A Lone Wolf Needs a Pack
I believe in the Darwinian principle of evolution, survival of the fittest. I also believe that there are only two kinds of creature, predator and prey. We mutants are superior to humans in every way, we are their successors and we shall render humanity unto extinction as they did the Neanderthals before them. There can be no room for such weaknesses as mercy, remorse or compassion in our hearts. No my heart sings to the pleasure of the hunt and the greatest joy for me is to rip out an enemy's throat with my fangs and savor the salty metallic tang of his warm lifeblood. Please don't think I hate humans though. After all does the wolf hate the deer or the gourmet the steak? Such is the creed of I Maximus Lobo, member of the dominant species and leader of the Marauders.
Apartment somewhere in Los Angeles
"I was involved in research into the origins of genetic mutation. Dr Essex was the head scientist and he and I quickly formed a bond. He told me how glad he was to have me on his term, how he'd admired my papers and theories. He actually said I was the most promising young man he'd met since Albert Einstein. I assumed he was joking but looking back he was telling me the truth. As he was when he claimed to have been there when Darwin announced the Theory of Evolution. At the time I simply thought he had a quirky sense of humor. He just seemed so genuine, so kindly and affectionate. He was my mentor Remy, my friend and well he seemed to see me as the son he never had. He was more than just my boss, more like a favorite uncle. That made it all the more shocking when I found out just what he really was."
Hank stopped speaking for a moment, cast his gaze towards the ground. He sighed softly, shoulders slumping and Remy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I just can't believe I was so foolish and naïve. I can't believe how close I came to unwittingly becoming the harbinger of genocide. He used my research, twisted it and used it to bio-engineer his own creation. He created something, called it Legacy since he claimed, 'their legacy shall be your future'. This virus was his child, his ultimate dream made flesh and my darkest nightmare. I was the unwitting creator of this plague. It was insidious, a hundred per cent contagious, invisible, and airborne, it would have infected potentially all of humanity. Then it attacked the DNA, killing those who weren't strong enough and causing spontaneous mutation in the rest. That was his dream, to bring about the extinction of humanity and it's replacement with a new race of his own creation."
"Merde," that seemed the only appropriate comment.
"To my credit I soon had my suspicions that something was amiss. I investigated and learnt to my horror just what I'd helped create. As soon as I did I destroyed the virus, purged all the data from the computers so Essex could never recreate it. Then bolstered by anger I confronted him and told him he was going to pay for what he tried to do. I thought I could capture him, bring him to the authorities but I'd badly underestimated him. He simply laughed and before my eyes he changed into something monstrous. Pale white skin, blazing red eyes, he looked like some vampire. I knew then he was a mutant himself or something close. We fought but I was no match for him. Soon I lay helpless and defeated and my last thoughts were that I was going to die. He didn't kill me though but simply berated me for my naivety and told me how disappointing I was. He seemed almost regretful as he told me I had to pay the price for my betrayal. He also said that he knew one day I would take my rightful place at his side. Then I felt a sharp pain as a hypodermic syringe plunged into my skin, blackness and then nothing more."
Hank jumped down from the ceiling and landed back on the sofa. He huddled up, legs drawn up under his chin, his long arms draped around them staring unblinkingly at Remy with those intense blue eyes.
"I was in a coma for three weeks and when I woke up I looked like this. My parents, my family were supportive; they said I was still their son no matter how I looked. I guess I just went to pieces though, broke myself out of the hospital and ran. I've kept on running ever since, going from place to place and never settling, keeping to myself and allowing nobody to get close. Until today I've never met anyone who I could consider to be a friend. I don't know why Remy but I trust you. Well that's my story and a sad, sorry tale it was too."
Remy patted Hank on the shoulder. Hank frowned, eyes narrowed suspiciously as he gazed at Remy. Remy gave him a broad grin and then he spoke soothingly; almost as though Hank was a child he was comforting.
"Non mon ami, dere is nothing sad or sorry about you. De hand dat fate dealt you, not your fault and you can't be blamed for running scared. Non, not your fault dat Essex tricked you and in de end he lost. You caught onto his plan and destroyed de virus, he simply exacted petty vengeance on you. Remy know Essex of old, have bad experience with him. Remy make bad choices too, make mistakes but unlike you, he not get de chance to put them right. Remy must live with de guilt for de rest of his life and know dat in his heart dat he is not a good man. Hank mon ami, Remy has a suggestion."
"Hmm," muttered Hank, shaggy brow furrowing.
"How about dat instead of dwelling on de past we enjoy de present instead? It would do us both good to get out dere and enjoy ourselves. Remy know dis great place, de bar called de Auger Inn and dat dey welcome mutants dere, even if dey big, blue and furry like you. We get drunk, pick up some girls, and have de good time s'il vous plait. So does dat sound like de good idea to you mon ami?"
For a second Remy thought he'd somehow angered Hank. The mutant's face seemed to have twisted into a snarl. Then relaxing Remy realized Hank was simply deep in thought. Clawed fingers stroked at the fur on his chin as Hank pondered eventually coming to a decision. Fangs showed slightly in his grin as Hank nodded slowly at first and then enthusiastically.
"Stars and garters, that sounds just what I need Remy. Well if it comes to the worst and Sabretooth attacks again at least you'll be fighting at my side. Well lets go shall we?"
Blackbird
"Ya know bub ya could turn the Blackbird right round and go back ta the mansion. Seems a lot of bother fer nothing ta me though. OK so they weren't officially assigned ta this mission but neither was Colossus yet ya invited him along all the same. OK so Shadowcat and Iceman are not officially X-Men. I thought ya said yerself though that they're nearly qualified. Besides what better way fer them ta learn than a little field experience."
Logan folded his arms across his chest and fixed Scott with a glare from his hazel eyes.
"Logan, sneaking on board the jet is hardly responsible behavior and they seem to think this is just a game. Oh I can understand how it might seem fun but they just don't know how ugly things could get. We may certainly be going up against Sabretooth and quite possibly the Marauders. I can't allow two of the students to go into danger. If I did so I'd be just as reckless and irresponsible as you seem to be."
"Ya have ta admit it showed initiative fer them ta bypass the security though. Anyway ya can't mollycoddle em forever Cyke and ya know it. They face danger everyday just by being mutants. The sooner they learn the ugly truth the better off they'll be. Anyway like I said too late fer us ta turn back now," Logan sneered and lit up another cigarette.
Scott smiled pleasantly and nodded almost imperceptibly. Reaching over he gave Logan a paternal pat on the shoulder.
"You're quite right Logan loathe as I am to admit it. Yes they might as well stay on board now and who knows they might even be a help rather than a hindrance," he said in a deceptively gentle tone.
"Hey I'm the best there is bub,"
"Of course I'm putting you in charge of them Logan. Since you so eloquently argued for them staying you get to supervise them and keep them out of trouble. Have fun,"
As Logan growled deep in his throat Scott grinned smugly and leaned back in his seat. With any luck Logan might end up with some idea of what it was like to have so much responsibility. Perhaps a miracle would occur and Logan would finally give him the respect he deserved. Scott doubted that but for the moment he'd cherish the look on Logan's face. Scott's grin only disappeared when Kitty suddenly walked right through him and the seat.
He gave a startled yelp and leapt out of his seat banging his head on the roof. Groaning he sat back down rubbing his sore head as Kitty shrugged apologetically.
"Sorry Mr Summers, I was just going to talk to Logan. I didn't mean to startle you."
"Quite alright Kitty, just remember we have a center aisle for a purpose."
"Hey One-Eye want me ta kiss it better?"
"Zip it Logan," growled Scott.
Nightcrawler half listened to Piotr's and Bobby's lively discussion. He just didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. His tail twitched back and forth in agitation as he gazed at the image on his laptop. A computer generated image of Beast gazed back at him. For nearly half an hour he'd been unable to take his eyes away from the image.
"Ja mein freund, I'm not the only one who looks different. Maybe ve have much in common. Maybe you can understand what it's like to be seen as a monster. I vonder vether you too vish only to be accepted. Ja, you are not monstrous to me, I know you have a kind heart. Why I think this I don't know, maybe it's intuition but I know it's true. Don't you vorry my brother for I am coming to you, to let you know that you aren't alone. No you're never alone."
Park somewhere in Los Angeles
It's never a good idea to walk through parks at the dead of night, like the proverbial dark alley you never know who you might meet. This is especially true in a city like Los Angeles and this park in particular. People had been mugged, raped and they'd even been a still unsolved murder. Sensible people, mostly locals knew better than to cut through the park at night. These two young men were young though and from out of town. Slightly the worse for drink they were wandering through the park with trouble on their minds, a spot of minor vandalism perhaps. Unluckily for them they were about to find more trouble than they could ever hope for. Watching them from the shadows was a predator.
"Aye, come closer t'ye papa lads. Come t'me fer ye just the type of human inferiors that really gets m'goat. Yuir deaths will be very beneficial t'the gene pool."
Andrew Hamish Graves grinned savagely and prepared to pounce. He was better known as Spoor, mutant and member of the Marauders. Like Beast he was one of the unfortunate mutants who looked different. Also like Beast he was covered in shaggy fur though his was brown. Again like him he possessed sharp fangs and claws, superior strength, agility and senses. Unlike Beast he also possessed another power, the ability to release clouds of pheromones allowing him to induce emotional changes. The main difference between him and Hank though was his attitude. To put it simply Spoor was a savage bloodthirsty monster who loved to kill. The general opinion amongst his comrades was that he had a death wish and that he was a total control freak. All in all he wasn't a particularly pleasant character.
"Prepare t'die lads fer Spoor's come fer ye sassanachs!"
Spoor stopped nonplussed as instead of running the two young men simply grinned at him. He growled a little and then stood still, blinking in confusion. The humans were supposed to scream and run. Then he was taken even further aback when one reached out and touched his arm. The young man grinned as he felt the coarse bristly fur.
"Hey this costume's really good mate. I bet you're from that Star Wars convention right? Yeah you make a great Chewbacca."
"What the hell are ye talking about? Also get ye hands off the fur!" Spoor's voice rose to a roar.
"I dunno mate, I reckon he looks more like a werewolf. Must be going to a party. Hey mind if we join ya mate?"
Growling Spoor considered just slashing them and being done with it. The trouble was he'd been put off his stride and he just wanted to be rid of them. Pheromones drifted into the night sky and Spoor grinned seeing eyes widen in fear. He chuckled as the terrified young men promptly fled for their lives and all but collapsed in a fit of growling giggles when they stumbled into the pool.
"G'day and just take a look at this gorgeous critter. Yes he's a beautiful boy," an Australian accented voice chirped.
Spoor's good humor instantly evaporated as he turned to see Steve Irwin peering at him. The Crocodile Hunter faded as though he'd never been and Spoor growled deep in his throat.
"Not in the least amusing Martinique. Keep yuir little jokes t'yeself woman," he snarled.
"Oh I'm sorry Andrew, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," whispered Mastermind's sultry voice.
Despite himself Spoor felt his anger fading as Martinique walked towards him. He thought her beautiful, her slender figure, rich mahogany hair which tumbled over her forehead shadowing one green eye. She smiled demurely and winked. Spoor grinned back exposing canine and then shut his hazel eyes blissfully. Fingers brushed the fur on his arm, tracing the muscles right up to where his sleeveless vest covered up the fur. Fingers moving, ruffling his beard, scratching behind his ears. Spoor purred.
"Aye, yuir forgiven Mastermind," rumbled Spoor.
"Now that is just disgusting, I mean is there anything that you won't flirt with Martinique?"
Toad quickly leapt away into the undergrowth as Spoor turned with a snarl. The only trouble Toad thought with tormenting dumb animals was the likelihood of getting bitten. A few more leaps took him into the presence of his master. Maximus Lobo was in his human form for now, still intimidating, still somewhat lupine. Toad landed next to him leaning back on his haunches. His tongue flicked out, snagging a few moths. He paused and wiped his mouth before speaking.
"So master, have we got our orders yet?"
"You're just in time Toad. Our master comes,"
Lobo knelt, baring his throat in the appropriate gesture of submission. He looked up, eyes bright with anticipation as an imposing yet regal figure emerged from nothingness. Red eyes burned bright in a pallid satanic face and a gloved hand patted Lobo on the head. The token of affection that an owner might give a devoted dog.
"Sinister, master, you have come," whispered Lobo, his tone akin to awe.
The Auger Inn
Hank hesitated at the door but finally stepped through at Remy's impatient gesture. Nodding reassuringly Remy doffed his trench coat and placed it on a rack. It took some time for him to persuade Hank to do likewise. He stood guard until the hat, the scarf and the trench coat were all removed. Then he literally had to drag Hank towards the door, no mean feat with his bulk. Claws dug into the carpet as Hank stood in the entrance, blue eyes going wide.
He was surprised to see he wasn't the only 'aesthetically differing' person there. Most looked normal but some were definitely mutants. A beautiful furred feline woman with a long tail winked at him seductively and Hank gave her a nervous wave. Slowly uncertainly he took a few steps inside and turned to look back at Remy. He expected to see Remy smiling at him encouragingly. Instead it seemed Remy had already entered. Scanning the room Hank caught him deep in conversation with a purple haired Asiatic looking woman.
"Bonjour chere, good to see you again Betsy."
Hank sighed, really he should have expected for Remy to be a big hit with the ladies. He was about to wander over to the bar when a claw tapped him on the shoulder. It was the cat-woman who'd winked at him a minute ago.
"Hi cutie, they call me Feral."
"Really? They call me, hmm Beast,"
Remy grinned; it looked as though Hank was going to be just fine. His eyes roved across the bar and he saw one woman sitting alone. She was perhaps the same age as him, African American and distinguished looking, intellectual, a teacher or maybe a doctor. Remy decided he'd try and introduce Beast to her later. She might be more his type unlike the wild if alluring feral.
"Oui Hank mon ami, Remy make sure dat you have a good time."