There’s an unwritten rule with X-men that often plays out in the comics, cartoons, or movies. Whenever the mutant race takes one step forward, it two violent shoves in the opposite direction. It’s like an unbalanced version of Newton’s law. We’ve seen it play out in the X-men comics recently. Finally, the X-men undid the effects of M-Day and were no longer going extinct. Then, the Terrigen Mist comes along and renders mutants sterile again. On top of that, major characters like Cyclops, Wolverine, and Charles Xavier lay dead. While it hasn’t gotten that bad in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series, I like to think this law has been properly applied.
When a catastrophe in the Uprising arc in X-men Supreme Volume 1: Mutant Revolution was averted, it only laid the foundation for a much larger catastrophe in the Overlord arc in X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers. The Cambrian Explosion arc that took place in X-men Supreme Volume 4: Politics of Fear was certainly a catastrophe in its own right. However, it only ended up setting the stage for the emerging cataclysm unfolding in the Natural Disorder arc.
The ancient entity known as the Cambrian tried to use Magneto to reshape the world. It failed thanks to the X-men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. But it’s getting another chance through Toad and the Mutant Liberation Front. After undergoing a radical transformation in X-men Supreme Issue 110: Supreme Justice, Toad is more powerful than he’s ever been, in X-men Supreme or any other X-men medium for that matter. He’s armed with the power, vision, and cunning of an ancient force. Now, he’s preparing to finish what the Cambrian started.
The stakes couldn’t be higher and the circumstances couldn’t be more dire. The X-men are without their mentor, Charles Xavier, and have to rely on difficult decisions from Storm, Beast, and Cyclops. President Robert Kelly is no longer relying on General Grimshaw to handle mutant affairs, favoring the more militant approach of Henry Gyrich’s GRSO Unit. And with the influence of the Mutant Liberation Front undermining stability on Genosha, the Scarlet Witch sees her fragile authority faltering. This is the situation that’s unfolding in Natural Disorder and it’s about to get even worse.
The X-men are behind the curve, but not by much. They already know that someone is after Madison Jefferies, a mutant who Gyrich’s GRSO Unit tried to arrest before he fled. The X-men have reason to believe that he’s being tracked by the Mutant Liberation Front and Wolverine is now hot on his trail. What will they find? What sort of conflict will Madison Jefferies lead them to? The catalyst for the next clash between the X-men and the Mutant Liberation Front is about to unfold. As always, I’ve prepared a preview for this clash.
“Hnn…it hurts!” groaned Polaris through the swirling rings.
“You said she would stay unconscious, Toad!” said Avalanche, who was watching as well.
“You sound worried, Lance,” said the amphibious mutant, “Since when do you give a damn about how your friends’ discomfort?”
“Since I betrayed them and put a big ass target on my back!” he responded.
“Ah, you’re back will be fine. You still did the right thing!” said Toad, “Besides, what’s a little discomfort to a new era of prosperity for all mutant-kind?”
Toad sounded pretty confident, but Avalanche didn’t share that confidence. Watching Polaris struggle was giving him all sorts of bad feelings. This was the same machine that left Magneto so weak and damaged. If it did the same to Polaris, then being a traitor to the Brotherhood would be the least of his problems.
Avalanche was relegated to a spectator role while the rest of the Mutant Liberation Front did the heavy lifting. Negasonic Teenage Warhead continued probing Madison Jefferies’s mind with her telepathy. By now he was weakened to the point where he could barely stand. The Kleinstocks held him upright, making sure he stayed in place. Gateway stayed close in case he tried to flee. He was going to help them see this through no matter how much it disgusted him.
As the young psychic extracted the information, she telepathically sent it to Callisto, Caliban, Strobe, and Kamikaze. They were the ones operating the controls they set up about 100 feet from the device. At the heart of these controls was the head of Danger, which contained all the programs they required. As these programs were running, a team that included Sauron, Stryfe, and Reignfire did their part by connecting various cables throughout the deck of the ship. These cables tapped right into the power-grid, which was already showing signs of strain.
In the distance the lights over the vast cityscape flickered. Some areas of New Orleans had already gone dark. It was sure to attract attention, but that didn’t bother Toad in the slightest. He wanted the world to witness Mutant Liberation Front’s ultimate triumph.
“How we doing for power, Sauron?” asked Toad, not taking his eyes off Polaris.
“We’re at 35 percent,” announced Sauron as he flew over with some heavy cables in hand, “At this rate, we should be good to go in fifteen minutes.”
“According to this creepy head, the girl’s magnetic powers should start reinforcing itself at that point,” announced Kamikaze, “From there, it should enough energy for an electromagnetic pulse on a planetary scale.”
“Should make for some awesome fireworks!” said Reignfire as he flew over with Sauron.
“Assuming there are no setbacks,” Stryfe pointed out, who was attaching some cables to the ship’s main conduits.
“You assume too little, Stryfe,” scoffed Callisto as she worked with Caliban on the console, “Vertigo and Arclight are keeping the authorities busy. The X-men are probably just figuring out how screwed they are. By the time anyone gets here, it’ll be too late!”
The Mutant Liberation Front had many reasons to be confident. They had outsmarted everyone to this point. There was no reason to suspect that anyone had the jump on them. Stryfe still had his share of concerns, but he didn’t get a chance to voice them.
While the Mutant Liberation Front was focused on the device, a loud burst of thunder echoed from above. Toad and his teammates looked up to see a large storm cloud forming overhead and from it, the familiar figures of the X-men emerged. They all few in under the cover of Storm’s clouds while Phoenix carried Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Gambit, Psylocke, Shadowcat, and Colossus towards the ship.
“Toad!” shouted Cyclops, “Your luck is about to run out!”
“And you playin’ with house money now that you in Remy’s home town!” added Gambit.
As the X-men descended towards them, Stryfe looked towards Callisto smugly.
“What was that you said about it being too late?” he asked her.
“Shut up, Stryfe!” barked Callisto as she shot up from the console.
“Kiss and make up, you two,” ordered Toad with newfound seriousness, “They’re early, but this doesn’t change anything. Just protect the device and buy us some time!”
“I may be able to help with that,” grinned Negasonic Teenage Warhead, “Madison here knows of a little fail-safe that Forge never used. Everybody get clear!”
The young psychic transmitted a new protocol to Kamikaze, who quickly ran it using Danger. As soon as it started running, the control panels lit up with activity. He, Callisto, Caliban, and Strobe ran away from the computer array as fast as they could. Toad and Avalanche stepped away as well. They then joined Gateway, the Kleinstocks, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Once they were clear, a burst of light erupted from the device.
The X-men landed on the deck of the ship just in time to the fail-safe activate. From the glowing rings that surrounded the device, a blue dome of energy formed around it. It grew from where Polaris was restrained and soon encompassing both the device and the controls, creating a powerful glowing barrier that would prevent anyone from tampering with the mechanisms. It allowed the Mutant Liberation Front to take on the X-men while the machine remained protected.
“Well that’s a major inconvenience!” said Shadowcat.
“Wait…that’s Lorna in there!” exclaimed Iceman, “What’s going on?! Is that gizmo what I think it is?!”
“It appears to be exactly that, Iceman,” said Beast, “The Mutant Liberation Front has remade the same device that Magneto used to amplify his powers.”
“Why on Earth would they want to do that again?” wondered Storm.
“You guys want to play 20 questions? Or do you want to beat the answers out of these blokes!” said Psylocke as she formed two psionic blades.
“I choose the beating,” said Colossus, now in his metal skin, “I am wanting a rematch with these scoundrels.”
“You and me both, Peter!” said Phoenix.
I try to follow a certain branch of the unwritten rules surrounding the X-men. I think some of those rules are vital to ensure that the core of X-men is retained and not misconstrued, as has happened in the comics and movies at times. I want the X-men Supreme fanfiction series to remain true to the X-men mythos for every type of X-men fan. As such, it’s vital that I continue to receive feedback for this fanfiction series. Please contact me directly or place your comments directly in the issues. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!
Jack
No comments:
Post a Comment