X-men Supreme Issue #114: Weapon Plus Part 2 PREVIEW!

Throughout the history of X-men, there have been those attempting to weaponize mutants. It’s a common theme behind some of X-men’s biggest stories and most iconic characters, most notably Wolverine. There have certainly been plenty of attempts in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Weapon X was one of the first foes the X-men encountered during X-men Supreme Volume 1: Mutant Revolution. And while the concept of turning weapons into mutants has left a long trail of blood and death, men like Sinister and John Wraith continue to pursue it.

There is some twisted logic to the concept of weaponizing mutant powers and I’ve tried to capture some of that in my fanfiction series. A mutant is a self-contained unit that can move, react, and operate independently. There’s no need for a pilot or complex and cumbersome computer equipment. They don’t even need to be launched. They just need to be unleashed. Mutants like Wolverine and Sabretooth act as unstoppable killing machines that need only a scent to get the job done. Throughout X-men Supreme, their deadly proficiency has been shown. The problem is control.

This is what Colonel Wraith learned the hard way during Revenge of Weapon X and what Sinister would later learn during The Good, The Bad, The Sinister. Mutants like Wolverine can’t be controlled. Any effort to do so often results in a lot of death and destruction. The X-men have been on the front lines of that conflict on multiple occasions in this fanfiction series. That’s exactly where they find themselves now in this latest arc, Weapon Plus.

This arc marks the official debut of Fantomex in X-men Supreme. Colonel Wraith, with help from Reverend William Stryker and the fugitive Graydon Creed, thought they had solved the problem with controlling living weapons. They stole the techno-organic material created by Sage and used it to turn a once crippled soldier into a killing machine. He was proficient enough to nearly kill Wolverine and X-23, but now Fantomex is about to face some major complications that should serve as yet another harsh reminder for those who pursue the promising power of Weapon X. I’ve prepared a brief preview here that should give anyone thinking of developing a living weapon cause for concern.

Sage sprinted full speed down the vacant streets of District X. Bishop was still recovering behind her, sluggishly crawling off the hood of her mangled car and stammering to his feet. He was in poor fighting condition and not equipped to help. Now far from where she crashed, she could see a string of flashing lights erupting from the middle of the street. She recognized some of them as energy blasts from Jubilee. The rest were of a new and exotic variety.

By now news helicopters had descended over the area. The flashing lights and along with a number of building fires quickly caught the attention of the local news. This disaster was blaring on live TV all over the world. Sage’s failures were now public, adding to her already heavy burden. As she neared the source of disturbance, she caught a glimpse of the form her research had taken.

“Those ignorant fools! What have they done?” she exclaimed.

In the middle of an intersection, Fantomex was on a rampage. His body was twisting and contorting in bizarre ways as if he was having a seizure. His eyes were giving off bright bluish flashes of an unknown energy. This energy formed strange balls of light around him, which erupted in all directions and caused significant destruction to anything they touched. This was the spectacle that the news cameras were focusing on. It had all the makings of an a major disaster that was just getting started.

Jubilee and an army of Multiples were trying to subdue him, but every attempt appeared to be in vain. Jubilee’s energy blasts didn’t do much damage. If anything, they only further enraged Fantomex. Multiple sent wave after wave of duplicates to fight him. Most got caught in the random energy bursts. Those that did get through were overpowered by his superhuman strength. At times it seemed like Fantomex was in several places at once. Everywhere he went, everything in his path fell.

“Tessa! Where the hell have you been?” yelled one of the Multiple clones.

“And don’t you dare tell me you were stuck in traffic,” yelled another.

“Nice to see you too, Jamie. And if you must know, I was working with the X-men in hopes to prevent this from happening,” she replied.

“Well it is happening. So what’s your Plan B?” exclaimed Jubilee.

Now standing just outside the chaos, Sage watched as ten new Multiple clones tried to surrounded Fantomex. Another outburst of white energy shot out, causing Fantomex’s arms to swell to twice their previous size. With this size came added strength, which he used to effortlessly swat away Multiple’s attack.

“Out of my way!” said Fantomex through a strangely modulated tone.

“Your way? You’re in our neighborhood, pal!” spat Jubilee.

Despite this stunning show of power, Jubilee fired back with a fresh round of energy bursts. Fantomex’s arm returned to normal and he went on the offensive. With blinding speed, he evaded each blast. Along the way he took out three more Multiple clones. Jubilee tried to redirect her blasts in the process, but it was no use. Fantomex was moving so fast that he was a complete blur. He eventually stopped right next to Jubilee and grabbed her by the throat.

“Ack!” she choked under his iron grip.

“You’ve provided enough distractions. I’ve finished updating the protocols to my mission. That means I can continue with the next step. Unfortunately for you, it involves a rather uncomfortable procedure.”

The strange veins in his body started glowing brighter. Fantomex’s grip on Jubilee became so tight that her eyes were starting to roll into the back of her head. When Sage saw this, she acted quickly.

“Stop! That’s enough…EVA,” yelled Sage as she stormed towards the imposing figure.

Fantomex turned towards her. Upon doing so, his reaction was unexpected. The flashing around him ceased and his expression changed. His grip on Jubilee lightened as well, allowing her to breathe again. And in a strange show of emotion, the imposing man gasped as if he was looking at a long lost loved one.

“You…I know you.”

“I suppose you should,” she said firmly, “I have the dubious honor of having created you. Or at the very least, I created what made you who you are.”

“Who I am is not as important as what I am. And yet…just seeing you here once again changes my protocols. If you created me, then you know my mission. You can help me complete it.”

“I’m not sure if this is the man or the machine talking so I’ll cut to the chase. You’re mission is over. This is not what you were meant to be.”

“Your words do not match my programming. Are you trying to deceive me? Or is this your way of testing me?”

“Ungh! Hey uh…when you get a chance, Tessa…could you get your friend to let me go?” grunted Jubilee, still struggling in his grip.

As soon as Fantomex heard that name, something within his twisted mind resonated. In an instant, vast amounts of calculations started adding up.

“Tessa…I know that name. It IS you. You’re the one EVA speaks of. You’re the one she needs to finish my mission!”

“I just told you, your mission is over. If EVA is as active as I know she is, then listen to me and de-activate this instant,” said Sage.

“Clearly, your programming needs to be updated as well. But that is not a problem. I promise I shall not fail you. I will finish what we…what you started.”

Sage didn’t get a chance to confront this madness. Fantomex ran towards her at speeds that Sage had no hopes of avoiding. In the blink of an eye he was standing mere inches from her. In another blink he reached and grabbed her by the neck with his other hand.

“Aagh! No…EVA,” grunted Sage.

“EVA? Who the hell is-UNGH!” groaned Jubilee, feeling his grip tighten again.

With Sage and Jubilee in hand, Fantomex underwent another dramatic change. The glowing veins in his body came to life again. From his chest and face, the exotic techno-organic material that made up his blood flowed to his hands. Sage and Jubilee watched as the veins around his arms started glowing. As they did more balls of energy erupted around them, giving the news choppers above a dazzling light show that was sure to boost ratings. Then to their horror, a series of fleshy tendrils emerged from around his hand and snaked their way to the veins in their necks. As soon as they penetrated into their skin, the strange glowing material flowed into them.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” they both cried out.

“Yes! My new mission is underway. EVA is processing the data from your blood. Now we can begin compiling the World.”

Living weapons are one of the many themes I’ve explored in this fanfiction series. There are plenty more I want to explore down the line. However, I have not yet decided whether X-men Supreme Volume 5: Dark Truths will be the final entry into this fanfiction series. I have gotten feedback, but it has still been somewhat flat. This fanfiction series takes a lot of time and effort to make sufficiently awesome. I’d like to know if enough people still want to see the fruits of that effort. So please take the time to review and provide feedback. Either post your comments in each issue or contact me directly. Either way is fine. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack