BLACK WOMB

Part I: Arrangements

By Ryan Krupienski and Dino Pollard

The Xavier Institute; War Room

One week has passed since the funeral of Wolverine. Unfortunately for the X-Men, they have learned through past experiences that there is rarely any rest for the weary. That is true on this day as Nightcrawler and Domino, co-leaders of the X-Men’s field team, meet with Storm, who serves on the institute’s teaching staff. Also present is the latest addition to the institute, the mysterious mutant known only as Fantomex – a test tube mutant, born in a laboratory. The four of them are currently in the War Room, far below the institute’s ground level. All sit around the large table with an ‘X’ engraved in it, with the exception of Fantomex, who leans against a wall, his arms folded across his chest.

“Black Womb,” says Fantomex. “They’re heavy into the study and exploitation of mutant genetics, and their reach extends far beyond the facility we discovered in Nevada. They have laboratories and complexes all across the globe.”

“Where, specifically?” asks Domino.

“If I knew, I would tell you,” replies Fantomex. “Unfortunately, the only one I knew about for certain was the one in Nevada – and I only knew that location because that is the one I escaped from.”

“Thoughts?” asks Domino, turning to Nightcrawler.

“I’m not sure…” replies Kurt Wagner. “From what you’ve told me of these Neo who attacked you, and from what we’ve seen in Fantomex’s own abilities, it’s obvious that Black Womb is not only capable of generating dangerous mutants – they’re also pretty good at it.”

He swivels his chair to the right slightly to face Storm.

“You’re basically filling in for Jean right now, so that makes the decision yours,” he says.

“I agree, we can’t have Black Womb running around,” says Storm. “When I first located Angela, there were uniformed men who tried to capture her son. I was able to stop them, obviously, and at the time, I wasn’t sure what to make of them. But now I think it’s a very good possibility that they were Black Womb.”

“I’d be very surprised if it was anyone else,” says Fantomex.

“Nevertheless, our first order of business is to notify others,” says Storm. “If Black Womb is going after the children of mutants, then there are several people we need to contact. That means Pietro and Crystal should receive word. Jean’s parents are also looking after the children of Jean’s late sister, so we should contact them as well. I’ll handle that aspect of things.”

“Good idea,” says Domino.

“Aren’t we forgetting something?” asks Fantomex. “Telling mutant parents to keep their guard up won’t make this problem go away. Black Womb is still in existence, and they have my child.”

“Patience, Fantomex, I’m getting to that,” says Storm. “Since we don’t know where any of these other facilities are, our only lead is the one in Nevada. Domino, I want you to lead a team into there, and try and discern the facility’s central location.”

“Looks like death finally caught up with you, pal,” says Alex Summers as he stands before Wolverine’s grave. “Y’know, I’ve lost count of the number of times we thought you were dead, and then you just popped back up out of nowhere and acted as if nothing had happened. Like that time when we mixed it up with the Russians. What was that guy’s name again? Meltdown or something, right?”

He hears a noise, and on instinct, plasma energy begins to build up in his hand. He turns and finds one of his teammates standing behind him.

“Whoa, take it easy, hot shot,” says Ecstacy.

“Sorry, just a little on edge lately,” says Alex.

“No problem,” says Stacy. “Kinda sucks, I never really got a chance to get to know him. But the way everyone’s acting around here, it seems like he was a pretty important guy.”

“He was,” says Alex. “Logan was a lunatic when he first came here. But over time, he gained control, started fighting for Xavier’s dream. I don’t think he would ever admit that he actually believed in it, though. Stubborn as hell.”

“Yeah, I got that much,” says Stacy. “He was a tough old bastard, I’ll give him that.”

“Anyway, what’s up?” asks Alex. “I’m sure you didn’t come out here to pay your respects to a man you barely knew.”

“Nah, not really,” replies Stacy. “Actually, I came here to talk to you.”

“What do you need?” asks Alex.

“I wanted to talk about what happened back in Nevada,” replies Stacy. “When you started freaking out, talking about your son and all that.”

“Oh…” says Alex. “Hey, you’ve been here for a little bit, you been to Harry’s Hideaway yet?”

“Harry’s what?” asks Stacy.

“C’mon, let’s take a walk,” replies Alex. “It’s mandatory for every X-Man to spend at least some time at Harry’s. And this is a story that’s gonna take some explaining.”

The Danger Room

Bullets fly freely from the barrels of firearms. The man wielding them is the timelost refugee known only as Bishop, recently returning to the X-Men after months of being lost in space. The Danger Room robots fall quite easily to his attacks as he moves about with ease.

His companion is the former Shi’ar Viceroy. Her birthname stricken from record, she is known only as Deathbird. Although her razor-sharp talons and the natural wings which once sprouted from her back made her a dangerous adversary, they also marked her as an evolutionary throwback among her people. A former adversary of the X-Men, she now finds herself among their numbers. She has spent these past months with Bishop and has grown attached to him, so much that she has followed him to the X-Men.

“How are those new wings?” asks Bishop.

“They work nicely,” replies Deathbird as she manuevers in the air, descending only to claw through opponents. “If I’m feeling generous later, I may compliment McCoy on his craftsmanship.”

“Amazing…” mutters Bishop. He spins on his heel and fires off several rounds at a robot attempting to ambush him.

“What’s that?” asks Deathbird.

“Despite the fact you have been taken from the Imperium to a place where you are grudgingly accepted – and barely at that – you still maintain your superior attitude,” replies Bishop.

“That is because I am superior to these terrans,” says Deathbird. “As are you, my love.”

“How many times do I have to remind you?” asks Bishop. “Do not call me that.”

“Why do you feel the need to keep our affairs a secret?” asks Deathbird. “You should be honored that I have chosen you as my consort.”

“I only just returned to the X-Men, and I know they aren’t too comfortable with the fact that I invited you to stay with us as well,” replies Bishop. “I feel it’s best that they not know I’m sleeping with a woman who tried to kill them on several occassions.”

“Oh please,” says Deathbird. “It’s not like it was anything personal. They just got in my way.”

“I’m sure they would be delighted to hear that…” mutters Bishop. “Just keep your head down. Tension is high enough as it is with that Nova woman here.”

“And let’s not forget Wolverine’s death.”

“Yes, thank you for that reminder…” says Bishop.

“He fell as a warrior,” says Deathbird. “If only all of us were so fortunate to die in glorious battle.”

“There are those among us who would disagree with you,” says Bishop.

“Those people are fools,” says Deathbird. “They’re not warriors. Wolverine was, which was why he refused to stand by and go down without a fight. I pray Sharra and Kythri will give me a death every bit as glorious as his.”

“Do me a favor,” says Bishop. “Don’t mention any of this glorious death stuff to anyone else.”

“You terrans…” mutters Deathbird. “You can level mountains with a glance, but your stomachs are as weak as crippled children.”

“Deathbird…”

“Yes?”

“Change the subject or shut up.”

Harry’s Hideaway

Alex Summers opens the door to the small establishment not far from the Xavier Institute, with Stacy following him. Inside he sees several other members of the X-Men’s field team sitting around a large table. Piotr Rasputin, Danielle Moonstar, Leyu Yoshida, Angelo Espinosa, Scanner, as well as the X-Men’s guest and former member, Alison Blaire.

“ALEX!” exclaims Piotr. “Come my friend, have a drink with us!”

“What’s with her?” asks Danielle, referring to Stacy, who stands with wide eyes.

“Oh, I just told her about my time in that other universe,” replies Alex.

“You trying to scare the poor thing off, ese?” asks Angelo with a grin.

“I’ll… I’ll be fine,” says Stacy. “Just… wow. Didn’t know any of that alternate reality stuff was even possible.”

“Oh, it’s possible,” says Alex. “You really want an adventure, ask Bishop about some of his experiences.”

“I think not,” says Stacy. “So what’s going on here?”

“Sort of a celebration,” says Alison. “For Logan.”

“You’re celebrating the man’s death?” asks Stacy.

“Nyet, we celebrate his life, little one!” exclaims Piotr.

“…Is he okay?” asks Alex. Scanner makes a motion with her hand of drinking a bottle, and Alex nods to show he understands what she’s saying.

“Have any of you heard the story of how Logan and I came up with the Fastball Special?” asks Piotr.

“Oy…” mutters Leyu. “No, we don’t want to hear it.”

“You don’t?” asks Piotr. “But why not?”

“Because you’ve told it about five or six times in the past hour,” replies Leyu.

“Firebitch has a point,” says Angelo. “It’s getting kind of old, tin man. And why are these two still standin’? Pull up some chairs, what’s wrong with you?”

Alex and Stacy grab chairs from a nearby table and pull them up. Angelo and Scanner scoot apart from each other, and Stacy and Alex take their seats next to them. Alex and Scanner exchange a brief glance, and then look away. Stacy rolls her eyes.

“So, how’s the little one doing, Alison?” asks Alex.

“Good,” replies Alison. “I asked Bobby and Jubilee to watch her for a little bit.”

“Wow… I hope Jubes can handle them both,” says Alex with a grin. “But what’s the verdict with you anyway? You make a decision on staying or going?”

“I… I’m not really sure right now,” says Alison. “I only planned to stay with you guys just long enough until I was able to find Rebecca, because I didn’t really want to go back to being an X-Man. But now… now I’m not so sure. I mean, Black Womb’s still out there, and I don’t really feel safe leaving the mansion at this point. Plus, with Logan’s death and Cassandra’s announcement, I think it might be better for me to hang around – at least for a little bit.”

“You are welcome to stay as like as you long!” exclaims Piotr, throwing his arm around Alison. “We are family, and family stays together, yes?”

“Right…” says Leyu, a bored look in her eyes. “Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom.”

She stands and walks off from the table.

“Man, who’s idea was it to invite her?” asks Angelo once Leyu is out of earshot.

“Easy, Angelo,” says Danielle. “I invited her because she’s an X-Man. She hasn’t really interacted with us all that much, and I felt we should try to include her a bit more. She feels like an outsider here.”

“Hey, I tried being nice,” says Angelo. “But she’s a bit too bitchy for my tastes.”

“Wait… weren’t you one of Emma Frost’s students?” asks Alison. “I think you’d be used to that sort of thing by now.”

Laughter breaks out at her comment.

“Hey, how come Ever didn’t come with?” asks Scanner.

“I invited him along, but he said crowds make him uncomfortable,” replies Angelo. “He said he’d rather sit home and catch up on ‘Buffy’ reruns.”

“I think it is time for another pitcher of beer!” says Piotr.

“Umm… not sure that’s such a good idea, Piotr,” says Danielle.

“How much has he had?” asks Alex.

“That’s the second pitcher we’ve ordered so far,” replies Alison. “Piotr finished most of it by himself. The rest of us had about one or two glasses.”

“I think she may have a point, big guy,” says Alex. “Y’gotta be care-”

He stops in midsentence when he feels Stacy jabbing her elbow into his side. He looks at her, and she makes a motion with her eyes and chin towards Scanner. Alex just shakes his head, but Stacy pokes him again. He stands from his seat and puts his hand on Scanner’s shoulder, leaning in closer to her.

“C’mere, I wanna talk to you,” he whispers into Scanner’s ear, and then walks off. Scanner seems somewhat surprised, but stands and follows him anyway.

“So… who wants to hear how Logan and I came up with the Fastball Special?” they can hear Peter say as they walk outside. His question is followed by groans. Alex and Scanner both grin as they step outside of Harry’s.

“What’s up?” she asks.

“Not much, just felt like getting some air,” he replies. “Thought maybe you’d wanna join me.”

“Why’d you think that?” asks Scanner with a slight grin.

“I dunno, you just seemed a little bored in there,” replies Alex.

“Yeah, maybe I was,” she says. “Just a little bit, though. I really only came along because…”

“Because why?”

“…I dunno,” she says. “Just felt like getting out, I guess.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he says. He leans up against the wall, and Scanner stands next to him, her arms crossed over her chest. He steals a glance at her, and sees her staring at the ground. Her blonde hair falls over her face slightly, and a moment passes before he realizes he’s staring at her. He quickly snaps his head forward again.

“So…” he begins, breaking the silence. “Do you have another name besides Scanner?”

“Why so interested in my name?” she asks.

“Dunno, just making conversation,” he says.

“When I first joined the Acolytes, that’s what Cortez called me,” she says. “To him, I was nothing more than a piece of equipment, or something. Just to be used to spy on people. To ‘scan’ things or situations before he sent in the Acolytes. So he called me his scanner. None of the other Acolytes knew my real name, and I’m sure Cortez forgot it himself. I guess I just got used to being referred to as Scanner.”

“So what is your name, then?”

“Alyssa.”

“Alyssa?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s nice,” he says. “I like it.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she says.

“Y’know what I realized recently?” he asks.

“What?”

“It’s something Logan probably helped me to understand,” he says. “None of us are gonna live forever, especially in our line of work.”

“Yeah…”

“And… we gotta live life while we have the chance,” says Alex. “Y’know, we have to take those crazy chances and everything.”

“Something on your mind?” asks Scanner, turning to look at him. She almost backs away when she sees he’s come closer to her, so that their bodies are only inches apart.

“Yeah,” he replies.

He places his hand on her chin and raises her head ever so slightly, so she is looking directly into his eyes. He moves his face in closer, and their lips connect.

*BREEEP*

*BREEEP*

The two of them instantly break away when they hear the sound of beeping. A few moments later, the door to Harry’s opens, and the other X-Men step out.

“You guys hear that?” asks Danielle.

“Yeah,” replies Alex, a tone of disappointment in his voice. He looks at Scanner, and she smiles back slightly, but then turns her attention away.

“So much for our night off, eh?” mutters Angelo.

The Xavier Institute; War Room

“Domino, Storm, and I have discusses this at great length,” says Nightcrawler, dressed in full uniform and standing before his fellow teammates, also dressed in uniform. “Along with the information Fantomex has given us, we’ve found that the best course of action is to try and find Black Womb.”

“We’re heading back to the Nevada base we found Dazzler’s kid at,” says Domino. “Since I know the layout better than Kurt, I’ll be taking point again. Fantomex will obviously be joining us because of his knowledge of Black Womb. I also want Havok, Bishop, and Colossus backing me up.”

“Umm… might want to leave Piotr out of this mission,” says Dazzler.

“What?” asks Domino. She looks towards the Russian mutant and sees that his gloves are on the wrong hands, and he seems to have trouble keeping his body from swaying. “Oh Christ…”

“I shall not let you down, Domino!” exclaims Colossus.

“Nevermind…” mutters Domino. “Any volunteers to take his place?”

“I’ll go,” says Deathbird. “I have yet to be sent on a mission, and I grow impatient awaiting your orders. So it’s obvious I’ll have to assign myself to a mission.”

“Whatever,” says Domino. “So Tweety makes five. The Blackbird’s prepped and ready to go, so let’s get to it.”

Location Undisclosed

In a dimly lit room, various monitors line the walls. In the center of these monitors floats a woman. Frail and old, the monitors flicker back and forth. Her aged eyes scan over them. One of the monitors brings up an image, the one she was searching for. She watches the monitor intently, observing the battle between the late Wolverine, and the mysterious woman called Dominia.

A creation of Project: Neo.

They have all escaped now, thanks to the X-Men’s interference. Her children, her life’s work, are out there somewhere. And it was her own ‘son’, Fantomex, who is responsible for the X-Men becoming embroiled in her affairs.

“Director?”

The image of a man dressed in the uniform of the Black Womb agents appears on one of her monitors. His voice emits from the speakers attached to the sides.

“Yes?”

“We have word that an aircraft is approaching the abandoned Nevada base. The X-Men’s aircraft.”

“Thank you,” she replies. Then, the image of the man vanishes.

With a wave of her hand, data on Black Womb’s headquarters, including exact coordinates, appears on a monitor. Then, a small message box that reads, ‘TRANSFERRING…’ appears above it.

“Time to come home to mother.”