“You’re sure you don’t wanna stay, Hank? We could have oodles of fun, just like this, every day! It’ll be a gas!” Halloween Jack exclaimed, throwing his arms wide open and leaning back. He tilted his head forward to see Henri’s reaction. Henri rubbed the back of his neck, taking one last look around the back alleys of Las Vegas.
“Not a chance,” Henri Huang responded, tapping a toe against the dirty concrete of the alley. Casinos and God-knows-what-other buildings arose all around them. Garbage cans and large dumpsters lined the walls, candy wrappers and empty bottles littered the ground.
“So you’re going back to your little team?” Jack said, face drooping into a sinister frown.
“Yes I am.”
“Fine. Be that way.”
Henri gave Jack a curt wave. Seconds later, though Jack could no longer see him, Henri was out of Vegas. Jack clasped his hands behind his back and strolled out of the alley, eyes fixed on Henri’s trail of dust.
“Well, if you won’t stay here…”
***
“Ow… Ow… Ow!” Krystalin Ogada yelped, recoiling from her doctor/friend, Shakti Haddad. Shakti gave Krys an apologetic look, putting down the disinfectant spray on a nearby table tray. The Protectorate medical lab had all the modern medical equipment; but modern science had only come so far in treating laser wounds.
“Sorry, Krys,” Shakti said meekly, still feeling the throbbing pain from the wound in her own leg, “I forgot to dull the pain with my powers.”
“It’s all right, Shakti. It just stings a little, that’s all,” Krys responded, nursing the area on her right arm where she had been grazed by laser fire. Her left calf was already bandaged, but she could still feel the distinctive burn of laser fire. Shakti picked up the spray and got back to work.
“And… maybe my pride’s a little wounded too,” Krys said softly. Shakti didn’t respond, instead reaching for a synthetic flesh sealant. She spread it over the wounded area on Krys’s shoulder. She wrapped a bandage over the wound and tied it off.
“Don’t worry about that, Krys. We’ll be back on our feet in no time. Just as soon as everyone gets back from –”
A small beep emanated from Shakti’s wrist gauntlet. She tapped the “receive” button, to see an angry man’s face staring at her sternly.
“Miss Haddad, your presence is required at tomorrow’s Halo City Council General Assembly meeting. We shall see you there.”
“Sure th-” Shakti started. The message was cut off before she could finish. Krys gave her a worried look.
“I’ll go with you, if you want,” she offered.
“Thanks. This probably won’t end very well for us.”
***
“I know what you are,” Xi’an Chi Xan said calmly, facing his twins in the open field of his mind’s eye. The twin clad in white turned to Xi’an with a smile. The twin in black kept his back turned to Xi’an, merely looking over his shoulder at the X-Men’s founder.
“And what do you know, exactly, whelp?” the dark one snapped.
“My hands,” Xi’an responded, pressing his fists against his chest, “You, the hand who destroys…”
Xi’an stretched his left hand towards the dark-clad double. He stretched his right hand the one dressed in white.
“…And you, the hand that heals.”
“Very good,” the light one responded, smiling.
“What I can’t figure out, however, is what you’re doing here. Why were you created?” Xi’an asked, folding one arm across his chest, resting his other elbow on that arm, and tapping his chin with the free hand. The dark twin grunted. The light twin smiled.
“We’re here because you needed us, Xi’an. You were a young mutant, with no family, in a world that would sooner see you destroyed than allow you to reach any sort of true maturity. When they came for you, you hid inside yourself, and he was created,” the light twin pointed an accusing finger at the dark one.
“Hmph. Then, when things got hard for us in the states, you hid me away and ran here, to Vietnam. Then you created that weakling to take over for you,” the dark twin snarled, “For a while there, you wised up and let me take over. We were in with the Theatre of Pain, you coward. Then you had to go and listen to that moron again. He ruined everything.”
“Ruined everything? That’s a matter of perspective, I believe,” the light twin responded calmly, “But, as you figured out on your own, your mind entered a state of turmoil. That brings us up to date.”
“So,” Xi’an started, “What now?”
“What do you think? As long as we’re around, you will never know peace,” the light twin responded.
“I see,” Xi’an said pensively, “Then to find peace, I must…”
“Yes. But you don’t have the guts. Or the power,” the dark twin growled, “You’ll never take me down.”
“Perhaps not on his own, brother. But together…,” the light twin started. He reached his hand out to Xi’an. Xi’an, still confused, grasped it. A shock of warmth and light overwhelmed him. The light twin dissolved to dust, coating Xi’an’s right arm. It glowed with power. He felt warm – more comfortable than he had been in years. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.
“Hmph. Two cowards together only make a greater coward,” the dark twin growled.
“This isn’t what I expected,” Xi’an said, “I thought I was supposed to… destroy you, or something like that.”
“Close enough, whelp. I’m a part of you, same as he was. You can’t destroy us – we’re just a part of your fractured psyche. Without us, you’ll never be whole,” the destructive twin snapped.
“If it will make us whole, why are you resisting?”
“Why would I want to join with the likes of you? You’re an indecisive weakling, and he was nothing but a spineless coward. I want nothing to do with you.”
“I suppose I’ll have to take you back by force, then?”
“Like you could.”
***
“So, no go?” Eddie Van Beethoven asked, stomping through the doorway to the main computer terminal. Sham shrugged, turning off the last monitor in the room as the archive-deletion program ran its course. Eddie’s eyes fell on the three men sprawled out on the floor.
“Are they…?” he started.
“No, they’re alive. I distracted them with an illusion, then hit them over the head with this.”
She held up an iron bar. Eddie raised one eyebrow.
“Where did you get that?”
“It was just on the ground along the way,” she responded as casually as she could. Eddie nodded.
“Did you find what you were looking for, Sham?”
“No,” she responded hesitantly, “I didn’t find anything.”
“Can I ask what we were looking for, yet?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re back safe at HQ. The Red Market could be sending reinforcements as we speak.”
“Good thinking,” Eddie said ponderously. “We’d better hurry. I’m curious to hear what this is all about.”
As the metal giant turned around, Sham let out a sigh of relief. She hated lying to a friend – especially one as trusting as Eddie. She dispersed the illusory metal bar in her hand and stepped out the door after him. She took one last look behind her at the men left on the floor, and felt glad it was hard to see that their heads were turned around with those goofy helmets on. She left the room telling herself she was doing this for Quiver – it would all be fine as long as the X-Men never found out…
***
Xi’an shifted his weight to his back foot and raised his open palms toward his darker half. The dark Xi’an let out a blood curdling scream as he launched himself at his enemy. Xi’an dodged to his left, raising his knee into his charging opponent’s stomach.
The double roared and righted himself in midair, landing on his feet. He swung his foot in a high arc. Xi’an ducked and rolled to the side. Launching himself into a somersault kick, he caught his dark half under the chin.
As soon as the double hit the ground, he vaulted back to his feet and swung a heavy fist at Xi’an’s head. Xi’an caught the punch in his hand and smiled.
“Got you.”
The double screamed in agony as his body twisted and compacted into a single, swirling stream of ether, flowing into the center of Xi’an’s palms. A rush of air filled his lungs, pushing its way out through his mouth.
His eyes burst open, and he gasped for air. The remains of the temple floor spread out before him, the sun beat down on him through the holes in the roof. Xi’an fell over on his side, exhausted.
“Are you all right?” Victor Ten Eagles asked, placing a metal hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“More than I’ve ever been, I think,” Xi’an responded, smiling. “Just a little tired.”
***
“Um, hi, guys. The front desk said you two would be in the infirmary,” Henri said quietly, opening the door as quietly as he could. Krystalin and Shakti sat on medical beds in silence. Shakti was facing away from him, but she looked at him over her shoulder.
“You,” Shakti snarled. Krys gave him a sympathetic shrug – no way was she getting in the way of this meltdown.
“Now, before you explode, to be fair –”
“What in the shock were you thinking?! We have responsibilities now! You can’t just run off –”
“I sent an e-mail!”
“So? We needed you here! The Protectorate was attacked while you were away, and only Krys and I were here to deal with it. We got our butts kicked – Morphine showed us up with his own team. You know he’s out to take our jobs, and this is exactly what he needs to put us away!”
“I’m sorry, really, but it wasn’t my fault.”
“If this isn’t the single greatest explanation in the history of mankind, you are in for a world of hurt.”
“I got a message from Jack saying he needed my help, and if I didn’t go down to Vegas to help him, he’d bring his troubles to me, here in Halo City. So I went down there, found him, and got home as fast as I could, just like he asked – except, he didn’t send any message.”
Shakti’s face turned into an ugly, disbelieving frown.
“What?” she said sourly.
“I think someone played us, Shak.”
Shakti lowered her head and groaned.
“We are so screwed,” she mumbled. “Do you have any idea who could have sent that message?”
“We’ve always been short on friends,” Henri said. “But since we’ve taken over as Protectorate, I have no idea how many people might be after us. Outside forces, factions within the city, old bad guys – there’s no shortage of people who have something to gain by taking us down.”
“There’s a Council meeting tomorrow,” Shakti said. “I’d like you to come with me, to try and smooth things over. People seem to like you.”
“Sure thing. So – uh – what exactly happened to you guys?”
“Nutjobs with lasers shot us up,” Krys interrupted.
“Ouch.”
***
Eddie put a heavy hand on the doorway as he stamped towards the couch in the middle of the common room of his apartment. He called out to Rosa, and, getting no response, assumed she was still out for the day. He slumped down on the couch, first, then fell over on his side, and pulled his feet up after him. Stretching, he yawned loudly and felt his eyes start to close.
“Eddie? You in there?” came Shakti’s unhappy voice. Eddie groaned and sat up.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Shakti stormed in the door. Her heavy footsteps were muffled by the carpet. Her leg hurt under the bandages, which were covered by her uniforms leggings.
“Where the shock were you?” she demanded, glaring at Eddie.
“What? When? I was… here. Sleeping,” Eddie said, remembering his promise of secrecy to Sham. If he was about to get chewed out, Sham’s explanation had better be damn good.
“Sleeping? Sleeping? You slept through a priority one distress call?”
“I, uh, may have… lost my communicator.”
“Lost? Lost! That’s great, Eddie. Just shocking great! The Council’s going to have my hide for this, and on top of it all, I’m going to have to tell them that one of my teammates lost a very expensive communicator?”
“Um… maybe you should start at the beginning. What happened?”
Shakti threw her arms into the air and screamed. She turned around and stormed out the way she came in. Henri appeared in the doorway and walked in a few seconds later.
“Hey, Eddie. We’re in it deep, you and me,” Henri said, smiling sheepishly.
“Why?”
“There’s been an incident. And we were both MIA.”
“Incident? You’re being as vague as Shakti.”
“The Council was attacked. We don’t know who it was, yet, but the X-Men were nowhere to be found. Or, most of us weren’t. Only Shakti and Krys showed up – they got the snot kicked out of them.”
“Ouch. I was with Sham. Where were Tim and Luna? And where were you?”
“I was in Vegas. Someone pretending to be Halloween Jack sent me a message. He said I needed to help him, or he’d make my life hell.”
“Doesn’t he do that when you do help him?”
“Well, I guess, but – anyway, nobody knows where Tim and Luna were. We’re waiting for them to check in.”
“We messed up, then?”
“Big time.”
***
Shakti sat behind the long table, leaning away from her microphone. Her eyes darted around the Halo City Council assembly hall; to the rows of chairs filled with press and concerned citizens, the high wood-paneled walls, the elaborate glass chandeliers, and, last but not least, the council bench. Nine old men and women sat behind the bench, clad in their most expensive suit. This was the council hearing of the century – best to look good for the cameras. Shakti winced – she must have looked like hell. She hadn’t had a chance to clean up since yesterday’s attack. Henri sat next to her, tapping his finger against the long wooden table. She leaned in and whispered to him.
“Did you find Tim and Luna?”
“Yes,” he whispered back. “But you’re not going to like this.”
“What?”
“Promise not to yell? We don’t need you yelling this in front of the council.”
“What the hell did they do?” she whispered harshly, trying not to look too concerned in front of the press.
“Beat up over two dozen people in a dive bar across town.”
Shakti closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She calmed herself as best she could, trying to focus on the task at hand; maintaining the X-Men’s status as the Halo City Protectorate. Tim Fitzgerald and La Lunatica would get it later.
All eyes turned to the council bench at the sound of the gavel crashing down.
“We will now bring this meeting of the Halo City Council to order,” Chairman Tanaka said in a loud, confident voice. “The first order of business on today’s agenda is Mr. Somers proposal to reorganize our police force and Protectorate force. Mr. Somers, you have the floor.”
“Thank you,” Morphine said, running a hand through his slicked-back green hair as he stood up. He placed one hand in his pocket, and the other on the table in front of him.
“We’re all familiar with yesterday’s horrible attack on the distinguished council,” he started, a sympathetic eye cast in the council’s direction. “And we can all agree that the city’s current defense proved woefully inadequate to the task of thwarting such a threat.”
“That’s not fair –” Shakti started.
“Miss Haddad!” Councilman Tanaka yelled. “You will have your say soon enough. Mr. Somers has the floor.”
Shakti sat back in her chair. She sent Henri a look that said “we’re going to be crucified.” He could not disagree.
“As I was saying,” Morphine continued, “Our current defense system is somewhat lacking, as I should think would have been obvious from the onset. A team of seven to police a whole city? At the risk of seeming rude, that’s just crazy.”
“Mr. Somers,” Councilman Murdoch interrupted, “The Protectorate was just a stopgap measure. We have been planning a police force on our own for some time.”
“Oh, to be sure,” Somers responded. “I am merely stating that this measure perhaps was not equal to the task. The X-Men were never given a mandate, a mission statement, a direction, if you will. They were given free reign to use their ample resources as they wished, and what did the city get in return for our investment? When the council was attacked, less than a third of their number showed up to do their job. Where were the remainder of your team, Miss Haddad?”
Shakti looked desperately at Henri. He gave her an apologetic, but nonetheless futile look. She was on her own.
“Henri Huang, Meanstreak, was in Las Vegas, on…” she started, looking at Henri. Henri sighed.
“Personal business,” Henri spoke up. “A friend was in need of my help.”
“Ah,” said Morphine. “Personal business. And, did you apply for leave, as dictated by Protectorate procedure?”
“Well, no,” Henri said, quietly. “It was very urgent.”
“Of course, of course,” Morphine said in a soothing voice. “And the rest of the X-Men? Where were they?”
“They were… indisposed,” Shakti said in a shaky voice.
“Indisposed? How?” Morphine demanded in a loud voice. Shakti could not respond. Her eyes begged Henri to save her, somehow. He looked away out of shame. Shakti was on her own, and she had no defense.
“Miss Haddad? An answer, please?” Chairman Tanaka said impatiently.
“I’m not sure,” Shakti answered shamefully. Morphine grinned widely.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the council – is this really the kind of organization we want protecting us? One that is not accountable for their actions or to the very people they’re supposed to be protecting? One that shirks their duty for… what? Is there a reason, Miss Haddad?”
Shakti did not respond.
“Distinguished council members, it is clear that the X-Men are not up to the task laid out before them. I have submitted my own proposal in the past, and at this time, I would like to ask the council to reconsider my offer,” Morphine finished.
The council members glanced at each other. Shakti didn’t need to hear the rest of the meeting to know what would come next.
***
“Mr. Somers? This just came in over the wire,” a short man with well-cropped hair said, placing a silver-colored datapad on the desk in front of Morphine Somers.
“What is it?” Somers responded, smoothing the wrinkles on his white suit. He stared coolly at the young man in front of him.
“There was a tussle at a warehouse in the slums. Lots of medical equipment, no medical licenses or signs of willing patients, if you get my meaning.”
“The Red Market? Damn…” Morphine stroked his chin for a few seconds, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.
“Sir?”
“Leave me. I’ll take care of this,” Morphine said, placing his hands on his desk. His assistant nodded his head and walked out the door, making sure it slid shut behind him. Morphine opened a small telescreen on his desk and tapped the button for the first contact on his list. The screen turned all black, except for white text reading
“Audio Only.” A gravelly voice demanded to know what the problem was.
“Book. This is Somers,” Morphine said. “What do you know about the Red Market’s presence in Halo City?”
“Mr. Somers, what makes you think-–”
“Don’t toy with me, Book. Just give me a straight answer -– I have things to do today.”
“Very well. They’ve been in town for a month, maybe a little more. They arrived about when I did.”
“Have you made any contact?”
“Yes.”
“I need you to set up a meeting for me.”
“Why?”
“That’s none of your concern. Tell them I wish to meet them tomorrow night, they can pick the location. And tell them that I can make it worth their time.”
“Of course. Anything else?”
“No.”
Morphine slammed the telescreen shut and folded his hands on his desk. The Red Market news would be serious, if it got out. He had to make sure it never did. In order for his victory over the X-Men to be complete, he needed to make this city feel safe – whether or not they were.
***
“What a way for this to end,” Shakti lamented, folding her arms low across her torso. Henri scratched the back of his head as Krys looked as sympathetic as she could. The trio of X-men stood on the grey concrete steps leading up to the front door of the Protectorate Wing of the Halo City Council Building. Henri and Krys had small duffel bags slung over their shoulders.
“So where is everyone? This is an ‘end-of-an-era’ moment -– it doesn’t feel right for just the three of us to be here,” Shakti said, trying to be more cheerful.
“Eddie and Rosa went to stay with the Freakshow -– she said they might be leaving town soon. Breakdown isn’t a fan of the permanent residence thing,” Henri said. “No idea where Sham ran off to. I haven’t seen her.”
“What about Tim and Luna?” Shakti asked.
“Nobody’s seen them for a while -– I’m not even sure they know we just got fired,” Krys said with a half-hearted laugh.
Shakti sighed and shook her head.
“Where are you guys staying?” she asked.
“Church of the Howling Commandments offered all of us some rooms,” Henri said. “If you want, we can help you pack and move.”
“No, I have some things to do before I leave. I’ll probably see you guys there later tonight,” Shakti said. “If you see Tim and Luna, give them fair warning.”
Henri and Krys laughed nervously, then turned and walked down the steps.
Shakti walked back into the building through glass double-doors and headed for the elevator. A thin hand covered the “up” button when she tried to press it. She followed the hand to its wrist, up the black coat sleeve, and finally to the thin face of the scoundrel to which the hand belonged.
“Get lost, Somers,” Shakti said, trying to brush his hand away from the button.
“I have an offer for you, Miss Haddad,” Morphine said, dropping his hands to his side. “And I see you’re in need of employment.”
Shakti narrowed her eyes at him.
“I don’t need any of your help.”
“Your father does.”
“Excuse me?”
“The public thinks your father died, remember? We told them that to assure them the Red Market hadn’t taken hold in the city. What would happen if the public found out that the X-Men were lying to them?”
“It’s not like you didn’t know, either.”
“True, true – you could maybe bring me down with you -– I doubt it, but it’s possible -- but what about dear old dad? What’s to stop me from, say, pulling the plug?”
“What?”
“Well, he is being kept alive in my Protectorate building, and he is legally dead already. It’s not like there’s much of a reason to keep wasting an infirmary bed on him.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“Just like I wouldn’t have loaded him with a neural bomb and detonated it to kill the Reanimator? Shakti, let’s not be coy, now. Besides, it’s not like I’m asking you to do anything you didn’t want to do already.”
“What?”
“Your old job, Protectorate Liaison to the City Council. I certainly don't want to deal with those stuffy old farts every day, getting hung up on the small details. I want you to join my Protectorate – I’ll even keep you on at your old pay rate, and you won’t even have to pack up and move anywhere. What do you say?”
“I guess I have no choice.”
“I know, but you don’t have to look so glum. We can be friends, I think,” Morphine said, placing a hand on her shoulder and suggestively raising one eyebrow. Shakti brushed aside his hand and gave him an ugly look.
“I think not.”
***
“Did you procure the tickets?” Xi’an asked, staring out from under his hood. Victor nodded his head, pulling sunglasses from his eyes with a metal hand. Xi’an looked around the dock at the workers scurrying back and forth, pushing hovercarts full of fish or crates. The dirty streets were littered with the homeless holding out empty hands to passersby, receiving only curses and insults.
“That one,” Victor said, pointing to a large, grey hulk of a vessel. “It’ll get us to Francis, Nevada. We’re on our own the rest of the way.”
“I have favors I can call in when we get stateside,” Xi’an said. “Returning to Halo City will not be a problem. I can get you where you need to go as well.”
“You’re going back to Halo?”
“Yes. I’m not sure where my destiny lies now, but I know that the X-Men figure into it. I can feel it in the fiber of my soul – it feels right when I think of myself with them.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Nothing would make me happier, but, if you don’t mind me asking, why?”
“Your journey thus far has been an interesting one, to say the least. I’ve come this far -– I won’t back down now.”
Xi’an nodded, not fighting the smile slowly spreading across his face.
***
Next Issue: "Adjusting"
“Not a chance,” Henri Huang responded, tapping a toe against the dirty concrete of the alley. Casinos and God-knows-what-other buildings arose all around them. Garbage cans and large dumpsters lined the walls, candy wrappers and empty bottles littered the ground.
“So you’re going back to your little team?” Jack said, face drooping into a sinister frown.
“Yes I am.”
“Fine. Be that way.”
Henri gave Jack a curt wave. Seconds later, though Jack could no longer see him, Henri was out of Vegas. Jack clasped his hands behind his back and strolled out of the alley, eyes fixed on Henri’s trail of dust.
“Well, if you won’t stay here…”
***
“Ow… Ow… Ow!” Krystalin Ogada yelped, recoiling from her doctor/friend, Shakti Haddad. Shakti gave Krys an apologetic look, putting down the disinfectant spray on a nearby table tray. The Protectorate medical lab had all the modern medical equipment; but modern science had only come so far in treating laser wounds.
“Sorry, Krys,” Shakti said meekly, still feeling the throbbing pain from the wound in her own leg, “I forgot to dull the pain with my powers.”
“It’s all right, Shakti. It just stings a little, that’s all,” Krys responded, nursing the area on her right arm where she had been grazed by laser fire. Her left calf was already bandaged, but she could still feel the distinctive burn of laser fire. Shakti picked up the spray and got back to work.
“And… maybe my pride’s a little wounded too,” Krys said softly. Shakti didn’t respond, instead reaching for a synthetic flesh sealant. She spread it over the wounded area on Krys’s shoulder. She wrapped a bandage over the wound and tied it off.
“Don’t worry about that, Krys. We’ll be back on our feet in no time. Just as soon as everyone gets back from –”
A small beep emanated from Shakti’s wrist gauntlet. She tapped the “receive” button, to see an angry man’s face staring at her sternly.
“Miss Haddad, your presence is required at tomorrow’s Halo City Council General Assembly meeting. We shall see you there.”
“Sure th-” Shakti started. The message was cut off before she could finish. Krys gave her a worried look.
“I’ll go with you, if you want,” she offered.
“Thanks. This probably won’t end very well for us.”
***
“I know what you are,” Xi’an Chi Xan said calmly, facing his twins in the open field of his mind’s eye. The twin clad in white turned to Xi’an with a smile. The twin in black kept his back turned to Xi’an, merely looking over his shoulder at the X-Men’s founder.
“And what do you know, exactly, whelp?” the dark one snapped.
“My hands,” Xi’an responded, pressing his fists against his chest, “You, the hand who destroys…”
Xi’an stretched his left hand towards the dark-clad double. He stretched his right hand the one dressed in white.
“…And you, the hand that heals.”
“Very good,” the light one responded, smiling.
“What I can’t figure out, however, is what you’re doing here. Why were you created?” Xi’an asked, folding one arm across his chest, resting his other elbow on that arm, and tapping his chin with the free hand. The dark twin grunted. The light twin smiled.
“We’re here because you needed us, Xi’an. You were a young mutant, with no family, in a world that would sooner see you destroyed than allow you to reach any sort of true maturity. When they came for you, you hid inside yourself, and he was created,” the light twin pointed an accusing finger at the dark one.
“Hmph. Then, when things got hard for us in the states, you hid me away and ran here, to Vietnam. Then you created that weakling to take over for you,” the dark twin snarled, “For a while there, you wised up and let me take over. We were in with the Theatre of Pain, you coward. Then you had to go and listen to that moron again. He ruined everything.”
“Ruined everything? That’s a matter of perspective, I believe,” the light twin responded calmly, “But, as you figured out on your own, your mind entered a state of turmoil. That brings us up to date.”
“So,” Xi’an started, “What now?”
“What do you think? As long as we’re around, you will never know peace,” the light twin responded.
“I see,” Xi’an said pensively, “Then to find peace, I must…”
“Yes. But you don’t have the guts. Or the power,” the dark twin growled, “You’ll never take me down.”
“Perhaps not on his own, brother. But together…,” the light twin started. He reached his hand out to Xi’an. Xi’an, still confused, grasped it. A shock of warmth and light overwhelmed him. The light twin dissolved to dust, coating Xi’an’s right arm. It glowed with power. He felt warm – more comfortable than he had been in years. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.
“Hmph. Two cowards together only make a greater coward,” the dark twin growled.
“This isn’t what I expected,” Xi’an said, “I thought I was supposed to… destroy you, or something like that.”
“Close enough, whelp. I’m a part of you, same as he was. You can’t destroy us – we’re just a part of your fractured psyche. Without us, you’ll never be whole,” the destructive twin snapped.
“If it will make us whole, why are you resisting?”
“Why would I want to join with the likes of you? You’re an indecisive weakling, and he was nothing but a spineless coward. I want nothing to do with you.”
“I suppose I’ll have to take you back by force, then?”
“Like you could.”
***
“So, no go?” Eddie Van Beethoven asked, stomping through the doorway to the main computer terminal. Sham shrugged, turning off the last monitor in the room as the archive-deletion program ran its course. Eddie’s eyes fell on the three men sprawled out on the floor.
“Are they…?” he started.
“No, they’re alive. I distracted them with an illusion, then hit them over the head with this.”
She held up an iron bar. Eddie raised one eyebrow.
“Where did you get that?”
“It was just on the ground along the way,” she responded as casually as she could. Eddie nodded.
“Did you find what you were looking for, Sham?”
“No,” she responded hesitantly, “I didn’t find anything.”
“Can I ask what we were looking for, yet?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re back safe at HQ. The Red Market could be sending reinforcements as we speak.”
“Good thinking,” Eddie said ponderously. “We’d better hurry. I’m curious to hear what this is all about.”
As the metal giant turned around, Sham let out a sigh of relief. She hated lying to a friend – especially one as trusting as Eddie. She dispersed the illusory metal bar in her hand and stepped out the door after him. She took one last look behind her at the men left on the floor, and felt glad it was hard to see that their heads were turned around with those goofy helmets on. She left the room telling herself she was doing this for Quiver – it would all be fine as long as the X-Men never found out…
***
Xi’an shifted his weight to his back foot and raised his open palms toward his darker half. The dark Xi’an let out a blood curdling scream as he launched himself at his enemy. Xi’an dodged to his left, raising his knee into his charging opponent’s stomach.
The double roared and righted himself in midair, landing on his feet. He swung his foot in a high arc. Xi’an ducked and rolled to the side. Launching himself into a somersault kick, he caught his dark half under the chin.
As soon as the double hit the ground, he vaulted back to his feet and swung a heavy fist at Xi’an’s head. Xi’an caught the punch in his hand and smiled.
“Got you.”
The double screamed in agony as his body twisted and compacted into a single, swirling stream of ether, flowing into the center of Xi’an’s palms. A rush of air filled his lungs, pushing its way out through his mouth.
His eyes burst open, and he gasped for air. The remains of the temple floor spread out before him, the sun beat down on him through the holes in the roof. Xi’an fell over on his side, exhausted.
“Are you all right?” Victor Ten Eagles asked, placing a metal hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“More than I’ve ever been, I think,” Xi’an responded, smiling. “Just a little tired.”
***
“Um, hi, guys. The front desk said you two would be in the infirmary,” Henri said quietly, opening the door as quietly as he could. Krystalin and Shakti sat on medical beds in silence. Shakti was facing away from him, but she looked at him over her shoulder.
“You,” Shakti snarled. Krys gave him a sympathetic shrug – no way was she getting in the way of this meltdown.
“Now, before you explode, to be fair –”
“What in the shock were you thinking?! We have responsibilities now! You can’t just run off –”
“I sent an e-mail!”
“So? We needed you here! The Protectorate was attacked while you were away, and only Krys and I were here to deal with it. We got our butts kicked – Morphine showed us up with his own team. You know he’s out to take our jobs, and this is exactly what he needs to put us away!”
“I’m sorry, really, but it wasn’t my fault.”
“If this isn’t the single greatest explanation in the history of mankind, you are in for a world of hurt.”
“I got a message from Jack saying he needed my help, and if I didn’t go down to Vegas to help him, he’d bring his troubles to me, here in Halo City. So I went down there, found him, and got home as fast as I could, just like he asked – except, he didn’t send any message.”
Shakti’s face turned into an ugly, disbelieving frown.
“What?” she said sourly.
“I think someone played us, Shak.”
Shakti lowered her head and groaned.
“We are so screwed,” she mumbled. “Do you have any idea who could have sent that message?”
“We’ve always been short on friends,” Henri said. “But since we’ve taken over as Protectorate, I have no idea how many people might be after us. Outside forces, factions within the city, old bad guys – there’s no shortage of people who have something to gain by taking us down.”
“There’s a Council meeting tomorrow,” Shakti said. “I’d like you to come with me, to try and smooth things over. People seem to like you.”
“Sure thing. So – uh – what exactly happened to you guys?”
“Nutjobs with lasers shot us up,” Krys interrupted.
“Ouch.”
***
Eddie put a heavy hand on the doorway as he stamped towards the couch in the middle of the common room of his apartment. He called out to Rosa, and, getting no response, assumed she was still out for the day. He slumped down on the couch, first, then fell over on his side, and pulled his feet up after him. Stretching, he yawned loudly and felt his eyes start to close.
“Eddie? You in there?” came Shakti’s unhappy voice. Eddie groaned and sat up.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Shakti stormed in the door. Her heavy footsteps were muffled by the carpet. Her leg hurt under the bandages, which were covered by her uniforms leggings.
“Where the shock were you?” she demanded, glaring at Eddie.
“What? When? I was… here. Sleeping,” Eddie said, remembering his promise of secrecy to Sham. If he was about to get chewed out, Sham’s explanation had better be damn good.
“Sleeping? Sleeping? You slept through a priority one distress call?”
“I, uh, may have… lost my communicator.”
“Lost? Lost! That’s great, Eddie. Just shocking great! The Council’s going to have my hide for this, and on top of it all, I’m going to have to tell them that one of my teammates lost a very expensive communicator?”
“Um… maybe you should start at the beginning. What happened?”
Shakti threw her arms into the air and screamed. She turned around and stormed out the way she came in. Henri appeared in the doorway and walked in a few seconds later.
“Hey, Eddie. We’re in it deep, you and me,” Henri said, smiling sheepishly.
“Why?”
“There’s been an incident. And we were both MIA.”
“Incident? You’re being as vague as Shakti.”
“The Council was attacked. We don’t know who it was, yet, but the X-Men were nowhere to be found. Or, most of us weren’t. Only Shakti and Krys showed up – they got the snot kicked out of them.”
“Ouch. I was with Sham. Where were Tim and Luna? And where were you?”
“I was in Vegas. Someone pretending to be Halloween Jack sent me a message. He said I needed to help him, or he’d make my life hell.”
“Doesn’t he do that when you do help him?”
“Well, I guess, but – anyway, nobody knows where Tim and Luna were. We’re waiting for them to check in.”
“We messed up, then?”
“Big time.”
***
Shakti sat behind the long table, leaning away from her microphone. Her eyes darted around the Halo City Council assembly hall; to the rows of chairs filled with press and concerned citizens, the high wood-paneled walls, the elaborate glass chandeliers, and, last but not least, the council bench. Nine old men and women sat behind the bench, clad in their most expensive suit. This was the council hearing of the century – best to look good for the cameras. Shakti winced – she must have looked like hell. She hadn’t had a chance to clean up since yesterday’s attack. Henri sat next to her, tapping his finger against the long wooden table. She leaned in and whispered to him.
“Did you find Tim and Luna?”
“Yes,” he whispered back. “But you’re not going to like this.”
“What?”
“Promise not to yell? We don’t need you yelling this in front of the council.”
“What the hell did they do?” she whispered harshly, trying not to look too concerned in front of the press.
“Beat up over two dozen people in a dive bar across town.”
Shakti closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She calmed herself as best she could, trying to focus on the task at hand; maintaining the X-Men’s status as the Halo City Protectorate. Tim Fitzgerald and La Lunatica would get it later.
All eyes turned to the council bench at the sound of the gavel crashing down.
“We will now bring this meeting of the Halo City Council to order,” Chairman Tanaka said in a loud, confident voice. “The first order of business on today’s agenda is Mr. Somers proposal to reorganize our police force and Protectorate force. Mr. Somers, you have the floor.”
“Thank you,” Morphine said, running a hand through his slicked-back green hair as he stood up. He placed one hand in his pocket, and the other on the table in front of him.
“We’re all familiar with yesterday’s horrible attack on the distinguished council,” he started, a sympathetic eye cast in the council’s direction. “And we can all agree that the city’s current defense proved woefully inadequate to the task of thwarting such a threat.”
“That’s not fair –” Shakti started.
“Miss Haddad!” Councilman Tanaka yelled. “You will have your say soon enough. Mr. Somers has the floor.”
Shakti sat back in her chair. She sent Henri a look that said “we’re going to be crucified.” He could not disagree.
“As I was saying,” Morphine continued, “Our current defense system is somewhat lacking, as I should think would have been obvious from the onset. A team of seven to police a whole city? At the risk of seeming rude, that’s just crazy.”
“Mr. Somers,” Councilman Murdoch interrupted, “The Protectorate was just a stopgap measure. We have been planning a police force on our own for some time.”
“Oh, to be sure,” Somers responded. “I am merely stating that this measure perhaps was not equal to the task. The X-Men were never given a mandate, a mission statement, a direction, if you will. They were given free reign to use their ample resources as they wished, and what did the city get in return for our investment? When the council was attacked, less than a third of their number showed up to do their job. Where were the remainder of your team, Miss Haddad?”
Shakti looked desperately at Henri. He gave her an apologetic, but nonetheless futile look. She was on her own.
“Henri Huang, Meanstreak, was in Las Vegas, on…” she started, looking at Henri. Henri sighed.
“Personal business,” Henri spoke up. “A friend was in need of my help.”
“Ah,” said Morphine. “Personal business. And, did you apply for leave, as dictated by Protectorate procedure?”
“Well, no,” Henri said, quietly. “It was very urgent.”
“Of course, of course,” Morphine said in a soothing voice. “And the rest of the X-Men? Where were they?”
“They were… indisposed,” Shakti said in a shaky voice.
“Indisposed? How?” Morphine demanded in a loud voice. Shakti could not respond. Her eyes begged Henri to save her, somehow. He looked away out of shame. Shakti was on her own, and she had no defense.
“Miss Haddad? An answer, please?” Chairman Tanaka said impatiently.
“I’m not sure,” Shakti answered shamefully. Morphine grinned widely.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the council – is this really the kind of organization we want protecting us? One that is not accountable for their actions or to the very people they’re supposed to be protecting? One that shirks their duty for… what? Is there a reason, Miss Haddad?”
Shakti did not respond.
“Distinguished council members, it is clear that the X-Men are not up to the task laid out before them. I have submitted my own proposal in the past, and at this time, I would like to ask the council to reconsider my offer,” Morphine finished.
The council members glanced at each other. Shakti didn’t need to hear the rest of the meeting to know what would come next.
***
“Mr. Somers? This just came in over the wire,” a short man with well-cropped hair said, placing a silver-colored datapad on the desk in front of Morphine Somers.
“What is it?” Somers responded, smoothing the wrinkles on his white suit. He stared coolly at the young man in front of him.
“There was a tussle at a warehouse in the slums. Lots of medical equipment, no medical licenses or signs of willing patients, if you get my meaning.”
“The Red Market? Damn…” Morphine stroked his chin for a few seconds, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.
“Sir?”
“Leave me. I’ll take care of this,” Morphine said, placing his hands on his desk. His assistant nodded his head and walked out the door, making sure it slid shut behind him. Morphine opened a small telescreen on his desk and tapped the button for the first contact on his list. The screen turned all black, except for white text reading
“Audio Only.” A gravelly voice demanded to know what the problem was.
“Book. This is Somers,” Morphine said. “What do you know about the Red Market’s presence in Halo City?”
“Mr. Somers, what makes you think-–”
“Don’t toy with me, Book. Just give me a straight answer -– I have things to do today.”
“Very well. They’ve been in town for a month, maybe a little more. They arrived about when I did.”
“Have you made any contact?”
“Yes.”
“I need you to set up a meeting for me.”
“Why?”
“That’s none of your concern. Tell them I wish to meet them tomorrow night, they can pick the location. And tell them that I can make it worth their time.”
“Of course. Anything else?”
“No.”
Morphine slammed the telescreen shut and folded his hands on his desk. The Red Market news would be serious, if it got out. He had to make sure it never did. In order for his victory over the X-Men to be complete, he needed to make this city feel safe – whether or not they were.
***
“What a way for this to end,” Shakti lamented, folding her arms low across her torso. Henri scratched the back of his head as Krys looked as sympathetic as she could. The trio of X-men stood on the grey concrete steps leading up to the front door of the Protectorate Wing of the Halo City Council Building. Henri and Krys had small duffel bags slung over their shoulders.
“So where is everyone? This is an ‘end-of-an-era’ moment -– it doesn’t feel right for just the three of us to be here,” Shakti said, trying to be more cheerful.
“Eddie and Rosa went to stay with the Freakshow -– she said they might be leaving town soon. Breakdown isn’t a fan of the permanent residence thing,” Henri said. “No idea where Sham ran off to. I haven’t seen her.”
“What about Tim and Luna?” Shakti asked.
“Nobody’s seen them for a while -– I’m not even sure they know we just got fired,” Krys said with a half-hearted laugh.
Shakti sighed and shook her head.
“Where are you guys staying?” she asked.
“Church of the Howling Commandments offered all of us some rooms,” Henri said. “If you want, we can help you pack and move.”
“No, I have some things to do before I leave. I’ll probably see you guys there later tonight,” Shakti said. “If you see Tim and Luna, give them fair warning.”
Henri and Krys laughed nervously, then turned and walked down the steps.
Shakti walked back into the building through glass double-doors and headed for the elevator. A thin hand covered the “up” button when she tried to press it. She followed the hand to its wrist, up the black coat sleeve, and finally to the thin face of the scoundrel to which the hand belonged.
“Get lost, Somers,” Shakti said, trying to brush his hand away from the button.
“I have an offer for you, Miss Haddad,” Morphine said, dropping his hands to his side. “And I see you’re in need of employment.”
Shakti narrowed her eyes at him.
“I don’t need any of your help.”
“Your father does.”
“Excuse me?”
“The public thinks your father died, remember? We told them that to assure them the Red Market hadn’t taken hold in the city. What would happen if the public found out that the X-Men were lying to them?”
“It’s not like you didn’t know, either.”
“True, true – you could maybe bring me down with you -– I doubt it, but it’s possible -- but what about dear old dad? What’s to stop me from, say, pulling the plug?”
“What?”
“Well, he is being kept alive in my Protectorate building, and he is legally dead already. It’s not like there’s much of a reason to keep wasting an infirmary bed on him.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“Just like I wouldn’t have loaded him with a neural bomb and detonated it to kill the Reanimator? Shakti, let’s not be coy, now. Besides, it’s not like I’m asking you to do anything you didn’t want to do already.”
“What?”
“Your old job, Protectorate Liaison to the City Council. I certainly don't want to deal with those stuffy old farts every day, getting hung up on the small details. I want you to join my Protectorate – I’ll even keep you on at your old pay rate, and you won’t even have to pack up and move anywhere. What do you say?”
“I guess I have no choice.”
“I know, but you don’t have to look so glum. We can be friends, I think,” Morphine said, placing a hand on her shoulder and suggestively raising one eyebrow. Shakti brushed aside his hand and gave him an ugly look.
“I think not.”
***
“Did you procure the tickets?” Xi’an asked, staring out from under his hood. Victor nodded his head, pulling sunglasses from his eyes with a metal hand. Xi’an looked around the dock at the workers scurrying back and forth, pushing hovercarts full of fish or crates. The dirty streets were littered with the homeless holding out empty hands to passersby, receiving only curses and insults.
“That one,” Victor said, pointing to a large, grey hulk of a vessel. “It’ll get us to Francis, Nevada. We’re on our own the rest of the way.”
“I have favors I can call in when we get stateside,” Xi’an said. “Returning to Halo City will not be a problem. I can get you where you need to go as well.”
“You’re going back to Halo?”
“Yes. I’m not sure where my destiny lies now, but I know that the X-Men figure into it. I can feel it in the fiber of my soul – it feels right when I think of myself with them.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Nothing would make me happier, but, if you don’t mind me asking, why?”
“Your journey thus far has been an interesting one, to say the least. I’ve come this far -– I won’t back down now.”
Xi’an nodded, not fighting the smile slowly spreading across his face.
***
Next Issue: "Adjusting"