'The Beginning...'
by XGenesis
It began as it always had. A distant rumble of thunder, somewhere far off in the darkening clouds on the horizon. A chill wind was in the air, picking up in short gusts, hinting at the ferocity that was to come. Leaves were being pulled off the autumnal trees and collecting in swirling circles, dancing across the ground. He could not stand to look at the sky now, a swirling mass of black and grey. The first rain droplets began to fall and before long, they became heavier, the wind increased, and large hailstones began to pelt the ground.
He took shelter beneath a tree. Not the safest place in a thunderstorm, granted, but it was that or risk concussion from the hail. Lightning began to streak across the sky and the fear within him began to rise. The centre of the maelstrom was almost upon him. It was then that the tornado touched down, sweeping away everything in its path. Trees, cars, buildings, even asphalt were torn. The monster was several hundred feet from him and growing in strength.
It was time to make a run for it. He moved as fast as his legs could carry him but no matter how quick his progress, the swirling killer continued to gain. He ran faster than he'd ever run before. The air was charged. He could feel his heart pounding against his rib cage. Each breath was pulled tightly in and out from his lungs. Blood pulsed rapidly through his veins.
Before he could reach shelter or outrun the twister, it roared sharply left, picking him briefly off the ground, as it rumbled away to the west. He was slammed back to the ground, his body crumpled. Before he even had a chance to register what had happened, pieces of debris began falling out of the sky. Sheet metal, twigs, branches, small trees. It was still not safe and he had to get shelter. He tried to move but his legs would not respond. It was then that the horrifying truth hit him. The spinning horror had spared his life, but left him crippled. His legs were shattered. His body was broken.
He let his mind go and his thoughts wandered. The pain was an aching numbness. As unconsciousness overcame him, his blurring vision caught the storm moving off into the distance. His final, fleeting thought was that the storm should be stabilising or decreasing in ferocity. It wasn't. It was growing out-of-control and there was nothing in its path that could stop it.
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Xavier awoke with a start. The nightmare was more intense and terrifying than ever before. Having studied extensively in human psychology, Xavier was aware that the nightmare was a manifestation of deeply rooted fears in his psyche. indicative of the coming war.
There had been a long state of equilibrium over the last 70,000 years of mankind's history. The humans from that time were no different from those of today. However, the fundamental change had come with the extinction of the Neanderthals. The struggle for dominance over the planet had cost this offshoot dearly and now, the victor stood tall and strong, gloating over the techno-industrial corporate capitalist monster it had created. Slowly but surely choking and consuming the planet, a cancerous entity, who's only real enemy was itself.
Of course, Xavier knew there was a sickness afflicting humanity. For the desire to succeed, exist and survive, the fundamentals of evolution, had been inherited by nature's offspring.
The power of this instinct was proving costly to mankind. When not competing with a likely successor, such as the Neanderthal, he was competing with other lifeforms, whatever form they might take. His latest disregard for his sole habitat in the universe was breathtaking. He would even attack his own kind, destroying any pretensions of unity at every turn. The concept of war enticed the many, but bewildered the precious few.
It was this particular trait that sparked the greatest fear in Charles Xavier.
The next turning point in human evolution had arrived. A new seed had germinated unbeknownst to the population at large. It had been cultivated gradually over time. It was a twist or modification in the genetic blueprint of mankind. An array of theories were expounded regarding this fluke. Was it simply evolution running its course? Had mankind's experimentation gone too far? Who were these 'mutants'? What did they look like? The guy next door? What were their special 'gifts' and 'abilities'? Where they an unfortunate by-product of the Atomic age? Had they been over-exposed to toxins and pesticides in the environment? Were they part of a secret government experiment?
Mankind feared what it did not understand. And when questions lead to yet more questions and no answers could be found, mankind hated what it feared. Xavier was aware that, at the cusp of the millenium, mankind stood at the threshold of an uncertain future. There were two clear and distinct paths. One was of a glittering prize, ushering in a golden age of harmony, peace and co-existence for all mankind. The alternative did not bear thinking about; mass global nuclear proliferation, the emergence and widespread dispersal of superbugs and pandemics, a climatic Armageddon with global warming spiralling out of control. These scenarios were all great causes of concern, but Charles knew the biggest danger was a potential genocide on an unimaginable scale.
Of course, the historic evidence was not good. From the persecution of the Isrealites in the Bible, to the final solution of World War 2. From Pol Pots' killing fields to the ethnic cleansing of Rwanda. Time and again, history had shown the evil germinating in humanity. A spectrum of intolerance, bigotry, hatred and evil.
It was the dawn of the third millenium, a time for hope and optimism. Xavier knew time was short. He would have to move quickly, the signs were there. With the emergence of the mutagenic gene, the so-called X-Factor, an imbalance had appeared. Xavier knew that man and mutant could live together peacefully, and this was to be his mission; unity, not division. More and more mutants were appearing in society, their presence was being felt and something had to be done.
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Xavier was a mutant. His power was the ability to read and influence the minds of
others. He'd inherited a fortune, but had added to his wealth by trading on the stock market. His aquisition had not been entirely legitimate. He'd 'influenced'
several big names on Wall Street and had also read minds in order to obtain
important deals. These manipulations had involved corporations and individuals
whose operations were morally unsound. Once he'd made a substantial profit, he
would sell his shares and then see to it that these corrupt organisations were
brought to their knees through further 'manipulation'. Whether they were involved
in the international drug trade, pollution of the environment or subjugation of
workers in Third World countries, Xavier made sure they could no longer function.
And so, to realise his dream, Xavier decided upon the purchase of a mansion and
grounds in upstate New York.
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The mansion was set just outside of a small town in Westchester county. The town was Salem Center, approximately an hour and a half drive due north of New York City. Salem was just like all the many thousands of other small towns dotted across the north east of the USA. There were few, if any, outward signs of poverty or hardship in this corner of the American Dream.
Xavier decided that his facility would nurture those mutants who also followed his dream of a peaceful co-existence between man and mutant. He would name it a 'School for Gifted Youngsters'. To the outside world, it would seem an arena of privilege and exclusivity. A place where wealthy parents could send their children, safe in the knowledge that only the best education would be provided. The reality would be something much more incredible.
It was clear to Xavier that, once a number of mutants had been inducted to the school, it would not be long before the criminal fraternity would learn of their whereabouts. The vast land that came with the property ensured protection from prying eyes. Further into the estate, Xavier had installed state-of-the-art defence systems. Closed circuit cameras, high-powered lasers, holograms and traps were dotted about the site to deter any would-be infiltrators.
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Xavier sat in his study and watched the spinning DNA helix on his laptop screensaver. His thoughts wandered as he considered the mutant phenomenon. Reports of the first mutants dated back to the time of the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. In those times, mutants only occurred once every few generations. Like the albino or the white lion, they appeared every few decades and they numbered perhaps one or two.
History had shown that they would set the pace and stand out from their fellow humans, often exalted as deities or tortured as demons. Temples, pyramids and statues were built to honour them.
Xavier had a record of a number of important historical figures, who'd displayed mutagenic powers, but had never been formally identified as mutants. Atilla the Hun, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Einstein, the Elephant Man and Houdini had all most likely been mutants.
But it was now, at the dawn of the third millenium, that the mutant genie had been unleashed from its bottle. A combination of social and environmental factors had lead to a sudden increase in the numbers of mutants appearing in society. The trademark powers and abilities of the mutagenic gene did not manifest themselves until puberty.
Although their numbers, relatively speaking, were small, mutants were having an impact on societies worldwide. People were waking up to the possibilities mutants brought, and questions were being asked. Xavier wondered what policies and decisions would be decided on Capitol Hill, and around the world.
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He left the study and his hover-chair took him down the hallway to a large bookcase.
"Open"
The bookcase shot upwards revealing metal doors. The doors opened to reveal a lift chamber. Xavier hovered into the chamber.
"The Basement"
The lift doors closed. The mechanism engaged and Xavier dropped several hundred feet below the mansion. As the doors opened Xavier moved out into a large and brightly lit corridor.
He travelled down the passageway, passing many doors and rooms on the way. Labs, briefing rooms, computer suites and a large hangar all came and went as he passed.
The hangar was located directly below the mansions Olympic pool. It contained a Stealth Bomber that Xavier had stolen from under the noses of the US military. It had been stored at the top secret Area 51 research facility in the Nevada desert. Xavier had infiltrated the base and, after a quick mind scan of the pilots flying knowledge, had flown the plane back to the mansion. He'd used his psychic ability to mislead the fighter jets that had been scrambled to intercept him.
At the end of the passageway, Xavier came to a large steel door with an X emblazoned across it.
An electronic voice came from the console.
"Attempting to establish retinal scan of subject Charles Xavier"
A small optical scanner flickered its beam across Xaviers iris.
"Subject identified, please proceed Professor"
" Thank you Cerebro".
The doors opened to reveal a vast spherical, metallic chamber. Xavier moved along a bridge that lead to the center. On reaching the nexus, Xavier stopped and pressed several buttons on a console. The bank of electronics contained what looked like scanners, monitors, keys and a three dimensional graphical radar. This was Cerebro.
Cerebro was unlike any computer known to man. Xavier had worked with some of the greatest minds at MIT to design it. It used quantum mechanics and was billions of times more powerful than standard industrial technology. Cerebro could only be used by those mutants with telepathic abilities. It used a sub-particle interface between the manifestation of the mutant operators power and Cerebro's circuits that allowed the connection between mind and machine. No one really understood how it worked. The link could only be temporary as prolonged use or exposure to Cerebro could lead to severe trauma to the user and potentially brain death. Using advanced Artificial Intelligence it was, without doubt, a miracle of science.
"Cerebro"
"Yes Professor"
"Engage protocol Alpha"
"Protocol engaged Professor"
Cerebro's function was limited, but extremely important. It allowed Xavier to locate mutants worldwide, usually at a time of distress when their mutagenic signature pattern was at its greatest.
The Professor took a rounded metal helmet from beneath the console. It was linked via a cable to Cerebro. Xavier donned the helmet.
The first jolt was always the hardest. Xaviers mind went blank, to be replaced by a circuitboard of psychic activity. The mind of every human on earth could be seen. 6 billion tiny spikes. Imagine the interference of a television set inside your head, magnified a thousand-fold. The strain showed on Xavier's face.
Xavier, along with the power of Cerebro, filtered out the background activity of mankind. There were no manifestations of mutant power occuring in this sector of analysis. He had the feeling this would be another fruitless mission.
Suddenly, a spike shot upwards, glowing an incandescent purple and red. They'd hit paydirt.
"Target acquired"
"Cerebro, home in on the location"
"Analysing"
Xavier stared at the screen as a map of the world materialised. The longitude and latitude parameters focused downwards.
"Isolating...."
Northern Hemisphere.
"Isolating...."
Europe.
"Target pinpointed. "
The gene spike was in Germany.
"Cerebro, ready the hangar. Departure time in T- 15 minutes."
Xavier put down the headgear and hovered toward the exit of the chamber.
NEXT: Who is the gene spike? What awaits Xavier in Germany? All will be revealed in Issue 1. A story I could only call "The Circus"......