THE PIG

By Brent Lambert

Ms. Witch leaned back in her leather chair and cracked open her magazine. It was an occult underground magazine called The Kettle. Elena had been an avid reader of the magazine ever since she discovered her powers at the age of 14. She had even submitted a few articles over the years, and about three of them got published. One of them had been the cover story. That was back when she was 17 and had honed her writing skills. Since then, though, Elena’s time for writing had become very short, and if you don’t practice something you tend to lose it. That didn’t bother her too much though, as being a part of X-Factor was like living the most exciting story ever on a daily basis.

The author of the first article in the magazine surprised Elena so that she almost dropped the magazine.

Clan Formation in New Hampshire
By: Clarence Boon

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of one of the newest witch clans in the United States. They call themselves the Stars of Hecate. An interesting name to say the least. Speaking from personal experience with magic users I can honestly say that the Stars of Hecate possess a great deal of power. I wouldn’t be surprised if they moved up in the clan standings within a matter of months. They might even give the Masters of Rann some competition.

Ryan Watercrest, the leader of the Stars of Hecate, had this to say about his new clan: “We’re powerful and we kick ass. All them older witches and warlocks better watch out. We’re moving on up.”

Some might argue that the cockiness of their warlock leader would show the clan’s ultimate flaw, but once again speaking from personal experience I can say that these ladies and gents can back up every last bit of their talk. One thing is certain though, the Stars of Hecate are going to shake up the world of witches and warlocks.

Closing the magazine, Elena let out a great sigh. It was Clarence. Her younger brother who had run away when he was only 13. She had searched high and low never being able to find him. Ms. Witch had only been 18 when he vanished and she often carried the burden of finding him on her shoulders. Despite her powers she hadn’t been able to track him down, and yet here he was. His name staring back at her from the pages of a magazine. Long ago she had given up hope of ever finding her brother, but now she could say with certainty he was still out there. She had to find him. There were things he simply couldn’t go on not knowing. Things had changed greatly since he ran from home. He just simply had to know.

“You think too hard and your head will explode,” Red Lotus joked as he stuck his head through Elena’s door.

“All of ours aren’t as meager as yours,” Elena replied. Seeing the joker gave her comfort. While others saw the former Triad assassin as annoying, Ms. Witch could see him for what he truly was. He had seen so much pain in life he just had to laugh, otherwise he’d fall into some dark abyss and never come back from it. So laughter and jokes were his mountain gear in overcoming a dark point in his life. Elena could respect that so she obliged him. Her father had been one of the biggest jokers around before he died of prostate cancer. She saw a little bit of her father in Red Lotus; they both always had that same mischievous smirk on their faces and even when all the chips are down, they could still manage to keep it up. She enjoyed having him around and she was sure the feeling was mutual.

“Sorry if I’m not very chipper today. I just found out something quite shocking,” Elena said as she picked up her magazine.

“Oh! Care to tell?” Red Lotus asked like a schoolgirl about to learn a juicy bit of gossip.

“Not really. It’s family business. I can’t stick around, though, and bore you to tears. I gotta go talk to Val!” Ms. Witch exclaimed as she ran out on the room on her black high heels and slammed the door quickly behind her.

“Damn! Homegirl must got somethin’ serious on her mind!” Red Lotus laughed to himself as he bent over and pulled out a Playboy magazine from underneath a nearby couch. Flopping down in a blue loveseat, he let out a sigh of relaxation and cracked open the book.

“Now this is what I’m talkin’ ’bout! Work it baby,” Red Lotus said as he opened up the spread of the month.

Elena walked briskly down the hall towards Valerie Cooper’s office. She had a favor to ask of the woman she already owed so much to. This was important, though. If there was even the slightest chance her brother was still out there, she had to pursue it.

Knocking twice on Valerie’s door, she was finally allowed to enter. Val was busy at her desk looking over and signing papers. The typical bureaucratic red tape that was the U.S. government. Needless to say, working on that paperwork didn’t make Ms. Cooper the best person to be around at the moment.

“Please tell me this is important, because I’m hard at work on this shitload of papers,” Val complained with a tone that sounded like the woman had just got done building the Great Pyramids.

“It is important. Clarence is alive!” Elena exclaimed.

The statement caught Valerie off-guard, so much so that she messed up her signature on a paper she was in the process of signing.

“What did you just say?” Valerie asked, trying to make sure she had just heard Elena right.

“My brother is alive, Valerie. He’s really alive,” Ms. Witch said, her voice barely audible, so frozen with shock she was.

Cooper sat back in her chair and sighed. “You want me to send X-Factor out to find him? Is that what you’re getting at?”

“Would it hurt?!” Ms. Witch cried, seeing the refusal already coming from Valerie.

“No, this team has business to get to. In fact, I already have the next mission lined up,” Valerie replied.

Ms. Witch threw her hands up into the air, frustrated. “Are you serious? My brother is out there somewhere and you want me to wait for you to give approval? I’ll go and find him with or without your approval, Val. Don’t test me!”

“And I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear any of what you just said. Remember whom you work for, Elena! You owe me and as such you’ll do as told,” Valerie reminded coldly.

“Fine, whatever! Just remember who left who out in the cold when you need a favor,” Elena said, slamming the door behind her.

Airspace, Two Hours Later

“Whoo, it’s pretty cold on this plane! Who turned on the AC?” Red Lotus asked, shooting an accusing stare at Shard.

The XSE woman laughed. “Oh no, it wasn’t me! I don’t even feel heat, though seeing you squirm in your seat is worth it.”

“I did it,” Ms. Witch said, not even taking the time to look at Red Lotus. She really wasn’t in the mood for anything at the moment.

“So get over it, Red Lotus. We have a mission to focus on. Just what is this Pig all about?” Fatale asked, popping out her hand claw every now and then to make sure it was well oiled.

“He steals children, trains them, and then sells them to terrorist organizations,” Forge said, not letting any of the seething anger he was feeling slip through.

Fatale’s face stirred. “That’s sick. Even by my standards.”

“And that’s exactly why we’re going to shut his operation down. For good,” Polaris said, not taking the route of Forge and letting her disgust be well known.

Red Lotus’s teeth chattered as he said, “I’ve never been to New Orleans before. Hopefully it’s hotter than this plane.”

“Count on it, Red,” Forge assured as he moved the plane in to land.

The Pig’s Base Of Operations

“Get these children in line! Get them straight, now!” the Pig oinked angrily as he lashed out with his whip on one of the younger children. The boy flew to the ground from the blow. One of the Pig’s many soldiers responded to the fall by shooting the boy in the head. A gasp came from the rest of the line, followed by small whimpers. This line was one full of despair and anguish, enough to last most people a dozen lifetimes.

“That’s what happens when you fall! So be strong, children, and I’ll let you live! Mommy and Daddy aren’t here anymore,” Pig laughed as his fat, pink stomach giggled nonstop. Watching that stomach move disgusted the Mengo Brothers, who were within short distance of the brute. It was like seeing tiny pink tidal waves covered with hair swish back and forth. Dr. Doom would have never allowed a beast so disgusting to live in Latveria, but that’s why America was the home of the free. Which is exactly why they left their home country. Latveria had no need for mercenaries.

“Ahh, I love a good killing,” Pig grunted as he laid back in his squeaky makeshift throne. One of the Mengo Brothers nearly fell out laughing at the sound of the squeaking.

“Man, is this guy a fat ass or what?” Stan asked his brother with a snicker.

“Shut up before he hears you!” Greg rebuked.

“Like I give a damn,” Stan replied.

Just then the two large metal doors that were the entrance into the base began to quake violently as an invisible force seemed to overtake the two doors. Before the Mengo Brothers knew it, the doors had been ripped off the hinges and sent flying in their direction. Stan and Greg ducked in anticipation of the doors falling, but instead of falling the two doors stuck to the roof.

The Mengo Brothers looked at each other and said one thing, “Ahh shit.”

“Did I drop in on anything?” Polaris asked as she floated down through the gaping hole that had been the doors. Following behind her was the rest of X-Factor.

The Pig’s troopers began to fire on the mutant team, but their bullets were simply redirected at them. Lorna used her abilities to reach out and fling the bullets back at the troopers. Many of them fell to the ground, gravely injured and dead. Forge fired off his nerve disruptor gun to take down many of the troopers that hadn’t fallen from the hail of bullets.

“Stop firing! Stop firing!” Stan implored as he filled his gun with plastic bullets. He aimed towards Polaris and fired. The bullets went whizzing through the air and would have struck Polaris in the chest, if it weren’t for Red Lotus leaping into the air. With graceful skill he snatched the bullets out of the air as if they were nothing.

Throwing the bullets to the ground, Red Lotus said, “Better be careful, Lorna. Never know what might be whizzing by.”

“Ahh, shaddup and fight!” Shard yelled as she charged into the troopers guns blazing. Fatale was right beside Shard as she fought fiercely, using the tiger-style martial art she had learned while under the command of Dark Beast. The thought of that man made her shudder, but she was in the heat of battle. She had to focus.

Nothing mattered at the moment except the battle. Not Dark Beast. Not X-Factor. No one!

The Pig and the Mengo Brothers watched the battle in horror. Their operation was being shut down before their eyes. The Pig was squealing like a wild child. He couldn’t help it, instinct was beginning to take over.

Seeing that the Pig was losing it, the Mengo Brothers decided it was time to retreat. Stan and Greg snuck out through an entrance behind the Pig’s throne.

“Everything is falling! Falling way, way down!” the Pig laughed manically.

Ms. Witch lifted her hand high into the air and teleported right to the insane Pig. Holding out her hand, a green vine grew from her it and wrapped around Pig’s neck.

“You’re a sick monster! You deserve every bit of this!” Ms. Witch exclaimed as she made metal spikes come out of the vine and rip through Pig’s neck. Turning back to her teammates without the least bit of remorse, she said, “Let’s go. This place makes me sick!”

Stan and Greg walked into the dark room without any weapon or piece of armor on them. The boss preferred for them to approach him defenseless. That way he knew no betrayal awaited him.

“Did they finish off that bumbling mutant?”

Stan nodded his head. “Took him out quick, boss. The one with the curly hair did it.”

“Ah, Miss Boon. I had figured Fatale would be the one to give the killing blow.”

“Naw, boss. She was cutting up them troops left and right, though!” Greg laughed.

“Just lovely. My creation continues to do me proud…”