Author's note: Again, I sincerely apologize for the much delayed update.
Deadpool: Hold up, hold up…it's been over a freakin' year! This chapter had better be worth the wait!
Author: Shut up Wilson.
Deadpool: I mean, #$ Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy came out before you updated! While we've all been languishing in fan fiction limbo, Bucky and Rocket Raccoon have been shooting up the big screen!
Author: If you shut up long enough Wilson, I might actually get this chapter written. And why the hell am I arguing with a fictional character?
Deadpool: I mean, seriously woman! This story had better be finished before my movie comes out in 2016! And don't give me the excuse of "I've been trying to write on things I can actually publish."
Author: Look…
Deadpool: Can you write Tomax meeting Howard the Duck?
Author: What? NO.
Deadpool: Fine, I'll write it then.
Author: Howard the Duck IS NOT appearing in this story!
Deadpool: Yeah…anyway…I'll be back. (wanders off)
Author: …You're supposed to be in this chapter. Get back here.
Deadpool: I will…after I do some duck hunting. Maybe I can catch Squirrel Girl too…
Author: (sighs)
Silence
Chapter 38: Down the Rabbit Hole
Cobra Headquarters
"You honestly expect me to believe that Master Mold evolved on his own, Destro?"
"Whether or not he had aid, I do not know," the Scottish Laird replied. His image flickered slightly on the computer monitor. "I can only tell you that the sentinel project became too dangerous. We would not have been able to dismantle it without the Avengers' and Joes' aid."
Cobra Commander slammed a fist down on the desk. The computer monitor shuddered slightly from the impact. The Scottish Laird, who was a few thousand miles away, did not flinch.
"And you gave information to Captain America!" Cobra Commander hissed. "You traitorous…"
Destro's body shifted slightly on the other side of the globe. While his masked face betrayed nothing, Cobra Commander suspected that the man was uneasy. However, the weapons maker stood his ground against the accusation.
"How you came upon that information, I do not know," Destro replied. "Given the danger and the assistance, I was honor bound to…"
"Then you do not deny it?" Cobra Commander shouted. "Damn your 'honor'!" You just as might as well have destroyed everything we've worked for!"
"I have no doubt that you will find a way to turn this to your advantage," Destro replied coolly. "What's done, is done. Master Mold had turned against its programming to target Cobra mutants and even non-mutants. Whatever passed between myself and Captain Rogers is of no concern to you…"
Cobra Commander shut off the channel and the screen went to a plain, black screen. He sat back in his chair and seethed silently. Kilo had been right. Destro had turned against him. Still…Cobra Commander tried to reason logically from Destro's point of view. The man was, if anything, consistent. He would not have acted with their enemies against the sentinel project, unless there had been reason.
The Cobra leader pulled off his mask and rubbed his temples. The mysterious Kilo was proving to be an important asset…but Cobra Commander still did not trust him. Like anyone else who became involved with Cobra, the man was probably playing his own game. The question then became how truthful "Mr. Kilo" was being.
Still…he had been right about Destro.
He stood silently and began to pace the confines of his private room. Mindbender and Sinister were beginning to become uncontrollable…though they were certainly hiding it well. Sinister seemed to be behind it, though given Mindbender's past actions, his cooperation might be willing. Destro was….
Cobra Commander kicked a trash can. His body trembled with rage, but he forced himself to take a few calming breaths and consider his other options. A.I.M was showing some signs that it might be willing to cooperate with Cobra, but M.O.D.O.K. had yet to make any commitments. Doctor Doom had declined an invitation to join, but also had not expressed any aggressive intentions towards Cobra. Doom was a neutral party, for now. Cobra Commander could deal with that. The three GI Joe mutants were also presently out of the picture…
He sat back in his chair and looked at his watch. Xamot should be meeting with the X-Man, Bishop, soon. Cobra Commander had given Sinister and Mindbender permission to allow the scarred twin access to the X-Man. The scientists had seemed quite keen to examine the interaction.
Cobra Commander tapped his fingers against the desk. His mind had returned to its original source of discontent. What to do about Destro? Could he somehow frame the entire sentinel project on the weapons maker, if things went sour and Cobra's involvement became public knowledge?
No…Destro was too smart for that. He would have covered every track. So what to do?
Cobra Headquarters
"Well?"
Xamot ignored the questioning stare from Dr. Mindbender. He pointedly ignored the fact that Mr. Sinister was also watching with equal interest. The Crimson twin hid his unease as best as he could. It helped to know that his brother was with him for support.
"A moment," Xamot replied carefully. He looked at the modified brainwave scanner…or rather, he looked at who was imprisoned within it. An irate Bishop glared back at him. Oddly, the X-Man had done nothing more than pull against the restraints binding him to the machine. Xamot would have thought that the other mutant would at least be cursing him.
The silence was unnerving.
Xamot reached out with his mind, but found that his limited empathic skills were unable to pick out any particular emotion. A dark cloud seemed to be rolling around in Bishop's mind. The Crimson Guardsman felt himself unwilling to touch it.
"Just get on with it, brother. What is troubling you?"
Tomax's telepathic message reassured him. There was no reason for him to be concerned. Cobra Commander, after all, had every right to order Xamot to use his mutant abilities on the captured X-Man. Bishop was from the future…or at least a possible future. He was a useful tool. Xamot knew he should be pleased at the opportunity to have the X-Man under his personal control. It was just Mr. Sinister's involvement that was unnerving him.
But still…
"Where did you get that scar?"
"Algeria."
Xamot blinked and shoved away the memory. But still, he could not deny that it troubled him. He still had no idea why Bishop had rescued him at the Battle at the GI Joe Pit. Even stranger had been the man's curiosity about his scar.
Three sets of eyes…no…four…seemed to be boring into him. The Cobra mutant knew he couldn't delay this any further. He had to do his duty to Cobra.
He laid a hand on one of Bishop's exposed forearms. Suddenly, without warning, he felt his mind connect with the other mutant. An explosion of emotions and thoughts tumbled into his mind.
"Don't do it old man…don't be like them….I'm strangling every one of them when I get out here…where the hell is Short Fuse…"
Fear, hatred, anger, disappointment…
Xamot jerked his hand away.
"Xamot! Brother? What is it?" Xamot vaguely heard his brother call out to him, both vocally and telepathically. The scarred twin fended off his brother's concern. To his surprise, he was breathing hard.
"What?" Dr. Mindbender asked again. The curiosity in the man's voice was clear.
"I…don't know," Xamot replied honestly. He briefly pressed a hand into his forehead and closed his eyes. He had of course had managed to connect telepathically with other people beyond his brother before…but never had it been quite so severe or so quick. Xamot looked up into Lucas Bishop's face and found that the man was frowning back at him. He tentatively reached out with his mind, but the emotions swirling around in the other man's mind were still muddled.
Xamot closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. He reached his hand back out to Bishop and forced himself to stay in skin-to-skin contact. Something tugged on his mind and pulled him down like a suction cup. He fell into the first of many memories.
"Can we hear a story? Please?"
A young Bishop looked over at his sister, who bounced up and down. Shard looked pleadingly up at the old man. Two other children pleaded as well. Lucas Bishop said nothing. However, he silently hoped for a story as well.
"It's almost time for bed," the old man answered. However, his lips quirked up in a smile. "I suppose I could tell a short story though."
"Yay!"
"May I remind you, Seeker, that the last time you told them a story they couldn't sleep for hours?" an elderly Ororo Munroe asked. Lucas frowned slightly at his adoptive grandmother. They were all currently in one of the shacks that served as their living quarters.
Seeker tapped a finger to his chin.
"I suppose I could tell them a boring story…"
The old man was greeted by a chorus of "no's." Shard bounced up and down again.
"Can we hear about ninjas again?" she asked. Seeker made a show of thinking about it.
"Well…"
"Pleeease?" This time Lucas joined in on the pleading. He watched as Seeker winked at the other adult in the shack.
"My adoring crowd has spoken, Ororo."
Lucas's grandmother shook her head, but she hid a smile as she did so. The elderly Ororo Munroe leaned against the inner wall of the shack. Shard immediately crawled into their grandmother's lap and waited for the story to begin. Seeker didn't disappoint them.
"There was once a beautiful, female ninja known as the 'Bad Luck Lady'…."
Bishop's mind continued to tumble back into his and it was all that Xamot could do not to be swept away by the tidal wave of information. He wasn't here to read Bishop's mind…Sinister could do that. For a brief moment, he managed pull his mind away from Bishop and remember his mission. He…needed…to place…a hypnotic suggestion. Xamot struggled briefly, but felt himself drawn back into Bishop's mind.
He fell down the rabbit hole.
Near Cobra Headquarters
The Cobra cargo plane shuddered as it began its final descent. Storm Shadow resisted the urge to rub his ears as the air pressure began to build. His ears popped painfully and the ninja finally gave in to the urge. Silently, he massaged around the ear lobes as he waited for the plane to land. The pilots radioed the nearby base and requested permission to land.
Storm Shadow listened carefully from underneath the tarp that served as his hiding spot. Scarlett and Wolverine's hearts had begun to beat slightly faster. They were close to their target and adrenaline was starting to kick in. Like the ninja, they were undoubtedly ready to leave their hiding spots and move around again.
"So you think it's true?" he heard the co-pilot say. The ninja had been eavesdropping for the entire trip in the hopes of picking up gossip. Said gossip might not be true, of course, but one did find out interesting bits of information. For instance, a unit of Cobra troopers had apparently run afoul of the Punisher, recently. It hadn't ended well.
"What's true?" the pilot asked.
"Donahue said that we've got some high security prisoners," the co-pilot answered. "No one but the big guys know who they are though. Mindbender and that Sinister guy have been locked up with them."
"More experiments?"
"No idea, man…but those two give me the creeps."
Storm Shadow silently followed the information away. Given the leads his team had uncovered so far, they had decided it was likely that the transport plane was going to the main Cobra base. Whether or not Bishop and Short Fuze were there was unknown. Cobra had hundreds of small hideouts…perhaps even more, if one counted what they had absorbed from Hydra.
High security prisoners though…that sounded promising.
The plane shuddered slightly as landed and skidded down the runway. It came to a complete stop. Several minutes later, its three stowaways had managed to secretly make their way off it and regroup in a maintenance shaft that Storm Shadow had found.
"Sinister," Wolverine whispered, once they had checked for monitoring equipment. "That's not good. We need to alert everyone…that's a major problem."
"We also need to find out who those high security prisoners are," Scarlett added. "And get as much info as we can about the base."
"I'll do a reconnaissance of the base," Storm Shadow volunteered. "Cobra tends to follow a similar schematic for their bases…and I know it better than both of you."
"Scarlett and I can look for the prisoners then…as long as you don't have a problem with that, Red…" Wolverine said, looking at Scarlett. Scarlett, after all, was the one technically in charge of the mission.
"We'll need to find a way to be less conspicuous," Scarlett told them. "We don't exactly blend in at the moment…and Cobra probably has telepaths on base."
"Ain't no 'probably' if Sinister is here," Wolverine grunted. "We need to avoid him, if possible. Chuck or Jeannie would be better equipped to deal with him."
"If he's with the prisoners, that will be difficult," Storm Shadow pointed out. He knew a little bit about Sinister, but not that much. He suspected that Scarlett was in the same situation…and that lack of knowledge might prove disastrous for all of them.
"Alright…keep radio contact to a minimum," Scarlett ordered, shouldering her crossbow. "We meet back here in two hours. If someone is late, we will try to wait thirty minutes. If that person doesn't show up or contact anyone else by that time, we are to assume that person has been captured or compromised."
"Agreed," Wolverine said. Tommy nodded his head as well.
"Alright then gentlemen…move out."
Cobra Headquarters
The M-shaped tattoo burned on his face. He touched a hand to the new tattoo, which had been forced on him. They used the tattoos as signs to distinguish mutants.
Xamot thrashed around mentally, but found himself unable to escape Bishop's memories. One by one, he came face to face with the future horrors of Bishop's timeline. He saw sentinels, burnt out cities, concentration camps, decimated populations…
He cradled the dead body of his sister…Shard…
The Crimson Guardsman backed away from the memory. He didn't have a sister. This was Bishop's memory. A strong hand gripped his shoulder…
And he stared up at the tall, frail figure of Seeker. Lucas Bishop bit his lip at the disappointment in the man's eyes. He allowed his gaze to linger briefly on the faint scar, which ran across one of the old man's cheeks, before he stared at the ground.
"There is a time and place for fighting, Lucas," Seeker reprimanded him. "Now is not that time…why did you punch that other boy?"
"He was being mean to Shard," Lucas mumbled, still staring at the ground. The hand on his shoulder tightened.
"Unbelievable," Seeker muttered. "You all should be working together, not against each other." After a moment, he sighed. "Let's go for a walk."
Xamot gasped. The shock of the memory had briefly knocked him to his senses. However, his limited skills weren't able to block out the knowledge seeping into his mind. Whatever he had done, whatever was pulling him in…the Crimson Guardsman knew that he was now deep within Lucas Bishop's mind.
"Xamot is Seeker," Bishop admitted. He crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree. Shrieks erupted from the X-Men's pool, followed by Iceman's laughter. The future X-Man ignored the gaiety.
"What do you plan to do then?" Cable asked. The two mutants were currently taking a walk through the school grounds. Nathan Summers bent down and picked up a pine cone that had fallen. He held it up to inspect it.
"I don't know," Bishop admitted.
No, no, no, no…
Xamot forced the new memory away. He stood, panting, and looked around. Silver streams of light floated around him. Each one, the Cobra mutant knew, represented a memory. He hadn't succeeded in leaving Bishop's mind yet. He reached out telepathically to his brother, hoping that maybe Tomax could help him escape.
For a brief moment, he felt a sharp stab of panic from Tomax. It was instantly replaced by another of Bishop's memories.
"Gambit…what the hell are you doing?"
"Gambit ain't doin' nothin', mon ami!"
Xamot, trapped, in Bishop's memory, shook his head. He didn't believe the Cajun for one moment. Gambit, knowing that his lie hadn't worked, smiled charmingly at the larger mutant.
"Jean's makin' dinner tonight. Gambit was just checkin' tings out…"
Bishop rolled his eyes. The Cajun might as well have made a death sentence. Everyone knew that Remy LeBeau was banned from the kitchen whenever Jean Grey was cooking.
In fact, it might be a good idea for him to make an escape while he could. Bishop didn't want Grey to think that he was assisting the Cajun in any way.
Xamot forced the memory away. He mentally steadied himself. There had to be a reason for all of this. He was here to place Bishop under his control…but the images kept coming. For whatever reason, Xamot found himself pulled into more memories of "Seeker." He didn't know why he kept being drawn into those particular memories.
Lucas heard a groan and the shuffling of feet. His grandmother gasped and hurried to the doorway. Other footsteps followed as two more adults appeared.
"Seeker!" his grandmother's voice came in a whispered gasp. She was trying not to wake the children. Lucas peeked one eye open. Old Man Seeker was leaning against two other adults. He was coughing up blood.
The guards must have beaten him again. Anger surged through Lucas's chest and he balled his hands into fists. He made himself pretend to keep sleeping.
"It was my fault Storm," Seeker replied quietly. A low groan of pain escaped his lips. "I should have been more discrete."
"You were telling the children about Captain America…you know those stories are banned," one of the other adults whispered. They lowered Seeker to the ground and began to check his newest injuries.
"Had to," Seeker muttered. "The guards want us to forget history because that makes it easier for them to control us. And…" he coughed up more blood. "Captain America was a symbol of hope…regardless of whether Rogers or Barnes wore the uniform…"
Xamot tried to turn away from the image, but he couldn't stop looking. He couldn't…stop…
"Stupid Barnes…never around when you need him."
"…Bucky Barnes is dead, Seeker."
"…Everyone's dead."
"I'm not here for this," he told himself. "Brother! HELP ME! I don't…know how to get out of here." Xamot shivered again. He wanted to be anywhere but here. Had Sinister and Mindbender planned this?
Lucas crawled up to the still figure of Seeker. Fresh blood coated the old man. He wasn't breathing…the guards had taken care of that…
It was his fault. Seeker had been trying to protect him…and now he was dead.
His fault.
The Crimson Guardsman wasn't quite sure how he was able to hyperventilate in someone else's mind, but he managed it. Everything spun around him. This wasn't happening… Where was Tomax? He was in a nightmare…
Xamot mentally shuddered and tried to refocus himself. He…was here to…
The Crimson Guardsman struggled against the torrent of Bishop's mind, which continually threatened to drown him. Xamot attempted to call out mentally for his brother again, but he couldn't form the words. Time seemed to stretch out. Was this purgatory? His mother had used to talk about purgatory, before she died.
"No…I'm not dead…I'm Seeker…" He found himself saying. "I'm…."
But that couldn't be…but it would explain…
With great effort, Xamot sifted through Bishop's mind. He was shocked to find a faint, psychic imprint of his own mind in Bishop. While he was far from being an experienced telepath, Xamot knew what the imprint meant. He had been in Bishop's mind before…or at least some version of him had. It was that imprint that was calling to him and pulling him down like a weighted anchor.
He fell a little bit further into Bishop's mind.
"Brother! Xamot!"
Bishop blinked his eyes, which had become blurred by sweat. Tomax had run forward and was attempting to pull his brother away from the X-Man. However, Xamot's hand refused to budge from Bishop's arm. The X-Man weakly attempted to fight against his restraints, but he couldn't summon up the strength to try. He closed his eyes briefly and again saw the image of a dying Seeker. Whatever Xamot was doing to him…it was forcing him to relive old memories. Forgotten memories, even…
His head spun from the pain. It was as if someone had rammed the Blackbird directly into his brain. Bishop felt his head fall forward and it was all he could do not to vomit from a sudden burst of vertigo. He sensed, somehow, that Xamot was in equal turmoil. The Crimson Guardsman didn't appear to respond to any of his brother's attempts to help him.
Lucas Bishop closed his eyes and blacked out. He seemed to float, for a time, in nothingness. Bishop rather hoped it would stay that way. The mutant didn't want to return to the pain and nausea.
"Lucas…."
Bishop opened his eyes and looked around. He still seemed to be surrounded by a black nothingness. Faint voices could be heard in the distance, as if dulled by some invisible wall.
"Lucas…look at me."
Bishop turned his head toward the sound. A dull tap, tap of a cane drew his attention to the figure materializing out of thin air. A thin, elderly man leaned slightly on the cane. A faint scar stretched across one cheek.
"Seeker?" Bishop asked, not daring to believe what he was seeing. "This can't be possible…"
Seeker smiled faintly at him. He reached a hand out and grasped Bishop's jacket. Suddenly, the world seemed to right itself. The floating sensation disappeared and Bishop found himself standing on firm ground.
Well…what seemed to be firm ground. Both men were surrounded by blackness.
"We're deep within your mind," Seeker told him. "My…younger self is trapped and cannot find his way back out."
Bishop stared at him, not quite listening to what the old man was telling him. Seeker couldn't possibly be here…he had watched the man die.
"I'm…not really here," Seeker answered him, as if somehow knowing what Bishop was thinking. "I'm just a psychic shadow of the man you knew."
"But…how is this possible?" Bishop asked. "How can you be here?" Suspicion churned in his mind. The old man must have been in his mind before, when the X-Man had still been a child.
"I wasn't really depowered, when we were in the camps together," Seeker…or rather, the shadow of Seeker, told him. "I went into both yours and Shard's minds when you were asleep and placed what protections that I could…I knew I wouldn't be around much longer to help either of you. I was an old man…and given the conditions in the camp…"
"Pro…tections?"
Seeker gave him another faint smile. The old man looked away from him briefly and then back again. The smile had vanished. Bishop noted the creases around the other man's eyes. Seeker seemed troubled.
"I…don't know how much this past is different from the one I knew," Seeker admitted to him "But I know who I was at that time…I might attempt to place a hypnotic suggestion on you."
The old man walked forward a few feet and reached out a shaking hand toward him. Bishop involuntarily grasped it and reached outward to steady the other man.
"I couldn't let that happen," Seeker continued. "So I placed a hypnotic suggestion into you…one that commanded that you ignore any future attempts made by me to control you. This is in part why I…the younger me anyway, is having such a difficult time doing that at the moment."
"But why are you here?" Bishop asked, looking down at him. The man was much shorter than he remembered as a child.
"I did have some empathic and telepathic abilities," Seeker replied, sounding tired. "I placed what defenses I could within you and Shard. Unfortunately, keeping telepaths like Sinister completely out of your mind was well out of the range of my abilities…"
"But…"
"But I could at least make it more difficult for anyone to control you. I left a tiny imprint of myself within your mind, which would be activated if someone attempted to psychically manipulate you…" Seeker answered. He suddenly gave a short, dry laugh. "I didn't think the first person to activate it would be me though…granted, it mostly seems to be an accident on his…my…part. I don't…remember this particular incident. Maybe it's because I'm a shadow and don't have access to all the memories of the living me…I don't know."
Bishop silently thought about that. If Seeker was surprised by Xamot's mental intrusion…that meant that it had never happened to him. Some minor aspects of the past then, may have changed. What that meant for the future, Bishop didn't have any idea.
"How do I help you?" the X-Man suddenly asked, looking down at him. "If the past has changed for you…even a little bit…there's no guarantee you will become the man I knew."
"I don't believe things have changed that much," Seeker said. "I think I have already started in that direction…but there is still a long way to go. I don't know how this mental excursion of his…me…into your mind will affect that."
"So what…"
"Have faith…and be patient…and do what you can to point me in the right direction," Seeker told him. "That's all you can do, Lucas. You can't force anyone to change. They have to make the choices themselves. You can, however, let them know that they have other options."
Bishop swallowed a lump in his throat. He knew he didn't actually do it…they were inside his mind, after all. Outside of his mind, he was still trapped within the confines of the Brainwave Scanner and Xamot was somewhere in his mind, still struggling.
"Can you at least get him…you…out of my mind?" Bishop finally asked. "Both of us would appreciate it." Without knowing how, Bishop suddenly realized that he could sense a very clear and distinct feeling of distress…and it wasn't coming from him.
"That…I can do," Seeker told him. "I can't do anything about the mental link he seems to have inadvertently created though."
"Wait…what?"
"You can feel Xamot…can't you?" the old man asked. His lips quirked up slightly in amusement. With some shock, Bishop realized that he could indeed feel the other mutant. He wasn't able to pick up any clear thoughts, but the emotional turmoil was screaming at him with the subtlety of a neon light.
"Great…" Bishop groaned. "Just what I needed." He somehow doubted that Xamot would be thrilled about the situation as well, once he realized what had happened.
"It may be useful for both of you," Seeker replied. "It doesn't appear to be as strong as the one with Tomax…but I can't tell for sure from here." He looked up at Bishop one more time.
"I wish I could have survived long enough to watch you grow up," the old man said. He bit his lip suddenly. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I should have been there."
"You have been there…" Bishop replied, pushing away the pang in his chest. He didn't want to see the old man leave again. "You…" The X-Man couldn't say anything else. He had never been a sentimental person. Still, Seeker seemed to understand.
"Goodbye for now, Lucas," Seeker told him. "You will be waking up soon."
"Thanks…Old Man…." Bishop replied. He couldn't find the words for anything else.
Xamot felt his mind lurch…or his stomach…he wasn't sure. Everything around him began to spin violently. Somewhere, in the background, he heard his voice echo an old command.
"My powers will be useless on you. I command that you will be able to resist all future attempts by myself to control you."
Xamot felt as if an electric shock ran through him. He knew suddenly, without a doubt, that he would not be able to dislodge that command. But when had that command been placed into Bishop? He certainly had no memory of doing it. Unless it had been the other him…
"I did it when he was asleep," a reply answered back. For the briefest of moments, a faint image of "Seeker" materialized in front of him. Xamot found himself unable to speak or move. He could only stare.
"You're more than what you think," the old man told him. The image evaporated. A stunned Xamot could only float there, lost in the recesses of Lucas Bishop's mind. What else had his future self left behind?
"Our brother is waiting," the voice added. "I will guide you out of here. You're too inexperienced at this point in our life."
"Wait!" Xamot's voice was lost in what appeared to be a whirlwind. His world turned inside out and Xamot felt as if he were suddenly sucked through a blackhole. Silence ticked by and the Crimson Guardsman again wondered if he'd died and gone to purgatory. Slowly, he felt a dull ache creep through his body. Words slowly drifted in.
"..mot! Brother! Wake up!"
"The hell's wrong with him, Sinister?"
"Most intriguing."
Xamot opened his eyes. His brother was bent down over him and in a clear state of panic. Tomax brushed a hand against his twin's cheek and Xamot unconsciously recoiled from the physical contact. He mentally tried to shut down the telepathic connection to his twin. He didn't want to touch anyone. The scarred twin didn't want to share anyone's thoughts. He just wanted blessed silence.
"Brother, what?" Tomax stared down at him. Xamot tried to form a response, but found he was too exhausted. The memories he had absorbed from Bishop continued to bounce around inside of his own skull and he was unable to sort them from his own memories.
"Stupid Barnes…never around when you need him," Xamot mumbled, repeating his elder self. He couldn't shut out the memories. It was if he was still connected to Bishop in some way. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he felt the X-Man shift his body. He knew, without knowing how, that the man was exhausted and that he was sweating.
"Xamot?" his brother asked. Xamot could feel the terror building inside his brother, despite having closed the connection as much as possible.
"Everyone's dead," Xamot repeated dully.
"What the hell is he babbling about?" Someone demanded. The Crimson twin wasn't able to decipher who. It might have been Dr. Mindbender. His head ached, but yet he continued to feel that Bishop was equally disoriented. Xamot tilted his head and saw that Bishop was still restrained in the Brainwave Scanner. He himself was lying on the floor. Neither of his hands was touching the man.
He panicked and opened the telepathic connection back up to his brother. It was Tomax's turn to recoil from the sudden influx of information. The younger twin mentally clung on to his brother like a lifeline. He didn't want to drown…he didn't…he didn't want to hear Bishop's thoughts…or feel his emotions…
"Most interesting," Dr. Mindbender observed. "I wonder if he even managed to be successful with his mission."
"It does not appear so," Sinister answered.
The dry exchange jolted Xamot to his senses and he noticed his brother's distress. Tomax was now bent forward and clutching his head. Sweat was beginning to bead on his face. The younger twin immediately closed the telepathic link as much as possible.
He was finding it hard to breathe. The mental effort of closing the telepathic connection was too much and he felt it slip back open. To his relief, Tomax suddenly took control over their link and clamped down on it as much as possible.
"You!" Tomax pointed an accusing finger at the two scientists. "You knew this would happen to him!"
"We had no way of knowing," Mr. Sinister replied. "We only wished to make use of his abilities…" Xamot couldn't see him through his increasingly blurred vision.
"Fuck off!" Tomax snarled. "You're a powerful telepath and you have the Brainwave Scanner…you could have found a way to control him without my brother." The elder twin bent down and picked up his limp brother. He draped Xamot over one of his shoulders.
"I'm taking him away…you'd better hope he recovers," the elder twin added.
"We did not give you permission to leave!" Mindbender shouted. "If something has happened to your brother, then we are the most equipped to monitor him…"
"We are not your experiments," Tomax shot back. Or at least, that was what Xamot thought he said. Everything was becoming muddled and dark. He could barely understand anyone. Bile rose suddenly in his throat and he nearly threw up. Dr. Mindbender said something else, but Xamot couldn't understand it. He felt, rather than saw, his brother turn and stalk out of the interrogation room.
By the time they entered the detention area, Xamot had passed out.
Somewhere in Cobra Headquarters…
Scarlett frowned as she finished pulling on the Cobra trooper uniform that she had stolen. A female trooper, who had been about her size, was now bound, gagged, and very unconscious in a janitorial closet. It had been easy for her….Wolverine was another matter.
They were having trouble finding someone with his size and build.
"Should have brought a holographic image inducer," Logan muttered. He doubtfully eyed the pair of pants in his hands, before deciding that they weren't going to fit. The mutant tossed them in a garbage can. "They're probably infected with germs anyway."
Scarlett tactfully didn't point out that Wolverine's healing factor would protect him from Cobra 'cooties."
"It's already been nearly an hour," she said instead. "I wonder if Storm Shadow has found anything?" The ninja hadn't radioed them, so nothing urgent must have come up yet.
"No way of knowing yet," Wolverine pointed out. "We'll just have to…" he paused and sniffed the air. Logan's lips twisted into a scowl and he began to prowl around the confines of the small room. He sniffed again.
"What?" Scarlett whispered.
"Deadpool," Wolverine growled. "He's nearby somewhere…our cover may be blown."
Great, Scarlett thought. I wonder how much time we have…
There was a loud clatter as a red foot kicked out a ventilation grate from the ceiling. Scarlett fired her crossbow, but barely grazed the mercenary who popped out of the ventilation shaft. Deadpool had been too fast.
"Helloooo," Wade Wilson greeted. He ducked a swipe from Wolverine and vaulted over Scarlett. The mercenary landed on top of a crate.
"So…either of you seen Howard the Duck recently? I can't find the little bastard anywhere."
"Howard…the duck…?" Scarlett asked. The gears in her mind froze temporarily and then began to grind again. It was best just to ignore whatever nonsense came from Deadpool's mouth.
"Yeah…I wanted to introduce him to Tomax…" Deadpool answered. He aimed a gun at Wolverine's head and fired, but the X-Man dodged it. "I mean…that's comedy gold waiting to happen…" the mercenary continued, waving his arms. "Come on…you know it is…someone back me up here!"
Scarlett had no idea who the mercenary was talking to. He didn't seem to be talking to either her or Wolverine. Or maybe he was…if so, Wolverine didn't take kindly to it. The mutant responded by stabbing Wilson in the side with his claws. Scarlett took the opportunity to fire two crossbow bolts into Wade Wilson's chest.
"Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-Chaka," Wade Wilson suddenly began to chant. He sliced open Wolverine's arm and kicked the mutant's legs out from underneath of him. Logan fell with a thud, but was immediately on his feet again. Wilson yanked the crossbow bolts out and tossed them away.
"I can't stop this feeling!" Wade Wilson sang, somersaulting over a pile of boxes. He pressed a foot against the wall and used the leverage to twist himself in midair. There was a blur of his hands as he threw something.
A flung shuriken imbedded itself into Scarlett's thigh and she gave a hiss of pain.
"Deep inside of me…" Deadpool continued. "Girl…you just don't realize…what you do to me!" Scarlett suddenly found herself fending off the mercenary, who had just pulled out a couple of knives. The enclosed space of the room didn't quite leave room for him to use his katana. Scarlett considered how to use that to their advantage.
"When you hold me in your arms so tight…you let me know…everything's all right…"
Scarlett blocked a knife thrust and twisted it out of the mercenary's hand. Deadpool slipped a hand passed her defenses and struck her between a couple of ribs. The Joe ignored the pain and concentrated on trying to make Wade Wilson shut up. She wasn't succeeding.
"Aa…aahh..aaah…I'm hooked on a feeling! I'm high on believing…that you're in love with me!"
Scarlett kneed him hard in the groin. Deadpool temporarily shut up then. The mercenary winced and rubbed his crotch area. It distracted him just long enough for Wolverine to get behind him. Even Scarlett grimaced at the six claws suddenly protruding from Deadpool's chest. Wade Wilson looked down at the claws. He touched a finger to the blood dripping down his torso and then held it up to his face.
"Huh," the mercenary said. "Guess you guys aren't fans of Blue Swede, huh? MCU Starlord would be disappointed. I mean, even Groot likes the Awesome Mix."
"What?" Scarlett couldn't help asking.
"Ignore him," Wolverine grunted. "He says anything…literally. Trying to understand Wilson will just rot your brain."
"Anywaaay," Deadpool said. He seemed to be ignoring the claws still impaled through his back and chest. "You want to know where Bishop and Short Fuze are?"
"…What?"
Even Wolverine seemed taken aback by that. Scarlett stared at the mercenary, who was now humming to himself. Deadpool titled his head back and forth, as if bopping his head along to a hidden song.
"Yeah…they're in the detention center. Third level down, section 12B….and I know the passcodes to get in."
"Why would you tell us that?" Wolverine asked. "What's in it for you, Wilson? You're working for Cobra."
"Because it'll piss Sinister and Mindbender off…and I owe someone a favor," Deadpool answered. "Now do me a favor and take the claws out? They kinda hurt…."
Wolverine retracted his claws with a snikt. Scarlett wished that the mutant would have kept the claws in Wilson…she didn't trust the mercenary to cooperate with them. She watched as Deadpool brushed his chest. Grotesque, scarred skin knitted itself back together underneath the claw holes that Wolverine had made in Wilson's costume.
"Thanks," Wilson said. "You don't always have to go stabby, stabby with those things, you know? Even though I totally would if I were you, but this isn't about me…"
"Shut up!" Wolverine and Scarlett both shouted…or quietly shouted, anyway. They had no idea if Deadpool had alerted anyone else yet about their presence. There wasn't any point in taking a chance.
"Okay…okay…fine…" Deadpool seemed put out by that response. He perked back up a moment later. "Anyway…don't tell anyone that I told you, okay? It would kinda blow my cover…"
"Cover?" Scarlett asked. Wolverine pressed a finger to his lips and the Joe wisely didn't say anything else.
"Yeah," Deadpool continued, not noticing the silent exchange. "And I still have to fight you guys…got to make it believable, you know?"
Wolverine and Scarlett exchanged silent looks. They finally nodded in mutual understanding. Neither of them had any way to confirm what Wilson said…but Storm Shadow could. As Scarlett got on the radio to contact their teammate, she couldn't help but wonder how her other teammates were fairing.
Camp Dolores
"Wayne!"
Snake Eyes watched silently as Gambit hollered after Beach Head. The ninja ignored the icy feeling in his chest and further damned his current inability to act. A couple of guards had stunned the burly ranger and were now dragging him out of the cell.
Dammit Wayne, Snake Eyes thought, couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?
But the ranger hadn't. One group of guards had begun taunting him and Gambit, causing the ranger to explode. Days of confinement and dealing with his claustrophobia had led to his pent up frustration suddenly erupting out. Beach Head had bellowed back at the guards. He'd even managed to swing a fist at one of them, when they opened up the door to his cell.
"What's that mutie?" One of the guards taunted. Snake Eyes had to resist every urge to leap down from his hiding spot and kill the guards. He could only monitor and run reconnaissance. The ninja master knew he wasn't in any position to act, without endangering any of the prisoners.
He had to wait for Kamakura to make contact with the Joes and SHIELD. Then they could figure out a way to shut down the entire concentration camp and free more than just one or two prisoners.
"Ah said fuck you," Beach Head muttered weakly. His voice waivered with obvious pain. Snake Eyes winced.
Just shut up Wayne. Stop making it worse.
The guards activated the collar around the ranger's neck and Beach Head writhed in pain. By the time they stopped pressing the button, the mutant was no longer moving. Snake Eyes hoped that he wasn't dead. If he was, then orders be damned. Snake Eyes placed a hand on the hilt of one of his swords.
"Leave him alone!" Gambit shouted.
"You want some of this too?" the guards asked the X-Man. Gambit glared sullenly back. The Cajun seemed to be deciding how to respond. To Snake Eyes's relief, Gambit didn't rise to the bait. The Cajun had apparently realized that it wouldn't help Beach Head.
"What do we do with this one?" a guard asked. He kicked Beach Head in the side. To Snake Eyes's relief, he heard a very faint groan. The ranger was still alive.
"Put him in the Box," the lead guard smirked. "Let's see how feisty he is after that."
Note: The next chapter is already in the works, so I promise your next wait won't be over a year. Also, special thanks to willwrite4fics for betaing the chapter for me.