Before Evolution
Written by Darkstorm5000
Disclaimer: X-Men Evolution, the X-Men, and other related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Entertainment Group and Film Roman Productions, are used without permission and not for profit.
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Chapter 6- So Far Away (Part II)
From the passenger loading area of the Tokyo International Airport a heightened sense of anxiety and panic, while not being wholly verbalized, was something nonetheless being unmistakably conveyed to this recently arrived group from the United States now gathered here. In particular, it was very much projected to them from the onrush of individuals crowding into this airport's departure terminals, all hoping to board flights for destinations out of the country. In addition, the unique empathic abilities of the X-Men's accompanying mentor only further served to confirm that this situation, which had drawn them here in the first place, was rapidly growing ever dire by the moment. That with its citizens already on edge, Japan itself would soon be on the verge of completely falling apart, in both a figurative and literal sense, if these earthquakes that had rocked this island nation over the last couple of days continued.
And continue they had, with each seismic event growing more violent and coming with a greater frequency than the one before. And, with everyone wondering when the 'Big One' was finally going to hit?
"Hope Logan and Mariko get back pretty soon." John Proudstar remarked, standing encircled by a 3/4 ring of his and his teammates' luggage on the ground around him.
All the while a cold, slow drizzle visible through the exterior-window just beyond the covered canopy of the passenger loading area was now starting to come down in a slushy-sleet form in this early hour of the evening.
"Well, Allakazam! Looks like you just got your wish, Aladdin." Morph humorously said in response to John's statement, standing up from the medium-sized suitcase that he had been using as a makeshift seat.
Pulling up almost on cue in a maroon mini-van right outside, John, Morph, Ororo, and Professor Xavier all saw the very individuals mentioned just a few moments ago sitting in its two front seats. And while they headed out to meet them, Logan and Mariko themselves emerged from the vehicle.
''That didn't take you very long.'' Ororo said as she walked over to Mariko, who herself had only left with Logan by shuttle-bus to head over to the car-rental company no more than fifteen minutes prior.
''There wasn't much of a line there.'' Mariko replied, while they loaded their things into the van's rear and John helped the Professor into the front-passenger seat, ''Plus, I'm sure my tagging along with Logan, to help translate for him and make sure he didn't blow another gasket and actually punch someone out this time, probably helped too.''
Mariko was referring to the rather frustrating episode that Logan had experienced earlier with a metal-detector, while they were being processed through customs. Which his teammates' were almost certain was about to escalate into an international incident, until the Professor stepped in. Providing the security screeners with documentation explaining that Logan's body had been implanted with steel plates and rods due to his military service, along with a subtle telepathic nudge, wound up diffusing what had become a very tense situation.
Meanwhile, as Logan and Morph finished loading up the van, Logan couldn't help but smile and laugh to himself at the thought that Mariko felt she needed to baby-sit him. And even more so, at the idea that he needed any kind of a translator.
''That's the last one." Morph said to Logan, as he put the final piece of their luggage into the back of the van.
Closing the rear-hatch, Morph then looked over at Logan with a smile of his own and cocked the gray Fedora-hat that he now had on downward. He pulled the front brim of his hat down, which itself seemed to have just magically appeared, in a manner similar to how Logan wore the cowboy hat he currently had on. And without any further hesitation, they both walked around from behind the van to join the others already inside, so that they could make their departure. But, after having barely gotten onto the main expressway from the airport, they found themselves contending with a new hassle of a different variety.
''Well, it looks like we should've went ahead and taken the metro over to the hotel like 'somebody' suggested after-all, doesn't it?'' Mariko remarked in an uncharacteristically smug 'I-told-you-so' tone to Logan specifically, while leaning forward from her mid-row seat in between him and the Professor. All, so that she could get a better look at the familiarly congested Tokyo traffic outside, which they were now stuck in.
''If you thought I was gettin' antsy earlier from those guys friskin' me like it was goin' outta style, then you definitely don't want to see how I get when I'm packed onto a crowded subway, Shortcake.'' Logan smirkingly looked over and responded to Mariko, before turning his full attention back to navigating them through this sea of other vehicles around them.
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Later, following a rather scenic-paced drive into Tokyo's Greater Metropolitan area, the X-Men had made it to their destination of the Royal Excelsior Hotel, which was located here in the heart of the city's trend-setting Shibuya District. But, after an advertisement in the window of a local arcade less than a block away caught Morph's attention, he at the moment was far less interested in their current surroundings as they now exited the vehicle and made their way into the hotel's opulent lobby.
''Man, I can't believe they've already got World Warrior III out over here!'' Morph said, referring to the new arcade game that he'd only read rumors about in gaming magazines back home, ''I'm SO goin' to get in a few dozen rounds while we're here.''
''Need I remind you that we have more pressing matters at hand, which require our immediate attention first?'' Professor Xavier turned back and semi-scoldingly said to Morph, before continuing forward to the check-in counter.
While it was obvious from his unusually snap remark, that the sheer level of anxiety-laden feedback Professor Xavier had been psychically filtering from the local citizenry in the short time since their arrival was now beginning to have an effect on his own emotional state, the argument could also be made that, of all of his X-Men, it was Morph who took himself the least seriously.
But on that same token, it would be just as much of a mistake to assume that this perennial life of the party took nothing in life seriously. Especially, when it came to his responsibilities as a member of the X-Men.
''C'mon, you'll get your chance to get blown outta the arcade by me later on.'' John sarcastically told Morph, as he came up and supportively putting his massive right-arm around his friend's neck and shoulders into a sort of lax side-headlock. Even without telepathic abilities of his own, John had still been able to sense just how much the Professor's words had hurt Morph.
Meanwhile, a hotel attendant pushed a cart past them that had all of their luggage on it, with the exception being Logan's things. Logan himself walked past the rest of the group with his duffle-bag slung over his left shoulder after he had checked in at the front desk, and then continued on towards the hotel's elevators ahead of everybody else.
A short time later after they had all checked into their rooms, where Logan had noticeably and intentionally gotten himself one at the opposite end of this floor from everybody else's, the X-Men were suiting up and then heading over to the presidential suite where the Professor was waiting.
''Presidential suite, huh? Yeah, I just bet." Morph looked around and commented, as he and John walked into the luxury suite wearing their new team uniforms, which had all recently undergone a significant redesign.
Gone were the cumbersome and bulky flight-suits that they had originally worn when first recruited by Professor Xavier, and which Mariko had been the most vocal in her criticisms towards. In their place now were uniforms that consisted of a two-piece pant and snap-button jacket combo made from a more comfortable and lighter weight material. It was an ensemble that seemed far more practical and less conspicuous for moving about in the general public, even if they still came in the same black and tan color-scheme as their predecessor.
"I mean, this place is nice and all. But if it really lived up to its Commander-In-Chief billing, we'd at least get treated to a live re-enactment of the Prez spewin' chunks in the Prime Minister's lap all over again." Morph suggested, referring to another recent event, "For our viewing pleasure, of course."
"Morph, that has got to be the absolutely grossest thing I think I've ever heard!" Mariko, who had been the second arrival in here after changing into her uniform, now told Morph. Although, the subdued smirk currently on her face did seem to contradict her asserted opinion.
"Well, young lady, sometimes when it comes to politics: NOT always pretty." Morph said, with his appearance, body gestures, and voice for a brief moment mimicking those of the sitting President of the United States himself.
Which, drew a squealed burst of laughter from Mariko, the first that Morph had from her since before leaving Bayville and took that as a positive sign.
"Whoa, you guys've got the new Nirvana video over here!" John, who had gone and taken a seat over in front of the suite's large projection-screen TV while they waited for the Professor to join them, now exclaimed in a surprised tone to his two teammates'.
"I don't know why you're acting so amazed? This is Tokyo, not Mars." Mariko sarcastically replied, after plopping down beside John, " I mean, even if we don't get MTV here all the time."
"Say, where're Ororo and Logan?" Morph now asked, noticing that two others from their number were absent.
"Logan's out on the balcony." Mariko revealed, pointing over towards doors that led out to a spacious exterior terrace, "And, Ororo's still in our room. She said she just needed a few minutes alone, to try and get her head together. It has to do with some kind of weird vibe that she keeps feeling through her powers."
But right then, the telephone rang interrupting Mariko's somewhat detailed recount. Which was followed by an even lengthier exchange in Japanese, between Mariko and this mystery caller on the other end of the line.
"Old friend?" Morph half-jokingly asked Mariko once she had hung up, now that it was just the two of them in here since John had left moments earlier to go check on Ororo.
"Sort of. Soseki's the head concierge for the hotel and was calling to check if we needed anything? He was kinda surprised when I answered, and then started going on and on about all the times I used to stay here with my parents when they had their important business meetings." Mariko finished and further revealed.
"You know, if you wanna go see your parents while we're here, I wouldn't mind tagging along to keep you company?" Morph now offered, thinking this the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject, having figured that her recent moodiness was the result of her missing her family.
"Thanks and all, but I'd just as soon avoid that nightmare altogether." Mariko responded, with her cheerful demeanor fading quickly and considerably.
"It can't be that bad." Morph optimistically nodded and commented.
"You've obviously never met my folks." Mariko said, shaking her head with a sarcastic half-chuckle, half-sigh to boot.
"C'mon, I'm sure they've gotten over your whole Madonna-be phase by now?" Morph said in an attempt to humor her.
"Trust me, they aren't the type of people who just get over anything. And, my tastes in music were the least of the things that they had a problem with." Mariko replied, now appearing to have become even more tense from this conversation, as she stood up from the sofa.
"But, maybe if you at least give them a call and talked, you might--" Morph was saying in an attempt to convince her, when he was suddenly stopped in mid-sentence.
"Look Morph, it's just not gonna happen, alright! So can we please just drop it, okay?" Mariko loudly shouted at Morph, before turning away from him towards the exterior balcony and storming out of the room.
"Um, sure. Whatever. Nevermind." Morph said, after having been left alone in the suite's main room.
But a few minutes later, Morph was rejoined by Ororo and John. With Ororo telling each of them that she was fine, even though both Morph and John knew her well enough by now to see that something was obviously still bothering her. And when the Professor finally did come in shortly thereafter, he immediately asked John to go get Logan and Mariko outside.
Whereas Professor Xavier would normally psi-call them to request their presence, he chose for the moment to conserve his abilities for reasons that he would soon explain.
"The Professor's ready." John stepped out onto the balcony and briefly announced to the pair.
But, all he received in response were a couple of silent, lackadaisical nods of acknowledgement.
"Say, you didn't have to go and get quiet all of a sudden on my account." John now sarcastically said, as he took a few more steps out onto the balcony, his own acute sense of hearing having picked up on the fact that something was being discussed out here right before his arrival.
"Like that'd ever happen." Logan quickly replied, with a lit cigar positioned in between his index and forefinger, "Fact of the matter is, I came out here to get a smoke in peace away from all o' you chatterboxes. But, it looks like that idea didn't pan out quite like I was expectin'."
With a playful nod Logan turned his gaze over towards Mariko, who was standing closeby and leaning forward against the balcony's concrete safety barricade in a manner almost identical to him. Mariko responded with a smirking glance of her own, her mood once again appearing more upbeat than when she had first came out here. Logan and Mariko then made their way over towards John with their conversation, or whatever, apparently concluded.
Back inside, with his X-Men at last fully assembled, Professor Xavier prepared to brief them on what he had discovered regarding the danger posed by this powerful new mutant. And more importantly, on what their response would be.
"Using this portable version of Cerebro, I have pinpointed this mutant's location to a remote island here." Professor Xavier was in the midst of explaining, while directing his X-Men's attention over to the screen of an expensive-looking laptop computer, from which this miniature Cerebro II was being powered, "Given the fact that this entire island chain to the south remains virtually uninhabited due to frequent volcanic activity, and that it also lies along a major tectonic-pressurepoint, we should consider the possibility that these recent seismic events may be more than just sheer coincidence."
Professor Xavier then reached over onto the wheeled-tablecart beside him to pick up a small electronic device of some sort, which lay next to a helmet that was connected to the laptop.
"This scanner has been calibrated to interface with this Cerebro unit via a special transceiver link. It will aid you in finding this mutant, while I remain here and continue to monitor any further changes or new activity." Professor Xavier explained, as he held the calculator-sized device up for all to see.
"Are you sure that this thing will really work?" Mariko asked, as she took the device into her gloved-grasp for a moment, and then passed it along so that the rest of her teammates' could also get an up close look at it.
"While they may not be as powerful as their full-sized counterpart back home, in tandem they are capable of aiding us with such a task. And as I seem to recall, I had little trouble in using them to assist me in locating you when I was last here, Ms. Yashida." Professor X replied to Mariko's inquiry, doing so with a wry smile.
"Then with that in mind, I believe the time has come for us to once again make proper use of it." Storm now said to the entire group, as the X-Men took her cue and turned to head for the door alongside their team leader.
And, with Professor X silently wishing them Godspeed in their return.
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Later, after having collectively made their way down to the hotel's basement-level parking garage where their rental van was, the X-Men were once again traveling along Tokyo's myriad streets with Logan also currently back behind the wheel. But, none of them had the slightest clue as to where their designated driver was taking them, with one exception.
"Alright, we're here." Logan announced some time later, as he put the passenger vehicle into park and then hopped out of it.
"O-kay. So are you, um, going to tell us what we're doing way over here in Yokohama?" Mariko asked, as she and the rest of the X-Men stepped out of the van with him.
Having parked near one of the numerous piers that looked out onto the Yokohama Bay Bridge, which they had just crossed, the four younger X-Men took a brief moment to take in this sight before turning to follow Logan down a pathway that ran along this wharf. And Mariko's question would soon be answered, when their quick journey ended in front of one of the many waterfront warehouses that lined these docks.
"We're here to pick up our ride here." Logan now gave his belated response to Mariko, after punching in the access code at the warehouse's entrance to let them in.
Once inside, his fellow X-Men were a bit surprised by the sight that they were met with one floor down. In this seemingly ordinary storage area sat a sleek, world-class speedboat.
"Heyyy! Very Crockett and Tubbs there." Morph happily chimed in first, approvingly giving Logan a two-thumbs up as the group walked down the steel stair-steps towards it.
Morph then walked over to this stealth-boat, which was painted almost completely black, so that he could more closely inspect it.
"Just c'mon and give me a hand with this, will ya?" Logan replied to Morph, shaking his head and sighing at the same time, while also coming over so that he could disconnect a heavy cable that was wrapped around the boat's hull.
Meanwhile as Morph went to release the rest of the restraining cables attached on both sides used to keep the craft in place, Logan went over to another nearby wall and pulled a large lever-switch down. Immediately, a large section of the warehouse's far-side wall slid open to reveal an unfettered view of the waterfront outside. Simultaneously, an automated and lengthy roller conveyor extended out from underneath the suspension ramp that the speedboat was resting upon, reaching well beyond the edge of these lower docks into the harbor itself.
"So, how'd you wind up swinging a sweet ride like this anyways?" John curiously asked, as he too stood and gave the expensive-looking vessel a visual once-over.
"Let's just say an old employer's repayin' me a favor that they owe. Only, they don't quite know it yet." Logan smirkingly replied.
But, just as Logan and the rest of the gang were about to step up and board the speedboat so they could head out for their awaiting final destination, they began to feel a trembling through the steel-grated floor beneath their feet. Time slowed to a crawl, as the seconds now seemed to endlessly tick by. As these tremors increased exponentially in their magnitude, it quickly became apparent that they were now experiencing what the citizens of Japan had been dealing with over the last 48 hours.
And, what one among their number had already lived through so long, hoping that she might be spared such a traumatic re-enactment here. But alas, she would receive no such reprieve as memories flashed-back to a Cairo in ruins.
Back to being that scared little girl crying out for her parent's warm embrace, but finding no solace. Back to being helplessly trapped beneath a dark and heavy rubble-heap, which until moments ago, had been the building that they called home. Back, to the start of a sad new chapter in her young life, in which she would have to learn to carry on without the love that only a mother and father could offer.
"No, not again..." Ororo, who had been quieter than normal during their ride over here now said, as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself underneath the small cloak incorporated into the jacket of her new uniform.
So strong and violent were these latest tremors that it felt as though they would rip the entire docks completely apart, as the X-Men all struggled to maintain their footing and balance. Sensing this and no longer able to keep the firm check over her emotions that she always tried to maintain, tears began to stream down Ororo's face as she fell down to both knees and began to hyperventilate.
But, seeing her figuratively and literally fall into such a panicked state, John instinctively rushed over to Ororo's side.
"Ororo..." John said, in an attempt to get her attention as he knelt down beside her.
"I can feel it, it's happening again! Mother-earth is calling out to me now as it did then, and I know we're going to die!" Ororo, who in the midst of a complete emotional meltdown, was now babbling uncharacteristically and semi-incoherently to herself with her eyes still shut, not even noticing that John was kneeling right next to her as she slowly rocked herself back and forth.
So, John took it upon himself to make his presence known, having an intimate inkling as to why she was reacting in the manner that she was.
"It's okay, Ororo. You're not alone, I'm right here with you." John reassuringly told Ororo, while gently wrapping his massive arms around her in a condoling embrace, which had an immediate and calming effect on her, "You're stronger now, and we're going to get through this together. You'll see, things're going to be alright. "
Upon hearing his encouraging words, Ororo rapidly began to regain her composure. Which also came at a most fortuitous time, since three rather sizable water funnels had suddenly sprung up out in the harbor, right after this earthquake had started. But, both they and this latest seismic event had seemed to depart just as quickly.
"Thank you." Ororo, who was now able to look up, said to John and managed a small smile towards him to show her appreciation.
"No problem." John replied, his arm still embracively around Ororo as he wiped the remnants of a tear from her cheek, "Besides, I remember a wise-woman once saying we're teammates, and that's what we do."
John then looked up and over in Mariko's direction. But, before Mariko could reply regarding the attribution of that particular quote, another teammate threw in his two-cents.
"If you two lovebirds are finished, why don't we get this show on the road before another one of those quakes hits?" Logan gruffly said to John and Ororo.
Although his delivery did leave something to be desired, his teammates' couldn't argue with the point that Logan was getting at. And not wanting to waste anymore valuable time, the X-Men expeditiously helped with launching the speedboat out into the harbor. Before long, they were all aboard this ultra-fast and ultra-light vessel, rapidly heading due south and out to sea.
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Riding out across these dark and choppy waves, the X-Men readied themselves for whatever lay ahead as they drew closer to the signal resonating on their portable tracking device. And after what seemed like an eternity, they felt the craft suddenly start to decelerate in speed.
"We're almost there." Wolverine said, as they slowed down and he stood at the boat's steering-wheel.
Even though he had the boat's built-in and advanced navigational controls in front of him, along with a dim and inconspicuous blue masthead light to help guide them pointed towards the island's shore, Wolverine's keen eyesight also allowed him to accomplish the task without their aid. This gift of his also enabled him to see something else before any of his teammates' did.
"Well, looks like we just got us an answer on whether these earthquakes've been freak accidents or not." Wolverine said, looking further inland onto an island that was supposed to be uninhabited.
While he could see things perfectly even from this distance and in near pitch darkness with just his naked eye, Wolverine went and got a pair of night-vision binoculars out of a secret compartment on the boat. He then handed them to Storm, so that he could show her what he was talking about. Which, she saw was an island crawling with men who were armed with heavy automatic weapons stationed all over.
"Then we had best proceed with extreme caution." Storm responded, as she brought the binoculars back down and then handed them to Mariko, who was standing beside her.
"Not to sound crazy or anything, but doesn't this place remind you of that island from Enter the Dragon?" Morph remarked, after using his powers to create his own binoculars right out of his eyes to help him look out across the watery distance.
"Nah, that doesn't sound crazy at all. I'm actually starting to get that vibe too." Thunderbird replied, using his own naturally-enhanced vision to stare out through the darkness at the carefully guarded fortress on-land, "Although, we've got 'The Claw' right here with us."
"Man, you come straight out of a comic book!" Morph abruptly and teasingly turned to say to Wolverine. Which drew a small chuckle from some of his teammates, as his own hair (or current lack thereof) suddenly sprouted out into a huge afro.
But, Wolverine's only response was a low-pitched growl, accompanied with a barely audible phrase:
"Hmmph. Look who the hell's talkin'..."
Wolverine then continued with his maneuvering of the boat towards an area of the shoreline, which would help ensure that their arrival remained unnoticed, at least for the time-being.
After quickly anchoring and tying the boat off, the X-Men made their way across the somewhat rocky shore towards the centuries-old walled fortress, following Wolverine's lead by using the surrounding trees and shrubbery to further conceal their approach. Once they had made it to the castle, each member used their unique mutant powers and abilities to scale the monstrous stone-wall that surrounded it, quietly slipping over and into the heart of this secret base of operations.
But their need for stealth came to an unceremonious end, when upon coming through the castle's main entrance they were met by a waiting squad of armed soldiers.
"Let 'em have it!" Wolverine shouted to his fellow X-Men, as more of a declaration of fact than a command.
Over the last several months, Logan had both trained and trained with these four teenagers now jumping into action alongside him. And while deep down he probably had more confidence in them and their abilities than even they did, as a hardened soldier himself he knew that this time was different. That no amount of training, Danger Room or otherwise, could truly prepare you for the fact that someone is shooting at you.
But, watching Sunfire use an intense and focused flame-barrier to slag the bullets, coupled with Storm scattering the molten fragments back at the soldiers, gave Thunderbird an opening to strike out himself against these gun-toting mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Morph transformed both of his hands into two large metallic anvils, using them to deflect any rounds fired in his direction before connecting back with them in his own brand of heavy-metal communication.
But determined not to let anything slow him down, bullets or otherwise, Wolverine wildly attacked with two fistfuls of claws aimed at a small group of soldiers. And while he did enjoy this opportunity to indulge in these physicalities, Wolverine still felt a bit conflicted.
Having to hold back and not just gut these jokers' flat out, seemed so unnatural and out of character for a being as feral as Wolverine. But, he had given his word to the Professor that he would give an earnest effort in learning to control his 'berserker rages', and he intended on following through with that promise.
While this fight raged on, with the X-Men proving to be more than a match for their outnumbering opponents, unnoticed to them another lone figure lurked in the shadows close by. Watching and waiting for the perfect moment to make his presence known.
"What' goin' on? You guys chickenin' out now?" Wolverine asked aloud, when the armed group of assailants surrounding him suddenly ceased in their attack against him.
"They have halted, because this fight is at an end." A rather imposing figure informed one of these intruders, and now stood before them all.
"Says who?" Wolverine turned around and inquired of this mysterious individual, who had miraculously managed to make his entrance without Wolverine's hyper-keen senses even picking him up.
"Says, Moses Magnum!" Magnum replied with his own self-introduction.
With everyone's focus now on him, the X-Men also saw that Moses Magnum had managed to get the drop on one of their teammates.
"Unless you care to see what the human body looks like after being exposed to the full fury of my Magnum-force, I would suggest that you surrender immediately." Moses issued his threat, as he stood with his right hand around the throat of a currently unconscious Morph and held his other gloved-one up in a fist at shoulder-level, with the air around it appearing to literally vibrate from the sheer power that this man possessed.
And it had its desired effect, as the rest of the X-Men refrained from any further hostilities and were quickly restrained by the soldiers.
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After being cuffed and brought down into the heart of this mountain base, which in reality was a live and active volcano beneath this deceptively serene island, the X-Men were taken to a more secure holding cell. And, were of course escorted there personally by their host.
"Terminator-X called dude, and said for you to stop jockin' his style." Morph, who despite being fairly groggy from the shot that he had received earlier, still managed to look up an quip in observation of the black and gray militaristic uniform and block-style sunglasses that Moses Magnum had on.
"You're rather glib, particularly for someone in your position." Magnum replied, as the X-Men were each being strapped into what appeared to be specially-built confinements.
"And what, exactly, does that portend for us?" Storm coolly and flatly asked, no stranger to life and death experiences herself.
"If you are lucky, a quick and merciful end. Your ultimate fates will be decided after I have contacted my benefactors to inform them of my progress." Magnum replied, as this man of well over six-feet in height stood under the entrance to this holding cell.
"Progress? We've figured out that you're causing these earthquakes, but why? It doesn't make any sense." Sunfire inquired, as she was strapped into something that looked like a full-body straightjacket.
"Power, plain and simple. By using my Magnumtron to precipitate shifting between the geological plates in this region, the resulting vibrational energy released is collected back into my device and amplified. Soon, I will have power enough at my disposal to summon an earthquake of such magnitude that it will cause a chain reaction, piercing the Earth's crust and shattering this tectonic plate completely. The thousands of magma fissures and new land masses created as a result will provide an incalculable number of new mineral-rich resources."
"But you'll kill millions of innocent people in the process!" Sunfire vocally pointed out.
"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good." Magnum objectively replied to her.
"Greater good!?" You really are crazy! I won't let you get away with this!" Sunfure shouted, as she struggled in vain to free herself from the straightjacket, and also found that she was unable to activate her flame-based mutant powers, despite her best efforts.
"This cell was designed to contain the Fantastic Four. So, you will also find it more than adequate against any attempts to free yourselves." Magnum calmly explained, as he ventured further into the cell and over towards Sunfire, "I am, however, sympathetic to your concerns for your countrymen."
"You, who intend to commit mass-murder on such an unthinkable scale, what would you know of sympathy, or compassion for that matter?" Storm accusatively inquired of Moses Magnum.
"While much blood has been spilled on my pathway to power, I have never taken any pleasure in drawing it." Magnum replied, now turning his attention to Storm who was chained close to where Sunfire was, "Particularly, from fellow kinsmen. And women."
"That makes you no less the monster." Storm told Magnum, making direct eye contact with him despite the shaded-glasses that he had on.
"Perhaps. But, we must be what we are." Magnum deferred, looking around the room at these bound and chained individuals, "And, while I had anticipated one day crossing paths with others like myself, I had never expected to be confronted by those so young."
Magnum then looked over at Wolverine, before continuing with a slight smirk.
"Well, most of you."
"What, young psychos." Morph remarked, having only just recovered in time to catch the last part of this conversation.
"No, Morph. He means other mutants." Storm clarified for her teammate.
"So, that is how the powers-that-be are referring to us now?" Magnum wondered aloud.
"Doesn't matter anyways. A label's just that." Thunderbird managed to add, in spite of the strength-sapping device that he had been placed in. Which, had originally been designed to hold back The Thing.
"True." Magnum responded to Thunderbird's surprisingly astute observation, "But enough, there are other matters that I must now attend to."
And with that said, Moses Magnum turned around to take his leave from the cell.
"So, you got any bright ideas on how to spring' us from this fancy rat-trap?" Wolverine looked over and asked Storm once their host was gone, "I mean, seein' as you're technically supposed to be runnin' this show."
"I will call upon the goddess for the strength necessary to break these bonds." Storm replied.
"Great. Just what I was lookin' to hear." Wolverine skeptically told her with a roll of his eyes.
"Didn't you hear him? This cell was built to block our powers." Sunfire reminded her, while continuing her seemingly futile attempts to free herself.
"No, this cell was designed to counteract the powers of the Fantastic Four, not us." Storm corrected her teammate, who had still unluckily wound up in a contraption originally meant for the Human Torch, "And I intend to take full advantage of that oversight."
As soon as she had completed that sentence, the air inside of the cell seemed to become charged with electricity, and for good reason. Not known, nor taken into account by her captors was the fact that Storm not only commanded the winds, but was capable of manipulating nearly every aspect of the weather-spectrum, and did so on a regular basis.
Which included the ability to generate lightning on a whim, and to use her own body as a living, breathing electrical storage battery. Power in her own right, that Storm used to overload and short-circuit the electronic locking mechanisms of the restraints being used to subdue her.
"Satisfied?" Storm came over and asked Wolverine with an unusually cavalier expression, as she set to the task of freeing him next.
"Sure, 'boss'." Wolverine sarcastically replied and grimaced briefly at the short, but extremely powerful, bursts of electricity that surged down each of his arms, as Storm shorted-out his restraints that were positioned from overhead.
The pair then went to release the rest of their teammates, with Wolverine going to cut Sunfire loose and Storm using her electric touch to deactivate the suppressive manacles locked around Thunderbird's arms and legs, before going to do much the same for Morph.
"Man, does it feel good to be outta that thing!" Thunderbird exclaimed, happy to be free and able stand up fully again.
Meanwhile, Storm went next to shut down the device that Morph was strapped in, which had been designed to accommodate for Mr. Fantastic's shape-changing abilities.
"I bet you'll all feel a hell of a lot better once we go 'n put this joker down for the count!" Wolverine told the others, holding up a fistful of claws for added emphasis, "Follow me."
And follow they did, as Wolverine had a fix on the scent of the man behind this entire destructive scheme. The X-Men all knew that this time things were going to be settled.
One way, or the other.
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Far below the island's surface, Moses Magnum carefully observed and examined the fruition of his calculated endeavor. On numerous screens throughout this control-hub, his henchmen monitored the Magnumtron and estimated when the next cycle-stage would be complete. When, Moses Magnum would be able to at last unleash the full fury of his amplified powers, despite the cataclysmic destruction and loss of life that were certain to occur as a result.
But just as he was preparing to enter the powering chamber of this nefarious device, Magnum and his men ironically found themselves on the receiving end of a jarring shock felt through the floor below. From a loud explosion in a corridor that was just outside of this auditorium-sized room.
"What is the meaning of this?" Magnum demanded to know from his subordinates, thinking that there had been a malfunction of some kind. But that line of speculation ended the moment more of his men entered from the corridor, running with their weapons drawn.
And with the trespassers, who were supposed o be securely locked away, in tow close behind.
"I see that you are more than eager to die, coming here to confront me instead of being satisfied to escape this island with your miserable lives intact." Magnum shouted, jumping over the railing of the observation platform where he had been standing and landing down on the steel-tiled floor below. So, that he could confront the X-Men face to face, "Very well, you will find that Moses Magnum is more than prepared to accommodate you."
The chamber was rocked once again, this time by an eruption of power as Storm and Sunfire launched a joint simultaneous attack against Moses Magnum, while Wolverine and Thunderbird kept the remaining armed soldiers occupied. Using his own magnum-force, he was able to focus these intense energies from within into a vibrational-shield capable of deflecting this barrage of lightning bolts and atomic fireballs being hurled at him.
But, what Moses Magnum had failed to realize was that this was another diversionary tactic being employed by the X-Men, to give their teammate an opening this time against him.
WHAM!
With the seeming force of a mack-truck, Moses Magnum felt himself struck severely from behind. The shot was more than enough to take him off of his feet and send him flying forward with significant momentum. But even more shocking than this transgression, was the sight that met him when Magnum turned back to see who had been lucky enough to deliver such a blow.
"Folks always sayin', 'Hammer, please don't hurt 'em!' But with some folks, the only way you can get through is by knockin' some sense into 'em." Morph, who had managed to slip past Magnum posing as one of his retreating guards, said as he stood over the man now in the guise of a giant talking sledgehammer, while vocally imitating another famous Hammer.
As Morph turned to walk over and rejoin his teammates, he left with one last parting shot to their downed foe.
"Heh. Guess that's a habit I'll have to learn to kick one of these days?"
Meanwhile, as Magnum pondered the sheer lunacy of having been incapacitated in such a manner, Hammer-Morph went over to where the other X-Men were currently in conference on how best to proceed next.
"So, what've you guys come up with?" Morph asked as he came running up, shifting back to his normal appearance.
"Well, we figured out this gizmo is probably behind all the shakin' that's been goin' on." Wolverine said, as they looked at the giant device that Magnum had been atop moments ago, "But, I'll be damned if I know how to turn it off."
And with that admission, Morph walked over to one of the input terminals connected to the Magnumtron, cracking his knuckles before he started typing on the computer keyboard. After less than a minute of searching its databanks, Morph turned back to face his teammates with a huge smile.
"Well, what do we do?" Thunderbird asked, of Morph and from the rest of the group.
"Whaddaya mean, what-do-you-do?!" Morph replied, changing his appearance once again to that of an old, gravelly-voiced boxing trainer, "You get in there and do what you do best, kid! Ya hit him high and low, hard and fast, until you take that bum out!"
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Wolverine remarked with a smile, which was rare when it came to Morph's antics, "T-Bird, why dont'cha give me a hand up there?"
Looking up to where Wolverine had been pointing with his claws, Thunderbird responded just as they had practiced for some time now in the Danger Room back home. With a shot-putter's strength and a baseball pitcher's accuracy, Thunderbird tossed Wolverine up to the top of the Magnumtron.
Where Wolverine went to work with his claws in savagely ripping the device apart, along with the rest of the X-Men joining in down below to do much the same with their own unique powers. By the time Moses Magnum had regained his bearings enough that he could have tried to stop them, he knew that he was already too late.
With this dynamo of destruction set to discharge its super-charged shockwave in mere moments, and with its release-valves cut and damaged, all of the energy stored within it had only one place to go. Which was apparent to everyone present, judging by all of their expeditious efforts to get as far away from here as possible before that happened.
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After racing back to the speedboat, so that they would be off of this island before the final curtain fell on Moses Magnum's villainous machinations, the X-Men were treated to a fireworks display of epic proportions.
"I'd say that's gonna set his twisted little strip-mining operation back a few years, at least." John remarked, as their boat cast a few miles away from the island, but was still close enough for them to see the blinding explosion and to feel its calamitous waves.
"Hopefully, it will be for good." Ororo optimistically added, as she stood next to John on the now gently rocking watercraft.
"Well, at least we showed him a thing or two about good vibrations." Morph mockingly said next.
"No kidding!" Mariko smilingly responded.
It was the genuinely happiest expression that Morph had see from Mariko in weeks, and he was glad that his friend was finally coming out of the doleful funk that she had been in. But, when he went to put his arm around her as a supportive gesture, to say that everything had worked out after all, her reaction was one that he hadn't been expecting.
"Okay, what'd I do wrong now?" Morph sighingly asked, when Mariko shrugged off and shied away from him, his own tone sounding and coming out a bit more defensive than he had intended.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Mariko replied, raising an eyebrow and becoming a bit defensive herself.
"Look, I know that you've buggin' over this whole thing with your parents. And, I know it wasn't my business to butt my nose into, but it's not like they haven't had time to get used to the idea that you're a mutant." Morph told her, "I mean, my Dad freaked at first too. But, now he's totally dealing."
"That's what you think this is all about?" Mariko replied, almost laughingly, as she turned to fully face Morph.
"Well, yeah. Isn't it?" Morph asked, now with a truly puzzled visage.
"Just because you have such a cool and understanding Dad makes you one of the lucky ones. Because, not all of us have parents like that. Mine don't even know that I'm a mutant, although I'm sure they'd be just thrilled to hear that too." Mariko replied with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.
"Um, you've totally lost me." Morph responded, only seeming to become more and more confused as this conversation progressed.
Unable to hold back or keep up her desperate facade any longer, an explosion even greater than the one they had just witnessed suddenly and unexpectedly occurred right there on the speedboat.
"Don't you get it! The reason I ran away from home wasn't because I'm a mutant. It's because my parents found out that I'm gay, Morph!" Mariko yelled, not just at Morph, but also for the benefit of everyone else present on the boat.
And in that instant, the reality of that fact hit her like a brick. That she had just slipped and blurted out her most tightly-held secret in front of all of her friends. That, they had just found it out in such an embarrassing way, and definitely not in the manner that she had ever envisioned, and now knowing that there would be no taking it back. Upon realizing all of this, Mariko couldn't bear to face any of them and rushed to the rear of the boat crying, without saying another word to anyone.
While Ororo went to the back of the boat to check on and console Mariko, Morph and John each took a seat up front with Logan, as he put the ultra-fast craft into gear and steered them on course back to Tokyo.
And, even if it hadn't been for the quieted propulsion from the phantom engines on this stealth speedboat, those aboard could've probably still heard a pin drop on the way back. Mainly, due to the current state of silence between these usually boisterous and talkative teens, now in transit back to Japan's mainland.
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Early the next morning, speculation ran wild on various news-feeds as to the cause behind a strange and violent explosion on one of Japan's more remote island chains. So much so that SHIELD spokeswoman, Senior-Agent de La Fontaine, made a brief on-camera appearance to assure the public that, while a full investigation was still ongoing, they had matters quite in hand and that everything was under control.
But for one viewer, who had been there the night before and knew first-hand just how out of control things had almost gotten, she had little interest in listening to this any further. No, she had other, more important things on her mind.
Things, which she felt she couldn't wait any longer to say.
Hearing what sounded like a knock on the door outside of his hotel room, Morph couldn't help but wonder who was out there at this hour? After stumbling through the shadowy darkness of these not-yet familiar surroundings, Morph would receive a definite answer a few moments later.
"Oh, hi." Morph said, elated at seeing the one person that he had hoped would be there.
"Hi."Mariko briefly replied, with a smile. Both at the fact that he had opened the door up, and that he was standing there wearing a set of light-blue Thundercats pajamas.
"Um, you wanna come in? And talk?" Morph asked, after a few awkward moments of silence between them.
"Yeah. I, uh, think we probably should." Mariko replied with a bit of nervousness, walking into the room past Morph as he closed the door behind her.
Mariko then went over and took a seat on a sofa in this main room, readjusting and pulling the short pink kimono robe that she was wearing back together over a gray sports-bra and boxers underneath.
Meanwhile, Morph went over to a nearby wall and turned on the lights, leaving them at their dimmest setting, before he closed the door to an adjoining room where John was still asleep. Then, he came and took a seat himself in another chair adjacent to Mariko.
And there they both sat, with neither able to find the words to say to the other. Which was a shame, since these two under normal circumstances could and often did talk for hours, seemingly non-stop.
"Morph, I'm sorry for flipping out on you like that. I know you must hate me right now, and I guess I can't really blame you." Mariko said, saying some of the things that had been going through her mind while sitting up most of this night alone on her bed.
"C'mon, what kind of a broomhead do you think I am?" Morph smiled and told her, "Why would I hate you?"
"Even now, that you know…" Mariko questioned Morph.
"That, you're gay? Yeah, you kinda mentioned that." Morph said, nodding his head and finishing Mariko's sentence for her in the process, "I mean, you could've just been straight with me from the beginning. No pun intended."
"It's…just, that I wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn't know how. And, after the way my parents pretty much disowned me when they found out I was gay, I was afraid of how all of you would react. I mean, you guys' are like my only friends in the world, and…well, you've probably been the best friend I've ever had. And, I didn't want to lose that. Any of that." Mariko said to Morph, pausing to take a deep breath before continuing.
"But, when I realized how you really felt about me, I didn't want to hurt you either. I guess I just felt like I was in a no-win situation."
"Well, you're not. And we're still your friends, no matter what." Morph reassuringly said to her, as he got up from his chair and went over to Mariko, sitting down on the sofa right beside her.
He then put both arms around her in a hugging embrace. And this time there was no hesitation on Mariko's part, as she eagerly reciprocated and returned the gesture.
"Well, now that we've had our after-school-special moment, why don't we let John get some sleep?" Mariko humorously said, now standing up from the sofa while wiping a single tear from her eye, although it definitely wasn't one of sadness, "You can come over to my and Ororo's room and watch some TV with me. I think Lupin III might be on right now."
"Um, okay. Is it anything like Golgo-13 or Akira?" Morph curiously asked, revealing his rather casual knowledge of Japanese anime in general.
"Uh…not quite." Mariko replied with a smirk, as they stepped out into the hallway together, "But, I think you'll still like it a lot."
And as this now reconciled pair made their way down the hall, dressed in their usual early morning attire, they happened to catch the notice of one of the hotel's staff. Who wondered to himself, and was a bit confused, as to why the heir to one of this nation's most honored and well-known families would place herself in such a compromising and potentially embarrassing situation as this?
He also thought to himself that, out of respect, perhaps the head of the Clan Yashida should be notified immediately of his daughter's indiscreet activities, before things got too far out of hand…
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A/N: For any reviewers out there curious about what was actually said between Mariko and Logan out on the hotel balcony, right before John came out there, just let me know I'll PM a copy of that brief deleted scene to you.