Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Marvel, not even the X-Men
A/N1: The people have spoken, and I have listened. It seems that the last chapter was deemed to dry, too directionless, not enough Potter. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the entire first arc. So, I have decided to cut down on the first arc, skip the 'testing' chapters. There are still some things that are necessary, such as this (and a few others), but I hope they will be more enjoyable.
Chapter 3 - Excursion
Malcolm looked over the computer display, a crease in his brow as he idly flicked through his printed notes. The fuzzy display showed a crowded airport terminal, all from the viewpoint of a six year old child.
Over the course of two years, the many alterations had made Weapon M a formidable opponent, yet he was untested, raw. His body was young, and his limitations not yet revealed.
There was little doubt that the Weapon would easily complete the routine kidnapping, but Malcolm remained nervous - he had sunk a lot of money into the program, after all.
On top of the Super Soldier Serum and the nullification of pain, there had been several other abilities implanted into the Weapon's form. The first had been the X-Gene of Anthony Masters, better known as the mercenary Taskmaster, granting the weapon photographic muscle memory, or the ability to mimic anything that he has seen another do, as long as it is within his body's natural capability. It had proved a tremendous asset, with the mercenary resigning from his position as the Weapon's trainer merely a year later, stating that the boy had already absorbed all the skills that were of use to him.
The second had been the X-Gene of the Black King of the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw. The ability to stockpile kinetic energy helped nullify many brute force attacks, and provided the Weapon with a brutal alternative when his efficient strikes failed him; while his stockpiling had its limits, he could more than hold his own in a brawl.
The third, and most recent to date, had been the most unique, and the first incorporated that didn't focus on combat. It was also perhaps the most difficult to acquire - that of the X-Man, Kurt Wagner, known to the public as Nightcrawler. While the burst of brimstone smoke that accompanied his teleportation limited its use as a tool for stealth, as did the limitation of only line of sight teleportation, it made the Weapon a far more mobile and versatile asset. Thankfully, the physical mutations of the mutant had not infected the Weapon, and he was just as capable of blending into a crowd as usual, looking about fourteen years old, a much more useful appearance than that of a six year old.
The Weapon was also remarkably intelligent, with a near-photographic memory and the ability to understand what he read pretty quickly. It would prove useful, he thought, in the future, when the Weapon had to read through files.
In all honesty, Malcolm would have preferred to have postponed the Weapon's first incursion, focussing instead on building a wider array of abilities to better secure victory. Ajax had been correct, however, when he pressured for such an excursion. While he could validate delaying the deployment of X23, what with it being a much cheaper program (though still in the millions), Weapon M was in dire need of validation. The Weapon needed to prove its usefulness, and start bringing in a profit.
Hence the subtle advertisement of the Weapon for hire, eventually leading to a lucrative first contract. And what a contract it was.
Malcolm had had no doubt that those hiring the services of his program would likely hold little scruples, but he had not expected someone to request a kidnapping of their own sixteen year old son. He shook his head. Politicians were unscrupulous creatures, and Warren Worthington II was most definitely a politician.
"Target is in sight," the monotone voice of the Weapon said over the coms. "Target is leaving flight 281. Optimal extraction in T-minus three minutes."
Ajax squinted at the screen, before nodding. There, surrounded by five armed guards, was the rich teenager, Warren Worthington III. While not on display, his wings were definitely there, his mutation causing him to walk unnaturally straight, discomfort written across his face.
Malcolm let out a snort. It was bound to happen one day, a well known mutant hater spawning a mutant. So the hater did what he did best - pretend it didn't exist, and try to get rid of it. Hence why he was hiring them, so that he could be transported to a separate facility where the politician's employees would attempt to 'cure' his son. Of course, he had no intentions to let this happen - upon extraction, he would collect a sample of the boy's blood, and replace it with something designed to counteract any 'cures' - and so what if it had some side effects? There would be more mutants in the world, a larger pool of resources to leech off of.
Ajax leant into the microphone. "M, inventory."
"Physical form, satisfactory. Kinetic stockpile, depleted. Teleportation ready. Various forms of hand-to-hand combat are available. Two handguns with four magazines and five knives concealed within the jacket. Three tranquilisers hidden across my clothing. A lighter, a roll of bandages and a vial of ethanol are also present. Clothing consists of combat boots, trousers and jacket, accompanied with a digital watch, baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses."
Ajax flipped open his notes, checking it against the desired response. Nodding, he turned back to the microphone. "Alright. Proceed when ready. Use whatever methods necessary."
"Affirmative," the Weapon replied, sitting down on a bench, waiting for the boy to exit the terminal. After a minute or two, he got to his feet, and began making his way towards his target, hands in his pockets and appearing to be a typical teenager.
"Warren!" he called out, his voice suddenly having depth, sounding more real. "What a surprise! It's been, what, two, three years?"
Malcolm let a small grin grace his face. This was why he put up with Dr. Kinney - her input provided a much needed space in which to mimic social scenarios. Oh, he knew what the doctor was trying to do, giving the boy more individuality and a desire to live. Fortunately for him, the Weapon had so little sense of self, and even what he did have felt that he didn't deserve such freedoms. He was his weapon, his asset, and he would remain that way.
Worthington blinked, looking over the teenager. Beside him, one of the bodyguards tensed up. "Do I know you?"
"Oh, I'm wounded!" the Weapon feigned. "It's Steven Harrison! Don't you remember me?"
"Erm, no," Warren replied, backing off slightly. "I think you have me mixed up with someone else."
The Weapon's eyes flicked to the bodyguards, all of whom seemed on edge, a second away from drawing their arms. "Come on, Warren, let's ditch these losers, hang out like the good old days, eh?"
"M, you are drawing a scene," Ajax hissed into the microphone. "This is an extraction. Do not make this more difficult than it had to be."
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't know you," Warren replied. "I'll be leaving now."
"Ah, come on," the Weapon insisted. "Just a few minutes."
"The boss said no," the nearest bodyguard said, stepping forward. "So piss off."
"And what if I don't want to, dipshit?" the Weapon snarked, stepping closer to the guard, staring the beefy man in the face.
"Then I'll have to make you," the guard replied, going to grab him. At that moment, the Weapon burst into action.
Grasping the arm, the Weapon spun around, snapping the limb as he slammed the guard into the ground. He rolled backwards, taking a defensive stance to survey his opponents.
They were good, for bodyguards. They reacted quickly, and were all in the process of cocking their guns. The boy, however, was untrained, and acted accordingly, cowering against the rail in a state of shock.
The Weapon dropped his façade of an attitude, and acted with efficiency. He spun forward, crushing the fallen guard's windpipe beneath one boot as another disarmed the nearest guard. He flicked his wrist, drawing a pair of steel knives, quickly sinking them into the chest of the disarmed guards.
While down, he felt a pressure strike his back, a punch from one of the three remaining guards. He allowed the strike to lead him into a roll, feeling the power of the strike seeping into his muscles. Flicking his wrists again, he concealed his blades, and ducked into a low guard.
Two of the guards had abandoned their guns, and were approaching, ready to swing, while the other hung back, ready to shoot if needed. The Weapon allowed several hits to collide with his chest, before slamming his right fist into the head of one of the guards, fuelling the strike with both his natural strength and the stockpile of kinetic energy.
The skull splintered under his strike, killing the guard instantly. He ducked under another wild swing, driving his knee into the groin of his opponent. He drew his pistols, and fired three shots - stomach, heart, brain. The guard collapsed to the ground, dead before he hit the ground.
A deafening crack ripped through the ground, and the eerie feeling of a bullet passing painlessly through his body made itself known in his shoulder as a spurt of blood splattered the ground. The Weapon scowled, running his mental diagnostics. The damage would result in a five percent drop in performance, with an extra percent for every minute left untreated. No problem. He fired a single shot, and blood spewed from the guard's throat, leaving the man to topple backwards.
He stalked towards the quivering boy, the scowl replaced with apathy.
"What… what do you want?" Warren whimpered. "I have money, I can pay-"
The Weapon did not answer, instead grasping the boy by the collar, and hauling him to his feet. He paused to inspect the boy's collar. Sure enough, there were the wings.
"HANDS IN THE AIR!" a voice rang over the announcement system, just as sirens began to wail.
The Weapon gazed up at the camera, secure in the knowledge that accessories would conceal his identity. He had no intention to encounter law enforcement. Just to make sure, he fired off a single shot at the camera, shattering it.
He turned to the quivering boy, gripping his arm tightly. He summoned the familiar feeling, and moments later he stood above the airport, on the other side of the glass, a burst of brimstone briefly emerging on both sides of the teleportation.
"Wha-?" Warren yelped. "What are we doing up here? Are you a mutant?"
The Weapon did not answer, merely injected the target with a tranquiliser, allowing him to collapse to the ground, unconscious. He then pulled out the vial of ethanol, pouring it into his wound. If he were the type to have opinions, he would be thankful that he couldn't feel pain at that moment. He wasn't, however, and paid it no thought. A moment later, he brought out the lighter, igniting the alcohol, sealing the wound shut.
He gazed over the shiny, burnt skin. It would hinder his performance for a week or so, before he was back to peak performance. That was satisfactory.
"Extraction successful," he reported in his coms.
"Good," Ajax grinned back in the control booth. "Bring the target to the retrieval point, and await further orders."
"Affirmative," the Weapon answered, and vanished with a burst of brimstone smoke, taking the target with him.
Malcolm let his smile widen. There had been nothing to fear, after all. The Weapon, while not perfect, was more than capable of holding its own. It had more than validated its continued existence.
He pressed the intercom button, calling his secretary. "Miss Jones? Can you make Dr. Windsor aware of the continuation of the Weapon M program? Tell him to begin drafting a schedule for future enhancements."
He leant back, steepling his fingers. Oh yes. The Weapon was going to be the most powerful thing the program had ever produced. He would ensure that. As Windsor had often told him, the possibilities were endless.
The future was looking very bright for the Weapon Plus program.
A/N2: So, how was that? I haven't had much experience writing combat, but I think I did a good job. What did you guys think?
Anyway, we have a few more chapters of the 'Weapon' arc left, and then we can get to the Potterverse! Yay!
New character:
Warren Worthington III - aka Angel/Archangel. An X-Man with wings. Nuff said.
And... that's it, actually. So, what were your thoughts? Good? Bad? Let me know!
Please don't forget to fave and follow, and perhaps leave a review!
Till next time, this is JaguarAJG, signing off.