Chapter 23: Citizen X
Nick Fury, the former director of Shield, had presented the New Avengers with a mission and no one was quick to take him up on the offer just yet. They did just escape a disaster and at the same token, leave behind people they had attempted to rescue. The captive's powers were neutralized by the cells which held them, effectively turning the cells into death traps.
"We need a minute here Fury," said Logan. The group remained silent to mourn the loss of their friends. Even Cloak and Dagger, who set out to help them, never returned with the group for one reason or another.
Though Nick had not been seen in the past year he was still very much present. He made it a point to stay connected with Luke Cage in case situations called for the former director's attention. When the team recovered a notebook along with Spider-Woman, Luke sent Nick a copy of the pages to get more help. The reason Nick made contact was for just that reason but it just so happened to be after a monumental shift.
"I am sorry to interrupt but this is a time sensitive mission. I've managed to find a link to your MGH case."
Sue looked at her children and brother and knew this wasn't an appropriate talk for their family reunion. The children most of all didn't need to hear this talk. "Ok let's go to another room-"
"I want to stay," said Johnny with a low yet scratchy tone. One could tell that he had not been given the privilege to speak while he was in captivity but his stance on this matter was solid.
Sue allowed Johnny to stay but drove Franklin and Valeria away, back to the watchful eyes of Hotspot who moved along with his little brother Jake,to another room. Unlike Hotspot she returned to be with Johnny. Though Brendon looked as though he wanted to stay and hear what the great master spy was going to say.
An unmasked Peter resisted the urge to look directly at Johnny and instead caught glances of him through the corner of his eye. Black Cat, who was still on his arm, had noticed this attempt to be subtle. She knew of his and Johnny's friendship. Many people knew. Even though they were in differing circles the two were a pair, the jokesters. At least one of them was bound to be different with all of the time that had passed.
She wondered if they would get along as well after all that they'd suffered. She gave Johnny another look and saw his face. It was sunken in and his muscles appeared thin after they lost their tone. Though he was getting his nutrients it was clear that his body had not moved on its own in some time.
"Fine, then what's this about?" inquired Logan as he took off his Wolverine mask.
"I need a team to go to Germany and recover a target. If it is what I think it is we could have a major violation of the Citizen X accords.
"Citizen X" questioned Peter out loud. His words drew all eyes in the room to fall upon him. This led him to believe that he was the only person who didn't know what it was. It also reminded everyone else of the fact that he was gone for a year.
The room grew quiet for a moment after that.
"I'll be happy to explain that if you decide to come along, right now there is no question that I need you on this mission Logan. If we lose the target, it 'will' hurt us later."
"The journal that you recovered from the Amphibian was written in code. I had a source try to track down a solution to the key. We couldn't find it but we did manage to get a name. In Germany there is a Doctor Philip Grey, an old associate of Professor Fillmore who produced the MGH. It is possible that he can decode the notes for us, but there are a few drawbacks."
"Of course, it wouldn't be a regular day without them" replied Logan
"The doctor is involved in some shady research, like Fillmore but unlike Fillmore he hypothesized that Mutants and Inhumans could in fact be linked on a genetic level and could be used to understand Human adaptability. From what I understand, Reed Richards was also looking into the key that gives people powers. They could try to use him to do just that or try and take away the powers of anyone unregistered. Which answers the question of how the lives of powerful individuals could be taken away."
"That's phase 2…" said Johnny Storm in a weakened voice. The strain of saying those words caused him to cough three times with little relief. Danny Rand left the room and came back with a glass of water for the Human Torch, which his sister took into her hands. She tilted the glass so that her brother could take in a little at a time.
"Please continue Human Torch" said Nick.
"After... the first war I was pardoned but I didn't really trust that everything was behind us. I went into Reeds lab and I found the plans for phase 2. The goal was to find a way to give powers to people the initiative could trust and take them away from 'unwanted' opposition. I tried to let everyone know but that was the day I was captured. They held me in jell-o for so long. I thought I would never get to tell you."
Nick took a moment to light his cigar and nodded his head. The others in the room just watched Johnny as he drank more water from the cup offered by Danny. At that moment he was still in the foam prison Reed put him in before he could escape, and he didn't ask to be set free. Everyone seemed to want to help him out of it but they also treated him like glass. After all, he never asked to be let out.
"So there you have it folks" said Nick having got his confirmation. "I need a team to infiltrate and extract this man before he's either captured or dead. I have reason to believe that a covert group could also be there to leave a trail of bodies."
"I understand" said Peter "I'll go but in exchange I want information on a man named Devin. He's registered with Tony's group"
"And why the interest in this guy?"
"He killed my wife; he took my clone and I think he's working with whoever blew up the prison."
Nick gave a slight "hmm" sound before going quiet. He must have taken the moment to absorb every bit of information in Peter's response. It was straight forward, it also gave a bit of detail and at the same time raised more questions about what was to come. "I'll see what I can find. In the meantime, who else is in? I have Spider-Man and Logan already"
Deadpool threw up his hand with great enthusiasm like a child in a classroom. He was determined to follow his new spider-pal on an all-new adventure but the fourth did not easily come forward. After having lost so many allies in the blink of an eye, morale would be hard to come by.
Though she wasn't much of a team player, Felicia was a supporter of the Spider. She was also a thief and combatant, which made her just the level of finesse the team needed. She threw her hand up as well. To this Deadpool had brought some objection.
"No way!" said Wade. "I had a whole guys night out planned and everything."
"Tough luck Wilson, I was here first."
It was settled. Doctor Strange would transport the team of four to a location chosen by Nick. From there the team would rendezvous with a transport to get them to their mission. As for the rest of the rogue Avengers, they would relocate to another bunker belonging to Nick. The reason was because Tony and his group could have left some type of tracking device behind and Nick always loved to be steps ahead.
The giant monitor went black and everyone began to fan out. Peter was already looking for the exit when Johnny Storm had flagged him down. He was just getting out of his foam prison with Susan's powers slowly applying pressure to crack it open.
"Where do you think you're going, web-head?" Said Johnny as he stumbled out of the foam "Thought I wouldn't notice your red and blues just because you threw black in your costume? I kinda like the web cape though."
Sue used her power to break the foam around Johnny and give him support so that he could walk towards his old friend. With the large amount of time that Johnny was trapped in Prison 42, his arms and legs had developed atrophy from underuse. His body was quite skinny as opposed to his youth when he was in the prime of his life. He was depressing to look at but the smile on his face gave another impression altogether.
Everyone watched as if Johnny was the baby who was first learning to walk. One could tell that at the sight of his stumbles they were unsure if they should do something for him but he made it. With Black Cat on Peter's arm and Susan holding Johnny, the old friends were reunited.
"Don't tell me Deadpool's your new best friend?" Johnny said with a playful smirk.
Without allowing for a response, Wade jumped in between the Spider and the Human Torch.
"Actually, I am" said Wade "Sorry Sparky, but what me and my spider-bro have will withstand the test of time. Or was it space?"
The spider grabbed Wade by the bicep and threw him across the room. He slid to the far side and into a wall. In response Wade staggered upright and pointed his index fingers like guns to Peter and said "Good one Buddy. I'll be over here when you need me."
"Anyway, let's talk when you get back. We got a lot of catching up to do."
The spider made a half turn "We do" confirmed Peter. "And I'm sure we will." He walked away with Felicia still on his arm when Susan called out from across the room.
"Thank You" she said in an almost broken tone as she thought back to their first conversation in central park after his return. Everyone watched her give thanks to the changed Spider-Man, even Luke Cage.
For Peter there was no reason for her to say anything. In his mind, he had done nothing to bring her brother back, yet he did not fight it. What was the point in the denial of her thanks if his capture led to the raid that freed Johnny in the first place?
Spider-Man offered a simple nod as confirmation and the nanites began to roll over his head until his face was covered with his mask and his human eyes were covered with his large masked spider ones.
Spider-Man, Black Cat, Deadpool and Wolverine approached Doctor Strange and with a wave of each hand he sent them away.
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The four-person team Arrived in what appeared to be in the middle of a wide-open space blanketed in snow as more fell from a grey sky. The group looked around.
The Black Cat clenched onto the spider with great force. In her typical leather outfit it wasn't exactly geared for the snow
"It would have been nice if Fury gave us a little warning about the weather."
Peter watched as Felicia shivered with her bosom exposed before making his offer to solve her problem.
"I can give you the symbiote" he said with a little sarcasm only to be met with a quick retort.
"No offense Spider but I would rather be trapped in ice than bond with your overgrown slime"
"Over here" Called a voice from behind the group. It was Nick Fury in a gray winter coat and next to him was a Quinjet that was in the process of uncloaking itself. His face did not smile or show any joy at the sight of the team. That was to be expected of a man with an extensive background as Fury. He was so well prepared that it was hard to catch him off guard on any given day.
The group approached as Nick made his way into the aircraft. When everyone had gotten on, the doors closed so that it could take off immediately.
The interior of the quinjet was somewhat like a plane that experts could base jump from. Everything in the interior was either black or grey. The seats were metal painted black, lined up in parallel facing each other with their backs against a wall. Each one had straps to lock the occupant in. The material of the seat cushion themselves were grey and not unlike felt, a good thing too. As cold as it was outside, any leather seating would surely have made the ride more uncomfortable.
Above the seats were grey cabinets with a handle to slide the compartments open. Before anyone could grab a seat, Nick called out "brace yourselves," the aircraft took off from the ground. The four hero's knees buckled from the force before the jet evened out to allow them to walk again.
Nick made a half turn from the cockpit and said, "While you're up, there's weather gear for you all in those cabinets."
Black Cat was the first to go for one of the cabinets. She pulled out a black coat with fur on the rim of the hood. There was also a plain black ski mask mask and thick black snow pants.
"Not exactly a fashionable collection" said the cat as she thought about freezing to death.
"Ever hear the phrase 'form follows function?'" questioned Fury as he swerved out of his seat. With the jet on autopilot and cloaked, he was free to address everyone. "Either you put on the coat or you catch frostbite missy."
"Are you the real Fury?" asked Spider-Man without hesitation.
"Only one way to find out kid" shot back the former SHIELD director. "But I don't think this is the right time"
In the past Nick was known to utilize LMDs when he was out in the field. They were among some of the most sophisticated androids and a perfect tool for a master spy. Whether this Nick was an LMD or not, he had a briefing to give before the team's arrival to their mission and there was a bit to say.
"Since you're here, I can talk specifics. I've received intel that a mutant child was purchased on the black market."
Logan instantly drew his claws out without much regard for the people so closely packed around him and bared his teeth. "What?"
Nick simply nodded and looked directly at Spider-Man to bring him up to speed on what exactly Citizen X was.
During the Civil War, the X-Men had remained neutral but after the dust settled, they felt it was necessary to announce their independence from the United States. This was on the grounds that Mutants were already an endangered species and did not want to be persecuted by the government any longer. They also had some of the most powerful people among their numbers. That consolation of power was enough to give world leaders pause and broker an agreement between nations. They called it Citizen X.
It stated that any persons or groups found guilty of harming a mutant or mutants could be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It was simple enough on paper but there was no guarantee that it would actually be enforced at every corner of the planet.
This brought Fury to his big point. Mutant kind had little to no reason to trust anyone, especially now that they were isolated but they wouldn't want to make public enemies either. That's where a covert team would benefit them to save mutants themselves and eliminate threats without being exposed. He had seen a trail of bodies left over the world. Anti-mutant groups were taken out with precision and hypothesized it had to be the X-Men or some organization with eyes on the powered beings.
Fury believed that this "theoretical" X-team was on their way to the target location, would kill the doctor and erase his work. Wolverine had a difficult time believing that this was the case. After all, he did know the leader Cyclops, Scott Summers, for a number of years and he was not the kind of person that might be ok with killing.
"Scott Summers is in charge of the X-Men but I can't see him as the type to run an operation like that."
"Times change" replied Peter in a simple tone.
"He's right" added Nick "When was the last time you even saw Summers? We can't know what kind of leader he is at this juncture unless we speak to him. Today you might just get that chance."
Peter watched Nick and Logan go back and forth but he ultimately agreed with Nick, seeing himself as the best example anyone could ask for. Time and circumstances could very well cause the leader of a race of people to go to extremes.
"In any case, your objective is simple, but it could take some finesse if this "X-Team" is real. Capture the scientist, free the prisoners and don't get seen by enemy groups. However, if you do meet a mutant team do not engage. See if you can broker a sort of agreement with them. We might just need a powerful friend when the chips eventually fall."
"What happens if they're determined to kill the doctor?" said Peter.
"I'll let you delegate in that case. It's possible we may have to give them what they want. I'm hoping that Logan can help with that dialogue, Although, I have to admit that Wade is a bit of a wildcard."
"Copy, I'll just let Logan handle diplomacy, I don't do diplomacy." Deadpool quickly drew two pistols from their holsters and pointed them at an imaginary enemy. "Which reminds me, am I getting paid for this?"
"You'll be compensated when the job is done, so don't die on me, Any of you. There is some ordinance in the last compartments if you need. I'll be dropping you off soon."
Wade rummaged through the last overhead space above the chairs. He emptied it out and sat with his legs crossed and proceeded to take inventory of the bullets and grenades. At the same time, he reminded himself to sharpen the blades on his twin katanas. Such a routine seemed more akin to opening presents on Christmas. Rather than change his clothes to the available winter gear, he opted to spray paint the red parts of his suit black. This prompted the others to wear safety masks, rather than rack their brains about where he got the spray from in the first place.
Logan and Peter joined Nick in the cockpit of the aircraft as the Cat changed her clothes behind a safety blanket that was used as a makeshift curtain.
"You two aren't going to change?" Questioned Fury.
"I'll change before we drop" said Logan in the co-pilot seat with his feet up and his arms crossed. "I need a break after today."
"I won't need to" responded Peter. "This suit is all I need."
"So, what do we call you now 'Spider-Man Unlimited?'" said Nick.
Peter crossed his arms and looked on into the overcast sky outside of the window. "Spider-Man is good enough."
"Richard and Mary Parker," Nick said with a reminiscent tone. "Your parents would be proud, kid. I used to know them way back, when they worked for the CIA, recruited your father myself. Hell, they even pulled Logan's bacon out of the frier."
"Now that you mention it" added Logan as he put serious thought into recalling the past "I remember Mary found out she was pregnant that day. They were both tough as nails."
Peter had never heard this information before, and he did not respond to it. There was no point in asking about his parents now, so many years after their passing. He just listened to the two old men reminisce, but the talk of his family did remind him of his recent loss, Kaine's abduction.
"Don't worry, we may be able to get Kaine back" said Nick as he looked far into the distance. "I'll make good on our arrangement Parker. You do this for me, and I'll get that info on your mystery man."
"How did Tony's group capture him anyway?"
"Well, that's not so complicated. While you were gone, Miles Warren, the Jackal, came knocking and he brought an army of your clones to New York. They turned the city upside down to make his "Spider Empire" but Reed Richards figured he could use a clone to discover your spider-sense frequency."
"So that's how they created the Spider-Jammers…"
"Bingo, the clones were left to scurry away like bugs and Warren was captured but apparently, he was a clone too."
"That sounds just like him."
Peter held back the waves of memories that came with the Mention of his old nemesis and he began to think that it was best not to talk about the other clones.
"Did anyone see what happened to the girl with the bow?" asked Black Cat, who joined the conversation. "She must've ran after we got back."
"She almost killed Tony," said Spider-Man. "I almost let her."
"Well, from what I understand, her team was held captive at the prison," said Nick. "She also had a relationship with Elijah Bradley, Patriot, who was there as well. So there is plenty of reason for her to go off the deep end. Maybe I can get to her before she gets herself killed."
"You think Stark would have her killed?" Said Felicia
"After the loss of Prison 42 I'm of the opinion Stark isn't running the show anymore. Like I said before, the rules change today"
The Quinjet had arrived in a small town in what turned out to be Germany. Thick sheets of snow covered the landscape in every direction. The sun was on its way to set beyond the town was a mountain. The buildings themselves were colorful with browns, reds, and blues. This was quite different from what Peter was used to but that feeling would pass soon after the mission began.
"I'm told the entrance is located in the church. I tried to drop you off as close as possible. When you encounter enemies try not to leave any calling cards that could be used to identify you."
"Got it, I'll use one claw instead of three" Affirmed Logan.
"And I've got enough grenades for total OK," said Deadpool.
"Don't you mean KO?" inquired Black Cat.
"It means total Over-Kill, try to keep up mittens!"
The team leaped down into the trees below which were covered in powdered snow. Wolverine hit the ground hard on his two feet as Deadpool landed on top of him like a cartoon character. Spider-Man created a makeshift parachute from his web as the Cat held onto him. They touched the ground gently and pressed forward as the other two allowed their healing factors to help them recover.
The four approached the edge of the town with the church in mind. The roof was easily the tallest vantage point in town, meaning that no matter where one was, the meaning was they could always find their way to God.
"So how do we get there?"
"Isn't it obvious?" said Cat, "We take the roof. No one should see us coming."
"Cat, I'm not sure if these roofs can handle a full adamantium coated skeleton," said Peter.
"I'll walk" said Wolverine as he departed from the group alone.
The other three leapt from rooftop to rooftop while still looking out for Logan. He took his time watching to be sure that anyone who saw this man of short stature trek through the snow did not get too suspicious and call authorities of any kind.
Logan held his coat on tight with his hood up as he made his way through the snow. On the corner was an officer taking his time as he observed the activity on the street. He saw the black clad Logan and attempted to greet him.
"Guten Tag"
Logan responded with the same, hoping that was the end of the interaction but the man persisted.
"Uhh Haben Sie Feuer?"
Peter stopped on a neighboring roof and wondered if he should stop in to deal with the officer. He could not hear what was being said; he knew the officer was calling for Logan's attention. At that moment it seemed like a bad time not to have comms.
Logan didn't know much German but having lived a long time and fought in World War 2 afforded him some words. Still, he wished this operation was in Japan much more. "Nein"
"Danke" said the officer and went about his way.
Peter felt relieved that the situation didn't escalate and Logan continued on his way with the Church in the distance.
When they arrived at the front door, it was left ajar by a hair. The Wolverine pushed the door open and slipped through and held it open for his teammates before closing it behind them.
The interior of the church appeared as ordinary as you would expect for a religious gathering place. The windows were adorned with stained glass and rows of seats lead up to an old organ and wooden podium.
Wolverine stepped up and put his nose to work. His senses were tuned to a higher degree than your typical human being other than his healing factor. He sniffed the thick air like a bloodhound and wandered around as the other three stayed out of his way. The smells brought him to the organ but no means to move it.
"There's somethin' back there," said Wolverine. "Some kind of draft, laced with chemicals, smoke and… blood."
"Of course there is," said Spider-Man with a sarcastic tone. "So how do we open it?"
"The same chemical smell is coming from the podium."
"I guess it's my turn now," said Cat as she ran her fingers across the surfaces of the podium. She turned the podium to its side to reveal a false panel on the floor and a pressure plate was below that.
The organ slid across the floor in an arc to reveal an open elevator shaft with the car at the bottom of it. The smell of smoke was much more pronounced than before, everyone was aware of it after that.
Logan jumped into the shaft first with one of his claws and periodically wall jump to slow the decent of his heavy body. The spider helped Deadpool and Cat get down with a well-placed web-line. When they got to the bottom of the shaft, they stood on top of the crushed elevator car.
The sound of roars overwhelmed their ears.
"Looks like we're just in time for the after-party boys and girls" said Deadpool as he rushed into the fray assumed fray as the others followed him.
The walls of this underground facility were either smeared with blood or so damaged that they exposed wires.
A large hulking figure was thrown across the room and into a wall by a bright red beam. The beam itself was an all too familiar site for Logan. He had to face this optic blast many times in the past. It belonged to the X-Man, Cyclops.
He stood up straight with a stern militant posture. His suit was a black and gray variant of his usual costume with a red X over his right pectoral muscle. His eyes were covered by his signature blood-red visor, which made for a much threatening visage.
He did not even turn to Wolverine as he stomped towards the monster. His index and middle fingers on his right hand rested on a button the temple of his head. When they pressed down on the button, the visor rose and the scarlet optic blast was unleashed upon the monster's head until it was crushed.
"Tell me who are you" said Cyclop's as he did a half turn to face the team. "Depending on the answer, I may kill you too."
Wolverine released his claws from the confines of his forearms. "Do these get me a pass?"
Cyclopes dropped his hand from his visor, stunned to see his old comrade in Germany, of all places. "Logan?"
From the looks of Scott, Logan could not help but think that Nick Fury was right again in his seemingly infinite wisdom.
Logan gave "You three need to go, now!"
"What do you think you're doing?" Barked Cyclops at the team as they ran past him.
"I'm on a mission, same as you."
"You never change" said Cyclops as he brought his hand back up to his visor. "So does that mean you're getting in the way?"
"I'm not here to fight you. We need to talk."
At that moment, the hulking mass of flesh Cyclops had downed previously rose from the ground. Its crushed head popped and crackled as it expanded back to its original size and gave a bellowing roar from either pain or anger. The skin was not unlike a mosaic of varied sizes and shades, stitched together. Monster seemed like the best term for them. It yelled with horrific screams as they threw punches or were simply moved.
The two X-Men were forced to turn their attention to it rather than each other.
The monster seemed to have a strong healing factor and decapitation was probably the best option they had. Worst case scenario meant that like Deadpool, if its head were removed, it would still be able to survive.
Cyclops and Wolverine knew what needed to be done. Logan needed to make the killing blow and Scott needed to provide cover fire. In truth it could be fairly easy for both of them, they fought with the coordination of true teammates and X-Men training afforded them was part of them. Still, these men always found themselves on opposite sides of a schism, making communication difficult at times.
Wolverine went low as Cyclops used his optic blasts the keep the newly healed monster off balance but it blocked the shot with an open palm. The next shot from Scott was to the monster's ankle, to force it off balance but he neglected to warn his former teammate of a certain detail until it was too late.
"Don't look it in the eye!"
The monster's dead white eyes connected with Wolverine. In that moment all of his muscles had tensed up, frozen in place as his heavy body fell to the ground with his claws still out. This creature had more than one ability.
It picked up Logan as it pushed closer to Cyclops. It was clearly unwilling to allow itself to be overwhelmed for a second time as it threw the clawed Wolverine, leaving Cyclops no choice but to stop his attack and dodge.
The beast watched its target dodge and pounced accordingly and pinned him to a wall. One forearm was enough to pin the lean X-Man in place and prevented his arm from being able to move. Its face was merely inches away as it growled at Scott for past injuries. Dead eyes peered into his with only the red visor between them to offer some level of protection from the paralysis effect.
Its breath reeked of death and its face was nothing to praise either. It was like looking at a dead man but it was capable of thought because it used its free hand to reach for Scott's visor.
Logan was still where he landed after the beast had thrown him. His skull smacked into a wall and landed on his chest. It was hard to breathe as his muscles began to relax from the unexpected gaze.
His hands unclenched as Scott was pinned between a wall by the monster. He forced his body to get himself on his feet.
The beast was so busy unmasking Scott that Logan could make a sweeping slash at its neck but it got caught on its spine halfway through. Its body weight relented for a few moments, just enough time for Scott to force the visor off with his own hand, unleashing a full optic blast, separating the head from the body.
Thankfully, the body went limp and the head ceased to make any noises. It was just two men standing, similar and yet different.
Scott held his eyes closed as he slipped back on his visor.
"We need to talk," said Logan.
"Later, My team still needs my help. What? Does the Wolverine have a problem with the way I get the job done?"
That wasn't true, if anything, Logan once thought of something similar but he had always thought that he would be the one to lead a team like that but even still, it was hard to imagine Charles Xavier being ok with a covert team.
"Does Charles know about this?"
Scott remained quiet and remained faced forward.
"Summers!"
When Scott held silent the second time Logan stepped in his former teammate's path and seized the collar of his suit. "What are you not telling me?"
Cyclops quickly brought his right hand to the button on his right temple. "You sure you want to do this now?"
"He's dead," said Scott as he removed Logan's hand from his suit and pressed on. Logan stood stunned for a moment and gave chase.
Logan was shocked to hear this news, as it seemed that death was truly around every corner. Before then, before the civil war, Charles Xavier was alive and well. The usual wheelchair bound founder of the X-Men was even walking upright but stepped down from being a leader and remained in an advisory position. When Logan left them there was a mission to recover a child said to be the messiah to bring back mutant kind, but the child was last and so was Xavier who attempted to save it from death.
After failing, Scott was forced to look at the situation faced by mutant kind. If the hope to restore their number had died then he would have to save what little of them was left, even if it meant violating the Citizen X accords. Anyone who was a threat had to go and that was the job of the "X-Force."
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Meanwhile, Spider-Man, Black Cat and Deadpool continued down the halls of the underground lab. The bodies of guards and lab assistants recently killed littered the floor were covered in cuts as well and blood. There was one thing for certain, the X-team made sure that no one would survive this. It was all leading up to a commotion that could not be ignored.
When they arrived at a lab filled with chambers which must have held the brutes in stasis until now. More of the human shaped mosaic creators were dead on the floor, decapitated before more members of the X-Force in black and grey outfits. The eyes of their outfits were red like Cyclops for a menacing effect. There were three of them and it seemed that they had successfully cornered the target.
Philip Grey typed away at a computer terminal at a stressed pace as the three began to encroach upon him.
There was a teenager with black hair that went down to her shoulders. The most distinctive feature she had were two claws like Wolverine but instead of having three on each hand she had two. Her name was Laura Kinney codename was X-23, a clone of Wolverine.
The next was an Apache Native American Man with a Bowie knife gripped in each of his hands. A skilled combatant and tracker, his name was Warpath.
A woman covered in white hair and skin with a skunk-like tail. Her ears were pointed like what you would expect from a Elf or Vampire and her nails were not only sharp but colored blood red. Her name was Hepzibah.
The three mutants began to move in and deal the final blow.
"Spider?" called out Felicia, unsure that they would be able to reach the target in time.
"I got him" assured Spider-Man as he lunged into the nearby wall. He stuck the landing and immediately cast a web line to the doctor as he pressed his final key and before X-23 could savagely gut him. The man came toward Peter who then caught him and proceeded to wrap him in a cocoon before confronting the rival team.
Deadpool drew his twin katanas to "Sorry but this is our mad scientist, go get your own! I hear you can get a really good discount with A.I.M."
The X-Force were not amused in the slightest bit and they raised their blades for a fight. However, before they could start, a large chamber erupted, unleashing a one final humanoid behemoth. Its skin was grey covered in bumps. One could see the stretch marks and cuts on its body, as though it were constantly in a state of growing muscle, too fast for its skin to properly contain it. It gave a roar of anguish as it brushed away the desks and containers unlucky enough to be between it and the group of six.
X-23 rushed the giant with her four adamantium claws on her hands plus an extra two, one extended from each foot. His claws dug into the monster but dug half through. She was surprised by this as it attempted to grab her, only to be stopped by the web slinger.
"Stay out of our way" barked Hepzibah to Black Cat and Deadpool as she went to back up her teammate. As she did, the behemoth used its free arm to pull Laura free from him and send her flying into a wall head first. He then brought the weight of his free arm on Hepzibah.
The Spider continued to hold onto one arm while sticking to the wall but when it used both arms it pulled him and a section of the wall off. He whipped the Spider around as Deadpool leaped in with his swords drawn to cut the webs and set his ally free "Katanarama!"
With that completed he released four grenades from his person "Pineapple surprise!" This did nothing and the cuts made to its muscle tissue by X-23 had healed rapidly.
This one was more difficult to handle than the others and thought Laura had adamantium claws but she lacked the physical strength to get through its skin and do any real damage. Peter thought that he may have had the strength but he didn't have the claws. He will need something more.
Just then a red optic blast struck one of the experiment's pectorals, catching it off guard.
Wolverine rushed in all claws drawn "Give me a boost Spider"
Peter released Venom from the confines of his suit, sending it to meet the feral mutant in midair. He turned once again into the terrifying black and yellow predator, Symbiote Wolverine. "Sorry bub, but I'm the biggest guy in the barn"
He dug both sets of claws into its chest and proceeded to rip it in half. Muscle and skin gave way to raw alien strength until it was in two pieces and the mutant alien hybrid gave a victorious roar that reverberated throughout the base.
The X-Force were both astonished and unnerved by the sight. So much so that they unanimously backed down in silence. Symbiote Wolverine turned to them with bared teeth like a lion to prey and then melted back down to the natural stature of Logan as he approached X-23, Laura, with open arms. Venom slithered off to return to the folds of Peter's suit, this of course was observed by Cyclops, who seemed to contemplate attacking.
Logan held onto his daughter a moment longer before letting an authoritative tone slip "Laura, what are you doing here?"
Laura pushed him away with irritation "What? I haven't seen you in a year and now you care about what I'm doing?"
Logan turned to Scott.
"This was her decision to help. And she's been an asset to the team."
"That's more than anyone can say for you!" Laura shot back at her father.
"Tryin' to end the Registration Act and prevent genocide"
As those two continued to quarrel, Peter and Felicia approached the cocoon which held Dr. Grey. Felicia cut it down from the wall and Peter caught it as his spider sense sounded off. One of Warpath's hunting knives had been hurled in his direction but missed its target thanks to a quick twist out of the way. The sound of it hitting into the wall caught the attention of everyone and it seemed another fright was bound to take place.
"He needs to die" said Warpath
"Not gonna happen. Our mission is to get him out of here alive.
"Do you know what he's done?" questioned Cyclops. "What is the purpose of this lab?"
"We've been briefed"
"Then you know we can't let him live"
"Enough!" cried Wolverine "I want to kill'em too but I have to admit there are bigger things happening right now. It's not just mutants that are being targeted anymore."
Warpath pulled his knife from the wall with added spite "Good, now you'll all know what it's like to be hunted and hated in public!"
Peter interjected to get the discussion back on track "Regardless, when the time comes you won't be able to hide behind borders or legislation."
"What do you think I've been doing? We've been gathering mutants from all over and teaching them to defend themselves because the world is."
Peter was not fazed by Scott's words "Even the way you call yourselves mutants made you seem distant. The world might have accepted you before but now it's too late."
"Why wouldn't we call ourselves Mutants when we have been treated like monsters. Children hate themselves because their families fail to recognize them as anything great. Pride is a necessary component of what we do."
"I'm not refuting that but If you had decided to help us years ago you could have soaked up the good will from the public, rather than hide and keep to yourselves. That's no longer an option."
"Then we'll fight like we always have. We are survivors after all."
That's not enough this time" the nanites appeared to roll down from Peter's head to reveal his face. "The hammer is coming down on all of us very soon, it's only a matter of time until they come for you. We don't know how this guy ties into that, if he does at all and we can't know unless he's alive."
"What did you all do this time?"
"Some of us tried to do the right thing and it went sideways. We expect the media will spin it but now isn't the time to talk about it. Will you help us when the time comes?"
In this heated situation, Scott was caught off guard by Peter's logic. Maybe if the X-Men were out on the frontlines battling threats with heroes, regularly the public would have warmed up to them. But their fear allowed the prejudice to fester and grow and with their numbers reduced to a mere two hundred. They were forced to isolate themselves further and strike from the shadows to seek justice and avoid retaliation.
"I'll let him go but in exchange you want the mutant they purchased. I also want Logan and any mutants you may have in your group to come back with us to Geonisha, I'll even extend my invitation to Deadpool, given his history with Logan."
Deadpool shrugged his shoulders "I'll have to think it over Cy, I mean, I still got a few offers pending for me. Who knows the writer of this story might give me my own spinoff (wink)(wink).
{Editor's Note: Deadpool is not getting his own spinoff}
"We have two kids with us who are mutants but if they want to go with you that's their choice."
"Fair enough," said Scott with an affirmative tone.
Taking their mutual agreement as a sign, Peter opened up the cocoon so that the head of Mister Grey was free. In return the man gasped at the body of his prized experiment torn in two halves.
"How is this possible? The In-Mutant was the most progress I had ever seen."
The In-Mutant was an amalgamation of cloned Mutant and Inhuman body parts. In some cases, he found that the two parts would have a negative reaction but strangely enough, sometimes they took to each other. A healing factor was also used to force the bond to solidify, such was the case with the smaller ones but it was believed that all of the experiments were always on borrowed time.
All of the subjects on the floor except for the In-Mutant, were apparently humans bonded with organs of an unmarked Inhuman and Mutant.
Logan seized the cocoon and began his interrogation "Tell me where the mutant you bought on the black market is. They better not be on the floor in this room.
"No! I never had the chance to harvest any material" he attempted to nudge his head in the direction of double doors on the other side of the room. "It's in there. I swear it."
Cyclops signaled for Warpath and Hepzibah to search for the Mutant as everyone else remained to observe the interrogation.
"Now you're going to tell me why you would do something so sick as to play God with Mutant and Inhuman body parts."
"W-well it's really simple. Mutants and Inhumans appear to be like normal people but their bodies undergo changes. It is quite fascinating and yet people like me can adapt abilities too. There must be a link and with that link, normal men may be able to adopt their powers. Or at the very least we can combine the parts to create a new being"
Peter listened and was reminded of what the professor Fillmore had said on his freight ship. He was so fixated on the link between the two groups that he ranted all the while he stole Jessica Drew's arm to further his own goals.
"I should kill you now"
"The Mutants and Inhumans were already dead before we received the parts, I have killed no one. My research is but a drop in the bucket compared to what is happening in the works right now. People with power and influence are demanding results to augment strength. They want what you have, so much so that Mutant Grown Hormone is now a more viable process."
"But why now, what makes this arms race different from any other?"
Warpath and Hepzibah returned from the double doors with a child sized egg and placed it on the floor. The mutant in question had not emerged since going into that state.
Philip Grey was so overcome with emotion that he gave a sad laugh. One of a man who knew so much that seemed comical that his interrogator failed to observe. What the world had failed to observe. And it may have already been too late to stop it.
"Because of People like you! One year ago, the great New York city was a battleground. The cities "heroes" fought each other with not enough brain, too much brawn. So much so that they could have leveled the city and the world grew scared. So scared that a project as old as the second great war was pushed on a grand scale."
Wolverine threw the scientist to the floor, the cocoon cushioned his fall but his intention was clear. He snarled to himself and breathed deep. Deadpool made a gesture to reach out to his comrade but settled for a simple "Logan…"
All of this was compounded by the fact that X-23 instinctively began to hold herself as if she were cold.
"What's the name?" Ask Spider-Man
"Weapon Plus"