The extent of every victory is often measured against the price paid to achieve it. The X-men have paid more than their fair share of prices throughout X-men Supreme. They’ve paid a high price throughout their entire mythos. The death of Jean Grey during the Dark Phoenix Saga remains one of the most iconic moments in the history of X-men. They won the day, but lost someone very dear to them.
X-men Supreme has suffered losses as well. Most recently, the X-men lost their teammate and former teacher, Thunderbird, during the Dark Legacy arc. They’ve endured plenty of other losses, from the departure of Angel and Rogue from the team to Charles Xavier having to part ways with his blossoming love interest, Lilandra Neramani. Major losses are a big part of the drama that gives the X-men’s story such power. I’ve tried to capture that throughout the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. And I intend to do so with the final issue of the Natural Disorder arc.
The X-men have never faced an enemy like the Mutant Liberation Front before. Under Toad’s leadership, a concept that many X-men fans might struggle with, they’ve set themselves apart from Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants or someone like Sinister. They don’t seek to kill humanity or fight their fellow mutants. They seek to let natural selection do that for them. They took a page right out of Magneto’s playbook in the Overlord arc and tried to use the same machine he used to wipe out every piece of electronic equipment on the planet. Take away civilization, technology, and infrastructure and the world is reduced the basic mechanics of survival. The X-men know the odds aren’t in humanity’s favor so they can’t afford to lose this battle.
It has already been one of the X-men’s most difficult battles to date in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. They’ve had to fight the Mutant Liberation Front without the guidance of their mentor, Charles Xavier. It’s Cyclops who is now in charge. He led the attack against the Mutant Liberation Front as they prepare to make their final move in the swamps of New Orleans. However, the battle ended up going wrong for both sides. The machine that once nearly destroyed the world before is about to do so again. There’s no gray area anymore. Either the X-men win the day or everyone loses.
Those are the current states in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series. Cyclops must show he can lead the X-men without his mentor and the X-men must show they can defeat the Mutant Liberation Front on their own terms. However, as we’ve seen in many other battles with the X-men, victory will come at a price. Just how high will that price be? That’ll be revealed in another heart-wrenching conclusion to a very important arc. As always, I’ve prepared a preview that offers a taste of just how heart-wrenching this issue will be.
“Havok?!” exclaimed Phoenix, who still had to restrain Toad with her telekinesis.
“Where is she? Where’s Lorna?!” he exclaimed, his hands glowing with energy.
“Whoa there, little brother! You’re a little late to the show!” said Cyclops, “We’ve taken care of the Mutant Liberation Front. We’re still working on saving Polaris.”
“I don’t care how late I am! Where is she?!” he demanded.
“Where do you think?” said Iceman, pointing up into the sky.
Havok looked up and saw what Iceman was referring to. He paled at the sight of the hovering machine. The way it lit up the night sky with simmering energy made it clear that his lover was in a great deal of trouble. There was no telling how much pain his lover was in, making the younger Summers brother all the more determined to save her.
“Damn you, Lance,” he mused, “I need to get to her!”
“Maybe you didn’t notice, but it’s not exactly safe to be near her,” Shadowcat pointed out.
“I don’t care! I didn’t overload a transport sphere and leave riot on Genosha just to watch her suffer!”
“Wait…a riot on Genosha? When did that happen?” asked Storm.
“One crisis at a time, Storm,” said Cyclops as he ran over to his brother, “I understand you’re anxious, Alex. I’m not going to bust your balls like you’re used to, but I need you to trust me! The X-men will handle this!”
“Cut the crap, Scott! If it was Jean up there, you would already be on your way up there! So don’t tell me to just stand here and wait!”
Cyclops saw that his brother was in a difficult state. He and Havok had their differences in the past, but Cyclops still wasn’t ready to see his brother needlessly risk his life. There was still a chance they could stop this madness without more danger. However, this was once instance where he understood the pain of watching his lover suffer.
While Havok was fixated on the device above, there was a noticable shift in the activity. The glowing ball of energy surrounding the machine started pulsing erratically. The large bolts of lightning that lit up the sky began swirling around in a new pattern. It was as if they were being drawn back into the device. As this happened, Madison Jefferies looked up from the console.
“We did it! It worked!” he announced.
“What exactly worked, homme?” asked Gambit.
“I’m still seeing some nasty fireworks,” said Shadowcat.
“Consider yourself lucky! At this point, that’s the worst we’ll get aside from the damage that’s already been done,” said Jefferies as he looked over the computer screen, “Danger was able to initiate the emergency shut down. The amplifiers are no longer feeding off of Polaris’s powers. That means the magnetic storm has stopped growing! The Earth’s magnetic field is safe!”
“So it’s over? We have succeeded?” asked Colossus.
“What about Polaris? Will she be okay?” asked Iceman anxiously.
Madison Jefferies paused to go over the data. As relieved as he was with this news, it wasn’t over yet. The machine was still going strong and there was a good reason for that.
“I’m afraid that’s a bit complicated,” said Jefferies anxiously.
“Why am I not surprised?” groaned Shadowcat.
“It appears the shutdown was initiated too late. Even though the machine is no longer amplifying the electro-magnetic field, it seems to have overloaded Polaris’s powers.”
“Quit talking she’s broken computer! Will she be okay or not?!” spat Havok.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you. These readings don’t make any sense! The machine isn’t amplifying her powers, but the flow of energy has been reversed. Now it’s Polaris’s mutant abilities are stuck in overdrive. They’re effectively reverberating in increasingly volatile fluctuations. At their current rate they’ll either overwhelm her completely or tear her apart at the cellular level!”
It was a grim prognosis and one Havok refused to allow. Having heard enough, he made a decision. He was going to save his lover from this terrible fate no matter what the cost.
“Then it’s settled! I’m going up there!” he said.
“As Lorna’s ex-boyfriend, I’m obligated to point out how nuts you are,” said Iceman.
“You heard what he said, Alex. There’s nothing you can do for her,” said Beast.
“Bullshit! I need to try!” said Havok.
The determined young mutant turned to Phoenix, who could already sense what he had planned. It was clear that she didn’t approve either, but she did not attempt to dissuade him.
“Phoenix, I need you to fly me up there!” he said, “Can you make it through the lightning?”
“Even if I said I couldn’t, I’m sure that still wouldn’t bother you,” she replied.
Tasked with this new challenge, Phoenix released her telekinetic grip on Toad and handed him off to the others. Colossus pinned him with his foot while Iceman and Psylocke stood over him. They were not going to let him go after everything he had done.
“Don’t even think about it, swamp breath,” said Psylocke menacingly.
“One wrong move and I break your spine,” added Colossus.
“You guys take everything way too seriously,” sneered Toad.
With Toad restrained, Phoenix joined Havok. They were prepared to take off. Then Cyclops grasped Havok by the shoulder and turned him around.
“I’m going after her, Scott!” said Havok sternly, “Don’t even think about stopping me or so help me…”
“I wasn’t going to try and stop you, Alex. I was just going to say…be careful,” said Cyclops.
As losses mount for the X-men and the drama escalates, I hope to keep this fanfiction series engaging and intriguing for all the right reasons. I want X-men fans to see X-men Supreme as a genuine outlet for X-men, especially at a time when the comics have been so dire. The situation in X-men Supreme is very different. There’s no sterilization plots. The institute hasn’t been relocated to Limbo. Expect a very different path for X-men Supreme. And in order to ensure that path is sufficiently awesome, it’s important that I get as much feedback as possible. Please contact me directly or post your comments directly in the issue. Either way is fine. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!
Jack
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