BROTHERS IN ARMS

Part I: First Strike

By Dino Pollard

“You’re insane.”

“Why?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am serious, John,” Scott replied. “I’ve never been more serious.”

“You can’t tell Maggie!” John exclaimed.

“And why not?”

“Because… I dunno, you just can’t,” John replied. “It’s like a secret agent code or whatever.”

“I never agreed to any code,” Scott stated. “Besides, I really care about her, and I don’t like lying to her.”

“Dude… this is a really bad idea,” John said. “‘Hey Maggie, how’s it going? Oh, by the way, I’m part of a top-secret black ops team of mutants that works for the government. So, how was your weekend?’ She’ll be screaming once you mention the M word.”

“She’s not like that,” Scott replied. “You’ve never even met her.”

“That doesn’t mean you can let her in on all our trade secrets,” John stated.

“Look, that’s it, I’ve made the decision,” Scott said. He grabbed his car keys and wallet off the nightstand and went for the door. “And there’s not much you can do about it.”

“Sonnuva…” John sighed. He sat down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

As Scott walked out of the room, he didn’t notice the person standing concealed in the shadows. Once Scott walked past, he went in the opposite direction.

Scott entered the parking garage where the car he had bought a week earlier on his government salary was parked. He almost felt a little bad for using taxpayer dollars to buy himself a car. But then he realized that those taxpayers probably hate his guts because he’s a mutant, plus the fact that he’s risking his life so they can survive. That, and the fact that he really liked old Mustangs.

He turned on the garage light, and jumped back.

“Christ Logan, what are you doing?” he asked.

“I should ask you the same thing, Summers,” Logan replied. He sat on the hood of Scott’s car.

“I’m going out,” Scott stated and held up his keys.

“No yer not.”

“Excuse me?” Scott asked. “When did the mansion become a police state?”

“Yer jeopardizing national security,” Logan replied. “You don’t tell anyone about the mission. Period.”

“Proudstar you bastard…” Scott muttered under his breath.

“Thunderbird didn’t tell me shit,” Logan interjected. “I overheard yer conversation.”

“You’ve been spying on me?”

“My sense o’ smell’s not the only thing that’s enhanced,” Logan stated. “I can spot th’ date on a penny from a mile away. I can feel brushstrokes on a wall. I can detect all the ingredients in just a spec o’ food. And I could hear you two bozos talkin’ from th’ end o’ the hall.”

“That’s all fascinating,” Scott stated, folding his arms. “But in case you forgot to notice, it’s my life, not yours. And that makes it my decision.”

“All right, then, you’ve made yer decision,” Logan said. He looked down at the car and ran his hand on the hood. “Nice car. Must’ve cost you a pretty penny.” His hand closed into a fist and pressed down on the hood.

*SNIKT*

Logan dragged his fist along the hood of the car. His claws tore the engine to pieces and left the hood with three very large tears in it.

“Oops, clumsy me,” he stated as he retracted his claws. He hopped off the hood, and lit a cigar.

“Don’t fuck with me, Summers,” he stated. “Th’ only reason I’m not reporting yer ass for insubordination is ’cause I got laid last night.”

Once Logan got to the door, he turned and faced Scott.

“Enjoy yer date.”

“Hmm…”

“What was that?”

“I said ‘hmm…'”

“I know that,” Monet stated. “What’s ‘hmm…’?”

“Sorry, I’m just getting into this book,” Hank replied. Monet sat upright on the couch, and Hank lay across it. His head was positioned in her lap, and both were reading books.

“What is it?” she asked.

“1984,” Hank replied.

“You never read that?”

“No, I did,” Hank stated. “I just felt like rereading it.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Boredom I suppose.”

“Are you calling me boring, Mr. McCoy?”

“Perish the thought, m’lady,” Hank replied as he looked up at her. She put her book down as well and looked back at him.

“Are you looking at something?” she asked.

“You’re perfect…”

“I know,” she replied.

“So why this?”

“Pardon?” Monet asked.

“Why this?” Hank repeated. “Why us? You could have any guy you want.”

“I don’t want ‘any’ guy,” Monet replied. “I want a special guy. Vanity isn’t important to me. I need to be with someone who has an intellect. Someone who is caring. Someone who can make me laugh. That someone is you, Henry.”

“Yeah, bu-mmph!”

Hank was cut off once Monet pressed her lips to his.

“Hey guys,” Ali stated as she walked into the room. “I was just…”

She stopped once she saw them in the embrace and slowly backed out.

Scott walked back into his room, where John sat on the bed watching a football game.

“Didn’t you have a date?” John asked once he walked in.

“I had some car trouble,” Scott replied, plopping down on his bed.

“Didn’t you just buy that thing?”

“Yeah,” Scott stated. “Then it met Wolverine.”

“Wait… you’re saying that Wolverine wrecked your car?” John asked.

“Yeah,” Scott replied. “Well, at least the engine.”

“Why?”

“He overheard our conversation about Maggie.”

“Oh…” John muttered. “Shit.”

“Exactly,” Scott replied.”Just add ‘bull’ to that word, and you’ve described the situation.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“We didn’t have an actual date set,” Scott said. “I was gonna go over there and surprise her with the new car. It kind of ruins the surprise if I ask her to come here and show her that the engine is totaled.”

“Yeah, I hear ya.”

John turned off the game and tossed the remote to Scott.

“Damn, this game sucks…” he muttered. He got out of bed and stretched out a bit. “I’m gonna go for a little walk around the grounds, see if I can track down O.”

“What’s going on with you two?”

“Absolutely nothing,” John replied. “And it sucks major ass.”

“Y’know, I have to wonder about the ethics of a college professor swindling teenage girls out of their hard-earned money…” Jean commented.

“You’re the one who challenged me, Jean,” Charles noted. “Next time when Hank tells you something, I’m guessing that you’ll believe it.”

“But I beat Hank…”

“Telekinesis doesn’t count,” Charles stated with a grin.

*KLAK*

“How’d you…?”

“Jean, don’t patronize me. I’ve been hearing other people’s thoughts since I was thirteen.”

“Isn’t it unethical for you to read other people’s minds without permission?” Jean asked.

Charles looked up at her as he prepared to strike the ball with his pool stick.

“Who do I look like? Ghandi?”

*KLAK*

“What’s on your mind, Jean?”

“You tell me, Professor.”

“Very well…” Charles stated. “From what I understand, you’re not very fond of working for the government. You despise the fact that your powers aren’t fully developed, and you feel like the weak link in the team.”

“Well, you are psychic.”

“Actually, I haven’t scanned your mind, yet.”

*KLAK*

He enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his hair. The freedom that running gave him. And, although he would never admit it, a part of him enjoyed the solitary feeling. This was the time when John Proudstar felt free.

“Slow down, handsome.”

“Huh?” John asked. He turned briefly and broke his concentration. He looked back quickly to see a tree in his path. “OH SHI-!”

*BOOM*

“Sorry about that,” Ali stated. She crouched down to face John. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m always fine after running into trees…” John muttered, rubbing his head. “Why’d you distract me, anyway?”

“Oh, I dunno,” Ali said once John got to his feet. “I just thought we could… talk.”

“Talk?” John asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… talk.”

She linked her arm in his and looked up at his face.

“That okay with you?”

John looked off in the distance and saw Ororo practicing with rain clouds. He grinned and turned back to Ali.

“Sure is.”

Powerful earthquakes began to shake the church. Flames surrounded it. People ran.

Reverend Stryker watched in horror as the one thing he had dedicated his life to – his faith – was destroyed before his eyes by fire and crumbled to the ground.

The ground continued to shake.

Stryker knew what this was. He knew who was behind this. Those genetic defects. The ones who were sent by the devil. He knew that his God wanted him to see them destroyed. He knew they were children of Satan.

He sniffed the air. A burning stench surrounded the area. Then, a hand possessed of three fingers wrapped around his face. Stryker pulled away and spun around. He saw the face of the enemy.

“Demon!!” he exclaimed.

“No,” the jet black-skinned mutant replied. “Nightcrawler.”

A massive shadow loomed over Stryker and Nightcrawler.

“Toad wishes to speak to this… man of God,” a larger man stated. His body was composed of metal and gleamed in the firelight. His voice had a hint of a Russian accent.

“Keep an eye on Sunspot and Avalanche, then,” Nightcrawler commented. He grabbed Stryker. “Brace yourself, mein fuhrer.”

*BAMF*

In a flash of light and the stench of sulfur, Nightcrawler and Stryker vanished. They materialized near the church, where a lanky man with long, curly black hair and green skin sat in a crouched position. Several people surrounded him. One was a young girl with curly auburn hair that had a white streak in it. Another was a deformed young woman who had bones sticking out of her pinkish skin. And the last was dressed in winter clothing, combined with snow goggles. Stryker also noticed a video camera on a tripod.

Nightcrawler threw Stryker forward, and he fell at the lanky man’s feet.

“This th’ wanker?”

Nightcrawler nodded.

“Guess introductions are in order, then, eh?” he stated. “Th’ name’s Toad, Reverend Stryker. You’ve already met Nightcrawler an’ Colossus. Avalanche an’ Sunspot are seein’ t’ tearin’ down yer place of worship. The rest o’ me mates are Rogue, Marrow, an’ Iceman. Th’ eight of us represent yer worst nightmare, arsehole.”

“Demons one and all…” Stryker stated. “Sent by Satan himself!”

“Nah, that’s not it at all,” Toad replied. He stepped towards the video camera. Stryker felt his body temperature begin to drastically drop.

“In case y’ didn’t already notice, Iceman’s freezing every sodding drop of water in your worthless, human body,” Toad stated. “In a few moments, you’ll be nothin’ more than an ice sculpture.”

“O-Our father… wh-who art in… in h-h-heaven…” Stryker began, his breath visible due to the cold air.

“Don’t waste th’ effort, y’ bleedin’ sod,” Toad noted. “Just gonna make things harder on yourself.”

Stryker’s skin began to turn a shade of blue as a sheet of ice seemed to form around his body. Toad looked into the lens of the video camera.

“I want all of humanity out there t’ pay attention,” he ordered. “Stryker is th’ enemy. Mutants are the next step in evolution. It’s time for you flatscans t’ learn that. We’re the inheritors of this worthless ball o’ dirt. So you better start treatin’ us nicely.”

He suddenly leapt in the air, and landed directly on Stryker. The impact of the Toad’s powerful mutant legs caused what was once Reverend William Stryker to shatter into thousands of crystalline shards.

“Stryker’s an example,” Toad warned. “He advocated violence against mutants. Any further attacks against mutants will be considered as attacks on me mates an’ I. We make no distinctions – all of humanity will pay the price if someone screws it up for the rest.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He placed one in his mouth and lit it, then looked back at the camera as he took a drag. Colossus, Avalanche, and Sunspot returned to the group as he did so.

“We’re th’ Brotherhood of Mutants,” Toad stated. “So you gits better bloody-well behave.”