Throughout the history of the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, the X-men have never been far from a new conflict or a new enemy. First, there was the Brotherhood of Mutants, who established themselves as major threats in the Uprising arc. Then, there was Mr. Sinister, who established himself as a threat in the Sinister Intent arc. More recently, the Mutant Liberation Front’s activities in X-men Supreme Volume 6: Liberation Decimation presented one of the most daunting challenges the X-men have faced to date. It was so daunting that Charles Xavier ended up compromising his dream to forge a fragile peace.
That peace still came at a cost. The first two issues of X-men Supreme Volume 7: United and Divided established the scope of that cost. The X-men are divided now. On one side, Charles Xavier is working with President Kelly and General Grimshaw to maintain the Mutant Monitoring Initiative, a new policy for policing mutants. On the other, there’s X-Force. Under Cyclops and Wolverine’s leadership, they’re trying to preserve the essence of Xavier’s dream, even if it makes them fugitives. After the events of X-men Supreme Issue 150: Walking A Fine Line, the line is clear. Everyone in X-Force is a fugitive.
This is dangerous and uncharted territory for this fanfiction series. While the X-men comics have done more than their share of stories about divided X-men, X-men Supreme has never put these characters in a situation like this. It’s entirely new to them and it’s utterly gut-wrenching. It cost Charles Xavier his most trusted student. It may have irreparably damaged the romance between Cyclops and Jean Grey. Both sides have already lost plenty, but both still have plenty to lose and X-men Supreme Volume 7: United and Divided will provide plenty of challenges.
The first two issues were largely an insight into how X-men and X-Force operate in this new world. Both sides have their share of benefits and drawbacks. Both are dealing with their share of personal issues and team drama as well. It’s a tense situation, but it’s still functional. That’s easy when there isn’t a major threat putting pressure on both. With the Mutant Liberation Front in prison and the Brotherhood of Mutants dissolved, there hasn’t been a real threat for Charles Xavier or Cyclops to consider. That changes with the next arc, which happens to be the first of X-men Supreme Volume 7: United and Divided.
For the first time within this tenuous situation between X-men and X-Force, a new threat emerges. It’s a very unstable threat in that it isn’t some organized team. This isn’t Magneto rallying other mutants to his cause or Sinister unleashing some new mutant monstrosity. This is just one particularly unlucky mutant being caught up in a dangerous situation. The challenge is how do the X-men and X-Force handle the situation? Is it even possible, given all the tension and uncertainty? What kind of price will they pay for their division?
It’s the first, but definitely not the last challenge that the X-men and X-Force will face. This fanfiction series is going to hit both teams with plenty of new threats, some of which have been brewing for quite some time. For now, though, the most immediate threat will come in this first arc of X-men Supreme Volume 7: United and Divided, which I’ve dubbed Volatility Sensibility. As always, I’ve provided a preview that should give a sense of just how volatile things are about to get.
‘Insides burning. Feels like I just drank a shot of acid. It’s gonna happen again! Can’t let it! Gotta get away before…’
Robert Hunter’s thoughts broke down as another round of agony consumed him. His whole body ached. He had been running since the previous night. Since that first explosion at the old fire house, his only focus was getting as far away as possible. His problems with his loan shark were light years from his mind. Something was happening to him and as he clawed his way up a rocky hill, it happened again.
“No! Not again! I can’t…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
His body erupted in another burst of bright bluish energy. It started from his eyes and quickly consumed him from head to toe. When it got to be too much, the energy was released in a powerful explosion. It wasn’t as powerful as the blast that destroyed the fire house, but it was still powerful enough to leave a circle of scorched earth around him.
Robert’s ears kept ringing as he lay helpless on the rugged terrain. Somehow he made it all the way to the old coal mines where his father used to work. It seemed like the only place left for him. Looking back towards the city, he saw no way for him to return. He was so tired and weak, yet he was still dangerous to be around.
“What am I going to do?” groaned Robert as he stared at the cloudy sky above him, “I’m not just a freak. I’m a walking time bomb! It’s official. There’s no possible way for my life to get any worse!”
The dazed young man closed his eyes and groaned. His world had been falling apart before this happened. Now it was beyond repair. He was lost and no one was coming to help him. Perhaps that was for the better. At this rate, he would only hurt them too.
As Robert lamented at his horrendous luck, he heard a noise in the distance. It came from the main entrance to the coal mine where heavy construction vehicles used to enter. He rose up and saw three trucks driving alongside a large van. The terrain around this mine was pretty rugged so it was rare for anybody to come this way. At first he was hopeful. Maybe someone saw the explosion he caused and was here to help. Then he recognized a figure in the back of a truck and his hopes were quickly dashed.
“Hey Nitro!” yelled the voice of his loan shark, “We’ve got unfinished business.”
“Looks like I spoke too soon,” groaned Robby.
The weakened young man stumbled to his feet. He tried running deeper into the minds, making his way towards what was left of an elevator shaft. He didn’t make it very far. Within minutes, the three trucks surrounded him and the van behind them pulled up. There was nowhere for him to escape. Robert froze where he stood, watching as over a dozen intimidating men armed with baseball bats and guns stood over him.
“You guys are making a big mistake!” he warned them, “You saw what I did back at the firehouse. Do you really want to be around when it happens again?”
“I sure as hell don’t. Hell, I was hoping you saved us the trouble and blew your ass up,” scoffed the loan shark, “But this isn’t about what I want. It’s what the boss wants.”
The loan shark signaled the van to pull in closer. It stopped about ten feet from where Robert was standing. He stepped back slightly, only to be shoved forward by one of the lone shark’s over-sized friends. He tried not to tremble as a neatly dressed Latino man stepped out of the van. He had short hair, dark sunglasses, and fancy-looking jewelry. Robert Hunter had been involved with criminals long enough to know that this man was powerful and dangerous.
“So this is the man I drove all the way from New York to meet,” said the man, “He’s not nearly as imposing as I thought.”
“You’re in good company, boss. Mr. Hunter is what you may call a lazy criminal,” said the loan shark, “He wants the money and the comfort, but he lacks the balls and the heart to go through with it.”
“Typical,” the boss scoffed, “You lazy kids, not looking both ways before you cross the fucking street. I’m not a cruel man, but guys like you deserve far worse than a bullet in the head.”
“Please,” said Robert, his tone weakening under the man’s gaze, “I really don’t know who you are or why you’re here. If you know my story, then you know I’m already screwed!”
“You don’t need to know my name, Mr. Hunter. Just call me, Boss,” grinned the imposing man, “As for your story, I would say you’re anything but screwed. In fact, you may be the luckiest punk this side of the Mississippi.”
“I just started blowing up randomly in a way I can’t control! How the hell is that lucky?”
The Boss and his associates started laughing. Robert grew increasingly anxious. That sick feeling in the pit of his stomach was starting to build again. It meant this bad situation was about to get worse in so many ways.
“Wow...you really are as stupid as you look!” said the loan shark.
“Cut the man some slack. He’s clearly had a rough couple of days,” said Boss as he patted Robert on the back, “Allow me to spell it out for you. This power that’s got you whining like a little girl has a lot of otential. You just need a little imagination.”
“I’d rather not imagine. I’d rather it just stop!” cried Robert.
“Why would you want to stop something so useful? The way I see it, you’re a walking bomb that no sane person would suspect. In my line of work, that kind of surprise goes a long way. For instance, there’s this nasty waste of flesh in Philadelphia that ran a few of my businesses out of town. I know where he lives. I know where he hangs out. Imagine if someone like you drops by, an unarmed weakling who he won’t suspect of anything. Then before he knows how fucked he is, what’s left of him is feeding the birds.”
I understand that many X-men fans are still burned out on stories about divided X-men and various schism. I completely understand that sentiment. I didn’t plan for X-men Supreme to coincide with a reunification and reconfiguration of the X-men comics. It just sort of worked out that way. Even for those X-men fans who are tired of a divided team, I want to make sure that this fanfiction series still appeals to them. That’s why it’s still vital that I continue to get feedback. Please take the time to post your comments in the comments section of each issue or contact me directly. Either way is fine and I’m always happy to talk X-men. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Xcelsior!
Jack
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