April 2002
She would never see him again. Even though it had been three weeks since he had died, it was only starting to hit her now. With all the things that had gone on for the last three weeks – the wake, the memorials, accepting awards from the city of Dakota and the Federal government, meeting the President – there was no time to truly mourn. But now, alone in her room at the mansion, clutching the videotape the way a man would clutch his last dollar… her body began to shudder violently. Waves of pain, anguish, and desperation slammed into her… building and building as they washed over her.
He'd never walk through those doors ever again. He'd never smile at her again. He'd never be there to play the fearless hero. She knew he was never fearless, and in the end… he turned out to be mortal after all. Her eyes welled up with tears again, and she cried out to a God that she wasn't sure was listening to her. She wailed the word that's familiar to all the mothers of terminally ill children. It is the word that sits on the tongues of sudden widows, sudden orphans, and helpless victims. "WHY?!?!"
But the silence offered no solace. The sound of the wind rustling the window-blinds was all that answered her. She composed herself enough to pull the videotape out of its sleeve. With a calmness that betrayed her inner panic, she slipped the videotape into her VCR, and waited for an eternity before exhaling a breath and pressing PLAY. As his voice wafted into her ears, she squinted her eyes, fighting back another fresh round of tears. Through blurry, tear-soaked vision she stared at his face: a face she would never see again.
Wearing Logan's dog tags and clutching her wedding ring, she openly wept aloud. Her mind raced back to that day, over three weeks ago. My… how quickly fortunes can change. Instead of a lifetime to enjoy each other… all she had left… was memories.
March 2002
It was such a simple plan, Scott thought to himself as he piloted the Blackbird on its way to Dakota. Next to him sat Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, and behind him were Jean Grey, Storm, Holocaust, Commando X, and the newlywed Hannibal Bruce, a.k.a. Wise-Son (Static opted NOT to come on the mission – actually, Wise-Son ordered Static not to go). Scott glanced at the youngster, and noting his pensive face. Wise-Son was lost in his own thoughts too, mostly about Marie. Scott knew that in order to pull this off, they were ALL going to have to be thinking clearly.
Team 1, headed by Jean Grey and Storm, would meet up with the Blood Syndicate. A top Syndicate lieutenant named Fade would lead the group to S.H.R.E.D. headquarters, where the Blood Syndicate would assault the complex. The psi-dampening towers would be hit first. In order to mentally force the S.H.R.E.D. employees to confess their sins on national t.v., those towers would have to be destroyed. The rest of the strike would be diversionary. Team 1 would draw the majority of S.H.R.E.D. and Alva security forces over to the complex, while Team 2 would make its move. Wolverine's training in stealth and infiltration would shine here, sneaking past Alva's security in the glass towers that housed the most powerful and feared corporation on this side of the continent. Any resistance would have to be eliminated with extreme prejudice – much to Scott's disliking. But hell, Wolverine was indeed the right man for the job. Get to the computer, do our thing, and get out. Real simple… but nothing ever works out as simply as you expect it to, does it?
~~~~~~~~~~
"That's the place up the street, about a mile further", said Fade, pointing to the large silvery building. The HUGE wall plaque read "S.H.R.E.D.: Special Heavy-equipment Rapid Emergency Division – Keeping Dakota Safe In the New Millennium." Fade floated a bit closer to the building, into the street, and out of the alleyway that hid his clandestine strike team.
"Don't blow our cover", Jean said. "Get back over here and wait for the signal (from Scott). As soon as he signals us, then we go into action."
"Lady, this thing may be all business to you", replied Fade, "but for me and the homies, this sh*t's personal." The other Syndicate members expressed their agreement… actually they just cursed and called Jean many variations of "cracker-a** b*tch", but they agreed with Fade none-the-less.
"You listen to me, 'chico'", Jean said through clenched teeth, "this SH*T'S personal for me as well. You are NOT going to endanger the lives of Scott and the others just because your panties are in a bunch and you want to hit somebody! Got it?"
"Ok, Ok, lady…" Fade backed into the alleyway. "I just want to get this over with. These SHRED f*ckers are gonna pay big time for what they did to Templo."
"Just remember, there's more at stake here than just revenge", Storm said in her usual soothing manner. "If this goes the way we've planned, you and all your friends might be able to live out your lives in the open, not hiding like wanted fugitives. And you and your entire city will be able to make Alva Industries pay for the damage and loss of life after the Big Bang." Fade gave her a knowing nod. This was going to be for all the marbles. Most residents in Paris Island had their lawsuits tied up in court because there was absolutely no official evidence pinning the Big Bang fiasco to anyone except the dead mayor. If these X-Men's plan worked, the blame for the Big Bang's death toll would be removed from the Blood Syndicate survivors, and placed squarely on the shoulders of Alva Industries.
"Jean, we're in place. Alva HQ is in our sights, and we need your team to begin the diversionary assault." Scott's voice crackled in the X-Men's communicators. Even though the private frequency was electronic, those psi-towers were still interfering with the reception.
"Acknowledged Scott", Jean said. "And Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you more." Jean smiled and turned the communicator off. Her smile was quickly replaced by an ice-cold stare as she glared at the S.H.R.E.D. complex.
"Fade, Holocaust", she said, turning to the two top-ranking Syndicate members, "Listen up to me, and listen good. When we hit S.H.R.E.D. make sure that there are absolutely NO civilian casualties. Do everything you have to do to DISARM them first. ONLY use lethal force if it's absolutely necessary. You guys got that? No murders!"
The two super-human gang members just nodded in agreement. At this point, they were learning that Jean Grey was NOT someone they wanted to mess with. Jean nodded to Storm, who stepped out of the alleyway and into the teeming Dakota streets. With a wave of her hand, a small tornado literally appeared in front of her. Three parked Dakota police cruisers were lifted high into the air. The police cars hovered high above the office building. Then, with a force that could only be described as super-human, the cars were slammed into the bases of the two psi-dampening towers topping the S.H.R.E.D. offices. The explosions were impressive, sending shards of glass and pools of ignited gasoline flying off the rooftops, but Jean could tell that it had no effect on the towers' ability to block her powers.
The rest of the Syndicate sprung into action. Alarm sirens went off as soon as Storm's attack had begun. Police troopers streamed out of the building, clad in full battle armor. Holocaust broke away from the rest of the Syndicate and quickly set up a flaming perimeter around the front of the building. The walls of flame were so intense, that most of the police troopers had to immediately retreat to the front steps of the building. The other Syndicate members quickly set up positions from which to isolate and pulverize their targets.
Meanwhile, Team 2 (Cyclops, Wolverine, and Wise-Son) had just made it to the rear fence of the Alva Industries headquarters compound. To call it huge was an understatement. The nearly ten-acre campus had sprawling landscapes, high security fences, patrol vehicles, and even helicopters that weaved in and out of the shiny glass towers in the center of the grounds. Jean radioed Scott on a secure frequency and let him know that the preliminary attack was already under way, with the Syndicate already taking up easily defensible positions.
"Jean, be very careful. Try to minimize civilian casualties because the press will be all over it."
"And the ONLY reason to protect civilians, Scott?"
"No, of course not Jean", Scott suppressed a smile, "but there's no need to make ourselves look bad while we're busy playing the heroes!"
"You know you're MY hero Mr. Summers. (The sound of a loud explosion could be heard behind her) Scott, I've got to go. S.H.R.E.D. is mounting a counter offensive with some sort of explosives!"
"Be careful Jean", Scott said, "Let the Blood Syndicate crush the opposition. Just make sure they concentrate on taking out as much S.H.R.E.D. hardware as possible."
"I will." And with that, the radio crackled and the transmission ended. The Blood Syndicate's attack was in full swing. Fade easily broke through the S.H.R.E.D. troopers' ranks (since they can't touch him) and wreaked havoc as he passed through their vehicles and equipment, ripping out important components. DMZ and Third-Rail, two Blood Syndicate bruisers, were busy smashing police cars and armored vehicles, throwing troopers against walls like rag dolls, and just generally beating the crap out of anyone that got near them. Bullets and taser-shots merely bounced off of DMZ, whereas Third-Rail absorbed the electrical and kinetic energy to make himself stronger. He also grew in size and stature as he absorbed more punishment. When he reached about 10 feet weighing in at about half a ton, the police just STOPPED attacking this guy altogether.
Holocaust could have just burned the troopers as they poured out of the building, but instead he firebombed the outer offices and structures. He even set the roof on fire, along with the balconies and every fire escape. Storm helped matters by shattering all the windows with a lighting storm and causing a blackout in the building. As the generators kicked in, she kept hitting the structure with lighting – causing surges and power spikes to destroy the inner circuitry of the building.
A Blood Syndicate member named Aquamaria, who possessed complete control over water and moisture, caused the internal plumbing of the building to explode, drenching every floor with hundreds of gallons of water. The resulting steam (due to Holocaust's flames) choked out the remaining troopers. More and more of them poured out of the front of the building.
"Maria, what the f*ck are you doing?" yelled Holocaust.
"I'm trying to stop you from killing everybody, cabron. Your firestorms were getting too big."
"My fires were just fine… Puerto-Rican b*tch. Drowning them suckaz ain't no better."
"Watch what you call the lady", said Fade, "And her idea is very good. The steam on every floor is forcing the civilian people out of the building through the only exit we're allowing – THE REAR PARKING LOT. PLUS, the steam takes away the snipers' advantage."
"So would deep-frying 'em."
"True, but Holly…", replied Fade, "Frying 'em isn't what we're trying to do. Look up there." Fade pointed up at the dozen or so news helicopters that dotted the sky above the S.H.R.E.D. building. CNN, NBC, ABC, FoxNews… everyone was there for the party. "We're on PRIME TIME baby, so we got to look good!" Fade then flew (or rather floated) back into the fray.
It seemed that everything was going as they expected. S.H.R.E.D. officers called in more armored RIOT vehicles, forming a perimeter in front of the building. They began a counter-attack on the Syndicate, but it was more-or-less ineffective against the super-humans. The civilian employees were herded out the back. The Syndicate blocked the evacuating civilians' escape about 1 block down from the parking lot, virtually corralling them into the rear lot. Debris and fires blocked all other nearby city blocks off, and only the police and the media were getting through. Surprisingly, regular Dakota PD units were almost untouched. As they surrounded the civilians in the rear parking lot, the Syndicate members almost ignored them, but they didn't let them escape either. Meanwhile, up front, SHRED was being manhandled. The only glitch in the plan was that SYSTEM hadn't showed up at all.
Back at the compound, Wolverine, Scott, and Wise-Son used their powers in unique ways to outsmart and sneak into the facility undetected – or so they thought. Wolverine lead the way as they crept through the outer compound yards, perfectly timing their movements between guard patrols. His adamantium claws literally sliced through an electrical fence and then sliced through the outer wall of the main compound building hidden behind some bushes. "Easy as can be", Wolverine said. According to the layouts that Cyclops had of the place, their entry point was supposed to be a supply closet. But as soon as they stepped inside the building, ALL hell broke loose. The three mutants found themselves in the back of the main building's lobby, which was seemingly deserted. "Uh-oh", was all Wolverine said… as a hundred armed guards came streaming from the second-floor and out of the elevators. Cyclops muttered a curse word under his breath, then placed a hand next to his temple. He dialed up a low yield setting on his visor and fired in a wide arc. As he panned his head from left to right, his ruby-red concussive beam slammed all the security personnel against the back walls. Some went flying through desks, others landed in lobby fountains, and a few flew into an open elevator and were slammed unconscious against its rear wall.
"So much for the quiet and easy way", Scott said as he shook his head and led the threesome to the service elevator. He motioned to Wise-Son to grab three of the officers. Wise-Son easily hefted the prone bodies of three guards, as Cyclops blasted every security camera in sight. Wolverine and Wise-Son piled the bodies into the elevator and sent it up to the top floor. "These guys will be VERY temporary decoys. We're going in the other way." They headed to the rear maintenance stairwells, and started climbing up flights of stairs. Upon reaching the third floor, they discovered another open area connecting this floor with the floor above it – sort of a secondary lobby. Unfortunately, they had no time to admire the fine architecture and beautiful décor, as two darkened glass doors opened and out walked a cadre of machine-gun toting guards. At the center of the group, two-dozen men, clad in some kind of metallic battle-armor, train some very unconventional looking weapons on the heroes. The armor was more like robotic appendages, in that it added over a foot in height to their legs, extended their arms with claw-like metal gloves, and completely covered their heads, shoulders, and torsos with an exoskeleton and armor plating.
A voice that sounded more like a robot's than a human's yelled, "SYSTEMatics, assault!" And with that, the armored troops unleashed a barrage of photonic (light-based) weaponry at the mutants. Wolverine was the first to leap out the way, taking cover behind a marble sculpture. Cyclops followed suit, taking cover and leveling the human guards with more wide beamed stun-shots. Wolverine then spun to his left and leapt at the nearest human guards, his claws ripping through their machine guns. He felt the sting and impacts of bullets through his torso, but ignored the pain and slashed at the guards with sickening ease. His claws sliced and ripped through human flesh, metal, and body armor like it was paper. He was literally spinning in the middle of a large group of armed guards who were spraying pools of blood as they went down like dominoes. The sheer ferocity of the attack had its desired effect – the remaining conscious guards turned tail and ran for their lives. Cyclops stifled a gasp at the sight of the carnage, realizing that this was combat, not a training mission.
Wise-Son ran straight at the SYSTEMatics. Wolverine wasn't going to risk getting hit by their weapons, but Wise-Son shrugged off the shots like they were harmless beams from a flashlight. He leapt at the first SYSTEMatic and clamped his hands on the trooper's helmet plating. With a strength that defied his stature, he ripped the helmet and shoulder plating off of the trooper. Unfortunately, the exoskeleton was attached and harnessed to the human's body inside, and the man's head and shoulders were also ripped off of his body as well. Cyclops didn't know what he found more distasteful, the sight of a human carcass spewing blood and flailing all over the floor, or the utter look of indifference on Wise-Son's and Wolverine's faces as they killed enemy combatants. If the two of them were affected by their actions, they weren't showing it.
The other SYSTEMatics closed in around Wise-Son and made futile attempts to rip him apart with their claws. Some of them kept dialing up different weapons from their armor and laid into him with all kinds of ballistic and energy attacks. It looked kind of comical, watching a group of SYSTEMatics surrounding and pummeling Wise-Son with all matter of weaponry, and watching him ignore it as he ripped various appendages and armor plating off of his attackers. Four SYSTEMatics trained their weapons on Cyclops and Wolverine. Wolverine deftly dodged the shots from the Gatling-gun style weapon that one of the troopers wielded. He rolled closer to that trooper and leapt downward at the SYSTEMatic's legs. Adamantium claws sliced the legs off of the man and made him fall down hard on the tiled floor. The trooper still had it in him to point his weapon at the kneeling Wolverine. With desperation in his eyes, the trooper opened fire at Wolverine's chest, bursting it open and exposing the adamantium bone plating underneath. Wolverine roared in pain, and lunged at the SYSTEMatic - embedding his claws into the man's neck. With a quick swipe of his arm, the trooper's left side of his neck exploded, spraying a crimson mural on the walls.
The other three SYSTEMatics were about to obliterate the already-healing Wolverine, when they were suddenly smacked with a ruby colored beam of light. The beam hit all three troopers dead-on. Wolverine had to avert his eyes to shield himself from the bright flash. When he opened his eyes, all he saw were the boots and legs of his three attackers. Their remains and entrails were strewn all over the rear walls of the lobby. Cyclops walked over to him, eye's still glowing under his visor, and helped him up. "You okay", he asked.
Wolverine glanced at the splattered remains of their attackers, and then saw the grim expression Cyclops's face. "I'm fine, just hurts when I laugh. Are YOU okay?"
Cyclops raised his head and said evenly, "I'll never be okay with this."
"Good. At least one of us will keep his humanity when this is all over." The words brought no comfort to the X-Men's leader. He was kind of glad that Jean couldn't get a read on his mind right now. Would she understand his actions? Would she understand that this was a life-or-death struggle – with ALL combatants clear on the implications? He chose Wolverine and Wise-Son to be part of this strike team because they possessed something that the other X-Men simply lacked: a true killer instinct and a soldier's sensibility when it came to taking life in combat. They didn't have to like what they were doing, and, in fact, it was better that way. But the fact is that they COULD and WOULD kill if necessary – something he knew the other X-Men weren't capable of doing. He looked back at Wise-Son, who was busy snapping the neck of the last SYSTEMatic. Wise-Son surveyed the damage: ripped limbs, pools of blood, heads strewn about… and nary a scratch on him (though his jacket was badly tattered and soiled.
Cyclops turned on his communicator and hailed Jean. "Jean, can you hear me… what's happening?"
"Scott", Jean's voice came through the static, "We're doing well on our end. SHRED is almost completely defeated. But those towers are harder to take down than we thought."
"Let Holocaust loose on those things. We have to take them down for this to work."
"But Scott, The heat might kill us all as well, unless…" Jean trailed off. She them ordered Holocaust to melt those towers. Holocaust grinned wide and stretched out his hand. Flames didn't leap out, but his fingers glowed eerily. The towers began to smoke, as the entire rooftop of the SHRED headquarters burst into a firestorm of heat, flames, and toxic fumes. "Storm, funnel the smoke and fumes away from the city!"
Storm's eyes glazed white as a huge vortex-like tornado opened up above the towers. The smoke and flames were being sucked up into the maelstrom, and being jutted out into the atmosphere thousands of feet above the city. Normally, a storm like this would douse the flaming towers, but Holocaust continued to make the towers burn – and burn they did. The towers weren't even completely destroyed when Jean felt the sudden onslaught of everyone's thoughts and emotions. She let out a loud gasp as she struggled to put up mental shields.
"Jean, what's happening? Are you okay?" Scott could only imagine what was going on. Jean's sudden gasping painted all manner of horrific thoughts in his mind.
"I'm fine Scott, the towers are down. Time for phase two of the plan."
"Good work Jean. I'll call you again as soon as we reach our objective."
"Okay Scott. And remember Scott, no matter what happens, no matter what you have to do in that place… I'll always love you." Scott almost jumped out of his skin at Jean's words. He knew that this compound still had functioning Psi-towers – so Jean couldn't be reading his mind. But then again, he knew she always could read his heart.
"Thank you Jean. I love you too." He clicked off the communicator. Turning to his teammates, he asked, "We need a quick way to the top floor of this compound. I DO NOT intend to do this kind of fighting on every floor."
Wolverine walked past some dead bodies over to the elevators. "Cyclops, do these elevators go all the way to the top floor?"
"Yes they do, but Alva's security will shut them down as soon as we get in them. We already tried using an elevator as a decoy, and you see how well THAT worked (pointing at the corpses)."
"We're not going to use them as decoys, we're going straight up to the top!" Wolverine pressed the button and the elevator doors opened. He chose the second floor and stepped out of the elevator as the doors closed behind him.
"I don't get it", said Wise-Son, "You sent the elevator downstairs without anyone in it? Why?"
"Watch and learn kid." Wolverine then sliced the doors wide open, revealing the TOP of the elevator and its cable. "All aboard the Logan Express", he yelled.
"That's one way to get to the top." Cyclops stepped inside the elevator shaft and grabbed one of the elevator cables. Wise-Son did the same. "Wise-Son, when Wolverine cuts the other cable, we're going to be sent hurtling upwards towards the ceiling. Before we hit the ceiling of this shaft, YOU have to stop our movement by grabbing the other cable. You got that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't let you guys get splattered. Got it." Wolverine stepped into the elevator shaft. And grabbed the same cable as Cyclops. He sliced the other elevator cable with a quick swipe. Immediately, the elevator plummeted downward, sending the threesome flying upward at breakneck speeds. The shaft's ceiling closed in on them fast. Wise-Son then grabbed the other cable and gently began slowing their ascent by applying pressure to the cable. As they neared the ceiling, he grabbed the cable tightly, and abruptly stopped them from smacking the ceiling full speed – just 8 feet above them. Wolverine popped his claws, but instead of slicing through the outer elevator doors, he climbed to the ceiling and sliced through a section of it. "What are you doing?"
"Going into their OTHER elevator shaft", Wolverine replied. He heaved himself up to ANOTHER elevator shaft, and pulled Cyclops up. Wise-Son just released the other elevator, and was basically slammed against the ceiling with a sickening thud. Instead of killing him, it just made it easier for him to climb up to the other shaft. He stared at Wolverine with a 'how-did-you-know?' look. "These buildings never have elevators that go all the way up to the top. They ALWAYS stop a few floors down, and then you need some type of security clearance to access the penthouse floors."
"Good thinking", Cyclops said. "This shaft only seems to have three levels. We'll have to climb to the next one, and go up a flight of stairs to reach the top." When the three of them climbed up and cut through the outer elevator doors, they half expected the hallways to be full of SYSTEMatics. Instead, they found it eerily silent. They walked rather un-stealthily to the rear stairwell. They then walked up a flight of stairs to the top floor. Before they opened the door, Wolverine stopped them.
"Wait… I smell something on the other side of this door. Gun oil, ammo, some kind of steel alloy… it's SYSTEMatics."
"How many of them are there?" Cyclops asked.
"Can't say for sure, but that room is filled with them. And I just heard them take the safeties off of their weapons." Wolverine's enhanced senses could detect the minutest details that even some electronic sensors might miss.
"Stand back and cover your eyes." The other two heroes followed Cyclops' instructions. Cyclops reached for his visor… and dialed up one of the HIGHER settings. "Some people have to learn the HARD way…" he muttered under his breath. Tapping his visor, Cyclops eyes began to glow red… and then suddenly unleashed a ruby beam of concussive force. The beam was so immense and powerful, that the entire building shook when it struck the door to the inner chamber housing the Systematics. Under the sheer pressure of Cyclops' beam, the door (and the wall it was braced against) instantly buckled and folded – slamming 1500lbs of steel and concrete into the Systematics that stood behind it. Those that escaped being crushed by the debris only had seconds to recover.
As Systematics barely had time to raise their weapons, another ruby beam bathed the room. This one, more powerful than the last, pulverized and crushed every living thing in the room. In fact, several pieces of Systematics were blown clear across the building… through penthouse suites… through offices… and eventually smashed through the outer walls of the building.
Wolverine and Wise-Son stared wide-eyed at the carnage. In a way, it was all rather clean. There wasn't a lot of blood and body parts. In fact, the Systematic outer shells appeared to be semi-intact. Wolverine walked over to one of the armor suits and opened it up (with his claws). That's when the blood came out. What USED to be the pilot came spilling out of the Systematic… literally spilling. The man inside the armor had been crushed into a massive gooey pile of bones, skin, blood, and fluids – only the eyeballs, teeth, and a few organs remained intact. Wise-Son actually covered his mouth. He looked over at Cyclops, who stood there – stern faced and stoic. With a silent nod to Wolverine, the three heroes stepped over the fallen Systematics and walked over to a large set of ornate double-doors. On these doors, written in a classic English script, and embossed in pure gold, was the name "Edwin Alva".
Wise-Son felt his blood boil at just the sight of the name. "This is it, the devil's office."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" said Wolverine. Popping his claws, "Let's knock." Wolverine punched his six claws through the door. A quick wiping motion created a hole where the locks used to be. Cyclops merely pushed gently on the doors, and they walked in. They didn't quite know what to expect, but they weren't expecting what they saw. This penthouse "office" was nothing short of a Victorian-style palace. Expensive artwork, posh carpeting, antique furniture, and the smell of freshly brewed tea made the place seem more like a royal manor house than a place of business. On the far end of the room, sitting behind a huge ornately decorated desk, sat a white-haired man with platinum-rimmed glasses. He leaned back against his chair, arms folded behind his head, and possessed a smile that was evil incarnate.
"Good evening gentlemen", beckoned the man, "I am Edwin Alva. Care for some tea? I prefer Earl Grey… quite delightful actually." The three stunned heroes walked across the huge room and stood over Alva's desk. There were three large (and cushy) armchairs that seemed to be prepared for them. "Please sirs, have a seat. I've been expecting you."
"You've got some nerve, you old b*tch", Wise-Son, "killing you is gonna make my year."
"I got dibs on carving his liver", said Wolverine, through a toothy grin. Cyclops, however, took a seat directly in front of Alva. The others looked at him in shock, but he signaled them to sit as well.
"Ahh, Mr. Summers, your tactical awareness hasn't been overstated."
Looking at the laptop on Alva's desk, Cyclops retorted, "The data we need isn't in that computer, is it?"
"No Mr. Summers, indeed it isn't."
"And Remy Le Beau? What happened to him?"
"Oh, Mr. Le Beau is quite alive. His first act as my new employee was to turn the data over to me. No need to kill a man of his talents. Simply, PAY him much more than Charles Xavier to retain his services."
"Remind me to kill that guy if I ever meet him", sneered Wolverine. Wise-Son seconded that motion. "So what now, Bub? We drink tea like a bunch of old ladies, or start kickin' your @ss?"
"Sit here and talk to Satan's butt-monkey… or break my foot off in his ass? Well, you know where my heart is at, boys" Wise-Son was about to get up from his seat, but Cyclops again waved him down.
"Calm down guys. Obviously, there's more here than meets the eye. Isn't there Mr. Alva?"
"Indeed there is, Mr. Summers."
"And, if you make any false moves… You. Will. Die. But I think you know that, don't you?"
"Well Mr. Summers, that remains to be seen. Please direct your attention to the screens on the walls here." On the nearside wall, the beautiful paintings and bookcases suddenly shifted back, slid to the side, and the wall opened up to reveal a huge set of TV monitors. On each monitor, scenes of the battle at S.H.R.E.D. headquarters were playing out. There were paramedics, reporters, and police tending to many, MANY S.H.R.E.D. employees. The employees were all talking to news media, confessing their involvement in a number of clandestine operations conducted in Dakota by S.H.R.E.D. and Alva Industries. Jean and Storm, along with the Blood Syndicate were resting and regrouping.
"You're done for Alva. You may have expected us to attack you, but you didn't know we'd make your OWN people sell you out live on National TV."
"That WAS surprising, Mr. Summers. May I call you Scott?"
"No."
"Very well, then." Alva's nonchalance was beginning to wear on Cyclops. It wasn't the man's implacable calm. It was that Alva's demeanor denoted that the X-Men were actually the ones in the crosshairs. "Your plan was rather good, and ingenious, but unfortunately, WE are the only ones watching that broadcast. No one else in the entire planet knows the nature of the disturbance at S.H.R.E.D. headquarters, except that it has been attacked by a gang of super-powered thugs and miscreants." He pointed to some other monitors, and on them were the ACTUAL news broadcasts. It was just as he stated. All the networks reported that there was some sort of blackout in the area, likely resulting from the attack on S.H.R.E.D. The only footage available was video after video of Blood-Syndicate members attacking the police.
"You lying bastard," Wise-Son said, "You can jam the signals, but you can't do it forever!"
"Yes Alva", Cyclops added, "Even without video feeds, those reporters are writing notes and taking written statements from your employees, not to mention that the police are making reports. All of those people will be witnesses with ample evidence of your guilt. Any ONE of them will eventually get their story out."
"Yes, that would be a rather sticky situation, wouldn't it? But you see… none of those people survived the attack on S.H.R.E.D. At least, that's what the official story will be." Cyclops felt the blood drain from his face. His fists clenched, as Alva pointed to the screens once again. "Do you see those rather large objects in the horizon?" The heroes' eyes grew wide as they watched a dozen large metallic objects streak across the sky. As they got closer to S.H.R.E.D. headquarters, the metallic objects turned out to be humanoid in shape. Twelve enormous humanoid looking robots hovered some sixty feet above the ground. The robotic machines had some propulsion units in their boots, and bore some specific markings. The word "SENTINEL" was stenciled across their chest. Scott tried to radio Jean with her communicator. A steady stream of static crackles was the only answer he received. "Don't bother Mr. Summers. Your teammates will find out soon enough what they're up against. You have the best seat in the house."
"You son-of-b*tch", growled Wolverine, "What the hell are those things?"
"Those THINGS…", Alva replied, "Are the latest in anti-mutant weaponry. SENTINEL are equipped with just about every technological advancement in the Alva Industry labs. They are hunter-killers in the purest sense, and they ALWAYS get the job done."
"No…", was all Cyclops could say, as he watched the first of those giant robots touch down on S.H.R.E.D. headquarters. The police, employees, and other civilians began to back away from them, as the X-Men and Blood Syndicate took up defensive positions. No sooner had the robot landed, it opened fire on the crowd with crimson beams that shot from its palms. Human beings turned into human torches as the beam was swept back and forth over the crowd. "NOOOO!" Cyclops yelled at the monitors!
The Blood Syndicate and the X-Men sprang into action against the walking tanks, hitting them with everything they could muster. Storm raked their metal with lightning bolts, Holocaust spewed flames at them, several other Syndicate members attempted to physically pummel behemoths. None of their actions was having any effect on the SENTINELS.
~~~~~~~~
"Storm, can you use a more powerful tornado?" Jean scrambled to take cover from some projectiles fired by a Sentinel.
"No Jean. They are too close to civilians. Anything strong enough to destroy those things would kill all the people here first." She was right. Holocaust figured that he could just raise the temperature until even the monstrous robots' heat shielding would. Problem with that solution is that everyone in Dakota would be long dead before the SENTINELS were destroyed. Third-Rail and DMZ couldn't even put a scratch on those things. What were they made of? Fade could float inside those things, but he said those robots were completely solid-state electronics. There was nothing for him to rip out or interfere with. All cables and sensitive circuitry was made of the same indestructible material as the outer hull. What WERE these things?
"I'll put up a tek-shield around the survivors", Jean sprung into action, covering the civilians with a telekinetic force bubble. Four SENTINELS bore down on the shield. "Aaahhhh…." Jean screamed as she struggled to keep the shield up. A fifth and sixth SENTINEL joined in the barrage. Storm and a Syndicate member named Kwai tried to draw fire away from Jean, but the SENTINELS paid them no mind. Instead, another SENTINEL blasted at them from behind, causing them to return fire and forsake Jean. Jean could feel herself losing strength, and consciousness. She knew that she was not going to last much longer. The SENTINELS were too powerful, and their attack was relentless. The civilians under the shield began to scatter and run anywhere were they could find shelter – to no avail. As soon as any would step away from the tek-shield, they were crushed underfoot, ripped apart by ballistic fire, or burned alive by the SENTINELS' crimson heat beams. "Scott, I love you…" was the last thing she said as her mental barrier began to fade. A ballistic round ripped through her abdomen, and she was knocked back against the ground – landing in a pool of her own blood. She could hear the wails of people being executed by the SENTINELS, along with police and S.H.R.E.D. units' futile efforts at returning fire. She could barely focus her eyes, as a pairs of feminine arms picked her up and spirited her away from the combat zone. She was carried inside the S.H.R.E.D. headquarters building.
"Jean, stay with me", Storm said, "Don't die on me. Not now." Jean wanted to answer, but found herself to weak to speak. All that she could feel was the painful wound that use to be her stomach, as her thoughts went out to the one man for whom she would fight to stay alive.
~~~~~~~~~~
Three monitors exploded into a fiery shower of sparks and glass – the victims of a ruby-colored force beam. "Alva, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Scott could barely compose himself as he let off another ruby-red shot that glanced over Alva's shoulders. Alva, for his part, remained perfectly calm, smiling like the Cheshire cat.
"Why kill the one man who can call off the SENTINELS?" The X-Men and Wise-Son stopped in their collective tracks. Alva stood up out of his chair and walked over to the monitors. "Look at them gentlemen… you're friends and colleagues. They are all going to die… unless you agree to call this whole affair off."
"What are you talking about a**-hole?" spat out Wise-Son.
"I'm talking about your surrender and retainer. I will call off the SENTINELS, if you cease and desist all your hostile activities against Alva Industries and its affiliates. Also, you will agree to perform various and sundry operations for Alva Industries, as the need arises." Alva extended his right hand. "The decision is yours… but do hurry, your people aren't going to survive much longer."
"Work for you? You're out of your mind." Wolverine popped the claws. "Prepare to meet your maker, a**-wipe!"
"Wait Logan", Cyclops walked toward Alva, "we may not have a choice."
"Are you kidding me? We need to kill this b*tch now and go help our people out!" Wise-Son stalked towards Alva and Cyclops.
"We won't get there in time. And murdering Alva won't bring down his organization." Scott turned to Alva. "Make it stop. Now."
Alva tapped a button on a small remote in his left hand. An ornate phone on his desk dialed a number. A voice on the speakerphone answered. "This is Charles Xavier. How did you get this number?"
"Mr. Xavier, there isn't much I don't know about you. Your private phone numbers are the least of your security breaches", said Alva. "I am here with your colleagues – Mr. Summers, Mr. Logan, and Mr. Bruce."
"What is it you want?"
"I'll cut to the quick, since time is of the essence. Your people are about to die at the hands of my SENTINELS. Moreover, after they are dead, I will launch those same SENTINELS against your mansion, and kill all the children present. Even if you destroy them, victory will seem like defeat. But none of this has to be… if you and your covert strike team sign on to work for Alva Industries."
"Really?" said Charles Xavier. Xavier's calm tone made Cyclops feel more at ease. What is the old man up to? "Mr. Alva, I am well-aware of the situation, since I am in mental contact with my agents at the scene."
"Then you know that they are doomed Mr. Xavier. Please make your decision, they don't have much time left." For the first time since they got here, Cyclops could hear something in Alva's voice that he hadn't quite heard before: uncertainty. Fear? No, but insecurity, definitely. Cyclops stepped away from Alva, as the speakerphone's silence seemed to last forever. "Mr. Xavier, I am waiting for your answer" said Alva, clearly frustrated. Doesn't this man know when he is beaten, he thought.
"Mr. Alva, will you turn your attention to the battlefield. You will find that I have already answered you." Alva noticed that Wise-Son, Wolverine, and Cyclops were smiling. Alva turned around to look at the monitors. What he saw made his face turn whiter than it already was (if that was possible).
~~~~~~~~
Hovering above the carnage of the SENTINELS, a small ball of energy descended slowly onto the scene. It stopped its descent about 25 feet above the head of the metallic monsters. Holocaust and the other Blood Syndicate immediately recognized the flying intruder. "STATIC! What the f*ck are you doing here man?!?! You picked a bad time to holla at your boys!" Holocaust could barely mask his joy at seeing his favorite pain-in-the… neck.
"You know me, Holly, I love to see a good fight – unless it involves biting people's ears off. That's just nasty."
"Static", yelled Fade, "I hope you got something up your sleeve, ese. These monsters can't be burned, beat up, or blown up. They're made of some kind of super-metal."
"And that's the issue here, super-METAL. Actually, it's called Vibranium – or something like that… Professor Xavier told me about it."
"Who?"
"Just run with me, ok? This stuff seems indestructible now, but watch and learn a little science lesson." Static flew deliberately in the middle of the SENTINELS, who were busy fending off attacks by the Blood Syndicate. They seemingly ignored him. Big mistake. Static began to glow with a pulsating blue light. "Cover your eyes!" he yelled at everyone. The Syndicate members did just that. The SENTINELS only then began to regard him as a possible threat, and began lumbering towards the little blue light-sphere. Suddenly, a bright flash filled the air. There was a strange electrical sensation in the air, which made everyone's hair stand up – even those inside the S.H.R.E.D. headquarters building.
"What was that?" Jean gently spoke. Storm was busy tending to her wounds. Storm received some kind of mental "heads-up" from Xavier.
"It's us winning Jean. Now sit tight and hold on. This will all be over soon." Storm was worried about the blood loss. In Jean's state, she couldn't even receive Professor Xavier's mental communication.
The SENTINELS didn't look or act any different. There were no discernable marks or any visible damage. Suddenly, every Blood Syndicate member simultaneously received the same mental command – "Hit them." Holocaust's eyes lit up with a fury seldom seen, even by his peers. He extended his muscular at the metal giants.
"BURN!!!!" He yelled. And two of the SENTINELS immediately burst into flames. The towering infernos toppled over into a pile of burning metal parts. DMZ and Third-Rail led the charge straight some other SENTINELS, ripping their legs off and knocking them down. The others proceeded to march out and take on the previously impervious machines. "Static, what did you do?"
"Ionized them. By removing an electron from their Vibranium alloy, I turned it into… something less than Vibranium. I don't know what they're made of now, but it won't have the same electron count, and thus it would have all the properties of Vibranium."
"Brother, do you REALLY think I understood you?"
"No, but it was worth a shot. Just don't worry and start blasting them!" And with that, the Blood Syndicate began taking down the SENTINELS like clockwork. The SENTINELS weren't even functioning properly, since their hard-wired circuitry was now ionized as well. Before long, police and S.H.R.E.D. units joined in the fight, with high-powered rifles and explosives. It was a strange sight to behold, the Blood Syndicate fighting side-by-side with the authorities, and working together to get people to safety. Kwai, a Syndicate member with an ability to heal others (among other abilities), was busy tending to the wounded police and civilians- often healing them from wounds that would've meant certain death. She was then summoned mentally by Xavier to seek out Jean Grey in the S.H.R.E.D. headquarters. With the Professor's mental guidance, she quickly found Jean on the floor of an office, being cradled by Storm. Storm's tear-soaked face barely lifted as Kwai entered the room.
"I think it's too late", Storm said in between sobs.
"No, this one still has life", said the diminutive Asian girl. "And that spark is all I need." She placed her hand on Jean's head, and a beautiful pinkish glow enveloped her body. "Live", she whispered. At first there seemed to be no effect, but then, Storm noticed that the blood stopped flowing from Jean's abdomen. Storm gently lifted Jean's blood-soaked shirt – only to find no wound in her abdomen. "The internal healing will be complete in a few days, but she is out of danger. I have others to attend to." Kwai got up and left a grateful, yet dumbfounded, Storm cradling Jean's head and stroking her auburn hair.
"It'll be okay Jean, you hear me?"
"I hear you Ororo", Jean managed to say, "It still hurts, but I can feel you and your thoughts. But… I can't feel Scott."
"Hush… don't get yourself worked up. Professor Xavier mentally told me that Scott and the others are okay. They'll be fine. You'll see…"
~~~~~~~
Alva was speechless.
He had just watched a little impish man glide in the middle of his SENTINELS, and destroy what took billions of dollars in research and production to build. He knew that there might be mutants who held sway over the laws of chemistry and physics, but his mutant-research teams assured him that they were both rare and scarce. To think, his own Quantum formula CREATED this one. The Quantum formula! Yes! It was yet another card left to play.
"Give it up Alva, it's over!" Cyclops said. "Your toys are destroyed, and what's left of your employees are going to gladly turn you over to the authorities."
"Yeah, plus your robots tried to kill the COPS and ROBBERS in broad day light." Wolverine inched closer to Alva – who was sitting down at his desk.
Wise-Son walked to the other side of the desk. He leaned over and said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad you'll be alive to be put in jail. I guarantee you that thugs and skinheads will "tag" your a** every night for the REST of your miserable life!"
"Yes, I will live Mr. Bruce… but I can't say the same for the city of Dakota." Alva tapped a button on his desk – opening a trapdoor beneath him. He and his chair disappeared downward, through an open chute in the floor.
"Dammit!!!" yelled Wolverine, "That b*tch is NOT getting away!" And he jumped in, head first, after Alva.
"Come on Scott", said Wise-Son, "we got to go after him."
"No need to tell me twice, lead the way." Cyclops let Wise-Son go first because Wise was indestructible, and would break his fall. He felt sorry for Wolverine… and even MORE sorry for Alva. Actually, he felt no such pity for the man who was minutes away from being impaled, ripped asunder, or blasted into pulp. They slid down a winding chute, which seemed to stretch for hundreds of meters. It must have run the length of the building and gone underground. When Cyclops landed, his calculations were correct – they were INDEED underground, and they did INDEED land on top of Logan. He quickly got up and surmised that they were in one of Alva's secret research labs. Alva was inside a glass-encased room, madly typing on a terminal. "Alva, you have no way out of this. Give up."
"Wrong on both counts, Mr. Summers." Alva finished typing and looked up with an evil grin. You see that tank behind you (he pointed to a huge vat on the far end of the facility)? It is filled with Quantum "juice", the formula that once dissipated into the atmosphere of Dakota, will kill every living thing in the city. Those who manage to survive, will be "changed" like young Mr. Bruce. But the chances are rare. Mr. Bruce and his useless cohorts were the beneficiaries of random chance and the heightened pollution level of his community. The rest of the city will not fare that well."
"I knew we should've killed you!" Wise-Son ran to the glass chamber and smashed a wall down with a super-powered overhand right. "You ain't going to get the chance to do ANYTHING."
"I already did Mr. Bruce. When that gas is released, and everyone is dead, the official story will be that the Blood Syndicate and their mutant allies destroyed the city in their attempt to attack S.H.R.E.D. No one will be alive to dispute it."
"Evil B*tch", Cyclops said – which actually shocked Wolverine. "Prepare to die." He dialed up an adequate kill setting on his visor.
"Kill me? Or try and be a "hero"… your choice." Another trap door opened up beneath Alva. His head disappeared down into the hole, just as a ruby beam glanced over his terminal. It would've been a kill shot.
"Dammit… we can chase him, or try and stop this thing from spewing that Quantum formula into the atmosphere." Scott was frantically searching for schematics to the formula vat. He did manage to find the shutdown switch to the Psi-dampening towers in this facility. As soon as he hit the button, a TORRENTIAL RUSH of emotions pounded his mind. It was Jean.
"Scott!!! Oh God, you're alive!" Cyclops could literally feel the desperation and love in her thoughts. It was almost overwhelming for a non-telepath like him. "Where are you?"
"I'm here at Alva HQ. The old buzzard got away, but we got bigger problems."
"What's going on?"
"He's trying to kill the entire city. If we don't figure out a way to stop him, you and the others begin evacuating Dakota… IMMIDIATELY!"
"Scott Summers, what are you going to do!?!?"
"My job, Jean. I have to figure out avert this. If I don't…"
"Don't you dare finish that thought!"
"Jean… I love you. When I get back to the mansion, I want to marry you. I don't want to wait six months to do something that we should've done years ago."
"This is the oddest time to make wedding plans, Scott Summers, but consider yourself COMMITTED! You are NOT going to die there. Promise me you will leave before it's too late… PROMISE ME!!!"
"I promise I'll do everything in my power to get back to you Jean. I promise. And I love you."
"I love you too." Their mental conversation was much quicker than any verbal exchange could ever be. All the while, Scott Summers, Logan, and Hannibal Bruce hunted for something, anything, which could save the city of Dakota and the ones they loved. Scott suddenly came across something that he was sure would work.
Scott signaled Wise-Son and Wolverine to his terminal. He read them the grim news. They can't stop the release of the formula… but it can be re-routed.
"I don't get it", said Wise-Son, "Where could we re-route the gas where it would be safe? If even just a tiny amount is released into the environment, the result is death."
"That's the catch Wise", said Scott, "Where would it be safe enough to re-route the deadly gas? Right into this lab." The other two heroes were floored by Scott's assessment.
The answer is the lab – it's underground and completely environmentally sealed. The catch is that once the gas is inside the lab area, it can never be reopened. What more, the re-routing sequence must be triggered from WITHIN the lab. The person who stays here to vent the gas and activate the labs emergency environmental seals will be trapped inside the lab forever. For the safety of the world at large, the lab would have to remain sealed and buried underground.
"It's too dangerous and it's basically suicide. I have to alert the authorities to begin evacuating the city." Scott began to mentally contact Jean.
"There won't be enough time to get even a hundred people out", Wolverine said. "This is dangerous and suicidal. But hey, what isn't?" Scott never gets to send out his mental message to Jean. Why? Logan clocked Scott with an Adamantium fist – knocking him unconscious instantly. "It ain't going to be you, lover boy. Wise, help me get this guy over to the elevators." Wise-Son helps Wolverine drag the prone body of Scott Summers to the elevator. They open it up, and hit the "Lobby" button and send Scott up to the ground level. Wolverine calls another elevator down. It opens. "Come on kid, time's wasting. Get in and go to the lobby. I'll take care of things down here."
"Are you crazy? You might heal quick, but not THAT quick. You might not be able to be finish the re-routing sequence when the gas starts to hit you. I GOT to do it!"
"Kid… you got too much to live for. You have to be there for Marie. You're her husband now. You two have a shot at life together. I don't even know what kind of life I've led. There's no changing my mind. This is one for the old-Canuck." Logan begins to walk towards the vent controls. Turning around, he says "Do me a favor though… let Marie know that it would have been great to see her grow up and grow old. To se her have kids, and be there for her. Kid, you tell her that I love her. Oh, and tell Ororo… it would've been nice. She'll know what you mean."
Wise-Son can't believe what he's hearing… he looks at the gruff man, and finally speaks, "Logan,… you've done a great job with Marie, man. All loving her… and talking care of her, and all that. You're right though… I truly love Marie, and I love my family, my son Edmund, and everybody. I can't believe how much stuff has changed this past year. Me and my homies should've died at the Big Bang, but this Quantum juice just stretched out our lives."
"Kid, you didn't know that stuff was coming down."
"No, but even if it didn't, all of us deserved to die. We were all criminals and murderers. Hell, most of us still are. But Alva didn't just go after us. Alva killed all them innocent people… too many innocent people with that gas. Them folks… they didn't choose to kill each other at the Big Bang like we did. Those folks died in MY place. I've been living on borrowed time homie… and I can't let another innocent person die in my place. It's time to set things straight…"
Wolverine barely had enough time to say "no", when Wise-Son produced a taser from under his jacket and shot him in the chest. Wolverine's mind exploded into a collage of color and pain. Then everything went black…
~~~~~~~~
Scott shook Wolverine awake. Wolverine awoke with a sudden fit of rage and fear. "Where is he? Where is that little…" He noticed that he was in the lobby. His eyes grew wide, and he fumbled for one his X-Men communicator. "Wise-Son… Hannibal… what's going on kid… please kid… don't do this… DON'T DO THIS!!!"
A brief crackle could be heard, and then a familiar voice comes through the speaker. "Logan (cough), the emergency environmental seals are already in place. The gas is already venting in here. The city is saved, man. We won (cough)."
Logan beats on the thick tiled floor of the lobby. "Why kid, WHY? You didn't have to do it. You should've let ME do it!" For the first time in his life, the Wolverine begins to cry. Not just teary eyes, but full-blown crying. Scott holds the man, and as he realizes what is happening, his body shutters with grief as well.
"Logan, Scott…", Wise-Son's voice crackles through the communicator, "we can't EVER open this lab up. It will kill everyone (cough)." Wise-Son's voice begins to fade, as the communicator starts to lose its signal. Logan, through tears, places both hands on the floor. Scott, tears streaming down his face, relays the situation to Jean, who breaks down in Storm's arms. The last thing that Logan and Scott hear, as the lab chamber is filled to capacity, is Wise-Son telling them to tell Marie that he'll love her forever. The radio buzzes a little more, and Logan and Scott stare at it like it was their lifeline, like their entire world depended on hearing just one more word come out of it.
But it didn't. It just faded out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2002
Marie held onto her wedding ring and cried some more. The videotape was still in the VCR, barely beginning to play. She quickly stopped it, as she heard a knock on the door. Wiping her tears, she answered, "Who is it?"
"It's me darlin'… can I come in?"
"Of course…" Logan walked into her room. He could barely compose himself every time he saw her. To see his Marie so broken, yet so strong, was almost too much for the older man.
Marie had taken on the raising of Edmund, Wise-Son's little boy. She had begun adoption proceedings, without protest from Hannibal's family. Edmund was in classes at the School for Gifted Youngsters, though he wasn't a mutant. He also lived there at the mansion, and was receiving all the grief counseling money could buy. It was an added perk of having as wealthy a benefactor as Charles Xavier. Scott and Jean had decided to move the wedding to June, to give time for everyone to heal from the tragedy of Wise-Son's death. In the meantime, Xavier opened up a second School for the Gifted – a continuing education center for adults – that was aimed at rehabilitating and training ex-Blood Syndicate members. Fade, the former lieutenant, presided over the school as he prepared to earn his degree in Business and Communications. He was actively recruiting for the school, with great success among the old Syndicate roster. He hoped that once Static finished his training at Xavier's Westchester school, he would join the faculty at Dakota.
"Logan…", Marie said, "I can't put the tape in. It's only been a couple months… I'm not ready."
"Take your time darlin', you got time.."
"Do I? I thought I had all the time in the world. I thought I had so much time…", she began sobbing. Logan hugged her tightly. "All I know, is that I can't ever take anything for granted ever again… tomorrow is not promised for anybody." She clutched the tape to her chest. It was now her most precious possession. She knew that she would build up the strength to look at it soon, but… time would tell. It always did.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere in the outskirts of Dakota county, on a hill overlooking the city's skyline, three old friends are preparing to embark on a journey that may take them to the ends of the earth. Another is there to see them away, and to wish them Godspeed.
"You've been a great friend Fade, I hope you succeed with the School of the Gifted."
"Thanks man. How long are you and Holly and X going to be gone?"
"However long it takes", interrupted Commando X, "Edwin Alva escaped and he's out there, manipulating the strings of corporations and countries even though he's an outlaw. As long as that bastard is alive, nobody's truly safe."
"Yeah", said Holocaust, "Alva Industries affiliates are still welcome in all kinds of places, like North Korea, Iraq, Genosha… most anywhere that evil people want powerful weapons, and don't care how they get 'em. Alva's out there. He's got to be stopped."
"I thought you weren't in this thing to be a hero man", Fade said.
"Well, everything that went down… just changed my mind. There's more to life than cash-money and ho's. There's my family, my dawgs, my hood, and my people." Holocaust looked at the third member of their trio, who was pensively silent.
"All of us have people in this world that we love", said the recently exhumed Wise-Son. Hannibal Bruce was indeed alive and well, and still had a mission to complete. It was a mission that he and Charles Xavier talked about at length while he was at the X-Men's mansion. "The stakes are too high. We're in this to win it, all the way. This… X-Syndicate… will take the fight to Alva wherever that reptile is hiding. The war between mutants and humans will be a secret war, and homies… we are now on the frontline."
"So Xavier knows about it? Interesting. What about your wife Marie? She's been crushed since you 'died' man", Fade responded.
"I explained everything to Marie and left her instructions on how to contact me. It's on a videotape that I left for her. She'll completely know why it's PRIORITY ONE that everyone - including my family - believes that I'm dead. That's for THEIR protection. Alva can't know that I'm still around after him, or they'll all become targets."
"Looks like you pretty much thought of everything, homie. (looking at the horizon) I'm going to miss you guys. Ya'll holla at me on a regular, ok?"
"Of course, man… We're Syndicate-Fo'-Life!" And the four of them hugged each other like the world would end if they broke their embrace.
But the world would not end. It would go on, and good and evil would go on… and as long as evil threatened the innocent, whether it be mutant or human, the X-Syndicate would be there to fight the good fight.
Excelsior.