The Uncanny X-Men #7

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The Uncanny X-Men #7
The Sentinel War
Part 4
The Man Behind the Curtain

Written by KM Jones (Wonderphoenix)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

The Xavier Institute
The War Room

Storm entered the room and saw her fellow X-Men, along with Gambit, already waiting. Jean Grey, Marvel Girl, stood behind the Professor with Gambit leaning on a sofa to her right. The man they knew only as Logan, more comfortable being called Wolverine, stood in the corner. Peter Rasputin, the metallic Colossus with ribs still bandaged, stood next to Gambit. Hanging upside down from the chandelier by feet that could only be categorized as apelike was probably the smartest person at the school and someone who, ironically, chose to call himself the Beast.

“I don’t see Kitty with you, Storm,” the Professor commented.

“I didn’t see a need for her to be here so I sent her to be with the other students,” Storm replied. “I think senior X-Men should be here and not the children.”

>>You are not that far removed from a teenager yourself, Ororo,<< Ororo heard the Professor’s mental voice say.

>>We will discuss this later, Charles,<< she thought and knew that the Professor would hear her. >>I won’t jeopardize young Kitty without reason. We have already done that to Bobby and Kurt. Once they are rescued, we have much to discuss.<<

The Professor didn’t respond but instead turned to Marvel Girl. “Jean, please tell the others what we found.”

Jean typed a command into the console and a large map of the United States appeared on the 52 inch display in the center of the room. A red X marked a spot on the map almost on top of Richmond, Virginia. “It took a little time,” she said, “but we were finally able to locate Scott.” She typed another command and the display changed to Google Earth and began to zoom in on the location. “This is called Camp Wide Awake.”

“Heard of it,” Wolverine interjected. “Thought it was closed down back in the 50's or something. Guess old Uncle Sam had other plans.”

“Uncle Sam don’ always be someone you trust,” Gambit added. “You never know what dem ol’ feds can come up wit.”

Jean cleared her throat. “As I was saying,” she continued. “We have located Scott by using Cerebro to enhance my connection to him. I have not been able to telepathically speak to him but I do feel him there.”

The Professor rolled his chair to the middle of the room. “Be ready to leave at midnight. We will leave as soon as all the students are asleep. I expect all of you dressed and ready to go by then.”

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Genosha

Magneto stood in the main hall with Havok, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The four entered a side room where the Toad and Blob sat waiting. All were dressed in their traditional battle suits. Sitting in the corner was the elderly Aborigine known as Gateway.

“Boss, where’s the catman?” Blob asked.

“Sabertooth has his own mission to accomplish,” Magneto responded, clearly annoyed at being questioned by a subordinate. “You need to worry about YOUR mission and not about the “catman”, as you call him. Thanks to my surveillance built into Cerebro, unbeknownst to Charles, we know where Havok’s brother is being held and, in turn, the location of the Sentinel plant.”

Magneto put on his helmet and looked at Gateway. A nod of his head was all Gateway needed to understand that the command had been given. Gateway began to swing a leather strap with a rock at the end in a circular motion. As he continued, energy erupted from the air and a portal formed. Magneto now looked at his Brotherhood. Another nod gave a second command and Magneto disappeared through the circle of energy. The others followed their leader until only Gateway remained and the energy dissipated.

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Someplace else...

The single light bulb illuminating the room began to flicker as if teasing the man sitting chained to the floor that his only source of light was about to be extinguished. He looked up, cursed, and pulled at the shackles on his hands. He screamed in pain as the rusted metal cut once again into the open wounds that now replaced his once clean wrists. The chain had enough length to allow him freedom to walk around the room but that was it. He felt like a dog on a leash and had screamed for the first few hours after awaking to anyone who could hear him in hopes to be rescued. Now, he screamed again but this scream came more from defiance than pain. His spirit would not be broken… never!

He could not calculate how long he had been here. Was it days... weeks? He didn’t know. But, more importantly, he wondered why a rescue had not happened. Surely they would be looking for him. Surely they would find him.

He sat in silence. Then, sometime later, he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. He wished he could find something… anything… to use to defend himself. The chain was no use because if he tried to lift it too high it would cut into his hands so it was of no use. Whoever brought him here had planned every detail.

No one had been here since he woke up in this wood shack. There was a tub of water, several loaves of stale bread, and a deep hole in the floor in the far left of the room. Whenever he awoke, he had looked around, saw what was there, and guessed this was to be his toilet and the water would have to serve both for drinking and for any cleaning of himself he wished to do.

The door unlocked as he heard what had to be another chain fall to the ground and maybe a wooden plank removed and laid on the floor. He took a breath as his captor entered. Recognition was immediate.

“Damn you,” he told his captor. “Damn you to hell!”

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Camp Wide Awake
3:00am

The early morning fog coming off the small lake next to the Camp began to swirl and grow thicker as it moved from the lake and into the valley surrounding the camp. The Blackbird uncloaked and hovered several feet above the lake as a side door slid open. Storm was the first to exit and was lifted into the sky by the winds. She was followed by the Beast who jumped, caught a branch, and jumped again to the ground. Wolverine dived at the same tree with claws extended. One set sank into the same tree and retracted giving Wolverine just enough leverage to land on his feet close to the Beast. Finally, Marvel Girl stood next to Gambit and Colussus and concentrated. Both were enveloped within a pinkish energy and were lowered to the ground. Once all X-Men had exited, Professor X shut the door and returned the plane to stealth mode.

“I can’t believe it,” Wolverine commented. “All this time and they are still using this place.”

“You have been here before?” Colossus asked.

“You don’t wanna know, Ruskie,” Wolverine responded. “I’ll tell you some day over a beer but now ain’t the time.”

Wolverine and the Beast took point as Colussus, in metallic form, stood in front of Storm and Marvel Girl. The X-Men began to advance toward the camp.

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“What did they give us to cause our powers to not work?” Bobby asked as he turned to Kurt. “I keep trying to freeze something but it’s like I can’t think or concentrate.” A low frequency hum could be heard in the room. “Damn, if they would just turn that speaker down, maybe I could think.”

“I think that is the idea,” Kurt replied. “They keep us where we can’t concentrate so we can’t use our powers.”

“If I could snow up, I would show those bastards a thing or two. Do you think they are coming back?” Bobby asked as he turned to Kurt.

“Surely, given time, they will return,” Kurt replied. “If not to do more experiments, it will be to kill us.” Kurt looked around the small room with its white padded walls. “They have tried it dehumanize us, mien friend.” He tried to stand and felt the pain from his left ankle and finally returned to the floor and sat beside his fellow student.

“How is your leg?” Bobby inquired.

“I think it is just a sprain or maybe a fracture,” Kurt answered. “I guess they wanted to see if my bones worked the same as yours do.” Kurt raised his hands in front of his face. “Three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot.” He shook his head. “No wonder they call me a demon.”

“Dude,” Bobby interjected, “I know I haven’t known you but about a week but I think you are a lot more of a human than those monsters ever were or could be.”

Kurt looked at the younger boy sitting beside him. “That is easy for you to say. They have only taken blood samples from you and tried to keep your body temperature up. At least you can pass for normal because of how you look. They are letting you off easy.”

Before Bobby could respond, the door to the cell opened and two guards entered, followed by another man. Kurt leaned up as Bobby edged closer to him. The guards each took position by the door as the other man approached them.

“I am the guy in charge here,” Mr. Green stated. “So, which one of you boys will be next?” Bobby began to stand but Kurt grabbed his arm.

“I will go, mien friend,” he said. “They have more interests in me and besides – if I don’t survive and you do – at least you will have a chance maybe of a life. What kind of life do I have cursed to look like this?” The two guards moved from their posts and grabbed the blue skinned teenager.

“You had best say your goodbyes,” the older of the two guards said to Bobby. “You won’t be seeing your mutie buddy again.” He laughed. “I always wanted to kill me a mutie ever since you started popping up everywhere.”

Bobby stood and charged towards the men but fell back to the floor after the other guard hit him with a nightstick across the head. He lay unconscious.

“You bastards!” Kurt exclaimed. The guard with the nightstick began to raise it and take a swing when he heard a buzz. A second passed. He heard it again.

“What is that?” the other guard asked.

“Wha… hmmm?” Mr. Green fumbled in his coat pocket after realizing that it was his cellular. He answered the phone. After a moment of listening to the other end of the call, he said, “Yes, yes, I am in charge of production. Yes, yes, sir. It is an honor.” Another silence and the guards looked at each other puzzled. Mr. Green grew agitated and started pacing back and forth. “I understand, sir. But, if we do that, Mr. Trask isn’t going to approve.” The person on the other end of the call interrupted Mr. Green. Several moments of uncomfortable silence passed. “Yes, I will do that. “ Pause. “Thank you, sir. I will certainly remember that.” Pause. “You have my word.” He looked at the two young men who he had spent the last several days torturing. “No further harm will come to them.” Mr. Green ended the call. He looked at his colleagues. “Let him go.”

“WHAT??” the older guard questioned and advanced toward his boss.

“You heard me,” Mr. Green exclaimed. “Let him go!” He shook his head and took several deep breaths – trying to hold back the panic he felt building inside. His hands shook. “I just got a call from the freaking President of the United States!” The guards were puzzled. “Damnt, we have to stop everything.” He paced some more. “Get down to the line. Tell them all that I said to cease and desist immediately.”

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Sentinel production had been brought to a halt. Bolivar Trask exited his office and walked to the production floor and approached a line of workers standing off to the side. “What the hell is going on here? Who told you to stop what you are doing?”

“Mr. Green, Sir,” a young woman responded. “We assumed you gave the order.”

Trask became enraged. “Why the hell would I do that???!??”

Before a response could be given, a bright circle of energy erupted in the center of the room and out stepped Magneto and the Brotherhood. In a panic, Trask shouted commands for the workers to activate the mutant hunting robots. But, before anyone could act, Trask felt himself being lifted off the floor. A piece of the railing tore away from the walkway and wrapped itself around him leaving him no room to move. Finally, he floated through the air until he found himself eye to eye with Magneto.

Trask stared at his enemy and looked upon features barely visible under the red helmet. Magneto looked tired and this was something Trask didn’t expect to see. Still, his resolve was firm. Magneto didn’t speak but instead lifted his left hand and Trask was elevated higher. Looking down he saw the workers fleeing in horror. Alarms screamed bout attention wasn’t given to them. The workers were too busy running. And, with that, Trask’s anger grew.

A screeching sound echoed throughout the building as the metallic alloys that comprised the Sentinels outer casing began to peel off like tissue paper. Other Sentinels simply collapsed each time the mutant woman in red gestured. One mutant moved so fast that all Trask saw was a blue hued blur disassemble machines in seconds that took weeks to build. Two other mutants used fists to dent and destroy. One, dressed in black, didn’t attack his creations but instead ran out of the room.

Within ten minutes, the assembly line and all the Sentinels had been destroyed. “This is your work, human.” Magneto glared. “These robots you build and send to my land to kill us?” Magneto gestured at the broken Sentinels. “This is what becomes of what you do.”

“Mutie FILTH!” Trask screamed. “I will destroy you… yea… I will… you freak… even if it is the last thing in this damnable world that… I… I do!!”

Magneto seethed with anger and raised his hand as Trask continued to mumble more and more as he began to lose his composure. Trask tensed.

Suddenly, without warning, a bolt of lightening separated the two men. Below, standing next to the Brotherhood were the X-Men. “I always knew you were all working together.” Trask added. “All you muties are just one pack of animals.”

Magneto began to raise his hand again.

“Magnus,” the Beast called. “Do not do something that you will later regret.”

Colossus stood ready as the Blob kept staring at him… itching for a fight.

Gambit pulled a deck of cards from his coat and held them in his hand.

Wolverine clenched his fists – his claws a mere second from extension.

Jean, however, exited the room.

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Scott Summers felt the shackles on his hands and feet suddenly release. For the first time in days he was able to move something other than fingers and toes but was hesitant to attempt to stand. After several seconds and after testing his legs, he stood but kept his eyes shut as he blindly felt around the room. Where is my visor? God knows, I don’t need to open my eyes! He continued to feel around the room as he heard the door open. He was ready to open his eyes if he had to defend himself. “Who’s there?”

“Don’t worry, son,” Mr. Green said. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to set you free.”

Scott felt this man take his hand and give him something. It was his visor. After putting it on, he opened his eyes. Standing behind the man were Bobby and Kurt. Bobby looked okay, all things considered. Kurt, on the other hand, looked a lot worse. “Guys, it is good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too,” Bobby responded.

Kurt said nothing.

“We have to go,” Mr. Green instructed. “There is an exit elevator in the back where I can get you out without Trask knowing but we have to hurry.” The three men turned to follow Mr. Green when a bolt of plasma hit their rescuer in the chest. He fell to the ground as Havok rushed into the room. Scott knelt to the ground beside the man who had, until moments ago, been his captor. Havok looked stunned as he noticed his mistake.

“I truly am sorry,” Mr. Green whispered. “I was only following orders.”

Scott felt for a pulse and shook his head.

“Scott,” Havok pleaded. “I didn’t realize! I was only trying to find you.”

Scott Summers looked at his brother and wondered where it had happened. Where had their lives diverged to take them on such different paths? “This is not the time, Alex.” Cyclops replied. “You’re intentions were good… I know. But, maybe now this will show you what siding with Magneto will do for you.” He looked back down at the body and then walked passed Havok. Bobby and Kurt followed him into the hall. There was someone else at the end and he immediately recognized the woman running toward him.

“Scott!” Marvel Girl exclaimed as tears began to flow down her face. They embraced. She turned to the others after a brief telepathic exchange with her lover. She knew what had happened. “We have to hurry.” She turned and the others followed.

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Trask continued to show defiance even with the Sentinels destroyed below. He would not be humbled by lowly mutie scum.

“Magnus,” the Beast continued. “You are a lot of things but to murder in cold blood? This is not your way.”

Magneto returned to the ground and turned to the Beast. “My, my, my. Charles really has made all of you so weak, hasn’t he?”

Wolverine growled.

“You lecture me on murder when this human sent these monstrosities to my land and attacked and murdered HUNDREDS before we stopped them. HUNDREDS! Is his life worth so much to you that it replaces all of our mutant brethren who died?”

“It is not the act,” Storm added. “It is the motive behind it.” Storm heard a commotion behind her and turned, along with the others, to see Marvel Girl enter side by side with Havok and the three missing X-Men. A telepathic message from her signaled that all were okay. “See, Magnus, the captives are rescued. The Sentinels are destroyed. There is no further need for bloodshed.”

“Lord Magneto,” the Scarlet Witch interjected. “Perhaps Storm is right.”

Quicksilver moved in front of his sister. “Be quiet, Wanda. It is not our right to question…”

Before Quicksilver could finish the sentence, Magneto relaxed his hold on Trask and lowered him to the ground. He reached and touched a button on his right glove. Thousands of miles away on Genosha a light came on in Gateway’s room. As before, the old man created a portal between Genosha and Camp Wide Awake.

Magneto turned to the X-Men and then looked at the Scarlet Witch. Seconds seemed like eternity as he debated with himself. Finally, he spoke. “Perhaps you are right. Perhaps one act of kindness can change the world. Isn’t that what Charles always says?” He signaled to the Brotherhood and the Blob and Toad reluctantly stepped through the portal, emerging seconds later back in Genosha. Havok turned to face his brother, not really knowing what to say and left with words unspoken. Quicksilver motioned for the Scarlet Witch to enter but she told him to go as she would escort their lord. Finally, Magneto turned his attention back to Trask.

“Know… this… day,” he said as he took time with each word as if to give more meaning to each. “Know this day as the day mutant supremacy will begin.” Magneto smiled. “Not with a bang. Not with a bullet and not with a war.” He shook his head. “We have won, you see. Everything that has been done, as you thought you controlled it all, has been of my design. My operative, my man behind the curtain, shall ensure that all mutants will live freely from the likes of you.”

Trask didn’t understand nor did he care what this cryptic message meant. All he knew was, once the mutie freaks were out of sight and he was freed, he would fire every single worker – starting with that failure Green – and hire a new staff dedicated to the cause. He would go to Washington and ensure that Graydon Creed live up to his obligations to him even if it meant creating more places like Camp Wide Awake. He watched as the woman began to escort the mutant terrorist through the portal.

“I will have the last laugh,” Trask boasted. “When I’m finished with you, you will be nothing more than a rotten corpse in what will be a mutie scum concentration camp.”

Magneto stopped mid-step and quickly turned. Before either the X-Men or the Scarlet Witch could react, Magneto had chopped his hand through the air like a knife. As he did this, waves of magnetic energy severed the head from the rest of Bolivar Trask’s body. The headless body, blood spewing from the wound, crumbled to the floor.

“Lord Magneto, NO!” the Scarlet Witch exclaimed.

“Oh, my stars and garthers,” Beast added.

A second gesture sent an EM pulse through the machines and they began to short circuit. One in the back exploded. Magneto looked at the X-Men. “Tell Charles I tried to do it his way.” He grabbed the Scarlet Witch by the arm and pulled the dazed woman through the portal. Within seconds, it had closed.

“We had best get out of here,” Cyclops instructed. “There is no way we can stop this building from going up after that pulse.”

The X-Men headed out of the building and to the Blackbird. As the plane flew away, Bobby Drake looked out the window to watch his former prison explode and light up the night sky.

X

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Someplace else...

His captor stood above him. “How do you like the accommodations, sonny boy? I told you I would see you at the next family reunion. Guess you just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“What the hell am I doing here?” Graydon Creed demanded. “This is treason, kidnapping the President. I’ll have your hide.” He lunged toward his father only to be knocked back to the floor by Sabertooth’s fist. Blood spilled from the cut on his cheek. “Damn you, freak!”

Sabertooth smiled and squatted down and looked his offspring face-to-face. “Now, is this how you treat your proud ol’ poppa when I brought someone to see you?”

Creed sat silent for a second as he gathered his strength once more. “You may have tricked my mother into a relationship… hell, for all I know you forced yourself on her and that is why she never told me that my father was a stinking mutie!” Creed seethed with anger.

Sabertooth stood and crossed his arms. Then, he stepped back. “Why do you assume that I had to force myself on your mother? Have you ever thought that she might have given you away because she was ashamed that you were nothing more than a human?” A figure walked through the door. Recognition was immediate.

“YOU?!?” he questioned. This was a woman he hadn’t seen in over twenty years. She was someone who left home one afternoon to go shopping and never returned and it resulted in the state placing him in foster care. His hatred for her was evident. As he took a closer look he was amazed to notice that she had not aged a day since he last saw her all those years ago. Her hair was long and black and pulled back into a bun.

She looked at him. “Long time no see, my son.”

“What…? why…? why are you here?” Creed asked clearly baffled as his mind tried to comprehend what was happening. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Sabertooth spoke up instead. “Your Mother wanted to see you one last time… before you go.” Sabertooth reached down and pulled his child up to a standing position. As he did, Graydon Creed saw his mother’s features began to change… flowing as if almost like someone was taking a mound of clay and modeling a figure from it. Within seconds his mother no longer stood before him. Instead, to his utter and complete amazement, he saw himself looking back. “You wanted to know why they have not been looking for you?” Sabertooth pointed at his doppelganger. “This is why. For all they know, you are safe and secure.”

President Creed realized what had happened. A mutant… a stinking mutie… his own MOTHER… had replaced him and it sickened him. He looked at this other version of himself and spit in his/her face. The doppelganger wiped the spit away, straightened his/her tie, then punched Creed in his stomach, and sent him falling down to the ground once more. A few seconds later he looked at the figure again and saw that it had changed once more. The female figure had returned but this time it didn’t look like his mother. The black hair was now a deep scarlet and the pale white skin was now a deep blue. Where once he had seen his Mother’s prefect green eyes, he now saw only yellow pupils and irises. She was dressed in a flowing white dress.

Finally, she spoke. “You were always a disappointment to me, Graydon. You could have been so much more but you were damned from birth.”

Creed didn’t notice Sabertooth pass an object to his mother.

“I should have done this a long time ago.” From behind her back she brought it to rest in front of her child’s face. She fired only a single shot. President Graydon Creed fell to the ground, dead. The woman turned to Sabertooth and kissed him. “I’ll take some liberty with a famous phrase… the president is dead… long live the president!” She kissed him again.

Sabertooth looked at the corpse of his child and kicked it in the head. “Poor, little kid, killed by what he hated most… his parents.” He turned to his companion. “We best get going and get you back to Washington. I think you have a speech to make.”

Continued...