BLACK WINGS Chapter 28 - And It Begins by Justin Anderson Saturday, March 8th, 2003. 8:11 AM, Manhattan The sun only made the damage more visible. The city was wounded, mourning. It was far more painful the second time, the perpetrator broadcasting live from the scene. He declared himself a god, a god who would do as he pleased. And a god felled only moments later, showing that he was no god. "Was it worth THIS?" Spider-Man asked. No one was around to answer. Carnage was dead but the damage was done. They hadn't acted in time. The part that hurt him the most was that he had numerous opportunities to stop this. He could have killed Carnage, let Venom kill Carnage, or let SOMEONE kill Carnage. The only fortunate part to the whole situation had been that Carnage had done it so late. Few people in the building, few below as it fell. Hundreds dead instead of thousands. But Carnage had one last kill. The heroes had again come to the aid of the city. The X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers all helped clear the wreckage, hoping to find the bodies. Venom floated through the remains, looking for the heroes. "You let this happen! You let him do this, turned your backs!" "SHUT IT!" Jake shouted. A fractured steel girder impaled the ground near Venom. Magneto stood before him. "You gave birth to that thing, you let him live, you're just as responsible as any of us for this! Now, unless you wish to join him, then GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Jake aimed his cannon, an involuntary reaction drawing a shard of steel to his hand, ready to stab Venom with it. He complied, leaving the scene. "I have a feeling Venom may join him after all," Magneto said. Jake sliced through concrete with a series of quick photon bursts. He noticed Jack and Shriek helping not too far away. "I'm surprised he even showed up," Jake muttered. "You underestimate him. Is he really that bad, or are you unsure?" Magneto asked. "I don't know," Jake replied. The morning was spent in the same manner, police containing the area, firefighters, rescue personnel, and the super powered clearing the wreckage, and vigils carried out by those unable to help. Captain America dropped to his knees, sobbing. "If I'd just done it, this wouldn't have happened. If I'd killed Carnage..." 10:13 AM, Washington, D.C. General Robert Peterson sat with Colin Powell in the oval office. "This will be yours Monday..." he said. "I don't like it, Robert," Powell replied. "I'm not thrilled either. But it's come to a point we have to risk violating the constitution and the laws to make sure things turn out for the better, and if it happens, I say it's worth it!" Henry Johnson entered the room. "Turn it on CNN," he said. Peterson flipped on the television. Victor Von Doom's face appeared. "Consider this a warning. Any nation caught praising the damage done by Carnage will be attacked by Latverian forces. We are not the United States, we don't care who we crush, and I will crush any nation who defies me. So says Doom!" "That's nice," General Peterson said as he turned the television off. "Probably for the best though. Any country dumb enough to defy him will be asking for it." "Can he do that?" Powell asked. "Most likely," General Peterson replied. "His entire population is loyal to him, he has a decent army, and he has a number of robots. I even gave him a few Sentinels. So yes, he can attack without mercy." "And is it worth it to have him as an ally?" General Powell asked. Peterson replied, "Latveria has no human rights violations, and he's a forceful man. He might be completely reasonable if Reed Richards would just leave him alone." "All right. and what about the Black Wings?" 10:49 PM, Quantico General Peterson led General Powell to the firing range. They found the Black Wings at the targets, aiming, firing. His left arm was bandaged. Occasionally, he would stop to reload and move to the next target. "He hasn't said a word all day. He lost a lot of blood when Carnage cut his hand off. He's stood there for the past six hours. He's almost completely unaware of anything else." "And how long will he be here?" Powell asked. "I don't know. His brain isn't working right at the moment, give him time. He watched his clone destroy the Empire State Building, for Christ's sake! Look at this..." General Peterson held up the black coat, grabbing the severed piece of sleeve. "This is bullet proof material. Carnage cut through it, reinforced steel, and concrete easily. He kicked an Antarctic vibranium door down when he escaped the Vault. Carnage was no ordinary man. He brought that building down in five minutes. If my clone did that, I'd be catatonic too." Sunday, March 9th. 3:11 PM, Westchester. Peterson found Xavier in his study. "You said you had something you needed to discuss with me," Xavier said. "Yes, but I want Magneto here too." They waited. Magneto joined them moments later. "All right. I'm one of you," Peterson said. "What?" Magneto shouted. "I'm a mutant. I'm as healthy as a twenty year old man, and I can lift a ton. I might even age in reverse after I hit a certain age." "He seems to be telling the truth," Magneto said. "You're reading his mind, Magneto," Xavier scolded. In the meeting room, boxes were stacked. Jake, Cyclops, Beast, and the Chameleon sat with Agent Henry Johnson, sorting them. "The more of these Omnitech papers I read, the more I wanna throw up..." Jake muttered. He tossed more documents into the stack of papers they'd collected on Aram Jacobs. "He owed most of his research to them. He probably planned on killing them when he perfected the serum, or they'd kill him," Agent Johnson said. "Hmm... looks Russian," Jake said. Dmitri took the paper. "Yes. Let me see... two individuals named Terror and Disgust, some sort of genetic experiments." "Right. They attacked Vegas," Jake replied. Scott said, "here's something about the Ku Klux Klan, weapon sales." "Employment records of a man named Keegan Voorhees," Beast explained, handing Agent Johnson the file. Xavier, Peterson, and Magneto entered the room. Magneto grabbed a document from the stack. "Interesting reading, if you're into the Necronomicon." Agent Johnson took it. "I've been looking for this information. An eighth century demigod named Caaratia. A spirit of death and decay. Draw his symbol on a sheet of paper, place it on the grounds and recite his incantation, and he will consume the land." He pointed out the illustrations. "Look at the symbol. They drew it here in two parts so it wouldn't work." "What were the names of the people who lived in that house?" Peterson asked. "That's a good question," Agent Johnson said. "I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them is in the Omnitech employee files." "Agent Johnson, you ready?" General Peterson asked. "Yes." "Ready for what?" Magneto asked. Peterson replied, "actually, I want you to come with me for this." 5:23 PM, Manhattan General Peterson waited for him. He waited for Bill Clinton to leave the department store. "General Peterson, it's a surprise to see you." "I'll bet. William Jefferson Clinton, you are under arrest for murder, attempted murder, perjury, attempted genocide, and I think you know the rest of the charges." "What's going on here?" the former president asked. "Ask Dubya, he'll be in the cell next to yours." Monday, March 10th. 11:13 AM, Quantico Cletus peeled off the last of the wrappings. "Another day, another regrown limb..." "I see you're feeling better," General Peterson said. "Huh? Oh, right... I think. I should get going, I have a lot of things I need to do. I need to make sense of everything." "All right," General Peterson said. "I have something for you, actually." A Harley Davidson motorcycle sat in the parking lot. "Here are the keys." "Thanks," he said. "By the way, you have a say in how the new World Trade Center will be built, right?" "I do," Peterson replied. "Okay. I say build 'em like they were. The same. Just improve the structure, use better materials." It was the best suggestion General Peterson had heard. "Oh, what about Bush?" Cletus asked. "Military tribunal. He's trying to argue that we can't do it to him. He's saying we'll be sorry for messing with a Texan." "Hey, I don't care if he's from the planet Zinthar, it doesn't give him the right to do what he did!" 3:18 PM, Washington, D.C. He'd been sworn in as the President of the United States. Colin Powell took his seat at the desk in the oval office. "Carnage is dead, Omnitech has been destroyed, and this country has it's first black president. I'd say we're improving at a steady rate," General Peterson said. "We found a number of documents in Omnitech's records we need to talk about." "Go on," President Powell said. "They had their meathooks into numerous businesses, the legal system, weapons trades, you name it, they monopolized it!" "This isn't the least of what Omnitech has done, is it?" Powell again asked. "No. This isn't even a tenth of a percent of what Omnitech has done!" Peterson said. "We have no choice but to go after everyone who benefited from their activities. They violated the constitution, they violated their freedoms, they deserve no sympathy!" 4:47 PM, Westchester "Professor?" Jake asked. "Yes, what is it?" "I need to talk to you about something," he said. "I'm leaving the X-Men." "I see." "You're not surprised," Jake said. "In a way, no. I've noticed your behavior the past two days. Our kidnapping, having to witness what Carnage perpetrated, and even the past few months have not been easy on you." "Don't tell them I'm leaving. I need time on my own. I might come back someday." "I know. But if you find happiness, if you find answers, you should go where you will be happy. You put a lot of undue stress on yourself, and it is not good," Xavier said. "... Beast wanted me in the lab. He's been studying the artificial skin." 5:13 PM Jake slid the new set of fingertips over the spikes. The artificial skin was slid over his left arm, cut around the edges. Hank took the small device, activating it. The edge of the material was bonded to Jake's own skin. "I can't feel anything," Jake said. "Interesting. It is possible the nerves are deadened. Your skin and the material are blending seamlessly!" Once finished, Beast changed the setting on the device. He scanned Jake's own skin, changing the settings again. Slowly, he passed it over the artificial material, the color changing to match Jake's skin tone. He inspected the results. "I can't tell where it ends and my own skin begins," he said. "Fascinating. The medical implications of this technology are endless!" Beast proclaimed. "What about the plate in my back though?" Jake asked. "Hmm... I may have a solution to that." 5:32 PM Jake looked in the mirror behind him. "I cut each piece to attach to the individual plates. You should be able to use your cannon," Beast explained. Jake deployed the photon cannon. Drawing it back in, he checked the artificial skin. "Not a seam." 5:39 PM, Manhattan Cletus grabbed a few bottles off the shelf. He carried them to the checkout. "Hey! You're the guy who killed Carnage!" the cashier yelled out. The others in the store took notice. "Uhh, yeah. Hey, Spongebob!" He grabbed a handful of the candy suckers, placing them with the bottles of alcohol. "I'll also take a Guns and Ammo, Sports Illustrated, Mad, pack of Camels too." He paid, leaving the store. "Strange man," the cashier stated. Tuesday, March 11th. 2:10 PM, Aspen "How about some wild turkey?" "Yes. The whole thing," Cletus said, taking the bottle. Very few were interviewed by Hunter Thompson at his own home. Cletus Kasady was an exception. "The government's being cleaned out, a dangerous man was killed, and somehow, I think that in six months, people will start to forget everything, just like the last time this happened." "I agree," Hunter said. "It took people about a year to go back to sleep after being woken up. But we're better off now. Bush got arrested, serves him right." "Amen," Cletus said. "How'd you end up named Cletus, anyway? You're not from the south, are you?" "Scottish-Irish," Cletus replied. "I thought so," Hunter said. "I read one of your books over the winter," Cletus said. "I know someone who has all of them, borrowed one." "Then you know this won't be an interview. Just whatever the hell you wanna tell me, you know? So what was Carnage, what was the big cover-up?" "I used to be Carnage until I was forcefully reformed by drugs. Fought a dark god, retired. Got hooked up with the government," he said, swigging the bottle. "They lied to help me out. The symbiote, the other half, was given a cloned body. Messed with me. Called me a fake. Bought Omnitech a lot of time." The conversation lasted for hours. Between the alcohol, cigarettes, and wasted time, the truth had been told. Wednesday, March 12th. 3:34 PM, Westchester Jake waited on the hills outside the mansion. Magneto found him. The Black Wings approached from the road. "I'm leaving the X-Men," he said. "But that's not why I asked for you. The device I took from Omnitech wasn't a photon cannon." "Excuse me?" Cletus said. "The documents show it to be a device that can open a dimensional gateway." "What? But... you're seriously not considering using an untested dimensional gateway, are you?" Magneto shouted. "I am." "And if it doesn't work, you'll either become lost, or even killed!" Jake contemplated what Magneto had said. "I know that. But I'll take the chance. I have new skin, I can lead a regular life now. Hopefully in a world that isn't about to fall apart. I'm sorry, but I know if I stay here, somehow, this world will kill me." The Black Wings offered no objection. "I see," Magneto said. "Then you should use it." Jake nodded. He headed for the mansion. "I may have just sent him to his own death," Magneto said. "Maybe. Maybe not. Can you blame him for wanting to leave? I'd join him if I could!" Cletus shouted. "I drug him into this. I could have let him go, never got him involved. But I didn't. I gave him my DNA, my abilities, and merely gave him my own troubles in the process. He was more of a son to me than my own children were, and I still betrayed him. He stood there, I could see it in his eyes, asking me to tell him to stay, and I couldn't. I'm sick of this, and I will not drag anyone else into it. This is my battle, I will not destroy the innocent to win any longer... I must return to Genosha soon, my country will need my leadership." 4:24 PM "Jake's leaving, isn't he?" Rogue asked. "Why do you ask?" "Professor, I absorbed his thoughts when I touched him. He's tormented. He's leaving, right?" "Yes. But do not tell the others. Jake has seen too much, he needs time alone, time to take in the world and learn," Xavier said. Upstairs, Jake packed his bag. Two shirts, underwear, socks, pants, a stack of books, various other items that he'd received as gifts, and the dimensional gateway device. He folded the jacket and pants to his battle suit, setting them on top of the stack. He placed both gloves in the pocket on the bag. He zipped it, stuffing it in his closet. He turned his television on. Thursday, March 13th. 9:04 AM Jake woke up, crawling out of bed. He spotted an envelope on his desk. The words you may need this were written on it. Inside, he found a small stack of bills. He counted out about two hundred-thousand dollars. He knew Xavier had left it for him. He grabbed the bag from his closet, as well as his wallet. Downstairs, he found the mansion unoccupied, aside from Tobias and Artemis in the recreation room. "Where is everyone?" "Washington. Something to do with Congress," Artemis said. "You leavin', man?" Tobias asked. "Yeah." "Oh. Where ya goin'?" he asked again. "I don't know," Jake replied. "I might come back someday, we'll see." "Okay. Just remember, you're our bro, we got your back. Remember that, you're our brother now, we got your back no matter what!" Tobias said. "I've got yours, too, don't worry," Jake said. "I left my Desert Eagle in my room, you guys keep it in case." "Yo, take care! Hermano al hermano, el tuyo en vida y a la muerte!" Artemis said. Jake replied, "you too. Ahora y por siempre, hermano!" He left the mansion, heading for the low hills outside of the property. Past the Japanese gardens, into the open. He removed the device from his bag, looking it over. He checked the instructions one final time. Tossing the booklet and case into his bag, he switched the device on. He entered the four digits, followed by the two digit modifier. Pressing the button, the two prongs glowed, sending an instant array of small beams, meeting a few feet away. The air opened up, a gateway forming. Dropping the device in the bag, he grabbed his things and walked through. The gateway closed behind him. 1:13 PM, Manhattan Cletus waited in the restaurant, closed for the day by the owner. Magneto and Von Doom joined him at the table. "Everything's on me," he said. "You know why we're here, right? Things are going back to what they were, and I don't like it. I get the feeling we're fighting for stagnation. Nothing's really changing that much, a few things here and there, but did stopping Omnitech do anything?" "It's a severe problem," Doom said. "Unfortunately, you're right. Little has changed overall. Perhaps we need to worry less about the present and more about what is to come!" "The present shows little hope, but the future is a long way off. Perhaps with the effort, we may stand a chance," Magneto added. Wilson Fisk joined them at the table. "I agree, gentleman! It will not be easy. Too many people are still cheating, but I believe we can play their game. They want to fight dirty, then let them." "Exactly," Cletus said. "The villains of yesterday, the heroes of tomorrow. The world will thank us for it in the end." 4:07 PM, Washington, D.C. Angry protests had formed on Capitol Hill. Protests against Iraq, protests against the arrests of Bush and Clinton, and protests against the pro-mutant policy the new administration was showing. The crowd shouted insults at the X-Men as they left the Congressional meeting. The Black Wings stood nearby. He heard the insults. "You just want to kill us all, you filthy mutant bitch!" stood out the most. It had been directed at Storm. He walked towards the crowd, slugging the guy who'd said it. "Anyone else want a piece of me? I won't tolerate this! Free speech and hate speech are two different things! You will speak freely, but I will not tolerate mindless hate from you people! You want to be like the man who destroyed the Empire State Building, or the men who destroyed the World Trade Center? You keep this up, and you'll become exactly like them!" 8:39 PM, Arizona Cletus spread the guns out on the table. He sorted clips, stacking them beside boxes of ammunition. "Jake Arden showed me why we're born the way we're are. Age and knowledge are meaningless without the experience to go with it. We'd all go mad otherwise. We need to learn, form our own judgments, form our own personalities, define ourselves by who we are inside, not what we can do or what we know. "Jake's main concern seems to be whether or not he has a soul. I have no real answer for that. Some believe you're born with a soul. Some believe you're born with only half your soul, and that you must find your true love, your soul mate, to be complete. Personally, I don't subscribe to either theory. I believe that you must earn your soul through tireless effort and great sacrifice. "And I think this applies to all of us, those of us who will keep fighting, working for a better future. Hunter Thompson went looking for the American dream in 1971, only to find it dead, buried in a poorly dug roadside grave and forgotten. In a way, I wonder what keeps us going. Perhaps it's the hope that somehow, someway, a new dream, like a phoenix, will rise from the ashes and save us all." 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.
