Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sins of the Mother:
The MRD seemed to be riding high at the moment. They didn't capture as many mutants as they would have liked, but soon when they had the Sentinels online and had their beck and call, there would be nowhere on Earth for mutants to run. Milton Fine assisted with building the program and the Sentinels would be able to put mutants in their proper place.
The mutant known as Wolverine was dragged across the ground roughly. The mutant growled when he tried to hold his head up. He was slapped with cuffs and a collar, such inhibiting his movement.
Logan growled when he tried to free himself. His healing factor was shut off by this collar and his hands were coughed behind the back of his head. One of them lifted up a stun gun and jabbed it into the back of his ribs.
"Oh, you think that you're bad, huh, mutie?" one of them taunted him. He kept jabbing the stun gun over and over again into Logan's ribs.
"Just wait and find out how bad I am!" Logan growled. He was hurled in one of the cells and crashed down onto the ground.
He could see many people from his vantage points. Logan wondered if many of them were mutants. He doubted very much that the suits that were behind the MRD gave much a damn, if they put the right kinds of people into those cells. Those were the type of people who would not be able to distinguish between mutants and non-mutants. It was for sure that they weren't able to distinguish between mutants that used their power to torment and those mutants who used their power to help people.
Logan felt the burns of where the stun gun zapped his body. There was a knock on his door and it swung open.
He looked up and someone kicked him hard in the ribs. Even with the healing factor, that would hurt. Without the healing factor, that still hurt.
"It hurts to be on the receiving end of pain. Remember what happened, Logan? How you got to go home without a scratch, while I experienced the worst pain in my entire life?"
The man stepped over towards him. Logan looked at him through blurred eyes and he managed to force out one strangled word.
"You!" Logan growled.
"Yes, it's me," Slade stated dryly. He reached down and grabbed Logan by the throat. "How does this feel, Logan? There must be a small part in you that may hurt, but you're used to playing in pain with that healing factor. But with me, the pain never quite did go completely away, you know."
"We…we did everything that we could for you, Slade," Logan replied. He tried to free himself, but he just couldn't. "A lot of these people that you're killing, is this…"
"Oh, they're good people, but it doesn't matter in the end," Slade said. He looked at Logan with utter contempt. "Xavier and Magneto, and you, I would have to say that this is a pretty good day. And I made Captain America look unbalanced whilst the world was watching."
"What's your problem with him?" Logan asked.
"No problem, but he can be a bit too milktoast for my liking," Slade said. He bent down and grabbed Logan around the throat. "This is it, isn't it? This is what we like to call a perfect day? Where I take you down, and make you look like a fool. I can't wait for it, Logan, can you?"
"You're not making any sense, Slade," Logan said. It hit him suddenly. "You took the OZ!"
"I'm stronger than ever before and it's a shame that I didn't get to take down Spider-Man myself," Slade said. "But the Scorpion was a valuable soldier in this war, just like Kelly was a valuable pawn."
Logan saw the glint of madness in Slade's one eye. Slade pulled out a knife and stabbed it into Logan's arms. With his healing factor negated, he experienced pain.
"How does it feel, Logan, to have your entire body racked with absolute pain?" Slade asked him mockingly. "Knowing that there's absolutely nothing that you can do, other than just lie there and take it?"
Slade stepped back from the cell to bask in his triumph.
"The world has filled with chaos, but I'm going to bring order to the madness," Slade said.
There were a set of footsteps behind Slade. One of the guards watched him.
"Some of those X-Men have been brought in, sir," the guard murmured in a low tone.
Slade's gaze was extremely wicked. He looked excited and why wouldn't he be?
"Excellent, Logan can pick the one that he wants to watch die first," Slade said. "A pity it wasn't Summers, but I suppose it was too late for that, now isn't it? I'm sure you got enjoyment from watching him die. A nice young man, an adequate enough soldier, but he wasn't good enough to not get killed."
Slade laughed in amusement. Logan tried to escape his predicament but he was completely and utterly stuck. "You're a complete and utter deluded psychopath."
"It must be difficult to function without any mirrors in your house," Slade fired back. "Let's see what we have to work with. But choose wisely because they will be benefit of a quick death, while the others will be killed slowly and painfully."
Gwen, Kara, Barbara, Chloe, Kitty, and Karen all were sitting around with each other. There was a sense of nervousness that was going on. Peter already suited up and went along with Bobbi and Natasha to see if he could find out where Laura went off to. They were walking into HYDRA central.
"I can't believe that this happened, but we should have seen the warning signs coming from a mile away, "Chloe said. She shook her head. "SHIELD has….well might have had its security holes from the beginning."
"I could have told you that," Gwen replied with a shrug. "And Fury is missing in all of this. I don't know if he's missing, dead, or just playing some kind of game far deeper than any of us mere mortals could fathom."
"Knowing Fury, if he was dead and HYDRA killed him, they would make that fact loud and clear," Chloe answered.
Barbara was in front of the computer, half paying attention to the conversation, and half looking at the MRD database. "You have about three access points that you can get into. Two of them could run you into a small amount of trouble. The third can run you into big trouble."
"Is the Master mold super computer anywhere?" Karen asked. She was nervous about all of this. Kara reached towards her older "sister" and the gently placed her hand on her shoulder. She wanted to try and reassure Karen that everything was going to be fine.
"We're looking for that actually," Barbara informed her. "But they either don't have it anywhere close to there or it's not popping up on any system."
"Slade is the type that won't keep all of his eggs in one basket," Chloe muttered to herself. Gwen looked at her. "I'm not sure how willingly he's working for HYDRA. But given that his sanity is questionable, there's a chance that he might have some strange justification in working with them."
"For the people who experimented on him?" Gwen asked. Peter told Gwen about the experiments and it got her thinking.
What would happen to her? Neither of her parents had been experimented on, were they? Gwen didn't know. That was not the type of question that she would ask to her father at the dinner table and as for her mother, well she was long dead ever since Gwen was too young to remember. Anything that might have happened to her was taken to the grave and left there.
Kara got halfway up and she hated to be waiting around here in the Clocktower. She wanted to be out there on the field.
"Brainiac is still out there," Kara said. "If he's still out there, we should be…..out there."
Kara's voice trailed off. She had been so distracted by everything and the chaos that she neglected one little detail. It had smacked her with all of the subtle force of a blunt object to the face.
Brainiac had Kandor.
Her mother was in Kandor.
Therefore, Kara came to the conclusion that Brainiac had her mother. Could it be all that possible that Brainiac could have her mother, using her for some disturbing and depraved purpose? Kara closed her fist.
"I have to find her," Kara said. She closed her eyes. She handed Barbara her phone. "Do you think that you can trace this signal?"
Barbara looked at the phone and was taken aback. "I think that I can….I mean, the day that I can't trace any signal, I think that I'll just hang up my keyboard."
"Don't say words like that, you might find out that you'll be eating them later," Chloe warned her, giving Barbara a grin.
"We'll see, we'll see," Barbara muttered to herself. She prepared to work her magic and hack into the phone to see if she could trace the signal. "At least, I didn't get caught hacking into SHIELD."
"Ouch," Kitty murmured underneath her breath. "Shots fired."
Things became silent and there were a tense few seconds where Barbara hummed under her breath and hacked into the system.
Triumph filled the girl's eyes. She almost pumped her fist into the air in excitement.
Kara saw the address and bolted. Karen saw her younger sister leave and wanted to headdesk at the sight of it.
She was impulsive and reckless, kind of like Karen was at that age. There was no question about that one though.
Helena made her way into the designated access point of the MRD base. She didn't know how her father did something like this. He wouldn't have made this much racket to give away his entrance position.
How did he do it? How was he so stealthy?
The questions she would have asked him if he was still alive. And likely they were questions that would have earned her some kind of pointed glare of death.
Helena slipped her way down the vent and into one of the control rooms. She was at a certain point.
"I don't suppose the releasing all of the mutants at once would give me a distraction that I need to get to Slade," Helena remarked in a low voice over the communication system.
"Potentially, but we shouldn't assume that everyone in there is just a prisoner for being a mutant," Barbara said. "There are a lot of mutants who do use their powers for bad."
"Hence why we're in this mess in the first place," Helena said. She got into the system, with Barbara's help.
The security slowly, but surely shut down. That allowed a smile to tug at Helena's lips when she stepped on forward.
She was only a few seconds away from getting inside.
The guards walked down the hallway and made Helena's life just a little bit more difficult. She hitched in a breath to her chest and closed her eyes. She waited for these guards to pass her. Seconds became moments when she clung up against the wall.
She decided not to take down the guards on the ground. The woman took another half of a step forward and could see him right in her crosshairs.
It was Slade. Helena was so close to him that she could touch him. She frowned and stopped herself from impulsively leaping forward and taking him down. It was going to be hard for her to keep herself at bay, but she just about managed to, barely, but she managed to.
"He's got hostages," Helena murmured. She got a closer look at what Slade was bringing in.
She realized that he had what appeared to be the Brotherhood being brought in.
"Can't say that I feel too sorry about that particular group," Helena said. She slipped off and saw the cell in front of her.
There was Logan, looking about as happy and optimistic as ever. Helena's lips curled into a smile when she looked down at the rough and tumble mutant. He looked like he seen better days.
There was another prisoner who looked at Slade like she wanted to set him on fire with her mind. She had platinum blonde hair, and it was obvious that she had a good fit body even underneath her tattered prison garments.
Helena saw who it was immediately. Her mouth hung open agape when she realized that this was Slade's daughter.
The woman's eyes narrowed when she saw another group brought in. Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Betsy Braddock, and Hank McCoy, or the X-Men were all brought in. They were roughly handled by the MRD. The women in particular looked like they wanted to maul the MRD guards if they had the chance and Helena couldn't say that she blamed them at this point.
Time grinded by extremely slowly when Helena went to make her move.
"Well, Logan, I'm going to offer you a simple courtesy," Slade stated. He pulled out a large sword. "You get to choose which one of these X-Men die first. They all will in due time, but I figured that I'd make this experience a bit more interesting."
"Go to hell!" Logan growled.
"Yes, I figured that would be your response, I couldn't expect anything else from such a crass savage, other than…"
Slade's words were cut off when a canister broke open and smoke filled the room. There was a figure in the smoke that rushed on in and attacked everyone with a furious assault. Punches and kicks rocked everyone.
"Get your asses in gear and get her!" Slade bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Helena grabbed the remote for the collars and freed the X-Men.
Jean did not take too kindly to the imprisonment and she flung two of the MRD guards against the ground. It wasn't with a force that could kill them, but their lives from about this point on would suck a little bit more.
Helena jumped into the air and knocked Slade to the ground. Slade caught her ankle and flung her to the ground.
"Just like your father, always jumping in to be the do gooder for a world that was doomed," Slade said. He tried to stab Helena in the throat, she blocked it. "Only he kept his doomed crusade to one single city, while you seemed to have branched out, my dear."
Helena and Slade engaged each other in battle. Chaos was occurring in the MRD base and the two exchanged punches and kicks.
"You were the one who killed my father," Helena said.
"Yes, and I enjoyed taking down the great Batman ,and I wore the scars from that battle with pride," Slade replied. "It's only a shame that I didn't do it when he was at his prime, whether when he was only a shell of his former self. When he had been worn out fighting a futile war that he had no chance of winning."
Helena hurled Slade right through the glass windows and both of them tumbled to the ground beneath out of sight.
To those who were close enough, they could hear the sickening sound of someone's neck snapping and then there was silence when both disappeared into the rivers outside of the prison.
"My word," Hank muttered. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs. The furry blue mutant turned to the rest of his team. "We better free the rest of them."
Laura Kinney sniffed around when she made her way back to an extremely familiar base. The Dark Spider led her inside, walking straight, having now wasted movement.
"HYDRA is just using you as much as they were using me," Laura warned her. The Dark Spider ignored her words and kept standing up straight, leading her inside. It was obvious from where Laura was standing that the Dark Spider did not comprehend a single word that was coming out of her mouth.
"Your mother is up these stairs and down the hallway to your right," The Dark Spider said. "And I would keep your eyes and ears firmly open if I were you."
"Don't worry, I will."
Laura said these words in the most calm and assured manner that she could drum up. That was what she thought anyway. On the outside, she was confident. On the inside, she was a mental hurricane of emotions.
A very familiar hand grabbed Laura by around the side of the throat and yanked her on inside. She was slammed against the table hard. She groaned when the back of her head hit.
Laura looked up and saw Kimura standing over her. There were scars all over her body that weren't there last time Laura had the displeasure of seeing her.
"I might have fallen out of favor with HYDRA, but it doesn't matter," Kimura said in a low and dangerous voice, looking absolutely feral. She choked her out and Laura struggled. "I'm going to take you down with me. You're going to wish that you never come back."
Laura couldn't get in position to stab her in the stomach.
The Dark Spider slowly walked inside. She picked up a nice little vial that was on the shelf. She released it into the air, right in the general area of Kimura.
Laura overpowered Kimura in a feral rage. The woman's claws swiped out and stabbed Kimura in the stomach. Her former handler was down on the ground and Laura was brutalizing her.
"Laura, that's enough!" Sarah yelled from the cell. "You're not a monster, honey, you're a person, you're not a slave to that."
Laura seemed behind all reason. The voice of her mother caused her to pause for a second, but she didn't stop from picking up Kimura and forcing her head through the cinderblocks.
The woman fell back and Laura released her, breathing heavily. Her hands were raw red from the impact.
Her eyes dilated and Laura stepped over towards Sarah who was in the cell. Laura slowly edged her way over and her legs shook nervously the more that she tried to get her way back over.
"I need to get you out of here, and away from me, away from them," Laura said firmly.
"She released it," Sarah informed her daughter. "The Dark Spider, she released it…..and….she's gone."
Laura wondered what the game of this mysterious woman was. She had been sick and tired of going around in circles and not getting anywhere. The feral female mutant wanted to know answers and wanted them right now.
Alura looked to be dazed. She really hoped that her daughter got her message. The woman hoped that Brainiac did not figure out the work around that she used. All that matter was Kara was safe and as long as Alura complied, she would be completely safe.
"Is it finished?"
Alura turned around and face the monster that she created. The blonde's chest rose and lowered when she breathed in and out. Her gaze looked towards those soulless eyes.
"See it for yourself," Alura said. She couldn't delay it any longer.
The sleek and silver android was released. It was able to replicate the powers of anyone or anything and cause a nearly invincible opponent. It was obvious why Brainiac wanted a shell like this.
"It is up to specifications, but you would do nothing else other than the very best work, wouldn't you?" Brainiac asked. He turned Alura around. "Yes, my creation is proof that you are not hopeless and this exceeded those past expectations."
Alura thought Brainiac's definition of hopeless was far off from her definition of hopeless. Regardless of this fact, the woman stood strong and proud, no matter what the cause, she would not cave in. She would be bold and brave no matter what.
"Yes, this is perfect," Brainiac continued. He turned towards her and Alura waited for the words that she knew that was coming. "And now, your usefulness has run out and you will be terminated."
"I couldn't agree more."
A high tech EMP charge caught Brainiac right in the back of his head. He landed down onto the ground and his entire system shut down. Alura looked up and saw the one and only Dell Rusk step inside, looking down at Brainiac with contempt.
"Did you really think of me to be so ignorant that I would not know everything that occurred him my own base?" Dell Rusk asked. His accent became even more prominent. "You used this….useful young woman as a pawn and did well. She will be a good servant for HYDRA, once we take over the world."
"You have no idea what you're doing," Brainiac managed. He struggled to reboot his systems, but he failed to do so. Rusk smiled when he looked down at his handywork.
"Impressive, it appears that you're trying to shake off the effects of the high tech weapon that Doctor Essex and myself developed," Rusk said. He released another charge and caught Brainiac off guard. "But, for someone who sees himself above organics, you have acquired a bit of a blind spot. And that blind spot is that you cannot distinguish when you are being played for a fool. And that is what you are, a fool."
Rusk moved over towards the android and smiled. It was perfect, it was what he needed.
"And now, I will be able to rule over the world in a form that is more fitting for someone of my caliber," Dell Rusk replied. When he transferred his brain into Doctor Ivo's greatest creation, he would be invincible. No one would stop him. The AMAZO would allow him to rule the world and beyond into the stars.
"Yes, more fitting of someone of your caliber and also more fitting of your ego."
Dell Rusk turned around and saw the one and only Spider-Man standing before him, along with Mockingbird and Black Widow. Rusk raised his hands and slowly clapped at Spider-Man.
"Bravo, Spider-Man, bravo, you got past all of the guards on your way down here," Rusk replied.
"Time to remove your mask and show the people who you really are," Spider-Man said.
The guards next to Rusk looked curious about this. Rusk seemed to be undisturbed by anything that came out of Spider-Man's mouth. In fact, he waved his hands oh so calmly and casually. "You first, Spider-Man.
"Too much talking!" Mockingbird yelled. She swung one of the batons she carried and smashed into the face of one of the guards.
Black Widow took out another guard. And it was Dell Rusk against Spider-Man.
Dell Rusk grabbed Spider-Man's arm and blocked him. The man threw Spider-Man down onto the ground.
"I went toe to toe with Captain America in his glory day, and you're not anywhere near his league," Rusk taunted him.
"No, I'm not," Spider-Man admitted. He reached up and grabbed onto Rusk's head and ripped his face off. "But you aren't either….Red Skull!"
Some of the HYDRA agents stopped and looked like they saw a ghost. It was obvious that not many of them had been made aware of the fact that the Red Skull lived. They all backed up, he was just as much of a Boogeyman to HYDRA as he was the rest of the world.
"Your lies are over and the world will see you for what you truly are!" Spider-Man yelled.
"Perhaps, but the world will also see how their leaders lied to them above everything else and allowed one of the world's most notorious criminals into a position of power," Red Skull declared. He looked completely mad. "The United States government will never be trusted by anyone again for that mistake, the economy will collapse both in this country and then the entire world. And then HYDRA will be there to pick up the pieces. It will be a New World Order and I will be at the head of it"
"Not if I take you down," Spider-Man said. Bobbi and Natasha fought with the HYDRA goons, which allowed Spider-Man to take care of the big fish.
"Please, you don't have a killer bone within your body, you are as weak as your parents were before you," the Red Skull said. His voice was almost taunting Peter. "But there is one member of your family that does have that killer instinct…..Dark Spider, to me."
The Dark Spider stepped forward and went mask to mask with her brother for the first time.
"As our good friend Doctor Essex says, there can only be one and only the fittest can survive," Red Skull said. "And Fury knew about all of this, and he chose to keep it from you."
The Dark Spider and Spider-Man surrounded each other.
"You don't have to do this," Spider-Man told her. "You're just a weapon to them, a tool, he'll just kill you after he's done playing his sick game."
"Maybe, maybe not, so you better do so first to spare me the indignity," she replied. She punched him hard and sent him crashing into the wall. "You either kill me first, or I'll kill you and all of your little girlfriends will follow you. Then who will save the world?"
"What…you can't….." Spider-Man said. "I can't believe that…"
"The only world I've lived in is one where only the fittest have survived," Dark Spider told him coldly. "It's time for you to learn that lesson."
As that fight was going on, the Red Skull prepared to move to secure the android.
Someone crashed through the skylight of the ceiling and sent glass shattering everywhere. The one and only Captain America dropped in front of the Red Skull, ready to engage an age old enemy into one final battle.
To Be Continued On February 28th, 2014.