Henri Huang yawned and stretched his arms as he descended the stairs into the sanctuary of the convent of the Sisters of the Howling Commandments. Despite the burden of losing his job in the Halo City Protectorate the day before, he had slept well in the soft bed provided for him in the convent’s guest room. As he entered the sanctuary, he saw three familiar faces sitting in a pew a few rows from the back.
“Xi’an! Victor! When did you two get back?” Henri said, smiling. “And, for that matter, where have you been?”
Xi’an returned Henri’s smile and rose to greet his friend properly. The two gripped each others’ hand firmly and gave a hearty shake.
“I’ve been in Vietnam, sorting myself out, Henri. It wasn’t easy, but I feel… like myself,” Xi’an said, motioning for Henri to have a seat with the others. “Victor came with me.”
“I sort of figured that part out,” Henri joked, chuckling. “But it’s good to see you’re OK. Nice to know someone is.”
“Krys was just telling us about some sort of trouble for you guys,” Victor said. “Come to think of it, why are you two staying here? Why aren’t you at the Protectorate building?”
“Oh, uh… we got fired. Long story short, no one was around when the city council was under attack, and Morphine had us replaced with his own mutant Protectorate,” Henri said. “We really screwed the pooch on this one.”
“That may be a little unfair, I think,” Xi’an said. “What were you doing when this was all happening?”
“I was in Vegas. Someone sent a fake distress call and pretended to be Halloween Jack, and I had to go down there and help him to stop whatever trouble he was supposed to be in from coming back to Halo City,” Henri explained.
“Halloween who?” Victor asked.
“Green guy, really flexible, shape-changer? Used to be a friend of mine in high school and college. Long story,” Henri muttered.
“What about you, Krys?” Victor asked.
“Oh, I was here. And so was Shakti – we were the only two who responded to the council’s distress call. We got our butts kicked,” she laughed nervously.
“Speaking of which,” Henri interjected, “Shak said she would be stopping by the convent, didn’t she? Have you guys seen her?”
“Haven’t heard from her, now that you mention it,” Krys responded. “Maybe she got hung up with something back at the Protectorate building. It’s probably nothing.”
Henri grunted and shifted in his seat. The group sat in silence for several seconds.
“So, what are you all going to do now?” Xi’an asked, breaking the quiet.
“Not sure, myself,” Henri said. “I know Eddie’s gone back to stay with Rosa’s family, the Freakshow. Sham, Tim, and Luna seem to have disappeared altogether, Krys and I are here, and Shakti should be here soon. That’s about the size of it. What are you going to do?”
“Well, I came home to lead the X-Men, but it appears I may be too late,” Xi’an smirked. “Ah, well, I’m sure we can work something out. Has anyone heard from Bloodhawk recently?”
***
Ugly concrete pipes spewed sludgy brown filth into the once pristine waters of his home. Bloodhawk was not amused. He took the high-powered binoculars from his eyes and placed them into the grey pouch slung over his shoulder. He fumbled around in the bag, looking for grenades or some sort of explosives. Empty. Bloodhawk growled under his breath.
The sign plastered on the garbage-spewing “waste management” plant read “Halo City Waste Solutions.”
“Hmph. Solutions,” Bloodhawk growled to himself. “When did ruining other peoples’ homes become a ‘solution’ for waste?”
Bloodhawk spread his wings and took to the air.
“I will return,” Bloodhawk said to the waste plant. “And when I do, I will be loaded down with high explosive. Then, you will know the wrath of the desert.”
***
“Breakdown thinks we should be moving on soon,” Rosa said, cradling her young son Joaquim in her arms. Eddie reclined on the dirt in front of the Freakshow’s mobile headquarters; a beat-up old trailer hitched to and even more beat-up old truck.
“The whole family’s in there, deciding where they want to go. Mama Hurricane wants to head back towards Texas; says there’s something she needs to finish before she goes.”
“Goes where?” Eddie asked, scratching his glistening silver head.
“She’s just being dramatic,” Rosa laughed. “It’s just something she wants to do before she… she…”
“Ah. I get it. She should go happy, at least – not that she’s going anywhere, in the sense of passing away, which she probably isn’t in danger of. Probably definitely, I mean,” Eddie stuttered. Rosa laughed nervously.
“Don’t worry Eddie. I know you mean well. It’s just not something I like to think about, you know? She’s been like a mother to me. It’s just hard to imagine life without her; do you know what I mean?”
“I guess.”
“We’ve never really talked about your parents, Eddie.”
“Yeah. I don’t remember much about them anyway. I was sent off to the dance academy pretty early, then they disowned me when they found out I was a mutant. End of story.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that,” Rosa said.
“Probably. I don’t want to talk about it, though. Gets me all misty-eyed,” Eddie laughed. “Let’s go see what the rest of your family is up to. Maybe find out where in Texas we’re headed, because I’m not heading anywhere near New Hope. Not after that whole Foolkiller fiasco – don’t want to run into a whole town of those crazy shockheads.”
Eddie laughed nervously and rose to his feet. Rosa looked at him suspiciously and shook her head as she followed him to the trailer.
***
“Mr. Somers. How nice to finally meet you,” a short, black-suited man said, peering over the rims of expensive-looking sunglasses. Morphine returned the gesture with a slight bow before sitting down at his desk. He glanced around his office, noticing the two large bodyguards accompanying the Red Market representative.
“Nice to meet you as well, Mr…?” Morphine started.
“Just call me Mr. R for now. We’ll see how things go from here,” the man said, tilting his head to the right. “But tell me, Mr. Somers, what can the Red Market do for you?”
“It’s more what we can do for each other,” Morphine responded with a smile, rising from his seat. He closed the blinds of his office, leaving only the light of dimmed glow panels.
“Oh? And what might that be?” Mr. R responded gladly.
“As you know, I have recently been appointed head of the Halo City Security Initiative – the police force, the Protectorate, etc. – a job that comes with certain responsibilities. One of these responsibilities includes keeping the general public safe – or, you know, at least making them feel that way,” the green-haired mutant began as he paced back and forth in front of his desk. Mr. R, seated in a leather chair in the center of the room, nodded his head.
“And where do I come in, then?”
“Well, when people pay their taxes, they expect these things from their police force – from me, essentially, and I aim to meet those expectations. However, these expectations do not extend to certain, less desirable, and, more importantly, less vocal elements,” Morphine continued, taking a seat behind his desk and folding his hands in his lap. Mr. R raised one eyebrow.
“Less vocal, you say?” Mr. R questioned, “Mr. Somers, what exactly are you getting at?”
“Very well. I am prepared to make a deal, Mr. R. I am willing to give you free reign of the degens and decreds living on the streets of Halo City, so long as you leave the taxpayers and upper echelons of our bureaucracy alone. Now, before you answer, consider: Halo City is the destination of hundreds of thousands of the displaced, disenfranchised, and destitute from all over the country. Many of them are penniless, but nonetheless healthy. There is a rich, renewable pool of resources for your particular – ah – business ventures. And it can all be yours, provided you play by my rules.”
Mr. R smiled and tapped his index finger on his left knee. He rose to his feet and held his hand out to Morphine.
“I will report all this to my superiors. We’ll be in contact through our mutual friend when we have an answer,” Mr. R said politely. Morphine took the man’s hand.
“I look forward to it.”
***
“Wow. I’ve never seen the Protectorate HQ before now,” Victor remarked. “But that is one impressive-looking building.”
“You should see the inside,” Henri joked with a smile. “Now come on. Let’s see if we can’t find Shakti.”
The quartet, rounded out by Xi’an and Krystalin, ascended the steps leading up to the giant double-doors leading to the Protectorate wing of the Halo City Council Building. Once inside, an automated greeting system booted up on the vidscreens on the lobby wall.
“Greetings, Henri Huang,” the system said in a cool, female voice, “You are not currently on the appointment list for today. What is the purpose of your visit?”
“My friends and I are here to find Shakti Haddad. Do you know where she went after she left?” Henri asked.
“One moment, please,” the system responded. The screen switched to a blue background with white text reading “Please wait.” After a few seconds, the smooth face of the greeting program reappeared.
“Miss Haddad never left, Mr. Huang. She is in her office. Shall I page her for you?”
“Never left? That’s weird. But, yes, can you please page her for us? We need to speak to her,” Henri said, shrugging his shoulders at his companions.
“One moment please… Miss Haddad has cleared you to proceed to her office. It is located –”
“I know the way,” Henri said, walking towards the elevator. His companions followed, and they followed him into the elevator in silence. At their floor, the quartet exited the elevator and walked down the hall to Shakti’s office.
“Shak? You in?” Krystalin called into the open doorway. Leaning her head inside, she saw Shakti sitting at her desk. Krys couldn’t see a single moving box, and everything seemed to be in the same place it had been the day before.
“Uh, you know you had to move out by now, right?” Krys asked, leading the quartet of visitors into Shakti’s office.
“I’m not leaving. I’m… staying on with Morphine,” Shakti said quietly. A silence fell over the room. Henri and Krys shot each other confused glances.
“Huh?” Henri said, breaking the silence.
“He wants me to handle the Council for him, and he’s using my dad to blackmail me into it,” Shakti explained. “I really didn’t know what else to do.”
“You could try letting that ratbiter kick the bucket,” Henri said scornfully, “He’s brain-dead, Shak. Even if he wasn’t the biggest bastard who ever lived, there’s really no point in keeping him alive anyway. There’s no one home, Shak. He’s already dead, and he was never worth… degrading yourself like this to begin with.”
“How compassionate,” she said, scowling. “This is my decision, and I’ve made it in the way I feel I have to.”
Henri threw his arms into the air. Xi’an stepped forward, and around the desk. He put an arm on Shakti’s shoulder.
“We understand, Shakti, and we support you. Don’t worry about Henri, you know how he gets.” Xi’an smiled, and Henri shrugged the comment off. “But, if you ever need anyone to talk to, don’t forget that we’re here.”
“Thank you, now, if you’ll all excuse me, I have a lot of work,” Shakti said. The visitors turned to leave, waving goodbye as they exited the door.
“Henri, could you wait a sec,” Shakti called. Henri stopped at the door, telling his companions he would meet them back at the convent. He walked to the chairs in front of Shakti’s desk and took a seat.
“What’s up?”
“I need help with all this crap. Morphine’s putting more paperwork through than we ever did in an effort to play nice with the Council, but I just can’t keep up. He’s okayed an assistant for me, and I want it to be you,” Shakti said seriously.
“I don’t know… I don’t trust that guy –”
“And I do? Look, Henri, I’m all alone, here. I need help, someone I can trust, someone familiar. We both know Morphine won’t keep clean for long, and I need someone to help me keep an eye on all these guys he’s brought in for his protectorate. I can’t find a single file on any of them.”
Henri sighed.
“Fine,” he said, finally. “When do I start?”
***
“It looks like there’s something on your mind, Xi’an,” Victor asked as he walked beside his friend down a busy sidewalk leading away from Halo City’s council building. The clean streets and well-dressed citizens passing the duo by surprised Victor, who had rarely ventured outside of the slums surrounding the convent.
“The situation in this city disturbs me. Morphine has always been a… shady individual, and his actions recently puzzle me. I was far too busy wallowing in my own self-imposed misery to pay much attention to it before, but since clearing my head in Vietnam I have been catching up on Morphine’s actions. I am not certain why – perhaps it is the situation with Shakti – but I have a strange feeling of dread when I consider the situation this city is in with a man like him in power,” Xi’an responded.
“How do you mean?”
“As I said, I am uncertain. However, I believe that the X-Men can still play a part in this city’s future. Perhaps not as a part of the bureaucracy, but as more of an ideal. We would play the part of conscience in this city, for lack of a better word.”
“We? I assume you’re counting yourself, but…”
“Yes, my friend. I would be honored if you would join us. It occurs to me that Xavier’s teachings preached harmony between mutants and humans; it only makes sense that any group dedicated to his ideals be comprised of members of both species,” Xi’an said very matter-of-factly. Victor chuckled softly and sighed.
“You’ve convinced me. What do we do now?” Victor asked.
“Gather some support of various types. We’ll start with some current X-Men, and then I have a few ideas for recruiting outside the fold,” Xi’an said with an almost fiendish smile. “And then I suppose we can begin.”
“Begin what?”
“What I set out to do the first time I formed the X-Men – save the world in spite of itself.”
***
“Mmmmmwhere’re we?” Timothy Fitzgerald slurred, rolling over on the bed and propping himself up on his left arm. Dirty sheets clung to his body as he rubbed his eyes, clearing them just in time to see La Lunatica step out from a doorway onto a stained and ragged carpet.
“Ugh – somewhere we’re never coming back to,” Luna responded scornfully. “I think it’s called the Morlock Motel. Disgusting.”
“Eh, we’ve been in worse – whoa. Is that a cockroach or a – no. It’s moving. That’s a roach. Damn that thing’s huge. Yeah, we’re never coming back,” Tim agreed, swinging his legs out of the bed. “Hey, where’re my pants? I thought I had them on last night.”
“They’re over by the dresser,” she said. “While you’re over there, turn on the newsfeed. I need some noise to help me wake up.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tim said, strolling across the room to where he could see his black and blue uniform crumpled behind the dresser. He stopped before picking the suit up to turn on the TV.
“Again, today’s top story, the X-Men are ousted as Halo’s Protectorate after a massive security failure days ago. Taking over for the controversial team is a squad handpicked by former mayor Morphine Somers…”
“Luna? Did you-”
“I heard. What do you make of that?”
“I dunno. We should try and find everyone to sort this out.”
“Where do you think they’ll be?”
“Let’s try that place with the crazy gun-toting sisters where Xi’an used to hang out.”
“Sounds good. Pants up and let’s go.”
***
“Xi’an! You’re back!” Tim said, excitedly, hurrying down the aisle of the convent’s chapel. Xi’an smiled at his former teammate as he passed rows of pews and held out his hand. Xi’an took it with a widening smile.
“It is good to see you, Timothy, Luna,” Xi’an said, nodding slightly coolly at the latter.
“So what’s this we hear about a shakeup in the Protectorate thing?” Tim asked, wasting no time.
“Yes, I believe it has something to do with an attack on the council for which few of the X-Men managed to arrive in time-” Xi’an started.
“Or at all,” a stern, female voice reprimanded from behind the altar. The trio of mutants looked in the direction of the voice to see Krystalin standing in the doorway leading the staircase, hands on hips and an angry expression plastered on her face.
“Where the shock did you two delinquents run off to and why were your comms off? Shakti and I were almost killed – thanks to you, we actually owe our lives to that green-haired scumbag. Do you have any idea how degrading that is?” she asked, furious.
“We, uh, were doing… uh,” Tim stumbled. Luna merely shrugged her shoulders.
“We were otherwise occupied. Not our fault you can’t hold the fort by yourselves,” Luna said, nonchalant. Krys made a fist and stepped forward, but Xi’an held up a hand to stay her.
“Calm down, Krystalin. Timothy is perhaps not completely in control of himself at the moment, despite what he may feel. And Luna… let’s just move on,” Xi’an said calmly. “What matters now is that the X-Men –what little of them there are – seem to be homeless and purposeless. I’d like to do something about both problems, if you’ll hear me out.”
Tim nodded assent, Luna merely grunted.
“I’d like a fresh start for the X-Men,” Xi’an began, “with a renewed dedication to our original ideals of harmony. I’d like for us to be a force for good in community here in Halo City – fighting for civil rights, cleaning up the low-to-no-income areas, that sort of thing – through political action.”
“Then what are we letting the dregs on the team for?” Krys grunted, nodding towards Tim and Luna.
“Everyone I plan to invite will have their part to play,” Xi’an said coldly, turning a narrowed eye to Krys, “and we will all treat each other as equals, to set an example for all of those we hope to reach with our message. But for that to happen, we must all be willing to forget the more… unsavory parts of our pasts together. Can you do that?”
Xi’an thrust his fist in front of him, and glanced at Victor, who had been standing off to the side. Victor smiled and placed his hand atop Xi’an’s, and the pair glanced at the remaining candidates in the room.
Tim sighed and put his hand on the pile. “I’m in,” he said, nodding towards the joined hands and looking at Luna. “Come on toots. You too.”
Luna placed her hand on the pile, and all eyes turned to Krys. She threw her hands in the air and sighed dispassionately.
“Fine,” she said. “If only to keep an eye on those two.”
“Excellent,” Xi’an said. “One more, and we’ll be ready to begin.”
“One more?” Victor said. “Who, and where do we find them?”
“If their security reports are any indication, the Halo City Waste Solutions plant would be a good place to start,” Xi’an said with a smile.
***
“I don’t see anyone, Xi’an,” Victor said, placing a hand on his brow to block out the setting sun. The X-Men stood atop a sandy hill overlooking the Halo City Waste Solutions plant. Each one was looking in a different direction.
“Patience, old friend. Security footage taken on-site shows that he’s been doing fly-bys around this time for the past few days,” Xi’an responded, straining his eyes to see farther. “Wait… there!”
Xi’an pointed to the horizon, where the assembled X-Men could barely make out a winged figure approaching them in the distance. As he drew closer, the X-Men began to recognize the scaly, red, grenade-laden hide of…
“Bloodhawk!?” Tim blurted out. “You’re letting a crazy person on the team?”
“He already let in two,” Krys quipped. Tim and Luna glared at her. Luna made a fist and took a step toward Krystalin.
“Enough,” Xi’an said coolly, “Try to get his attention.”
Xi’an walked toward the flying mutant and began waving his arms in the air, but there was no noticeable change in Bloodhawk’s direction; he was heading straight for the waste management plant.
“I’ve got an idea,” Tim said, stepping in front of Xi’an. He began to glow a dull green at first, before erupting into a violent flash of bright green plasma.
“Good work, Tim. That got his attention,” Xi’an said, smiling.
“Pssh – They probably saw that one in orbit, man,” Tim responded with a laugh.
“He’s heading this way, at any rate,” Victor interjected. “And forgive me for saying so, but he doesn’t seem overly friendly – hey, is that the guy that kept chucking grenades during that fight with the Foolkiller? I didn’t recognize him from afar, but - you’re inviting him to the team?”
“Yes. I believe that he can do more good with us than against us,” Xi’an said. “Now, let me do all the talking.”
Bloodhawk floated to the ground in front of the X-Men with one final, strong flap of his wings. Xi’an smiled and held out a hand as he walked toward Bloodhawk. The scaly mutant refused the offer, instead crossing his arms over his chest.
“What are you doing here, mutants?” Bloodhawk said. Xi’an lowered his hand.
“We’re here to make you an offer. I want you to join us,” Xi’an offered. “I think we can do more good together than we can separately.”
“What? How joining your crusade for mutant rights help save the earth? I don’t care what you say, I-”
“Hear me out, Bloodhawk. Alone, you can do very little to save this desert. You can maybe stop, what, one or two ecological offenders a week, but what then? There will be more, so long as there are no laws forbidding it. The only thing currently dissuading more from springing up right now is the threat you pose – which, unfortunately, many of them will see as negligible. Your job will never be done, your home never safe,” Xi’an explained, clasping his hands behind his back.
“And what do you propose to do differently, mutant?” Bloodhawk snarled.
“Come with me; meet with the Halo City Council with me. Together, we could convince them to enact new ecologically safe waste disposal regulations with stricter punishments that would force companies to be more mindful of the environment.”
“Interesting. And what would you want in return?” Bloodhawk asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Just your membership with the X-Men, friend. We have a new mission, a new message to spread. We are attempting to unite humans and mutants of all creeds to make the world a little better place to live. Having you on our side would strongly reinforce that message,” Xi’an said with a smile. Bloodhawk rubbed his chin for a moment, before staring Xi’an in the eyes.
“I will join you for the time being,” Bloodhawk said, reverting to his human form. He held out a hand, and Xi’an grasped it. The two shook hands, and Xi’an turned to face the remainder of his team.
“Ladies, gentlemen… welcome, all of you, to the new X-Men!” Xi’an proclaimed.
***
Eddie van Beethoven whistled a tune he remembered from he-didn’t-know-where as he lifted boxes into the cargo hold of the Freakshow’s hovertruck. The sun glinted off of his iron skin as he worked in the only vacant lot in the Dead Alley district of Halo City that saw any daylight. Soft footsteps behind him made him turn around. A short, red mutate with inquisitive, buggy eyes looked up at him.
“Dominic! You almost scared me,” Eddie said. “What’s up, sport?”
“Dominic is supposed to tell you that Freakshow is leaving in an hour,” the child said. “Mama told Dominic to tell you.”
“Thanks, kiddo. Where we going?” Eddie asked.
“It’s somewhere called Bear Fort, in Texas, I think,” a soft, feminine voice called from the hovertruck’s side entrance.
“Rosa! I thought you were putting Joaquim to sleep,” Eddie said, walking toward Rosa and putting an arm around her. “I guess he fell asleep pretty qui- wait, did you say Bear Fort?”
“Yeah. Mama Hurricane says she needs to set something right with some rich guy she knows there. Why? Is there a problem?” Rosa asked. Eddie smiled sheepishly and took his arm off Rosa. He walked back to the boxes and lifted one up.
“Well, I had better get back to work,” Eddie said with a nervous laugh. “We’re leaving soon, after all.”
“Hon, is something wrong? You’re acting weird,” Rosa said, looking at Eddie with a puzzled expression. Eddie brought the box to the cargo hold and placed it inside.
“No, nothing wrong at all, Rosa. I had just better finish up here so we can leave on time, is all. You two can go back inside, if you want. I’d better focus on moving this stuff, anyway,” Eddie explained, forcing a smile. Rosa, lifted an eyebrow, and took Dominic’s hand. She led him inside with promises of chocolate milk and cartoons. Before going inside, Rosa looked over her shoulder at her lover. He did not return her gaze as his insincere smile drooped to a concerned frown.
***
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: I’m sorry
Dear Eddie,
I’m sorry about what happened when we broke into that Red Market safehouse the other night. By now, you’ve probably figured out that what I did there wasn’t exactly on the level. I know I promised you an explanation for what we were doing there, so here it is.
My best friend in the whole world, Quiver, was kidnapped by the Red Market. I was looking for him that night when we broke in, but I couldn’t find him there. He had already been moved by the time we got there. I’m on my way to find him now.
I just wanted to apologize for not telling you the truth from the start, but if I had told you, you might have wanted to do the whole “official” thing through legal avenues, and that would just have taken too long. I’m sorry I abused your trust like that.
Attached are the coordinates of a Red Market slaughterhouse I have tracked Quiver’s body to. I don’t know if I’ll make it back, so… do what you have to.
Seriously, I’m really sorry,
Sham
//…sending message
//…message sent
//…error 404
//…unable to deliver message
//…specified address does not exist
***
“Unable to deliver message? Specified address does not exist? Eddie, where did you go?” Sham asked, staring at a computer screen in a seedy cyber-café at a truck stop forty miles southeast of Halo City. Sham pulled the hood covering her head over her eyes before exiting the mail program and getting up from the table. Whatever had happened to Eddie, there was nothing she could do for him now, just like there was nothing he could do for her if she ran into trouble.
That’s OK, Sham thought to herself, I suppose I was trained for scrap like this. I just have to deal with one problem at a time – Quiver first, then see what kind of trouble Eddie’s gotten into. He’s a big boy; he can handle himself. Besides, he’ll always have the X-Men to look after him, and Quiver’s all alone. Don’t worry, buddy – I’m coming to help.
***
END
***
NEXT ISSUE: Mr. Bloodhawk goes to the council building.
“Xi’an! Victor! When did you two get back?” Henri said, smiling. “And, for that matter, where have you been?”
Xi’an returned Henri’s smile and rose to greet his friend properly. The two gripped each others’ hand firmly and gave a hearty shake.
“I’ve been in Vietnam, sorting myself out, Henri. It wasn’t easy, but I feel… like myself,” Xi’an said, motioning for Henri to have a seat with the others. “Victor came with me.”
“I sort of figured that part out,” Henri joked, chuckling. “But it’s good to see you’re OK. Nice to know someone is.”
“Krys was just telling us about some sort of trouble for you guys,” Victor said. “Come to think of it, why are you two staying here? Why aren’t you at the Protectorate building?”
“Oh, uh… we got fired. Long story short, no one was around when the city council was under attack, and Morphine had us replaced with his own mutant Protectorate,” Henri said. “We really screwed the pooch on this one.”
“That may be a little unfair, I think,” Xi’an said. “What were you doing when this was all happening?”
“I was in Vegas. Someone sent a fake distress call and pretended to be Halloween Jack, and I had to go down there and help him to stop whatever trouble he was supposed to be in from coming back to Halo City,” Henri explained.
“Halloween who?” Victor asked.
“Green guy, really flexible, shape-changer? Used to be a friend of mine in high school and college. Long story,” Henri muttered.
“What about you, Krys?” Victor asked.
“Oh, I was here. And so was Shakti – we were the only two who responded to the council’s distress call. We got our butts kicked,” she laughed nervously.
“Speaking of which,” Henri interjected, “Shak said she would be stopping by the convent, didn’t she? Have you guys seen her?”
“Haven’t heard from her, now that you mention it,” Krys responded. “Maybe she got hung up with something back at the Protectorate building. It’s probably nothing.”
Henri grunted and shifted in his seat. The group sat in silence for several seconds.
“So, what are you all going to do now?” Xi’an asked, breaking the quiet.
“Not sure, myself,” Henri said. “I know Eddie’s gone back to stay with Rosa’s family, the Freakshow. Sham, Tim, and Luna seem to have disappeared altogether, Krys and I are here, and Shakti should be here soon. That’s about the size of it. What are you going to do?”
“Well, I came home to lead the X-Men, but it appears I may be too late,” Xi’an smirked. “Ah, well, I’m sure we can work something out. Has anyone heard from Bloodhawk recently?”
***
Ugly concrete pipes spewed sludgy brown filth into the once pristine waters of his home. Bloodhawk was not amused. He took the high-powered binoculars from his eyes and placed them into the grey pouch slung over his shoulder. He fumbled around in the bag, looking for grenades or some sort of explosives. Empty. Bloodhawk growled under his breath.
The sign plastered on the garbage-spewing “waste management” plant read “Halo City Waste Solutions.”
“Hmph. Solutions,” Bloodhawk growled to himself. “When did ruining other peoples’ homes become a ‘solution’ for waste?”
Bloodhawk spread his wings and took to the air.
“I will return,” Bloodhawk said to the waste plant. “And when I do, I will be loaded down with high explosive. Then, you will know the wrath of the desert.”
***
“Breakdown thinks we should be moving on soon,” Rosa said, cradling her young son Joaquim in her arms. Eddie reclined on the dirt in front of the Freakshow’s mobile headquarters; a beat-up old trailer hitched to and even more beat-up old truck.
“The whole family’s in there, deciding where they want to go. Mama Hurricane wants to head back towards Texas; says there’s something she needs to finish before she goes.”
“Goes where?” Eddie asked, scratching his glistening silver head.
“She’s just being dramatic,” Rosa laughed. “It’s just something she wants to do before she… she…”
“Ah. I get it. She should go happy, at least – not that she’s going anywhere, in the sense of passing away, which she probably isn’t in danger of. Probably definitely, I mean,” Eddie stuttered. Rosa laughed nervously.
“Don’t worry Eddie. I know you mean well. It’s just not something I like to think about, you know? She’s been like a mother to me. It’s just hard to imagine life without her; do you know what I mean?”
“I guess.”
“We’ve never really talked about your parents, Eddie.”
“Yeah. I don’t remember much about them anyway. I was sent off to the dance academy pretty early, then they disowned me when they found out I was a mutant. End of story.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that,” Rosa said.
“Probably. I don’t want to talk about it, though. Gets me all misty-eyed,” Eddie laughed. “Let’s go see what the rest of your family is up to. Maybe find out where in Texas we’re headed, because I’m not heading anywhere near New Hope. Not after that whole Foolkiller fiasco – don’t want to run into a whole town of those crazy shockheads.”
Eddie laughed nervously and rose to his feet. Rosa looked at him suspiciously and shook her head as she followed him to the trailer.
***
“Mr. Somers. How nice to finally meet you,” a short, black-suited man said, peering over the rims of expensive-looking sunglasses. Morphine returned the gesture with a slight bow before sitting down at his desk. He glanced around his office, noticing the two large bodyguards accompanying the Red Market representative.
“Nice to meet you as well, Mr…?” Morphine started.
“Just call me Mr. R for now. We’ll see how things go from here,” the man said, tilting his head to the right. “But tell me, Mr. Somers, what can the Red Market do for you?”
“It’s more what we can do for each other,” Morphine responded with a smile, rising from his seat. He closed the blinds of his office, leaving only the light of dimmed glow panels.
“Oh? And what might that be?” Mr. R responded gladly.
“As you know, I have recently been appointed head of the Halo City Security Initiative – the police force, the Protectorate, etc. – a job that comes with certain responsibilities. One of these responsibilities includes keeping the general public safe – or, you know, at least making them feel that way,” the green-haired mutant began as he paced back and forth in front of his desk. Mr. R, seated in a leather chair in the center of the room, nodded his head.
“And where do I come in, then?”
“Well, when people pay their taxes, they expect these things from their police force – from me, essentially, and I aim to meet those expectations. However, these expectations do not extend to certain, less desirable, and, more importantly, less vocal elements,” Morphine continued, taking a seat behind his desk and folding his hands in his lap. Mr. R raised one eyebrow.
“Less vocal, you say?” Mr. R questioned, “Mr. Somers, what exactly are you getting at?”
“Very well. I am prepared to make a deal, Mr. R. I am willing to give you free reign of the degens and decreds living on the streets of Halo City, so long as you leave the taxpayers and upper echelons of our bureaucracy alone. Now, before you answer, consider: Halo City is the destination of hundreds of thousands of the displaced, disenfranchised, and destitute from all over the country. Many of them are penniless, but nonetheless healthy. There is a rich, renewable pool of resources for your particular – ah – business ventures. And it can all be yours, provided you play by my rules.”
Mr. R smiled and tapped his index finger on his left knee. He rose to his feet and held his hand out to Morphine.
“I will report all this to my superiors. We’ll be in contact through our mutual friend when we have an answer,” Mr. R said politely. Morphine took the man’s hand.
“I look forward to it.”
***
“Wow. I’ve never seen the Protectorate HQ before now,” Victor remarked. “But that is one impressive-looking building.”
“You should see the inside,” Henri joked with a smile. “Now come on. Let’s see if we can’t find Shakti.”
The quartet, rounded out by Xi’an and Krystalin, ascended the steps leading up to the giant double-doors leading to the Protectorate wing of the Halo City Council Building. Once inside, an automated greeting system booted up on the vidscreens on the lobby wall.
“Greetings, Henri Huang,” the system said in a cool, female voice, “You are not currently on the appointment list for today. What is the purpose of your visit?”
“My friends and I are here to find Shakti Haddad. Do you know where she went after she left?” Henri asked.
“One moment, please,” the system responded. The screen switched to a blue background with white text reading “Please wait.” After a few seconds, the smooth face of the greeting program reappeared.
“Miss Haddad never left, Mr. Huang. She is in her office. Shall I page her for you?”
“Never left? That’s weird. But, yes, can you please page her for us? We need to speak to her,” Henri said, shrugging his shoulders at his companions.
“One moment please… Miss Haddad has cleared you to proceed to her office. It is located –”
“I know the way,” Henri said, walking towards the elevator. His companions followed, and they followed him into the elevator in silence. At their floor, the quartet exited the elevator and walked down the hall to Shakti’s office.
“Shak? You in?” Krystalin called into the open doorway. Leaning her head inside, she saw Shakti sitting at her desk. Krys couldn’t see a single moving box, and everything seemed to be in the same place it had been the day before.
“Uh, you know you had to move out by now, right?” Krys asked, leading the quartet of visitors into Shakti’s office.
“I’m not leaving. I’m… staying on with Morphine,” Shakti said quietly. A silence fell over the room. Henri and Krys shot each other confused glances.
“Huh?” Henri said, breaking the silence.
“He wants me to handle the Council for him, and he’s using my dad to blackmail me into it,” Shakti explained. “I really didn’t know what else to do.”
“You could try letting that ratbiter kick the bucket,” Henri said scornfully, “He’s brain-dead, Shak. Even if he wasn’t the biggest bastard who ever lived, there’s really no point in keeping him alive anyway. There’s no one home, Shak. He’s already dead, and he was never worth… degrading yourself like this to begin with.”
“How compassionate,” she said, scowling. “This is my decision, and I’ve made it in the way I feel I have to.”
Henri threw his arms into the air. Xi’an stepped forward, and around the desk. He put an arm on Shakti’s shoulder.
“We understand, Shakti, and we support you. Don’t worry about Henri, you know how he gets.” Xi’an smiled, and Henri shrugged the comment off. “But, if you ever need anyone to talk to, don’t forget that we’re here.”
“Thank you, now, if you’ll all excuse me, I have a lot of work,” Shakti said. The visitors turned to leave, waving goodbye as they exited the door.
“Henri, could you wait a sec,” Shakti called. Henri stopped at the door, telling his companions he would meet them back at the convent. He walked to the chairs in front of Shakti’s desk and took a seat.
“What’s up?”
“I need help with all this crap. Morphine’s putting more paperwork through than we ever did in an effort to play nice with the Council, but I just can’t keep up. He’s okayed an assistant for me, and I want it to be you,” Shakti said seriously.
“I don’t know… I don’t trust that guy –”
“And I do? Look, Henri, I’m all alone, here. I need help, someone I can trust, someone familiar. We both know Morphine won’t keep clean for long, and I need someone to help me keep an eye on all these guys he’s brought in for his protectorate. I can’t find a single file on any of them.”
Henri sighed.
“Fine,” he said, finally. “When do I start?”
***
“It looks like there’s something on your mind, Xi’an,” Victor asked as he walked beside his friend down a busy sidewalk leading away from Halo City’s council building. The clean streets and well-dressed citizens passing the duo by surprised Victor, who had rarely ventured outside of the slums surrounding the convent.
“The situation in this city disturbs me. Morphine has always been a… shady individual, and his actions recently puzzle me. I was far too busy wallowing in my own self-imposed misery to pay much attention to it before, but since clearing my head in Vietnam I have been catching up on Morphine’s actions. I am not certain why – perhaps it is the situation with Shakti – but I have a strange feeling of dread when I consider the situation this city is in with a man like him in power,” Xi’an responded.
“How do you mean?”
“As I said, I am uncertain. However, I believe that the X-Men can still play a part in this city’s future. Perhaps not as a part of the bureaucracy, but as more of an ideal. We would play the part of conscience in this city, for lack of a better word.”
“We? I assume you’re counting yourself, but…”
“Yes, my friend. I would be honored if you would join us. It occurs to me that Xavier’s teachings preached harmony between mutants and humans; it only makes sense that any group dedicated to his ideals be comprised of members of both species,” Xi’an said very matter-of-factly. Victor chuckled softly and sighed.
“You’ve convinced me. What do we do now?” Victor asked.
“Gather some support of various types. We’ll start with some current X-Men, and then I have a few ideas for recruiting outside the fold,” Xi’an said with an almost fiendish smile. “And then I suppose we can begin.”
“Begin what?”
“What I set out to do the first time I formed the X-Men – save the world in spite of itself.”
***
“Mmmmmwhere’re we?” Timothy Fitzgerald slurred, rolling over on the bed and propping himself up on his left arm. Dirty sheets clung to his body as he rubbed his eyes, clearing them just in time to see La Lunatica step out from a doorway onto a stained and ragged carpet.
“Ugh – somewhere we’re never coming back to,” Luna responded scornfully. “I think it’s called the Morlock Motel. Disgusting.”
“Eh, we’ve been in worse – whoa. Is that a cockroach or a – no. It’s moving. That’s a roach. Damn that thing’s huge. Yeah, we’re never coming back,” Tim agreed, swinging his legs out of the bed. “Hey, where’re my pants? I thought I had them on last night.”
“They’re over by the dresser,” she said. “While you’re over there, turn on the newsfeed. I need some noise to help me wake up.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tim said, strolling across the room to where he could see his black and blue uniform crumpled behind the dresser. He stopped before picking the suit up to turn on the TV.
“Again, today’s top story, the X-Men are ousted as Halo’s Protectorate after a massive security failure days ago. Taking over for the controversial team is a squad handpicked by former mayor Morphine Somers…”
“Luna? Did you-”
“I heard. What do you make of that?”
“I dunno. We should try and find everyone to sort this out.”
“Where do you think they’ll be?”
“Let’s try that place with the crazy gun-toting sisters where Xi’an used to hang out.”
“Sounds good. Pants up and let’s go.”
***
“Xi’an! You’re back!” Tim said, excitedly, hurrying down the aisle of the convent’s chapel. Xi’an smiled at his former teammate as he passed rows of pews and held out his hand. Xi’an took it with a widening smile.
“It is good to see you, Timothy, Luna,” Xi’an said, nodding slightly coolly at the latter.
“So what’s this we hear about a shakeup in the Protectorate thing?” Tim asked, wasting no time.
“Yes, I believe it has something to do with an attack on the council for which few of the X-Men managed to arrive in time-” Xi’an started.
“Or at all,” a stern, female voice reprimanded from behind the altar. The trio of mutants looked in the direction of the voice to see Krystalin standing in the doorway leading the staircase, hands on hips and an angry expression plastered on her face.
“Where the shock did you two delinquents run off to and why were your comms off? Shakti and I were almost killed – thanks to you, we actually owe our lives to that green-haired scumbag. Do you have any idea how degrading that is?” she asked, furious.
“We, uh, were doing… uh,” Tim stumbled. Luna merely shrugged her shoulders.
“We were otherwise occupied. Not our fault you can’t hold the fort by yourselves,” Luna said, nonchalant. Krys made a fist and stepped forward, but Xi’an held up a hand to stay her.
“Calm down, Krystalin. Timothy is perhaps not completely in control of himself at the moment, despite what he may feel. And Luna… let’s just move on,” Xi’an said calmly. “What matters now is that the X-Men –what little of them there are – seem to be homeless and purposeless. I’d like to do something about both problems, if you’ll hear me out.”
Tim nodded assent, Luna merely grunted.
“I’d like a fresh start for the X-Men,” Xi’an began, “with a renewed dedication to our original ideals of harmony. I’d like for us to be a force for good in community here in Halo City – fighting for civil rights, cleaning up the low-to-no-income areas, that sort of thing – through political action.”
“Then what are we letting the dregs on the team for?” Krys grunted, nodding towards Tim and Luna.
“Everyone I plan to invite will have their part to play,” Xi’an said coldly, turning a narrowed eye to Krys, “and we will all treat each other as equals, to set an example for all of those we hope to reach with our message. But for that to happen, we must all be willing to forget the more… unsavory parts of our pasts together. Can you do that?”
Xi’an thrust his fist in front of him, and glanced at Victor, who had been standing off to the side. Victor smiled and placed his hand atop Xi’an’s, and the pair glanced at the remaining candidates in the room.
Tim sighed and put his hand on the pile. “I’m in,” he said, nodding towards the joined hands and looking at Luna. “Come on toots. You too.”
Luna placed her hand on the pile, and all eyes turned to Krys. She threw her hands in the air and sighed dispassionately.
“Fine,” she said. “If only to keep an eye on those two.”
“Excellent,” Xi’an said. “One more, and we’ll be ready to begin.”
“One more?” Victor said. “Who, and where do we find them?”
“If their security reports are any indication, the Halo City Waste Solutions plant would be a good place to start,” Xi’an said with a smile.
***
“I don’t see anyone, Xi’an,” Victor said, placing a hand on his brow to block out the setting sun. The X-Men stood atop a sandy hill overlooking the Halo City Waste Solutions plant. Each one was looking in a different direction.
“Patience, old friend. Security footage taken on-site shows that he’s been doing fly-bys around this time for the past few days,” Xi’an responded, straining his eyes to see farther. “Wait… there!”
Xi’an pointed to the horizon, where the assembled X-Men could barely make out a winged figure approaching them in the distance. As he drew closer, the X-Men began to recognize the scaly, red, grenade-laden hide of…
“Bloodhawk!?” Tim blurted out. “You’re letting a crazy person on the team?”
“He already let in two,” Krys quipped. Tim and Luna glared at her. Luna made a fist and took a step toward Krystalin.
“Enough,” Xi’an said coolly, “Try to get his attention.”
Xi’an walked toward the flying mutant and began waving his arms in the air, but there was no noticeable change in Bloodhawk’s direction; he was heading straight for the waste management plant.
“I’ve got an idea,” Tim said, stepping in front of Xi’an. He began to glow a dull green at first, before erupting into a violent flash of bright green plasma.
“Good work, Tim. That got his attention,” Xi’an said, smiling.
“Pssh – They probably saw that one in orbit, man,” Tim responded with a laugh.
“He’s heading this way, at any rate,” Victor interjected. “And forgive me for saying so, but he doesn’t seem overly friendly – hey, is that the guy that kept chucking grenades during that fight with the Foolkiller? I didn’t recognize him from afar, but - you’re inviting him to the team?”
“Yes. I believe that he can do more good with us than against us,” Xi’an said. “Now, let me do all the talking.”
Bloodhawk floated to the ground in front of the X-Men with one final, strong flap of his wings. Xi’an smiled and held out a hand as he walked toward Bloodhawk. The scaly mutant refused the offer, instead crossing his arms over his chest.
“What are you doing here, mutants?” Bloodhawk said. Xi’an lowered his hand.
“We’re here to make you an offer. I want you to join us,” Xi’an offered. “I think we can do more good together than we can separately.”
“What? How joining your crusade for mutant rights help save the earth? I don’t care what you say, I-”
“Hear me out, Bloodhawk. Alone, you can do very little to save this desert. You can maybe stop, what, one or two ecological offenders a week, but what then? There will be more, so long as there are no laws forbidding it. The only thing currently dissuading more from springing up right now is the threat you pose – which, unfortunately, many of them will see as negligible. Your job will never be done, your home never safe,” Xi’an explained, clasping his hands behind his back.
“And what do you propose to do differently, mutant?” Bloodhawk snarled.
“Come with me; meet with the Halo City Council with me. Together, we could convince them to enact new ecologically safe waste disposal regulations with stricter punishments that would force companies to be more mindful of the environment.”
“Interesting. And what would you want in return?” Bloodhawk asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Just your membership with the X-Men, friend. We have a new mission, a new message to spread. We are attempting to unite humans and mutants of all creeds to make the world a little better place to live. Having you on our side would strongly reinforce that message,” Xi’an said with a smile. Bloodhawk rubbed his chin for a moment, before staring Xi’an in the eyes.
“I will join you for the time being,” Bloodhawk said, reverting to his human form. He held out a hand, and Xi’an grasped it. The two shook hands, and Xi’an turned to face the remainder of his team.
“Ladies, gentlemen… welcome, all of you, to the new X-Men!” Xi’an proclaimed.
***
Eddie van Beethoven whistled a tune he remembered from he-didn’t-know-where as he lifted boxes into the cargo hold of the Freakshow’s hovertruck. The sun glinted off of his iron skin as he worked in the only vacant lot in the Dead Alley district of Halo City that saw any daylight. Soft footsteps behind him made him turn around. A short, red mutate with inquisitive, buggy eyes looked up at him.
“Dominic! You almost scared me,” Eddie said. “What’s up, sport?”
“Dominic is supposed to tell you that Freakshow is leaving in an hour,” the child said. “Mama told Dominic to tell you.”
“Thanks, kiddo. Where we going?” Eddie asked.
“It’s somewhere called Bear Fort, in Texas, I think,” a soft, feminine voice called from the hovertruck’s side entrance.
“Rosa! I thought you were putting Joaquim to sleep,” Eddie said, walking toward Rosa and putting an arm around her. “I guess he fell asleep pretty qui- wait, did you say Bear Fort?”
“Yeah. Mama Hurricane says she needs to set something right with some rich guy she knows there. Why? Is there a problem?” Rosa asked. Eddie smiled sheepishly and took his arm off Rosa. He walked back to the boxes and lifted one up.
“Well, I had better get back to work,” Eddie said with a nervous laugh. “We’re leaving soon, after all.”
“Hon, is something wrong? You’re acting weird,” Rosa said, looking at Eddie with a puzzled expression. Eddie brought the box to the cargo hold and placed it inside.
“No, nothing wrong at all, Rosa. I had just better finish up here so we can leave on time, is all. You two can go back inside, if you want. I’d better focus on moving this stuff, anyway,” Eddie explained, forcing a smile. Rosa, lifted an eyebrow, and took Dominic’s hand. She led him inside with promises of chocolate milk and cartoons. Before going inside, Rosa looked over her shoulder at her lover. He did not return her gaze as his insincere smile drooped to a concerned frown.
***
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: I’m sorry
Dear Eddie,
I’m sorry about what happened when we broke into that Red Market safehouse the other night. By now, you’ve probably figured out that what I did there wasn’t exactly on the level. I know I promised you an explanation for what we were doing there, so here it is.
My best friend in the whole world, Quiver, was kidnapped by the Red Market. I was looking for him that night when we broke in, but I couldn’t find him there. He had already been moved by the time we got there. I’m on my way to find him now.
I just wanted to apologize for not telling you the truth from the start, but if I had told you, you might have wanted to do the whole “official” thing through legal avenues, and that would just have taken too long. I’m sorry I abused your trust like that.
Attached are the coordinates of a Red Market slaughterhouse I have tracked Quiver’s body to. I don’t know if I’ll make it back, so… do what you have to.
Seriously, I’m really sorry,
Sham
//…sending message
//…message sent
//…error 404
//…unable to deliver message
//…specified address does not exist
***
“Unable to deliver message? Specified address does not exist? Eddie, where did you go?” Sham asked, staring at a computer screen in a seedy cyber-café at a truck stop forty miles southeast of Halo City. Sham pulled the hood covering her head over her eyes before exiting the mail program and getting up from the table. Whatever had happened to Eddie, there was nothing she could do for him now, just like there was nothing he could do for her if she ran into trouble.
That’s OK, Sham thought to herself, I suppose I was trained for scrap like this. I just have to deal with one problem at a time – Quiver first, then see what kind of trouble Eddie’s gotten into. He’s a big boy; he can handle himself. Besides, he’ll always have the X-Men to look after him, and Quiver’s all alone. Don’t worry, buddy – I’m coming to help.
***
END
***
NEXT ISSUE: Mr. Bloodhawk goes to the council building.