IRRATIONAL CHOICES

Part I: It All Starts Here

By Brent Lambert

Where am I?

Why can’t I move?

Nurses? Oh lord what happened!

Elena was strapped to a hospital bed for injuries she could not ascertain for herself and the idea of what could have happened terrified her. Before she had the chance to panic uncontrollably a familiar and friendly face hovered over her.

“I knew you’d be able to pull through. You’ve always been strong,” Valerie said.

Tears began to trickle out of the eye that wasn’t cybernetic. It was then that Elena knew something was wrong. Her vision was different, but she had just wiped it off as grogginess. Now she could feel it throughout her whole body. Something was wrong.

“What the hell happened Valerie? All I remember is going in after Pierce and then I’m here.”

Valerie hesitated before answering. That hesitation was all Elena needed to know that something was wrong with her. She just wanted to break out of these prison straps and look at herself in the mirror. Something wasn’t right. She could feel it. What the hell wasn’t Valerie saying?

“I won’t beat around the push with you honey. Pierce did a number on you. He replaced your left eye, arm, and right hand with cybernetics. The doctors have also found out that your heart has been replaced with some kind of nanotech engine that’s replacing your bloodstream with nanites,” Valerie explained.

Elena’s first reaction was one of concern, but for another person. “Vargas hasn’t gone and done anything stupid has he? Oh lord I know he can be so angry sometimes!”

Ronnie Coleman. Father of three. Ripped asunder by Gryphon.

Laura VanNoy. Recent high school graduate. Currently lying in a pool of her own blood from unseen bullets.

Jesse Hightower. Had hopes to be a lawyer. Now he just hoped Post’s foot wouldn’t find its way to his head.

Such carnage was what Lorna and her team had landed into. If there was ever a moment when Polaris felt she had walked into hell, this was it. Screams of terror and agony clogged the air. Her eyes and those of her teammates were brutally assaulted by the violence that was being wrought by their brethren.

The ground beneath Lorna’s feet was so saturated with blood that it splattered across her boots every time she took a step forward. Streams of fresh blood wound through the grass and dirt of the theme park. The humans were the lemons and their attackers eager to squeeze hands. Rage rippled through every member of X-Factor at the horrific atrocity that was occurring before his or her very eyes.

Polaris snarled like a rabid dog and said, “We’re stopping this. Now!”

Red Lotus balled up his fists. “Just give the word.”

Lorna rose to the air. She was one of The Furies about to deliver righteous vengeance. “Take them down!”

The proclamation had been so full of unforgiving hate that all of Regalo del Ferro stopped their vicious activity and looked to the source of it. New Son floated slowly into the air, with his hands behind his back and a devilish grin on his face.

“So the shepherds have come to protect their sheep,” New Son said. It was just as he had hoped. Polaris came into this situation enraged from the death of a friend. That anger was compounded by the necessary acts committed at his command. Her anger was now so plentiful that she would easily be drawn into whatever direction he decided to pull her.

The terrorist leader wasn’t hard for Polaris to identify. Luck was on her side. She wanted to stare this monster in the eyes…after they were ripped from the sockets. No one else mattered right now. Not the civilians. Not her teammates. Nothing. That glowing, smug fucker was her past, present, and future.

For a brief moment the two mutants floated in front of each other. A modern day gunfight without the OK Corral. The few seconds of still tension outmatched anything the Cold War could have produced. Finally, New Son let a grin slip. “You just going to stand there all day?”

With a single thought she was wrapped in her traditional green magnetic field and flew forward at a speed the Air Force would have trouble clocking. New Son didn’t expect such fast movement from the woman. The prospect of having an actual worthwhile challenge invigorated him. The fire he had ignited in Lorna excited him. Almost to the level of a sexual thrill.

New Son desired that fire to burn brighter. “You remind me of Magneto in his early days. So angry and full of power.”

The Italian knew exactly what to say to Lorna and what response he would get for saying it. Durklan Inc. knew Lorna better than a Parisian knew fashion. New Son salivated at the thought of his next verbal salvo to Polaris. She was already fuming at his Magneto comparison and that was just a humble beginning.

Lorna threw a punch. He dodged it. She tried again. New Son repeated his previous course of action. It was a back and forth battle that only served to make a very pissed off woman even madder.

“Can’t take a punch you ass!” Lorna said as she finally tackled New Son and wrapped her arms around him. “Get ready for a battle lesson asshole!”

Wrapping both of them in a force field she began to fly straight towards the chaotic ground below. “They call this maneuver a dive-bomb and if I’m lucky you’ll feel every bone in your body break! Try and dodge that!”

Uproarious laughter followed Lorna’s wish for the utmost pain upon New Son. “Bones? I haven’t felt those in years.”

Within a matter of moments, the body was had her arms wrapped around dissipated into a million countless particles of energy. Lorna didn’t expect the abrupt move and she momentarily flew out of control. By the time she steadied herself New Son had reassembled in front of her.

“I had expected more from the leader of X-Factor. Maybe you need to call up your little boyfriend!”

Normally, Lorna would have wondered how New Son obtained so much information, but she was blinded by anger. Anger that her opponent amazingly kept building upon. She was the fly and New Son the entrancing web. With every insult the fly grew ever closer to the trap.

“So you’re energy,” Lorna said as she began to tap into her powers. “Big fucking deal.”

Before he could respond his body was wracked with pain. Lorna was erupting tiny EMPs throughout his body and each one was crippling. He wanted to scream, but his mind was being torn asunder as well. Thoughts vanished. Instincts scrambled. Limbs convulsed.

As her attack continued Lorna concentrated on what would be her second wave. She deconstructed a nearby Ferris wheel within minutes and wrapped the disoriented New Son in a sphere of metal. Knowing what she was about to do next, Lorna smiled for the first time in this fight. “I hope you enjoy every minute of this!”

Electromagnetic energy poured into the sphere and disrupted the very foundation of New Son’s being. The pain he had felt from the EMPS was a minor pinprick compared to what he was feeling now. His anger with Lorna had now become a hate as strong as she had for him. No one assaulted him in the way she was.

Then a voice whispered to him. “Keep your cool. We need her alive. Alive and unharmed.”

Red Lotus needed this. He needed to release all his pent-up anger. All he had to do was wait for Lorna to give the word. Just give the word and let the monster loose. Lotus wanted to become the Triad he once was. He wanted to kill without remorse and these bastards were more than deserving of that kind of treatment.

All he needed was the word and as Lorna rose into the air with the stare of a vengeful Valkyrie he knew it was coming. His muscles tensed up and he charged forward as Lorna said, “Take them down!”

“Goddamn you couldn’t have said it any better!” Red Lotus said as he flipped into the air and kicked the feral Gryphon in the face. The bio-cybernetic monstrosity flew into a nearby booth full of stuffed animals. Lotus didn’t stop the attack. Running forward to the collapsed booth he grabbed the former Prime Sentinel by the ankle. With his now enhanced strength he flung Gryphon over his shoulder and slammed her face into the grass.

The attack hit with such force that Gryphon was too stunned to rise to her feet. Red Lotus took full advantage of that weakness. He cruelly proceeded to stomp on the Russian’s head repeatedly. He could feel bones cracking under his foot. The sound was heavenly music.

He became lost in his attack and never saw Post’s energy pod coming for him. There wasn’t any time to react as the pod struck Lotus in the chest and sent him rolling across the ground. If Sugar Man had not mutated him, the blast would have undoubtedly killed him. Fortunately, what once seemed like a curse was a blessing. The rabid bite of a genetic concoction had saved Lotus’ life.

“You punks must be out of your fucking mind to think you have any chance here!” Post said as he lifted Red Lotus’ battered body from the ground with one large hand.

Gryphon was finally able to rise up from the ground and she carefully began to move her hands across her face. She was resetting bones to keep them from healing the wrong way. The Damocles Foundation made her a lethal weapon and Lotus’ attack was barely a scratch to her.

“That bastard is out of his mind!” Gryphon said as she stared at her attacker with hate. “He was fighting like us!”

Post smiled. “Doesn’t matter. I’m about to snap his pretty little neck! Then he won’t be doing much fighting now will he?”

Tremain was confident in his statement. Red Lotus was unconscious and even if he were, he wouldn’t be able to escape. The show was over for the little government stooge. As soon as Post began to apply pressure, Red Lotus’ body shrunk and turned into a black crow. The sudden change caught Post off guard and Lotus took off in flight.

Lotus landed on the ground quickly and returned to his proper form. He was as stunned as Post and Gryphon were. Up until a minute ago he had very limited control over his shape changing abilities. What he just did should have been impossible. Survival instinct was a bitch.

Smiling, Red Lotus ran forward and rammed two fists into Post’s unsuspecting chest and instantly transformed those hands into piercing large knives that went straight through Tremain. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m just full of surprises!”

Gryphon leaped into the air towards Lotus and screamed, “Bastard!”

Her body collided with Lotus’ and the two tumbled to the ground. Both were struggling to be the body on top. Lotus crashed his knee into Gryphon’s stomach and flipped her over him. In hand to hand combat the advantage was in Red Lotus’ court. Every fighting technique humanity had ever conjured was his to use.

Rising to his feet the ex-Triad looked to see the status of Post. The behemoth was reeling from pain, but he wasn’t dead. Not by a long shot. Lotus knew he would have to deal with him again. For now…

Gryphon threw a punch and nearly found her target, but Lotus dodged it by inches. He grabbed her wrist and flung her face first into the dirt. Swiftly, he hovered his hand above Gryphon and turned his fingers into ten blades that sliced through her bio-metallic body. She let out a cry of pain as her body began to twitch under the assault.

To make his point all the more excruciating he began to slowly expand his weapons. Flesh was ripped little by little and metal gave way under his power. Gryphon refused to scream anymore. She just dug her hands deeper and deeper into the dirt.

Red Lotus looked down at her with hateful vengeance and said, “You deserve worse. A lot worse. I’m going to give it to you.”

Every victim of Regalo del Ferro ran through his mind as he quickly expanded his knives until Gryphon was split into ten bloody jerking messes of flesh and metal. The sight let Lotus know one thing. Justice had been served.

“You have bite boy. I’ll give you that. But you face a former emissary of Onslaught. You have no chance against someone like myself,” Post said.

The brute’s wounds were still wide open and bleeding profusely, yet he walked as proud as ever. Post had not had much before he became a weapon for Onslaught. He was not a man of great status and he didn’t have many material goods to speak of. Onslaught endowed him not only with power, but a self-respect he had never had before. His confidence was his true power and Post would not leave this battlefield until X-Factor were bloody smears beneath his feet.

In another world and time Trial and Forge would have been kindred spirits. Both of them had a knack for technology that few could hope to attain. That common talent was making for an equally matched battle. The former Pale Rider had hoped to fight anyone but Forge. The Fates didn’t seem inclined to grant him his request.

Both mutants were positioned about 10 feet from each other and neither was making a move. Finally, Forge said, “You seem like a smart man Trial. Why are you here? You have to know this is wrong.”

“You’re a smart man yourself. My history is known to you, I’m sure. These people are weak and I cleanse them so more worthy beings might rise.”

“I don’t believe that for one second. Danielle is a colleague of mine. She said there was hope for you.”

Trial laughed. “You may know Moonstar, but I highly doubt she ever talked to you about me. For all your genius, you’re a bad liar.”

“Guess there’s no fooling you. So we might as well get this over with,” Forge said.

“Might as well,” Trial said in agreement as cybernetic parts across his body began to glow in bright reds and blues. Apocalypse had put a good deal of effort into the mutant’s enhancement. The only part of his body that wasn’t cybernetic or connected to some external machinery was the right half of his face.

Forge looked at Trial and saw himself if he had followed a darker path. Technology had literally consumed Trial and it might have done the same to Forge if not for his shamanistic roots. Why was facing down Trial causing him such inner turmoil?

Because you see yourself in him, Forge thought darkly. If he felt sympathy for Trial could he really face him effectively? His team needed him to win this fight and to win it quickly. The stakes were too high for him to do otherwise.

Shard ran up beside Forge and said, “What are you doing? Stop playing around and lets take this clown down already!”

Forge was glad for Shard’s arrival. Her hard-boiled demeanor was just what he needed to keep him grounded in this coming confrontation. He just didn’t have the edge she had at the moment. Honestly, his mind wasn’t at all where it needed to be. He saw the rage filled actions of Polaris and Red Lotus and dreaded the direction his team seemed to be headed in. Not to mention his thoughts were with the injured Elena and Vargas.

Shard patted Forge on the shoulder and said, “Get it together. We have to stay focused here.”

Trial lifted himself into the air by booster rockets underneath his silver boots. He positioned himself above the two government agents and dropped down dozens of tiny blue spheres. Forge pulled Shard close to him and erected a protective energy shield around the two of them. The blue spheres landed on the shield and in close proximity to it. The balls exploded and splattered sparkling purple goo across Forge’s shield and the ground around him.

“What the bamf is it?” Shard asked.

Forge put his headset on and positioned a red square in front of his eye. After a few moments he said, “Tiny nanites with a simple program. Deconstruct DNA.”

“How long will they be effective?”

“About an hour. Unfortunately, they’re stationary and don’t move on to find more things to deconstruct.”

“So we’re stuck in this cocoon for an hour?”

Forge shook his head. “Unlikely. Trial probably is calibrating some weapon to obliterate my shield.”

Suddenly, the purple goo retreated from his shield and the two mutants watched as all the nanites converged on one target. It didn’t take long to tell that target was a man and Forge’s breath escaped him as he feared one of his allies had been trapped in that deconstructing slime. Shard grabbed his shoulder and said, “Look up.”

In the air was Will O’ The Wisp with a grin on his face. His body was glowing with a white aura as he descended to the ground and approached the two. He quickly saw the distress on their faces and said, “Oh don’t worry I just threw that Trial guy in his own shit. Didn’t know what it would exactly, but I couldn’t let him bombard you guys.”

Forge nodded. “Much appreciated Jackson.”

“Yea, thanks,” Shard said.

“No problem. The Shroud made sure I understood to protect you at all costs. He likes you Forge,” Will O’ The Wisp said with almost a hint of jealousy in his voice as he took to the air again.

Shard didn’t give Forge much time to contemplate the demise of Trial. “Come on. We need to keep moving. Mongoose is handling Tusk alright, but I think Lotus might need some help with Post.”

“What about Ruby Claw?”

“She’s fighting Tsung. Not sure if we can really help there, but if you want to help her we need to split then. I’ll take Post and you help Claw.”

Forge nodded in agreement and the two broke away from each other in separate directions.

Post ran forward with full force and Red Lotus leaped into the air slamming his foot into Tremain’s face. As he did this he shot out spikes from underneath his foot and they tore into Post’s face. Tremain let out a roar that was a cocktail of pain and anger. Red Lotus flipped forward and landed behind Post. Kevin’s momentum carried him forward into the ground and sent him rolling into a nearby electrical post. The wooden pole fell atop him and as did loose wires. Electricity ripped through Post’s body and he cried out once more.

This bastard can take some punishment, Red Lotus thought as saw Post pulling himself up from the ground.

Post wasn’t able to speak due to the numerous holes that had been made in his face, but he didn’t need to. Red Lotus knew what he was up against. The fool had been dishing out the worst he could muster and Tremain had still survived it. Onslaught didn’t make weak emissaries. If his master were still alive he would be very proud with Post’s performance today.

Starting off with a slow walk Post made his way towards Red Lotus, who was in a wrestling stance. He obviously had some maneuver in mind, but it didn’t concern Post. He was going to pile drive the punk’s head into the ground over and over again until he was holding a few fragments of skull. With that anger fueling him that walk turned into a run. Red Lotus wasn’t paying attention though. He was looking to the sky. Why? Then Post actually stopped to hear his surroundings and heard a loud crackling above his head.

Red Lotus began to smile and wave at him. Post already knew what was about to happen. He let out a roar of absolute frustration as a giant ball of burning steel slammed into him. The deliver of that saving sphere had been Polaris. She landed beside Red Lotus and said, “You shouldn’t have been playing around. Post is too serious of a threat.”

“HA! You’ve got to be kidding me right? I put holes in the dude’s freakin face. How much more ‘serious’ can I get?”

Polaris shook her head. “They’re playing for keeps. We have to do the same.”

Suddenly, a blue geyser of energy ripped through the ball and New Son was in the center of it. His face was contorted into an expression of snarling anger. He pointed at Polaris and said, “You stupid wench! I’m beginning to understand why all the men in your life leave you!”

Red Lotus grabbed Lorna’s shoulder. “Don’t let him get to you Lorna. He’s trying to piss you off.”

Polaris jerked herself away from Red Lotus. Her eyes were focused intently on New Son. “He pissed me off a long time ago Lotus.”

Before her teammate could say anything else she was in the air and locked once more in combat with New Son.

Mongoose punched Tusk in the kidney and sent the former Pale Rider rolling across the now red grass. Cracking his knuckles and neck the overly muscular black man moved forward with amazing speed and kicked Tusk in the ribs. The mutant was sent airborne from the force of the attack. Once again, Mongoose moved with blinding speed and cracked his elbow across the still floating Tusk’s nose. The crusty mutant let out a cry of pain and hit the ground with a smack.

As he was lying on the ground his back cracked open and a dozen tiny Tusks thrust themselves out of it. They formed a line and began to run towards Mongoose. Each duplicate matched Tusk exactly. The orange-brown substance that was reminiscent of coral covering their upper and mid backs. They had the same Hunchback of Notre Dame walk and the slicked back, glistening black hair.

Admittedly, Mongoose wasn’t familiar with Tusk, but thus far the mutant hadn’t proven himself to be a serious problem. He had gone toe to toe with Thor, a god, so it was hard to imagine that Tusk could be more difficult than that. Unfortunately, he couldn’t cut loose the way he wanted to. The Shroud had told him to show restraint and hat his primary objective was the protection of X-Factor. They were the US Government’s darling team and the bureaucrats would hate for good money to go to waste. For some reason The Shroud also made sure that if nothing else, Forge survived this fight.

Charging forward Mongoose wrapped each of his hands around one of the tiny Tusk heads and slammed them into each other with all the force he could muster. As he was doing this two of the other miniature mutants grabbed hold of Mongoose’s legs and brought him to the ground.

“Li’l bastards stronger than I thought!” Mongoose said as he kicked the two tiny Tusks off of him.

Tusk rose to his feet and said, “They are all as strong as myself. You’re outmatched here.”

“I’m stronger than you. A gang of you bastards isn’t going to make much difference,” Mongoose said as charged forward with super speed and slammed into the main Tusk. He began to batter the mutant with blows all over his body. Each blow was hitting with the force of a runaway truck and Tusk’s body quickly began to feel the punishment.

Eventually, Mongoose stopped his assault and Tusk immediately fell to the ground unconscious. Looking around the brute saw that the tiny versions of the mutant were out cold as well.

“I wasn’t always the smartest man in the crowd, but I know how to throw a good punch.”

“No Elena. Vargas hasn’t done anything stupid. Remember how he went on a solo mission?” Valerie said gently.

Elena’s expression turned grim. “Why Val? What happened?”

“Calm down Elena. He’s going to be alright.”

“Are you sure? What happened? Stop mincing words with me Val.”

“He got beat up pretty bad. Those fugitives really hurt him, but we have our best doctors on it. He’s going to recover.”

Valerie had expected some kind of reply from Elena, but her friend’s face had just went completely blank. Something was wrong. She began to shake Elena and said, “What’s wrong Elena? What’s wrong? Nurse!”

Ms. Witch’s body jerked up and her mouth opened wide as black light came forth from it along with her eyes. Her hair turned ghostly white and her skin was freezing to the touch. With a voice that was not her own she said, “NO! NO! Brother!”

Valerie kept shaking Elena, but she was suddenly thrust backward into the door of the hospital room. The blow knocked her unconscious and when she awoke her friend and Vargas were both gone.

10 Minutes Ago

Maya Lopez had been called Echo ever since she started her career as an assassin. The reason had been because Maya never left her victims bloody. They were left in an expression of horror that served as an “echo” of her work. She never really intended to leave them in such expressions, but it was the nature of her being. Her abilities made her so silent a warrior that none realized she was upon them until her knife was through their throat.

Her latest assignment had been an easy one. She had been hired by Durklan Inc. to get rid of a so-called coven of witches. She laughed at that thought. If they were truly possessed of any magic then they had been severely lacking in the use of it. Maya was earning herself a cool ten million from this assignment. If the money weren’t so good she would have sworn that something was up with the assignment. It was too easy and gave her far too much money. But keeping up houses in four different continents was no easy task.

Echo was at the edge of the pine forest nearly two miles away from the home of the coven. They had really been savages in their living. Animal slaughter, blood rituals, animal skin clothing. It was all a nasty affair to the well-kempt Echo. As much as she loved killing, she despised the idea of blood getting on her. Her clothes and weapons were thoroughly cleaned for four days after any assignment. Even waiting here at the edge of the forest for her handler was annoying. Too many bugs were buzzing about and offered the potential of leaving unsightly bumps.

Suddenly, Echo felt the vibrations beneath her feet. Her handler was coming. She was probably the only deaf assassin in the world, but that made her have to adjust. Maya was able to hear and feel through vibrations. Her father had seen her special talents and taught her how to make the most use of them. Once her mutant abilities emerged she was all the deadlier.

Turning around she smiled at the heavily armored man in front of her. She found it awkward that he was her handler considering his staunch reputation for hunting down mutant criminals. Echo was sure she fell into that category in the man’s mind. Admittedly, she wouldn’t mind the chance to spar with him one day. That staff of his looked like it could leave some bruises.

Maya signed that she had completed the mission and X-Cutioner held out an envelope. The assassin grabbed the note quickly and ripped it open. There was a single piece of paper in it with the account number that Durklan was placing her money. Business was very good for her today.

X-Cutioner signed to her –So are you pleased?-

-Pleased as can be. Why do you ask?-

-Because you may have someone coming after you.-

-Bring them on. I can take them.-

-I would strongly suggest investing in some mystical protection. Durklan has promised to watch over you, but they’re not the most trustworthy people.-

-Then why the hell are you working for them?-

X-Cutioner shook his head and walked away from the assassin. She was beginning to ask questions that she really didn’t want to know the answers to.