I do not own the X-men or the marvel universe. I have merely placed my own characters in that universe to see what happens. If anyone from Marvel decides that they do not want me to keep this posted, then tell me and I will remove it without challenge. But as I do not see that happening anytime soon, the rest of you may read and enjoy.
Read and review, but this story is a little different. You get to affect the outcome. To do so, tell me what should come next! What challenges should we place before Max?
I will begin to use suggestions after part three, but only if they are serious. The more humorous will be added at the bottom of my parts to show that even I am a good sport.
To make your suggestions you must EMAIL them to me at Jack_Cade@hotmail.com
Reaching for the Max
By Andrew Montgomery
Part One
There were powers at work here beyond his comprehension. The darkness was absolute, and he floated in the inky nothingness of 'The Void'. He had been raised in a Christian home, and had been taught how God had drawn all of existence from the void. He had been a good kid, going to Sunday School, and such, but shortly after his powers had developed, his mind was continually drawn to the whole concept of Heaven and Hell.
Heaven was a place where people were 'purified' and 'unified' to exist for all time singing Gods praise.
Hell was where people suffered endless torment and sorrows for all eternity.
Once the mutants had emerged from society, they were placed by most people directly into Hells inner regions, along with the worst of humanity like Hitler and the like...
If that was how things were broken down, then he wanted neither Heaven nor Hell. He would return to the void, and wait for his energies to return to that which first held them.
Purity and Unity... Heaven and Hell... These thoughts returned to him here in The Void.
He remembered.
He remembered the strange storms that had picked the planet after the Purity Bomb was released.
He remembered the young man who had come up. With a way to 'return the world to it's rightful course.'
He had been selected for the dangerous undertaking. He would go to the past and save the billions of lives that would have been lost in this time line.
The large computer screen let all know that the decision was final.
His moment of pride, at being man's last hope, died when he found out who he had to save. The same hateful man who had forced him to run in the beginning.
He had grown on the streets, adopting the name Max Carnage. He was a force to be reckoned with.
The name that appeared on the screen almost floored him. Samuel Powers.
Max turned and walked into a secluded hallway, locking the doors behind him, forcing those who were curious to look through tiny windows.
Max had felt the world spin about him as the blood rushed to his head. The lighting had dimmed then. The rage inside him building like the pressure in a volcano until he too exploded.
His fists crashed through the concrete walls. His cries had been a roar of rage, but slowly his blows died down, the roars, turned to cries.
The damage was repaired, and the incident was contained.
The Project Chief had Max report to his office at Operations headquarters.
"Now what in Sam Hill were you doing! I expect a full explanation of what was going through your head when you decided to redecorate the emergency access way by taking out a few walls."
Max took a deep breath before starting. "I know Samuel Powers sir. He... He's my father." The Chief sat down at his desk, trying his hardest not to be stunned by the information. "When he first discovered my mutation, he became enraged. He had already been working at a case of beer, and he decided that no son of his would be a mutant. He had gone to his room yelling for a while. When the house had become quiet again, my mother had let go of me and went up to talk to Samuel. An argument had erupted at the top of the stairs. He was coming with a hunting rifle and she was trying to stop him."
"When the police arrived, he blamed me for her falling down the stairs. They believed him and the investigation was called off the moment that they were told I was a mutant."
The Chief sat there staring at his desk for a good few minutes before looking at Max.
"Request permission to be pulled from the mission." stated Max.
"Request denied." stated the Chief without hesitation. "You don't like your father? Get over it! You are the only one who can do this mission and you have the weight of all those men and women who have died because of how time has played out!"
The changing of gears was almost audible as the Chief softened his voice a little. "You don't have to forgive him, but you do have to get this job done. According to the history books, your father was shot and lost his job, his family was torn apart sixteen years later, and his life became dedicated to the extermination of mutant kind. Now the computers state that if we can alter the events, we can create a time line where he wasn't shot. This small event will destroy mankind, unless we go back and stop it from happening."
"But what if I cannot stop him from being shot?!" demanded Max.
"Your mission is going to change." said the Chief after a moments thought. "Either stop the shot, or stop him. But if you kill him, know that you will create a paradox. You kill your father before your mother becomes pregnant, and you may not be able to return. Time will say you don't exist, and who knows what may happen?"
The void felt colder as Max relived his existence. How he had tried time and again to stop the bullet, until finally he was able to throw himself in the way of the shot.
Due to the temporal flux, his mutant powers had been shutting down without warning. At that moment, the bullet left the gun, his powers fell away and he was struck.
Samuel Powers was not shot, never met the woman who was passing him when the gun was fired, never became a family man, and after ten years, his secret work in genetic experimentation had him arrested and imprisoned for the rest of his natural life.
The woman went on to marry a good man from Vermont, where they had three children all girls, and lived in peace on her husbands farm.
Before he could die, Max was slingshot from the very fabric of time to this frame of existence.
This dark limbo.
The Void.
The darkness was absolute. Max let his eyes seek out some break from the empty reaches of the void. He could not even see his own hands as they waved about in front of his face.
Suddenly there was a light.
Max could see the pin prick of light so far away. Slowly the light seemed to grow not only in size, but in number.
There were dozens of them. When they were minutes away, he could see his body, still dressed in the ragged powersuit he had been jumping time in. The hole in his chest was gone, though the bullet had passed through the power pack, which explained it's lack of responsiveness.
As he floated there, facing the light, he felt fear begin to take him.
What did the bible say about this? What did science say? He wished he had payed more attention.
But as he felt the heat emanating from the white hot light begin to caress his body in spite of his mutant invulnerability. His fear fell away. He could not be afraid. Not now. Fear was hope that the worst would not happen. He knew he was going to die, so fear held no place.
"I have given my life so that others may have a chance at one. I am Max Carnage." The light and heat were beginning to become too much. "I am a mutant. I am a fighter. I was the last hope."
At the last moment every glowing light crashed into him, trying to tear his body apart.
"I AM MMMMMAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx..."