A LITTLE FIVE ON FIVE

By David Stewart

X-Factor headquarters, on the banks of the Hudson River.

Back after their successful capturing of Sabretooth, X-Factor are currently in discussion over what should be done with him.

“Well he can’t stay here, that’s for sure,” said Forge, “not after what happened last time. Even though I have improved the restraining collar since then, it isn’t a risk worth taking.”

“I think you’re right here,” agreed Polaris. “so that only leaves us with two options I can think of, either we let him go…”

“Great idea, let’s free a psychopathic killer.”

Polaris ignored Jamie’s sarcasm, “Or we hand him over to the authorities, the government.”

“So we’re just going to hand Sabretooth over to the government?” Fixx joined the discussion. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but won’t they just use him again like they have before, as their own personal assassin?”

“I think that’s the whole problem Fixx,” said Shard. “Basically our only option is to hand Sabretooth over to the government, but in doing this we’re providing the government with a living weapon to use for their purposes.”

“And whatever their purposes,” commented Jamie Madrox, “you can bet your life they’ll be the opposite of ours.”

“It’s not the best of situations I’ll agree,” stated Polaris, “that’s why I had a think earlier and I’ve come up with a plan. We all know Sabretooth is a big threat, and now he’s got his adamantium he’s an even bigger threat. And we’re talking about handing this big threat over to the government as our only option. Well, what if he wasn’t so big a threat? What if he was normal? What if…?”

“Spit it out Lorna,” Jamie moaned.

“For those of you with a bit of patience,” Polaris continued, “what I’m saying is, what if Sabretooth didn’t have his adamantium?”

There was a look of shock on all the team’s faces before Jamie, never short of words, spoke up.

“You mean like a Magneto/Wolverine type thing?”

Polaris laughed, having practised this speech earlier so that they’d react this way at her words. “No I don’t mean like that at all, I just wanted to see your reaction. Don’t even know if I could do it but…”

Quickly interrupting Jamie asked, “So what do you mean, then?”

“Well, I’ve been practicing a bit with my powers, and while I was the idea came to me. I thought that I could reduce the density of his adamantium, therefore making it less of an advantage for him as it wouldn’t be as strong.”

“Now that’s clever!” Jamie said praisingly before a host of duplicates appeared to give their say.

“I’d never thought of that myself!”

“I know, brilliant isn’t she!”

“Yes, quite brilliant!”

“Amazing!”

“Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious!”

“Okay, you can stop now Jamie, thanks for the compliment.” Polaris smiled before getting back down to business. “So, what I’ll have to do is manipulate the forces of attraction between the base molecules of the adamantium. This will cause intermolecular forces between the atoms to break, causing the adamantium to become less like a metal and more like a liquid. Obviously, it won’t actually become a liquid, but it will be as much like one as possible, and therefore be a lot less strong and dense. Is this okay with everyone?”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Polaris.

“That’s good then. Shard, could you possibly go and ring Val? Tell her that we’re turning Sabretooth over to the Government, but to give us a few hours. I’ll need time to do what I’ve just explained to you. Oh, and tell her to get us some good publicity too.”

“I’ll go and do it right now,” Shard replied.

“Thanks Shard. Right, so here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll put Sabretooth to sleep by slowing the flow of iron to his brain, so that he doesn’t know what’s going on. Then have you got something that can keep him unconscious Forge? I can’t slow the flow of iron to his brain for too long otherwise I could damage him.”

“I think I can find something Polaris,” Forge replied. “It’s quantities that could be a problem though as I think his healing factor will make the effects of anaesthetics short lived.”

“I should be able to help in keeping him unconscious,” Fixx said.

“Yeah that’s true,” Polaris agreed, “but your main job is to find the place in that sewer of a mind of his which knows where Trevor Chase is being kept. Everyone happy?” Polaris directed the question to the whole team.

“Just one thing,” answered Jamie. “Going back to slowing the flow of iron to Sabretooth’s brain. What sort of damage are we talking about here?” Jamie asked Polaris mischievously.

“Oh you know, brain damage, death eventually,” she replied.

“If I remember rightly, from the last time I looked, you’re pretty low on anaesthetics Forge,” Jamie said to Forge, winking at him. “And Fixx, you’d better be sure about Trevor Chase’s location. Probably best to check a few times, just to be certain.”

This caused chuckles from the rest of the team. After it had died down Polaris, with a sly grin on her face said, “Tempting isn’t it?”

About five hours later, after a newly-altered Sabretooth had been taken away by federal agents, the team were turning their thoughts to rescuing Trevor Chase.

“So Fixx, where’s he being kept?” asked Polaris.

“He’s being kept in a Hound base, basically in the middle of nowhere.”

“Could you be anymore exact?” Polaris asked.

“It’s a military base in the middle of the desert, it operates as the Hounds command point,” Fixx replied.

“It would have to be in the desert wouldn’t it? Oh well, we promised Mystique we’d help her rescue the boy. Forge could you ring Mystique and tell her to meet us at the gas station just out of town? We leave in one hour, team.”

The middle of nowhere…

It’s dark, one of the greatest fears for many normal children. But this child isn’t normal, though, so that’s okay. This boy is Trevor Tyler Chase, the young mutant with the power to alter reality.

While he has been kept prisoner in this Hound base, he has used this mutant power to observe what he wants through his television screen. This is how he knows that Mystique, the one person in the world left that cares for him, and X-Factor are on their way right now to rescue him. This is also how he is able to observe the conversation happening at this moment between two of his captors.

One is the high-ranking government official in charge of the Hounds program that ordered him captured in the first place, Bowser. The other is a mutant recruited by the Hounds. His name is Stone, given to him due to his mutant ability to transmute his flesh so it is akin to stone.

“Stone, I’m leaving the base, I’ve got things to do,” the man called Bowser started saying. “Just make sure that when I return the boy is still here. He has knowledge that could harm us, but that knowledge is something you don’t need to know about. Just remember, if he’s not here when I return you’ll need more than a rockhard skin to save your hide!”

“Yes, sir. Goodbye, sir.” Stone said the words, not really meaning them.

As Bowser walked away Stone thought to himself, “How did I get myself into this? I thought originally that the Hounds program would help mutants like me but I was wrong, it only gives two options. Join the hounds, or be hunted by them.”

Just a few hundred metres away from the hounds’ base, X-Factor and Mystique discuss how they are going to rescue Trevor Chase.

“Come on,” Mystique said impatiently, “Let me get in there and get Trevor.”

Polaris ignored Mystique’s impatience and turned to Fixx. “Can you find out how many people are in there Fixx?” she asked.

There was a pause for a while as little fairies, manifestations of Fixx’s psionic powers, made their way towards the building.

“There’s ten normal guards and five hounds, mutants. I can’t probe any deeper or if one of the mutants is a psi they’ll know I’m here.”

“Is Bowser there?” Polaris asked Fixx.

“No, he’s definitely not there,” Fixx replied.

“Okay then Mystique, you’ve always had a high opinion of yourself, let’s see if you can live up to that opinion and get in there and come out with Trevor.”

“Remember though that we’ll back you up if you get in any trouble,” said Forge, possibly showing a hint of concern for Mystique.

“Thank you, Forge,” replied Mystique, giving Polaris a cold stare. Then, using the shape-shifting abilities she was born with, she morphed before X-Factor’s eyes into Bowser.

“Smooth, very smooth,” commented Jamie Madrox.

Hearing this Mystique turned round towards X-Factor, instead of responding to his remark she gave Forge a fleeting glance, then turned back round and started walking towards the Hound base.

Mystique reached the base and was greeted by a guard. “Mr. Bowser, sir! I thought you’d left, sir?”

“I had, but I’ve forgotten something.”

“Well, if you just show me your security clearance you can be in and out of here in a jiffy with whatever you left behind.”

Mystique feigned patting the fake pockets on the fake shirt and fake pants that were part of the disguise, “I seem to have misplaced it.” Mystique never had a problem with lying.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you have to have your pass.”

“Come on, I’m the boss around here and I’m in a hurry! Just let me in, you know who I am…”

“I’m sorry Mr. Bowser, but I cannot let you in without your pass, it’s Hound policy.”

Mystique, disguised as Bowser, started to get angry. “Now soldier, what’s your name and rank?!” she demanded.

“It’s Groves, sir. Private Ian Groves,” the guard replied.

“Now then, Private Groves, this Hound policy you mentioned, does it not say that I am in charge?”

“Yes, sir. That it does, sir.”

“So, if I am in charge, that means I’m the one who hires and fires staff, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, sir.” The guard didn’t like the way this was going, evident by the sweat that had started forming on his forehead.

“So that means, Private, that if there was a guard who I thought wasn’t doing their job properly, then I could fire this person, couldn’t I?”

The guard gulped hard, then seemed to see the light. “As I was just about to say, Mr. Bowser sir, I’m sure we can make an exception on this occasion, just for you.”

“Thank you, Private. I’ll make sure you get a mention for good work in my next staff report.”

The guard opened the door and Mystique, still disguised as the Hound project director, proceeded into the building.

“Fool,” she muttered under her breath.

“Did you say something, sir?” Private Groves asked.

“No,” Mystique replied, “now get back to work,” she snapped.

“Yes sir!”

Once in the building, Mystique looked for the nearest guard and unfortunately, for the guard, there was one walking towards her at that moment.

“You,” shouted Mystique, “Take me to the boy, immediately!”

“Yes Mr.Bowser sir! But… don’t you know the way yourself?” the guard answered.

“Don’t question me if you value your job!” Mystique shouted angrily. “I am your superior, and you don’t question your superiors! Now take me to the boy!”

“Yes sir, right away sir.” The guard, now happy to do anything for his supposed superior, quickly led Mystique to the room where Trevor Chase was being held.

She opened the door to see Trevor looking at her. Upon first sight, Trevor knew that it wasn’t Bowser he was looking at.

“Mys…,” Trevor started to say, but was stopped mid-word as Mystique brought her finger to her lips.

“You must come with me boy,” Mystique said to Trevor Chase, then turning to the guard she said, “Due to a change of circumstances, I have to take the boy away from here.”

“But what are we supposed to do?” the guard asked.

“Just stay here for the moment, I will return in a few days to tell you what to do.” Mystique’s reply rolled smoothly off her tongue, causing no unnecessary suspicion in the guard. Mystique left with Trevor Chase as the guard looked on.

“The boy seems quite happy… I wonder why that is?” the guard thought to himself. “Oh well, I better go and tell Stone what has happened, he’ll probably want to know.”

With his thought for the day over, the guard went off to find Stone. This wasn’t too strenuous a task, though, as Stone was coming his way.

As he approached the guard, Stone noticed the door to Trevor Chase’s room was open. Thinking this strange, he looked into the room and saw it empty.

“Where is the boy?” he asked the guard, a slight look of worry on his face.

“Oh, I was just coming to look for you,” replied the guard. “It’s alright, Mr. Bowser came and said he had to take the boy away with him due to a change in circumstances.”

“WHAT?!” Stone exploded. “Mr. Bowser left half an hour ago, it couldn’t have been him! He said that I was to make sure the boy was here when he returned! It doesn’t make any sense…”

Suddenly, realisation seemed to hit him and all of a sudden, it did make sense.

“DAMN!” he cried. “How can you have been so stupid?” he shouted at the guard. “Don’t you remember being told about the boy, about his family, his friends, his shape-shifting, devious mutant friend called Mystique?!”

Despite what Stone had said, the guard still didn’t seem to understand. Stone saw this lack of understanding, so he started running down the corridor, away from the still dumbfounded guard.

Turning, he shouted at the guard, “Get all the guards and get them outside immediately! Stop anyone that is with the boy!”, hoping that the guard had at least an ounce of intelligence, but he wasn’t hopeful of the chances.

“Come on, all gather round in a circle. It’s time for storytime with Jamie.”

Bored of waiting, Jamie Madrox decided to make entertainment of his own. As all his duplicates gathered round in a circle, excited over the prospect of a story, a few metres away Forge seemed a little impatient.

“Where is she?” he wondered out loud, “What can be taking her so long?”

“I’m sure she’s on her way back already,” Polaris reassured Forge.

“So then, the little velveteen rabbit said to the bear…”

“Jamie, you can stop it now, Mystique is coming back.” Fixx said.

Hearing this, Jamie Madrox and duplicates merged into one to see Mystique appear at the entrance to the Hound base with Trevor Chase in tow.

“Looks like everything’s worked out fine,” Madrox commented. Then, imitating a quick smoke of a cigar he said, “I just love it when a plan comes together!”

By this time Mystique was walking away from the base when suddenly there was a shout behind her. Several guards started running out of the entrance to the Hound base.

“Looks like you spoke to soon Jamie!” said Fixx.

“Less talking, we’ve got to go and help Mystique,” shouted Forge, who started running towards the base. The rest of the team followed him, as Mystique stopped and turned towards the guards who now numbered at least ten.

“Stop right there!” shouted one of the guards. “Give the boy back to us or we will open fire!”

Mystique just stood there, holding Trevor Chase. By now, X-Factor had reached Mystique’s side.

The guard who had initially spoken, barked his orders once more, “I repeat, return the boy or we will open fire!”

None of X-Factor, Mystique, or Trevor Chase spoke or moved. All of them seemed to know what would happen, as it had so many times before.

“Right,” the guard shouted again, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you! Guards on my command, FIRE!”

All of the guards went to squeeze the trigger on their guns but they all met one problem, their trigger wouldn’t move!

“Uh sir,” one of the other guards said, “our guns aren’t working.”

“What do you mean, they aren’t working?” the now-confused leader of the guards shouted.

“He means, that they cannot pull the trigger because the green haired one by Mystique over there is stopping them with her power over magnetism.” The guards looked round to see Stone, who had just spoken, and four other mutants.

Stone continued, “If you would like to return inside now. You won’t be able to stop them from taking the boy, but we can…”

The leader of the guards seemed about to protest, but realised that what Stone said was true, so he hastily withdrew himself and the contingent of guards inside.

“Looks as though we get a fight, then!” Fixx said, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, but you seem to know me. Do you know who the others with me are?” Polaris asked the question to Stone.

“Yes.” he answered, shortly and abruptly, as though he wasn’t looking forward to what was going to take place.

“Well, where are your manners?” Polaris asked. It was usually Jamie’s role to be sarcastic, but she thought she deserved to take over the role once in a while. “You could at least introduce yourselves before we have to treat you to an embarrassing defeat. It’s just that us superheroes like to know who we’re fighting. We’re picky like that.”

“Very well,” Stone replied, “my name is Stone. Then, from left to right, we have Soundwave, Daydreamer, Furnace, and Sawarm.” The four mutants stepped forward, showing themselves ready for the battle.

“So now we’ve all got to know each other, let’s get down to business.” Polaris said, as the two teams of mutants moving into battle formations. As Forge moved, he was tugged back by Mystique.

“Stay here and look after Trevor,” she said, in a tone of voice which was a lot more like a command than a request.

With Forge looking after Trevor, this left five against five. Each of them paired off against someone. Soundwave against Madrox, Daydreamer against Fixx, Furnace against Shard, Sawarm against Mystique, and last of all, Stone against Polaris.

Jamie watched as the one called Soundwave moved in towards him. “So what can you do?” Jamie asked of the advancing threat.

“Well, I transform sound into waves of energy,” he replied, “something a little like this.”

In the blink of an eye, Soundwave clapped his hands together and a wave of energy shot straight at Jamie Madrox, hitting him in the midrift and knocking him to the ground.

Soundwave expected Jamie to get up again but he didn’t, he just lay there, unmoving.

“Get up!” Soundwave demanded, but Madrox didn’t move. Soundwave started to move closer and as he did he started to hear a whimpering, almost crying noise.

“Argh, ya got me…” Jamie Madrox spluttered out, in between fake tears. “The problem is though…”

“You didn’t get me,” a duplicate of Madrox said as he appeared out of the blue.

“You didn’t get me, either.” Another one appeared.

“Nor me.” Then another.

“And you missed me as well.” Before long Soundwave was surrounded by duplicates of Madrox, who quickly overpowered him.

“One down, four to go.” thought Madrox.

“I wonder what she can do?” Fixx thought to herself as she saw Daydreamer approaching her. All of a sudden, a grizzly bear came charging towards Fixx. Remaining calm, she thought to herself, “Looks as though my question has been answered.”

The bear came within a foot of Fixx, then seemed to disappear, to leave Fixx looking at a rather anxious Daydreamer.

“Excellent illusion,” Fixx said to Daydreamer, “but I’m afraid you picked the wrong person in me, considering I’m a telepath…” Having explained this fact to Daydreamer, little fairies, manifestations of Fixx’s psionic talent, started emerging from her forehead.

Fixx sent them straight into Daydreamer’s mind, causing her synapses to overload and shutdown, rendering her unconscious.

Two down, three to go.

Being a photon-based lifeform isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. But when a man named Furnace is throwing fireballs at you, it does have its perks.

This is roughly what Shard was thinking to herself. The perks of being a photon-based lifeform are that you can turn intangible. Therefore, where as when she had a body she’d have had to slug it out physically, all she has to do now is waltz up behind the guy named Furnace. Then, produce one short, sharp blow, as taught to her in the X.S.E. and she has one unconscious, defeated enemy.

Three down, two to go.

Mystique, not too happy that she hadn’t got cleanly away with Trevor Chase, was in no mood for hanging around.

And this was bad news for Sawarm who never stood a chance.

He ran towards Mystique, and just before he reached her his arm morphed into a long metallic blade with saw-toothed edges. Mystique dived out of the way but turned and twisted in mid-air so that when she landed, she was upright and ready to fight.

“So that’s why the name Sawarm – very clever that one.” Mystique, now knowing her opponent had lost his only advantage, that of surprise, knew she could get this over quickly and get back to Trevor.

“And it ain’t just that arm, either,” Sawarm said quite confidently, morphing his other arm into another deadly saw-toothed blade.

He swung again at Mystique, but she had predicted his attack and easily dodged the blow.

“As great as that is,” Mystique said, “what good is someone who can morph their arms, over someone who can morph their whole body?”

With that, Mystique shape-shifted into a duplicate of Sabretooth and lurched at Sawarm, knocking him to the ground. After this, Sawarm put up little resistance and the fight ended quickly.

Four down, and only one to go.

Stone looked around to see his comrades falling around him. Even though he knew Polaris was more powerful than he was, he would stand for as long as he could to carry out his duty. The only problem was, he couldn’t help but feel as though he was fighting on the wrong side.

‘I see X-Factor fighting here,’ he thought to himself as he battled Polaris, ‘and I feel that I should be with them. They are good people, trying to do what’s right. I shouldn’t be fighting against them as part of the Hounds. The Hounds don’t protect mutants, they hunt them, destroy them. If only I wasn’t a Hound I could be like X-Factor, protecting mutants. But as I’ve been told many a time, once a Hound, always a Hound.’

He stopped this line of thought as Polaris created magnetic fields around herself and Stone, one with a positive charge, the other with a negative charge. As is common knowledge to most, opposites attract, and this case was no different. Despite his best efforts Stone started to get dragged towards Polaris.

Seeing that Stone was close Polaris completed the move she had practised with Shard. Reversing the charge of her own magnetic field she created two magnetic fields in close proximity with the same charge. If opposites attract, then…

The result was obvious. As Polaris knew what was going to happen she was able to brace herself and was able to remain still. Stone, on the other hand, was sent flying backwards, landing hard on the desert floor.

Stunned, he struggled to get up. Slowly, he looked around and saw all his fellow Hounds defeated. He knew the fight was over, so he raised his hands above his head.

“You have won,” he said to Polaris while breathing heavily.

“Lower your hands.” Polaris told him, “You didn’t put up much resistance – a reluctance on your part, perhaps, to remain a Hound? To me, you seem a good man who wants to do what is right. X-Factor is always looking for new members…”

The statement hung in the air as thoughts raced through Stone’s head.

‘This is what I want.’ he thought to himself, ‘I thought it not possible, but the Hounds… I don’t know anyone who has ever left. I don’t think it is possible to just stop being a Hound. Can I do it? Can I just leave… leave the security it brings me and take the risk of being hunted by them after I leave?’

By now the other members of X-Factor had gathered around Polaris and Stone.

“I am sorry Polaris, but I cannot leave the Hounds. It… isn’t possible.” As he said this, Stone felt he’d just spurned his chance in life to fight on the right side.

“Your choice, Stone,” Polaris said, “but the door is always open.”

But maybe the chance wasn’t completely gone…

A few hours later, X-Factor were about to part company with Mystique.

“Forge, could I speak to you for a moment?” Mystique asked.

“Yeah, sure you can,” he replied.

Mystique, holding the hand of Trevor Chase, walked a few yards away from X-Factor and motioned for Forge to follow.

“I’m going to have to go back to being Mallory Brickman for awhile. There are some things I need to finish up. This means I cannot look after Trevor, so I have decided that the best thing for him would be for you to look after him, Forge…”

“WHAT?!” Forge and Trevor exclaimed in unison.

“I don’t want to stay with him!” Trevor exclaimed. “Why can’t I stay with you?” he asked Mystique.

“That’s not possible right now Trevor, as much as I’d like that to happen,” Mystique replied. “Don’t worry, Forge will take good care of you. I trust him with that.”

“Uh, Mystique,” Forge started, “I hate to ruin this for you but I can’t look after the boy for you!”

“I don’t think you have any choice in the matter!” Mystique replied matter-of-factly, “I’ll come and see you Trevor. Sorry Forge, but you’re the only one I can trust.”

With that resolved, Mystique turned and left X-Factor headquarters.

“Mystique!” Forge called after her, but she ignored him and continued away into the distance.

Forge looked at Trevor, Trevor looked at Forge, and neither looked too happy with the result of what had just happened. Forge turned, and with Trevor in tow, returned to where the rest of the team had been waiting for him.

“Where’s Mystique gone?” Polaris asked.

In an abrupt tone Forge replied, “Don’t ask, it’s bad enough already. I’ll just tell you this – the boy is going to be staying with us for a while.”

“You’re joking?” Polaris asked. “Please tell me you’re joking!”

“No joke.” Forge replied, looking angry.

“Oh great!” Fixx said sarcastically.

“Oh I don’t know, Fixx,” Jamie chipped in, “I mean, what could be better than having a little brat in the house?”

“You mean, apart from yourself, Jamie?” replied Fixx.

NEXT: With the team back at headquarters, it’s time for Forge to start his new job – as Trevor Chase’s new guardian! And why is Fixx acting strangely?