Marvel Comics #1000 Addendum

Disclaimer: "What the hell is she doing playing sleeping beauty with the U-Men?" - Wolverine, X-Men: The Anime.

Chapter 7: Spywork

The Orchis Forge

The Orchis Forge was a massive space station located nearby the sun. The station looked like a massive silver ring with the head of a gigantic Sentinel in the center. The head was attached to the ring by four long corridors, each perfectly distanced from one another.

A woman walked along one of said corridors. She was a bald Indian, wearing a white and red outfit.

Omega Sentinel. Real Name: Karima Shapandar. Birthplace: Calcutta, India. Affiliations: (Formerly) X-Men, (Currently) Unrevealed. Physiology: Cyborg human (Enhanced with Prime Senitnel technology). Powers and abilities: Superhuman physical abilities, technopathy.

Karima Shapandar was many things in her life. A former policewoman, a former X-Man. She had been transformed into a Prime Sentinel by Operation Zero Tolerance, an attempt by members of the United States government to exterminate mutants. Thanks to them, she was now a hybrid of machine and flesh.

But that was a seeming lifetime ago. Times had changed. It had seemed that the former X-Man had betrayed her past mutant allies. However, things were not always what they seemed.

The cybernetically-enhanced ex-cop walked into a room. She looked around, and her eyes started to glow. She opened a panel on her arm, and pressed some buttons on it. An image of a woman appeared over her arm. The woman had short black hair in a bob.

"Do not fear, we may speak freely here." Karima said to the image. "You should have the schematics."

"Good." The woman nodded in satisfaction. "With these plans, our group will be ready to deal with those new Sentinels that Orchis is developing."

"I have included a couple of hidden weak spots I put in." Karima continued. "It should allow you and your organization to have an easier time disposing of them."

"I appreciate it." The woman said. "We'll have to use those sparingly, or else Orchis would get suspicious."

"I helped build this place, they'll only get suspicious if I want them to."

"Don't get cocky, lady." The woman warned.

"I was an X-Man." Karima joked. Her face then fell. "The X-Men likely think I betrayed them."

"Considering what they've become now, I don't think they even care about you anymore."

"... sadly, you may be right." Karima admitted. "I mean, their little living island."

"Yeah, a lot of people are very nervous about their little 'mutant nation'. And for good reason." The woman stated. "A bunch of living WMDs all gathered together...demanding that we see them as 'our new gods'..." She shook her head. "What's to stop them from deciding to invade and take over another nation out of the blue?" The woman shook her head. She picked up a piece of paper and looked it over. "And if my spies on Krakoa are accurate, they have the power to resurrect the dead."

"Resurrection is nothing new." Karima said. "I cannot count how many times supposedly deceased people have made their return."

"Their big goal is undoing the massacre at Genosha." The woman explained. "Do you know how many mutants died there?"

"...around sixteen million." Karima's eyes widened. "Is...is that possible?!"

"On Krakoa, it's certainly possible. They have a way to resurrect dead mutants." The woman stated. "Maybe not at the scale of sixteen million, but they no doubt are working on ways to expand it." She looked intently at Karima. "Imagine it."

The Indian cyborg put it together. "They'd have an army."

"A massive army. Of superhuman beings. Such an army could potentially crack this planet into pieces. Not to mention it's known the X-Men have been grabbing mutants from all over the world."

"You tried to recruit the former Bolt." Karima reminded.

"Unlike the Krakoans, I respected his decision to not join us." The woman reminded. "I'm keeping an eye on him just in case. Just because we'll respect his decision to not join us does not mean that the Krakoans will do the same."

"...true."

Concern was in the woman's voice. "...are you alright, Karima? You seem...worried."

"I..." The cyborg sighed. "It's just...all of this. The X-Men, what they've become..."

"I understand." The woman assured. "I know you were one once."

"It's that...considering what they are now...I do understand why Orchis exists in the first place. The X-Men have never really been considered heroes despite their noble mission. And now people are more afraid of them than ever."

"Oh, indeed." The woman nodded. "You know, Orchis tried to recruit me once."

"Ah, yes." Karima recalled, smiling in amusement. "You told me about that."

"The thing about Orchis is, they are correct about one thing." The woman said. "Yes, mutants can be a threat to human life, but the thing is...their solution is basically 'Kill 'em all, and let God sort them out'."

"Which is why you recruited me."

"Indeed." The woman nodded. "I don't trust Orchis. They're too extreme. They are a bomb where humanity needs a scalpel." She shook her head. "An extreme in response to an extreme. And I fear...I fear that Orchis and Krakoa will go to war. A war where everyone loses."

"...I see." Karima nodded. "It is logical to assume those two forces will eventually engage in all-out conflict. Unfortunately, our organization cannot fight them head-on."

Which is why I'm hoping that my spies can help destabilize both Orchis and Krakoa before that can happen. The woman thought. "I'm hoping that it does not come to that."

"It just may. You may have to prepare for that."

"Yes. Yes, I will." The woman sighed. "Take care of yourself, Karima. Be careful."

"I will. You too." The Indian woman answered, ending the transmission.

Location Unknown

The woman with the black bob haircut leaned back in her seat, her fingers steepled in front of her face.

Dammit, she's right. She thought. An all-out war? That may end up happening. I don't really know how this group can handle all of that.

"Boss?" A deep voice said. She looked up and saw what looked like a very tall, broad, and muscular man standing at the door of the office. The top of his head was bare, but the sides and his beard and mustache were quite long, creating a sea of brown over his chest. He wore a black t-shirt and brown slacks.

"Oh, hello Mr. Landers." The woman greeted.

"You alright, boss?" Dave Landers asked in confusion. The woman looked at the powerhouse.

Dave Landers. The Mastodon. She thought. Once an ordinary factory worker, before the Terrigen Cloud transformed him and made him into one of the...powerhouses of this Organization. "I'm fine, thank you."

"You seem to be a bit troubled."

"Just something one of my people in Orchis notified me about."

"Oh, geez..." The powerhouse man winced. "Those maniacs are on the move?"

The woman shook her head. "No. She said we may have to prepare for a full-fledged war."

"...That Orchis and Krakoa thing, right?" Landers realized. "You have mentioned that you've feared that sort of thing."

"Yes."

"Geez, boss. I don't think we can take either of them head-on."

"No, we can't." The woman agreed. "Nor can we stand by and just let them tear each other apart. A lot of innocents will get caught in that crossfire."

"And based on what we've seen of the X-Men, they haven't really come off as the good guys lately." Dave said.

"They created a nation, Dave." The woman stated. "But they seemingly have paid a price for it. They gave up their humanity for it."

"If you ask Suzanne and Petra, they'll say that they were already monsters." The Inhuman scoffed. "They just have no longer bothered to wear masks."

"True." The woman nodded. She then looked at her watch. "Ah. Speaking of our little chrono-manipulator..." A smirk crossed her face. "I think she's due to meet with another one of our spies."

"I still can't believe that you managed to get her to spy on Krakoa for us." Dave shook his head. Although I would be careful if I were you. She's a shifty backstabber." He frowned at the woman. "I don't think you understand what you promised her."

"It can be done." The woman said. "I have a plan. I'll make the Five bring back Adler." She glanced at her watch.

"That does sound lofty, boss."

"It is, but we live in a world where 'impossible' is seen as a challenge." The woman smirked as she got up and grabbed her jacket that was hanging on the back of her chair.

"Confidence is one thing, but I think you've gone nuts with this." Dave frowned. "You know how badly she wants the Adler woman back. If you can't deliver on that promise..."

"Let me worry about that, Landers." The woman said. "And if I have gone insane..." A smirk formed on her face. "I think we can safely say I went crazy from working with all of you."

Dave chuckled. "Let me guess, boss. Khosrow again?"

"Man won't stop flirting with the female Paladins." The woman rolled her eyes. "I have an appointment. Tell Sway I wish her luck."

"I take it that you want us to send a couple of Paladins with her as well?"

"You know it." The woman said as she walked down the hall, putting her jacket on. "She may be working for us, but I'm not taking chances, considering her history..."

2000 – Karima Shapandar debuts in X-Men Unlimited #27.