*Notes*: Referencing events through Weapon X #18. Keep in mind that I don't
read any of the main x-books anymore so this is based solely off Weapon X.
From an outsider's perspective this stand-off looked like a mismatch with potentially fatal consequences. One man with boyish good looks and a medium build versus three men with obvious physical advantages. Oh, and don't forget the woman standing beside the battle ready men who was making an emotional plea.
"I know this may seem too tempting to resist right now, Jono, but it's wrong. What they've been able to give you isn't worth what you'll become by being one of them."
A bitter laugh escaped Jono before he answered. "You have no idea what I've been given because of Weapon X, Paige. More than the X-Men have ever been able to give me and everything you never could, luv."
"You're willing to be a part of this place because they gave you a face, a chest, a voice? You are an X-Man and have spent your life saving people. Now you're willing to become a murderer in exchange for that pretty face?"
"Says an angel," Jono replied.
The stand-off continued silently. Neither side willing to make a move and neither ready to back off without finishing it. While Paige and Warren remained with shocked looks on their faces, the others took their customary approaches.
Ever stoic, Scott was the first to break the silence. "I always knew this was the biggest danger in sending you on an undercover mission into Weapon X. The truth is that they can offer a lot. They made you whole. They offer you recognition and the illusion of power but it's all just that, an illusion. To them you're nothing but a game. You only know a fraction of the atrocities this program has committed and yet you're willing to give up your home and family. I thought you were a stronger man, Jono."
Chamber remained standing in front of the X-Men, a slight smirk gracing his features.
"Can it with the speech, Cyke. He ain't gonna listen," Logan ended the quiet. "You said you've got more than the X-Men could ever give you, kid. It's easy to see they filled that big hole you had going on but I still got a question about something you said. What did you get here that Paige could never give you?"
Jono turned and held out a hand as a woman stepped out of the blackness behind him. As she neared, she grasped his hand and turned her face up to bridge the few inches that separated them in height and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. Their hands held fast as they faced the four assembled X-Men who ran their eyes over the tight black leather jacket baring her midriff paired with black leather pants and boots.
A low growl began in Wolverine's throat as he spat, "Didn't know you'd hooked up with Weapon X. Woulda thought better of you."
"Really? I'm shocked." Her voice was much lighter than the last time they'd spoken but a hint of the gravelly undertones remained. "I can't believe you or any of the other saintly X-men have given me a thought since you conveniently ditched me. And I've been meaning to thank you, old man. Turns out the reason I got recruited in the first place was partly because of you. The old director of this joint thought you and I had a lot in common and he was out to prove that he could transform a wild creature into a controllable killing machine. Of course, I'm sure that being a former X-Man didn't hurt me in the application process, either."
By this time Scott's mouth was set in a firm line, having realized who this young woman was and being averse to beginning a verbal sparring match with her.
Warren was still staring. Her hair, red with just a hint of pink in the light, was the focus of his attention when he blurted out, "Sarah?"
"Angel," she replied with a small nod in his direction.
He had to admit to feeling a bit put off by her greeting. The Sarah Warren had known for so many years had practically worshiped him. He shook off the slight wound to his pride when Paige let out a frustrated huff next to him.
"Sarah? Sarah, who?" Her voice grew higher as she continued, "I don't understand any of this. Jono, whoever this person is, you shouldn't have to give up your life to be with her."
"That's what you don't get, little girl," Sarah responded for him. "Jono is giving up nothing. He is losing nothing. I love him and will make sure that no one ever hurts him or takes what is his ever again. I am everything you could never be."
The couple turned to one another and smiled. A true smile once impossible for Jono and so very rare for Sarah.
"Paige, I'd like to introduce you the most amazing woman in the world, Sarah," Jono began. "Although I know you've at least met in passing on several occasions when she was an X-Man at the mansion and we were at the academy. You probably only know her by her code name, Marrow."
"Marrow!" Paige exclaimed, her eyes racing up and down Sarah's body again. "That's impossible. Marrow is a monster!"
"Stupid little pretty-pretty." Sarah pressed a hand to Jono's chest as he tried to take a step forward.
When Jono relaxed again Sarah removed her hand and paused only a moment before bones began sprouting through her skin. Long femurs sprouted out of her thighs through the leather pants and one bumped their still clasped hands as it rose up and out. After only seconds, ribs and collarbones wrapped around her upper body, bones extended from her arms and legs, and plates formed over her forehead, wrists, and knees.
"Monster enough for you now?" Marrow taunted and then quickly ripped all the bones she'd just generated and tossed them into a pile on the ground.
The four X-Men kept staring at her as if waiting for the bones to regenerate. They didn't and she remained a young, beautiful woman standing before them with more than a hint of laughter in her eyes.
"Are we done here?" Jono asked.
Before they could leave, Logan spoke up. "Are you sure this is what you guys want? You could both come home with us now, no questions asked."
Jono looked at Sarah and squeezed her hand. He leaned in, tucking a piece of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, and pressed his forehead to hers.
Finally looking back at his now ex-teammates, Jono said, "It's not enough to be wanted for what I am anymore. Sarah loves me for who I really am and not who she wants me to be. In Weapon X I can be a respected leader and take real action in changing the world. If that makes me evil in your eyes, so be it. Next time we see each other I won't be pulling my punches and I'll expect the same from you."
The couple turned to walk back into the darkness leaving the X-Men with nothing but a pile of bones.
All I really wanna say/ Is you're the reason I wanna stay/ I loved you before I met you/ And I met you just in time/ 'Cause there was nothing left -Ben Folds, 'Don't Change Your Plans'
From an outsider's perspective this stand-off looked like a mismatch with potentially fatal consequences. One man with boyish good looks and a medium build versus three men with obvious physical advantages. Oh, and don't forget the woman standing beside the battle ready men who was making an emotional plea.
"I know this may seem too tempting to resist right now, Jono, but it's wrong. What they've been able to give you isn't worth what you'll become by being one of them."
A bitter laugh escaped Jono before he answered. "You have no idea what I've been given because of Weapon X, Paige. More than the X-Men have ever been able to give me and everything you never could, luv."
"You're willing to be a part of this place because they gave you a face, a chest, a voice? You are an X-Man and have spent your life saving people. Now you're willing to become a murderer in exchange for that pretty face?"
"Says an angel," Jono replied.
The stand-off continued silently. Neither side willing to make a move and neither ready to back off without finishing it. While Paige and Warren remained with shocked looks on their faces, the others took their customary approaches.
Ever stoic, Scott was the first to break the silence. "I always knew this was the biggest danger in sending you on an undercover mission into Weapon X. The truth is that they can offer a lot. They made you whole. They offer you recognition and the illusion of power but it's all just that, an illusion. To them you're nothing but a game. You only know a fraction of the atrocities this program has committed and yet you're willing to give up your home and family. I thought you were a stronger man, Jono."
Chamber remained standing in front of the X-Men, a slight smirk gracing his features.
"Can it with the speech, Cyke. He ain't gonna listen," Logan ended the quiet. "You said you've got more than the X-Men could ever give you, kid. It's easy to see they filled that big hole you had going on but I still got a question about something you said. What did you get here that Paige could never give you?"
Jono turned and held out a hand as a woman stepped out of the blackness behind him. As she neared, she grasped his hand and turned her face up to bridge the few inches that separated them in height and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. Their hands held fast as they faced the four assembled X-Men who ran their eyes over the tight black leather jacket baring her midriff paired with black leather pants and boots.
A low growl began in Wolverine's throat as he spat, "Didn't know you'd hooked up with Weapon X. Woulda thought better of you."
"Really? I'm shocked." Her voice was much lighter than the last time they'd spoken but a hint of the gravelly undertones remained. "I can't believe you or any of the other saintly X-men have given me a thought since you conveniently ditched me. And I've been meaning to thank you, old man. Turns out the reason I got recruited in the first place was partly because of you. The old director of this joint thought you and I had a lot in common and he was out to prove that he could transform a wild creature into a controllable killing machine. Of course, I'm sure that being a former X-Man didn't hurt me in the application process, either."
By this time Scott's mouth was set in a firm line, having realized who this young woman was and being averse to beginning a verbal sparring match with her.
Warren was still staring. Her hair, red with just a hint of pink in the light, was the focus of his attention when he blurted out, "Sarah?"
"Angel," she replied with a small nod in his direction.
He had to admit to feeling a bit put off by her greeting. The Sarah Warren had known for so many years had practically worshiped him. He shook off the slight wound to his pride when Paige let out a frustrated huff next to him.
"Sarah? Sarah, who?" Her voice grew higher as she continued, "I don't understand any of this. Jono, whoever this person is, you shouldn't have to give up your life to be with her."
"That's what you don't get, little girl," Sarah responded for him. "Jono is giving up nothing. He is losing nothing. I love him and will make sure that no one ever hurts him or takes what is his ever again. I am everything you could never be."
The couple turned to one another and smiled. A true smile once impossible for Jono and so very rare for Sarah.
"Paige, I'd like to introduce you the most amazing woman in the world, Sarah," Jono began. "Although I know you've at least met in passing on several occasions when she was an X-Man at the mansion and we were at the academy. You probably only know her by her code name, Marrow."
"Marrow!" Paige exclaimed, her eyes racing up and down Sarah's body again. "That's impossible. Marrow is a monster!"
"Stupid little pretty-pretty." Sarah pressed a hand to Jono's chest as he tried to take a step forward.
When Jono relaxed again Sarah removed her hand and paused only a moment before bones began sprouting through her skin. Long femurs sprouted out of her thighs through the leather pants and one bumped their still clasped hands as it rose up and out. After only seconds, ribs and collarbones wrapped around her upper body, bones extended from her arms and legs, and plates formed over her forehead, wrists, and knees.
"Monster enough for you now?" Marrow taunted and then quickly ripped all the bones she'd just generated and tossed them into a pile on the ground.
The four X-Men kept staring at her as if waiting for the bones to regenerate. They didn't and she remained a young, beautiful woman standing before them with more than a hint of laughter in her eyes.
"Are we done here?" Jono asked.
Before they could leave, Logan spoke up. "Are you sure this is what you guys want? You could both come home with us now, no questions asked."
Jono looked at Sarah and squeezed her hand. He leaned in, tucking a piece of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, and pressed his forehead to hers.
Finally looking back at his now ex-teammates, Jono said, "It's not enough to be wanted for what I am anymore. Sarah loves me for who I really am and not who she wants me to be. In Weapon X I can be a respected leader and take real action in changing the world. If that makes me evil in your eyes, so be it. Next time we see each other I won't be pulling my punches and I'll expect the same from you."
The couple turned to walk back into the darkness leaving the X-Men with nothing but a pile of bones.
All I really wanna say/ Is you're the reason I wanna stay/ I loved you before I met you/ And I met you just in time/ 'Cause there was nothing left -Ben Folds, 'Don't Change Your Plans'