BLACK WINGS Chapter 18- Wish You Were Here by Justin Anderson November 9th, 2002. 1:23 PM, Manhattan Peter Parker entered the small coffee shop. He found the table quickly. The Black Wings sat there, shuffling a small stack of photographs. Parker sat across from him. "I figure Jameson will like these." Peter Parker couldn't believe the photographs. "What happened to him?" he asked. "Not sure. It's possible the chemical gases reacted to the clone body. Or maybe not," Cletus replied. The photographs were evidence of what had happened to Carnage. The clone of Cletus Kasady. Now, he was horribly aged. Almost sixty, at least. "He's at the Vault," Cletus said. "They'll study him for a while, then just kill him. We can't let him out." Cletus sipped the cup of coffee that sat in front of him, ignoring Parker. He still didn't understand this mess. He had been lied to from day one. The old priest telling him that he had been possessed, and that his psychosis was not his fault. Only for Carnage himself to tell him it was bullshit. The fact this maniac has been walking around, fully conscious, in HIS body, with no demon present, was enough proof. Peter Parker looked at the man. He was not the same man that Parker had fought many times before. The look was one of remorse, hidden under a face that showed strength through depression. The recent events had taken their toll. Cletus Kasady resembled a burned out caricature of Hunter S. Thompson, knowing the world was falling apart, but still seeing a reason to go on. "Jake came by yesterday." Cletus looked up, snapping out of his daydream. "He wanted to hear my life story. I don't know why... he doesn't remind me of Jack." "No, he doesn't. He doesn't have that headstrong sense of indestructibility Jack does. He seems more involved with the rest of the world. Jack acted like an observer, called on when people needed help, but he never seemed to want anything to do with anybody. He kept to himself. His drug habit just seemed to reflect that. I think Shriek was the best thing to happen to him, gives him a chance to live. He needs it. He doesn't need this life," Cletus said. The waitress interrupted them. Each man ordered a cup of coffee. "Frankly, I don't think any of us needs this life, but what can we do? Sit by and watch people suffer?" "No," Parker replied. Cletus stood, tossing the money on the table. "I'll pay. I have unlimited funds anyway." "See you around. If you get a change, stop by," Parker offered. "I might do that." 1:44 PM, Westchester Jake finished hanging what few clothes he had. The room was nice. In fact, the entire mansion was nice. He was going to like living here. He checked the titanium caps over his fingers, making sure they were secure. Tobias entered the room. "Man, I've been walkin' around this place for three days, and I still don't think I've seen it all!" "Tell me about it. Where's Xavier?" he asked. Jake found Xavier in the library. Artemis was reading through a stack of books. Xavier had a book open himself. "What's going on?" Jake asked. Artemis looked up. "Oh, just a small mind game. We look at a line in the book, and try to read the line the other person's lookin' at." "Julio has been doing well," Xavier said. "Given time, he could develop these skills to even beyond my own levels." Jake began flipping through a few books himself. He paused at a copy of Beowulf, figuring he could read it later. "We all need to. Screl had a few screws loose, but he was sure Omnitech is supplying anti-mutant movements. And judging by the fact they're printing instruction manuals for these things, they plan on using them. Did Magneto bring the android by?" he asked. Xavier nodded. The upper half of an android body, recovered from Screl's lab. The one built by Omnitech. It was missing the left arm and right lung, the same ones currently in Jake's body. It gave them something to study, at least. "Good. I need to get down to Washington. Someone I need to see about... insurance" Xavier knew he was lying about why he needed to go, even without reading his mind. He still needed to meet with NSA Agent Henry Johnson. 6:32 PM, Washington, D.C. Jake took note of the layout. Rather organized, every decoration placed very carefully. Henry Johnson took his religion very seriously. He was, after all, the last one. The Ancient Order was dying. It was why Jake was here. "The Order began as a sect of Christianity, but over time, we broke away. Due to encounters with beings such as Domientius and Shuma Gorath, we began to question the Bible's accuracy. And encounters with the Skrulls, Shi'Ar, the symbiotes, and many other alien worlds seemed to push our reasoning. You want something to drink?" he asked. "No, thanks," Jake replied. Johnson removed his suit jacket, carefully unfolding the ceremonial robe he wore at home. Jake noticed the furnishings, aside from various religious artifacts, were light. No stereo equipment whatsoever, just a small radio. A television, with no DVD or videocassette player. And a laptop. If anything, Henry Johnson limited their use to keeping up with the news. "The Ancient Order is more closely aligned with Shinto, Hinduism, Buddhism, and many other Asian religions than any other religion, though we tend to adhere to a tighter set of beliefs. We're also trained as warriors. We learn white magic, often banishings and guards. Though I've never been able to perform any such acts, I think the techniques have grown useless over time," he explained. "Which is why I came here. You need to teach someone. The Black Wings. What about you? They still have the serum, and I don't know if I can be much use to you. I'll learn what I can, but I have my hands full," Jake said. "I don't know... I don't know if I want to live forever just yet. But I may have to," Agent Johnson replied. 6:48 PM Henry Johnson had found the book, opening to the crude drawings of the three generals. "Here. Screel, Raicaak, and Sarrius. Screel a powerful sorcerer, Raicaak a controller of minds, and Sarrius could alter the physical form." Jake studied them. Screel looked nothing like Jonathan Screl. "Okay, so what happened to each one?" he asked. "Screel and Sarrius turned on Domientius in 976. Raicaak was given his ability to possess inanimate matter during that battle, before he died. We believe Domientius gave it to him, but it may have been a skill he had to begin with. Either way, when Raicaak attacked several decades later, he was encased in a hard shell, the stone carved. It was destroyed earlier this year, it's how he got free. Seems when Cletus and Jack encased him again, it worked. For now, anyway. And Screel, his spirit survived his body's death. That's how he became Jonathan Screl. He did betray the Ancient Order, he had always planned to. It's unlikely we'll see him again, though. His body was burned completely, while he was in his form as Screel. And with the knife I used, it's possible the banishment I cast on it may have actually worked... possibly. Sarrius is another matter. She turned on Domientius, and was later killed by Screel. If her spirit has survived, no one seems to know what happened to it." "And Domientius?" Jake asked. "Hmm... well, I have no idea. His spirit was bonded with the pendant before he was sent to Sub-Nizzuran. And since he willingly possessed it, he can't escape. For now. Let's just hope he never gets out." Agent Johnson picked up a large envelope, handing it to Jake. "Before I forget, General Peterson wanted you to have this," he explained. He opened it. A birth certificate, high school diploma, and various other papers and documents. "He decided to give you legal status. Technically, you're Jack Arden's younger brother. We left certain dates blank so you can fill them in as you see fit. If it helps, the DNA tests we ran on your blood show you to be about four years younger than Jack, physically." November 14th, 2002. 9:14 PM, Manhattan Cletus sat on one of the city's many rooftops, simply watching the night progress. It had been quiet since he'd locked Carnage away. He took a long drag on his cigarette, flicking away the spent butt. 'Been quiet lately.' It was his symbiote. It rarely spoke to him, but when it did, it came clear, a separate voice in his head. It hadn't spoken in months. 'Yeah. For a change.' 'Think we'll ever see Carnage again?' He thought about it. He had no definite answer. 'I don't know,' he replied. 'When he's dead, I'll be sure. He's still dangerous, even if he is old.' The conversation was over. Cletus rose, jumping over the edge and letting a web line carry him through the city. November 15th. 1:13 PM, Washington, D.C. Cletus entered the hospital room. Xavier, Cyclops, and Jake were waiting, standing over the bed. The doctor placed the x-rays in the light. "He was brought in yesterday," he said, pointing to the unconscious man laying in the bed. "We noticed his right arm felt strange, I ordered x-rays done. I called the Pentagon, and was referred to you." The light was turned on. Jake examined them. The man's right arm from the elbow down was mechanical, a design similar to his own arm. "What about the skin?" he asked. "Artificial," the doctor replied. "It looks and feels like skin, even down to the hairs and coloration. Even the finegrnails match. But it's inorganic, I had a test run. No pulse, either. I have no idea how it's attached." "Okay," Cletus said. "Keep an eye on him. See how he does. Any idea who he is?" "None." Cletus checked the x-ray himself. "Xavier, what do you think?" he asked. "He seems to have something blocking my mind..." Cletus considered his options. "All right. if he wakes up, call the Pentagon, ask for General Robert Peterson. If he dies, we'll need his arm." 5:11 PM, Westchester Jake compared the x-ray images to his own left hand. "Well, without the actual fingers to compare it to, it's hard to say. But many of the components are identical. I'd definitely say that this was either made by Omnitech, or Omnitech stole the design." Beast made his own comparison. The basic shape was there, though certain pieces were formed differently. Certain micro pistons were larger, and the piece seemed to rely on a degree of external wiring. "Anything on that skin?" Jake asked. "It's completely artificial," Beast replied. "Far more durable than human flesh. Judging by what you described, it's possible the skin uses a type of unstable molecular structure allowing for them to match the skin tone. You said the seam was flawless, correct?" "Yeah. Can't tell where it ends and the real thing begins. Well, I guess if Omnitech's working on it, we'll find out sooner or later. Shame we can't get the robot apart. Had to be made of adamantium..." November 27th, 2002. 3:11 PM Cletus Kasady knocked on the large wooden door. Logan answered. "Hi there! Got a package for Doctor McCoy." "The old guy finally croak?" Logan asked. "You could say that. Heart failure." 3:23 PM Cletus opened the case, carefully removing the artificial arm. "They amputated above the artificial skin," he explained. "They thought you might want to examine how the stuff was attached." Jake carefully grabbed the wrist, pulling on the internal mechanism with a pair of pliers. Once pulled far enough, he grabbed it with his own mechanical arm, sliding it out. Beast sat it beside Jakes own hand, comparing them. It was definitely an older model. "The wiring ran up into his brain," Cletus explained. In the main hall, Jack waited for Xavier. Shriek stood beside him. Tobias and Artemis eyed them as they passed. "Jack. I understand why you came. But, I feel it would be best if Jacob does not meet with you. He will not allow me to read his thoughts, but I understand he harbors a d islike towards you..." Xavier said. "For now, it would be best if he worked his problems out on his own." November 28th, 2002. Arizona. Cletus stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon. He took in the view carefully. A large gorge which served as a tourist attraction. He wondered how people could be impressed by a large hole. He had come to find out. Leaping in, he fired a web. Over and over, web after web, he swung the entire length of the canyon, across the state. For the first time in his life, he was actually having fun. November 29th, 2002. 1:01 PM, Westchester "Professor, what language is this book written in?" Jake asked. Xavier took the novel from him. "This book is written in French. Why do you ask?" Jake answered, "I just read six pages of that book, and understood every word. I didn't know French before I started reading it, and didn't notice anything was wrong until I realized the book wasn't written in English. Why do I know French?" Xavier pondered the question. "Jake, I'd like for you to take a simple test. Basic question and answer." 3:12 PM Beast looked the results over, quite puzzled. Xavier had already studied them. "Professor, how can this be? I know Jake has a higher intelligence quotient than Jack Arden does, but this makes no sense!" "I know, Beast. I'm not sure which I find stranger, the fact he measured over a four hundred I.Q., or the fact he completed a two hundred question I.Q. test in fifteen minutes and got every answer right. He could not have been cheating. He is not a telepath," Xavier said. "This is bizarre," Beast commented. "He does not act like a man of his intelligence should act. He liked to sit in the recreation room with Daryl and Julio, playing video games. He reads quite a bit, but he seemed more interested in comic books and modern writing than he is in classic literature. He's an enigma." Xavier filed the results away. "I know. It's as if his brain holds the information, but he can not access it until he needs it. The way he knew a foreign language when he needed to. Not only French, but German, Spanish, Japanese... he even seems able to speak them, fluently. Something tells me that Jacob Arden will serve a far greater purpose than any of us could imagine. But what that is, I have no idea." December 15th, 2002. Cletus stood at his mother's grave. He should have come long ago. But he had come, at least. Perhaps he had made amends to the rest of the world, but there was still one person left. 'Sorry for being such a shithead little kid. You never deserved it. Sorry for everything.' He walked away. In a way, he regretted coming here, but knew he had to. Facing his past was never going to be easy. He stopped not far away. He thought he saw Jack standing above a gravestone. No. It was Jake. He watched the young man neatly place a small piece of paper on the ground. He stayed out of sight, watching as Jake left. Curious, he made his way to the two headstones. They were Jack Arden's parents. Jack had never talked about them, and in all honesty, he was not surprised to see Jake here, and not Jack. Jake seemed to have higher values than Jack did. In a way, he was not surprised Jake didn't get along with the man he'd been cloned from. It wasn't that Jack was a bad person. Far from it, really. But Jake seemed to care more. Jack was content to forget and move on, and Cletus could never blame him. The temptation to forget the pain and move on was always strong. But Jake felt a responsibility, a need to do what Jack never could. He picked up the piece of paper, unfolding it. The poem explained everything. So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears. Wish you were here... Notes: Set within the Marvel universe, I will be using my own continuity, mixed with new characterizations for some established characters from Marvel's story universe. These stories are a sequel to my fiction series Maximum Carnage. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and others are copyright Marvel Comics. Jack Arden, Raicaak, and others are copyright myself. Other characters appearing may be owned by separate parties. I make no claim of copyright on any character I do not own, only on these stories and those I do own. Characters used without permission/not for profit. These are strictly fan stories. Permission to reprint extends to placing this text, unaltered, elsewhere online. It may not be altered, and especially NOT TO BE SOLD, unless Marvel wishes to license this series from me. Black Wings song and lyrics copyright Tom Waits.
