Trish never liked events like this. The Little Rock tragedy was still fresh on everyone’s minds. It was an event few would ever forget, and everyone was trying to lay blame for. Luckily for the entire planet, the culprit had stepped onto live television and taken the blame. Now the finger pointing started.
“With us tonight is famed geneticist, Avenger and mutant hero, Doctor Henry McCoy,” she said, motioning to the man on her right. Hank raised his hand and waved, gaining the cheers of the crowd. “Also with us is lobbyist, industrialist, inventor and heir to Trask Enterprises, Sigrid Trask.” The young blonde woman gave the crowd a nod. She was very pretty, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her glasses on the ridge of her nose, more for show than for any practical use.
“Our topic tonight is one that weighs heavily on the American public tonight,” Trish continued. “The terrorist attack on Little Rock, Arkansas has left thousands dead and thousands more injured and comatose. The mutant terrorist organization known as the Brotherhood of Mutants has taken responsibility for the attack, claiming that the human race has grown too accepting of mutants while they should be growing afraid.”
She leaned forward to the camera and pointed into the lens. "Now that you know the topic and the participants, stick around and let’s get real!”
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#7
DEC 10 |
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New World Chaos, Part Three:
“The World We Once Knew”
“The World We Once Knew”
“We’d like to hear from Doctor McCoy first,” Trish said, turning to Beast. “Doctor, what is the opinion of X-Corps International about this so-called ‘Brotherhood of Mutants’?”
“Simply put,” he said, adjusting his glasses, "the Brotherhood is an extremist terrorist organization. I am speaking for the X-Men as well as the Avengers when I say we want those responsible, specifically Stryfe, brought to justice for the heinous acts they have committed, both on the Ivy League campus they terrorized–"
“That would be Princeton,” Trish interjected.
“Indeed,” Hank continued, “as well as the atrocity of the act in Arkansas. In fact, the X-Men squad that I am a part of has been given special CSA authority to act against and hunt down the Brotherhood.”
Ozymandias walked into his room at the Hellfire Club and felt a surge of anger rush through him as he closed the door. “I know you’re in here, Sinister. No point in hiding in the shadows.”
The chalk-faced geneticist stepped into the candlelight of the room and smiled. His hands were folded behind his back and moved across the room like almost a ghost. “I sometimes forget about your pesky little clairvoyance. So what else have you seen, infamous man of stone?”
Ozymandias, blind only in the present, walked forward with his hand along the wall. There was no bed in his room for the man long ago stopped needing sleep. “You have come here about his lover returning.”
“Observant as always,” Sinister said. “Do you know why she has chosen now to return? Her arrival presents a number of problems.”
The ancient Egyptian folded his arms across his chest. “Even if I did know, why would I tell you anything, Sinister? You are as much my enemy as she is. Apocalypse should have never have granted you life.”
Waving a dismissive hand, Sinister laughed. “Are we still going to hold on to old grudges? You know as well as I do that Sekhmet threatens the both of us. What does it matter if we exchange information about her?”
“Exchange? And what could you possibly have to tell me about her that I don’t already know?”
“I know that your powers have limits, Ozymandias. Have you foreseen the arrival of her siblings?”
Ozymandias perked up but betrayed no sign of surprise. “You have no idea what has been foreseen to me and you never will, Sinister. Now get out.”
Sinister slinked back into the shadows. “When Sebastian needs my aid, you’ll know where to find me.”
“I am well aware of this special CSA authority!” Sigrid snorted.
“You have something you want to add, Miss Trask?” Trish asked, turning to the blonde.
“At this time, the Brotherhood is a domestic organization, led by United States citizens! My unofficial opinion is that this is a matter under the jurisdiction of the Commission for Superhuman Affairs. The X-Men being granted authority to hunt down the Brotherhood is ludicrous.”
“I’m sorry again,” Beast said, “but to my understanding, you’re simply a contractor. What is your interest in this situation?”
“We’re looking at a world that doesn’t fear mutants anymore,” Sigrid said. “Don’t get me wrong, I understand your viewpoint, Doctor McCoy, but this isn’t purely a civil rights issue. Yes, mutants are people too, blah blah blah, but they are people with extra-ordinary abilities. We saw that Stryfe was able to essentially level a city WITH HIS MIND.”
“There are organizations to police mutants out there,” Hank said. “The XSE for one–"
“An organization run by mutants, backed by international interests,” she said. "We have a right to defend ourselves. No, we don’t want to hunt down and imprison all mutants; we want to find and prosecute mutant criminals and I have helped design technology capable of doing just that.”
“You’ve designed new versions of the Sentinels!” Hank exclaimed. “Symbols of the very oppression that you’re supposedly against!”
“The Sentinels are not symbols of oppression,” Sigrid said calmly, despite the Beast’s anger. “They are simply symbols of order. Would you have the military lay down every weapon in their possession? We have to be able to protect ourselves.” Applauses rose from the crowed, but in the mix were a few boos. ‘Once again, we’re facing LIVING WEAPONS and we need defensive weapons to match. These aren’t my Uncle’s Sentinels; they are no longer meant to hunt all mutants. They are intended to find enemies of the state and bring them in.”
“And who defines enemy of the state?” Hank asked, his anger rising and getting the better of him. “You? The CSA? Henry Gyrich? THAT is in the best interest of all mutants?!?”
“This is the plan,” Rogue said, her hand covering her Bluetooth headset. “We hit hard and fast. Warren and I take point. Betsy follows, then the rest of you. Nathan is rear guard, makes sure no one gets out. Any questions?”
“Since when did you become such a commanding presence?” Logan said.
“I learn from the best. On three…” Rogue flew straight into the air over the warehouse. While Warren would attack from the side, she would drop in from above. With Logan, Karima, Betsy and Emma following close behind, the element of surprise would absolutely be on their side.
“We’re waiting…” Logan grunted.
“Patience,” Emma said. The relationship between the two of them had strengthened because of X-Force, but no one else knew that so their sudden closeness came across as strange. No one had really questioned its origins yet.
“No kiddin’, luv” Betsy said. “Ready when you are, Rogue.”
“Beginning count,” she said. She stopped and turned. She started rocketing to the ground. “One… two… THREE!” Warren and Rogue struck the building in unison. She tore through the building, while he stopped and faced them. Karima burst into the building a moment later courtesy of rocket launchers attached to her shoulders. The Brotherhood members inside started to scramble immediately before being met by the X-Men. It was nearly ten seconds before any of them realized these were not the Brotherhood members they expected.
Locus came after Rogue first, energy surrounding her fists. She dodged a blast of energy from the woman and punched her in the stomach, but Locus teleported away and reappeared behind her, punching Rogue in the kidneys. The blow hardly hurt the super-strong Rogue, but she responded by slamming her elbow into Locus’ side.
Reaper rushed Wolverine, his scythe extended. Logan caught the attack with his claws and kicked him in the chest. He pushed his advantage and drove his elbow into Reaper’s chest even as Reaper jammed his scythe into Logan’s belly and twisted. Logan screamed and backhanded him.
Karima didn’t see Thumbelina until it was almost too late. The shrunken obese woman slammed into her hard, her strength inversely proportional to her size. Even with Karima’s nanotechnology enhancing her durability, the blow sent her staggering. She grew back to a more visible size and tried to attack Omega Sentinel again, but she caught her blow this time and slapped her away.
Strobe blasted Psylocke in the face with a hot burst of light. She recovered quickly, transferring her senses to her telepathy rather than her vision. Her mind was flooded with images and sensations from all around her, giving her a three-hundred sixty degree view of the room and the battles around her even as her psi-blades burst from her wrists. She grinned, twisted and slammed one of them into Strobe’s shoulder. The woman screamed and Betsy punched her in the face with her other blade, dropping her instantly.
Wildside rushed Warren with a cackle. Warren dodged and took into the air. Wildside clawed at him, but Archangel moved too quickly. He grabbed Gill’s shoulders and slapped him in the face with one of his wings, disorienting the mutant.
Kamikaze sprinted at Cable. Nathan grinned and, when the Japanese mutant reached him, he pulled out one of his less lethal pistols. A wall of sonic force slammed into Kamikaze and sent him flying away. He strode forward, keeping him disoriented until he collapsed to the ground.
Before they knew it the battle was over and the X-Men stood over the unconscious members of the Brotherhood. Logan glared down at Reaper as Cable entered the warehouse. “You got them all,” he said. "Damn good work.”
“I wish,” Betsy said.
Karima stood for a moment, information running through her brain via a global wi-fi connection. “Does anyone have any idea why the Mutant Liberation Front are now members of the Brotherhood?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt this lively discussion,” Trish said, giving Hank a significant glare in an attempt to calm him down “but we’ve run out of time for this portion of the program. Stay tuned for Mister Adam Winkler, head of FEMA, as he responds to their reaction to the Little Rock disaster, and how this is not another Katrina as some are already starting to claim.”
Beast ripped the microphone out of his jacket pocket in disgust and threw it on his chair. He stomped away. Trask remained in her seat, a smug grin on her face while Trish began chasing after him. “Hank, wait!” she called.
Beast spun, anger written across his face. Trish stopped and took a step back. She had never seen an expression like that on her sometimes lover’s usually jovial face. “Don’t,” he growled. “I know that was a disaster! I can’t believe I let that woman get the best of me.” He sighed and turned back towards the door. “I expected this affair to turn out a fair deal better.”
“Hank don’t beat yourself up about it too much. Trask just publically snubbed the decision of someone she’s contracted for. There are going to be consequences for her,” she said.
“You know how to help, Trish,” he said. “I never expected to get that angry that fast. Our work is in so much jeopardy right now and I don’t want to see it all come crashing down.”
“Here,” Trish said, handing Beast a jump drive. “I’ve done a bit of my own research on our friend Ms. Trask. This should help.”
“Thank you, Trish, we’ll use this how we can.” He strode out of the studio, shaking his head in disgust at his lack of performance on the show.
3 hours later, the Institute War Room
“So we’re back at square one,” Warren said. “Mystique and Stryfe are still out there. The Brotherhood is bigger than ever. And Storm’s still unconscious. Not to mention Blink.”
“So what exactly happened with the Brotherhood?” Beast asked.
“Emma read Locus,” Logan said. “She was the last one still conscious when we were done.”
“The Brotherhood is a much larger monster now,” Cable said. “The X-Men have gone global, through X-Corps, and so did they. Terrorist cells, independent operators, so on. They’re plain copycats, but flattery often comes through that I suppose. The bastards see themselves as a concept now”
“The zealots are always the scariest,” Betsy said. “We’ll find them. Mystique can’t say out of the spotlight long.”
“Indeed,” Karima said. “And Storm?”
“Good news,” Charles said. “Ororo is going to be awakened tomorrow. ”
“Perfect,” Nathan said. “I’ll need to spend a few days with her to train her back into shape.”
“Don’t push it,” Logan said.
“What do you think Sinister’s motives are?” Sebastian Shaw asked, picking up a newspaper giving commentary on Dr. McCoy and Sigrid Trask’s televised debate. “He wouldn’t have risked coming to you without a reason.”
Seated at the table with Shaw were Madylene Pryor, Ozymandias, Odysseus Indigo and Kirigi of the Hand. All of them were eating with the exception of Ozymandias, who long ago stopped needing such things, though Madylene poked carelessly at her salad. “I told you we should have just given Sinister a seat on the Inner Circle.”
Ozymandias tensed up. “Sinister is always working for himself and only for himself. He has no place here. He is trying to see if we know anything that he doesn’t.”
“And just what do we know about this Sekhmet?” Sebastian asked.
“She was Apocalypse’s lover long ago and she carries his child. She is here now to fulfill the goals that he was unable to accomplish. Sinister mentioned to me something about her siblings but said little else. He was wanting to exchange information but I refused.”
Sebastian took his knife and cut into his steak. “He’s not yet desperate enough for me. We’ll deny him until we can get more out of the bargain. Our relationship with him has been amicable thus far, but I don’t want it to get too cozy.”
“I would like the chance to get my hands on his notes one day. Perhaps we can build to that?” Odysseus asked. It was any illicit geneticists’ dream to get their hands on the work of Nathaniel Essex. He would have preferred to just give Sinister the information he wanted about Sekhmet and demand some of his work in return.
“We’ll see,” Sebastian replied coolly. Odysseus was too eager to maintain a relationship with Sinister at all costs. Shaw understood the eagerness but was not going to indulge it at this time. “In the meantime, we’ll keep him at a distance. Any other issues we need to address?”
Madylene smiled and raised her champagne glass in the air. “I propose a toast for I believe that I may have found our White Queen at long last.”
“And who, pray tell, would this worthy woman be?” Sebastian asked.
Madylene took a sip and said, “Someone who hates Emma just as much as you.”
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To Be Continued...
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