In Case You're Just
Joining Us: Sunspot and former teammate Karma attempt to convince
a woman who may be pregnant with a mutant to come to Genosha to
have it, rather than aborting the fetus. The result is a messy
confrontation with the woman's husband. Meanwhile, Meltdown
introduces some old friends to Genosha, Feral and Rictor have a
quiet moment, and comatose Siena Blaze awakes in the middle of
being raped. The subsequent outburst of Siena's power devastates
the Genoshan hospital in which she was being cared for, killing
the man who assaulted her and the other patients in the building.
Mother
of Hope Medical Center. Hammer Bay, Genosha. 17 June. 0200L.
The fires were
still consuming the north wing of the Mother of Hope Medical
Center when the former Acolyte named Harry Delgado decided that
he'd had enough waiting. There was some sort of electromagnetic
firestorm at the center of the destruction, pouring out radiation
and heat, but there might still be people -- fellow mutants --
alive in that mess somewhere.
Harry pushed
through the crowd of gawkers and approached the perimeter of the
rubble, ignoring the calls from the crowd to stop. Harry had been
a SHIELD agent once, before joining the Acolytes, and he'd done
some time with SHIELD's medical corps. He couldn't just stand by
when he might be able to save someone. Anyone.
He activated his
mutant powers, growing to just over ten feet. Not his full height
or power, but enough to increase his resistance to the radiation
without sacrificing speed and agility. He pushed forward, sifting
through the rubble, calling out for survivors. Nothing. The
incandescent bubble of electromagnetism lit the devastation like a
spotlight, but there was no movement, no indication of life.
"Damn it," he
hissed, grabbing his head. The radiation and heat were starting to
get to him, making his skin burn, his vision swim. No way anyone
could have survived this, especially patients in a hospital wing.
Harry Delgado was strong as an ox in this form, but even he
wouldn't last much longer in this storm.
"Delgado."
He looked upward
at the sound of his name. A majestic figure in a blood-red helmet
and matching cloak was descending from the sky, lowering itself to
a spot directly between Harry and the magnetic storm. And Harry
felt a wave of relief sweep over him.
Magneto had
arrived.
"Lord Magnus,"
Harry began, "I'm looking for--"
"Survivors, I
know." Magneto looked back toward the incandescent bubble of
energy that had apparently caused all this. "Stand down for now,
Delgado. The rescue workers will be here soon. Join them and await
my further orders."
"Lord Magnus?"
"Before any kind
of rescue operation can be conducted, I must deal with the source.
Now return to the perimeter before you collapse."
Delgado bowed his
head. Like the other Acolytes, he was still confused, hurt, by
Magneto's forced disbanding of that organization... but the man
was still Delgado's lord and master, whether he chose to operate
under the title of 'god' or not.
Delgado turned
away. And when Magneto was sure his follower would make it to a
safe distance without collapsing, he turned his attention back to
the electromagnetic bubble. For a moment, his eyes glazed over, as
if looking into a world only he could see.
In a way, this
was completely accurate. One of the lesser-known side effects of
his complete mastery of magnetism was the ability to "read"
electromagnetic wavelengths. He had learned, over the years, to
screen his vision, to see the world as others saw it, but he could
still see the web of power that held the planet together when he
chose.
He chose now. And
he wasn't at all surprised by what he saw.
"Siena," he
sighed, and, hovering nearly a foot above the jagged rubble, he
began to push forward into the bubble of power. He wondered how
many had been in the north wing when this power had obliterated
it. How many mutants had died, helpless in their beds, because he
had miscalculated?
Little more than
a week ago, he had used the power of a mutant named Siena Blaze to
'jump-start' his own floundering abilities. The process had been
similar to the one that had caused his gift to go into remission
in the first place, so he had assumed that Siena would suffer a
similar power loss.
He had obviously
been right... somewhat.
At the peak of
her abilities, Siena Blaze wielded electromagnetic power
sufficient to level a small country, with almost no fine control
over that power. Every time she activated her powers, it punched a
hole in the Earth's electromagnetic field, threatening to rip the
planet to pieces. If all she'd done was level a hospital wing and
a chunk of the surrounding block, she had indeed suffered a power
loss.
But not as
dramatic a loss as Magneto had presumed. He had been the one to
order her placed in the hospital wing when she'd fallen into a
coma following the power transferal. All the dead here were his
responsibility as much as they were Siena's. Possibly more so.
Which only left
the question of why she had done it. Had the trauma of waking been
so terrible--?
Magneto pushed,
unharmed, through a final cloud of electrostatic ball lightning
and flying debris. He'd finally reached the center of the bubble.
Kneeling down in
the center of a crater, even her clothes blasted away from her,
was a very naked, and very deranged Siena Blaze. Red power licked
out of her eyes as she screamed into the sky she couldn't see. Her
hands were clenched into claws and were digging furrows into her
breasts.
"Siena."
The screaming
ended so suddenly it might have been severed with a knife. Her
head darted around, quickly, like a cat's.
"Where am I?"
she demanded, her voice audible even over the storm around them.
"Genosha."
Magneto hovered closer, surprised at the amount of effort he had
to expend to resist the storm. "Among other mutants, whom you are
endangering with this childish display. Power down immediately."
"Who the fuck
are you to tell me to power down, old man? Why am I here? Why was
that spider fucking me when I woke up?" Siena screamed again,
as if just speaking the memory forced her to relive it. At the
outburst, a bolt of lightning streaked down from the upper
perimeter of the bubble and struck her, but she simply absorbed
its power. "He raped me!"
Magneto's lips
curled in distaste. He knew what had happened now, even suspected
he knew the man who had caused it -- a Puerto Rican mutant whose
unfortunate burden was to go through life with the head of a
spider. Magneto couldn't remember the man's name, but suspected
he'd already been punished for his crime.
"I am sorry,
Siena. Sorry for my part in it. I will help you deal with this in
whatever way I can, but you must power down."
"Help me?
Help me?" She grinned suddenly and got to her feet, her
eyes clearing. She had obviously started to come to her senses,
but it didn't look like that was going to improve the situation.
"You say we're in Genosha? I always wanted to destroy that
place, and every mutant-hating, slave-trading flatscan in it."
Magneto stared at her impassively while she licked her lips and
slid her hands over her bare, bleeding breasts. Naked body and
naked power incarnate... she was magnificent.
"Like what you
see, old man? Enjoy it... and then kiss your ass and your little
island gulag goodbye!"
She raised her
hands, ready to punch another hole in the earth's electromagnetic
field, ready to consume all of Genosha.
Magneto reached
out and, with a mental twist, stopped the flow of blood through
Siena Blaze's carotid artery.
She collapsed
like a rag doll, crumpling into a heap in the center of the crater
while the storm dissipated around her. Magneto used his own power
to speed the process along, dispersing and reversing the polarity
of the charged ions electrifying the air. When radiation levels
had fallen to an acceptable level, he dropped to the floor of the
crater. Removing his cloak, he draped it over the unconscious
woman's body and lifted her in his arms.
And then he
turned and strode across the rubble of his hospital, wondering how
he could ever make this right.
Avalon Tower, Living Quarters.
Hammer Bay, Genosha. 17 June. 0200L.
Julio Esteban Richter woke in the
wee hours of the Genoshan morning. His head felt like it had been
used as the pigskin in a particularly lively game of football. His
mouth tasted like the football team in question had then marched
barefoot through it on their way to the showers. And he was...
sore. All over.
He got up, somehow not succumbing
to the wave of light-headedness that hit him at the movement, and
stumbled to the bathroom. Flicking on the light, he leaned over
the sink, ran some water, and splashed it onto his face.
Only then did he allow himself to
look in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, sunken low beneath
great sacks of purple skin. His hair was all over the place and
there were... scratches all over his chest and stomach. He turned
his head to either side, noting similar scratches -- some of them
could better be described as bloody gouges -- in his arms and
legs. He pressed a hand to his crotch, which made its own pain and
discomfort known at the pressure.
"Fuuuuckk," he breathed,
pulling his shorts open. His manhood was intact, but his entire
groin was red and raw. That, at least, explained why his stomach
and back muscles were in so much pain. What -- or rather who --
had he done last night...?
And then he remembered -- a view
of a silky orange-furred back, its owner bent over in front of
him, an animal howl of pleasure, a large bottle of tequila lying
empty on its side next to his bed, feline claws digging into his
shoulders and chest and somehow, impossibly, making the fucking
even better.
"Feral?" he asked his reflection.
"You slept with... Feral?" Dios... that's like...
bestiality. Hell, it had been bestiality, from what he
remembered...
An alarm sounded in the room,
making him jump so badly he nearly put his head through the
mirror. When he'd stopped cursing with surprise and embarrassment,
he realized that was the civil distress alarm, notification that
something very bad was happening down in the streets of Genosha.
Something worse, even, then the standard Magistrate assaults.
Turning and walking gingerly back
into his room, Julio decided he'd better get some water and
aspirin and get his clothes on.
God willing, he wouldn't have to
look Feral in the face today.
Beijing, China. 17 June.
0700L.
"This is the place?" Roberto
asked.
"Yes," Xi'an Coy Manh replied,
pushing a lock of black hair back over her ear. They stood across
the street from a 30-story office building, all glass and gleaming
metal reaching for the slate gray sky. They ignored the sideways
glares of the crowd shuffling past on the sidewalk. "When Mei
first told me about the abortion, I went out and found the place.
The clinic occupies the 15th, 16th, and 17th floors."
"Nice place. Obviously killing
little mutant babies pays well."
Xi'an sighed. "Look, Bobby... I
don't like where this is going. I understand you're with Magneto
now, and you think that somehow gives you license to--"
One of Bobby's fingers stabbed
toward the building angrily. "Don't preach to me, Shan! They kill
babies in there... babies whose only crime is that they might
grow up to be mutants in this backwards fucking country! That
is the kind of bullshit we should be stopping, the kind of stuff
we should have been fighting all those years we were wasting time
chasing around after the White Queen and Mr. Sinister and the
Hellions and all the others!"
"And how are you going to stop
them, Bobby? Bring your mutant militia in and kill a bunch of
doctors and nurses? Is that how you're going to win equal
treatment for mutants?"
"I don't want equal treatment,
Shan." He pulled out a cellphone and dialed an 11-digit number
from memory, barely looking at the buttons. "I want payback for
all the years we've been shit on. If you haven't figured that out
yet..." He sighed, seeming suddenly disappointed.
"This isn't the way to handle
this, and you know it."
"Oh yeah, you're right... the way
to handle it is to let them keep killing our people for being
better than they are." He turned his attention to the phone.
"Pipeline, this is DaCosta. Have Voght pick me up in Beijing.
Out." He snapped the phone shut.
"Bobby, this isn't you."
"It is now. Last chance, Shan.
Are you in or are you out?"
Xi'an looked uncertainly at the
glass and steel tower across the street. Then she cast her eyes
downward and shook her head. "Do this, Bobby, and you're no better
than the people who ran those planes into the World Trade Center."
Bobby was silent for a moment.
She almost expected him to strike her, as wound up and angry as he
was -- a night of restless sleep on the floor of Xi'an's hotel
room had obviously done little to calm him. Instead, he said in a
very quiet, almost regretful voice, "I'm sorry you feel that way."
She started walking away from him
then. He didn't try to stop her, and she didn't look back.
Somewhere Beneath Hammer Bay,
Genosha. 17 June. 0600L.
Shatterstar sat in the darkness,
his legs crossed in a lotus position, his shoulders pressed
against the cold stone of his cell wall. He had moved from this
position rarely in the last four days, dividing the time that he
did move between eating the slop his captors left for him,
shitting and pissing in the lidded bucket in the corner of the
room, and short bursts of intense sleep. He never responded when
one of his jailers tried to speak with him, never moved, and even
though he was deeply embroiled in his own thoughts, he could sense
that his hosts were growing impatient with him.
Shatterstar was torn. It was an
unfamiliar feeling for a lifelong warrior, a one-time slave who
had been forced into a never-ending series of split-second,
life-and-death decisions from around the time he'd learned to
walk.
His warrior's eye could pick out
minute details of his surroundings, and play them back with
startling accuracy and immediacy. "Instant replay" was how he
thought of it, still stuck using the television terms from the
world he'd grown up in. Let's see that one more time for the fans,
Benjamin, this time in slow-mo.
"This is how we live," the
Magistrate named Talib Singh Chauhan had told him. "Once we ruled
this land with an unjust, iron hand, and this is God's judgment
visited upon us."
The Magistrate had brought the
completely unfettered Shatterstar into a massive manmade cavern
carved into the bedrock beneath Hammer Bay. The area was the size
of several square city blocks, and from his vantage point, 'Star
could see families huddled together in defensive little pockets
around the perimeter -- mostly children, the few adults gathered
with them obviously too old or too injured to fight as
Magistrates. Long rows of tables had been set up, away from the
pockets of refugees. The men and women at some of these tables
seemed to be engaged in cleaning, maintaining, and repairing
handheld weaponry, while others were doling out food rations to
long lines of people.
"Is this supposed to inspire
sympathy in me?" Shatterstar had asked. "You did worse to this
country's mutants before Magneto pre-empted you."
"Agreed," Talib nodded. He
gestured, "Come."
He led Shatterstar -- who was
busily noting the layout of this place in the event he decided to
make a break for it -- toward an area blocked off by walls of
dirty white linen. Talib pushed through one of these hanging
sheets, nodded at a young woman in a blood-stained white coat, and
motioned for Shatterstar to follow him.
"This is our hospital ward,"
Talib explained. There were bodies everywhere, perhaps half a
dozen piled on a dolly and covered with a single, dingy sheet. The
others were gravely injured, propped up in narrow cots, some
occasionally moaning in pain. Talib weaved through this charnel
house confidently, and stopped at a certain cot, where a
grim-faced young man was lying on his back. By the shape of the
sheets, the man had lost both legs at the knee.
"Hello, Henri."
"Hello, Talib." The maimed Henri
gave Shatterstar a long, accusing glare, but he did not speak to
him.
"This is Henri Diesing," Talib
explained. "Henri lost both legs when a hurled plasma bomb took
out a foxhole he and several others had dug in Hammer Bay several
days ago. That was the day that the top floors of Avalon Tower
were obliterated."
Shatterstar nodded, his face
betraying none of the recognition he felt. This man's injuries
were Tabby's -- Meltdown's -- doing. She'd told him how she,
Rictor, and Feral had landed their aircraft in the middle of a
street war in Hammer Bay, and how she'd off-handedly created a
massive time bomb for Harlan Kleinstock to hurl into the mass of
Magistrates they were fighting. Tabby had laughed about it. And he
had too.
Talib was looking at him
intently. After a moment, he nodded and pressed on. "Henri's
brother disappeared recently. How old was young Gerard, Henri?"
"Ten years old," Henri growled,
never taking his eyes off of Shatterstar.
"He is the fifth young child to
disappear from our care in the last several weeks."
"Perhaps they're running away."
Talib cocked an eyebrow at him.
"To where?"
"Out of this country. A strong
boat could reach mainland Africa in about two days, if the wind
and the seas were with it..."
"And you think children are
piloting these boats!" Henri demanded, slamming his fist angrily
on the cot. A vein had appeared, pulsing in his pale forehead. The
attending nurse began to move in their direction, but Talib shot
her a warning look and she backed off.
"Perhaps not," Shatterstar
allowed. "But it begs another question." He turned to Talib. "Why
don't you all just leave? Why not build a fleet of boats and all
of you -- men, women, children -- just get in and never come back?
Genosha is lost to you... you know this, I know this. Why do you
stay?"
Henri opened his mouth to reply,
but Talib raised a hand to silence the younger man. "Do you truly
believe that is possible?"
"Much moreso than your fruitless
efforts to regain this land."
Talib nodded. "Perhaps. Perhaps
we could remove our people in small waves, but if you truly think
a mass exodus of former Magistrates would go unnoticed and
unchallenged, you truly do not know the man you work for."
"Magneto wants you out of here."
"Magneto wants us punished!"
Talib insisted, and now it was his fist coming down on the cot,
his eyes that filled with flame. "Do you know how long it has been
since the Magistrates initiated any contact with the mutants who
walk Genosha's streets? Months! Every battle that has taken place
in that time has been the result of Magneto's forces engaging us
on sight. We can't even peek out of these blasted bomb shelters
without some mutant's power being thrown at us! That is why
the fighting continues, Shatterstar. Because Magneto will not let
it end until we are all dead."
"You brought this on yourself,"
Shatterstar said between clenched teeth.
"And did ten year-old Gerard
Diesing bring it upon himself? What about seven year-old Rhiannon
O'Brian? What about my son Adnan, barely 5 years-old when he
vanished three weeks ago? Did they bring it upon themselves?"
"You have no proof that a mutant
caused the disappearance of your children."
"You are right." Talib
straightened, his eyes taking on the enlightened calm Shatterstar
had become accustomed to. "But the fact remains that we are
trapped in this land, Shatterstar. And a trapped man is a slave to
his captors. You know something about being a slave, do you not?"
Shatterstar winced. Yes, he did.
"Help us, Shatterstar. Help us
leave this land. There is nothing in Genosha for us any longer, we
know this. Just help us leave before any more of us are stolen in
the night, or become victims of the casual twitch of a mutant's
finger." Talib indicated Henri. "Help us."
"I have sworn loyalty to
Magneto."
"An oath to a slaver is no oath
at all. You know this. Or you knew it once."
"How do you--?"
"I know much about you,
Shatterstar. I know about you and your teammates. I know about
each and every one of the Acolytes. I was an officer in the
Ministry of Defense when Genosha was a green and pleasant land,
and we kept our eyes on all of you." He lowered his eyes. "I tell
you this with the knowledge that we were wrong. Please, we have
learned our lesson. We have lost much. Let us leave."
"I--I must think about this."
Talib nodded, as if he had
expected no less. "You will have sufficient time. But you must
understand that we cannot allow you to leave, or to walk around
unescorted in the meantime."
Shatterstar nodded. "And if I
refuse to help?"
"I would like to think we could
take you, blindfolded, back to the place we found you, with no
hard feelings, and no fear of further reprisal. But we are both
realistic men, are we not?"
"Yes, we are."
Talib snapped his fingers, and
two armed guards appeared from behind one of the sheet-walls,
their weapons instantly trained on Shatterstar. He considered them
both, the hard-edged glint in their eye a surer sign of their
fugitive status than any physical scars they may have bared, and
thought he could probably take them. He could probably disarm one,
take out the other, and make his escape before the rest of the
complex woke from its false feeling of security.
But he wasn't sure of it. Long
ago, he may have taken the chance -- Talib had been right about
one thing: Shatterstar knew what it was like to be a slave, and a
slave will do anything to break his shackles -- but he had grown
since. He knew his death would serve no purpose at this time, and
he had spoken truthfully when he'd told Talib he had much to
consider.
Silently, Shatterstar had nodded
and let them lead him away.
And he had been meditating in
this hole ever since. Shatterstar thought of his friends -- true
friends now, not just convenient allies in their mutual
persecution -- and he weighed this against his memories of
slavery. Wondered at the righteousness of what was being done to
the Magistrates.
Someone had brought in food while
he'd been reminiscing. Unfolding his legs, he got up to have some
before sinking back into his own thoughts. He had not yet reached
a decision, but he was close.
Somewhere Beneath Hammer Bay,
Genosha. 17 June. 0800L.
Feral had been playing with the dead boy's corpse -- batting
the body around, occasionally picking it up in her jaws and
shaking it by the neck -- for nearly half an hour before she
realized what she was doing.
Her feline eyes went wide, and
she dropped the boy from her bloodstained jaws. She looked around,
guiltily, as if she expected someone else to have been watching
her in this forgotten prison cell deep beneath Avalon Towers. Then
she turned and slunk into a corner, pressing herself into it and
looking with fright back at the body of the dead boy.
She hadn't killed him. She
remembered that much. Well... yes, to be honest she had killed
him, but only because she'd frightened him so relentlessly his
little heart had given out. But it wasn't like she'd walked in
here and snapped his neck with her own hands, or slit his jugular
open. No, she hadn't done that.
And, god, she'd made sure he had
food and water. The cell didn't have creature comforts, and she'd
put the boy through every psychological torture this blackened
room offered opportunity for, but--
Maria Callasantos tucked her head
down into the hollow between her breast and her drawn-up knees and
shuddered. What was happening to her? She'd walked in here, found
the boy dead, and it was like instinct took her over completely.
Like a tame cat, she'd played with the kill instead of doing
anything practical with it, turned the dead boy into her
plaything.
And last night with Ric? What had
that been all about?
But that was a stupid question.
She knew exactly what it had been about. She was in heat. And she
was a fucking cat.
She was losing control,
kidnapping and torturing flatscan children for no good reason --
this was number five she'd killed -- fucking and killing and
playing just like a domesticated cat. She had even started
becoming more comfortable on all fours. She hardly ever moved
around on two legs anymore.
Feral put her head down and, for
the first time since she was a very small girl, allowed herself to
weep.
Mother of Hope Medical Center.
Hammer Bay, Genosha. 17 June. 1000L.
Gomi had been working for hours
alongside dozens of other volunteers to clear the rubble and
remove the bodies from what was left of the medical center. The
place looked like the federal building in Oklahoma had after its
bombing -- half a building, exposed and still entirely sound amid
the rubble of its other half.
A final count wasn't in yet, but
the current estimate was 90 to 100 missing and presumed dead.
And he thought he'd gotten away
from this kind of stuff when he left New York.
His ability to project a
destructive psychokinetic burst wasn't of much use here. He'd
helped to punch through some concrete covering an air pocket
earlier, but too much brute force risked causing another collapse,
endangering other rescue workers and possibly killing any
survivors.
Not that he truly believed there
were any survivors. That Blaze woman had decimated the place. But
he wanted to help, wanted to prove he could earn a place here even
if he wasn't truly a mutant.
So he worked with his hands. Just
like the flatscan he was. Beside him, Bill the Lobster did his own
part, hauling away chunks of debris twenty times his size with his
cybernetic-enhanced strength, his bulging eyes glaring angrily the
whole time. Ariel and Chance were also nearby, using their more
subtle abilities to hasten the cleanup.
He heard a wail of grief nearby,
the sound of fragile hope shattered over the remains of a loved
one's corpse, but it moved him no more than the dozens of cries
before it had. He couldn't let it. He could only work. Or his
heart would break again like it had in New York last September.
Rubbing the sweat out of his
eyes, Gomi pressed on.
Beijing, China. 17 June.
2030L.
<"That is all the mutant said to
you, Colonel Fong?">
The Chinese man shifted
uncomfortably in his wheelchair, regretting for just a moment that
he hadn't taken his doctor's advice and stayed in bed. His ribs
pained him, his braced neck was a constant torment, and the
shoulder that had taken the impact the final time the mutant had
hurled him across his bedroom would never function properly again.
<"Yes, that is all.">
<"And you believe Beijing may be
in danger from this mutant?">
<"My wife said they claimed to be
from Genosha. If that is true, we have much more to worry about
than just the mutant who did this to me.">
The man at the head of the table
-- a fellow colonel in the Chinese armed forces -- nodded. <"Which
begs the question, Col. Fong, of how these mutants knew about your
wife's... condition.">
Fong's face darkened. Even
trussed up like he was, he was still a formidable man, and the
colonel who had spoken immediately regretted doing so. <"My wife
knew neither of the mutants who entered our home. I have explained
as much. Many mutants can read minds, colonel. Perhaps they did so
and picked my wife at random.">
The four men at the table
suddenly found other things to occupy their eyes than the face of
the injured Colonel Fong. They didn't believe this, he could see
-- there was a part of him that didn't believe it either, no
matter how Mei insisted it was so -- but they weren't about to
challenge him without further proof. He'd already proven his
honesty by telling this assemblage about his wife's mutant
pregnancy, and further groundless needling would be seen as an
insult to a great and powerful man.
<"Very well,"> the colonel who
had originally questioned Fong finally said. <"We will take
precautions against an assault from Genosha, and will prepare a
retaliation should it become necessary.">
<"What of the clinic itself? That
will surely be their primary target if an attack does come...">
<"I have arranged certain...
paranormal safeguards in that instance. I have spoken to a contact
I have in Japan, specifically with the Giri Industrial
Corporation, that, if it works out, should solve all our problems.
In the meantime, I have arranged for the clinic to be personally
protected by one of our country's greatest heroes.">
Fong's eyebrows went up. He was
amazed at the amount of pain this simple movement caused him.
<"Just one?">
The other colonel chuckled.
<"Well, five actually. Don't worry, Colonel. This council is
taking this threat very seriously, and should Genosha and its
inhabitants further provoke us, they will find that China is no
man's political statement.
<"Thank you, gentlemen. That is
all.">
TO BE
CONTINUED...
POSTMARK: GENOSHA
Everything hits the fan next issue. Let's
get right into the letters -- 'cause there's lots of them this
month.
First
one's from the mysterious "Casual Reader", commenting on my first
issue -- #5 -- which was scripted from a plot by Jay Corafa.
Not too
long ago I happened upon this site. I read some of the stories (or
lack there of.) Some were rather enjoyable, others were not
readable. Here is my second review of an M2K title...
Reviewer:
"Casual Reader"
Date: 12/17/01
Fic: Fallen Angels
Issue: 4
Author: Russ + Jay
The issue
opens with an excerpt from a classic issue of New Mutants. I found
this extremely interesting. Few fan fictions are audacious enough
to connect themselves with mainstream comic media so directly.
You think so?
In my experience, fanfic tends to tie itself TOO closely to the
mainstream comics it springs from. It's something I generally
avoid (which is why you won't see any references to Ben Reilly's
muy convoluted continuity in Scarlet Spider for the first
year), but that scene was too perfect to NOT use.
In this case,
it is done very well. The scene fits in seemlessly, as it sets up
the two different storylines perfectly.
Thanks. Back
when Jay and Dino first had 'Berto defect (at the end of M2K's
X-Force #1) that scene from New Mutants #75 occured to
me, and it stuck in the back of my mind until I eventually took
over FA and got to use it.
On one hand
the audience sees the issues Roberto Da'Costa is dealing with. He
is a hero at heart who just can't seem to find the right path in
life. Russ and Jay have the characterization perfect on these
characters. Roberto, for instance, seems incredibly conflicted. He
takes on many roles, as leader of the fallen angels he must be
stoic and strong, but as a former student of Xavier he is
conflicted and guilty. He seems like the classic tragic hero
tainted by his ultimate flaw.
Absolutely.
Bobby, who seemed like the well-bred, handsome,
has-it-all-going-for-him kid in the New Mutants, has always ended
up playing second fiddle to dopey, clumsy, and funny-looking Sam
Guthrie. He's absolutely a perfect case of the flawed hero.
In this case,
Magneto has capitalized on Roberto's flaw which leads to the
characterization of Magneto and the other half of the issue.
Magneto is
menacing, and a villain in every way shape and form. He is dark,
and corrupting. But that is what we love about the character. His
terrible "raping" of Sienna Blaze is perfectly done. Magneto's
selfishness is so incredibly dark. It reminds me of the X-Men
movie where Magneto is willing to sacrifice Rogue for the
betterment of Mutant-kind. Here we see a similar storyline with
Blaze.
Thanks. I was
a bit worried, at the time I wrote it, that the Blaze scene
scraped a little TOO closely to the Rogue treatment from the
movie. Glad it worked for you, in any case.
The ongoing
theme of corruption is well orchestrated. We see three seperate
forms of corruption throughout the story. Bobby's new path. We
know Bobby has a good heart and good intentions, but, he has never
see any progress. It is easy to loose faith in something, no
matter how much we want to believe in it, when we do not see
results. Similarly Bobby has lost faith in all things X and just
wants to make the world better for mutants. But as noble as his
intentions may be, we must ask, do the ends justify the means?
That question
is at the center of this book, and the real fun is going to be in
seeing who answers 'yes' and who answers 'no'... because they
aren't all going to feel the same way about their current path.
Blaze, who you
would think of as a throw-away plot device, actually becomes much
more. Russ and Jay slowly build her up through out the story. At
first, she is nothing more than confused Mario Campo. But the
allure of the unknown beckons her. The scene in which she
confronts Magneto concerning his interest in her is subtle, but
amazing. She knows she is flirting with danger, but Maria Campo
needs this adventure. Perhaps it is Sienna in her screaming out
for the life she once had, but it is a great peak into her
character and her duplicity. Sienna (an upstart and known
adventure seeker) is trapped inside Maria, whose life is with out
interest. When Maria is offered the two things she has wanted the
most (her past, and adventure) she can not resist (even if it
means her downfall.)
Brilliant
analysis, thank you. Makes me look good, like I really put all
that thought into it. :-)
And lastly the
corruption of Magneto. He was once a noble character but again it
is the ends, immense power, that justify the means, death. This
will cause great trust issues as Magneto seems to be willing to
sacrifice anything or anyone for his cause.
Bobby and Mags
had a confrontation sort of about this in #6. They didn't spend
much time dealing with the issue directly, but it's there
throughout their conversation. If you get a chance to read that
issue, please let me know what you think.
Finally one
thing perplexs me. In this amazing world of sin we have Amelia. A
woman who seems noble, and fair. She has morals and for some
reason is lost in this see of deceit. Hopefully her character will
be explored more.
I've got a
single-issue Amelia solo story planned, probably between the
current arc and the next big one. I'm very fond of the character
(a fondness developed entirely from reading Christopher Golden's
excellent Mutant Empire novel trilogy), and I agree that
she's one of the more fascinating people in the book.
Overall this
was a wonderful issue, although I felt the scenes with the plane
coming home was over developed. I found myself skimming through,
in order to return to the story of Magneto and Blaze.
That's
entirely possible, tho it's been so long since I wrote it, I
couldn't tell you whether I actually agree with that assessment or
not. I was still trying to get a feel for the title characters, so
I probably did linger on them longer than I needed to.
While I don't
know where Jay ends and Russ begins (although assuming Jay
provided a synopsis and Russ went from there in order to conclude
the previous storyline) their teaming was done perfectly.
Jay wrote a
paragraph-long plot synopsis and I scripted the issue from that. I
was pretty happy with the result too.
I have been
vocal about the problems I see in fan fiction. I feel it is a
medium over-run with hopefuls who, unfortunately, can not craft
interesting stories. But every so often a story comes along
(usually with the name "Russ" in the slot next to Author) that
suprises me.
That's one of
the nicest compliments I've ever received on my writing. Thank
you.
Hopefully I
will be able to increase the quality of fan fiction by becoming an
editor someplace (an idea I have been flirting with recently.) But
otherwise Russ and Jay should keep up the good work. Russ seems to
continue to produce amazing stories and Jay (who I have read is
stictly a "plot guy")seems to be missing from the fan fiction
scene (a shame.)
Jay,
unfortunately, has left the building. As for me, I started writing
fanfic here at M2K, and it's still the site I produce the most
work for. I'll be around for a while.
Thanks again
for a very kind review. Hope you read and enjoy the rest of the
run on Fallen Angels.
Next up is my
co-writer on New Warriors, Mike Exner III. Mike also writes
Amazing Spider-Man and Thunderbolts for mighty M2K,
as well as a passle of other titles for other sites.
I
really should be reading and reviewing other titles before this
one, but what the hell, I'm a big boy and I can take a guilty
pleasure when I want to.
Not gonna get
any complaints out of me...
Fallen Angels
is a guilty pleasure. I love love love this book. Russ is just as
cool as me, so him mentioning the battle between Karma, Spidey and
the FF was not really surprising, but definitely a plus. Ah,
memories.
Mm... Frank
Miller art, Chris Claremont when-he-was-good story, and a
Storm/Black Panther backup drawn by Byrne. Karma's first
appearance in Marvel Team-Up #100 was damn good comics.
Karma always
has been hardcore, so I can relate to Roberto having a problem
with her breaking down the way she did. Her reasons, obviously
don't need questioning. Roberto is going after Karma, but he's
willing to put it aside to help for the moment. Another reason I
like him.
Yeah, Berto's
cool. That's why he gets laid so much.
I really like
how Russ writes Magneto. I can understand why Amelia would be
pissed and would question what Mags was doing with the Alkies, but
did anybody buy her half-threat about 'porting Mags' heart from
his chest after he punked her? Didn't think so. Mags is so cool.
Apparently
Magneto didn't buy it either...
The
scene with Feral and Tabby and the boy and his lobster and the
sing-songy chick was interesting. Gomi and Feral are obviously
going to have problems because Feral is a psycho with a capital P,
but Gomi doesn't look like he's anyone's toy. Plus he has Bill the
losbster watching his back, so no problemo. I particularly liked
Russ' description of Feral in this scene. All her feline features
were well described here. Made for easy reading.
Thanks.
Considering Dino and David didn't seem to care for this scene as
much, I'm glad it worked for SOMEbody...
Russ, you
bestiality freak, you. I like Rictor and his powers. The scene
with him practicing them was a nice touch and I was even thinking
Bugs Bunny before you said it. Funny stuff. Feral gets weirder and
weirder and um, yeah, that's it I guess. Tequila and feline sex.
Whatever floats your boat. Ha!
How'd
you like Rictor's "morning after" this issue?
God, I love having that "Mature Readers" label... :-)
Dani Moonstar
is a hottie. I mean, a chick that rides bareback on a horse named
Danielle. Tha's is one sex name. Sexy chick. That's all that needs
be said about this scene. Oh wait, it looks like Russ is pushing
for X-Force vs. X-Force...cool!
Dani is muy
cool, and it's regrettable that no one's done anything with her
here since Dino's Weapon X mini ended...
Um, good gosh.
Did Roberto and Xi'an actually think that weird ass plan was going
to work? I mean, I'm sure Genosha is a great place and all, but
seriously. And then Bobby just went off. Good point about Xi'an
not stopping him and quite honestly the best part about this scene
and the book in general are the human confrontations. Whether it
be mutant with mutant or human with mutant, they're always very
real and often quite powerful. Kudos, Russ.
Thanks. The
personal confrontations are my favorite part of this book.
RIP Sonny.
Rest in Pieces, and good riddance. I think Russ has been reading a
little too much WBN, but damn. I'm glad Siena is awake and very
interested to see what's going to happen, very first scene of next
issue. Tensions are rising and this has the makings of one hell of
a ride.
Yeah, I have
been reading too much Werewolf By Night at MV1, definitely.
Thanks for the
review, Mikey. You're a prince.
Next review is
by this site's co-EiC, Dino Pollard. Dino is one of the guys who
kicked this title off at M2K, so I always like hearing from him.
As for what he writes... well, throw a rock at M2K, and you're
likely to hit a Dino Pollard title...
Russ is the
best writer for this title.
What a way to
start a letter! Actually, the best writer for this title would
probably be Steve Crosby (who I would love to see come take it
over when I step down... and since Steve is writing for M2K now --
plotting Ultimate Avengers, with Dino scripting -- that's a
distinct possibility).
I'll take
whatever compliments I can get, though...
And that's not
easy for me to say, considering the fact that I HATE being
upstaged!! I was the co-creator of Fallen Angels, and the scripter
for #1-4. Anyway, onto the story...
And you never
voiced a single problem with my admittedly vague and shady plans
for the book. I really appreciated that -- especially since you
almost never agree with any of my ideas right at first. :-)
Nice
interaction between Sunspot and Karma. Bobby's always been a
pretty cool character, and Russ is quickly turning him into one of
my favorites. Karma I could go either way on. The only experience
I have from her is the three-issue Beast mini-series (which really
should've been a Karma mini-series, since it was mainly about
Karma searching for her siblings - Beast and Cannonball were just
tagging along for the ride). She seems interesting, but there's
not much more to her than that.
Xi'an will be
around, and you'll get a lot more into her head before CoaLG is
over. Glad the stuff with Bobby's working for you. He's definitely
my favorite of the Angels.
I'm
not big on the old Fallen Angels characters at ALL, however. Maybe
it's because I have absolutely no knowledge of them, but they just
don't seem interesting to me.
Stay tuned. If
I don't make everybody a Bill the Lobster fan, I won't have
accomplished one of my primary goals on this book...
I'm loving
Feral, though. The interaction between her and Rictor was really
nice (thought it was kind of odd for Feral to call him by his
first name, since she's probably more used to Rictor or the
shortened version of Ric). That's my biggest complaint, though,
and I get the distinct feeling that there's gonna be a scene with
headboards banging against the wall next issue.
Always
bothered me that Rictor didn't go by Julio more often. I mean,
it's his friggin' first name, for cryin' out loud, and his friends
-- the only family the guy's got -- insist on calling him Rictor.
That's like my sister calling me 'Anderson'. It just bugs me,
despite the fact that, yes, according to continuity, that's what
she should have called him.
Besides, Feral
was obviously coming onto him, as seen this issue. Stay tuned for
more on Feral, who I have some really evil plans for.
Siena's awake,
and it looks like all hell's about to break loose. And I'm looking
forward to the ex-X-Force guys mixing it up with the Angels. You
better include Weapon X, though!!
Weapon X will
be there, since he and Dani seem to be pretty tight these days. I
would have happily excluded him if I hadn't started enjoying the
character in your Weapon X mini.
The only
complaint I have is that I'm not really sure what the plot of
"Children of a Lesser God" is. Is it the abortions? Magneto
turning the team into terrorists? A little clarification on this
matter would help, because right now, this doesn't seem like a
story-arc, more like a bunch of subplots.
I'm
approaching the book more like "NYPD Blue", "ER", or -- to invoke
a more appropriate example -- Alan Moore's "Top Ten". It's an
ensemble book, so the focus shifts a lot and different characters
come into the spotlight for a while and leave just as quickly. The
short answer is that there isn't really an overriding plot for
this arc yet. By the end, tho, it'll be painfully obvious where
I'm going with it.
In any case,
"Civil Unrest", the arc immediately following CoaLG will almost
surely be more focused.
And last, but
certainly not least, an "Editor's Choice" award from our other
co-EiC, David Wheatley.
Yes, it's that
time again, however the winner this week should surprise nobody.
Yes, it's
Fallen Angels #8 by Russ Anderson, because it was the only title
out that wasn't written by me. Well that, and it's better than
X-Men 2099 #13 anyway.
There's a lot
of development here. I have to admit that this isn't on my 'must
read' list because, I'm not overly fond of the premise. For a
while it seemed as if this was one shot deal, kind of like the
Punisher in the 'how many people can you shoot before it repeats
itself' deal. Russ seems to be making a break from that ideal, by
putting careful thought in to things, planning in advance and
giving tidbits of things to come.
Greg Rucka
said recently that it would be damn near impossible to write too
many really good Elektra solo stories in a row before you started
repeating yourself. I feel the same way about Fallen Angels. I
love the book and the characters, but at this point, I don't see
my run extending much past the initial 12-issue commitment, if
even that long.
More than that
he focuses on character realtionships. Magnus and Amelia, Sunspot
and Karma, Rictor and Feral, Dani and Sam. In fact, aside from the
Meltdown scene, it was an interesting focus, showing four very
different male/female relationships, which was quite clever.
Er... yeah.
Completely intentional, that. Nice of you to pick up on my little
-- uh -- subtleties there, David... (better write that one down so
I can impress future readers with it)
The old
X-Force seem to be gearing up for a rematch after #2 of that
series, which will be interesting. Speaking of X-Force, I was
disappointed that Sunspot's visit to Madripoor was glossed over,
as it would have been interesting to see a reaction to the
handiwork of the new X-Force. Still, that was just a personal
thing from me.
Yeah, I was
worried how you'd feel about that. However, since 'Berto's trip to
Madripoor would have run something like this:
'Berto:
Hey, this place is a fucking mess... why's everybody wearing
SHIELD uniforms?
Thug
working for General Coy (wearing a SHIELD cap which he took
from a fresh recruit after beating him up and leaving him for
dead in the alley out back): What do you want?
'Berto:
Looking for Xi'an Coy Manh. She around?
Thug:
She's in China visiting a friend.
'Berto:
Thanks, man. Hey, nice hat.
... I figured
it was a tad unnecessary. :-)
Sunspot seems
more than normally dark, almost Reignfire-like in his solutions
and you wnder how far he'll go. It's going to come down to someone
taking him to task over his actions.
Yeah, these
guys went against everything they'd previously believed in to
throw in with Magneto. If something like that doesn't darken your
outlook, I don't know what does.
However there
were two characterisation let downs in my opinion. Magnus, for all
his faults and determination, respected Xavier. He disagreed with
his ideals, but there was still respect there. That seemed to be
missing from his confrontation with Amelia. I don't feel he'd
react that way. Yes, he'd call him a fool, but a 'dead fool'
seemed unworthy of Magnus. Perhaps saying 'his foolish beliefs got
him killed. In the end I was right after all' would have been
easier to say.
Magneto
absolutely did respect Xavier... but I don't think his respect
extends to refraining from calling him a 'dead fool'. My feeling
is that writers often make these two a little too
lovey-dovey. There is plenty of anger and resentment in the
relationship, on both their parts.
Besides, Mags
was a tad upset at Amelia's accusation, which leads into your next
point.
What also
concerned me was Amelia's comment 'let them believe you are God'
comment, as she has always believed in the man's convictions more
than the power of the man behind them, as she has always been a
realist. Idealism didn't work for her which is why she left
Charles and didn't join the X-Men. I would have thought she would
support Magnus' choice more than that. However, such is the vision
of the author and he seems to know what he's doing.
It's because
Amelia's no longer an idealist that I feel she wouldn't be happy
with Magneto's decision. She sees things as they really are, and,
even though she doesn't think Mags is a god, she understands that
the worship his people hold for him is one of the primary methods
Magneto has of controlling the populace. If she was still an
idealist, she would have congratulated him for being true to his
own ideals. As a realist, she understands the potentially dire
consequences of following those ideals and considers him foolish
for it.
At least
that's how *I* figured it. Your mileage may, of course, vary.
Fallen Angels
has an interesting future ahead of it, and that's a credit to
Russ' skills.
Congrats, Mr
A, you're this week's Editor's Choice.
Thanks David.
And thanks for the review.
Letters
concerning this issue can be sent directly to me at
RussLee74@comcast.net, posted to the Marvel 2000 mailing list
(you can join at
Yahoogroups), or on the M2K message board, accessible from the
M2K main page.
- Russ Anderson
28 December 2001
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- The larger part of Magneto's
power was absorbed by Joseph at the climax of Marvel's "Magneto
War" storyline.
- Meltdown created the time bomb
that blew off Henri Diesing's legs in issue #5.
- Sunspot severely
injured the until-now unnamed Colonel Fong last issue.
