Chapter 27: Concerns and Contracts
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters or logos.
Charles Xavier sat in his wheelchair in the master living room with his morning newspaper, a cup of coffee resting in his hand as he alternated between reading and taking sips of his drink. The large red curtains were parted, allowing the light to pour in through the large decorative windows, the sun rising over the hills in the distance at this early hour. It was a large comfortable room filled with plush sofas and decorative tables and a large fireplace, a grand piano in the far corner emphasizing a sense of class and sophistication. Today he was using this room for a meeting with his team of X-Men.
They had just come back not long ago, Scott and Jean arriving the previous night while Logan had returned only a few hours ago. After their ordeals, the group was understandably exhausted to varying degrees. Naturally the professor had allowed them all time to rest before reporting their findings, scheduling a location and time when the group could gather together. Since Storm and Beast had been teaching classes the previous day, he decided it was best to wait until Wolverine returned so that they would all be together to hear whatever findings his X-Men had brought back from the field.
He had scheduled this early meeting in his private chambers, only inviting those who had been allowed to join the active roster, the core group mostly consisting of his most trusted students and all staff members. Professor Xavier knew that the other students would probably be asleep at this hour, and very few of them would simply barge into his personal chambers without warning. Kitty, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and Rogue were dressed in their pajamas, the first three looking as if they had just rolled out of bed, while the latter had at least combed her hair. The others were dressed casually, except X-23 who had exchanged her assassin garb for a basic X-Men uniform.
Realizing that everyone was present, the telepath addressed the small crowd. "Now then, I am fairly certain you all know why I called this meeting?"
"Ugh! It's five in the morning." Kitty Pryde mumbled groggily, her eyes drooping slightly.
Kurt let out a long yawn. "The alarm clock said it vas time to get up, but my eyes keep saying it's time to go back to bed."
The professor folded his hands patiently, quietly remembering the simple days of his own youth with a chuckle. "I feel it imperative that we first discuss recent events, especially after our returning team urged me to listen. Although I bid them to rest beforehand, it is also important that we while the information is still fresh in their minds."
"Can't it wait till morning?" Bobby groaned from his place on the couch, subconsciously using his teammates as a pillow.
"Dude… Ever heard of personal space?" Kurt pushed the icy mutant off of his shoulder.
Iceman fell into the female mutant to his right, who phased through him with her powers, creating a rather awkward situation as he realized his head was sticking out of her stomach. "I'm up! I'm up!" he bolted upright and shook his head like a dog that had just returned from a walk in the rain.
"Bout time he woke up." Rogue fumed with a sour expression, her cheek resting on her hand as she leaned away from the others. Her eyes moved towards the telepath, who looked slightly entertained by this display, so she decided to address herself to him. "So professor, what exactly did you need to tell us?"
Professor Xavier shook his head lightly. "The concern is not what I wish to tell you, but rather what your teammates have been able to learn from their recent missions."
Scott sat beside his girlfriend on the loveseat, exchanging glances with her before addressing their superior. "I take it you want us to explain anything that might help you figure out what Magneto is up to?"
"I would be very grateful if you would volunteer." The crippled psychic replied with a shadow of a smile, his gaze moving away from them for a moment. "Of course if Logan would prefer to tell his story first, that wouldn't be a problem either."
The assembled mutant looked towards the feral hero leaning against the door, earning a small snarl from him. "I was never the best at parroting back specific information." He added with a tiny shrug of his shoulders. "Since we ended up joining forces in New York, I think it would be a better idea if you let Scott and Jean tell their story first. It'll save me some time explaining small details later."
"Fair enough…" the professor gave him a small nod before shifting his gaze to the others. When no one came forward, he made a gesture to the younger X-Men. "Perhaps the two of you can help shed some light on what happened in the field. If either of you have anything particularly important to report, please share it with the rest of us."
A silence fell as the room's occupants all seemed to focus on the mutant couple sitting on the loveseat near the window. When neither of them was quick to reply, Jean gently elbowed her boyfriend in the side so that no one could see, prompting him to stand up and take charge of the gathering. Many of their companions looked anxious to hear what he was going to say, Colossus shifted uneasily in response to the silence, while Wolverine simply closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. His female clone had subconsciously copied his pose, earning a small laugh from Iceman who had spared them a glance.
Logan's left eye cracked open in a flutter, looking like a bear that had just been woken up during hibernation. "What's so funny, ice-twerp?"
"Nah, it's nothing…" Bobby added with a slightly nervous chuckle. Turning his back to the others like a child who trying to look innocent, he addressed the two mutants positioned across from him. "So, guys! You were about to say something important?"
Cyclops stood up and cleared his throat to draw the group's attention back onto himself. "During our little vacation, Jean and I ran into some really strange situations. I'm not even sure if everything we discovered was relevant to Magneto, but the longer we stayed in Manhattan, the more complicated it got." He scratched the back of his head pensively for a moment. "Ugh… Now that I think about it, it's really a lot to sort out in one sitting."
"That's quite all right, considering that we were not entirely unaware of your activities." The Professor laced his fingers together calmly.
"What do you mean?" Jean piped up suddenly, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Beast placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked back to his own chair, having stood up to retrieve a newspaper from the stand behind the sofa. He gave the younger mutant a fatherly expression before forcing it into her hands. "You'll find that the press coverage in that city is a bit more interesting than what we usually see around here."
"We were quite surprised to see that you were getting so much publicity." Storm rested her hand against her head in an exasperated manner.
Everyone watched as the female psychic unfolded yesterday's issue of the Daily Bugle, her fingers trembling slightly as she saw pictures of herself, Scott, and Warren on the front page. Although the photographs were rather small in comparison to the large image of Spider-Man covering the top half of the newspaper, all four heroes were depicted in exciting poses as if someone had shot them during a professional session. Whoever had taken the pictures had done an excellent job, although how a photographer could have gotten that close during a fight piqued her interest.
She held up the article to show the others, earning a number of different reactions from those who hadn't seen it yet. The younger X-Men looked noticeably shocked by this sudden revelation while most o the adults seemed to have already seen the article beforehand. Colossus leaned forward slightly to get a better look, and Logan had been too tired previous night to stand, let alone read a newspaper. Surprisingly enough, X-23 broke away from her normally distant demeanor and openly scowled disapprovingly when she saw the faces of her new teammates on the front page.
"It's disgraceful to allow someone to capture you on film, especially considering that you were both pursuing an enemy at the time." She commented with cold expression.
Although he did not respond to the insult, Cyclops glanced over at his girlfriend with a puzzled expression. "I honestly don't remember seeing anyone with a camera around when we were fighting those creeps in New York."
She reciprocated his confused gesture. "We were also in a photograph on the front page the day after we fought the Rhino, although it bothered me a little bit back then too. I was seriously under the impression that everyone was too busy running from those super-powered monsters to turn around and snap a picture."
Kurt looked on anxiously, his yellow eyes taking in the aforementioned pictures. "Well, think of the bright side…" he scratched his head with an awkward expression. "At least whoever took these pictures got your good side."
"Lemme see that!" Rogue snatched the paper away from the redheaded psychic, looking at the photos of her friends before shifting her attention the larger picture above them. She held up the paper to the others, gesturing to the web slinger. "I know this probably doesn't relate, but would ya'll explain to me who that creepazoid in the mask is?"
Scott exchanged and awkward expression with the female psychic before answering, the stares they were receiving making it harder to find the words. "We're actually not sure about that, but either way it's a little complicated to explain…" he began, subconsciously running a hand through his hair.
The female psychic shrugged. "We don't know who he is, but the guy told us his name was Spider-Man? At the very least, I think it's safe to say that he's not a mutant, but at the same time he seems to possess abilities far beyond those of the average human, and even some mutants."
"Don't beat around the bush. That masked weirdo we ran into is nothing more than a whacked out vigilante!" Wolverine interjected bluntly, his posture straightening as he unfolded his arms. "From what I heard, that insane asylum is filled with costumed crime-fighters and psychotic super villains."
Beast removed his glasses in a scholarly manner. "While I do not wish to be rude, I would like to ask if this is relevant to the current situation?"
"More than you know…" Cyclops added cryptically, earning nodes from his two teammates.
"Would you care to explain?" Storm added in quickly, her curious sentiment shared by the majority of the group.
While the others looked as though they were bursting with their own questions, Professor Xavier nodded compliantly in response to the previous assertion. He raised a hand to silence the group's murmuring before gesturing kindly to the mutant couple. "Perhaps you should tell us everything you can about your recent experiences."
Scott Summers twiddled his thumbs nervously. "After everything that happened to us, I honestly wouldn't know how to explain it properly."
The bald telepath folded his hands in his lap, quietly glancing at the rising sun. "The day is still young, and we have all the time in the world to listen to your explanation. To do this tale justice and alleviate confusion, might I suggest that you start from the beginning?"
"I guess that would probably be the best way to approach this situation." Jean seemed to agree.
"So just tell us already!" Bobby called out, having fully woken up from his previous stupor.
Scott hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath before beginning. "I guess it all started when Jean and I were first stationed in New York to investigate Magneto's recent activities."
"It was supposed to be an information gathering mission, but when we saw how dangerous some of the local criminals really were, we ended up fighting them to save innocent lives." She folded her arms and sat back in an attempt to relax. "Using our powers in public felt like the only option when those super-powered monsters endangered public safety."
Her boyfriend's gaze settled on their handicapped leader before he spoke again. "We did what we thought was right… The same thing you taught us to do, professor."
The female psychic affirmed this with a nod in his direction. "We might have become more involved in Manhattan than necessary, but in the process our team made some interesting discoveries that might have been overlooked otherwise."
"You need not apologize for protecting the innocent, because I will never fault my X-Men for acting in the interest of human life" The old telepath replied, his face glowing with a sense of pride for their morality. This expression disappeared quickly as he acknowledged the second half of her statement. "On the other hand, I am interested to hear exactly how the two of you became involved in unrelated affairs, and what bearing it has on the mission's objective."
Cyclops paused briefly to consider his questions before answering. "It really started when we went to Angel for help. During our visit to his loft, we explained our mission to him and he agreed to help us. Believe it or not, he'd been keeping records of the city's criminals and was already aware of Magneto's activities due to a photograph in the newspaper."
Jean Grey leaned forward, placing her hands in her lap. "Although it wasn't entirely relevant to our case, we were both curious about the man who kidnapped Logan and X-23, and attempted to sell her to HYDRA. We gave Warren a general description of this criminal along with anything else we could remember in the hopes that he could answer the question." She frowned as the memory came to her. "As it turned out, the enemy we faced was actually the most powerful crime lord in New York."
"Ah yes… You explained something to this affect when we spoke on the phone." The professor made the connection rather quickly. "I briefly addressed this issue to the others during a meeting we had in your absence, but it would probably be a better idea if you filled in the blanks. As of now, I am more interested to hear how this relates to the current mission."
Scott brought his hands to rest on his knees and relaxed his shoulders. "Angel helped us search for clues that might explain Magneto's crimes, but during our investigations we felt obligated to help him fight crime."
A shadow of a smile graced Rogue's pale features as she remembered the day she met the winged mutant a Christmas ago. "Ya'll gotta admit that he's got some serious guts, risking his neck to save people who don't even like mutants. I don't reckon anything could keep him from helping people… It's just like when me and Scott first met him in New York last year."
"Not to mention he was pretty cute for a guy with wings." Shadowcat interjected as she remembered his appearance at the institute earlier this year.
Iceman let out a small chuckle. "That would definitely explain why you were spying on him."
The intangible mutant raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Sheesh, do you always have to commentate? If I remember correctly, a certain someone was also sneaking around in that same hallway, poking their nose into other people's business."
"I'll have you know the team never would've made it through that mission without me!" Bobby stuck his tongue out at her, pulling his eyelid down in a childish manner. "Nyah!"
Charles Xavier ignored their childish comments and shifted around so that he was facing his two older students. "Now then, shall we all get back to the main discussion?"
"Sure thing, professor!" Cyclops answered, taking a second to bring his previous train of thought back to the surface. He waited again for the mixed conversations to die down before turning to the girl sitting beside him. "Since I was telling the story before, maybe it would be better if you continued it from here?"
"If you insist." The female psychic responded with an impatient sigh, instinctively tousling her hair. She took another long breath and let it out before addressing the rest of the assembled mutants. "Anyway, we couldn't just sit by and let him fight by himself, so whenever Angel fought the bad guys, the two of us went with him. Truthfully speaking, we didn't find anything particularly useful concerning our own mission, but while helping Warren, all three of us accidentally stumbled headfirst into a gang war between the local crime lords and their super-powered mercenaries."
Her boyfriend calmly folded his hands on his lap and resumed the story. "Around his time, we all teamed up with that Spider-Man guy to stop that army of supervillains from turning downtown Manhattan into an oversized parking lot. There was too much going on in the city for us to stop, but we decided to help Angel take down the people behind it. Around this time, Logan called us up, saying that he was in the city and needed some help."
The group's attention shifted to the feral mutant leaning against the door, who despite having his eyes closed, seemed to sense their expectant stares. He unfolded his arms and relaxed his shoulders, silently going over the information he was bound to share from this point onwards. He figured that Nick Fury wouldn't much care if he told them about the mission he had done for SHIELD, although even if it did make a difference, Logan wasn't particularly concerned right now. Realizing the possible importance of his own knowledge, he sat up a little straighter and decided to throw it onto the table and see what the others made of it.
Wolverine ignored the growl in his throat and began to speak. "Thanks to Nick Fury and the folks at SHIELD, I also ended up in the middle of this gang war against my will."
"You're not exactly the best man when it comes time to subtlety and restraint. It sounds like the government must be getting desperate to send you in!" Iceman added.
Rogue released out a moan that sounded more like a cough. "This from the guy that stows away in luggage wracks and runs headfirst into a fight without even thinking."
"Actually, I do believe he has a point in wondering why they would send him to begin." Hank McCoy glanced over at their disabled leader before addressing the former Weapon X. "I'm well aware that you were drafted to complete a mission for the government, but did they actually position you in Manhattan with the intent that you would participate in the ongoing gang war? If so, then why you specifically?"
"There were two reasons why it had to be me, the first of which was because they needed someone to track down an illusive master criminal." the clawed mutant began. "It was a guy called the Chameleon, and he was running loose in New York after escaping custody. He had the ability to change his appearance using a hologram projector contained in his belt buckle."
Nightcrawler groaned like he had a stomach ache. "Well, it's not like you lacked experience tracking down a shapeshifter." The furry mutant exchanged glances with his adoptive sister, who quickly turned away rather than dignify the statement. "I'm sure it was easier than hunting our dear mother."
"Pretty much…" Logan answered before returning his focus to the previous sentiment. "The second reason I was picked for this mission is because their newest agent was also assigned the same mission, and he happened to be a very old friend of mine."
"I do not mean to be rude, but it is very rare that you speak of old friends." Storm ran a finger through her ivory locks, gently pushing the stray hairs away from her eyes. "Who exactly was this person you speak of?"
He exhaled deeply as if tired to answering this question, considering how much disbelief that his answer kept receiving. Scott noticed the feral mutant's annoyance and decided to push the issue. "Believe it or not, Logan's partner on this mission was none other than Captain America."
The group exchanged odd looks as they heard this last part, although this reaction didn't surprise Wolverine at all seeing how the legendary hero was supposed to be dead. Ironically enough, the only person that didn't hassle him too much had been Magneto, although whether of not the magnetic mutant had believed the answer was questionable. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't exactly happy waking up in the custody of his enemies after allowing himself to be captured by humans. Naturally he had quickly departed the scene to avoid unnecessary complications.
"I mean no offense, but the super soldier was supposedly killed during World War II." Beast replied in a scholarly manner.
"Just wait a minute... Didn't you mention Captain America that time we tried to stop Magneto from using the rebirthing chamber?" Rogue added in with puzzled frown. "You said that the super soldier formula slowly killed the user over long periods of time, meaning that he couldn't be alive now."
Kurt pointed one of his three fingers at the clawed mutant. "Come to think of it, I also remember you saying that. Would it be safe to guess that you were lying back then?"
The former Weapon X glanced around the room, feeling the mingled sense of scrutiny and curiosity from his teammates piling onto him like a ton of bricks. "All right, I get it…" He cracked his knuckles like a man preparing for a fight.
"So, care to tell us what's really going on?" Iceman leaned forward slightly in anticipation.
He scowled instinctively before relaxing enough to resume the explanation. "What I told you guys was basically true, seeing how the super soldier formula they used on Steve Rogers was eventually fatal to humans. Having fought alongside the captain during the war, I realized that there was something screwy going on when he started collapsing without explanation. We both learned the trust about Project Rebirth, but before he could die, the United States government put his body in the deep freeze so they could study it."
Storm inclined her head in thought. "Even if the ailment did not kill him, surely he could not have survived in such a state."
"Scientifically speaking, a human cannot remain alive for very long after being cryogenically frozen." Beast stared into his lap for a moment before looking back to his colleagues for an answer. "Even if they had thawed out his body several years later, it is not possible that he would have survived for such an extended period."
Wolverine dismissed the statement further by ignoring the murmurs of agreement the bestial mutant had received from some of their students. "Don't forget that the captain was infused with Reinstien's super soldier formula, meaning that he wasn't an ordinary human. His abilities were easily on par with the average mutant."
Hank McCoy stroked his fur-covered chin in thought. "Taking that into account, it does make more sense that he would survive. Although due to the lack of information available, I doubt anyone truly knows all of the benefits granted by Project Rebirth."
"I'd say that he went through more suffering than benefits." The clawed mutant replied with a sense of bitterness, his old friend's plight reminding him of his own burdens. He saw a blur of red, but quickly pushed these thoughts from his mind to stop it. "Either way, Nick Fury told me that SHIELD scientists managed to cure the side-affects of the formula, and used it on Rogers."
"Sounds like your friend finally got his life back." Kitty smiled cheerfully. "It must've been nice for him to wake up and see the world he worked so hard to protect."
"You might think so, but from the moment I met him, I could tell something was bugging him." Logan grit his teeth slightly as he remembered the pain he felt towards his own lost time. "Just sit back and imagine waking up after sixty years to a world you don't recognize, and then finding out that everyone you knew was gone."
The room fell silent as almost everyone in the group considered the prospect. A sense of dread filled the room as the X-Men cam to understand, but the girl standing beside Logan was less than concerned. X-23 remained indifferent even after taking the time to think it over, considering that she had no real family or friends, and silently admitted that there were times she wished that the pain would all go away. People were defined by their personality and relationships, both of which could never be taken away without disastrous results. She had been bred to have neither her entire life, and thus had trouble relating.
Professor Xavier noted the feral child's reaction, although he decided to address her male counterpart instead. "Now that you've explained the circumstances, would you care to tell us what happened next?"
He disliked rehashing the past, but decided to get the storytelling portion of his report out of the way. "Anyway, like I was trying to say, Steve Rogers joined SHIELD because he had no place else to go. Nick Fury promised me that he would call if the captain ever recovered, so he paired us together on this mission and dropped us somewhere in Brooklyn."
The bald telepath replied with an understanding expression. "I imagine that you must be the only friend that Captain America has after all these years."
"Yeah, that about sums it up…" Logan answered solemnly, his mind replaying the faces of every friend he had lost during the war in a maddening slideshow. Although his memories after this point were fuzzy, he would never forget the brave men who fought alongside him.
"You all right, Logan?" Rogue asked with a note of concern, her face displaying a much softer expression than usual.
The feral mutant glanced at his comrades, his face tightening as he attempted to cover up his brief moment of vulnerability. He displayed a tough exterior, although those who knew him best realized that the topic struck a nerve, because he rarely reacted with such sentimentality. Due to his painful past and hardened exterior, he was a very solid individual, unshakable as a mountain, and fearless as an enraged predator. To see him shaken in any manner whatsoever was extremely rare, especially since Logan usually hid this side of his personality from all but himself.
Rather than address the issue, he decided to ignore it for now and returned to his report as if he hadn't deviated from the main topic at all. "Anyways…" he shook his head to clear away the previous train of thoughts. "It took several hours before I picked up the scent, but the folks at SHIELD hadn't warned us about the suspect's current employment."
"I'm guessing that you ran into some complications?" Beast replied with a knowing expression.
"You don't know the half of it… The suspect was working for the big crime boss, and when we found him, he was involved in the gang war." Wolverine used his fingers to rub away the pain on the sides of his head. "The captain and me fought our way out of it, but between the killer robots and super-powered thugs, the Chameleon was long gone by the time we were able to escape."
The Professor raised an eyebrow. "It sounds as though this did not go as smoothly as one would prefer. Still, you say that Nick Fury had no idea that the enemy would have powerful allies?"
"From what he told us later on, there was a power balance in New York that the crime lords had maintained for years. Nick Fury knew he was involved, but didn't think that we would run into a full-fledged war." Logan let out a small growl, his irritation beginning to surface. "We learned how bad things really were when that Spider-Man creep helped us take down the bad guys, and then explained what was really going on."
"It sounds like you had no choice but to involve yourselves in this war." Charles responded with an understanding expression, his eyes moving towards the couple sitting across from him. "Still, it leads me to wonder exactly how you all came together in Manhattan."
The Weapon X mutant grunted before answering. "I asked the spider guy some questions and found out that Magneto was still around. He said helmet-head was captured by the Kingpin's cronies while trying to rob another museum. Once we made the connection, I figured it would be a better idea to get some help from Scott and Jean."
Hank McCoy looked interested by this sudden revelation. "That is certainly intriguing, but the article in the Daily Bugle mentioned that your combined teams joined forces with Spider-Man to attack Crime Central."
After a brief exchange between the couple, it was Scott who answered. "Jean and I helped the local heroes stop the chaos in the streets, but Angel approached Spider-Man and proposed we plan some kind of attack on the Kingpin's lair in order to end the gang war. Logan's team joined up around this time, and we arranged a meeting with Spider-Man in one of Warren's laboratories."
"Wow, you guys got guts!" Iceman replied excitedly, giving his fellow mutants two thumbs up.
Charles Xavier looked much less impressed, although not entirely displeased. "He is not entirely mistaken, but I would like to hear more about your individual findings."
Silence fell for a second, although it was quickly broken by Jean. "Before we joined together and attacked the enemy's base, Spider-Man told us about his two encounters with Magneto, both of which involved the latter trying to steal some type of artifacts. During the ensuing fight, I was badly injured, but Angel took me to safety while the others finished the job."
"What were the rest of you doing at this time?" Beast questioned the two male mutants.
Cyclops straightened his ruby-quartz glasses anxiously. "I helped Spider-Man and the others deal with the main threat, but when his allies were defeated, the Kingpin cut his losses and made a run for it before we could stop him."
"The Captain and I were chasing after the Chameleon, but at this point he'd cornered himself in the laboratory on the top floor of the building. His stupid hologram belt didn't stop me from catching his scent, so it wasn't long before we caught him." Wolverine added with a sense of satisfaction. "We also made a nasty discovery in the lab."
"C'mon, don't just leave us in suspense… Tell us!" Shadowcat urged him.
Logan exhaled slowly as he put the images in his mind into words. "As it turned out, those freaks were doing some kind of experiment on Magneto."
Storm's eyes widened in noticeable shock. "Surely you can't be serious? He's not dead, is he?"
"Unfortunately for us, it'd take a lot more than that to kill him." The feral mutant replied with a grudging respect. "I found helmet-head preserved like a dissected in a tube of green jelly like some kind of guinea pig, although he seemed find afterwards. Once we freed him, the old man literally tore the roof open and took off.
The adult members shifted uneasily, while the younger mutants were less reserved. Kitty made a sharp intake of breath, Bobby fell against the back of the couch, X-23 hissed like a feral cat, and even Rogue turned her head away in disgust. The X-Men who were present at the time of this discovery stayed silent, although this news was more disturbing for those who hadn't seen it for themselves. The professor seemed to be as anxious as he was disgusted. The idea of a human being treated like a lab animal deeply bothered him, although this new piece of information had raised more questions than answers.
Charles Xavier took charge of the conversation, effectively breaking the awkward calm. "I shudder to imagine what they were doing, but it seems strange that they would have been able to capture a mutant as powerful as Erik." He turned back to face the trio that had been stationed in New York. "Do any of you think there was a reason for this kidnapping?"
The former Weapon X responded with a small shrug. "You're asking the wrong guy…"
"Spider-Man did mention that the Kingpin's men ambushed him at the museum." Cyclops added in helpfully. "I think it's possible that they might've had a reason for grabbing him, although right now we don't have any clues that might explain why?"
Wolverine looked up as though he had just remembered something important. "Come to think of it, that crap inside Magneto's pod was probably made to kill mutants. It burned like a bastard when I touched it, and for a few minutes my powers wouldn't work. I can only imagine what it was like swimming in the stuff."
"That's certainly an interesting development… Although had it made to kill mutants I highly doubt that our friend would have survived." Beast surmised out loud, his hand gesturing towards the others. "I would be more compelled to believe that the substance was only made to neutralize mutant abilities and place the subject into a state of suspended animation."
Bobby waved his hands around frantically. "I don't think we really wanna know what exactly those weirdoes in New York were planning for mutants. It's pretty obvious that Magneto was also up to something big, although trying to put this puzzle together just makes my head spin. "
Professor Xavier inclined his head in thought before answering. "If only we had discovered some clues indicating what Magnus is planning to do with those stolen artifacts. Then perhaps we could predict and possibly thwart his next move."
The group fell silent again as they considered the options, none of which were particularly good at the moment. Hank McCoy had researched the artifacts stolen and was only able to discover some minor historical facts. He knew the crystals came from a three piece set, although only two had been accounted for while the others had never been recovered. At the same time it was unknown why the magnetic mutant even wanted them, much less where he would strike next, or what he was planning to do.
"As crazy as the story sounded, maybe we should tell them what we learned from Spider-Man's friend." Jean nudged her boyfriend gently to get his attention before leaning towards his ear. "I don't know whether or not we can trust everything she said, but right now it's all we've got."
"I guess we don't have a choice." Scott whispered so that only they could hear.
Despite his attempt at discretion, the handicapped telepath looked up, directing his gaze towards his youngest staff members as if he knew what they were saying. "If you have something else important to contribute, I would be more than willing to listen."
Jean blinked twice in surprise, although she knew that their teacher was a very perceptive man even without the use of his telepathic abilities. "Well, there was one thing that we happened right before we came back home." She looked towards her knees as if unsure of how to voice the rest. "We ran into someone who knew exactly what Magneto was up to, and for some reason they were willing to share the information with us."
"In any case, why didn't you mention this before?" Hank McCoy questioned.
Wolverine suddenly appeared much more alert than before, his relaxed demeanor evaporating almost instantly. "Hey, wait a minute! I don't remember anything like this happening while we were in New York." The feral mutant grunted.
The bald telepath shook held up his hand to silence them, instead directing his attention to Scott and Jean. "I do believe it would be better if you explain the circumstances to us. It would clarify the situation and hopefully prevent any unnecessary outbursts."
"It's a little bit complicated, considering that the person we received this information from was weird even by our standards." Cyclops answered with an exasperated look. "The morning after we attacked Crime Central, Spider-Man thanked us for our help by arranging a meeting with someone he believed could help us."
When he stopped, Jean decided to continue in his place. "Anyway… He led us in a chase around the city to the lair of an elderly mutant named Madame Web." She cringed slightly at the thought of the blind woman's powers. "She spoke to us as though she had foreseen our arrival. I tried to make sense of it by reading her mind, but she blocked me out with her own telepathic abilities."
Her boyfriend also seemed less comfortable at the mention of the stranger's abilities. "Not only that, but she also had some type of foresight so powerful that it seemed omnipotent."
Despite the outlandishness of their story and the severity of the situation, Charles Xavier seemed unusually calm. "I see…" was his only reply.
"Is that all you have to say?" Storm burst out, looking much less comfortable with their story than her former teacher.
"This mutant was a blind woman whose entire body was attached to some type of life-support equipment." Scott added in hastily, turning back to his superior with an anxious curiosity. "Have you ever encountered someone matching her description?"
The professor focused his mind for a moment before shaking his head disappointedly. Although he was concerned, his mannerisms displayed no sign of panic. "I have never heard of a mutant with such powerful precognitive abilities… Although this matter that may concern us later, but for now I believe it is more important for you to tell me what she told you."
Neither of them argued, although it was Cyclops who answered this time. "If what she said was true, then Magneto is searching for a piece of technology left behind by Apocalypse, and the crystals he's been searching for are the power source of this weapon!"
"That's impossible… The Eye of Ages was dismantled following the defeat of that mutant." Beast explained carefully. "The main unit disappeared along with him, and the rest of the vessel is useless without it. Governments all around the world inspected the wreckage once he was gone and found out that the technology could not be reverse engineered without the control center."
Jean Grey stared into her lap as the visions they had been shown replayed themselves in her mind. "As crazy as it sounds, the man who brought this technology to the past was supposedly a time-traveler named Kang was wanted to rule the world." She explained nervously. "He came from the future with technology more advanced than anything that exists now, and planned to control through the use of two vessels, not just one."
Her boyfriend ignored the looks of disbelief from the others. "Apparently the name Rama-tut was only an alias. Kang was the real name of the man whom Apocalypse wrestled control of the Eye of Ages from. He didn't need this second vessel, but Madame Web believes that Apocalypse planned to use it in case the first was to fail."
"I do not doubt your sincerity, but forgive me if I have trouble believing any of this is true." Storm replied with a quick shake of her head.
The African mutant was a like a mother figure to the younger members, but even with her mild disposition towards them, she was unable to accept the story immediately. Of course this was hardly a surprise considering that both Scott and Jean were still unsure of what to think about the person who gave them this information. Murmurs of discontent swept through the room as the younger X-Men began talking amongst each other. They wanted to believe the story but some things were hard to believe even for those who had experienced their share of paranormal phenomena.
Beast on the other hand seemed to seriously consider that Madame Web's story might have some truth to it. They probably would have expected a logical man like him to be the least likely to believe them, but this couldn't be further from the truth. As a man of science, literature, and philosophy, he believed almost anything was possible. His photographic memory also recalled the peculiar message he had found in the hieroglyphics below the Sphinx, which only deepened his own curiosities concerning what had really happened during that time in Ancient Egypt.
After some moments of deep thinking, he slowly began to nod, which immediately caught the attention of the room's other occupants. "I do believe there may be some validation to support this outlandish story."
"Are you serious?" Bobby looked very surprised to hear this type of opinion from him.
"The writings that we found in the halls beneath the Sphinx indicated that Rama-tut's origins were blatantly unnatural." The scholarly man explained slowly. "The texts explicitly stated that he descended from the stars, bringing with him a powerful technology which allowed him to control the lands with an iron fist. Then when Apocalypse defeated him several years later, the pharaoh vanished never to be seen again."
Rogue raised an eyebrow in confusion. "As messed up as it sounds, that doesn't mean he was some kind of time traveler."
"Wait a moment!" Professor Xavier's eyes widened slightly as he recalled something, a dawning realization setting in as he remembered the time he operated the technology. A small gasp escaped his lips, causing the others turned to face him. "I once used the cerebral interface on the Eye of Ages when we trying to prevent the release of Apocalypse. It told me that the vessel was created several centuries in the future."
"Which means this lady might really know what she's talking about!" Nightcrawler thought out loud in his Germanic accent, using his gloved hand to rub the side of his face. "Oh man, this is so messed up it's really making my head hurt."
"You're telling me…" Wolverine grunted as he subconsciously copied the blue mutant's gesture.
Storm's skepticism seemed to have died down as she let this revelation sink in. "If what this woman told you is true, than perhaps she was also telling the truth about Magneto."
"It does lead me to believe that Scott and Jean may have stumbled upon the most important lead yet." Professor Xavier folded his hands in his lap in an attempt to control his surprise before he addressed the others again. "To begin with, I would like to know if she mentioned anything about this second weapon left behind by Rama-tut… How does one operate it? What exactly does it do? Why would Magneto desire it?"
"Even Madame Web didn't seem to fully understand it, despite her visions." The female psychic wore a helpless expression, looking as though she had just been given a death sentence. "I don't know… All that she said was that the device could somehow tap into the Earth's power to produce unheard of chaos."
Scott Summers frowned solemnly. "It was said that no one alive could control such advanced technology. She believes that if anyone was to seize control of Rama-tut's second vessel, the entire world would be destroyed… No one would survive!"
The mutants felt a rush of dread as they each took turns imagining the fall of mankind, although Logan was the one to recover first. "I don't know if that hag they met was telling the truth, but let's say for a second she was." He paused with a thorny grimace. "How did Magneto find out about this crap?"
The couple exchanged confused looks as they considered his question. "I really don't know?" Cyclops replied with a frown.
"I'm sure you'll all remember the aftermath of the battle with Apocalypse when I relayed some future visions from the mind of Apocalypse?" Charles Xavier questioned, earning some mutters of agreement from the assembly. "It is possible that Magnus may have foreseen the future as well, and thus used these visions to guide him to this ultimate weapon."
Bobby almost slid off the couch as he imagined the end of the world, catching himself with an embarrassed look as he scrambled into a sitting position. "Wait!" the icy mutant butt in. "Why would Magneto wanna destroy the Earth? We seen how nuts he can be, but I never thought he was that crazy."
"Maybe he doesn't know about the results?" Kitty Pryde suggested.
"An excellent possibility…" the bald telepath replied sagely. "At any rate I believe we should look into this for ourselves before we jump to any more conclusions. Even if our mysterious friend was telling the truth, I will feel more comfortable if we can find evidence to back up some of her more extreme claims."
When he stopped speaking, the gathered mutants took some time to talk about the new findings, although Wolverine and X-23 remained as silent as ever. He glanced sideways at her in the hopes of seeing her reaction to the news, although she was still and vigilant like a statue. This reaction wasn't particularly surprising considering that she didn't have any explicit emotional attachment to the world, or anyone in it. He noted her lack of connection when they mentioned the worst possible outcome and she was barely flinched. Even he was caught off guard by such a horrible prospect.
Once the group fell silent again, the professor cleared his throat to bring order back to the meeting. "Since we seem to have reached an understanding, I believe it would be best if we adjourned this meeting for now."
"I plan on doing some more research based on our new findings to verify their authenticity." Beast explained.
"That would be the best course of action." The wheelchair-bound psychic replied. He waited several more moments in case anyone else wanted to contribute, but when no one raised any more issues, he looked around contentedly. "Very well then… If no one else has any business to discuss, then you are all dismissed."
He smiled in an attempt to ease their nerves, despite feeling more than his own share of concern at the moment. The group slowly filed out of the room talking amongst themselves, Kitty, Rogue, Kurt and Bobby leaving first, ushered out by Storm. Beast and Colossus quickly followed them through to the exit without any complaints. X-23 turned around to leave, but was stopped by her male counterpart, who placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave her an expression making it clear that he wanted her to stay, earning a defiant, but cooperative nod from the young assassin.
Professor Xavier noted that several of his X-Men had not left. "Is there something else I can help you with?"
The couple glanced back at the two Weapon X mutants, but when neither spoke up, Jean decided to go first. "I just figured you might want to know that this Madame Web person used her powers to share her visions with us firsthand."
"Maybe you should probe our minds and see them for yourself, in case we missed anything that you might have found important." Cyclops added in an attempt to clarify their intentions.
Their superior looked between them, his eyes settling on the feral mutants standing by the door who had yet to leave. Charles Xavier quickly shifted his focus back to them to prevent either of his students from feeling ignored. "I would advise you both get some rest first before we begin the session… I promise to attend to your request this afternoon. Would this suffice?"
Before her boyfriend could answer, Jean smiled at their former teacher and inclined her head slight in respect. "Thank you, professor."
"You are quite welcome." He gave her a small smile, as she grabbed Scott's arm and swept from the room, sliding past Logan as they disappeared into the hallway. Having known beforehand that they also had something private to say, the telepath turned his attention to his last two guests. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Wolverine closed the door with his free hand, listening for a second to make sure everyone was gone before approaching his old friend. He ran a hand through his messy hair, looking as though he was uncertain of how to phrase his requests. There were actually two things he had to say of very different nature, both of which involved his female clone, which is why he had ensured her cooperation earlier. X-23 sensed this and followed closely behind him, although she was still a little bit paranoid about being closed in with other people.
"I… uh… … Have some business to discuss involving the girl before we go." The feral mutant stammered slightly as he found the words.
Charles Xavier wore a friendly expression. "Speak your mind then." He urged politely.
"The truth is, I've been watching for the last few days, and it seems that X-23's probably better at the training exercises than most of the teachers?" Wolverine began with a note of respect in his tone. He rubbed the back of his head gently before getting to the point. "I think it'd be a better use of her time to appoint her as an instructor."
"I believe it is up to her to decide what she wants… Your point is well seen, considering that she was well-trained when she first came to us, but we promised to let her make her own decisions." The professor paused in thought before gesturing his right towards the girl standing across from him. "What do you say, Laura?"
X-23 winced slightly at the use of her new name, although everyone had addressed her as such for the last few days and she was beginning to warm up to it. After all it was something that she could say was hers, unlike the experiment number that her creators had been given to her from the moment she was born. Realizing that she was being watched, the young assassin realized that she had been lost in thought, something which would have resulted in death were she in the middle of a mission. To her it seemed that living in such a relaxed environment was beginning to dull the constant paranoia she had her entire life.
Slowly, she stepped forward and nodded respectfully. "I will accept your offer." The female mutant replied robotically.
"That is very good to hear, considering we could always use more teachers to keep our more rambunctious students in line." the telepath replied with a smile. "We can make the arrangements tomorrow if you would like."
X-23 nodded resolutely and began to leave, but was once again halted by her male counterpart. The feral girl bared her teeth like a wild animal that had just been caged, but quickly reeled in her explosive temper when she realized that he was not finished speaking. Wolverine stepped forward and sniffed the air as if to make sure that no one else was around before finishing up his business with the professor. He hesitated as if he were rethinking the situation, although he had a strange feeling that it was going to come out sooner or later.
"There's one more thing that I have to say." Wolverine began with an unpleasant grimace. "I spoke with Nick Fury after my mission was over, and he told me that HYDRA manipulated one of the big bosses in New York to start that gang war, and also freed a load of super-villains from a prison around the same time."
The professor looked up in surprise, although he quickly hid it. "I understand the severity of the situation, but how does this relate to us?" he glanced at the girl stand beside him. "Do you believe it has anything to do with you?"
X-23 tensed up, although when she spoke there was no sign of discomfort. "If they wanted to recapture me they would have by now. Whatever was going on in that city was obviously much more important to them."
"At least they finally decided to leave you alone." Logan shrugged off the idea in an attempt to reassure the younger mutant.
His female counterpart glared at him, but the aggression died from her eyes as she looked down at her own feet. "You'd better hope that isn't the case… If it is, it means that HYDRA has something much more important to attend to. Do not forget that the ultimate goal of that organization is World Domination…"
Later that Night…
In an underground laboratory deep below the streets of San Francisco, a number of men worked tirelessly to produce new weaponry for their less than respectable clientele. The chamber they worked in was shaped like a gigantic cylinder with several platforms and stairways separating the experiments occurring within each designated area. Despite being located underground, the institution was many times larger than those used by the Kingpin or even HYDRA, although it shared the familiar metallic paneling and futuristic ambience with several state similar state of the art facilities. The laboratory in question belonged to AIM, the acronym for Advanced Idea Mechanics.
Members of the group wore yellow jumpsuits with black rubber gloves and cylindrical helmets covering their heads, making the individual workers look like identical drones. The yellow and black color scheme even enhanced the comparison to bees working in a hive, although the outfits themselves gave the impression that they were working with hazardous materials like toxic waste or nuclear runoff, although in several cases the truth was much worse. As developers of some of the world's most advanced and deadly weapons, the scientists wore the suits not only as uniforms, but also for their own protection.
The sounds of sliding metal caught the attention of several of the workers, prompting them to inspect the commotion as the doorway near the base of the room slid open with a metallic noise, revealing the green-clad form of their guest. Madame Hydra entered the chamber flanked by four of her own henchmen, a pair of AIM scientists leading the procession into the laboratory. The yellow-clad workers gestured forward into the room as though she were an honored guest, the group parting ways as she approached one of the head scientists overseeing the operations. Although he was dressed like the others, the presence of a black stripe on his uniform indicated his seniority.
Upon realizing who she was, the man dismissed his own bodyguards and addressed her with a quick show of respect. "Ah, Madame Hydra… We were expecting you."
"Save your breath for someone willing to listen? Your leader knows why I came here tonight, so there need not be any complications." she answered with a note of irritation, he eyes scanning the room for signs of the aforementioned benefactor. "Where is MODOK?"
The man leaned in as if hoping to convey some private information. "You have my apologies, but he is currently attending to a special project and does not wish to be disturbed. If this is about the weapons commissioned by Baron Strucker, please tell him that AIM has not yet finished reproducing them in the amounts he requested."
Viper glared at the scientist, causing him to take a step back out of caution. "I have my own business to attend to tonight, and it has nothing to do with the old man!" she seethed angrily, her fists clenching in annoyance. "You will accommodate me, or face the consequences!"
He nodded quickly, now quite aware that his client was deeply upset about something, "It seems as though you made some plans with us, but unfortunately I was not given the specifics. Perhaps if you came back at another time we could…"
"Negative… Such a course of action will not be necessary!" a coarse, robotic-sounding voice echoed through the room as thought it came from every direction at once.
They looked in the direction of the noise as a large hatch in the center of the room slid open, revealing the top of a large bulbous shape. The being that emerged from the entry resembled a gigantic head encased in some kind of orange-colored metal exoskeleton. An opening in the front revealed the monster's hideous face and part of his hair, a purple headdress around his forehead area protruding from the front of the bizarre armor. He looked quite strange with his normal sized arms and legs dangling from the lower half of the harness. They were much too small to support the mind-bendingly large cranium, although the apparatus covering his bottom section granted the monstrous being the ability to hover.
Madame Hydra stepped past the scientist she had spoken to before without a second glance, her attention focused completely on the new arrival. "Let us skip the pleasantries… I trust you have prepared the device for me?" she squared up to the giant head.
"Positive!" MODOK replied in a machine-like voice, his beady eyes settling hungrily on the woman before him. "I must warn you that the machine has not been fully tested yet, therefore I request that you pay me the mutually designated sum before we begin the procedure."
"Just as I promised…" the female villain replied, casually gesturing to one of her henchmen with a wave of her hand.
One of the green-clad agents stepped forward with a metal briefcase held firmly between his hands, placing it onto the metal table in front of the monstrous AIM leader. He unlocked it with a key given to him by his superior, the lid popping open to reveal the large stacks of cash hidden within. Their large-headed benefactor seemed to analyze the contents like a scanner before signaling one of his guards to take it. The yellow drone inspected the contents for himself before giving a nod to his master, departing with the briefcase moments later.
Madame Hydra folded her arms with a serious expression. "I hope you intend to follow through with your end of the bargain."
"You shall have what you desire!" the monstrous head extended his normal sized arm, pressing a button on the remote control in his hand. "See for yourself!"
A mechanical groan filled the room as a hidden panel on the wall opened to reveal a large machine that looked to be at least ten feet tall. The device was a large cylindrical chamber made almost entirely out of metal, several wires and pipes plugged into the sides, a few screens and monitors on the side made for displaying numbers and data. To the average person it might have looked like a torture chamber, although to the green-clad woman it was one of the few devices that could grant her everything she had previously lost.
MODOK glided over to the chamber as it came to life, the lights and monitors flashing wildly as he activated the device. "Be warned that this machine unstable, and thus may pose risks to one's health." The cyborg spoke in his robotic monotone, although his face held a sense of vindictive malice and glee. "Your chances of surviving the process are only sixty percent, even with all of the safety features active."
"Explain how these features will affect the process." The female villain narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"These security features limit the amount of radiation utilized, although the benefits granted by this chamber will be reduced approximately thirty percent even if it is a success." he answered with a nasty expression. "To receive the full benefits you can choose not to use the limiters, although this will reduce chances of survival to only forty percent."
She only took a second to make her decision. "I will choose the second option!" The woman stepped forward towards the device.
Her benefactor smirked evilly, his ugly facial features making it all the more sinister. "You are an… … intriguing subject…" he replied robotically as she stepped forward into the chamber, the doors closing behind her seconds later. He waved his arms around like a child throwing a tantrum, signaling the scientists behind him. "Drones… Turn off the limiters and activate the chamber at one hundred percent maximum capacity!"
One of the lab assistants typed in a series of codes into the main computer while the others secured the tubes connected to the machine. Once they were certain that everything was set up properly, the yellow-clad workers gave the technicians a quick thumbs up, prompting their master to finish the preparations himself. Gliding forward like an eerie shadow, MODOK pulled the lever at the base of the machine, causing large amounts of radiation and energy to gush into the chamber. Although screams of agony could be heard from the inside, the large-headed villain rubbed his comparatively small hands together menacingly.
Inside the chamber, Madame Hydra writhed in agony as she felt the strange energies flowing through her body, a tingling feeling resulting from the radiation, although deeply overshadowed by the intense pain. Unable to hold herself in a stand position, she fell to her knees so several minutes, using her arms and hands for support as she fell forward onto the floor. Choking back the feeling of intense neural stimulation, the green-clad woman opened her eyes enough to notice that her body was giving off an odd glow, the pain intensifying even more by the second.
This terrible ordeal continued for what seemed like forever, but as soon as it had begun, the sensation stopped instantaneously. The front doors of the chamber opened again, revealing the giant face of her benefactor. She groaned as two of her own men stepped forward into the device, helping her into a standing position as they marched her out of the chamber. It only took her a moment to realize that she didn't need their help, prompting the woman to push herself free from their supporting arms.
"Madame Hydra, are you all right?" one of the agents looked at her with a concerned expression.
Before she could answer, MODOK glided so that he was hovering within a few feet from her, a deeply satisfied smirk on his overly large face. "It appears that the operation was a success!" the cybernetic villain announced gleefully.
The green-clad woman prepared to yell at him for subjecting her to such torment, but upon inspecting herself she saw that the marks of wear created by middle age had disappeared from her hands. She looked down at her body, seeing an attractive, shapelier figure than the one she remembered before entering the chamber. Looking down, she saw her toned body had a slightly more muscular physique. She reached up to her face and stroked her cheek, which was now smooth and completely devoid of wrinkles, and her bushier shoulder-length green hair now reached past her shoulder and halfway down her back.
Viper realized that she felt better now than she had in several decades, or perhaps even better than she ever had before. Her current state reminded her for the deadly assassin she had been in her early days among HYDRA's ranks rather than the commanding officer that had begged X-23 for mercy upon being cornered aboard the airbase, and struggled to escape the Kingpin's death grip while being dangled several hundred feet above the ground. She couldn't believe that taking a risk had yielded such results.
"At last…" she muttered disbelievingly. "After all these years I finally have everything back!"
MODOK glided backwards away from her, throwing his tiny arms in the air boastfully. "Do not insult AIM! This machine does far more than transform the human body into its physical prime." he replied maddeningly. "It also impedes the aging process, enhances the senses, and chemically intensifies the strength of the user to superhuman levels. In addition you have also received enhanced reflexes and agility far surpassing that of an ordinary human."
"Really now…" she replied with a sense of renewed interest.
Madame Hydra flipped into the air and effortlessly landed on her feet, spinning around and beheading one of her own guards with the dagger she hid in her sleeve. She had intended this to be a test, although she was surprised to find out how easy it was to do with her newfound abilities. She sheathed her weapon with a swift movement of her wrist, earning a look of amusement from the robot-like villain floating nearby. Seeing his facial expression, the green-clad woman approached him with another question.
"There are no… drawbacks… for those who undergo this process?" Viper interrogated the giant-headed menace.
Her benefactor moved back and forth as if shaking his head. "We have tested several subjects and very few have survived. Those that have do not display any negative symptoms…"
The HYDRA leader looked relieved by his statement, smiling like a vixen once the answer had finished sinking in. "If that is the case, then I believe that the time has come for me to attend to some unfinished business…"
Note to Readers: I spend a lot of chapter just setting the stage… Oh well, I really hope to pick up with some more development during my next installment. As usual I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors, or typos. It's usually pretty late when I write this story… In any case I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a review if you can. If you like something in particular or have an idea, please tell me because I greatly appreciate the contributions.