THE CROWNING MOVE

Part I

By Brent Lambert

Bishop walked into the office with Wisdom, Psylocke, and Cable waiting for him. Wisdom was seated behind his desk with Psylocke seated atop it. To the right of Wisdom is Cable with his arms folded across his chest. Normally, it would be an intimidating scenario, but this was Bishop and he had faced down gangs of gene-sucking Emplates without even flinching.

“So luv I take it everything went okay in Alaska?” Psylocke asked.

Bishop nodded. “Juggernaut was found and the base eliminated. Though an unexpected element aided us in the completion of our mission. His name is Witness or LeBeau. He comes from my time period and if I had to guess he’s my timeline’s Gambit. I’ve had that suspicion for quite some time.”

Psylocke looked confused. “That would put him at slightly over a hundred though wouldn’t it?”

“Black Air did some studies on mutant lifespans back in its early days. Some evidence was found that mutants have longer ones,” Wisdom said.

“Just what else has Black Air done that we don’t know about?” Cable asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

“I intend for all of you to find out. Right now though we have pressing matters and not just this Witness character. I think there’s something else you needed to present Bishop.”

The former XSE nodded again. “Ahab is using the DNA of our members that were captured to create clones for his Hound process. Omega brought six of them back with us for examination. As for any information they can provide…we haven’t found anything at all.”

“Shite.” Betsy said. “What are we going to do about it?”

“I have some contacts and I’ll be using them to get us some location information. Then we hit him hard. In the meantime I also want to get back into Project: Roman. We can’t allow Sinister to find anymore of Black Womb’s weapons than he already has.”

“So who are we sending into the lion’s mouth this time?” Psylocke asked.

Stepping forward, Bishop said, “I’ll take a team in.”

Wisdom shook his head. “No you’re going to sit this next mission out. We’re going to let Maverick lead a team.”

Bishop didn’t let his facial expression change despite his frustration with Wisdom who was “punishing” him for his supposed lack of speediness in regards to the Juggernaut mission. Cable saw through Bishop’s stern expression and straight to the anger behind it.

“What operatives do you think should accompany North?” Cable asked Bishop.

“Send in Sunspot, Bedlam, Spyke, Warp Savant, and Fantomex. I know Jesse may still be a bit worn from the Alaska job, but he’ll have to get over it,” Wisdom said.

“I want to be the one to tell Maverick,” Bishop said.

Cable interrupted Wisdom before he could answer. “That works. I’ll come with you.”

The two walked out of the office and Wisdom stared up at Psylocke. “That could have gone worse.”

Psylocke looked at him with dagger shaped eyes and said, “Oh yes it was bloody brilliant how you handled the situation!”

“We can’t let Bishop lead any and every mission he wants to,” Wisdom replied to his ex-girlfriend. One among many.

“Of course not,” Betsy sighed. “But you could do well to learn to not let your testosterone get in the way of operating this team.”

Wisdom snickered. “You’re the last to talk. What was it that got in the way at Sears Tower? Estrogen?”

Peter had taken Betsy back to a time she would have rather forgotten. It was some time back when the X-Men and Thunderbolts had teamed together. Betsy, in her recklessness, took all the female members of both teams directly into the fray against orders. It had been a time that Betsy was going through a great deal of personal strife. Strife that led to her being expelled from the X-Men.

Psylocke got off the table and walked towards the door. She looked back at Wisdom and said, “Screw you.”

His mouth opened in response, but the slamming of the door deafened it.

Angelo hadn’t slept in days ever since returning to his LA apartment. He had just lain in his bed with his haunted thoughts. Unlike Omega and the others, he had experienced The Hound process for a far longer time. Ahab’s voice still raked at his mind. He couldn’t even take a shit without hearing that hollow, cruel voice. Whenever he got back to headquarters he decided he might let Psylocke take a look at his head. Quentin wasn’t someone he exactly trusted. That muchacho had a weird glimmer in his eye. It made Angelo uncomfortable as hell.

As he lay in his messy bed his thoughts turned to that battle which had freed him from his hellish slavery. Leyu had fought hard to bring back his humanity. That made Angelo smile despite himself. He finally knew that she felt about him the same way he felt about her. If it took being a Hound to get admission from the usually cold Leyu, then it was well worth it. Having her meant the world to Angelo, even though he couldn’t give the slightest answer as to why. They fought like dogs, but fit together like puzzle pieces. Dios, Angelo never thought he’d feel so cheesy.

Then there came a gentle rapping at his door. Skin rolled out of the bed quickly; clad only in a sticky red, sleeveless shirt and baby blue gym shorts that clung too tightly. His hair was matted down and Angelo shook his cranium to give it a bit of fluff. When he walked out of the room he asked, “Who is it?”

“Open up Angelo! I don’t have all day for your laziness!” Leyu Yoshida, aka Sunpyre, yelled with a disdain most people would save for a crack addict clutching at their feet.

Skin smiled. His lady had come to pay him a much-needed visit. Angelo wished he had taken a shower this morning.

“Chica, this is LA. Not asking who’s at the door will get you shot,” Skin replied. He was ten feet from the door and stretched out an arm to unscrew the doorknob and allow his lover, Sunpyre, to make her entrance. Skin wished he could give her a red carpet. There was that damn cheesiness again! He just hoped he didn’t say any out loud.

Leyu walked in wearing a jean jacket and black tank top accented by dark brown capris and black sandals. She had long hair pulled back into a ponytail that was being held together by a scrunchie the same color as her capris. She looked like she was ready for a day on the town and Skin couldn’t feel worse.

Seeing a stack of five pizza boxes on the coffee table next to a wide-open box of Fruity Pebbles made Leyu cringe. Then she looked at Angelo himself and said, “Figures.”

“What? I haven’t been able to sleep much,” Skin shrugged.

That stopped Leyu dead in her tracks and whatever ice she had surrounded herself in had melted away. She looked at the boxes and laughed. “I hate to ask if the couch is safe. Honestly Angelo, if you weren’t sleeping you could try to clean. Must you be a walking sitcom?”

“The couches are fine. I usually eat on the floor anyway. It’s what I’m use to,” Skin said as he walked back towards his bedroom. “I’m going to freshen up real quick. That cool with you or are you on a tight schedule?”

The last comment came with a smirk from Angelo. Leyu rolled her eyes. “Just do whatever it takes. It’s bad enough your house smells of old sushi.”

Skin laughed and disappeared into his room while she took a seat at the oblong gray couch. She sighed heavily and wondered if she could do what she had told herself she would. It all seemed so easy before having to look him in the eye. He was hurting and he wanted her help. Leyu didn’t want the task.

Warp Savant pulled himself up to the computer and ran a hand through his electric blue hair before starting up the machine. He had been taking it easy since the fight against the Hellfire Club. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to get back into the field, but he had pushed his powers to a limit they had never experienced before at that Black Womb base. He had tried to absorb hundreds of Shiva robots into his mind at one time. The effort knocked him out cold. He had been using his powers sparingly since that incident, giving them time to recover.

Noxious sulfuric fumes filled the room and Warp Savant turned around. “As if that creepy ass bamfing sound wasn’t enough, you have to stink on top of that.”

“My apologies mein freund,” Nightcrawler said as he handed Warp Savant a beet and popped open his own can of Coke. “So vat is it that we’re about to look at?”

“When we first found out Mr. Sinister was back it was because he left us a bag of goodies. One, we haven’t finished picking through yet,” Warp Savant said, grabbing the mouse and moving to a file labeled BLACK WOMB BASE TAPES.

“Can I ask you a question Kurt?”

Taking a gulp of his soda, Kurt wiped his mouth and said, “Ja.”

“Is Sinister really as bad as everyone says? I mean I know he’s an ass, but is he that much of a boogeyman?”

“We probably aren’t doing him justice, honestly. The man is one of this planet’s greatest forces of evil! He has caused hundreds, if not thousands grievous harm in his pursuit of a genetically malleable world. By God, I would call him The Devil himself if I didn’t know better.”

Warp Savant grinned. “Great, I would sign up for the group that’s trying to oppose this joker.”

“Just be grateful you aren’t in his radar of interest,” Kurt replied.

“Well, if everything you say is true then I don’t think there’s a single living thing that isn’t of interest to him.”

Kurt took the final swig of his soda. “You’re right and Black Womb seems to be just another extension of his agenda.”

“So you ready to look at some of this stuff?” Savant asked holding up a disk that illuminated when light from the room bounced off of it.

“Ja. Let’s see what monstrous work has taken place in that godawful facility,” Kurt replied.

“This one falls under the work of the lovely scientist known as Matrix. I saw a bit of her stuff earlier. She’s definitely got the hot librarian thing going on,” Warp Savant said as he slid in the disk.

The computer screen filled itself with the image of a redheaded scientist garbed in the traditional white lab coat. She was tugging at her glasses and turned to the camera. “Today we’re going to check on our progress of Subjects 588-592. We’ve had to restrain all of them due to the psychosis that my treatments have induced. Most of them have a deep self-loathing complex, which they extend and take out on all superpowered individuals. It’s a problem I intend to work on.”

Warp Savant nudged Kurt in the shoulder. “See I told you. Hot librarian.”

Kurt shook his head and continued to listen to the woman’s narrative.

“All of our subjects were previously humans that were injured in superhuman battles. That along with my treatments and their previous trauma has created an intense hatred for all those who are possessed of superhuman abilities. They even hate themselves to an extent. They’ve taken on Opus Dei habits and have taken to hurting themselves as penance for being monstrosities. Unfortunately, that’s a hurdle I will need to overcome.”

“Mein gott! Black Womb would take advantage of anyone,” Nightcrawler said.

Matrix moved out of the camera’s view and it focused in on a young black woman struggling at her black leather restraints. Her skin was littered with green splotches and her eyes were a bright yellow. As she continued to struggle, Matrix continued onward with her report. “All of the subjects have even demanded to be called by various codenames they have concocted. Subject 588, Angela Jackson, goes by the name of Leper Queen. Subject 589, Israel Burkdale, goes by Silence. Paxton Worthston and Harry Inglewood, Subjects 590 and 591 respectively, go by Poseidon and Gazer. The last subject, Jeremiah Wilson, desires to be called Gore. Each name surprisingly fits into the abilities that were given to each subject.”

Kurt’s face snarled up in disgust. “She can barely refer to them by their real names.”

“I just wonder how Black Womb got their hands on the poor bastards.”

Before Kurt could give a potential guess the intercom in the room buzzed and Wisdom’s voice came across it. “Kurt. Report to my office.”

“Continue watching this. I’ll be back.”

“Sure thing,” Savant said waving away the stench from Nightcrawler’s teleportation.

Nightcrawler and Bishop were standing behind Wisdom, who was seated at his desk while Psylocke sat on the corner of it. In front of them was a helmet-less Juggernaut who had just given them some news they didn’t particularly want to hear.

“You sure about this Cain? I know we hit a rough patch for a bit, but I think you being with us is for the best,” Psylocke said.

Juggernaut shook his head. “What Ahab did to me was it. Just too much for me. I need a break from all of this. Don’t worry. I won’t be busting down your door again anytime soon.”

“None of us said that Cain. We trust you. We just don’t want you to make a mistake,” Nightcrawler said.

“Agreed, but if you feel you have to leave then we won’t stop you,” Wisdom added.

Marko smiled weakly. “I know you saps couldn’t do anything without me, but I got to take a breather. If things get too heavy though I doubt you’ll have a hard time finding me.”

“Good luck Cain. Come back soon,” Psylocke said jumping off the desk and giving Cain a kiss on the cheek.

“Ja. Enjoy the vacation,” Kurt nodded.

“Will do,” Cain said as he squeezed out of Wisdom’s office door.

Not dwelling on any one thing too long, Wisdom asked Nightcrawler, “Has Savant finished reviewing that video yet?”

“He should be done now. You have orders for him?”

“Tell the bloke to suit up and get ready for departure. You know how it is with Maverick. If you’re ten minutes early you’re on time and if you’re on time you’re late.”

The Black Womb solider reached for his gun but was hoisted into the air by a woman cloaked in green and who’s face was covered with green blemishes. Her eyes were a rich yellow and they stared into the soldier with murderous intent.

“Too little too late monster!” the woman yelled as her eyes glowed and the soldier disintegrated into a melted bag of flesh.

“Ultra advanced flesh eating disease. I like,” the woman’s companion said. He was a white haired, devil eyed, royal blue mutant. “You think we’ll find Matrix in here?”

“Who knows Gazer,” the woman replied as more Black Womb soldier stormed down the hall with guns drawn. A smile crept across the woman’s face. “But I’ll have fun tearing down every base until we come across her.”

NEXT: Enter The Sapien League!