Chapter 8: Fall of the Viper
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters or logos.
The deformed scientist set to work at once, using the control panel at his disposal to activate the defense mechanisms set around the underground laboratory. As his fingers danced across the keyboard, robots programmed to eliminate intruders converged on the general vicinity from their hidden positions throughout the surrounding forest, taking to the skies like rockets as they were called back to defend the main base. Landon wore a satisfied expression as the automatons appeared within range of the security cameras, his heart racing with excitement as he activated the mutant sensors that they had recently incorporated into the robotic guardians.
As the robotic monsters prepared to strike, the X-Men drew closer to the location of their doom. The members ran in a small group through the forest with Colossus using his hard metal body to clear a path through the trees as he charged through the woods at the head of the group. Gambit followed closely behind his former comrade, closely followed by Cyclops, Jean, and Iceman who were running a few yards behind the others. Jean used her telekinetic powers to repel flying tree branches, protecting the others from possible injuries as they trekked through the rough terrain.
Iceman rested the side of his hand against his forehead to get a better look at the trail. "I can see that strange helicopter from before sitting in the clearing ahead." He shouted as they continued onwards. "Looks like whoever came through here didn't think someone would follow them this deep into the woods, huh guys?"
"We don't have any proof yet that these people are the enemy, but whoever that thing belongs to might have an idea of what happened to Wolverine." Cyclops exerted more effort to catch up with the others.
Gambit turned his head in response. "I personally have to agree with both of you… I don't think that the enemy expected us to show up, but there's a chance that they might be ready for us anyway. Some bad guys are pretty paranoid like that, so we should be ready in case they decide to jump us beforehand."
"I guess we should consider the possibility before rushing in." Scott slowed his pace to a slow jog as he spoke.
The others complied with his course of action almost instantaneously as the group slowly came to a halt. Colossus stopped his procession as his fellow X-Men caught up to him, immediately halting the others as the group reformed around the metallic mutant. Cyclops' eyes widened in fear behind his visor as he noticed the youngest member of their group still on the move, having activated his powers prematurely in anticipation of getting some action. Iceman was now gliding above their heads on a tower of ice, turning around and batting them a pair of thumbs up as he drew closer to the clearing ahead.
"You're not supposed to move in yet! Get back here!" Scott shouted, extending his right hand towards him as if beckoning the icy mutant to come back.
The excitement died from the boy's face as he heard the warning, but his expression seemed much more relaxed a moment later. "Don't worry about me, I got this thing thought out!" Bobby called back with a renewed smile.
Before he could react properly, a missile came soaring in his direction from an unknown source. The icy mutant let out a terrified scream as the projectile came within inches of his body, but a strange force pulled him backwards as if an invisible hand had seized him from behind and carried him to safety with incredible speed. Cyclops placed a hand to the side of his head as he aimed and fired a blast of energy from his visor, clearly relieved that Jean had saved their youngest teammate from certain death. The interfering explosion caused the missile to detonate prematurely seconds later. Although they were showered with bits of debris, the five heroes had survived the ordeal shaken, but unharmed.
Iceman looked around with a dazed expression, a bemused expression appearing on his face as he took a moment to catch his breath. Upon seeing the faces of his angry teammates, he rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "Well… At least we know this is the right place." He replied with a nervous chuckle.
"Good job giving up our position, Bobby." The female psychic replied with a scathing look.
"The Professor thought you could be trusted with this, but it looks like you just set yourself back a few steps." Cyclops reached towards the ground and lifted pulled the boy to his feet by the collar of his uniform, giving him a small shake to emphasize their disappointment. "You not only put yourself in danger, but the rest of the team as well. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Scott stood for a moment with his eyes boring into the younger mutant as the younger mutant brushed himself off. While the rest of the group seemed disappointed by his lack of thought in his recent actions, their sentiments were quickly replaced by a sense of dread. The other three members of the team seemed to share a collective feeling of shock as they caught sight of the source of their problems heading towards them at a frightening pace.
Gambit tapped him on the shoulder, effectively catching the attention. "I'd hate to interrupt this little lesson, but we've got bigger problems." He made a gesture with his staff, pointing the end towards the threat.
"What the hell!" Iceman nearly choked as he caught sight of the large metal giants heading towards them.
"Stand your ground!" Cyclops shouted as they turned to face their enemies.
The five mutants stood in shock as their robotic opponents emerged from the surrounding trees, one of them using its mechanical strength to smash down a small tree as its fellow automatons moved into attack positions. Despite the sense of terror felt by the majority of the mutants in the woods, the occupants of the hidden base nearby seemed to find the situation rather interesting. They had heard the reports of what had happened during the first strike against Wolverine and X-23, but the units had yet to be tested against other mutants.
Hebert Landon looked as though he had just been promised a large sum of money as his anticipation peaked. "It's all over for those genetic abominations!" the madman declared, his disfigured eye widening to unnatural proportions.
Madame Hydra glanced over his shoulder at the security monitors with a look of fascination as the madman pressed on, a look of mild interest gracing her unusual features as the mechanical killing machines began homing in on their targets. She glanced up at her benefactor, who seemed interested in her reaction. The large man gave her a satisfied smirk as the eight-foot tall androids moved in for the kill, looking proud with his organizations work as the squadron of robots advanced forward like an army.
"As you can see, this is how I intend to handle these types of situations. I am well aware that luck and interference from outside parties can ruin all but the most well thought out plans, so in conclusion I have taken measures to cover any and all variables that may be introduced." The Kingpin replied with a confident leer.
The green-clad woman said nothing as she watched the monitors, her mind wandering for a moment as she contemplated her options. While the infamous crime lord had come through on his half of the deal, she remained uncertain of what to do next. However she was fairly confident that this would not be the case considering that she still had the information that he had wanted.
It did little to heal her sense of pride, which had been dealt a serious blow by collaborating with such a man. From the very beginning of this ordeal she had hoped to dictate the conditions of their transaction, but it seemed as though coming into his domain had deprived her of this advantage. Madame Hydra knew that she would have to play this situation as it came towards her, meaning that things could get complicated.
Back out on the field, the robotic units had already begun their assault, spewing flames and firing gigantic blasts at their targets in an attempt to kill their prey with as little effort as possible. While some of the mutants seemed caught off guard by the sudden assault, Bobby reacted quickly as possible, drawing up a large wall of ice around his teammates in seconds. As if drawing upon some type of artificial intelligence, the cybernetic enemies changed their strategies and began hammering away at their defense, but the move had given the others the time they needed to counterattack.
Colossus shoulder rammed one of the robots with all of his might, smashing a giant dent into its torso area with a well-placed tackle. The mechanical warrior spewed another shower of flames from the weapon on its arm, but his opponent charged through the fire and shattered the attacker's body with his own metallic fist. A second robot emerged from behind to strike with impunity, but Cyclops released an unusually powerful blast from his visor, sending the robot to the ground with a loud crunch.
Several yards away, Gambit danced around the mechanical giants with an impressive display of acrobatics, using his staff to increase the effectiveness of his jumps as he vaulted from one place to the next, managed to avoid the fiery blasts from their enemies' weapons. The nearest robot attempted to pound him with its gigantic fist, but he broke into a dive and slid beneath its legs, placing a hand on the automaton's leg to create and explosion. The monstrous robot doubled over in as its left leg burst from within, but before it could fight back, the explosive mutant detonated a playing card in the attacker's face, blowing its head clean off.
A few of the other units moved in to replace the ones that had been defeated, but Jean repelled them with a telekinetic blasts, destabilizing their footing long enough for Iceman to follow up. The younger mutant slid past them on a column of ice, moving in a circular pattern around the enemy as he froze them solid with the steam of ice shooting out of his hands. He thickened the layers of ice around the robotic monsters so that they would not escape as easily and headed back towards the fray.
Three more automatons emerged from the trees and fired off missiles from the hidden compartments in their chest plates, catching Jean off guard. She raised her hands to repel the incoming explosives with her powers, but found it unnecessary as Scott blasted them out of the sky with his own abilities. Debris rained down on them, but Iceman created a small dome of his element around their bodies to protect them from harm as it bounced off of the barricade.
"I'm betting you're glad I came along!" the icy mutant replied with a smirk.
Cyclops nodded reluctantly in response, but his eyes quickly gravitated towards the trio of attacking robots. "Don't get cocky, we're not out of the woods yet!" he shouted, pointing to the source of his worry.
The enemy robots advanced towards their prey, but were quickly halted by a hand's worth of exploding cards. Taking advantage of the smoke, Gambit detonated one of the attackers, allowing Colossus to handle the rest. The metal mutant charged through the smoke and smashed the weakened robot with a rugby-style tackle, lifting the broken body and heaving it towards the two others with all of his might. The other pair of automatons buckled as hundreds of pounds of metal came down upon them.
Before they could rest, the X-Men sighted several more units heading flying over their heads. These enemies seemed to keep on remaining out of range, instead relaying on long-range tactics to achieve victory. The robots targeted their prey and began raining down explosives like air bombers. Iceman looked up at the sky with a panicked expression as he recognized what was happening, following up by raising another wall around his companions to protect them.
"That dome won't hold against high impact explosives!" Scott warned the younger mutant as he fired off his own attacks and missed. "Get back!" he screamed, causing the others to scatter on command.
"Don't have to tell me twice…" Gambit commented as he made a dash for the surround trees.
Colossus dove sideways as one of the incoming bombs made a man-sized crater where he had been standing moments before. Iceman took to the air with a sweeping motion, riding around on his column of ice as he attempted to vacate the area by any means necessary. Cyclops made an attempt to pre-detonate another one of the projectiles, but his girlfriend seemed to disagree with the approach and sent him flying with her powers to save him from death. Jean followed up by thrusting her hands in an upward motion, catching the remaining explosives with her powers and containing the explosions.
The telekinetic woman let out a breath as she took a moment to relax, but the assault was far from over. One of the flying robots descended to the ground and raised leg to stomp her, but Iceman swept through on his tower of ice, seizing her by the wrists and saving her life by less than a second. The frozen mutant stopped when they were within a considerable distance away from the enemy, his shoulders slumping in weariness as he let out a sigh. She leapt from his ice platform with a similar expression as the others appeared.
"I don't know about you guys, but maybe we should rethink our plan." Jean suggested.
"She's got a pretty good point." Gambit replied, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the injured telepath. "We don't have any solid proof, but the enemy seems to have known that someone would try to stop them and prepared in advance."
Cyclops gave them a stern expression, although the affect was diminished by the presence of his visor, the impression he was trying to make was still present. "We have a duty to save Wolverine if he's in there. Think about it, and you all know that he would do the same for us if we were the ones who were captured."
The metallic mutant standing beside him gave his new teammates a quick nod. "I admire your spirit… To stand up for a comrade is most admirable by all means, so if you are willing to continue this battle, then I shall continue to fight by your side no matter what the cost!"
"Hey guys! It looks like we might not have time to debate this!" Iceman shouted as he pointed towards the eight-foot tall robots heading through the woods in their direction.
Bobby raised a hand and repelled their flamethrowers with another wall of ice, allowing the others to fight back. Gambit cut his deck of cards and detonated the remaining half with a quick tap, tossed the remaining cards at the enemy. Although they lacked speed, Jean placed a finger to her head and focused her own abilities on the explosives, pelting the enemy with a shower of explosions. The combined attack sent metallic parts scattering in different directions as the three automatons were destroyed.
"Get down!" Colossus used his body to shield his comrades from the flying chunks of metal, although luckily enough for them the explosions were far enough away so that they were not caught directly in the blast.
"Something tells me that don't have much time left before the enemy comes after us again! I suggest we heads back to that clearing where the helicopter is and investigate before they come back in force." Cyclops replied with an unusually serious gaze. "Are you guys coming or not?"
Cyclops stood up from his place crouched on the ground, his costume slightly damaged from the previous bout against the enemy units. He looked around at his fellow X-Men with a tactful expression and began heading out again. The metallic mutant nodded in agreement and complied immediately, solely followed by Jean who probably would have cooperated just to prevent her boyfriend from getting himself killed, even if she had not agreed with him already. The group took a moment to take a breather as they finished disposing of the enemy units, but their unofficial leader seemed less keen to rest now that the enemy had been cleared out of the area for the moment.
While they managed to emerge from the previous incident relatively unharmed, the controller of the robots was less than impressed by their display. Hebert Landon had seen the fight through the hidden surveillance cameras scattered around the forest, and pounded the control panel with his fist out of pure frustration. His mutated face seemed utterly livid as he watched the mutants heading back towards their hidden location, a sense of outrage boiling in his stomach at the ideas of being outwitted by their kind.
"I trust that you have managed to eliminate the enemy by now?" His employer questioned in a low, impatient tone.
"This is blasphemous! Those vermin managed to escape my robots and are currently heading back towards this location as we speak." The disfigured man shook his head irritably, a small growl escaping his lips. "I have activated the defense grid, but if they manage to break through our defenses then we may be forced to address the situation for ourselves."
Madame Hydra moved in to investigate the situation for herself. "If your end of the deal falls through due to your own incompetence, I will have no reason to uphold my promise. This I can assure you." She replied condescendingly.
The Kingpin slammed his fist down aggressively, his glare intensifying. "They will not cause any further complications once we release the secret weapon."
"What secret weapon are you talking about?" Landon replied curiously.
The large crime lord pressed a button on his remote control, causing another monitor to flicker on, instantly grabbing the attention of the room's many occupants. Both the HYDRA Agents as well as his own henchmen seemed to be particularly struck by what they saw. On the screen was a large imagine of a cleverly designed spider-shaped robot. Although it looked strange, the scientist standing next to it in the picture implied that the invention was about the size of a small building. Madame Hydra looked amused by this sudden development, while Landon seemed surprised that his boss would be willing to utilize such an invention.
"Isn't that one of the old spider-slayer killing machines that you once used in an attempt to destroy Spider-man?" his assistant questioned.
The Kingpin seemed to find amusement in the situation. "Actually the originals were destroyed by that little pest, but this current model was created from the blueprints Alistair Smythe left behind. Although I doubt he intended to leave me with this parting gift upon his resignation, I believe that now may be a good time to see if it is really as powerful as the fool boasted."
The green clad woman standing behind them took a closer look at the picture on the screen. "Are you certain that this toy will be powerful enough to destroy the mutants?"
"Although it was originally made to combat Spider-man, I had Doctor Octavius incorporate some extra features to make it more versatile." The crime lord explained. "If it manages to get rid of these mutants, then we will have no trouble squashing the wall-crawler as well… for now, we test it out on these mutants!"
"Consider it done!" Landon exclaimed with a maniacal expression, making himself look quite deranged as a result.
Outside in the woods, the X-Men had finally managed to reach their destination, but the mess was far from over. As the group looked around, they could see a small wooden shack on the opposite side of clearing, and the chopper from before resting closer to their position. Gambit pounced forward and pried the door open with the end of his metal staff before giving his teammates a small look of approval. Cyclops took a closer look at the inside of the aircraft, but saw nothing suspicious as he searched through the compartments they could find.
The remaining three mutants moved further in as the two men re-emerged. Scott noticed their looks of curiosity and responded by shaking his head disappointedly, earning an exasperated sigh from the youngest member of the group. Bobby let out a groan as he imagined what would happen if the enemy had escaped them, but his thoughts on the matter shifted as the ground on which they stood began to rumble. Jean let out a small gasp as she felt the terrain move, working to maintain her balance a gigantic shadow emerged from the surrounding foliage.
"What is that thing?" she exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the rapidly growing shape.
Iceman's eyes widened in shock as a spider-shaped robot the size of a building smashed through a row of trees. The beast bore a metallic shine and dark coloring copying that of a black widow spider, a large red stripe running down its large back section. It's eight eyes shined like camera lenses as it moved into position between the X-Men and the small shack on the other side of the clearing, it's mechanical legs crunching sickeningly as it lumbered towards the team of mutants. A pair of robotic fangs protruded from the monster's face, framing its mechanical jaws.
Even the two former Acolytes seemed surprised by the appearance of the robotic giant, but the affect wore off rather quickly as the beast fired off a series of missiles from it's jaws. Cyclops detonated them prematurely with a few quick blasts from his eyes, but the veil of smoke created by the explosions created visionary complications. Bobby panicked and took to the air on his icy transport in an attempt to escape the impairment, but the monstrous arachnid charged with incredible speed for its size, forcing the other mutant to flee from the impact zone.
"Damn, this is bad!" Gambit dove to avoid the monster's laser fire as the beast began targeting them with its weapons.
The female of the team carried Cyclops into the air as they avoided the impact, but the robot turned its abdomen upwards and fired a series of web-like cords in their direction. The nets opened in midair, catching the two mutants off guard as they were ensnared by the open nets. Although Scott could have countered with his energy blasts, there was a risk of hurting his companion while trapped in such a manner. She tried to use her powers, but an electrical pulse coursed through the bindings, causing them both to writhe in pain on the ground. Their attacker prepared to crush the couple with its massive legs, but Colossus seized the gigantic monster by the leg, holding it back with all of his might.
Jean managed to remove the net with a telekinetic blast, allowing the formerly captured mutants to stand again. "Thanks!" she called.
"Run…" the metallic mutant called out as the beast bore down on him instead. His eyes widened as the cybernetic arachnid exerted more force down, but Jean pushed him away to prevent him from being crushed.
Before the robot could target them again, Bobby swooped down upon the monster and began encasing it in ice. "Hey ugly, why don't you try and pick on me instead?" Iceman shouted tauntingly as he moved in circular patterns around the enemy.
The metal behemoth turned on him as a pair of laser cannons burst from its back, raining down blasts of energy in his direction, but the young hero retaliated by freezing the offending weapons with his own abilities. The attack was rendered ineffective as the laser cannons broke free from the ice and targeted them again, but this time it mixed attacks together. A pair of homing missiles erupted from the monster's gullet as it sent laser fire in a variety of different directions. Iceman drew up a wall to delay the attacks, but he knew that it would not last long against such intense firepower.
Gambit re-entered the battle moments later. "Hey muscles, give me a boost!" he shouted to the metallic mutant.
He leapt into the air as Colossus held out his hands, allowing the former Acolyte to push him further into the air. Gambit used the push to fly above the spider robot's laser fire and onto the monster's back. The laser cannon pointed towards him, but he managed to dance around the blasts long enough to destroy both. The killer automaton began an attempt to shake him off, but the other mutants took advantage of the opening to launch their own counterattack.
Jean Grey attempted to use her own powers on the creature, but it was too large for her to completely overwhelm, forcing her to watch in vain as the others attempted to stop the monster. From the looks of things, it seemed as though Iceman's attacks proving as just as ineffective as they had before, while Scott's concentrated energy blasts failed to significantly damage the thick metal body. The explosive mutant standing on the back of the thrashing robot scattered a handful of playing cards along the surface of the robot's back as he leapt to safety, rolling to minimize injury as he hit the ground below.
The female psychic though quickly as she watched the other fight, but the idea she came up with would require cooperation from one of their new recruits. "Colossus, do you think you can handle a major impact?" she called out to her teammate.
The metallic mutant gave her a stern expression, his fists tightening as they watched the others struggling against the murderous robot. "I will do whatever it take, if it means saving our comrades." He stated with a resolute nod.
Jean returned the gesture as they came to an agreement and quickly begun to work. She placed both hands to her forehead as the other members of the team distracted the enemy, and after a few moments she levitated the muscular mutant into the air with her powers. Although the airborne man was surprised at first, he quickly caught on and took a diving stance as he faced towards the ground, cautiously placing his arms around his head as an extra precaution. The psychic woman boosted him as high as she could, but if he was nervous, the man did very little to show it.
She released him moments later, the metal mutant's fall building speed as he tumbled through the air like a living cannonball. He curled up as he fell, making certain to keep his eyes open before the impact so that he would be able to coordinate his landing to a certain degree. Seconds later his body smashed clean through the spider-slayer's body, punching a large hold through the monster's back as Colossus struck with full force. The Russian hero let out a painful gasp as his body hit the ground. His metal exterior vanished as his powers slipped but he did his best not to show the pain.
The cybernetic arachnid stumbled on its clumsy legs as its innards were crushed, the impact alone having caused a sufficient enough amount of damage to begin with. Iceman froze the creature's body in an attempt to stop it from falling on their teammate, allowing the others to move in for the rescue. Gambit dashed over and tossed the remainder of his cards into the hole that they had made. Before running he retrieved Colossus, slinging the larger man's arm over his shoulder before hobbling to safety.
As they escaped to safety, the others watched with interest as explosions burst from within the robots body, sending out spurts of smog as the mechanical monstrosity finally fell. It let out a machine-like groan as the glowing eyes flickered and became dull and lifeless. The metallic legs burst from their sockets as the circuits were friend, instantly deactivating the robot as its metal body fell to pieces. It was over…
"Oh yeah… We rule!" Bobby declared triumphantly. Although his usual manner was present, the icy mutant clutched his chest as he felt the injuries from the battle catching up with him.
Jean turned towards the Russian mutant leaning on Gambit, her expression wavering slightly as she observed his wounds. "We could never have done it without you, although I never should have resorted to putting you in danger like that. I'm really sorry about this…"
"It is fine." Colossus raised a hand in an attempt to silence her apology. "So long as you are all unharmed, I have done my job."
The man supporting him laid his companion's body against a nearby tree. "You did good, muscles…" he replied with a look of amusement. He looked towards the others with a raised eyebrow his staff pointing towards the shack several meters away. "All right then, I guess this means that we should check that suspicious-looking hovel for clues considering that the robots seemed to be trying to protect it."
"Yeah, let's looks for clues!" Iceman reiterated excitedly.
"Someone has to stay here to watch Colossus in case anything happens." Cyclops reminded him.
Before the youngest member of their team could object, Jean asserted herself. "I'll keep an eye on him, the rest of you see if you can find where the enemy is hiding."
Scott glanced between his girlfriend and their team's most irresponsible member with a critical eye, but Jean's expression spoke for itself. After a moment of consideration, he gave them a reluctant nod. "All right, maybe it's a good idea." He turned to face the others. "You guys are with me."
Bobby looked relatively cheerful with his decision, while Gambit seemed relatively indifferent in comparison. The explosive mutant raised an eyebrow as they headed towards the wooden shack as the others entered the makeshift house. It was a small one-room shack that seemed to be in a state of disrepair, filled with cobwebs and covered in a thin layer of dust, but after a minute of searching they found something that was completely out of place.
Despite the old appearance of the shack, there were several footprints on the floor leading towards the closet door, and further inspection revealed that the entry was sealed. Gambit was the first to pick up on this flaw and quickly came to the conclusion that this was no ordinary house. Placing a hand to the door revealed that it was metal, but the deal entry did little to stop him. The former thief smirked in amusement as he placed a hand on the surface of the door, immediately distancing himself from the entry as the metal blockade was blown off of its hinges. His to team members moved forward to inspect the open space, finding a large set of stair leading underground.
"Cool!" Iceman replied as they gazed into the passageway.
"Looks like you found the way in." Cyclops added in with an impressed look.
"I figured that most doorways in abandoned shacks wouldn't electronically sealed and magnetized with a high-tech lock system." The former Acolyte shrugged in response to their comments. "What we do next is your call, chief…"
Their team leader glanced down into the lighted passageway before them, silently considering their options. It seemed like a no-brainer considering that they had been attempting to find the enemy's hiding place, but after running into so many traps earlier it seemed as though they were likely to run into more trouble. After thinking for a moment Cyclops began descending the stairs, sparing the others a single glance back as he continued. "All right guys… Let's go!" he ordered them.
Although they were heading into the passage, the mutants had not take notice of ac concealed security camera watching them from the ceiling. The people in the control room had grown wary of their interference and were actively planning countermeasures. Landon typed away at his keyboard like a madman as he put the internal security grid online in an attempt to slow down the enemy from reaching the end. It was a large underground complex, but nevertheless it was still only a matter of time before the mutants managed to reach the inner sanctum.
"Those nuisances have just breeched the main entrance! To think that they actually managed to destroy the spider-slayer…" Landon warned his employer.
The Kingpin leaned forward as he caught sight of the men running through the halls of the laboratory, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Seal off the barricades except for those needed for us to access the containment unit!" he bellowed. "Dispatch all agents to secure these locations in the case that they manage to proceed."
"Consider it done…" His assistant nodded in compliance as he carried out the orders. With a few keystrokes, the disfigured scientist caused large metal gates to deal off several of the base's hallways, and activate the security grid to keep track of their progress and location.
Madame Hydra gave them an impatient look. "If those mutants find us this could mean trouble. I suggest that we finish our transaction immediately in the case that they succeed."
"Agreed…" the Wilson Fisk replied curtly, as he motioned to the guards.
His henchmen led the party of HYDRA agents into the hallways leading to where they were holding X-23, the two criminal leaders taking up the rear as they followed after the procession. A minute later they exited the hallways and entered another room, the glow from the containment field emanating from the doorway. The laboratory was exceedingly large, almost the size of a gymnasium, and filled with a number of mysterious machines and computers, many of which had been activated by Doctor Octavius for his own purposes.
As soon as the newcomers entered, the mad scientist switched off his computer with a paranoid glance, gently sliding a computer disk into his pocket in a casual manner. An unfamiliar woman garbed in green clothing moved through the doorway with graceful step, closely followed by the evil doctor's employer, both of which appeared anxious by the current situation. The Kingpin shoved both HYDRA agents and his henchmen aside as he approached the main terminal, where the scientist was waiting for him.
"I assume you have come to conclude the deal now that your pathetic machines have failed to stop the enemy." Doctor Octopus questioned with a sly expression.
"Out of my way, you fool!" Without warning, the large crime boss seized him by the throat and tossed him into the air with an effortless flare. "The invading mutants have entered this base and are currently heading in this direction." The Kingpin growled."
Otto Octavius recovered with a low growl as his mechanical arms prevented him from hitting the ground, but he was angry nonetheless. He dusted the dirt from his jumpsuit with a scowl, but this new bit of news quickly stopped him from retaliating. "I assume that you plan to dispose of them so that they do not ruin your plans."
The two mutants bound within the force field reacted in violently similar manners, both of which growled in displeasure as they caught sight of their captors. X-23 extended her claws even though she could not escape from the barrier, but the sight f the person she wanted to kill most made her blood boil, producing an unusually feral reaction from her. The green-clad woman smirked as she caught sight of her organization's experiment, her eyes alive with an arrogant sense of malice.
"I'll kill you!" the feral child screamed, her wrists straining the shackles as she attempted to free herself, but was silenced by an even more powerful blast of electricity.
Wolverine snarled in an irate manner. "So now we know what's going on. You hired lardo over there to do your dirty work." He hissed angrily, his eyes settling for a moment on the crime boss standing across the room. His expression twisted into a look of interest. "You freaks won't get away with this crap… From what you guys are saying sounds like my friends managed to find me."
The Kingpin gave them a look of indifference. "You seem rather confident that they will rescue you, Weapon X. Once Madame Hydra and I complete our little deal, you and your pathetic little friends will perish along with this laboratory."
"Neither of us has any interest in other mutants, therefore I do not care if you are all " Madame Hydra added coldly.
"You bastard…" Logan growled, his eyes narrowing with disgust as he looked at the two criminal masterminds.
Wilson Fisk deactivated the containment field with a flick of his wrist, turning it off with the push of a button. "Before freeing X-23 from her binds we must first incapacitate her." He turned to face the scientist. "Doctor Octavius, if you would administer the anesthetic, we can finally get on with this."
The mad scientist withdrew a small box from a nearby draw, popping it open to reveal a large syringe. He advanced on the girl with a sinister expression, his sickening smile deepening as he approached. "I know that you are more than powerful enough to regenerate from even the most serious wounds, but based on your anatomy I managed to make a surprise just for you."
She struggled as the multi-limbed villain approached her, but before he could administer the drug to X-23, the communications screen flickered on, revealing Herbert Landon's face. The villains gave their attention to the disfigured man, who looked panicked for some reason. "Sir, there is a mutant among he enemy's group who can detonate solid objects like bombs. Due to his presence they broke through our defenses and are rapidly approaching you location."
"How much time do we have?" The Kingpin questioned impatiently.
A second later, the door leading into the room was blown off of its hinges, revealed three mutants standing behind it. Cyclops shot a beam, immediately destroying the vial in Doctor Octopus' hand as he prepared to inoculate the girl. The room's occupants appeared awestruck by the sudden intrusion, and fired their weapons without command, but a giant wall of ice surrounded the mutants and softened the blow. The man in the front had a medium build, and wore a tattered coat over his dark outfit. His eyes flashed with malice as he brushed his hand together as if dusting off his gloves.
"Just call me, the doorman." Gambit replied with a look of amusement. "Time's up…"
The Kingpin clenched his fists tightly, his previously hidden anger emerging once more. "Kill them!" he shouted.
Madame Hydra gave the nod to her own henchmen to follow the same order, causing both sides to draw fire a constant barrage of bullets towards the X-Men. Iceman raised a wall and targeted the ground as well, causing the enemy to slip as they attempted to advance. Cyclops used Bobby's more flashy attacks as a distraction as he fired off his own blasts with machine-like precision, instantly shattering the binds that held Wolverine and X-23 by simultaneously utilizing just the right amount of power and control.
"It's time for some payback…" Logan shouted, releasing his claws with an angry hiss.
"No!" the Hydra Supreme shouted as she saw the two feral mutants break free, her eyes widening in fear.
Gambit kicked one of the HYDRA agents in the head, using his staff to knock out another one as they began closing in around him. A few guards prepared to fire their weapons, but were quickly disarmed by Cyclops and Iceman, the latter of which froze their hands with his powers. As the three arriving X-Men took on the guards, X-23 pounced forward towards her former master with her claws outstretched, but her arms and legs were seized from behind by a pair of mechanical limbs before she could complete the kill, the arm pulling her away from the green-clad woman with a rough pull.
Octavius appeared positively livid, his face contorted with rage behind his dark glasses. "You will pay for what you did the last time. It is only a pity that my employer requires you to stay alive."
"Don't think so, bub!" Wolverine sliced through the two arms that we holding the girl, repelling his opponent and freeing the girl in one move.
X-23 tumbled across the floor before moving into an upright position with a graceful flip, using her superior athletics to outmaneuver a squadron of the Kingpin's guards who had begun to fire their pistols at her. She slashed one across the back with her claws, slitting one of the guards across the chest as he came at her from the side. One of them tried to grab her from behind, but the Weapon X clone seized him by the arm and hurled him into the line of fire, using his body as a shield as more bullets came at her.
Several meters away, Gambit was making an attempt to stop the two villainous leaders from escaping the fray. Raising his staff he attempted to strike the green-clad woman, but she was ready for him. Madame Hydra unsheathed a dagger she had hidden in her coat and parried his strike, following up her first move by kicking the mutant squarely in the chest. The newest member of the X-Men did a double take, as he had not expected this woman to be so formidable an adversary, but at least now he knew not to underestimate her.
"How dare you strike me!" the Hydra commander replied venomously as she sheathed her blade, instead drawing a pistol from her belt.
"Looks like you're in a bad mood, Madame." Gambit mused to himself. "Hopefully you're a better sniper than you are a swordsman."
The angered woman said nothing as she fired several rounds, prompting him to leap behind a computer terminal for cover. The explosive mutant cringed slightly as he clutched his side, feeling where the bullet had grazed him. He was usually known for being pretty agile, but the fact that this women had actually been good enough to do that much, told him that she was no amateur when it came time to armed combat. Gambit dove to safety as he narrowly avoided a second round, his eyes narrowing craftily as he devised a plan to get in some hits of his own.
Cyclops blasted Doctor Octavius with his eye beam, but the scientist's remaining arms seized hold of a light on the lab's ceiling, pulling him out of range with a well-placed tug. The robotic arms retracted as he swung through the air, catching him seconds later as he touched down on the ground. Wolverine came in from the back, but one of the arms seized him by the throat and tossed him into a nearby wall. "Do not think I would fall for the same trick." The mad scientist replied menacingly as he watched his enemies.
Across the room the guards were firing their weapons at Iceman, who continued using similar methods to what he had done before. The young hero encased their feet in a sheet of ice to limit the enemy's movements and then froze their hand with a few blasts. Once they were mostly immobilized, Bobby touched down and flicked his thumbs up in a victory pose a few feet away from his frozen attackers.
"C'mon, gimme somebody!" Iceman declared confidently.
The Kingpin, who had remained out of the fight so far, stomped forward aggressively at the boy's boisterous challenge. "Pathetic little urchin! You may have dealt with my men, but are you powerful enough to deal with me as well?"
Bobby slid past the man on a sheet of ice with a jeering expression. "In that case what do I have to do, beat you at an eating contest?"
The icy mutant froze the much large man up to the knees and laughed victoriously. He turned around and began to head back towards the fray, but a large cracking sound caught his attention as the crime lord effortless shattered his binds. Unable to react quickly enough Bobby was seized from behind by a pair of arms, which immediately began to suffocate him in a violent bear hug. The laughter died from his face as he attempted to activate his mutant powers, but the shock of being captured and the lack of air in his lungs made him unable to focus properly. He gasped in pain as he watched his companions, all of them seemingly too busy to help out.
"Despite my physical appearance, only two percent of my total body mass is actually fat. You can probably guess that most of the rest is muscle." The Kingpin explained with an evil smile. "Allow me to show you what over three hundred pounds of raw muscle can do when applied directly to something as frail as the human skeleton."
Iceman screamed in agony as he felt his ribs cracking, but at the last moment he managed to muster up just enough energy to coat the ground beneath them in a thing sheet of ice. The crime boss was unaware of the sneak attack and slipped on the ground, sending his victim flying into the air. The young hero let out a groan as his head smashed against the steel-plated wall, he struggled to stand but his vision was blurred by the trauma, forcing him into an unconscious state only moments later.
Cyclops looked shocked by the outcome. "Oh no, Bobby!" he called out to the unconscious mutant.
"Damn, that bastard just got the ice-twerp." Logan hissed with a sense of outrage.
Doctor Octopus cast him a pitiless expression, as he lunged at the clawed mutant a second time, forcing the latter to dodge the strike. "If I were you, I would be more worried about myself." He replied condescendingly.
Wolverine snarled like a predator on the hunt. "Keep talking like that and I'll personally see to it that this ends as painfully as possible."
"For you perhaps…" the mad scientist replied with an arrogant smirk.
The mechanical-limbed villain struck again, but Wolverine judged his timing and sliced through the remaining arms with his adamantine claws. He charged forward and attempted to impale the evil doctor, but Otto Octavius rolled sideways to avoid instant death, getting to his feet and scrambling away from his enemy with a frightened expression. Cyclops turned to find the man who had just defeated Iceman, but amidst the excitement the Kingpin hammered him from behind with a barehanded punch, slamming the mutant face first onto the ground. Across the room X-23 was pursuing her former master, aiming precise cuts and slashes as the woman fled from her like frightened dog.
"I plan on finishing what I couldn't before." The girl shouted as she swiped at the woman.
Madame Hydra cast her a loathing expression as she looked up at the girl. "What do you plan to do even if you kill me? Do you believe that there is any place for you to belong? You were created to be a weapon for my organization, nothing more than that! What could a creature made for killing possibly do when it is clear that that have no greater purpose?"
"Shut up!" X-23 brought her claws down, only to meet thin air as the woman scrambled away yet again.
One of the remaining HYDRA agents helped his master to her feet and turned to face the volatile mutant, forcing her to deal with him. The green-clad woman stood with her back against the wall as the mutants dealt with the remaining underlings, knocking them out cold or simply disarming them as they fought. Many dropped their weapons and attempted to flee the room as they were outmatched, the others who chose to stay behind and resist were quickly beaten. The Kingpin took a step backwards as Cyclops recovered and fired a blast of energy at him, the attack missing his shoulder by an inch.
"Perhaps now we should take our leave." The large crime lord suggested.
Madame Hydra nodded in agreement as her benefactor pressed a button on the nearby wall, instantly filling the room with a dark smokescreen which not only disabled the sense of sight, but also prevented the two Weapon X mutants from detecting their scents as they fled. The Kingpin pressed a second button on his remote, causing a metal panel on the wall to slide open, revealing a secret passage leading out of the base. They fled through the tunnel, ignoring the people that they left behind.
They eventually came to a room with an emergency escape vehicle situated in the center, Herbert Landon already sitting in the cockpit waiting for them to arrive. The two criminal leaders entered the craft as the ground in front of the base opened up, allowing them to make their escape. The disfigured man started the chopper and they took to the skies easily moving out of distance, as the ground below them seemed to shrink by the second. Once they had reached a certain altitude, the crime lord signaled his pilot to stop rising and pressing the button on his remote.
"What are you doing?" The green-clad woman sitting beside him questioned.
"I plan on destroying that underground base along with everyone in it…" He explained. "In a matter of minutes that entire lab will be nothing but rubble, buried underground for the rest of time along with everyone in it."
Madame Hydra looked as though she had just been slapped as she heard his "You fool, that will also destroy X-23 in the process… I care not for the others, but we had a deal that you would deliver my experiment to me alive!"
Meanwhile
In the underground base, a robotic voice has sounded. "Evacuate all personal… SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE WILL TERMINATE IN 60 SECONDS!" the intercom relayed the message, all sirens blazing loudly as to catch the attention of the base's inhabitants.
Doctor Octavius stepped forward angrily, catching the attention of the remaining guards. "You fools, if we do not leave now we are going to die!" the scientist broke into a run as he swept through the door, moving unusually fast even though he no longer had his mechanical arms.
The mutants also head his warning and quickly made their escape. Cyclops supported Iceman's unconscious form as he draped the young mutant over his back in an attempt to bring him to safety. X-23 bolted from the scene, closely followed by Gambit and Wolverine as they ran from the base. Several guards occupied the halls, but they were too busy saving themselves to bother intercepting the mutants and continued to go about their business. The explosive mutant led the way, considering that the two Weapon X mutants were unconscious when they had first been dragged down here and likewise had not seen the entire base.
Seconds later the group ascended the stairs and burst through the entry, exiting the shack as a series of explosions erupted from below. Wolverine saw the stocky shape of Doctor Octopus fleeing into the surrounding woods, but he paid him no mind, as they were much to busy attempting to escape the area as well. The team bolted for the woods as the explosions erupted from the ground like miniature volcanoes, the terrain rumbling violently as they were prompted to move as far away from the clearing as possible.
Far above their heads, the Kingpin was finishing his own deal. The large man seized his benefactor by the throat before she could so much as ready her weapons, eliciting a choking noise from the green-clad woman. Herbert Landon watched in amusement as his boss threatened the woman, but chose not to say anything in response and continued monitoring the aircraft.
"This is a new deal!" the crime lord bellowed, giving her limp form an aggressive shake. "You will tell me that which you promised or I shall personally see to it that you do not survive this experience. I did capture the girl, therefore you will compensate me for my work or I will break your neck."
"You…will… regret this." Madame Hydra choked through labored breaths.
The Kingpin only smiled in amusement. "On the contrary, my dear. I will regret nothing, and you will tell me everything, even if I must personally put an end to your miserable existence with my own hands."
"Release me!" she replied, her face turning paler than usual as his fingers closed around her windpipe.
"If that is what you desire…" Wilson Fisk replied with a look of amusement.
To her surprise, the man holding moved his hand so that he was grasping the front of her shirt, but the situation did not get any better from there. The Kingpin thrust open the door of the helicopter, bracing himself against the winds as he held her over the threshold with an irate expression, her face paling even more as she looked towards the ground hundreds of feet below them.
"I will ask you once more… Where can I find the formula for the super soldier project, and how can I obtain the equipment necessary." He shouted at her over the rush of the wind.
Although she would normally have avoided this option, a look towards the ground prompted her to cooperate. "The files… … I have them in my pocket." She replied cautiously. "The blueprints for the machinery are contained within, but the formula is not."
He gave her an angry shake. "You told me you knew of someone who might have used the formula on themselves. Tell me who this person is and where I may find them!"
"There was a case over a year ago when a mutant managed to get his hands on the equipment and the formula… He has been known by some as Erik Lehnsher, but most of the criminal underworld knows him as Magneto…"
"A name tells me very little, but if the files truly are on this drive then I will have your operatives to thank." The Kingpin pulled a small flash drive from her pocket and placed it in his own. "I am usually a man of my word, but do not believe for a second that I actually thought you would cooperate under normal circumstances."
"You would correct to assume that I was hoping t avoid giving you information that my organization worked so to obtain, but it seems that you have forced me to cooperate." She cast him a look of utter hatred.
Wilson Fisk's expression seemed to emulate hers as he tightened his grip around her throat. "From the first moment that you contacted me I knew that you would attempt to renege on the deal, so allow me to return the favor!"
The green clad woman screamed as he threw her out of the helicopter, closing the door with a loud slam as he watched her fall. The Kingpin looked completely indifferent to her plight as he sat back down on the seat, signaling Landon to vacate the vicinity. The deformed man nodded in agreement and set a course for the city, neither of them bothering to care about what happened to the others now that their business was concluded…
Note to Readers: Talk about there being no honor among thieves. Sorry for any errors, but I write late at night a lot of the time. I was also rather busy this week, meaning that I was trying to hurry to get this chapter out when I could get a chance to sit down and write. I worked really hard on his particularly long chapter, so please give me some support. I could really use some reviews after the last couple of chapters hardly yielded any at all. I like hearing constructive criticism and also about parts that readers may have liked, because it gives me an idea of how I'm doing with my story.
For a while I'll probably focus more on the X-Men and Magneto in the next few chapters, but don't worry about me forgetting about everyone else. You haven't seen the last of the Kingpin, Spider-man, or even HYDRA… Also expect to see more Marvel Characters coming into the story. I have some ideas, but if you guys do then feel free to share. I always welcome contribution and ideas of what people might like to see.