X-men Supreme Issue 56: Diary of the Fallen

The situation for the X-men has grown quite serious both in the pages of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series and in Marvel's ongoing Avengers vs. X-men event. They have been enduring assaults on many levels. In X-men Supreme it's from the heat of politics in a dramatic presidential election. In Avengers vs. X-men, they have been enduring assaults by both the Avengers and the Phoenix Force. It seems like the X-men just can't catch a break, can they? Well, in any series it's impossible to go from crisis to crisis without developing a little depth on the side. So while the current political drama going on in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series will continue to be a central theme, that doesn't mean I won't take time off to visit some of the less obvious stories that I've yet to explore. That's exactly what I'll do with Issue 56: Dairy of the Fallen. It's a story that promises to revisit a darker part of Storm's past while also revisiting some unfinished plots with Mystique. As usual, I've prepared an extended preview in preparation for what should be a fanciful issue of X-men Supreme.

The flight to Morocco went smoothly despite the weather. Storm remained tense while Gambit, Rogue, and Nightcrawler drank some coffee to help wake them up. They weren’t used to seeing her like this. Something about these Shadow Kings brought out a different side to her. It wasn’t dark or angry. It was more so an overwhelming sense of sorrow. It was a feeling that hung over her strongly as Logan took the X-jet down for a landing.

Now in full uniform and awake for the most part, the team followed Storm out of the jet and up towards the front entrance of the villa. According to Storm, they were expecting them. That didn’t mean they would be welcome though. Looking out at the villa, the X-men saw an unforgiving environment before them. Few knew what to expect. Even Kurt, who had heard of the Shadow Kings through his father, didn’t know a whole lot about them. But some couldn’t help their curiosity. Wolverine especially was concerned and couldn’t help but inquire as they followed Storm to the front gate.

“You better be awake by now, Gumbo. Because you need to start talking before we find this shit out the hard way,” said Wolverine sternly.

“What’s there to talk about?” said Gambit innocently as he shuffled some cards, “Ro be your girlfriend now. Why don’t you ask her?”

“Because I’d much rather bug the hell out of you than her,” retorted the feral mutant, “Now stop playing dumb. I know you know something. Spill it before I have to beat it out of you.”

Gambit shook his head. He had a feeling Stormy wouldn’t come clean with the details. As her ex-lover, it was up to him to fill in the blanks.

“Remy only knows what Stormy’s told me. She joined these hommes after she lost her parents. She lived under this big time Shadow King boss named Amahl Farouk. Remy don’t know too much about him, but word on the street was he was into some really strange mojo. His cell specialized in stealin’ rare artifacts, most of them magic.”

“You mean magic like the kind that makes Juggernaut so dang tough?” said Rogue.

“The very same,” said Gambit, “As you can imagine, it made him quite a tough fella to work for.”

“You don’t need to convince me, mien friend,” said Nightcrawler bitterly, “Zhat vould explain vhy he constantly clashed vith my father.”

“Gambit don’t know much about that. All I know is that they were the ones that brought Stormy in and trained her to be the skilled femme she is today.”

It filled in a couple of blanks. It explained why Storm was already such a proficient fighter when she joined the X-men. She had already been hardened by the Shadow Kings. But Wolverine wasn’t satisfied with this information.

“There’s more, ain’t there?” he said, giving the Cajun a menacing look.

“Don’t be pushing me, Logan,” said Gambit, “This sort of thing ain’t for Remy to say.”

“I’ll be the judge of that!” snarled Wolverine.

But before he could go any further, Storm stepped in. She was already very anxious about all this. She didn’t need her lover getting worked up as well.

“He’s right, Logan,” she said strongly, “If anyone is going to spill on my dark secrets, it’s going to be me.”

“So then why are you keeping me in the dark while your ex here knows the rest?” retorted the feral mutant.

“It’s…not that simple,” she said anxiously, “I promise it’ll make much more sense after we meet with Farouk.”

“I’m already lookin’ forward to it! He sounds like the kind of guy who would get along nicely with adamantium claws!”

“That may not be possible,” she said awkwardly as they reached the gate, “Meeting with Farouk is somewhat…unorthodox.”

“What do you mean, Storm?” asked Rogue.

Before Storm could respond, they got their answer. The five X-men all felt a sudden surge in their minds. It was as if someone was shouting into it, not unlike the feeling they got when they talked to Professor Xavier telepathically. Only this felt a lot less pleasant.

‘Welcome Ororo! At last you return!’

“The hell?!” grunted Wolverine.

As the X-men reeled from the shock, they watched a strange glowing figure form in front of them. He looked like a ghost or an astral projection, but his presence was definitely felt. As he stepped forth his intimidating appearance came into view. He was tall, oversized male with tan skin, dark eyes, and a very hallow expression. He was wearing what appeared to be a more elaborate version of the Shadow Kings cloaks that the rest of the thieves inside were wearing. It was almost like he was royalty.

As he approached them, Wolverine drew his claws and Rogue and Nightcrawler took on a defensive position. The only one who didn’t look surprised was Storm, who only tensed with anger as she saw him.

Also, as some of you may have noticed, I removed my hit counter from the side bar. It just stopped working so I took it out. That doesn't mean I won't keep track of hits. I'll just be using a different method. The X-men Supreme fanfiction series has come a long ways and I want it to continue growing. So please continue to read and spread the word about X-men Supreme. Moreover, I strongly encourage more feedback both in each individual issue and by contacting me directly. If you have any suggestions for making this site more awesome, please feel free to share them. If you want to contribute something to this site whether it be artwork or stories of your own, let me know and I'll be happy to discuss it. As always, I deeply appreciate those who have supported X-men Supreme from the beginning. Until next time, take care and best wishes! Excelsior!

Jack