before setting it back down. That was when Cable noticed several empties lying on the carpet. "The Sox are kickin' the Tigers' asses for a change and I really don't wanna miss out. We'll gab when it's done."
"No, we won't," Cable said, walking closer to the couch. He regarded the Mojoworlder closely, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, the overall haggard appearance. "When's the last time that you've actually gotten a decent night's sleep?"
"Dunno. Don't care. What's it to youse anyways?"
*I want you to go up to your room right now and go get some sleep* the mutant sent directly into his mind, adding a deliberate telepathic push.
'Star just sneered. "Yeah, right. Screw you. The Sox are playin'," he said and focussed his attention back to the ball game on the television, turning up the volume and deliberately ignoring him.
Cable studied him for a long, considering moment and then wordlessly left the room. He appeared a short time later with Domino in tow. She was clad in her robe and her hair was dishevelled but she looked startlingly awake. They stood together, conferring mentally for a few minutes before she went and sat down next to the teenager. She considered her words carefully and was about to speak just as he took a sip from the can of beer and suddenly spit it out. "Fekt! Kiya sai?"He looked at the label on the can in confusion before it dawned on him that he wasn't alone. "... Domino?"
"'Star?" she asked warily. "Is that you?"
He frowned. "I do not understand the context of that question. Who else would I be?" He looked at his surroundings in confusion and realized that Cable was standing behind the back of the couch. "Is the battle over? Did we win?"
"We're all still alive. I count that as a win. What's the last thing you remember?" the huge mutant asked calmly.
"Sinister's psychic attack. I-" He rubbed his forehead in a gesture that was getting far too familiar for Domino. "It was worse than that psi-bolt you unleashed to break us free from Shaw's control. It hurt severely. It ... still does."
"I want you to go to bed and get some sleep. That's an order," Cable barked.
"Yes, sir." He rose obediently to his feet, noticing the television. "Was I watching that?"
"Yes," Domino said.
"Za's Vid, I don't even like baseball," he muttered and left the room, heading upstairs to his quarters.
Cable and Domino stood together in the entertainment room staring wordlessly at the TV, the litter of beer cans, the staircase, and finally at each other. Verbally and mentally they had no words to share.
Shatterstar managed almost three hours sleep before he was back to prowling the mansion again. He ended up in the remodelled Danger Room and went through training drill after gruelling training drill, focusing on simplicity and repetition to compensate for his clear lack of focus. At one point, well past the stages of exhaustion even by superhuman efforts, he staggered off to the bathroom and dry-heaved over the toilet until he just about passed out. After a brief rest, he went back to repeating that physical torture all over again.
Because of the Onslaught battle taking place in the Middle East, Cable and Domino were the only adults left in the mansion and they had their hands full fielding questions from present students and their own X-Force team. As much as Cable wanted to join the main battle, he could not- in good conscience- abandon all these young charges who were looking to him for protection and guidance. He and Dom had no choice but to stay with them, just in case Sinister returned, or they were attacked by some other villainous team who might realize the X-Men had their hands full elsewhere. He geared up, armed to the teeth with his nastiest weapons, and patrolled the perimeter of the mansion. It was ultimately Domino who Marrow went to with her concerns that the Danger Room was locked-out with only one person listed as inside: Shatterstar. And he had been in there for over six hours.
Domino honestly didn't know what she'd find when she over-rode the locks, bringing Jimmy along as back-up. There was no hologram running some crazy Mojoworld venue, no Sentinel-battle program, no android/combat drones. The room was set in weight-training mode but there was no trace of the alien. She examined the equipment and found most of the hand-holds and weight bars smeared with blood. Tracking the droplets of tacky blood to the bathroom, Domino found the teen inside and sitting on the floor, staring down at his hands. They were a swollen mess of blisters and torn skin and still bleeding freely. He looked up at her with unmistakable fear in his face. "My healing factor isn't working anymore," he said in a strengthless, shocked voice. "I'm becoming human. I ... I'm becoming him."
Domino sent James off to go find Cable. She could have contacted her partner through their rapport but she wanted to get the shocked Native out of earshot so she could have a private conversation. She grabbed a towel and wetted under the faucet and wrapped it around 'Star's wounded hands. "Who, 'Star? Who are you talking about?
"Benjamin Russell," he rasped, barely aware that she was in the room so great was his exhaustion. Domino took advantage of his weakened state and managed to get the story about what happened to 'Star when he had gone to New York. And why his interrogation at the 53rd Precinct had bothered him so badly.
She transmitted all of the information to Cable while managing to coax the teen to his feet and helped him to the infirmary. Barely before he was settled on the nearest bed, he slumped unconscious and she noticed it was only then when his hands began healing. By the time Cable joined her, they were clear and unmarked. "This isn't good, Nate," she fretted. "Something is seriously wrong with him."
"I know, Dom." Cable sat by the bed and placed his human hand on the alien's temple. When Xavier had still been present, he had graciously offered Nathan some guidance and pointers on how to better direct his telepathic powers. To his credit, the mutant had paid keen attention and he was now grateful for the tutelage. He entered the Mojoworlder's mind with all the care and subtlety he could manage. He encountered a complex network of thoughts that were both native and invasive, finding them tangled together into a knot of memories so complex that it was almost impossible to tell one apart from the other. There was clear evidence of damage here; the veil around the teenager's mind was wrapped in a swollen, blood-red shroud. Lady Tessa's mind-control hadn't helped, but the brunt of the psychic trauma had come from him when he had psi-stunned the team, and the rest from Sinister's mental assault. Shatterstar's healing factor was working overtime trying to repair the damage to his brain, but it was clearly a losing battle. From the looks of the mental scarring, 'Star had been suffering for weeks and was deteriorating at an alarming rate.
As Cable patrolled the less injured areas, trying to find some way to make sense of this assault, he encountered a trademark declaration that stated clearly: "Gaveedra-Seven Battle Model. Arena Call Sign: Shatterstar. Exclusive Property of Mojoworld Interdimensional Entertainment Incorporated."
On the heels of that was another statement: "Mojo be damned. Earth is my domain and so is your creation. Here, he entertains me." And there was only chilling laughter that followed the boast, echoing down into the weakened crumbling corridors of thought.
Cable pulled out of that chaotic mind with a start, his face frankly stunned. It wasn't an expression Domino saw in her lover very often. "What was it, Nate? What did you see?"
He jumped to his feet. "I have to go to Cerebro. Get some data on just who this fucker is," he snarled.
"Who did this to 'Star?" Dom demanded.
"The Gamesmaster," Nate called over his shoulder and left the infirmary practically at a run.
"Who?!" Shatterstar asked in confusion when he woke up a few hours later.
Cable repeated patiently, "You were attacked by the Gamesmaster."
The trio were in the room with the curtains pulled across the observation window and the audio and cameras off. By now word had spread that 'Star had suffered some sort of injury in the Danger Room and X-Force was outside of the room waiting impatiently for some kind of report. None of the members were people who took the waiting game well.
'Star looked understandably confused. "I do not remember our battling that foe."
"We didn't," Domino said. The usual chalk-color of her face held a rare touch of pink to her cheeks. It was clear she was brilliantly furious by this cowardly attack on one of their own.
"Then ... why was I singled out?"
"Because you're unique," Cable told him. "Because of your former status as a slave of Mojo. The Gamesmaster is an omniopath and a megalomaniac. He sees people as playthings to manipulate. Nothing more, nothing less. You caught his attention in New York simply by chance."
"What has he done to me?"
"I'm not entirely sure. It appears that he's embedded another consciousness within your own."
"To what end?"
The fact that Cable, of all people, appeared upset by this senseless act of violence spoke volumes. "To watch you suffer. He is so far removed from human kind that inflicting pain in others is the only things that amuses him anymore. Within you lies the spirit of a noble warrior and he implanted the antithesis of such a character just to watch you struggle."
"Make it stop," 'Star said in an unsteady voice.
"Shatterstar, I don't think I can."
"You're a telepath!" The youth shouted in desperation. "Go into my mind and rip that presence out!"
"I'm not Charles Xavier. I don't have the ability or the skills. The Gamesmaster is stronger than I am. His powers are augmented through artificial means. Until this runs its course, there's little I can do except support you through the worst of it."
"I am a puppet for the amusement of another. Again," 'Star said in dismay, sitting up in bed and swinging his legs around to drop down to the floor. "I'm not free after all. I ... I just traded ownership." He gave his head a brisk shake, wincing in pain from the act and whispered, "Unacceptable."
"Shatterstar-"
"If there is nothing you can do than I wish to leave. I want to go to my room."
"Perhaps if would be best if you stayed here where we can keep-"
"Fuck's sake, I'm an adult! Hospital rooms remind me of shrinks and prick doctors!" 'Star snapped, lapsing into that Boston persona. From what little Cable and Domino had seen of it, they didn't like it very much, which had probably been the point of placing that rude consciousness in 'Star's orderly mind to begin with. Chaos made for great entertainment. "You're gonna let me go or else."
Looking past the bluster, Cable could sense the exhaustion in the teenager. He nodded to Domino who opened the door for him. Standing outside of the study were all the members of X-Force. Struggling with his composure, the alien pushed his way past them without explanation. Several of the members were going to follow him until Cable called the team into the room. The door was closed again and, in private, they were told what was happening to one of their own.
Shortly after that, Theresa, Tabitha, James, Caliban, and Roberto were standing in the hallway outside of 'Star's quarters.
"This is messed up," Tabitha commented. "Cable's been seriously dropping the ball with us lately. He's a telepath. How come he never knew Feral was going to go batshit crazy? How didn't he notice that 'Star was falling to pieces? We all suspected something was up with him. Why didn't he?"
"Cable's got a lot on his mind. 'Sides, ye know how 'Star's keeps personal shite all t'himself," Theresa murmured, staring at the door. "Look, he's probably tryin' t'get some sleep. We shouldn't be here."
"Caliban agrees with X-friends," the huge grey mutant said nervously. "Caliban senses changes in friend-Star. Not good ones. Sometimes he isn't friend-Star at all. Sometimes he's someone else. Someone bad."
"Oh, that's great," Tabitha murmured. "I swear, if I ever meet this Gamesmaster shithead, I'm gonna shove a bomb so far up his ass, his head'll explode."
"I'll even hold him down for you," Roberto said.
"Look, Cable told us that we should keep a close eye on 'Star. I think he's right." Jimmy took a deep breath and stepped forward, knocking on the door. "Yo, Shatterstar? Hey man, you wanna go out for pizza? My treat."
"Really?" Bobby asked brightly.
"Him, not you," he mouthed with a smirk, pressing his ear to the door. "Huh. I don't hear any- Wait a minute, I think I hear a humming sound."
Roberto immediately cocked his head up in alarm. "Humming? Kind of like a buzz?"
"Yeah, it's really weird-"
He pushed him out of the way. "He's powering up. That's what it sounds like!" he said and kicked in the door.
Shatterstar looked over at them in fury at the interruption. He was kneeling in the center of the room, dressed in his original Mojoverse white uniform and wearing his padded gladiatorial helmet. "I die free!" he screamed and plunged his double-bladed sword into his chest just as Siryn launched her sonic attack.
It was close either way you looked at it. If they had arrived sooner, they might have been able to prevent the suicide attempt entirely. Any later, and 'Star would have been too powered up for them to stop it. As things were, Siryn's timing with her scream and Shatterstar's urgency to complete the task made the wound extremely serious, but not fatal. He missed his heart by an inch.
"He'll recover," Domino told the group after they got him settled back down in the infirmary. He was tied down to the bed with padded restraints and deliberately sedated with McCoy's special concoction so that his healing factor could make repairs. Because of his compromised, weakened state, it had taken a long time for the bleeding to stop. There was an oxygen mask over his mouth to assist with breathing. He looked somehow diminished lying in the bed like that; his skin deathly pale. Even the color of his hair seemed dulled under the harsh glow of the fluorescents.
"Sure," Tabitha muttered, staring at her ailing friend through the observation window. "Sure he will, but what about next time? What happens when he does it again and finally gets it right?"
"There won't be a next time," Dom said firmly.
"'I die free'. You all heard him say it. He won't let that Gamesmaster prick play with him like that. He treasures his freedom because he was a slave for so long. To him, suicide's a noble way out of this whole mess." She thumped her forehead against the glass. "We've gotta find a way to help him before it's too late."
"We will. Cable's going to try to unravel some of the tampering while he's unconscious. I've got some feelers out about Gamesmaster. We'll get to the bottom of this, kids. I promise."
Roberto watched as Theresa pulled out her cell phone and began dialling. "Who're you calling, Terry?"
"Who d'ye think?" she said, putting the phone to her ear.