Chapter Eleven
Bomblast wandered in the sea of rubble at the south base of the tower.
His barely functioning suit uttered a beep. Energy pulses dictated a life
form nearby.
"Narya?"
He found her in a small dent in the pavement knee deep in blood. She was
crying severly. "Nelvanna'" she whispered to her silent mother, "what have
I done?"
"Narya? Did you ... kill them?"
She noticed him and nodded. "I saw one shoot Eugene. I had to get them
back. I had to make them pay!!!" He gently put his mechanical hands around
her waist and lifted her from the morbid pool. She was still sobbing full
force.
"It's the worst feeling isn't it?" She nodded again. "It's okay," he
whispered, "it isn't your fault."
"Isn't it?" she moaned, "you killed a city. They said it isn't your
fault. But you kill now. You killed here. I saw you." He bowed his head
ashamed. She continued. "Who are you? How come you won't say your real
name? How come you won't tell us what you did. They made you kill your
wife, they killed my husband. Please help me." She was babbling and
sobbing. Her words stung in his heart.
"Yes I'll help you."
"Who are you?"
"Narya ssshh"
"WHO ARE YOU?"
He could see no other alternative. Here was his chance to finally open
up. To cry to someone as miserable as he. He peeled off his helmet
revealing a face covered in wires and plates. A horrible face but a human
one.
"My name is Alex."
Chapter Twelve
"The X-men are crippled, the wheels are turning. M-tron makes it's debut
tommorrow." Magneto said adressing his team accompanied by Thanos. "I will
lead you for the time being."
"And what is our mission Magneto?" Northstar's voice was restless.
"This." Magneto used his power to activate the screen before them. It
show the desolated tower in the background. In the foreground two dead
mutates lay on a slab of rock. The first was an incredibly fat pink-skinned
female who seemed to be steaming. Beside her lay a small mutate boy only
about sixteen practically buried in a mass of shapeless protoplasm. "These
mutates were just some of the mutant casualtities I located at the site.
Wolverine's team has killed far too many of their own kind." Quicksilver
stood up, Magneto silenced him with a look. "Tommorrow you will fall on and
strike the western district of Pisa. Kang's squadron are being organized to
strike the east district."
"Kang's squadron?" Copycat interupted.
"A number of solidiers organized by Kang, they will assist you in some of
your missions, but more often will be off on their own," explained Thanos,
"When you are on Earth you will follow your orders precisely from Magneto,
you are not to interuppted Kang's solidiers. They are on a mission of his
planning, they are not to be disturbed, dismissed, Northstar can stay."
They all filed out except Quicksilver and Northstar. Magneto's son spoke
with fury.
"What was that?"
"I asked you to leave."
"No, about the mutates! Don't you see father? Killing them is right! It
liberates their souls! It .."
"Shut-up Pietro."
"Proove to me your right."
"As you wish," replied his father darkly, Magneto summoned another image
on to the screen. It was a photograph of a skeleton, all around it were
orange glowing dots. "This is a particograph of your sister seconds after
she was burnt to ash by a flame-casting mutant in New York." Magneto's
voice was cold and awful. "All around her are small particles of flame and
this." With a gesture the photograph was magnified eight thousand times.
Now a shred of cloth was visible on the skeleton's rib. "Is a shred of
cloth from mutate dress. DNA on the cloth identifies it as Pyro."
Quicksilver was speechless. "Pyro killed my sister?"
"Mutate Pyro killed your sister, the mutant or mutate formerly known as
Mystique blew the skull off of Captain America. Are these the mutants you
want to save the souls of?"
Quicksilver was silent. "Leave now," was Magneto's final comment. Pietro
turned his back and exited followed by his father. Northstar spoke up.
"You had something to say to me Thanos?"
The demi-god looked at him sternly, "yes Jean-Paul, you are a surrvivor of
the Liberty Battle correct?"
The mere mention of the battle seemed to make Jean-Paul bristle, "that is
correct."
"And your sister .."
"Died in the explosion," Jean-Paul seemed angered by the thought.
"But her powers were identical to yours, surely she could have made her
escape the same way you did."
Northstar didn't speak.
"Care to tell me about it? I mean, I know the circumstances but perhaps
I'd better hear them from you."
"Why?" asked Northstar angrily.
"Because I can help you Jean-Paul, I can help you get revenge on Wolverine
for what he did to you, all you have to do is trust me ..."
Chapter Thirteen
Wolverine grunted as he pulled another body from the goo. The thick
insulation-like layers that had sheltered the upper bodies had deteriorated
into a small sea of mushy gelly. The pieces of dull flesh that lay
everywhere about and the fact that Moondragon could recieve no more
brainwaves were proof that Glob was dead. The eighty one mutants inclosed
in his skin had remained however, unscathed and so had Sunder and Torch.
"This last one boss," Sunder tore a mutant from the gelatin prison and
escorted her gently up the stairs of flesh he had constructed from Glob's
remains. Wolverine followed them up the seemingly endless chasm and into
the reach of the city lights.
The scene at the top was hopeful at best. The mutants all lay dormat
across the surface of the fallen tower. Wildside scampered in and out of
the rows of them, his healing factor already in effect. Torch sauntered
behind occasionally kicking a mutant to check if they were still alive.
Neither of them, he doubted, would be able to find a pulse if he asked them
to.
He had abandonded Sparkplug near a sheltering wall made up of broken
panelling. There she sat not speaking to anyone. He didn't make any
attempt to approach her. I already screwed the kid's life, he reasoned with
himself, no need to try and bother her again. Sudennly he was awakened
from his thoughts by a sound from above.
"Banshee!" The lieutenant alighted beside him, holding a bloody Slider in
his arms.
"I found Snowbird and Bomblast boyo, they're bein teleported back."
"How's Slider?"
"Not good. The lad's got more than a few broken ribs and bones. Tripped
on his own surface and fell off the tower."
*Moondragon,* Logan transmitted, *are Snowbird and Bomblast back?*
*Yes.*
*Get ready fer one more.*
Slider faded from Banshee's hands in a shower of green dots. Banshee
continued, "saw Pteronodon as well, she's taking a fly over of the city.
Who 'ave ye found?"
"Puck and Glob, both dead," came his stone-cold reply, "the rest are all
here." He gestured around the area.
Banshee's mouth fell open, "Eugene's dead??"
"Yeah, he's dead. Cry later Irish we got work to do."
"We got work to do," Logan addressed the congregation, "we've gotta take
back New York, and yeah it's gonna be tough." He eyed all that were
present; Spider Man, the Avengers, Daredevil, Thor all of them jilted from
the city they had sworn to protect by the mutant hunting Sentinels. "I know
what yer thinkin, this guy's nuts fer attacking the Sentinels at the home
base but we owe New York folks. We owe the prof, we owe the FF, we owe the
Hulk, we owe alla those corpses in the streets a victory. Yeah it's a
wasteland, but we can rebuild it."
"Assuming we agree, what are your plans for this battle?" the Vision
asked.
"None, plan yerself. I lead the X-men, you got the Avengers, Heather's
with whatever's left of Alpha Flight, the rest of you are on yer own."
Spider Man looked cynical, "you think pure force will help us re-conquer
New York?"
"Pure force conquered it Petey, you gotta better suggestion or are you
just running away with yer pants around yer ankles?"
The young hero whipped off his mask. "Heh that's a low blow jerk. I lost
my aunt in that siege, and my girlfriend and my friends because Doom sold
my identity. I'm not backing down from this fight!"
"There is no logic in this sort of attack" the Vision declared.
"I am with the Vision Wolverine, it's just foolish." The Scarlet Witch
gathered the other avengers around her.
"Yer husband Cap wasn't too logical either," Logan countered, "standin out
in a nuclear firestorm tryin to get people out of there wasn't exactly
logical. Prayin to that melted shield ya got there ain't logical either."
"Logan!" Heather Hudson gasped.
"Shut up Heather, shut up all a you. If you're a hero cross the line. If
you're not you can leave your cherished city behind ya."
"There's no need for that Logan," said Namor, "we are all of us on your
side."
"Good," Logan announced, "I'm callin it the Liberty Battle."
Chapter Fourteen
Stuff about Northstar
Logan chats with Forge
Flashback
Chapter Fifteen
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