THE MEMORIES REMAIN

By Adam Koeth

Rio De Janeiro; Brazil
Years ago

“Ah, Carnivale! You can’t miss with the parties down here, eh?”

The short, dwarfish man wandered down the packed streets of Rio, stopping every once in a while to take a closer look at some of the scantily clad, dancing women. A wide grin crossed his face as some of the women returned his leers.

His companion, a tall, brown-haired man, smiled thinly. He wasn’t enjoying the party as much as his friend was… not by half.

“Eugene, I can see why you like this place. But do you have to be so damn excited about it all the time? We ARE on the job!”

“Dave, Dave, Dave,” Eugene Judd chided. He grinned up at his friend and partner, David North. “Just ’cause we’re on a job doesn’t mean that I can’t have a little fun, eh?”

His neck twisted around, almost violently, as a pair of long-legged dancers wandered by.

“Fix your neck and look ahead.” North said, his mouth set and firm. He nodded toward a small group of men who had gathered in front of a cafe. In the center of the group, seated, was a short Asian man, who was sipping coffee from a cup.

“There’s our man…”

The tall, brown-haired man dressed in yellow armour holstered his guns as the small, diminutive bald-headed man approached him.

“I… I remember you!” Puck blurted out, standing toe to toe with Maverick. Behind him, the other members of Alpha Flight… Guardian, Vindicator, Sasquatch, Shaman, and Manbot… stood.

“You’re North… David North!”

Maverick nodded, his masked head bobbing up and down. “I remember that too. We fought…”

“No,” Puck replied. “I was a little… confused then.”

“Oh really?” Maverick chuckled, folding his arms across his chest.

Puck frowned, “Chalk it up to a corrupt director who liked to brainwash his team!” said the diminutive Alphan, referring to Department H’s former Director, General Clarke.

“I know how you feel,” Maverick replied, “I was also brainwashed, but by Pushkin.”

“Pushkin, eh?” Puck said, recognising the Russian gangster’s name, but a groan from Maverick as he flexed his shoulders broke Puck’s concentration. “You look a little beat up, eh?” quipped Puck, looking over his former comrade. He could see a few dents here and there in Maverick’s armor, as well as a few fresh bruises. “Run into a tank or something?”

Maverick grimaced, “It seemed like a tank, that’s for sure… a tank called the Juggernaut.” Lacing his fingers together, Maverick cracked his knuckles and sighed contentedly. Revelling in the curious looks his comment recieved, Maverick asked “So, what are you all doing here?”

“A better question,” Vindicator broke in, pointing to something behind Maverick, “What is HE doing here?”

A small, man-like shape at the end of the room stopped in mid-step but remained cloaked in shadow. The figure stepped out of the dark and into the light.

“HUXLEY?!?” the Alphans, with the exception of Manbot and Vindicator, called out. The former employee of Department H took one look at the gathered Alphans, turned on his heels, and ran away as fast as his pudgy little legs would carry him.

The leader of Alpha Flight, Guardian, took to the air. “I’ll get him back!” she called as she rushed out of the room, heading in the direction that Huxley went.

Maverick and Puck stood in front of each other, one staring down and the other staring up. “So tell me,” Puck began, stroking his dark black moustache, “what ARE you doing here?”

He watched as Maverick reached into a holster, withdrew a gun, and began fiddling with it. “Actually, I’m looking for the guy that Guardian just took off after.” Maverick replied, withdrawing the gun’s clip and checking the bullets.

“Apparently, that guy brainwashed the Juggernaut, who’s looking for a way to return his buddy Black Tom to normal. And Huxley’s the guy who can do it…”

Puck watched as Maverick looked down the barrel of the gun, checking to make sure it was straight. It reminded him of something that had happened long ago…

Rio De Janeiro

“Is it straight?”

North looked at his partner over the barrel of the gun. On the street below their fourth floor apartment, Carnivale was still going strong. It was only 2 in the morning… the party would continue at least until dawn.

“Of course,” North replied smiling, “I only buy the best!”

“Remember one thing,” said Judd, staring out of the window at the spectacle below, “we’re not here to kill him… just get the information we need and get out, eh?”

Smiling thinly, North nodded. “No killing. Right.”

Judd checked his watch. “It’s time.” he said, pulling his dark coat and Carnival mask on. Tucked in one of the coat’s pockets was a small hand-gun. Judd pulled it out, checked the clip, and then replaced it in it’s holster.

“Just in case.”

“Okay then,” North replied, standing up, “let’s do it!”

Guardian raced down the installation’s corridors, hot on the heels of Huxley. She remembered what Huxley had done to Diamond Lil, a former teammate and friend. She also remembered what Huxley had almost unleashed upon the world: a half-insane, virus-laden man that was the most recent to bear the name Weapon X.

“Huxley!” Guardian called out, watching the pudgy man duck into a room. She arrived right behind him, only to have the door slammed shut in her face.

“Nice try, Huxley, but it won’t hold for long!”

With the help of her suit, Guardian called up a steaming hot pillar of lava, instantly destroying the door where it stood. The room beyond was totally dark.

“C’mon out, Huxley. I promise to play nice!”

“Ha!” came Huxley’s voice from somewhere in the room. It seemed to echo, making it impossible for Guardian to pinpoint his location. “All you want is to take me back to Department H in some vain attempt to make me pay for any ‘crimes’ I may have commited!”

Guardian crept through the room, alert and on guard. Huxley was in the room somewhere, for sure, but she didn’t know what kind of weaponry he had available. Better to be safe than sorry.

“Oh, Heather,” Huxley continued, his voice once again echoing through the room, “I have a surprise for you… well, maybe not so much of a surprise, since the two of you HAVE met…”

“What are you talking about, Huxley?” Guardian snapped. Any patience she may have had with this man was wearing painfully thin. “Just come out… I don’t have time for games!”

“Too bad, luv,” came another voice, right by Guardian’s ear. A powerful fist came crashing down on the back of her head, before she had time to react. Instantly, she was down and unconscious on the floor.

The lights came up, full and bright. Huxley walked over and clapped the attacker on his black, leather-clad back. “I love it when a plan comes together. Don’t you, Weapon X?”

Weapon X looked down at Huxley, the his circular red ‘eye’ gleaming in the light. If Weapon X’s face wasn’t totally wrapped, the fat man would have seen his creation smile.

“Too right, mate. Too right…”

“Now,” said Huxley, grinning up at his creation, “it’s time to test out you’re newest power. Alpha Flight is around here somewhere… and so are the Juggernaut, Wolverine, and Maverick.”

“Find them,” Huxley continued, his grin growing wider, “and kill them all!”

Rio De Janeiro

“Kill?” North scoffed, his gun aimed at the small Asian man’s skull. North smiled briefly, eyeing the target, then let his face relax into it’s normal, no-smile state. “Only if you make me. Promise me you won’t make me, and I won’t kill you.”

The Asian man nodded quickly, looking down at his unconscious bodyguards.

“Now, we’re looking for some information,” Judd started, his gun out but lowered. He stroked his moustache once, repeated the action, then began fiddling with the gun.

“An… associate of yours, and ours, is rather upset that you did what you did, eh? You remember our employer, don’t you?”

The Asian man nodded once again, hanging on Judd’s every word.

“Good!” Judd continued, smiling. “Now, I could bore you with some silly Bible scripture, but we’ll skip the pleasentries and get right to the point. We need to know where you stashed the weapons… and we need to know NOW !”

Twitching nervously, the Asian man nodded once again. He stood up, slowly, keeping his eyes on North’s gun, and crossed the hotel room to the small dresser. He opened up one of the top drawers, stood there for a moment, then whirled around.

North fired off two quick rounds before Judd even realized what was going on. The Asian man crumpled to the ground, a pair of holes punched in his chest.

“What the hell was that?!?” Judd exclaimed, rushing over to the Asian man’s body. Laying next to his body was a pistol. The man’s finger was resting on the trigger.

Judd looked up at North solemnly, “That answers that question!”

“Now what?” North inquired, putting his gun away.

Judd stood up and put his pistol away as well, “Now, we go back and tell our boss we didn’t get the info. He’s not going to be too happy!”

“No,” North said, scratching his chin, “no, he’s not…”

The Professor sat in front of the monitors, watching as Huxley and his pet Weapon X took down the Alphan female. Behind him stood the Doctor, who was watching with fascination as Huxley gave the order to eliminate Alpha Flight and the other obstacles in the facility.

“Sir,” began the Doctor. The Professor, his glasses sliding down his nose, wheeled the chair around to face his subordinate. “Isn’t Huxley’s order a danger to our work? What if some of the new Weapon X’s ‘death spores’ reach the lab containing Experiment X? Our work could be over before it has truly begun.”

“Don’t worry about that.” replied the Professor, getting to his feet. “As before, Huxley will overextend himself and fall prey to his own massive ego. This time, however, he won’t have any avenues of escape.”

Nodding the Doctor said, “Yes, sir.” However, a small seed of doubt and worry wormed it’s way into his mind and refused to be dismissed. The Professor was a genius, to be sure, but how did he know with absolute certainty that Huxley’s efforts wouldn’t disrupt Experiment X?

How could he know?

Garrison Kane, one of the those to have borne the name Weapon X, tromped through the wilds of Canada. He was on a mission, and nothing… and no one… was going to stop him!

He was looking for the love of his life, the mutant shape-changer Copycat. For some reason, the men at the newly reopened Weapon X facility had kidnapped her. What were they planning to do to her? Make her a Weapon X?

Kane lashed out at a tree, shearing it in half with one of his metallic hands. Shards of wood flew in every direction.

Pushing past another tree, Kane came upon a wide valley in front of him. Right in the middle of the valley was the Weapon X facility itself… and Kane could see a few lights on in one of the buildings. Taking a deep breath, Kane started his decent into the valley.

“I’m coming for you, Vanessa…” Kane whispered, continuing his way down the long slope.

NEXT: Deadpool tracks down his old flame, Copycat, with her boy-toy Kane, at the former – and now very active – Weapon X facilities! Can our man Wade handle knowing that the Weapon X project is back in full swing, after what he’s been through there?

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN EPSILON GUARD

By Mike Rudden

Salutations.

My name is Stephan Davis Geller.

I’m currently employed as a security officer, posted at the facility known as Department H. The rest of the world calls us Epsilon Guards. We take care of the sloppy business of Department H. The problems the Department doesn’t want Alpha or Beta Flight to worry about.

Unlike many of my co-workers, I have the unique task of guarding the private entrance of Department H personnel – the ‘back door’ to Department H, if you will. Mr Gentry – the new operations manager in charge of H, after General Clarke’s death – almost vetoed this entry, saying that the employees of Department H should interact with the public more. But, after convincing him of the security threats, he’s now using this designated entrance.

Stand straight, here he comes now…

“Good morning, Geller. How’s the wife and children?”

He tries to be sincere. I tried in response.

“Inapplicable, sir.”

“Now, what did I tell you? Clarke’s rules are gone, you can talk about your home life now.”

“Understood, sir. However, I have no wife nor children to speak of.”

“I’ll make a mental note of that. Good day.”

“Good day, sir.”

I hate these confrontations. I’m probably the only person who liked it better when General Clarke was here. He told you what to do, and didn’t make things complicated by explaining or trying to understand, not like Gentry. But, as I said, I’m probably the only one.

This entrance does not only serve those on the ‘Inner Circle’ board of Department H, but also its’ resident super heroes, as well – Alpha Flight, and the training team, Beta Flight.

But don’t let them fool you, they’re celebrities. They don’t know if they should be saving the world, or signing book deals. Like this one, Eugene Milton Judd, code-named Puck.

“Good morning, Mr Judd.”

“To the untrained eye, maybe.” comes the gruff response. A regular whenever addressing this man.

“Mr Judd, if I could have a word?”

“Certainly. As long as it isn’t about the Victoria’s Secret catalogues that come under my name. Some things are private, eh?” come the response, along with a wink.

“Of course, sir. Actually, Guard Murphy told me that you never reported in last night. Your curfew is midnight, and you’re now coming in at eight in the morning.”

“A long, hard night o’ drinking.”

“Yes, well this is the fifth incident. I’m afraid I’ll have to make a report to Mr Gentry.”

“As long as I get my check in the mail, you can make all the reports you want, eh?”

“Sir, this is serious.”

“Bah!” Puck starts to walk away as I stay at attention. “My drinking is the only thing that keeps me from going insane on this band of misfits.”

The day goes on. I stand at my post, with the occasional bathroom breaks. I check people in, I check people out. I have an half an hour for lunch, which must be taken in the cafeteria.

At five o’clock in the afternoon, my joints start to ache under the armor. I grimace to think that after my shift is over, there’s another two hours of working out that has to be done.

I stay another hour, seeing the majority of the workers leave their jobs to go home to their happy lives. Guard Murphy would take over at six to endure the night shift. And now, five minutes before I am to depart, a figure comes out of the door.

It is an older man, slightly bulky from sitting behind a desk all day long. It looks as if he’s made no effort to fix his thinning white hair. He wears a proper suit, with a serpent ring on one finger.

There is nothing unusual about this, but there is something that worries me…

I don’t recognize him!

“Excuse me, sir, but may I ask where you’re going?” I ask.

“I’m just leaving for a bit. I’ll be back.”

“And you do work here, correct?”

“Of course…”

He starts to walk away, but I put my hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He looks at it awkwardly.

“May I see your identification card, sir?” He grumbles a response, and takes a card out of his wallet. I read it and hand it back to him, and he continues on his way as Murphy comes to relieve me of my duties.

I’ll never forget the name on that card…

Director X.