Chapter 4
Mutation Manifestation Report
As requested, here are the known mutations of our current subjects.
Subject 1, Scott Summers code-named Cyclops: Absorbs solar radiation and converts in internally into some form of concussive energy projection from his eyes. He appears unable to actually control this process, a result, perhaps, of head trauma from his childhood. He requires the use of a visor or other specialty lenses constructed of ruby quartz, apparently the only element capable of diffusing the energy he projects.
Subject 2, Jean Grey, code-named Marvel Girl: I didn't pick the code name, she did, so don't get me started on that. She has telekinetic and telepathic abilities. She is capable of moving moderate size object with her mind, including a human being, and even using these objects as missile weapons against her foes. In addition, she is capable of projecting her thoughts to others and reading others minds, though the telepathic side of her powers needs work on control. For now she must wear a headband constructed by Forge that helps restrain her telepathic powers to prevent her from going literally insane.
Subject 3, Victor Creed, code-named Sabertooth: Has vast regenerative abilities, sharpened claws at the tips of his fingers and heightened senses. In addition, Creed seems to have superior physical abilities, though whether that his part of his mutation or just side effects of his build and training, we do not know. Creed is also prone to feral rages and very violent behavior.
Subject 4, John Proudstar, code-named Thunderbird: Has far superior physical abilities including strength, speed and stamina. This seems to be a result of his muscle fibers being several times more densely packed than that of a normal human. Also seems to exhibit some form of heightened awareness, though this also may be attributable to training instead of mutation.
Personal Note attached: I would like to personally thank you for the increase in our budget I asked for. Though Creed needs some watching, he is a true soldier of fortune and as long as we pay his bills he should be happy. I appreciate you're open mindedness on this project, given your particular history. Also attached are the energy output, blood and DNA samples you requested. Thank you again
Dr. Valerie Cooper
X-Factor Project Lead.
Sabertooth bounded over the low wall, yet still staying low to the ground sniffing his prey. Thunderbird had gone around the other way attempting to flank the target while Cyclops and Marvel Girl moved more slowly through the middle of the zone. Marvel Girl using her powers to scan for the target while Cyclops awaited a target and provided protection for the telepath.
They had been given uniforms, now. They were simple, yet functional. They were of some type of stretchy, yet resilient black material with reinforcements around the torso for added protection. The only decoration on them was a simple dual stripe of color straight down from left shoulder over the chest all the way to the left boot. There was also a small yellow 'X' interrupting the stripe just over the heart. Each member's color was different, to help with battlefield recognition. For Scott it was royal blue, Jean was a light green, Creed's was a light tan and John's a deep red.
In addition, Scott's had a half mask that his visor was attached to. Jean also had a mask covering her eyes that the psi-dampener was built in to. Creed's had no sleeves, but did have a type of gauntlet on each forearm. John wore his own leather boots with fringe and his belt had a golden bird at the buckle.
Sabertooth's growl crackled over the built in radio transmitter into Cyclops' ear. "Got'em. Gonna try an' flush him back to ya."
Up ahead, the hunter that was Sabertooth crouched low behind a ruined wall. He heard the footsteps on the other side and his nose told him it was his prey. In a flash he left his hiding spot and pounced on the training robot. The machine spun away from the sloppy attack and let Sabertooth have a roundhouse punch across his face for the effort. With a roar, Sabertooth swiped his claws across the bot's head. The robot stepped back quickly, having suffered no real damage from the claw attack.
When it stepped back, however, Thunderbird came from behind it with a mid-body tackle. He brought the machine to the ground on its stomach. He was not, however, prepared when it spun completely around at its mid-section. The robot grabbed Thunderbird by his shoulder and flung him several feet away to slam into a wall.
In another moment, it had righted itself and fled, right in the direction Sabertooth wanted. The robot ducked under a low hanging doorframe to see Cyclops standing less than a dozen feet away. It screeched to a halt and attempted to reverse direction, only to find an invisible wall of force preventing it, and then it noted Marvel Girl standing off to the side.
Cyclops smiled then as he put a hand to the knob at the side of his visor, opening it up some and letting loose with a crimson beam of pure force that slammed the robot back against the telekinetic wall and pulverized it into raw scrap.
John and Creed met up with the other two in a moment. Creed was smiling as he leaned against a wall and lit up a cigar, John was scowling. Cyclops approached them both, a deep frown on his face.
"Proudstar," He began, furious, "You were reckless back there. The plan did not call for you to take the risk you took, nor did the situation change enough that it was needed. What were you thinking?"
John stepped up to Scott and jabbed a finger at his chest, "I have the experience, one-eye, I've led men on the battlefield! I've had men die in my arms! I should be in charge here, not some snot-nosed punk kid that got really good marks on his SAT's or whatever! You had me doing nothing but playing backup to Creed! I saw an opening to take the opponent down and I took it!"
Scott didn't back down, "Dr Cooper appointed me as field commander, Mr.Proudstar, that means regardless of your experience, when we are in battle, you will follow my orders or you will find yourself with no place on this team. Do I make myself clear, mister?"
Creed chimed in. "Ah, let it go Cyke. The injun made his play and failed, no harm done, we still won."
Scott turned to him, "And as for you...your teammate was in trouble there. The robot could have seriously injured him and you were doing what, standing around filing your nails?"
Creed's eyes took on a dangerous glint as they narrowed. "Watch your mouth, boy."
"Or what, you'll scratch my back for me? Do you people not understand? If this were real John could have been killed because he didn't follow orders and Creed here didn't help him when he was in trouble. That is not how..."
Scott was interrupted by Val's voice over the loudspeaker. "X-Factor members report to the war room immediately. This is not a drill, we have a serious emergency."
They all exchanged glances then Scott turned and rushed to the door with Jean and John close behind. Creed took another long draw on his cigar then shrugged and threw it away, whistling as he casually strolled to the door.
"Okay, people, here's the situation," Began Dr. Cooper, scowling at Creed as he finally entered the room. He winked at her and licked his lips slowly. She shuddered. "We have a unknown man calling himself 'the Vanisher'. Thus far, he has lived up to his name. He has stolen highly classified information from the Pentagon and his auctioning it off to the highest bidder, including the U.S. government."
She sighed, "The powers that be have made him a ridiculous offer. However, we want to capture him before the deal goes down, and that where you come in.
"The Vanisher appears to have the ability to teleport himself wherever he wants. We do not know if he has any other powers or not. It is believed that he is still operating inside the Pentagon, as the call he placed originated from there. However, he is a teleporter, and that makes him far more dangerous to capture."
"Is he alone?" Asked Cyclops.
"We don't know. Given his powers, he could seem to have allies with him even if he does not. We just don't know. This will be your first field test, people; I want to see that guy stopped. Make it happen."
The red emergency lights flashed throughout the metallic underground hall. Warren had triggered it and a groggy Bobby and Hank made their respective way to the control room.
Bobby yawned and stretched. "What's going on?"
Warren stood, smiling. "We have the chance to really do some good, my friends. Apparently a mutant is blackmailing the government. He's got the Pentagon on lockdown and appears to have pretty much taken it over. I say we show the world that mutants can be heroes too. I say we stop this guy. What about you guys?"
Bobby and Hank exchanged looks. As one they turned to Warren and shrugged. Hank replied for them, "Do you think we might have time to stop at the Smithsonian while we are in the area?"
The Pentagon was indeed on full lockdown, with a wide perimeter of guards surrounding it. Hundreds of police and National Guard soldiers manned tanks and other vehicles. Of course, they were nearly outnumbered by the members of the press.
To avoid the unwanted attention, Dr. Cooper had instructed X-Factor on the locations to access secret underground tunnels to get into the Pentagon. In the subbasement, they slowed, wary of any danger.
"I don't smell or hear anything." Sabertooth whispered.
Cyclops nodded then looked to Marvel Girl. "I don't sense anything either. Well, nothing I can get a bead on. It's...erratic, to say the least." Cyclops nodded again.
"Alright team, we do this right. Sabertooth is on point. Thunderbird is next then Marvel Girl and I will follow behind. Lets move."
At the same time, a trio of mutants silently descends to the roof from their jet hovering several hundred feet above. Beast, holding himself upside down by his toes, managed to pick open a window. The power, thankfully, had been cut to all alarm systems of the building. Within moments, the X-Men had made their way in.
They moved slowly, making certain they were alone, checking all the offices as they worked their way down.
"This place is too empty, Angel, I must so it is...disconcerting." Beast whispered. Angel nodded.
A lamp then smashed into Beast and shattered. "What the...?" They saw a glimpse of the attacker. He was a small man that scampered away down the hallway before they could do anything else. Beast bounded after him and Iceman followed, Angel felt something wrong, though, and attempted to stop them.
"Wait, guys..."
Meanwhile, X-Factor had reached the second floor, with still nothing. "Wait, Cyclops...there are others here..." Said Marvel Girl.
In a flash, a tall bald man dressed all in black appeared in their midst. Marvel Girl gasped in surprise and Cyclops reached to his visor control immediately. He was gone and the blast only succeeded in taking out a wall.
He appeared again behind Cyclops and punched him in the kidney. Cyclops found himself on his knees. Marvel Girl launched a psychic blast at the man, only to have him vanish again.
"That, I presume, is the Vanisher." Cyclops said as he got to his feet.
"You presume correct," He appeared again, behind Thunderbird, and clubbed him over the head with a baton. He was gone again before they could respond.
He appeared several feet behind them next, laughing. "Fools, you think I would come without powerful allies? Meet my protectors!" He was gone again.
Just then a large man wearing blue and yellow bounded into the room at a reckless pace followed by a man-shaped walking ice cube and a tall man with wings.
Beast and Iceman were still running after the little runt. In a moment, they heard a laugh followed by a man proclaiming that they should 'meet his protectors'...and then all hell broke loose.
He saw Beast come to an abrupt halt and Iceman too. Ahead of them were four people dressed in black costumes. The closest one, a large man with claws on his fingertips lunged with a loud roar at Beast.
Iceman, however, was faster. Sabertooth found himself thrown back against the wall by a blast of solid ice and then pinned there as Iceman froze his hands, knees and waist to the wall.
Thunderbird moved on Beast then, and delivered a heavy left cross across his face. Beast actually stumbled from the blow, blood coming from his lip. Thunderbird pressed the advantage with a right uppercut. Beast flew back nearly a dozen feet to crash into Iceman and carry them both through a wall into the office beyond, shattering the desk there and laying amongst the splinters.
Cyclops took aim at Angel, but just as his hand touched the knob on his visor, Angel was already in motion. He picked up a end table from the corner, spun around and slammed it into Thunderbirds chest as he was regaining his balance. The result was Thunderbird staggering back into Cyclops. Cyclops' shot went off, tearing a massive hole through the ceiling and all the way through the roof of the Pentagon, giving the spectators outside a nice lightshow.
"Scott, wait, there...there's something wrong here..." Said Marvel Girl, holding her hand to her head and concentrating. "These people... they aren't our enemies! They are after the Vanisher as well. They are heroes, Scott, we have to stop this!"
Thunderbird was already moving, and Beast and Iceman were too. Beast leapt through the air and planted both of his massive feet square in Thunderbirds chest then catapulted into a backwards flip to land easily.
Beast had expected the blow to send his opponent reeling to the ground; instead he only stumbled back a few feet then planted himself for a counter attack. He was interrupted when Cyclops yelled to stop.
"Stand down, people! These men aren't our enemies!" Thunderbird immediately relaxed his poster.
"Beast, Iceman, stand down." Called Angel. "This apparently isn't the fight we are here for."
"That's what you think." Sabertooth growled. The ice restraints had melted some, and now he strained against them. "No one makes a fool of me, especially not some Popsicle boy!" He strained and groaned, and the ice shattered.
He fell into a crouch, growling. "Creed, stand down now!" Cyclops yelled. Sabertooth roared again and leapt for Iceman. He raked his claws across the ice armor at his chest several times in a flash. Chips of ice went flying and Iceman tried to back up, only to have Sabertooth go with him.
"Stop,Creed!" Cyclops yelled again, then turned to Jean to see if she could do anything.
Marvel Girl shrugged, "His mind is operating at a subconscious level, I have nothing to grab a hold of there."
Beast was bounding towards the pair and Angel rushed forwards as well. Perhaps too late as gold spandex became visible at Iceman's midsection, so much ice had been chipped away. Sabertooth grasped Iceman's shoulder with his left hand then drew his right back...and plunged his claws into Iceman's stomach, roaring as he did. When he pulled his hand back for another attack, it was blood soaked.
Collectively, most everyone present screamed no. Angel reached Iceman as he doubled over and pulled him from Sabertooth's grip as he leveled a sidelong kick across the monsters face. Beast grabbed his arm and pulled with all of his might, rolling over and kicking Sabertooth into the air just as Cyclops' optic blast went off, full strength. It slammed into Creed and sent him through the four walls out into the night air to drop with a wet thud to the lawn of the Pentagon.
Angel was cradling Iceman as they sunk to the ground as one. The ice armor slipped from Bobby's body as he fought for consciousness.
"Scott, he's just a boy...younger than us even." Jean whispered to her friend as she saw Iceman's face. Scott nodded, dumbfounded.
Blood was pooling all around Bobby and Warren. "Someone...help!" Warren screamed through his tears. John was the first to move, accustomed to battlefield triage. He dashed down the hall and retrieved some curtains then ripped them to shreds. He tied a pressure tourniquet around Bobby's midsection, the knot ending just over the wound to hold it together. He looked to Warren, "Get him out of here, now. To a hospital, and make it quick."
Warren nodded numbly then stood lifted Iceman. He stepped to the hole Cyclops had torn through the wall.
"For what its worth," Cyclops stated, "I-I'm sorry."
Warren's blue eyes turned icy as he responded in a venomous tone, "If he dies, you will be."
Angel took flight then as Beast leapt to the top of the Pentagon just as the Blackbird lowered down. Within moments, the X-Men were gone.
"We still have a job to do, people." Cyclops stated emptily. "Lets be done with it."
Camera crews and police surrounded the unconscious mutant outside. A perfect conglomeration of people for the Vanisher to hit. He appeared and dropped several canisters on the ground that exploded with a green gas as he vanished.
Everyone assembled began choking and wheezing, and slowly slipping to the ground. Then the Vanishers assistant came through, a small fellow with green tinted skin and remarkably strong legs, the Vanisher had nick named him 'Toad'".
Toad bounded here and there, kicking and throwing and punching, making certain everyone was down. Then he retrieved one of the cameras on live feed. The Vanisher once more appeared and faced the camera. "It seems the powers that be did not take me seriously. And indeed besieged me with a group of their pet mutants. I was, of course, victorious in this assault. Given the weapons you chose to use against me, I think its only fair that I give the world a certain piece of information regarding mutants..."
It was then that X-Factor struck. Cyclops let loose with a blast of energy that propelled the Vanisher through the air and into the side of the news van. Thunderbird had snuck around behind the van and jumped out, grabbing Toad from behind in a cross arm lock. He lifted the squirming little mutant high into the air then brought him down hard to the pavement. He was unconscious.
The Vanisher, though rose. "Scott!" Marvel Girl called as she frantically tore at the headband. "Get this off, I can stop him!"
Cyclops narrowed the dial on the side of his visor all the war then opened it, a fine, thin beam coming forth and striking the lock on Marvel Girls psi-inhibitor.
She shook her head for a moment then raised a hand at the Vanisher as he regained his feet. He suddenly looked around in fear. "What's wrong, Vanisher, cant teleport? I don't suppose you can. Now, lets make that permanent, shall we?"
Reaching out beyond anything she had ever imagined doing before, Jean touched the Vanishers memory and with the precision of a surgeon, managed to remove the portion of it regarding his mutation and powers. She simply made him forget what he could do. He slumped to the ground, unmoving.
Scott, John, and Jean were in Dr. Cooper's office and she was absolutely livid. "All of that money and training and in some cases gifts of a new life, and this what I get for a first performance? This...this...is completely unacceptable!"
"Dr. Cooper, I don't understand, we stopped the Vanisher and his lackey, we were victorious."
She looked at Scott as though he were the devil himself. "Victorious?! Victorious??!!! Do you have any clue how many of Creed's bones were ground to powder? You cant, because the doctors don't even know that. And you know how they got that way?"
Scott lowered his gaze. "Exactly, you shot him with enough force to level a mountain. You could have killed him, you would have killed him if it wasn't for his healing powers."
Scott looked up, his jaw set, "He may have murdered a young boy, I couldn't just..."
"Oh yes you damn well could have. That 'boy' is an outlaw mutant who, we suspect, attacked several police officers a few weeks ago in New York. He was there illegally and, well, he attacked Creed first. You should have either moved on or helped Creed in arresting all three of them."
Jean spoke up, "He wasn't arresting them, Dr. Cooper, he was trying to kill them."
Val turned her gaze to the red headed girl. "Don't you start with me. You removed your psi-inhibitor without permission to do so. You placed yourself and your unit in considerable harm by doing so, not to mention costing us an expensive piece of equipment." Val sighed deeply.
"I really don't know what else to say to you people. Get out of my sight."
The three filled out of the office as ordered.