X-men Supreme Issue #111: Divine Intervention PREVIEW!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I hope I can add one last-minute gift from the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. It's an exciting time in X-men Supreme Volume 5: Dark Truths. It's also a dangerous time for the X-men, some more than others. The already-fragile peace established by the Genosha treaty has started to crack. When Professor Xavier met with General Nathan Grimshaw to assess how justice is being administered to mutants arrested by the Mutant Security Agency, he saw a lot of room for improvement. He also saw a new threat emerge in Toad, the former member of the Brotherhood of Mutants who had a reputation for being weak and inept. Well he's not weak and inept anymore. The Cambrian has made him powerful and he now has a new team of mutants burned by injustice. The X-men must now face the possibility of a new threat that will trigger a new round of conflict.

But as this bigger conflict is unfolding in the world of X-men Supreme, there are still numerous personal conflicts that have yet to be resolved. One such conflict involves Wolverine. Ever since he ended his romantic relationship with Storm, he's unstable to say the least. And it only got worse when he found out he had a clone running around who only went by the designation, X-23. He tried searching for her, but he came up with nothing. Professor Xavier and his fellow X-men helped him pull himself together again and gave him new duties on Genosha. However, he has not forgotten about X-23 or the conflict that led to her.

When X-men Supreme Volume 5: Dark Truths began, there were certain goals I wanted to accomplish. I've already succeeded to some degree, but the main goal is in the name itself. There are hidden truths in this fanfiction series that have been buried since it began. Now some of those truths are about to be revealed. But revealing those truths will require sacrifice and struggle from the X-men. They've already got a new conflict on their hands with Toad. But an old conflict involving Wolverine is about to enter the picture. The next issue will set the stage for the first of many revelations. As always, I've prepared a preview the conflict that's going to lead to these revelations.

Now stopped cold in his tracks, Wildside was levitated several feet into the air and turned upside down. Already fatigued from so much running, he was rendered dazed and disoriented. It didn’t help that Logan came charging in with his claws still drawn, ready to slice into him with reckless abandon.

“Ugh…you guys are making this the worst day of my life,” Wildside groaned.

“Pipe up, dirt bag! I can still make it way worse,” snarled Logan before turning to his teammates, “You girls must not know me as well as I thought. I don’t remember asking for backup.”

“Funny, you never minded a pretty femme savin’ your butt before,” Remy pointed out.

“I also don’t remember why anyone would wanna bring the Cajun along,” he added.

“Take it easy, Logan…as hard as that may be for you,” said Ororo in a calming tone as she approached her former lover, “For one, we know you didn’t ask for backup. We came here on to help with this investigation.”

“You forgot to add watching over me,” he said dryly.

“I thought that would be a given. It’s a good thing too because your lack of subtlety does not mix well with rush-hour traffic,” she said with a humored grin.

“Ain’t like anything mixes well with your methods, homme,” added Remy.

Logan snarled at the Cajun, who he wasn’t nearly as pleased to see. Ororo and Jeannie were welcome sights even when they got in his way. Remy’s only purpose in life seemed to be getting under other peoples’ skin, going deeper with some more than others.

“And he’s here because?” Logan pointed out.

“You searchin’ for a deviant. Remy is a former deviant. Ain’t that hard to wrap your head around, non?” he shrugged.

“And once you heard we were heading to LA, it would have taken more than any force of nature I could conjure to keep you away,” added Ororo, earning her a look from Remy.

“Now that I believe,” said Logan, “But in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t need any help. I found a lead and he’s gonna give us some answers.”

“I doubt that, Logan,” said Jean Grey, who was focused on the still hovering Wildside.

“Well I won’t know until I ask the question now, will I?” said the feral mutant as he menacingly held his claws up to the unfortunate figure.

“There’s no need. I already read his mind. He was more than willing to give me permission,” the young psychic pointed out, “He hasn’t been contacted by Toad. That friend of his with the pitiful hygiene he mentioned was just some guy he buys cocaine from…a guy who spends so much time snorting and selling that he often forgets to pay his water bill. Isn’t that right?”

Wildside, who was in no position to be defiant, continued anxiously staring down the angry Wolverine.

“It’s true. His name is Jumbo. I’ll even give you an address, his cell number, his Facebook password, and the corners he deals at!” the young mutant cowered.

“Sounds like quite a character,” muttered a disappointed and somewhat sheepish Logan.

“Who definitely isn’t the man we’re looking for,” Jean pointed out.

Having confirmed this guy didn’t know anything about Toad, Jean set him down. The minute Wildside was on the ground, he backed away from Logan. He then tripped over himself twice as he stumbled back into a light run.

“You X-men are traitors!” he shouted, “I thought you were heroes. Now you’re just a bunch of government thugs. To hell with you all!”

“Au revoir to you too, homme,” said Remy, rolling his eyes.

The X-men didn’t make much of his words. They had heard that sentiment before. Ever since they partnered with the Mutant Security Agency their standing with other mutants had taken a hit. Even if it was for the greater good, it was hard to see that when they were chasing down mutants who hadn’t done anything wrong.

This led Jean, Ororo, and Remy to scorn Logan doing little to help their reputation. He didn’t seem that apologetic as he retracted his claws. He diverted his gaze and started walking towards the exit to the parking garage while his teammates followed close behind.

“Come on, Logan. Don’t make us chase you the same way you chased that poor mutant,” said Ororo.

“Ain’t nothing poor about him, Ro. Even if he didn’t shit about Toad, he’s still a punk,” said Logan bitterly.

“Be that as it may, it couldn’t hurt to be somewhat careful,” said Jean, choosing her words carefully, “I know it’s not your style, but we won’t find Toad’s trail by harassing mutants like this.”

“Unless it ain’t Toad you be searching for,” added Remy in a more serious tone.

“Don’t start with the philosophy shit, Cajun. I ain’t in the mood,” said Logan as he reached the exit of the garage.

“It ain’t shit if it don’t stink,” argued the Cajun, “It seem like every job the Professor gives you, the only way you go about it is by overreacting and under-thinking. Whether it be Genosha or finding Toad, you clearly ain’t fighting to accomplish something. You just fighting.”

“What do you expect? I’m a fighter. Or have I not made that painfully clear by now?” snarled Logan.

“There’s fighting and there’s fighting for the wrong reasons, Logan,” said Ororo, placing a hand on his shoulder, “I can see it too. Everybody can. Something is still bothering you. Distracting yourself from it only goes so far.”

“You got a better way? I’d love to hear it,” he said, pushing Ororo’s hand off his shoulder.

“You’re in a team with people who love and care about you,” said Jean in an equally sincere tone, “On top of that, you have two of the most powerful psychics in the world living under the same roof. Would it really do too much damage to that ego of yours if you asked for help?”

It was a lot harder to ignore when she framed it like this. Jean Grey had a talent for making painfully obvious points. She and Ororo were among the precious few who could get around the frustration and pig-headedness that often blinded him. Seeing as how he also once dated these women, it was difficult to walk away.

He may have stopped his drinking binges, but that didn’t mean he was less tormented. He was still reeling from revelations surrounding Sabretooth, Weapon X, Mystique, and the Yashida Clan. Time and again, he refused to confront it. Jean, Ororo, and the rest of the X-men understood he couldn’t run forever. If it was going to keep affecting him like this, they had to confront it.

“There’s a time for work and a time reflection, Logan,” said Ororo in a kind tone, “We can help you with both or we can help you with just one. Either way, we’re not going to keep watching you suffer.”

“So you might as well save us the trouble of annoying you to death and give us a chance,” said Jean, “We can keep searching for leads, but at one point we should sit down and have a chat that doesn’t involve life-and-death struggles.”

Logan grumbled a few incoherent words to himself. Beautiful women had a way of humbling him. Jean and Ororo weren’t afraid to exploit that. In their eyes, it was for his own good. And they were right much to his chagrin. Shaking his head, he turned to face them. Then a new scent drew his attention.

‘No…it can’t be. X-23…she’s here?!’

Expect these revelations to lead to some significant changes in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. The X-men comics have already been dealing with such revelations with characters like Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. While I don't intend these revelations to be quite that extreme, I do expect them to generate a few reactions. Some may be good. Some may be bad. Whichever they are, I want to hear from them. I want to know how X-men fans feel about the changes I make in X-men Supreme as these revelations hit. So please take the time to post your feedback in the latest issues or contact me directly. I'm always happy to chat about X-men or comics in general. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack