WHAT’S HIS IS HIS

Part IV

By Brent Lambert

What’s Come Before: Wisdom met the enigmatic Shiver Man who gave him information in regards to a three-prong attack on the geneticist, Mother Matrix. Maverick and his squad encounter an empty Black Womb base and The Neo, among them a mysterious new addition named Morpheus. With a new wealth of information on hand, the X-Corps split into two teams. One heading to Pakistan to confront the coming swarm and the other to one of Sinister’s many bases in hopes of finding information on Shaw’s missing mutants.

Matrix

Mother Matrix knew her fate because she had taken control of it like any good scientist would.

Sinister was coming for her.

Black Womb wanted her dead.

The Neo planned to wipe away her existence.

None of it mattered. Barbara had a plan and she knew it would execute to her favor. When faced with the kind of people she was about to encounter, one made sure that every measure was in place for a plan to succeed.

Her work was too important. The breeding of superhumans would provide her the means to return her homeland to glory. She was sure that in enough time she could produce a superhuman possessed of hundreds of abilities through carefully calculated breeding. Her work in Pakistan had begun with but a few DNA samples extracted from local Pakistani mutants, the DNA she captured from The Rapture, and some other subjects taken from her days at Black Womb. It was her hope to produce such beings that they would be called walking gods.

Her enemies sought to stop such work. What could they know of her purpose?

Sitting in dark solitude had given Mother Matrix a great deal of time to lay out every piece of the puzzle in front of her. Now, all she had to do was put it together.

Sinister’s Men

The enforcers of Nathaniel Essex stood outside the thick concrete wall surrounding Mother Matrix’s hiding place. Gaunt ran his golden claws along the structure’s surface and said, “Removing this won’t be a problem, but I’m sure once we do, she’ll be altered to our presence.”

“Let her know. Let her squirm,” Requiem said.

Sorrow shook her head, saying, “That won’t work. She’ll send down her abominations on us and escape.”

Gaunt pursed his lips and contemplated on his options before saying, “Vulcan. Just how much control do you have over your telekinesis?”

The newest creation of Sinister gave a blank response as he said, “I have not had any time to test the extent of my abilities. Some instinctual knowledge was given to me.”

Pointing upward, Gaunt said, “Then use it to carry us over this wall.”

Orange telekinetic energy steamed out from Vulcan and enwrapped Sinister’s soldiers. Vulcan closed his eyes and they were all shot over the concrete wall, but unfortunately not with an entirely graceful landing.

“Still needs a bit of practice,” Gaunt commented.

Perfection flung her hood back over her head and said, “All power and no control. You have much to learn Vulcan.”

Crown patted the young man on the back and responded to Perfection harshly, saying, “Cut the kid some slack. He got us over, didn’t he?”

It was not a comment that earned him any accolades from Perfection as she commenced to staring holes into him with her dazzling green eyes. Crown, despite the woman’s status as a Neo, returned the stare with his two crimson globes. The former HYDRA experiment and Black Womb captive finally asked, “You got a problem?”

Gaunt cut into the conversation before a reply could be uttered. He looked at Crown with widened eyes that signaled for him to calm down. The mostly techno-organic man knew that he couldn’t possibly give Perfection that same look. Not only would she have responded angrily, she was too stuck on herself to ever see anyone else’s point but her own.

“Vulcan did what we needed him to do and that’s all that matters here,” Gaunt said. “Remember our objectives. Capture Darwin and The Rapture, destroy all records of the system and—

“Kill Mother Matrix,” Perfection finished with cold enthusiasm.

“You make it sound so boring,” Requiem replied.

Sorrow, in her eternally melancholy tone, said, “For what she has done, I hope her death is anything but boring.”

“Enough of the posturing,” Gaunt ordered. “It’s time to move.”

The Neo

Domina had detected the spike in energy that was Vulcan’s telekinesis and looked behind her at her husband, Jaeger. Her chalk white skin was contorted in rage as she said, “Spikes! Outside the wall.”

Jaeger showed no emotion, but knew his wife’s line of thinking. The Neo had been impeded by a particular group of spikes since his people’s escape from Black Womb. If spike energy was showing outside the wall then it was more than likely that same group of nuisances. With that in mind, he said, “We’ll kill them all and leave no survivors. Nothing lives.”

The clan leader’s face did not soften as she said, “Agreed. But I’m beginning to think we underestimate these spikes. Some of them are not without their power.”

Momentary laughter followed from Jaeger as he said, “Woman, I have always given the spikes their due. It was you who did otherwise amongst this clan and the rest of The Neo.”

Domina turned her head downward and looked back to the concrete wall that was containing the foul Mother Matrix. Her very existence defiled the fabric of the world. They might have never gotten this opportunity to help remove her diseased existence if not for one of the younglings Domina had rescued from a hellish scenario in The World. He was a promising young Neo who had chosen the name, Morpheus. Domina had given him his own clan to lead as reward fro the information he accrued about Matrix. She would bring back the flatscan’s head as a trophy.

“Are the others ready to move?” Jaeger asked in reference to Seth, Barbican, and Tartarus, who were positioned closer to the concrete wall. He already knew the answer to his question, but Domina needed to be brought out of her hot anger.

“They’re ready,” Domina replied.

There was a slight buzzing behind the two Neo that might have been mistaken for flying birds— at least to human ears, but The Neo were blessed with superior senses. Jaeger himself had senses that were even above that of The Neo. So hearing what he did, Jaeger yelled, “Get down!”

Domina did as her husband commanded and dropped to the hard dirt. The terrain was dry, mountainous, and jaggedly rocky. Hiding in it proved difficult to the untrained, but even the best training did not prevent somebody from being found. As hundreds of speeding buzz saws flew overhead, Domina knew one thing. They had been found.

Nine hulking humanoid druids marched slowly towards the ground-clinging Neo. They stood at twelve feet and were armored like tanks. Their bright blue color was a stark contrast against the landscape. It was done purposefully, Domina decided. Such monstrosities kept curious locals at bay. The Neo clan leader was interested to see just what other defensive capabilities the weapons of Matrix possessed. Looking to her husband, she nodded and the two simultaneously back-flipped off the ground. Domina unleashed her glowing electric blue whip upon landing. The machines, of course, were unflinching in her display. It was just one of many reasons The Neo hated advanced technology. The machines were unfeeling, unnatural and not born of blood and sweat. Man’s technologies had done more to ruin the whole of the planet than help it.

The druids responded to The Neo’s battle readiness by clenching a fist and a long titanium blade ripped forth from the top of their hand. They began to run at a speed faster than either Neo was expecting. Jaeger leaped into the air and landed atop the shoulders of one droid. He twisted the machine’s head off and flung it into the chest of another droid, creating a violent explosion.

Domina leaped forward and wrapped her whip around the droid’s blade while she slammed her feet into the chest of another. The blade was dissolved under Domina’s whip and the machine was knocked to the ground by her kick. The hand of another droid wrapped itself around Domina’s neck and began to lift her into the air. An electric charge ran through the droid’s arm, into his hand, and straight through Domina’s body. Her jaws clenched and her body began to convulse wildly as smoke rose from her flesh.

Jaeger saw what was happening and with controlled rage, ran low to the ground and slammed his shoulder into Domina’s captive’s metal knee. The machine buckled and Domina was dropped to the ground. As the droid stumbled backward, Jaeger jumped and planted his feet through its face. Metal and wires were sent in every direction the harsh wind blew it. The Neo flung even more debris as he back flipped out of the droid’s head and spun his entire body through the chest of another machine. As he landed, he was happy to see Domina already rising to her feet.

Seeing her husband covered in mechanical juices was almost a comical sight for Domina. Unfortunately, there were still five machines that remained to be disposed of. All of them had produced machine gun turrets from their shoulders and were positioned to lock The Neo in a circle. Domina looked to her husband and said, “We may be able to leap above it.”

Jaeger pulled two knives from his belt and said, “To the last.”

Domina nodded in agreement and prepared herself for what was to come next when suddenly the heads of the remaining droids popped off like water from a geyser. The bodies of the mechanical security enforcers fell to the ground like dominos. Jaeger and Domina stared at each other with confusion, but their hearing quickly picked up on the pattering of boots. Unlike the arrival of the druids, The Neo were unable to react. They were thrust upward into the air by an unseen force and violent pain ripped through their skulls. Before there very eyes appeared a group of about twenty Black Womb agents. Floating above the marching soldiers was a man surrounded by golden telekinetic energy. He landed gently below the two Neo and said, “You two made quick works of those machine. Mueller truly created some deadly beings.”

Pushing past the pain tearing through his head, Jaeger asked, “Who are you?”

The telekinetic gave a gentle smile. His face was young and vibrant one without blemish. Emerald was the color of his eyes and like a jewel they shined. His jet-black hair shimmered just as much, from his scalp down to the back of his knees. The color of his hair matched that of his sleeveless Kevlar, pants, and boots. Two green stripes ran down the center of his Kevlar and the laces of his boots were the same color. Green circles were dotted on the knuckles of his black gloves. Hi physical features blended with his attire quite effectively.

Answering Jaeger’s question, he said, “My name is Severus. I do believe you Neo tried to kill me.”

In pained defiance, Domina said, “And we still will.”

“Most would have crumbled under my telepathic assault by now. You Neo truly are amazing. Don’t think I can’t turn it up though,” Severus smiled as he picked up on a strong thought from Domina. “Yes, they’ve already been captured and I must say, Black Womb has captured a good deal of Neo in the past 24 hours.”

Giving a low groan, Domina said, “You will die slowly.”

Severus floated upward and looked the clan leader in the eye. “I doubt that. If it’s any consolation, I’ll bring you Matrix’s corpse to look at.”

Sinister’s Men

“These doors won’t budge without some assistance. Too much titanium,” Gaunt said as he finally quit pushing on the entranceway. His strength had been greatly enhanced by his techno-organic composition, but Matrix had reinforced the doors in a way, which blocked his superior strength completely.

Ninety percent of Gaunt’s body was composed of the techno-organic virus. The only flesh that remained was his head and hair. As a result, Gaunt was gifted with a variety of abilities. The molecular make0up of the virus made it extremely durable and gave Gaunt his superior strength and resistance to injury. Even if he was injured, the virus self-replicated enough to heal him quickly and effectively. Black Womb also placed virus resistance components throughout his body, which afforded him with other skills. One device in his upper right arm allowed him to issue forth an EMP. Another device in his left wrist allowed him to create a magnetic field around himself. The last device was in his right calf and it allowed him to control his virus to a massive degree for a short amount of time.

It was an option he contemplated to destroy the barrier in front of them, but he quickly dismissed it. Having another idea, he turned to Funeral and said, “Your abilities allow you to decay the organic, but do you think—

“No, I cannot. I have tried before,” Funeral answered.

Gaunt scowled. “That’s a problem we’ll need to address with Sinister then.”

“I can do it,” Vulcan interrupted. “My telekinesis should be strong enough.”

Perfection heavily rolled her eyes. “We can’t operate on should. We need confidence.”

“He sounded confident enough to me,” Gaunt said and then added, “Give it a try Vulcan. Before we get swarmed by security.”

Stepping forward, Vulcan outstretched his hands and orange telekinetic energy ripped forth from them. Pulling his hands only slightly back, the door creaked and then exploded outwards. He turned back to Perfection a smug smile and said “That confident enough?”

Perfection folded her arms across her chest and said, “It’ll due for now. Far from perfect.”

Funeral sighed in annoyance at all parties. The Neo had no idea why Sinister had appointed Gaunt as the leader of this expedition. It was in Funerals’ opinion that he was far better suited to handle the leadership responsibilities. Unfortunately, opinions didn’t weight much with Sinister. Once a decision had been made it was to be followed through, unless otherwise noted. Ironically, it was that quality of Sinister’s that Funeral most admired.

“Let’s not stand around admiring the view. We have to move,” Gaunt said, starting in a brisk run towards the ruined door. He didn’t have lungs anymore so he did not have to worry about a lack of stamina. He could go at full speed all the time. It allowed him to be at one hundred percent twenty-four seven.

He didn’t necessarily expect everyone to follow behind him like the Irish charging into battle, but they kept pace well enough. The initial beginnings of the base were pristine, white, and well lit. As they turned corners and descended stairs, it became darker, more angular in architecture, and gave off an ominous air that put Sinister’s soldiers on notice.

There was something else bothering Funeral as he said, “We have yet to encounter any resistance. Something is wrong.”

Perfection mockingly laughed and said, “I could have told you that hours ago darling.”

“Then why didn’t you, queen of intuition,” Crown shot back.

Gaunt was about to disrupt the potential argument, but he saw from the corner of his eye a computer console resembling a large ATM machine. He immediately said, “Perfection! Dig into that computer and find out Darwin’s location. I would like to have an idea of where we’re actually going.”

“Of course,” She answered as the white vixen began a seductive walk tot the console. Her shapely figure was hardly visible under her snow cloak, but she only did it out of habit. Perfection may not of had anyone to impress, but she refused to ever be less than what she was intended to be.

Her glove fingers began to dance across the keyboard with expert proficiency. That was Perfection’s ability; she was able to become skilled at anything she concentrated on. Whether it be fighting, hacking into computers, or being a simply fantastic lover. She knew how much of an asset she was to Sinister and reveled in it. After a few minutes of typing for bored onlookers, she stepped way from the console and said, “Darwin is two floors below this one.”

Crown was bewildered. “All that banging around just to find that out? Some perfect lil thing you are alright!”

Perfection waved a dismissive hand and said, “Be quit brute. I found out a great deal, but we do have an objective.”

“She’s right,” Gaunt said. “Lead the way Perfection.”

The double doors at the end of the hallway, opposite of the computer, exploded outward and an Asian-American woman rolled out followed by a group of Pakistani men all tattooed with double M’s on their cheeks. They were wearing blue bodysuits with white gloves and matching boots. In all of their hands were paper-thin rapiers. It was a stark contrast to the gun the short, muscular woman had pointed at Sorrow’s back.

Blades were normally Kimura’s specialty, but Matrix had made sure she was well versed in all the tools of combat. So she had absolutely no problem with holding a gun against a Neo’s back. Having some command of the situation, she said, “State your purpose or she gets a hole in her chest!”

Blowing his breath slightly, death spores came froth from Funeral and raveled through the air under his control. They made there way quickly and attached to the olive face of one of Kimura’s henchmen. The mutant cried out in horror as his face literally began to fall to pieces. The attack was rarely used by Funeral because he felt it unhonorable, but this situation called for it.

The momentary distraction allowed Sorrow to spin kick the gun out of Kimura’s hands and strike her across the head with the other foot. Kimura crashed to the metal floor and skidded across it, but she was not harmed herself. Sorrow’s eyes glowed violet as she absorbed the anger of Kimura and her henchmen. Negative emotions gave Sorrow control over energy and positive ones increased her physical form. Lightning hung at The Neo’s fingertips and she launched it at Kimura. Electricity struck Kimura’s body, but none of it passed through her. She had increased her body’s density to the point where electricity would be ineffective.

Clinking his hands together, techno-organic spikes shot out from Gaunt’s writs and struck down three of Kimura’s henchmen. The remaining five saw that Sinister’s soldiers were playing for keeps. Knowing what they were about to do next, Vulcan floated over to Gaunt and said, “They’re teleporters!”

As soon as Vulcan gave the warning, the five mutants were gone leaving Kimura to fend for herself. Kimura gritted her teeth and said, “Who wants some?”

X-Corps Team A

Five men bodyslid into Matrix’s base without so much as a squeak. It had been a clean infiltration and one that Wisdom planned to use more often. Fantomex, Cable, Omega, and Spyke accompanied him. The plan was to capture Mother Matrix and get the hell out of dodge. Peter hoped it could be accomplished without much fuss, but if some noise needed to be made, Peter had brought along the cavalry.

“This place is far too quiet,” Fantomex said as he scanned the box room they had teleported into. Computer screens were blinking randomly and sparks of electricity briefly illuminated the poorly lit room.

“I can’t say the same for the rest of the base,” Omega jumped in. “Sinister’s thugs, the Black Womb blokes, and The Neo are all in the mix here. I’m surprised this Matrix woman hasn’t run for the hills yet.”

Cable kicked open the room’s door and scanned both ends of the preceding hallway. Stepping backwards, he said, “She’s up to something. Either that or she’s insane.”

“We won’t rule out anything,” Wisdom replied.

Grabbing Cable’s shoulder, he said, “Summers. Try to fix up these computers and see if you can find anything useful. We’ll hold the perimeter.”

Dayspring wasn’t even able to being his work, when image of Mother Matrix solidified on one of the flickering computers. Her red locks hung freely, she was without her glasses, and not a drop of sweat was to be seen.

“You shouldn’t have come here. I refuse to allow my work to be interrupted by unscrupulous people like you. What we do here at The Facility is far too important.”

Spyke scoffed at her. “Lady, you can’t be fuckin serious! You make human beings into itemized tax deductions!”

“We deal with mutants. Not humans,” Mother Matrix replied harshly and then added, “Our work is important. I seek to change the world. You and others like you want to impede progress. The Facility will prevail.”

“Tell us where you are. Make this easy on yourself, “Cable ordered firmly like he was talking to a recruit fresh out of boot camp.

Mother Matrix did not respond kindly. “Easy? You’re in my territory mutant! If you want me, then come and find me.”

“Way to go on charming the lady,” Omega joked a he kept trying to feel through the chaos that was going on throughout Matrix’s stronghold. He was trying to find her, but she was more than likely shielding herself. There was still a chance of finding her, but he’d need time. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they didn’t have in this situation.

Cable went back to work on the computer. He was connecting wires, cracking open floor panels, and taking apart hard drives. It was slow work that allowed Omega to get a better grip of the situation they were facing. Black Womb had captured The Neo and one of Matrix’s soldiers was alone against Sinister’s troops. Quentin felt a tinge of sympathy. Finally, the noise of tapping wires stopped.

“I have the base schematics,” Cable reported.

Wisdom walked over to the screen and analyzed the layout with cable. A seventy-foot wall of concrete armed with turrets surrounded the base. Four dome building were positioned in the shape of a diamond and connected to one another by steel tunnels. Then at the corners of the concrete wall were towers that Cable guessed were sources of power.

“The north building is Genetic Operations. The south is Genetic Processing. Genetic Cataloguing is the east building and the Holding Pens are where we’re at,” Cable explained in his usual militaristic manner.

Omega was listening to cable and said,” Then we might have a problem because Sinister’s men are headed our way.”

Ignoring the obvious problem, Wisdom said, “I want to know why. If Matrix is here, we have to get to her first.”

“There are at least two hundred mutants Sinister could potentially be after as well. Sinister is never a one track man,” Cable said as he rapidly scrolled through the names of the held mutants. “Most of these seem to be women of Pakistani, Iranian, and Afghan origin. I doubt Matrix’s claims in not using humans. Only a few men and—there we go. Sinister is after him.”

Wisdom moved to Cable’s side and looked at where Cable was pointing. “Armando Munoz? Why him?”

“He’s the unique one. The one who stands out is always in danger of being in Sinister’s view,” Cable answered.

Pete nodded in agreement with Cable’s assessment. It was a gamble, but an educated one. Sinister always got his spoils and few had more intimate experience with Essex than Cable. Peter was going to trust Cable’s wisdom.

“Where is Munoz being held?” Peter asked.

“A floor below this one in Cell 1580,” Cable responded.

Fantomex stepped out into the hall with guns cocked and said, “The area is clear. Let’s move.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Omega said. “There’s at least four Neo in that group.”

“Neo!” Spyke exclaimed. “Shit!”

“We’re about to be knee deep in it,” Wisdom acknowledged. “But we knew that coming here.”

“That doesn’t exactly make me feel good,” Spyke groaned.

X-Corps Team B

In the back corner of Sinister’s lab a portal ripped open from which Psylocke and her tam crept out from one by one. When they all made it through, Psylocke said, Ok people. We have to approach this extremely carefully. There’s no telling what we might find.”

The lab was covered across its walls and roof with a pulsating purple goop that appeared very much alive. Hard, gray metal tiles made up the floor and prompted Mimic to joke, “Who does this man’s decorating?”

Northstar joined in and said, “Obviously not a gay man.”

Psylocke rolled her eyes playfully and said, “Only men.”

Shatterstar kept at the front of the pack and didn’t join in with the joking. He was too busy analyzing Sinister’s lab. So far all they had encountered was the purple goop and a few empty lab desks. The trained warrior was the first to notice when they were coming upon a desk that was cluttered with disks and notebooks.

“Looks like he needs a maid too,” Mimic said.

Jesse smirked and said, “Bet Northstar would make a good one.”

“Sinister couldn’t afford me.”

Psylocke laughed and said, “Okay chaps it’s time to get serious. Grab some of those CDs and let’s see if we can find a computer.”

“There’s a console a few feet ahead,” Shatterstar said as he grabbed a disk and began a light jog to the computer terminal.

Jesse was holding open a moderate sized backpack while Northstar filled it up in a matter of moments. Psylocke looked at him with surprise and he said, “I’ve been learning to apply my speed in other ways.”

“Works for me,” Psylocke smiled. “Let’s hurry and get the information we need before honey comes home.”

“I’ve found Shaw’s mutants!” Shatterstar yelled.

They all proceeded to surround Shatterstar and Psylocke said, “Calvin, provide us with a TK field if you would.”

Mimic did as asked and looked over Northstar’s shoulder at the file Shatterstar had accessed. It was labeled NEW MARAUDERS and sent a chill through anyone who knew the group’s history. Psylocke knew well the tortures the group had caused her ex-boyfriend. The Marauders were in large part responsible for his becoming a Horsemen of Apocalypse.

The New Marauders

Note: Finding these mutants have proven to be a great pleasure. I never thought I would be able to come across such specimens, but fortune has smiled on me. The power they all possess when grouped together is truly amazing. I have high hopes for my latest collection of Marauders. I intend for them to succeed where others have failed.

-Nathaniel Essex

Subject 36
Real Name: Terence McClurg
Powers: Telepathy, inducing cellular regeneration, and an implosive touch

Braintime
Real Name: Richard Yood
Powers: Technopath, able to convert into digital data, time manipulation

Queen Mab
Real Name: Amy Harmanson
Powers: Teleportation, empath, body growth control, and shapeshifter

Bugout
Real Name: Tony Patrico
Powers: Earth and alien DNA mixed in body for personal use and to create offshoot monstrosities at his mental command

Kandi
Real Name: Glinda Cox
Powers: Poisonous skin, possesses a psionic sword, and eats sugar to transform her body into a crystalline state

Genelock
Real Name: Stephen Salinas
Powers: Mimic appearance and powers of those he touches, and can mix/match acquired DNA for temporary mentally controlled slaves

Bloodhack
Real Name: Fernando Callo
Powers: Enters parasites into bloodstream for mind control and visual DNA analysis

Red X
Real Name: Tasha Davis
Powers: Super speed, strength, senses, flight, and can temporarily convert to energy

Spynal
Real Name: Glenn Samuel
Powers: Composed entirely of bone, can absorb organic matter to increase and replace mass

Weapon Zeta
Real Name: Shubham Pandey
Powers: Liquid metal body, magnetism, super speed, a brain that functions like a computer and organic chemical control

Psylocke took a deep breath to gather her thoughts and said, “No wonder Shaw wants these mutants back.”

“Question is,” Mimic said, “Can we even get them back?”

“Doubtful,” Shatterstar replied. “I have the impression that once Sinister does what he wants to you, it’s hard to break away.”

The X-Corps looked around and behind them saw three menacing mutants. A pecan colored African-American man saw in the center. He held guns in both hands. They were black and red to match the color of his well-tailored suit. A crimson tattoo of the number thirty-six was on his neck. He looked like a Mafia hit man, but his black on red eyes let people know that he was something more.

Behind and to the right of the well-tailored mutant was a liquid metal man with no facial features and a glowing green globe embedded in the center of his chest. Across from him was an exotic Arabian woman with long black hair streaked with pink and pink eyes to match. In her hands was a glowing sword of psychic energy that kept to the color scheme. Her attire was a black shirt that had the appearance of a sports bra and tightly hugging pants of the same color.

“Guess we found Shaw’s mutants,” Bedlam said.

Shaw! We do NOT belong to him! Our leader is Sinister

The woman smiled murderously and said, “You had better learn that.”

Psylocke kept a hard gaze while sending out a telepath message. They’re Subject 36, Weapon Zeta, and Kandi. We need to play this carefully

A hollow, robotic voice joined in on the conversation. “Make this easy for yourselves and surrender.”

Shatterstar was quick to reply to Weapon Zeta. “Never! Your master’s heinous acts will be stopped.”

Subject 36 shook his head and said, “Always the hard way.”

Mimic gripped his head in pain and fell on one knee, causing his protective TK field to drop. Subject 36 fired off three shots that were headed right for Braddock. Seeing what was about to happen, Northstar pushed her out of the way. The three bullets struck him in the shoulder, arm, and chest. Psylocke could barely issue forth a scream at the sight before Weapon Zeta was upon her.

Zeta’s hand turned into a knife and he thrust it at Psylocke. She sidestepped the blow and sunk into the nearest shadow. Spinning around, Weapon Zeta searched for his opponent. A hand grabbed The Marauder’s shoulder and Bedlam used his mutant ability with absolutely no idea if it would have any effect. Zeta’s body began to convulse uncontrollably as he said, “Stop it! Stop it! What have you done?”

Bedlam shrugged. “I scramble machinery. I figured enough of you looked like one.”

As this was occurring, Psylocke had resurfaced near Mimic, who was still combating with Subject 36 telepathically. It was not a battle that Calvin was going to win. Betsy took a deep breath and plunged herself into the telepathic battle.

NEXT ISSUE: It’s all going down! The battle for Mother Matrix comes to an end!