BLACK WINGS Chapter 20 - Tequila Sunrise by Justin Anderson
"Tequila sunrise, bloodshot eyes Realize we're all born to die..." Friday, February 7th, 2003. Westchester, 1:13 PM Jake blasted the creature. He'd had enough of it trying to claw him to death, enough of it's tail trying to crush him. The jungle heat was getting to him, the bugs and the sunlight already far beyond his tolerances. "Very good," Xavier said as the simulation ended, leaving Jake alone in the Danger Room, steel walls staring back at him. He left, wiping his face with a towel. A realistic jungle, to be sure, but the gigantic reptilian humanoid was far from expected. He'd been doing this for a month, every situation, every scenario, every temperature imaginable. And he knew why, he had to be ready for anything. Cyclops approached him, handing him a large package. "Someone from the government said this belonged to you. Any idea what it is?" "No," he replied. Removing one of his titanium caps, he slit the tape. The note inside explained the contents had belonged to Jack's grandfather, recently recovered from storage. The note was signed by General Robert Peterson. He carried the box to his room. A few old clothes, military records, other papers, a few photos. He'd sort through it later, but at least he knew someone had it who could give it proper treatment. Leaving the box on is bed, he headed for the kitchen. The mail was being sorted. "This one appears to be for you, Jacob," Storm said, handing it to him. "Hmm? Oh, junk mail," he said, tossing it aside. Logan sniffed the air. He picked up the envelope, smelling it. "This ain't junk mail. Smells like Sabretooth." Logan cut the envelope open. Several photographs fell out. Jake picked them up. "Holy... look at this!" He handed them to Cyclops. The photos showed several men, loading crates into a truck. One of them looked to have arms similar to Jacob's mechanical left arm. "Look on the back. Latitude and longitude," Scott pointed out. Jake checked it. "Toad was with Sabretooth last I heard. He probably took these. Looks like someone's getting active." 1:29 PM The meeting assembled quickly. Xavier, Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Logan, and Beast examined the photos. Jake stood to the side, Tobias and Artemis standing with him. "Assuming those pictures are right, someone's carrying out more surgeries. Whoever's in those pictures looks to have both arms replaced," Jake said. "So how did Sabretooth get these pictures?" Cyclops asked. "As I said," Jake replied, "he's with Toad right now. That's how we're doing this. Magneto on his own, Toad and Sabretooth paired, and Mystique currently infiltrating the government. This way, no one knows where they are. That's why we only got the coordinates on those pictures, nothing else." "I checked the coordinates," Xavier said. " Assuming they are correct, these photos were taken in New Mexico, just north of the Mexican border." "Great," Artemis shouted. "So they're importing. If we go crashing into Mexico, someone's gonna notice!" "You have a point, Julio," Xavier replied. "A small team may be best. Julio, you should go, you speak Spanish. Jacob, you as well." He considered who should join them. "I'll do it," Tobias offered. "I don't know. I'd rather send someone with more experience," Xavier replied. "Tobias, Artemis, go pack. Now," Jake ordered. He waited until they left. "I don't like this. At all. We could be walking into the middle of a big operation, but if we all rush in there, the damage would be worse. Omnitech would just relocate." "I don't like it either, Jake," Scott said. "Does ANYONE here like it? My point is, we're screwed either way. Sending in a small team would be best, at least if there are losses, they're minimal and Omnitech won't get too wise to us. It's been a month since Nightcrawler went on that mission, he isn't back. If anyone's done anything, Omnitech is a good suspect." "Hmm... Jacob, perhaps you are right. But I can not send any of you on a suicide mission," Xavier said. "No," Jake replied, "but it doesn't look like we're being given a choice. I'll go. I'll lead this. I'll take Tobias and Artemis with me. No one else. This way, if something happens, you're still organized. Now, how to get down there..." 1:48 PM Jake looked the vehicle over. "It'll do. I just hope I can drive. Jack knew, so... I'll take it out on a test drive first, just to make sure. Tell Tobias and Artemis to get ready." Logan handed him the keys. "Take my advice, don't throw it all away on this," he said. Jake opened the door. "Throw what away? We both know I probably don't have too long to live anyway." 2:17 PM Jake slapped the clip into his Desert Eagle, stuffing it into his jacket. "All right. We're driving down there. Either of you drive?" Jake asked. Tobias and Artemis shook their heads. "Okay, we'll stop when I need to sleep. Xavier gave us spare cash, we'll need it for food, gas, maybe a motel or two. All we're going to do is check the area. Try to avoid any conflict." Tuesday, February 11th. New Mexico, 2:11 PM Jake missed Westchester. He hated the snow, and he hated the desert heat. "These are the coordinates," he said, pointing to the storage warehouse lot. "Could be a front, could just be a meeting place. We'll wait until tonight, then check it out. No need drawing attention." 10:30 PM Jake removed his glove, pulling off the finger caps. Inspecting the chain, he swung his hand. The broken chain fell. Jake opened the gate, walking in. He motioned for the others to follow. One of the nearby buildings was lit up, someone inside. Jake drew his gun, making his way to the wall. "Cover me," he said, climbing onto a crate. Inside, he could see the deal going down. Six men, three in suits. One had mechanical arms, similar to Jake's own arm. "Okay... six of them. The guy with the arms is with them. Looks like a few crates, some briefcases. Trading something..." "Let's take 'em, man!" Tobias suggested. "No. Let's go- wait..." The steel briefcase opened. The contents held up for inspection, Jake could see a cannon similar to his own. "Crap. Okay... they have another photon cannon," he said. Two of the men drew their guns. They'd spotted Jake looking in the window. "SHIT! They're coming!" Jake said, deploying his cannon. Before anyone could reach the door, however, bullets rained down from the ceiling. Shots were returned, a pointless effort. Tobias waited by the door, sending flames from his hands when the first man emerged. "Artemis! Tobias! RUN! Get back to Xavier!" Jake shouted. They hesitated, finally running when he motioned for them to run. Jake waited. The cyborg was heading for him. "So, you're Screl's experiment. You belong to us," he said. Jake fired his cannon, the blast knocking the cyborg back. "You have the prototype cannon as well. As if it will do you any good." Jake shot at him, the bullets deflecting off the arms. Jake readied a punch. Before he could throw it, a blade swung, slicing one of the cyborg's arms off. As if it were instinct, Jake swung as well, his fingers ripping through the other arm. Adamantium cutting through steel. The Black Wings shot the cyborg. "This is Omnitech. Thought so," he said. 10:52 PM Cletus inspected the rest of the goods. Cash, computer and electrical components, chemicals, he'd seen enough. Artemis inspected one of the arms. "I dunno, looks a bit cheap to me." Tobias examined the other. "Yeah, I mean, Jake's made of that adamantium stuff, he tore right through this!" Jake began loading the trunk. "Beast should love all this," he said. "Bring those arms over here." "I'm going with you," Cletus said. "Something's not right, Peterson's contacts said nothing was going on in this area." Jake replied, "Peterson going bad?" "No," Kasady replied, "but someone on the inside is. So, I'd rather work with reliable sources." Saturday, February 15th. Westchester, 2:11 PM Jake hated the cold. No in betweens on this trip, just the extreme ends. He began unloading the trunk, grabbing the two arms. He was glad to be back. Motels, fast food, and endless radio play had worn on him. "I see you made it back, Jacob," Beast greeted. "Yeah. We brought a few things back," he replied, handing over the arms. "Oh dear." Cletus walked by with several briefcases stacked in his arms. "As I said, we brought a few things back!" 2:38 PM Beast inspected the two arms. "Fascinating. Nearly identical to your own, only made of surgical steel. A cheaper model, perhaps." "Yeah... and this cannon seems to be the next model off the line. No papers with it though, but there are ocular implants," Jake said. Cletus met with Xavier in his study. "I think Omnitech's bigger than we thought," he said. "They definitely have a plant in the NSA. I don't have proof, but I don't need it, I know they have a plant. Probably more." "I take it the trip did not fare well, after all," Xavier replied. "No. Between this, driving cross country on a motorcycle, and all those filthy racists I had to put up with coming through the Midwest, I did not have a good trip. "What's worse, we can't turn much on Omnitech. We know they're doing something, we even have hard proof now. Their equipment, their thugs! All we know is that they stared as All Technologies six years ago. A small firm supplying computer components. Three years ago, they were purchased, renamed, and expanded into all kinds of industry. We don't even know who the owner is." "I understand. We're fighting an invisible enemy. One we know is doing something, but one we can't prove is doing something wrong. Give it time. We know enough, and Omnitech will soon reveal themselves for what they are," Xavier said. "True," Cletus replied. "I'd just like to get out of this before it all falls down. I'm gonna stay in the area, around Manhattan, leave them guessing where I am for awhile." Monday, February 17th. 8:11 AM Jake grabbed a box from the freezer. "Johnsonburg microwave shrimp..." he said, ripping the box open. He cooked them, removed the plate, and ate one of the breaded shrimp. He spat it out into the garbage. The rest were promptly dumped. Logan stared at him. "Those shrimp are nasty," Jake explained. "Hmm. Little early for shrimp, isn't it?" "Early?" Jake looked at the clock. "I guess so. I was up all night checking out that equipment." "Funny, I don't remember you sleeping last night, either," Logan replied. "Good point," Jake said. "Too much to do..." 8:34 AM "This is not good at all. He hasn't slept in two days?" Beast asked. "It's as I thought." "What is it?" Scott asked. "I haven't completed my tests yet, but Jake... his body is suffering. The implants, his metabolism, and the fact he is a clone..." "Spit it out!" Cletus said. "I am unsure of how long his body will hold together, let alone his mind," Hank replied. "He is unsure of his purpose in life," Xavier stated. "Unsure of what to do, how to react. He is unsure if this cause is worth fighting for, but fights anyway. Even his daily habits are inherited. He operates on someone else's knowledge and a basic understanding of goodness." "I thought I had it bad," Cletus said. "At least I know my cause. So? What do we do?" "Leave him be, for now," Xavier replied, "but Hank, please watch his health." "I'm glad you mentioned it, actually. I have been keeping a close eye on the genes he received from Magneto. His body has accepted them, but they remain primarily dormant. New cells take on their properties every day, but it will be quite some time before he can control magnetism." "That's beside the point," Cletus said. "What about his body? He's a clone, what'll happen to him?" "I still do not know. The tests run on your clone have proven invaluable so far. Jake could develop health problems as his body begins to fall apart. Clones do not have a high success rate of surviving for more than a few years, unfortunately." 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. Tequila Sunrise lyrics are copyright Cypress Hill.