Chapter 7
His 'experiments' were lying on an operating table, restrained and unconscious. Sinister had almost finished preparing the two mutants that he acquired for 'genetic enhancement.' As he waited for them to come around, he found himself studying Scott Summers' DNA. He was astounded by the structure of proteins, genes and chromosomes. ~So much potential~ he thought.
Of course, in its current state, the DNA would not be of very much use to him. In spite of this, its genetic structure offered the basis for the makings of an Omega-class mutant of immense power. For his plan to be successful, Essex now needs to find and obtain the DNA of another mutant that will complement those of Summers'. And nothing will stop him from attaining that DNA and breaking himself free from Apocalypse's control.
As his two test subjects stirred awake, he was forced to return to his work. One was male and the other female, both captured during a raid on the Morlocks, a group of mutants who lived in the sewers. Normally considered genetically useless, Sinister found that these two particular specimens suited Apocalypse's requirement perfectly. The male subject was a former soldier who participated in the Vietnam War. In addition to being a competent soldier, the mutant is able to generate concussive blasts with his hands. The female subject was a mutant who had the power to make a person ill through direct touch. Both were judged worthy by Apocalypse to marshal in his age of tyranny. With a sinister smirk, Essex began his 'genetic enhancements.'
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The X-Factor residency was similar to the one in Bayville, but with some major differences. For one, it was miles away from the closest city or town. In terms of land area, it was almost twice as big. Amongst its features include a mountain climbing range, a massive outdoor survival course, an extensive outdoor shooting gallery and a very elaborate recreation area. Furthermore, a comprehensive security network of cameras, infrared sensors, heat-missile batteries and energy guns guarded the premises from attack. As for the living quarters, it's slightly more than half the size of the mansion in Bayville, yet retains all its sophistication and comfort. Finally, there was the Danger Room, which was an exact replica of the one at the Institute.
Which was where all the X-Factor members were at now, training. It hadn't taken much to recruit new members, proving to Scott to be far easier than past experiences. Standing in the control room, he was putting his teammates through their paces. On a Friday night. Typical Scott.
A smile crept to his face as he watched Blink defend against a few wall-mounted laser cannons. After taking her with him, the young girl spent many hours in the Danger Room, honing her ability to distort spatial energy, to the point that she is now able to teleport the whole team to virtually anywhere on earth with ease. This comes in pretty handy considering that X-Factor isn't provided with any type of transportation like an X-jet or Velocity.
The next member that he managed to land was none other than Jubilation Lee, who was part of the New Recruits before her parents pulled her out. She was the most energetic of all the members, and got along well with everybody. She instantly befriended Elizabeth Braddock, or 'Betsy,' as she preferred to be called. Born with telepathic powers, she came from a well-established family in Europe, and it took only a simple phone call to convince her to join the team. As an added bonus, she was trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat, and was remarkably agile.
Satisfied with their performance, Scott dismissed his team by 7:45 p.m., just as he promised. "Alright team, that's enough for today. Hit the showers and then you can do whatever you want – just be back by two, and try to stay away from the alcohol, okay? You all have Logan sessions tomorrow." He knew that there was a party being held, by some Jason White kid, and decided that they deserve the break. They certainly earned it.
"Omigosh, thank you so much Cyke! You are so cool!" With that, Clarice blinked them away in a disk of gold light.
Cyclops practiced in the Danger Room for a couple more hours before retreating to his room. It was now close to 11 p.m., and Scott Summers found himself lying on his bed. Taking out Jean's picture, he found himself thinking of her – again. He missed her, but he can't go back. He couldn't. Not after what happened anyway.
"What, no welcome wagon? Where's the hospitality bro?" came an unmistakably male voice with a Hawaiian accent.
"Alex, you made it! I thought you wouldn't be arriving until tomorrow morning!"
"Well, what can I say dude? I just love surprises. Say, I'm totally jet-lagged; know a place where I can crash?"
"Sure, bro, right this way." It had taken a lot of convincing to get Alex to even come in the first place, and he still wasn't so sure. Scott promised him that he didn't have to join the team if he didn't want to, but that he should fly up here now and then to learn better control of his powers. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything better to do, surfing season was on hiatus, and his hand blasts have been a bit erratic lately. More importantly, it gave them both time for a little brotherly bonding – especially after he spent several months thinking Scott was dead.
As Alex stepped inside his room, his jaw nearly hit the floor. The room was much bigger than the one at home, and its walls were decorated with paintings of surfers and stuff like that. An exact replica of his surfboard hung on the wall above his bed. The furniture included a bed, a large desk and a closet carved out of expensive looking wood. On his desk, every stationary item imaginable could be found, complete even with his own laptop. "Wow, is that mine?"
"Sure is bro. Come on, I'll show you around."
He then led his little brother on a tour of the mansion, not leaving a single detail out. Scott even showed his brother the surfing simulation that he programmed into the Danger Room in anticipation for his arrival. After sharing a few laughs, they found themselves back in Scott's room.
"Sooooo, where's that pretty redhead that you've been after since forever?" Alex asked casually, glancing on the picture that was left on his bed.
"She's not here. And I don't want to talk about it." Alex was hurt, but not surprised, by his response. His older brother literally carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and is unwilling to share the burden with anyone. Scott has had it a lot tougher than Alex, and he felt guilty because of it. After their parents died, Alex was adopted shortly after by his foster parents in Hawaii. However, Scott was in a coma for almost a year, and then, for reasons unknown, was never adopted. The head of the orphanage (some Essex character) had taken a great interest in him ever since he woke up from his comatose. He ran away after another year, and spent the next two living on the streets, blind because of his power, before he was picked up by Professor Xavier and enrolled as the first student of his Institute.
"Come on bro! You can't bottle it up inside forever. You gotta talk to someone about it, and who's better for the job than your little brother?" the younger mutant pressed.
Scott, seeing that he wasn't going to drop the subject, relented. "She's with someone else now. I screwed up, and now, she's found someone else," he repeated slowly, "who's a better match anyway. They both come from wealthy, caring families, so she would probably be happier with him than with a poor, blind orphan such as myself. At least she's happy; guess its just better this way."
Alex knew, ever since that incident on Asteroid M, how Scott felt about Jean. He always thought that someday, they'll end up together. ~Guess I was wrong~ Taking a look at the expression on Scott's face, he decided to change the subject. "So what's this X-Factor you keep talking about? I won't be forced to join, right?" he asked, jokingly.
"No Alex, you don't have to join if you don't want to," Scott said with a laugh. "We are not like the X-men – we're a lot more covert. We pose as a gang of mutant hunters, but we really just take in mutants and help them control their powers. Our secondary job is to prevent a war between human and mutants. Otherwise, we're pretty much the same as the X-men. If you want, you can sign up as a reserve member or something, you know, part-time. Blink can take you from here to Hawaii in a heartbeat, so travel time won't be a problem. Speaking of which, the girls should be back soon...."
"Wait a minute. The rest of the members are chicks?" He might like it here after all. The two chatted amicably for a long time before finally turning in and catching some Z's.
