NIGHT OF THE LIVING BRAIN DEAD by Ben Church [rlchurch@erols.com] All characters are the property of Marvel Comics. Except Hotshot, he's mine. Chapter 17a Sabertooth stopped the car, and Hotshot, and M crept out. "All right, you know the location of the base. Try not to do to much damage to the computers." Hotshot said. "I'll try to restrain myself kid. Just watch your back in there." Sabertooth answered and drove off. M flew three feet off the ground next to Hotshot as he stealthily made his way through the forest. "I'm impressed with your skill at sneaking. I've never met a better sneak." "Thanks. I think." he came to a stop as the base came into view. The low building had a strange look to it. "They didn't repair the hole Grey made very well." Hotshot said. "Is that why the wall has such a hurried look to it?" "I think so." He began to circle the building. "I remember that there was an air vent on one of these walls when I escaped. We're taking the same route that I took, so it should be visible from here." "You remember all that?" "Photographic memory. Comes in handy sometimes. There it is, let's go." They crept to the edge of the clearing and stopped. "All right, now we wait." Wolverine, Bishop, and Sabertooth approached the hidden entrance of the base. When they reached it, Bishop blasted it open with his gun. They entered the base as the alarm sounded. The first wave had struck. Hotshot heard the alarm. "That's it, let's go." he and M went to the vent and Hotshot melted it off. M followed him inside. Arcade started at the sound of the alarm. "Whoa! We've got company! I guess the neighbors have finally decided to apologize for dumping on our ground. Or maybe it's an encyclopedia salesman." He turned on the surveillance monitors and saw the intruders. "Weeeell now! Sabertooth, Wolverine, and Bishop. Selene was supposed to take care of them. Just shows to go ya, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. Now who should I send to do this for me?" He tapped a few keys on the consol, then moved the mouse to indicate an icon on the screen. SLAVES JEAN GREY SUMMERS A.K.A. PHOENIX-CAPTURED BY: PURPLE GUY, RESISTED MIND CONTROL, WIPED BY SELENE WILL DAVIDSON-CAPTURED BY: PURPLE GUY, ESCAPED ALEX SUMMERS A.K.A HAVOC-CAPTURED BY: PURPLE GUY GUIDO CAROSELLA A.K.A. STRONG GUY-CAPTURED BY: PURPLE GUY XI'AN COY MAHN A.K.A. KARMA-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES JUBILATION LEE A.K.A. JUBILEE-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES JAMIE MADROX A.K.A. MULTIPLE MAN-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES RANDOM-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES LORNA DANE A.K.A. POLARIS-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES ILLYANNA RASPUTIN A.K.A. MAJIK-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES RAHNE SINCLAIR A.K.A. WOLFSBANE-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES FORGE-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES PIETRO MAXIMOFF A.K.A. QUICKSILVER-CAPTURED BY: ZOMBIES SCOTT SUMMERS A.K.A. CYCLOPS-CAPTURED BY: HAVOC ROBERT DRAKE A.K.A. ICE MAN-CAPTURED BY: WOLFSBANE REMY LEBEU A.K.A. GAMBIT-CAPTURED BY: QUICKSILVER BETSY BRADDOCK A.K.A. PSYLOCKE-CAPTURED BY: QUICKSILVER WARREN WORTHINGTON III A.K.A. ARCHANGEL-CAPTURED BY: POLARIS HENRY MCCOY A.K.A. BEAST-CAPTURED BY: FORGE ROGUE-CAPTURED BY: PURPLE GUY "Hmmm. I know, my three strongest slaves for my three strongest opponents. Rogue, Random, and Strong Guy." Bishop turned the corner and was flung back into Wolverine. Strong Guy ran from where he was hiding and grabbed Sabertooth. Rogue flew around the corner and hit Wolverine, while Random opened fire on Bishop. Hotshot peered though the vent into the computer room. It was empty. "Where's Arcade?" M asked. "He's probably in the main control room. This is the computer core. I can control everything controlled by computer in this complex from here." He melted the vent and slipped into the room. "Are you sure you can get into this computer? Did Jean know any passwords?" M asked as he sat at the console. "Yes I'm sure, and no she didn't." he said. In less than five minutes he said "I'm in." He called up the schematics for the teleporting devices. "Ah ha. It would appear that when the devices are activated, they bring the person directly to brainwashing chambers." He proceeded to search the computer for the file controlling the brainwashing chambers. The words Access Granted, appeared on the screen. "All right." he said. "Now, lets see what we can do here. Chamber setting...here we go. Chamber setting now in reverse." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a CD. "God I love CD ROM's." he said. Strong Guy planted a device on Sabertooth and then turned towards Bishop. Wolverine saw Sabertooth vanish and looked for the device on Strong Guy. While he was distracted, Rogue flew at him, without her gloves on. Wolverine caught her wrists and held her off then slammed her against the wall. The teleporter was activated, and she vanished. Wolverine leaped onto Strong Guy's back and slashed at the teleporter on his back. The damage caused it to misfire and both Wolverine and Strong Guy disappeared. Bishop, having absorbed all of the energy Random had launched at him so far, released it all in one volley that blasted Random apart. Random Vanished. Hotshot pulled the CD out of the computer and pressed enter. "That's it we're done." He turned to the door and saw their escape blocked by The Black Queen. "Aw fuck." he swore. "Look, it's people like you what cause unrest." "What the hell's going on in there?" Banshee asked. "I don't know," White Queen answered. "It's shielded, I can't penetrate." Suddenly, the sky lit up before them. Storm gasped, before them they saw a battalion of mutants: Forge, Wolfsbane, Polaris, Quicksilver, Multiple Man, Havoc, Jubilee, Majik, Karma, Cyclops, Iceman, Psylocke, Gambit, Archangel, and Beast. "I think we've got our work cut out fer us mates." Chamber said. Then the bandages that hid his disfigurement fell away as he released the energy within. He let the energy encompass him as he searched for a likely target. He believed he had found one in Multiple Man. The blast of energy hit him dead on and sent dupes flying in all directions. The dupes were the first to attack. Penance did not really understand what was going on, but she did know that the men that all looked alike were attacking her friends. She raced ahead, digging shallow furrows in the ground beneath her. When she was in front of the rest, she stopped and waited. Being the first available target, the dupes tackled her. A decision they soon regretted. For on contact with her, they were cut to ribbons. "How long before the chambers release the others?" M asked. "Not for a while." Hotshot said. "We're on our own then." "Alllllll rightie then." Hotshot said. Without warning he launched himself at Selene. His sudden attack caught her completely by surprise. His fist caught her on the chin and his elbow connected with her shoulder. He grabbed her arm and threw her over his shoulder. She had not been prepared to fight physically. While she lay, dazed on the floor, Hotshot looked down at her in contempt. "Stay out of my head Bitch." he said and kicked her in the head. She was out cold. Her slaves stopped moving and fell to the ground. "Let's blow this crap hole." He said. "You call me on the comm link when everyone's out." He gave her the CD and stalked out of the room, past the now docile creatures, not waiting for a reply. Skin had watched Multiple man and knew which one was the original. He reached out and wrapped his extra skin around him and held him tight. Skin began to squeeze. Multiple Man ran out of breath and lost consciousness. Then he vanished. Husk tore off her skin and let it fall to the ground revealing a magnificent Phoenix. She took to the air and screamed a challenge to Archangel. He swooped at her but she effortlessly evaded the pass. She flew high above him and plummeted in an attack of her own. Her claws raked his back, but he placed a teleporter on her even as he fell. The devices were activated almost in synch with each other and the combatants were gone. Storm took flight as soon as she saw the battle between Husk and Archangel end. She circled the battle field and spotted Gambit just in time to dodge his card. "Lightning, cleanse the evil from his mind!" she cried. A bolt of lightning sent electricity coursing through his body. The lightning could easily have killed him, but she carefully kept her power in check. He fell to the ground and vanished. Banshee was almost immediately bombarded by blasts from Forge's gun. One scream destroyed the gun, and another knocked Forge out. Forge was gone. White Queen did not see the blow that knocked her to the ground but she knew that it was Psylocke that delivered it. Psylocke stood over her and formed a psychic blade. White Queen let loose with a psychic attack of her own. Psylocke recoiled and White queen seized her wrist. Desperately she thrust the blade into Psylocke's own head. The blade threw Psylocke into turmoil as it cut through the conditioning imposed upon her by Arcade. Screaming, she vanished as the teleporter was activated. Hotshot ran down the hallway towards the furnace room. All around him lay the victims of the Black Queen's savage psychic attack. Hotshot mourned the loss of these innocent lives but he stopped short when he saw a familiar figure lying on the floor. Stopping, he stooped by the side of Jean Grey. The woman who had saved him from the fate of the brainwashed X-Men, had suffered a fate far worse than death, because of him. A sudden inspiration hit him and he ran to the store room. Blink saw the blue furry man come at her. Blink smiled faintly and teleported behind and above him. She came down hard on his back, and drove him to the ground. He rolled and came for her again but she was gone again. Hotshot returned with a sack full of teleporters. He attached one to Jean. He remembered from the computer how they worked. He pressed the activator and watched her disappear. He knew that whatever information the computer had on her would be transferred to her brain. He didn't know how much there was, but it was the only chance she had. Picking up the sack, he started once again for the storage room. Blink tired of playing with Beast. She teleported him to the exact same spot as he was already standing. The strain knocked him out, activating the teleporter. A red beam exploded next to Chamber sending him flying. He landed hard barely able to psionically cushion his fall. "All right mate, if that's the way yer want to play it." He released the energy within him and blew Cyclops back into a tree. The battle raged back and forth for ten minutes till finally Cyclops hit a tree behind Chamber. The tree fell and trapped him. Cyclops advanced cautiously and did not see Skin grab a large stick behind him and swing it. The skin on his fingers swept the stick into the back of Cyclops' head. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Chamber destroyed the tree and stood. Energy coursed around him as he struck at Cyclops. The energy blast tore the visor from Cyclops' face and sent him reeling. Skin used his skin to form a sling and launched a large rock at Cyclops. The teleporter took him out of the fight. To be continued...