GOOD INTENTIONS

By Rob Ballard

On the Polynesian Island of Vanatra

Vanatra is one of the many island paradises of the South Pacific. The tranquility of palm trees, soft trade winds, and blue ocean here do battle with an increasing number of extravagant hotels and tourist traps. The locals have accepted the changes, albeit reluctantly. It was always a double-edged sword: while the islanders benefit from the tourist income, they watch their simple ways of life gradually be replaced by a faster pace. Even a casual observer could see that many of Vanatra’s residents preferred the way things once were.

The residents weren’t the only people with mixed feelings. The United States government’s mutant team, X-Factor, had a variety of opinions themselves.

“Geez, don’t they believe in wearing clothes around here?” Shard caught herself staring at some delightfully…unusual…scenery, and turned away abruptly.

“Y’know, I never thought I’d find m’self saying this, but I think ‘m actually too hot to care,” Guido replied, fanning himself with his wide brimmed hat.

“I kind of like it,” DeeDee said, taking a deep breath and enjoying the salty sea air. “It’s totally exhilarating. Being here kinda gives you a sense of freedom, a connection with nature.” She glanced over to the beach, where a powerful set of ten-footers was breaking offshore, then looked back at the team with a renewed sense of urgency. “I gotta find a board and hit the water!”

“Nuh-uh, young lady,” Guido told her, his massive arms folded. “This isn’t a vacation, or have you forgotten that?”

DeeDee smirked and shook her head. “I think I liked you better when you were plain ole’ Strong Guy.”

“Right. So did I. First order of business is ta find out what he wants. We’re gonna remind him that the good ole U.S. government is keeping tabs on him.” Strong Guy found himself in the unusual, and admittedly reluctant, position of being in charge for this mission. The combination of that, and the heat, made his head ache worse than it usually does, a constant side effect of his super human strength that he is ordinarily able to hide behind a happy-go-lucky exterior.

He rubbed his temples and continued. “Jamie, how ’bout you an’ Fixx checking up with the locals. Let the officials know we’re here, and all that. See if Arcade’s been involved in any obviously shady dealings since getting here.” They nodded.

“DeeDee, you and Shard are gonna go with me to the location Val gave us. I don’t trust Arcade any further than I can’ throw him,” Guido thought about that and corrected himself. “…any further than you can throw him, DeeDee. No, that ain’t right either. Any further than Trevor could throw him, without using his reality altering powers? Whatever. You know what I mean.”

“We read you, boss man,” Jamie told him, patting him on the back.

Guido shuddered. “Jamie, please don’ call me that. This is only temporary. Cause I swear, I’m gonna shake Lorna and Forge outta Trevor myself when we get back.” Guido distractedly wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, as he tried to decide where to start first.

Mutant-X Universe
Outside Bannerman Castle, 2357 hours

Even though Forge wore the trademark tough-guy smirk, he took no pleasure in bringing his teammates down. The abduction had to look convincing, and he wanted to do it without a prolonged firefight if at all possible. That was why it had been critical for him to fashion a pair of weapons that would render Polaris and Havok unconscious without actually hurting them. Not much of a problem for the Maker, thanks to his mutant skill to cobble together inventions at a moments notice. In fact, the most difficult part had been to get Chance to quit asking inane questions while he kept up his act. He had a passing desire to test one of the neutralizers on the Random doppleganger, but obviously thought better of it.

Chance and Forge loaded the prisoners into the truck. Forge realized this might be his best opportunity to get Lorna and Alex to safety, and quite possibly the last. Forge smiled to himself as he set the neutralizer on it’s highest setting. Between his nagging questions and his almost non-stop bragging, it would be a relief to be able to shut Chance up.

Some battle-weary soldiers say that when things really get intense, time can slow to a crawl. Forge was certainly familiar with that feeling, and so he wasn’t really surprised when the next few moments seemed like an eternity. He remembered raising his weapon, aiming it squarely at Chance’s chest. But before he could squeeze the trigger, Chance’s own weapon, his enormous arm cannon, was pointed right back at him. For the life of him, Forge couldn’t figure out how he’d been too slow, and came to the frustrating conclusion that it really didn’t matter anyway.

“Nice try. I’m afraid, though, that you’re the loser here. Y’see, I’m bettin’ that my arm blast will be a lot more lethal than your little toy gun there. So, I advise you to lower your weapon and start thinking of a good reason why I shouldn’t fry your butt right now!”

Damn, Forge thought. Chance wasn’t too smart, but he picked a helluva time to go pro on him. Nevertheless, Forge didn’t back down. He couldn’t. If he did, he might never find them again.

Chance cracked a slight grin at their stalemate, and shook his head slowly. “Look, this ain’t no time for second thoughts. What’s with you lately? It’s a simple mission, no problem.

Forge said nothing. He just concentrated on holding his weapon steady.

Chance had had enough. His jaw tensed and steadied his aim once again. “Awright. I gave you your chance, you traitor. You can’t even be sure that little thing is going to work on me, can you? I didn’t think so. So I’m giving you five seconds to drop it! You got that?! Five…four…three…”

“What in the hell is going on here?! Which one of you ladies is having a problem?!” A familiar-looking grey-haired man barked. The eyepatch, general’s stars, and the voice of steel identified him as General Nick Fury. Both Forge and Chance found themselves frozen in place as a large ship hovered overhead. Forge realized instantly that it looked very similar to his own universe’s version of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. Things had just gone from bad to worse, and Forge cursed himself for not recognizing the possibility that he wasn’t the ringleader of this operation.

“Honestly,” the general told them mockingly, “can’t I leave you kids alone for one second?!” He shook his head, barked an order at one of the soldiers standing behind him, and suddenly everyone was gone, leaving an empty truck parked in the driveway to Bannerman’s Castle.

If anyone had been left, they would’ve heard a terrified voice cry out from the castle, in the general direction of the wrecked living room. “Dad? Elektra? Elektra!!”

Vanatran Police Headquarters…

The man behind the desk seemed to struggle with his english, but still seemed very cordial. His bright smile seemed a bit strained as he tried to understand. “I don’t…know what you are talking about. We’ve had no problems that I’m aware of.”

“We’ve been sent here on behalf of the United States government. We believe Mister Arcade may present an international security threat.” Jamie began to inadvertently raise his voice, until Fixx politely reminded him via one of her sprites that the sound of one’s voice isn’t always directly proportional to the understanding of the listener.

“In other words, shhh! Yelling at the poor guy isn’t gonna help. Besides – we have a cover to maintain, remember? Let me handle this.” Fixx smiled confidently.

When the man returned to his paperwork, Fixx sent one of her sprites into his mind. Jamie watched with great interest what was going on. A moment later, the sprite returned. Fixx looked at Jamie, smirked, then spoke in perfect Vanat, “I’m sorry, perhaps there was a misunderstanding. Our governments have been in contact with each other regarding one of your newer businesspeople. His name is Arcade. We were hoping you’d have some information on him. He’s recently made threats against our government, and we believe that he presents a serious threat to international security.”

This seemed to grab the man’s attention. Jamie couldn’t be sure if it was the sudden ability to speak flawless Vanat (including the dialect), or if it was the news that did it, but nevertheless, it worked. “Wait right here, please.” Fixx telepathically translated for Jamie.

The man disappeared into the back room. When he came back, there was a dark-skinned Vanatran agent with him, dressed in a black suit that was in stark contrast to the Hawaiian-print shirts most men wore on the island. He motioned for Jamie and Fixx to follow. “Please, come with me.”

Fixx shrugged to Jamie, and they followed. They were led into another pristine, bright room, with a ceiling fan to keep things cool. If the agent was frying inside, he didn’t show it. “Dr. Cooper said you’d be coming. Thank you for your promptness. Unfortunately, it may be too late.”

“What do you mean?”

“We, of course, know of Mister Arcade’s reputation, and so our agents have been keeping a casual watch over him since his arrival several months ago. He’s been bringing in a large amount of technology that does not appear to be related to his business dealings.” The man looked at his watch, then lowered his voice. “Two of our operatives should have checked in ninety minutes ago.”

Jamie and Fixx both raised their eyebrows. “Is it possible that they just took a break, or something? Arcade is supposed to have a nice resort over there, so I hear.” Fixx instantly translated.

Fixx thought she could see the man smirk – but it was probably more the telepathic vibe she’d gotten via the sprites, which looked like they were doing fast laps in an invisible pool between them. Surprisingly, this didn’t seem to bother the agent.

“Your government said you’d be sending a team of operatives, yes?”

“Yes, they’re here,” Fixx said calmly. “I think they were going to start at the casino.”

The agent’s eyes widened.

Meanwhile, at the “End of the Rainbow” Casino and Amusement Centre…

Arcade flashed a wild-eyed grin from the monitor, back to his companion, from behind dark shades. “I do so love havin’ guests, don’t you, Ms. Locke?”

An athletic brunette with short black hair smiled back at him. “Oh, yes,” she cooed, after a pause that was an instant too long.

“Hm,” he put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. Something wasn’t right with his new creation. Ah well, he shrugged. Not as good as the real thing, but he figured he could work on her mannerisms later. In the meantime, there was work to do. “Come with me, Ms. Locke,” he drawled.

Arcade walked through a doorway, exiting the darkened, elaborate control room with its myriad of monitors, lights, buttons, and dials, into a pitch black hallway which he navigated with ease, despite the darkness. A moment later, he and Ms. Locke emerged into another, more brightly-lit room with soft red carpet, flashing lights, buzzers, roulette wheels, slot machines, any number of blackjack tables, all there ready to be played for the amusement of the clientele. Now, though, save for the last of the cleaning crew putting on the finishing touches, the room was deserted.

Arcade buffed one of the slot machine arms with a pristine handkerchief he’d pulled from his pocket. “Oh, yes, this looks splendid. Those government goons are gonna love it here! It’ll be so much fun!” Arcade grabbed a handful of thousand dollar chips and tossed them into the air, their glittery holographic surfaces sparkling as they fell about him. “Yes indeed, lots of fun… for us!” Arcade continued across the room, then paused and turned to his companion. “Be a dear and have someone pick those up, will you?”

Mutant-X Universe
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

When Polaris awoke, she was surprised to find herself remarkably alert, and very securely strapped in to a chair in a fairly small room. In a similar chair next to her was a still unconscious Alex Summers, who had a series of energy coils wrapped around his body. She didn’t even have to guess what those were for. Neither of them appeared to be the worse for wear, but this wasn’t much consolation. It only meant that apparently they must still be valuable to someone, somehow.

“…And why the hell did Forge shoot us?” she grumbled aloud and tugged at the straps holding her firmly in place. She didn’t expect it would help but it made her feel better.

All the commotion gradually got Alex stirring. As he realized their predicament, his instinct was to rebel like a caged animal. As he started to struggle against his binds, his mutant powers kicked in. Polaris watched his body began to glow. She’d seen this enough times to know that he was converting the stored energy of the cosmos to radiant heat and light. Instinctively, she turned her head away from him to protect her from the inevitable blast, but the move was unnecessary. When he tried to rip through the bindings on the chair, a series of energy coils heated up briefly, then quickly cooled down again. “Ouch!” Alex yelped painfully. “Damn it!”

“My powers are still screwed up,” Polaris answered after lightly clearing her dry throat. “I don’t think it would make a difference whether or not I was wearing an inhibitor. You have any idea why someone would want us so bad?”

“I don’t know. Chance has never been stupid enough to mess with me before. I caught a glimpse of the other guy – he seemed really familiar to me.”

“You aren’t the only one.” she nodded back. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d have sworn that was Forge.”

“No way! That can’t be Forge – it doesn’t even really look like…” he stopped himself, remembering the perspective Lorna was seeing things from. “Wait a minute! You mean Forge from the other universe?”

“That’s right, from our reality.”

“Your reality,” he gently corrected her.

Polaris gave him a quizzical look. “It’s your reality, too, Alex,” she told him, matter-of-factly.

Alex took a deep breath before he started. He had a feeling about where this was going. “Lorna, I’ve been here three years. I’ve made a life for myself here. And in case you haven’t noticed, I kinda like it here, too. It was very difficult at first, but things have worked out well, actually.” He shrugged.

Lorna knew enough about two things – mind control, and Alex – to know that this was, in fact, Alex speaking and not some other entity. It didn’t make her feel better. On the contrary, knowing that made it a lot worse. She could feel her face heating up and her eyes burned into him. “So, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Before Alex could answer, the door slammed suddenly. Lorna and Alex turned to face a man who seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face.

“Fury,” Alex growled. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, mutie. Little did I know I’d get two for the price of one.” He walked around the two prisoners slowly. It was disconcerting, since, from their position, they didn’t have a clear look at the entire room. He brushed Polaris’ chin, while clamping a hand down on Alex’s shoulder. “If looks could kill, eh?”

Alex squirmed, fruitlessly trying to loosen himself from Fury’s grasp. “Fury, why don’t you cut the small talk and get to the point?!”

“That’s ‘General Fury’ to you, boy!” Alex just sneered in response. Fury had all the symptoms of a deep-seated megalomania. His ego, Alex had always hoped, might prove to be his downfall.

“And you,” he said, glancing sharply over to Lorna, thinking of how much fun she could be if everything went as planned. “I have important plans for you…for both of you, in fact.”

“I don’t suppose those plans would include eradicating the mutant population, now, would they?” Alex’s sarcastic tone showed no signs of fear. Lorna hoped to hell he knew what he was doing.

“Shut up!” Fury’s nose was inches from Alex’s. “I’m the one with the stars around here, and I give the orders. And if you have any hopes of surviving long enough to tell your loved ones ‘goodbye,’ you’ll do exactly as I say!

“Now,” he continued, “We’re going to find out a few things about your powers. The more we know about you, the more we can use your own powers to insure the triumph of humanity!”

Alex cursed at Fury, who didn’t seem to care. He walked back toward the door and, as near as they could tell, he left the room.

A moment later, Alex turned back to Lorna. “You were saying?” he asked, with more than a hint of impatience in his voice.

Between Alex and this crazed-version of Fury, Lorna was literally trembling with anger. “Damn it, Alex! This isn’t a joke. I came here to get you and all this happens…” She gestured around as best as she could with her arms bound. “…and now on top of it all, I find out you don’t really want to be rescued!”

Alex laughed incredulously. “Rescue? What gave you the idea that I needed rescuing, anyway?”

Lorna felt like she was on the verge of tears, but something inside of her was keeping her together, if just barely. “Alex, what did you expect me to do? We thought you were dead! When I learned there was a chance you might be alive. I…I had to find out. You’re this team’s leader, for God’s sake!”

“So where the rest of my team, then?” Lorna stifled a flinch at his reference to “his” team. It was something that always bothered her, and she never could understand exactly why.

“They…couldn’t make it,” she stumbled. “There was another mission waiting, and we weren’t sure if…”

“Hold it…you mean you were the only one concerned enough to do something?”

Lorna thought back to X-Factor’s reluctance to immediately jump on a rescue mission. He was twisting the situation all around. “It’s not like that at all, Alex…”

“Then where are the others?”

“Alex, listen to me!”

“…Lorna, where’s Scott? Too busy to lend a hand, huh?”

“Alex, stop it! Okay?! I’m sorry the whole world didn’t hold it’s breath while I came to get you, but, like I said, it was a long shot. Maybe some people just couldn’t risk the thought of getting their hopes up again, only to have them crushed. I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I was just worried about getting you back.”

“So now, we just go back and it’s business as usual?” Disbelief clouded Alex’s voice.

“That’s what I was hoping for,” she smiled weakly.

Alex didn’t speak for what seemed like forever. He closed his eyes, and seemed to lose himself in his own thoughts – long enough for Lorna to start to worry. When he finally did talk, it wasn’t much more than a whisper. “No. No. I can’t go back. There’s nothing for me there. I’ve worked too hard here for the last three years to go throwing it all away.” He took a breath, and looked back Lorna. “I have a cause here, and a family, and they’re my number one priority now.”

“What about me?” Lorna asked sadly. “About us?”

“What about us, Lorna?” he repeated. “You said so yourself, remember? It just…didn’t work out. I will always care about you, and…”

“How…how dare you?! How could you? You bastard!” she cried, “What about your family? Scott, Jean, and the others? I can’t believe you’d just forget about them, and your friends, and me on this…this nightmare!” The tears began streaming, despite herself.

“Lorna,” Alex continued more softly, “Lorna, it’s not about you, or us, or them, okay? There are people here who need me now. I can’t just desert them. Elektra and I are probably going to get married. And I can’t leave Scotty behind. I won’t.”

“Then…then bring them…but you have to return to the people that care about you.”

Alex shook his head. “I can’t do that. This is their world, and it’s my world now, too. Not to mention being leader of The Six.”

“What about X-Factor? Doesn’t that matter? Don’t you think we need you?”

“Lorna, you’ve been with X-Factor a long time. You’ve got a lot of expertise, and good people backing you up. I knew that when I left you in charge. I’m sure you’re doing just fine without me mucking things up.”

Lorna suppressed a smile and said nothing, save for the slightest nod. She remembered Alex never having very high confidence in his own ability to be a leader. She also knew how stubborn he could be. She wasn’t sure there was anything she was going to be tell him to get him to return home.

Fury suddenly strolled back into the dismal grey room, accompanied by a pair of lab techs and several grunts rolling in carts of electronic equipment. The general clapped his hands and said, “Let the games begin!” The techs immediately began unstrapping the equipment and wheeling it over to the mutant prisoners.

Back on Vanatra, at the casino…

“Place your bets,” the dealer said. Now that Guido was inside, in air-conditioned comfort, he felt much better. He enjoyed watching all the high-class people spending their money like there’s no tomorrow. Reminded him of his days with Lila and the band, everyone feeling good, no troubles (aside from dealing with the occasional death threats.). He found himself nostalgic for a moment. A tap on his shoulder brought him quickly back from his reverie.

(Guido Carosella previously worked as Lila Cheney’s bodyguard- Robert)

“Hello, my friend. How are you?” Arcade was all there – the silly grin, the suit, the dark, swept back shades. Guido found his new look to be…quite unnerving.

“Arcade, we aren’t friends. Ya’ve caused a lot of problems for us in th’ past. Now we’re here to make sure you don’t cause problems again.”

“M’boy, I ain’t here to cause problems. M’whole life, I’ve created entertainin’ situations that breathe new life into people. For some reason, that was found to be too troublesome. So I’ve decided to take a more conventional route. Everyone can be entertained, here.” Arcade gestured around. His grin disappeared momentarily and his voice lowered so that only Guido could hear him. “So, please, if you insist on monitorin’ me like some watchdog, please don’t disturb the customers.”

“Then would ya mind explainin’ why yer threatenin’ the U.S. with computer terrorism?”

“Oh? That?” Arcade laughed it off as though making threats against the government were on about the same level as an April Fool’s practical joke on your best friend. “That was nothin’. Y’all needed a vacation, anyhow, right? I’m sure ‘Cooper’s Cronies’ weren’t going to get a little time off without a little incentive. “Sit back, relax. Have some fun.” He flipped Strong Guy one of the glittery, high-value coins.

Guido was furious – his face turned a deep shade of red and he had half a mind to pummel the little redheaded shrimp right there. Instead, he crushed the little coin into a pea-sized ball. He had better things to do today than be duped. The hell of it was, he knew he could arrest Arcade for the threats alone, but that wasn’t going to be much of a catch. They needed something more, something that would stick and put him away for good.

DeeDee’s cheerful voice sounded in his earpiece, a stark contrast to his frustration. “Wow, what’s this?”

Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, 1427 hours

The first battery of tests was nothing short of grueling, more mentally than physically. It quickly became apparent that Fury’s techies wanted to try to find ways of stimulating their powers using whatever electrochemical means he could dredge up. They’d been injected, prodded, and shocked until they couldn’t take any more. Add to that almost no sleep since…Polaris couldn’t remember the last time she slept in her own bed.

The whole process was meant to be humiliating and drain them of their own self-esteem, seeing as how, when push came to shove, they were basically just prisoners of a Nick Fury war. Luckily for Havok and Polaris, they were no ordinary prisoners, and the whole process was serving more to make them angry than anything else.

One thing they’d both noticed was that, at least so far, the technicians were taking steps to make sure they were not permanently harmed. Several times they’d overheard comments about “being careful not to overdose,” “maximum tolerance,” and so forth. All this really meant was that Fury still wanted them alive, but they had no clue how why or how long that would last. It certainly wasn’t something they could count on forever. “Now’s the time for a miracle,” Polaris thought to herself through a drug-induced haze.

Mutant-X Universe
Bannerman Castle

Elektra could not get Scotty to calm down. Despite her every attempt, he was bordering on hysterical. He wanted his dad back, and was doing a reasonably good job of making sure the whole world knew. Elektra regretted that she had to call the police, but there was really no other choice. As the boy’s nanny, charged with the boys’ safety, she was not in the position to go chasing after Alex’s kidnappers. Nor would she have wanted to. In the past three years, she’d undergone a personal transformation from being the boy’s bodyguard to thinking of the boy as the son she’d never had.

“Hey, don’t worry, okay? You know your dad is capable of taking care of himself. He’ll be back soon enough. Shhhhh. Calm down.”

“I don’t want to calm down! I want my dad!” He pounded the table. The last thing Elektra needed was a temper tantrum.

“All right, young man, that’s enough. It’s time for you to go back to bed. There’s nothing we can do right now.” Elektra led the blond haired boy back to his bedroom, where he pouted and reluctantly climbed into his bed. Elektra turned out the light.

A few moments later, Scotty was mumbling in his sleep. “I want my dad. I want my dad back. I want dad…!”

Forge hadn’t been able to get a moment to himself since they’d been brought aboard the Helicarrier. He knew if he could distract them for a few minutes, he’d be able to come up with something to get him out of that room and off to find his teammates. He glanced up into the hallway, once again, and sure enough, two Children of Humanity guards were standing on either side of the door. Fury was obviously paranoid. Why the hell should he have to worry about posting cadet guards inside his own ship – they were just kids, no less! What was he hiding?

At that moment, Fury stepped through the door. “Think you’ve finally got ahold of yerself?” Fury asked Forge impatiently. Forge nodded.

“If we have any hope of stopping these super-freaks, we’ve got to stick together. I’ve got to be able to trust my operatives. I can’t be wasting my resources babysitting you and Chance.” Forge was trying to get a handle on Fury’s tone. It seemed measured, careful, even. The unsettling thing was that Forge didn’t know if that was good or bad.

Fury grinned, and his eyes seemed to sparkle evil. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant sight, and his next words weren’t exactly what Forge wanted to hear, either. “Anyhow, the mission was a success. The tests are going well. We’re continuing the biological interrogation of Lorna Dane and Alex Summers. Let me show you.”

A high-definition image appeared on the flat screen on the far wall. It clearly showed Polaris and Havok slumped over in their chairs, unconscious. There were tubes and monitoring devices connected to various parts of their bodies, apparently collecting whatever information it was that Fury wanted. Forge suspected he was investigating their DNA and mutant powers, presumably, to replicate them for himself.

“I don’t know how much longer they’ll last. I’m not too concerned, actually. We’ve got most of the information we need. The rest can be done posthumously, if need be. You’ve served your country well. After your next mission, I’m going to give you a few weeks off. You deserve some time to yourself.”

“What is my next mission?” Forge asked, trying to keep any hint of urgency from his voice. He was getting very tired of having to play a part – it was time to take action, already! He had to get to them, and fast.

“That’s on a need-ta-know basis, soldier. I’ll send the briefing to you when I’m ready. In the meantime, you need to get some rest; have some food.” Fury nodded slightly. Forge saluted, Fury returned the salute and left.

Forge took a deep breath and fell into a chair. “I’ve just been ordered to relax,” he mumbled to himself, incredulous. “My friends are dying, and I’m supposed to relax?”

NEXT: Arcade’s a little too eager to please, and Fury goes hunting. The X-Factor members find themselves really wishing the team was together again!