#86
September, Year 4
What Has Gone Before: After the craziness of the last few issues,
the X-Men try to relax. Unfortunately, the children brought from Nanny’s
orphanage made that rather impossible. In the meantime, there's something
wrong with Archangel. And an intruder comes to the school.
Memories
By the handsome Stephen Crosby and the less handsome Will Short
On this bright, clear autumn day, the Archangel blurs through the skies. His razor sharp, dark metallic wings are fully extended, glinting in the sunlight. Above him, the unaware intruder begins to descend.
In the cold, dank tunnels, the Angel sweats against the ceiling. His dirty white, feathery wings strain against the tunnels walls. Below him, the eager hunter slowly passes by, calling out for the Angel in a mocking voice.
A snarl on his lips, the Archangel streaks upwards towards the monstrous intruder. Looking below, it sees the face of death coming, and for a moment, it knows fear. The moment before impact, Archangel folds his powerful wings around his body.
Fighting to keep his breathing quiet, Angel watches his attacker start walking past, and almost sighs in relief. Then, a single drop of sweat drips from Angel’s brow onto the monster’s back. With a malicious smile, it looks up. As the monster grabs Angel’s ankle, he desperately wraps his wings around himself in a feeble attempt at protection.
The metallic wings morph over Archangel’s body with a life of their own, forming a small canopy of spikes and blades across his shoulders and over his head. As the deadly Archangel slams into the monster at near super-sonic speeds, blood stains the dark metal. Crying out in pain, the monster slams it’s large green fists against Archangel’s back. Fortunately, his metal wings hold, and Archangel barely feels a thing.
A single blow is enough to snap the power bones in Angel’s wings, and he cries out in agony. Reveling in the torment, the monster slams Angel to the ground, twisting his leg unnaturally. Angel struggles to get up, but the monster holds his head in the water with one hand while the other rips back a fistful of bloody feathers and bone fragments.
Gripping the intruder by the waist, Archangel changes the angle of his descent. At a fantastic speed, the Archangel and his thrashing opponent drop from the sky. A sonic boom heralds their fall, while a devastating tremor signals their landing.
The green monster is long gone, but his laughter still echoes throughout the tunnels. The Angel is alone, facedown in water dirty with his blood. Of his wings little remains, and what does is strewn throughout the tunnel. Blood gushes from the stumps on the Angel’s back, soaking the shattered bones and pristine white feathers that remain. However, deep inside the wound, a glint of metal shines, and a new laughter booms throughout the tunnels.
“Argh!!!!” Rahne Sinclair cries, covering her ears and collapsing to the ground in agony.
“Rahne!” Kitty Pryde cries, kneeling next to her friend. “Scott, that sonic boom must have overloaded her hearing. We need to get her to the med-lab!”
“Then take her,” Cyclops responds, replacing his ruby-quartz glasses with his visor. “Blockade and I will investigate that crash. Hopefully Warren will meet us there.” If he wasn’t in the crash itself, Scott thinks. “Kitty, get everybody together. There’s no telling what we’re up against.”
Kitty nods. Picking Wolfsbane up, she phases down into the ground, hoping to treat Rahne as quickly as possible. Cyclops pats Blockade on the arm. “Let’s go.” Blockade nods, his large fists clenched.
In minutes, the two X-Men race across the school grounds, tracing the crash into the woods at the far end of the estate. Cyclops picks his way over the fallen trees, while Blockade just picks them up like twigs and tosses them aside.
“Easy there Blockade,” Cyclops scolds. “With noise like that, whatever it was that crashed will know someone’s coming.”
“With the bloody racket that thing caused, it’d be a bleeding fool not tae expect something,” Blockade responds. He stomps the rest of the way, snapping the thick trees with each step.
Suddenly, Cyclops stops, holding up one arm as a signal for Blockade. “Wait a minute, we’re almost there.” Moving his hand to his visor, Cyclops makes several small adjustments. “There, now I should be able to identify whatever is up ahead.”
“Yer visor can do that?” Blockade asks.
Cyclops smiles. “What, did you think it only controlled my mutant powers? That’d be a waste of good equipment.” Creeping forward, Cyclops peers around. “Hmmm, I can’t detect any type of energy signature. The heat output is higher than normal, but that’s to be exp-“
Cyclops stops abruptly, and nearly falls over when Blockade bumps into him. “Sorry,” Blockade mutters, grabbing Cyclops by the shoulder.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cyclops responds. “We have bigger things to worry about. I’m picking up traces of radiation. Gamma radiation.”
Faster than Cyclops thought possible, Blockade moves in front of him. “Blimey, I came to the States looking for help against the Word, and you blokes put me in the path of the bloody Hulk.”
“Not necessarily,” Cyclops replies. “The Hulk’s not the only gamma-powered human. It could be the Abomination, or She-Hulk looking for help. It could even be the Leader, though he’d have some sort of transport, and I’m not picking up anything.” Cyclops watches the dusty area with great scrutiny. “Damn this dust! If Warren were here, he’d be able to scatter it with one flap of his - duck!”
Cyclops drops to the ground, pulling Blockade down by the arm. And just in time too. An instant later, the dust is blown outwards, and a something swishes through the air where Blockade’s head used to be. Lifting his head up, Cyclops gets his first clear look at what crashed.
Archangel stands before them, his red and black costume in tatters, his bluish skin badly scraped and even bleeding in some places. His dark metal wings are fully spanned out around him, those sharp edges gleaming dully in the sunlight. At the Archangel’s feet lies and lump of green that Cyclops can’t identify. Nor can he tell if it’s merely unconscious, or dead.
Slowly rising to his feet, Cyclops takes a few steps towards Archangel. “Warren, I’m glad to see you’re all right. What exactly happened here?”
Archangel focuses his eyes on Cyclops, and he just can’t help but feel that his friend is seeing into his very soul. “I saw this intruder leaping towards the mansion,” Archangel states, all trace of warmth and emotion gone from his voice. “There was no time to contact the rest of you, and he was in my element anyway. I did what I thought best to stop it.”
The figure at Archangel’s feet stirs, and Cyclops almost sighs in relief. He can hear Blockade moving behind him. Archangel also moves, his wings slicing down towards the unconscious figure. “No Warren!” Cyclops cries.
Abruptly, Archangel halts his wings mere inches from his victim. He glares hard at Cyclops. “It’s an animal,” he spits out. “Mindless, unable to comprehend anything except dealing out pain. Killing it would be a mercy to him and a favor to all his future victims!”
“He?” Cyclops asks. Stepping forward, he looks at the bleeding mass on the ground. While it is difficult to identify, he thinks he can make out feminine curves. “Warren, who do you think this is?”
Archangel’s face goes dark blue, nearly purple. “It’s a killer! A bully that delights in hurting others, and cares nothing for anything! It’s the Abomination! He took my wings-my life!-an drops to the ground, unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Cyclops adjusts his visor and stands unsteadily. He can only think of one way this could have happened, but Jean is still at the mansion.
“I bet he’ll feel that in the morning, eh Scott?” Cyclops whips around at the sound of the familiar voice. Behind him, dwarfed by Blockade, stands a smiling, un-iced Bobby Drake. “Don’t worry, Scott, I didn’t do any permanent damage. I just gave him the mother-of-all ice-cream headaches.”
“Were you prepared to deal with the consequences of your sudden action,” Cyclops barks. “He could have killed me Bobby!”
Iceman’s smile vanishes. “Could have. Warren would have killed that person Scott, and I wasn’t about to stand by and let that happen. I know you wouldn’t have either.” Iceman smiles and claps his friend on the shoulder. “Besides, I had to see if all those hours you spend in the Danger Room were paying off.”
After a moment, Cyclops returns the smile. “You’re right Bobby. If Warren hadn’t been stopped, none of us could have lived with it. Thanks for the help.”
Cyclops looks down at Archangel and the intruder he’d taken down. “We’d better get them both to the med-lab and sort this out. Bobby, make a slide of the mansion. Blockade, get the two of them on it.”
“It’ll be me pleasure,” Blockade grunts. Gently picking up the unconscious, greenish intruder, Blockade places it on the slide and gives a light push. He does the same for Archangel.
A half-hour later…
“Are you sure Jean?” Cyclops asks. Through their rapport, he already knows the answer, but it’s quite another thing to hear it spoken out loud.
“There’s no doubt about it Scott,” Jean replies. Touching the large green creature on the forehead, she continues. “This…this thing is the She-Hulk!”
The med-lab is packed with surprised X-Men, with the exception of Mimic, who’s tending the many small children. Wolfsbane had recovered enough to hear Jean, and both she and Shadowcat stare down at the creature, stunned. Iceman does the same, unable to fathom how a hottie like She-Hulk could change into…that thing. Blockade, Dazzler, and Longshot stand at one end of the room, a little astonished themselves.
“But, how could this have happened?” Shadowcat asked. “Jean, she must have some memories, something that can help us figure this out.”
Jean shakes her head. “I don’t doubt it Kitty, but she’s nearly as mindless as the Hulk. Everything that was Jennifer is buried deep inside, and I’m in no condition to dig.”
Dazzler speaks up. “We could wait for the Professor to get back. He’s the most powerful telepath in the world. This’ll be a piece of cake for him.”
Iceman laughs roughly. “Charles was the best, Alison, but not anymore. His powers have been failing the last few months. That’s partly why he’s running for office.”
Cyclops leans against the table. “Something happened to the She-Hulk, that much is certain. Maybe it’s a natural mutation caused by the radiation in her body, or something worse. Nevertheless, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“Wrong Scott,” Shadowcat states. “What we can do is examine her and find out what’s wrong. Then we can help her.” Perturbed, Kitty moves to hook several machines up to She-Hulk. “I’ll start by making a measurement of the radiation in her body. Then I’ll study her basic cell structure for any-“
“Scott,” Jean cuts in. “I’m finally starting to get something.” Closing her eyes in concentration, Jean whispers what she finds. “A large, dark place, filled with machines. Sh-she’s surrounded by others like her, horribly mutated and disfigured. There are men in the shadows, handling the machines.”
Stumbling for a moment, Jean continues. “She wakes up, alone and afraid. She doesn’t know what happened to her, but she reacts violently to her surroundings.”
Kitty gives a weak smile. “Gee, I’d better make sure she’s sedated.”
Jean goes on as though she hadn’t heard. “They try to stop her, but she swats them aside, making her way into the tunnels. Lost, she stumbles blindly, until she finds a way to the air, to the light.” Jean almost falters, but Iceman holds her steady.
“Sh-she’s searching for something; something important, though not to her. Once on the surface, she crashes into a nearby warehouse, tearing it to the ground in her frenzied search. Finding nothing, she continues on, searching for what was taken.”
Exhausted, Jean breaks off contact. “Scott, she must be searching for the children!”
Cyclops nods in agreement. “Whoever did this to her must have done the same thing to those children. Somehow Nanny and Orphan Maker came across the project, and rescued as many as they could.”
Iceman follows the train of thought. “So the bastards brainwashed Jen and sent her to find the children. Probably so they could do more sick experiments.”
Studying the readouts of the machines, Shadowcat breaks in. “Sick doesn’t even begin to describe what these guys are doing. I’m registering over half-a-dozen separate radiation signatures. In Jen’s case, they must have decided to mix and match.”
Wolfsbane is horrified. “Dear Lord in Heaven,” she whispers. “Wh-what should we do?”
“Isn’t it obvious,” Dazzler breaks in. “We have to track these bastards down and stop them. From what Jean saw, they have more victims, and for all we know they’re still collecting children. We can’t just stand by and let this happen.”
Cyclops nods. “Well said Allison. We have to investigate this immediately. When She-Hulk doesn’t come back, it’s likely that others will be sent out. So I’ll lead a small team to check this out, while the rest of you stay here.” Cyclops looks across at his wife. “Jean, you’re in no condition to fight, so I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here.”
Jean nods. “If it was just me Scott, I’d probably argue.” Her hand presses against her stomach. “But I’m not willing to risk our child.”
Cyclops is relieved. “Kitty, stay with She-Hulk and find out everything you can. Rahne, you’re senses may come in handy here.”
Wolfsbane nods, teeth bared. “Tis an evil thing that’s been done, and I’ll nae be left behind.”
Dazzler steps forward. “I’ll come too Scott. If you’re going into the tunnels, my light may come in handy.”
Longshot adds, “my agility would be something of a liability where you’re going, so it’d probably be best if I stayed.”
Cyclops agrees. “That goes for you too Blockade. In the tunnels, your size would hold us all back-“
“I’ll nae be left behind either!” Blockade roars. “Ye could use me Cyclops, and ye know it. In front of ye all, I’d be a fairly impressive wall.”
Scott smiles. “I can’t argue with that.” He turns to Iceman. “I know you’d be of use in the wet tunnels Bobby, but I’d feel a lot better if you…” He sneaks a glance at Jean.
Iceman nods. “Don’t worry Scott. I’ll hold the fort here.”
“Then it’s settled. Jenny’s mimicking power will come in handy, so we’ll fill her in and-“
“No!” Everybody turns to the sound of the voice. Archangel rises from his bed, livid. “You’re not leaving me behind Scott, not if you plan on going there!”
Cyclops pushes his way forward towards his old friend. “I’m sorry Warren, but that’s exactly what I’m doing. You’re record in the tunnels isn’t exactly the best, and frankly, I don’t know if I can trust you.”
Surprisingly, Archangel smiles. “I’m not asking you to trust me, I’m telling you to bring me into the tunnels. Unless, of course, you’d rather I stayed up here with your pregnant wife.”
Scott starts forward, his fists clenched at his sides. Jean, however, touches her husband on the arm and looks at him pleadingly. For a moment they look into each other’s eyes, until at last Scott turns his gaze back to Archangel.
“You win Warren. In ten minutes we meet at the entrance to the Morlock Tunnels.”
Dazzler suppresses a laugh. “Duh. Where else would we go?”
Standing in front of the mirror, Rachel Summers brushes her fiery red hair. Running the brush through for the last time, Rachel compliments herself again for letting it grow out. Now it’s even longer than her mothers, flowing down past her waist.
Growling in frustration, Rachel slams the brush on the table. Looking at the few strands of red hair entangled in the bristles, Rachel just lightly runs telekinetic fingers through her hair. At the same time a simple green dress floats out of her closet and rests on the bed.
Tying her hair up, Rachel gets out of the chair and brings the dress slowly towards her. As simple as all these have been, it takes Rachel over ten minutes to do, undo, and redo the buttons of her dress. After the fifth time, Rachel breaks down in tears, falling on the bed in her half-worn dress.
“I’m going to see my mom,” Rachel sobs, tears flowing from her eyes. “I-I’m going to see myself be born! I’m going to live. I’m going to live!” Rachel cries out in joy.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Rachel finishes buttoning up her dress. Checking herself in the mirror one last time, Rachel grabs her small bag and leaves the hotel room.
She’s going to see her mom.
"Are you sure you're all right, Warren?" Cyclops asks, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"For the last time, I'm fine." But Cyclops can detect the tightness in Archangel’s voice, and the nervous twitching of his detracted wings. It's taking every ounce of his willpower to keep from breaking down, and it shows.
The five X-Men have been walking though the tunnels for hours. Wolfsbane
is some distance ahead, scouting with her enhanced senses, while Dazzler
leads the rest of the group with a small globe of light. Blockade takes
up the rear, as he’s the most likely to survive a sudden ambush from behind.
Deciding not to push the point with Archangel, Cyclops focuses on
Dazzler instead. “What about you, Dazzler? All this dirty water must be
wreaking havoc on your outfit.”
He'd meant it as a joke, but Dazzler turns to glare at him sharply. "Several years of fighting a guy that literally looks like crap can change your priorities pretty quickly. I honestly give a damn how I look right now.”
Scott's smile vanishes. Lately it seems like all the X-Men have been changing, and not exactly for the better. Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Rogue leave their responsibilities behind, Gambit actually sacrifices his life, and Archangel acts more like death with each passing day. And now Alison Blair, who was once a shallow, lightheaded disco queen, returns an embittered veteran of battle.
This is what life as an X-Man has done to us, Scott thinks. Storm, once a life-giving goddess, has been forced to kill. Colossus, that gentle artist, actually joined with Magneto, so anguished was he about the deaths of his family. This is what the Professor’s dream has accomplished.
Or is it me? Scott wonders. He'd been the one that led the X-Men into battle for so long, never really searching for another way. He'd been unable to help Warren when his friend needed him. Colossus had lost his parents on a mission that Cyclops had led, and what kind of solace had he offered? Had he really done everything that he could to advance the Professor’s dream?
Cyclops shakes his head, refusing to believe it. Warren rushed off alone into a warzone. Storm had failed the X-Men as a leader, and her failure to cope with it is what drove her off. While Colossus losing his parents had been a tragedy, but too many lives were on the line at the time to do anything about it. No, Cyclops had done the best he could, and only the shortcomings of everybody else had kept the dream from becoming a reality long ago.
Up ahead, Cyclops made out the shadow of Wolfsbane coming forward. "Rahne's coming back guys. There must be trouble ahead." Ahead of him, Dazzler stopped, while Blockade and Archangel came to a halt behind him.
Wolfsbane rushes into the lit area, panting heavily. "There be trouble up ahead,” she states. Cyclops nods smugly. "I caught the scents of maybe five or six individuals. They plan tae ambush us at the fork up ahead."
Satisfied, Cyclops gives the orders, as a leader should. "Here's the plan then. We’ll continue up the tunnel, acting as if we don't expect a thing. Keep your ears open Rahne, because the moment you sense them coming, let us know. Dazzler, when Rahne gives the signal, I want you to light up the area. If they’ve been in the tunnels long, the light should hurt their eyes."
Cyclops turns his head to Blockade. "Blockade, after Dazzler's done, I want you to charge ahead and plow into them. Once they're blinded and scattered, it should be easy to pick them off and question them."
Everybody nods in response to the plan, and Cyclops gives the signal to continue down the tunnels. Expecting the ambush, the X-Men stride on as if they expect no such thing. Surprisingly, Archangel speaks to Cyclops.
"I can't take it here Scott. This is...this is where it happened."
Cyclops turns his head; opening his mouth to tell Warren this isn't the time. Up ahead, Wolfsbane hisses.
And then....
"Hey baby," Scott Summers whispers in Jean's ear, holding her by the waist as she fixes breakfast.
Smiling, Jean pecks Scott on the lips. "Sorry honey, but it's not going to work. Everybody gets three pieces of bacon."
Scott puts on a hurt expression. "I'm shocked Jean. I don't need bacon to tell the most beautiful woman in the world how much I love her."
Jean pats Scott's hand. "I know Scott, but you're still only getting three." On the wall nearby, the phone rings.
His plan doomed to failure, Scott slides his arms from around his lover and moves to answer the phone. "X-Factor. No mutant is too dangerous."
"Scott?" His mouth gaping open, Scott Summers recognizes the voice. Sneaking a glance at Jean, he whispers hoarsely into the phone. "M-Maddie? Ho-how'd you get this number?"
"Believe it or not, the news from New York can reach even Alaska. I saw you, Scott, posing as a mutant hunter with your friends. I saw her too!"
Leaning on the table in support, Scott doesn't notice Jean's perplexed look as he concentrates on the woman at the other end. "Maddie, I can explain-"
"It is her, isn't it Scott? Jean Grey, the woman I look exactly alike? The only reason you married me."
"Maddie, please, it's not what you think-"
"Stay away from me Scott. And stay away from Nathan. I hope she's worth abandoning your son for, you bastard." A sharp click on the other end, and Scott Summers is left to look at the phone in his hand.
Sighing, Scott hangs the phone up. Somehow, he can find a way to reason with Maddie. There has to be some way to work this out, and he'll be able to see his son again. Then it’ll be Scott and Nathan and Je-
The vicious slap catches Scott off guard, and he crashes to the floor, his glasses slipping off. Clenching his eyes shut, Scott fumbles in the floor, until he managed to find his glasses. Slipping them back on, Scott opens his eyes and look up.
Standing over him is a very angry, and very hurt, Jean Grey. In her hands is the plate piled with bacon. Tears in her eyes, she turns the plate over, spilling bacon onto Scott’s head. "There, take it all. That's what you were after, wasn’t it? You bastard.” Suppressing the tears, Jean rushes out of the kitchen.
Scott Summers quickly leaps off the floor. Grabbing a slice of bacon, Scott shoves it into his mouth before chasing after Jean.
"Jean!!!"
The Angel was deep inside the Morlock Tunnels, alone. Well, maybe not alone-he had managed to find young Artie Maddocks-but with the three Marauders in front of him and the child behind him; Angel might as well have been alone.
Keeping his eyes on the three killers, Angel gently pushed Artie back. "Run Artie,” Warren urges. "Run, find Jean. Tell her...tell her she was right. Go!” Angel hears Artie’s footsteps and fade away, and he smiles. Whatever happens to him, the boy will be fine. That is all that matters.
Laughing, Blockbuster raised his fists, mocking Angel. "You're about to die pretty boy! I’m gonna enjoy tearing those wings off your back!"
Rushing forward, flapping his beautiful wings to increase his speed, Angel slams into Blockbuster, slamming the large mutant into Harpoon and Vertigo. “Sorry, but these wings fight back." Swinging one of his wings wide, Angel strikes Blockbuster upside the head, driving him farther back.
Screaming in fury, Vertigo raises her arms and blasts at Angel with her power of dizziness. Closing his eyes, Angel steps forward and punches her in the jaw. “Sorry Vertigo, but I know how to deal with you."
Suddenly, Blockbuster's large hand grasps one of Angel's wings. "Yeah, well we know how to deal with you too. Don't we Harpoon?" Grabbing the struggling Angel by the head, Blockbuster slams him into the wall.
"We sure do," Harpoon mocks. Hefting one of his metal harpoons, the Inuit mutant doesn’t bother to transform it into energy. Instead he just jabs it out towards Angel’s wing.
"Argh!!!!!!!!!!" Angel screams in agony as the harpoon impales his wing into the wall. Holding Angel down, Blockbuster laughs as Harpoon impales Angel's other wing. Blood flows from Angel onto the ground, and the pain becomes far too much.
Blockbuster and Harpoon step back and admire their handiwork. Semi-conscious, Angel hangs before them, crucified by his beautiful white wings.
Snarling, Wolfsbane swipes at the Right agent, destroying his weapon. A back-hand by the lupine young mutant sends the agent flying back. “Leave our friends alone, ye nasty scoundrels!”
All around Wolfsbane, she and her friends in the New Mutants fight for their lives. They’d come to the Ani-Mator’s Island to help their friend Bird Brain free the other mutated animals. They certainly hadn’t expected the mutant-hating terrorist organization known as the Right to attack them.
The battle was quickly joined, with the New Mutants fighting for their lives against the cowardly terrorists. Now, it seemed as though the fighting was dying down, as the Right agents quickly realized that they were outmatched by the ‘Junior X-Men’. As the Right ran, many New Mutants began to celebrate.
The celebration proves to be premature. Behind Wolfsbane, a Right agent that Cannonball had dispatched earlier slowly rises. Grabbing the nearby gun, he stands and takes aim at Wolfsbane’s back. Of all the New Mutants, only one catches the action in time.
Leveling his gun at the mutant freak’s back, the Right agent slowly pulled the trigger, and time seemed to slow. With a sharp burst, the bullet flew from the gun’s barrel, quickly bearing down on the unsuspecting mutants. Startled by the gunshot, many of the New Mutants turned in surprised, their blood running cold at what they found.
Wolfsbane lived, unscathed, looking down at her feet in horror. On the ground, dead, was Douglas Ramsey.
“No!” Crying out in pure emotion, Cannonball burst towards the Right agent, slamming him to the ground before he could fire again. Rage livid on his face, Cannonball took out his anger on the agent, raining blow upon blow on the man’s head. Finally, Rictor pulled Sam off the unconscious killer, holding his sobbing teammate as he let it all out.
In a state of shock, Rahne fell to her knees next to Doug’s body, her lupine form gone. Gently, Rahne lifted the brave man’s head and began to cradle it, tears falling onto the still face.
“Oh Dougy,” Rahne whispered. “Ye...ye saved me, and now ye are...and now ye are...” Rahne just couldn’t say it. Instead she held Doug’s body close to hers, and she howled at the sky. She howled in mourning for her friend, one that had more courage than all the other New Mutants and all the X-Men combined.
Wolfsbane howled for Doug Ramsey, the man that gave his life for hers.
Dazzler was in the water up to her waist, trudging underneath Mojo’s
studios with a small team of her fellow rebels. “God, my last decent outfit,
and it’s ruined. This had better be worth it Quark.”
Quark, the large antlered man in front of her, turned his head and
fixed his one-eyed gaze on her. “Crippling one of Mojo’s top-rated shows
will be more than worth it Dazzler. Just keep your mind on the job
and help us out when we need it.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Dazzler replies, brushing something wet and sticky off her shoulder. “But still, couldn’t we just put on our own show and steal his ratings? I mean, with me singing, we’d put fatty out of business for sure.”
It’s obvious that Quark has heard this before, and quickly getting tired of it. For what is not the first time, he wonders why the hell Longshot bothered to bring this shallow bitch here to fight for something she so obviously doesn’t believe it.
Up ahead, an explosion tears through the tunnel walls up ahead, showering the rebels with dirty water and bits of rock. Giving a high-pitched yelp, Dazzler tries to duck behind Quark to avoid the worst of it. Unfortunately, Dazzler slips and falls beneath the filthy water. She can feel Quark and the others moving back past her.
Rapidly returning fire, Quark and the other rebels back up down the tunnels. Somehow Mojo had found out about the plan, and now he’d stopped it before it’d even begun. Up ahead, a Warwolf tears down the tunnel, straight for Quark. Quark releases several energy blasts, but the silvery beast dodges with ease.
Suddenly, Dazzler stands up out of the water, and gives a surprised shriek at the sight of the Warwolf bearing down on her. The Warwolf is similarly surprised, slamming into Dazzler’s midsection.
The two sprawled into the water, the Warwolf on top of Dazzler. Eyes wide in pain, Dazzler places her hand over her stomach, conscious of the sharp pain manifesting there. Dazzler clenches her eyes shut, fighting back the tears that seek to flow. She can feel the loss deep within herself, and she silently damns herself for agreeing to go on this mission knowing.
At least Longshot doesn’t know, Dazzler tells herself. But now...now he never will. Opening her mouth, Dazzler screams, and transforms the sound even as it escapes her lips. A brilliant beam of iridescent white light engulfs the Warwolf, tearing its body apart.
White light envelopes the room, clearing the visions of all the X-Men. Opening his eyes, Cyclops finds that the light is filtered through his visor - I really should thank Kitty for upgrading it, he thinks - and he can see perfectly. Getting up from the floor, Cyclops sees six figures stumbling blindly down one of the tunnels. He almost sends a blast after them, then thinks the better of it.
Best to follow them, he decides. Looking around, Cyclops sees Blockade getting up, his eyes clenched shut. Archangel and Wolfsbane are in similar states, only Wolfsbane is crying and Archangel’s wings...are white.
Cyclops can’t believe his eyes; Warren’s wings are white and limp, exactly like they were after he’d found him in the tunnels, on that horrible day so long ago. Cyclops blinks, and Archangel’s wings are back to their normal, dark metal appearance. Did he see what he thought he saw?
Then Cyclops turns to where Dazzler is, and he freezes. Dazzler lies on the ground, hands clutching her stomach, screaming in agony. Only...no sound is coming out. Instead, the blinding white light is emitting from Dazzler’s mouth, converted from the sound just as it is made.
Without a thought for himself, Cyclops rushes to Dazzler’s side, grabs her shoulders, and holds her tightly. He’d expected the light to hurt him. Foolish of him, really. After all, it’s only light.
“It’s okay, Alison,” Cyclops whispers in her ear as the woman cries against his chest. “It’s okay. It’ wasn’t your fault. Whatever you may think, Alison, it wasn’t your fault.” Slowly, the crying stops, and the light dies down.
“Nothing was my fault, Scott,” Dazzler replies coldly, pushing him away. Wiping her eyes, she looked down the tunnel where their attackers had fled. “One of them must be some kind of telepath. He must have shown us our memories or something.”
She looks at Cyclops with hard eyes. “I know what I saw, Scott, and what happened between me and Juggernaught certainly wasn’t my fault. He buried me alive, and they reminded me! I want them to pay, and I’ll collect any way I can.”
Behind them, Archangel stands, his dark metal wings draped over his body. “She’s right Scott. Those bastards invaded us; showed us our worst fears and failures. We can’t let that go unpunished.”
Surprisingly, Wolfsbane snarls in agreement. “What they did...twas evil. Nae mercy tae them, I say.”
Farther back, Blockade mutters something that Cyclops can’t make up, but he’s sure it agreement. His back to his team, Cyclops nods, his visor glowing red in the dark tunnel. “Then we’re in agreement. Let’s go guys. It’s time to shut them down.”
Determined, the X-Men hurry down the tunnels after their assailants.
The few lights overhead glowed faintly, barely cutting through the darkness. Most of the power went to the numerous machines and computers that littered The Alley. The computers hummed as they studied the data from the machines hooked up to the many, many individuals.
Several of the individuals appeared normal. Most were in varying stages of mutations, with altered skin color, disproportional limbs, and various other levels of disfigurement. A few of these individuals no longer appeared human, having been completely transformed.
Amidst the electronics and the mutating victims, normal men in lab coats walked, studying computer read-outs and observing the mutations firsthand. Near each of the entrances into The Alley, two fully mutated creatures lurked, guarding
The Alley. Littering The Alley are large column supports, ringed with platforms once used by workers. Standing atop one of these platforms was a man hidden in shadows, flanked on either side by a tall, stonefaced guard. The shadowed man observed the diligent work below.
Off at one of the entrances, a spindly mutate rushed through, glancing back from where she came. Allowed past by the sentries, she approached the column and peered up. “Evolver! The Naturals have come!”
Looking down at the mutate, the shadowed man smiles. “As was foretold,
the natural children of evolution come, angry that others would dare to
further the course of nature.” Sweeping his gaze throughout The Alley,
he raises his hand to address them all. “Fellow Darwinists! The test of
our work has come! Soon, those that stole our greatest triumphs will attack
us, jealous of our success!”
All around him, many of the scientists nod solemnly, as if they
had expected this. One of the Darwinists step forward. “We are ready for
them. Nearly two dozen subjects have been sufficiently altered. We can
hold them off.”
His face hidden by shadow, the man atop the platform smiles. “Yes, you will prevail. Our foes are ruthless, willing to kill those that want to duplicate nature’s work. Many of your will fall in safeguarding our quest, but rest assured, your work will survive long afterwards.”
The scientists, and many of the mutates, accept these words. As the activity below quickens, the shadowed man turns away. At the press of a button on his belt, a shimmering doorway opens before the man. Without a second thought for his zealous followers, the man steps through, his furled cape fluttering behind him.