Issue #13
"FROSTFUL DECEIT"
Part I: Prolonging the Inevitable
by Cory Wiegel
Iceman
Blizzard
Emma Frost
Harry
Tanya Redfield
Sherry Redfield
Grizzly
Gibbon
Before the two hospital beds stood a young man wearing a tattered black trench coat that extended to the back of his knees. Under it was a dark and torn open Hawaiian shirt, along with battered and dusty leather pants. His loose brown hair hung low over the side of his brow, matching the burden his young Caucasian features held.
Hearing the sound of slow computer generated beeping didn't make him feel much better about what had happened, unless you count the fact that the two men before him are still barely clinging to life.
What had he done? Maxwell Markham and Martin Blank failed themselves when they first chose to live a life of crime, but when he met them that late Saturday night and agreed to aid them in their quest to become heroes, he was the one who failed them.
It wasn't the first time Bobby Drake had failed to be there for anyone. And mainly it was because of his irresponsibility and immaturity towards what life throws at him. When he was a member of the outlaw band of mutants known as the X-Men, it was being a slacker and taking what he was given lightly that lead him to be a liability to not only his team mates, but to the Professor's dream.
To Professor Charles Frances Xavier's dream.
And in the back of his mind it haunted him so much to know that he was never there when his friends really needed him. He had always taken so much time off from the team and the developing of his mutant abilities to try and pursue his own interests, and tend to his own failed personal life.
How could it be that he never cared when he should have, and he always cared when it was too late, and when it won't help anyone? Bobby agreed to show Grizzly and Gibbon the ropes to being an accomplished super-hero, so he simply let them off on their own with a few words of advice. To him it was like telling a bird to flap his wings real hard, and then shove him out of the nest expecting it to be easy.
Running a hand up onto his forehead, ignoring the gash and rolling his eyes upward with a depleted sigh, Bobby pressed firmly in hopes to rid himself of the anxiety he felt inside and ran his hand over his hair before looking back to the two before him. He listened to the beeping of their respirators for a moment, before dropping his arm back down to his side and coming to a loss.
"I'm sorry you guys," He muttered quietly with an exhaling breath, staring at their broken and heaving forms through his tainted blue eyes. "You know I really didn't mean for this to happen."
"We're handlin' it best as we can, hero man," Grizzly said
as he got behind the barricade of ice and set down the children hanging
over his large frame.
"Good," Iceman nodded, turning around and taking off into a run towards the turned over bus. "I'll put the flamin' yellow bus on ice before --"
*BOOM!*
The explosion of the bus' second gas tank rocked the street, sending Iceman flying onto his back and skidding back several feet. He gasped from the sudden shock, his vision blurring over as he found the air escaping his lungs.
"Iceman!" Grizzly shouted as he bounded off the wall of ice after setting down the last of the 4H day camp children.
Suddenly, the wooden doors of the burning apartment building crashed open, as two teenagers wearing red doorags on their heads followed by the burnt form of the Gibbon crashed onto the concrete. Martin Blank coughed wildly from the smoke and force of landing.
Halting to a stop several feet away from Iceman, the Grizzly nearly avoided the relentless crossfire between NYPD and Red Dogs. From that angle, Iceman looked to be recovering, but when Grizzly turned back to the three fallen forms he simply fell limp to the ground.
Grizzly bounded across the street, ducking gunfire as he did so. When he landed before the two Red Dogs, he saw that they had been shot through the chests, but Gibbon was just roughed up pretty bad.
Over the two in the apartment's doorway stood a tall and dark figure, whose face could made out through the flames as a ghoulish symbol of death... A hooded skull with intensely glowing gold orbs for eyes.
"Excuse me," Turning around at the sound of the stern and
patronizing voice, Bobby found a man standing there in a white doctor's
coat and holding a clipboard at his side. "But are you a super hero
as well?"
"Yeah. Sure am..." Bobby shoved his hands into the leather trench coat's pockets and began walking towards the doctor. He drew a small business card from his pocket and handed it to the doctor with a nod, before walking past him. "There's my card."
Quietly, the seasoned doctor took the card as the battle worn young man passed him. Looking down to the pasty white card, the doctor on duty that evening was dumbfounded by the words etched in gold.
Harry's Hideaway.
The owner and manager of the most popular pub Salem Center flinched at the ominous sound of crashing and breaking glass. Quickly turning around and looking over the counter for a potential fight or accident, Harry saw one of his employees holding an empty serving tray and standing over it's now spilled and shattered contents.
"Ladies and gentlemen, former bartender turned latino pop-star... Candy Aguilera!" Another employee, Jon Hernandez, announced with mock enthusiasm. He began grinning wildly as applause came from the many costumers occupying Harry's Hideaway that evening. "Keep goofing up like that, Candy, you may have to follow in the Aguilera trend sooner then you thought."
"Oh stick in your ass, Jon... you half-witted wetback," Candy retorted as she knelt down to place the broken pieces of glass mugs and plates onto her serving tray. A loud moan came from some of the nearby costumers, though most others had failed to pay attention this time around.
"Hey, you're half hispanic too. Geeze..." Jon simply went back around the counter after loading off his small serving tray onto a table near the mess instead of instigating anything else. Harry moved past him and towards Candy.
"You alright, Candy?" He asked, tossing a washing towel over his shoulder and putting his hands to his hips. Candy looked up to him, and then back to the mess.
"Yes Harry, I'm fine..." She said, almost as if she was speaking to one of her parents, continuing to pile the broken shards and spoiled cheeseburgers and fries onto her serving tray. "For some reason I just felt this cold chill down my spine..."
Harry simply nodded his head, biting down onto his bottom lip with a bit of a skeptical smile. It wasn't like he needed an excuse if she had slipped up, he thought, but maybe if she did then it was all understandable. Candy looked up to him with a scowl on her face, and then went back to cleaning up the mess.
Back at the Hospital...
A young Puerto Rican woman strode down the infirmary's hallway confidently enough, with almost a little bit of a skip in her stride. Her name is Cecilia Reyes, and being here is what feels right.
As a professional doctor she tried her best to keep herself dignified, only this was her first month back in a real hospital and she was happy enough that she had actually gotten another job as a doctor after her career seemed to be shot down the tube.
"Heeere yooou go, Marcy," Cecilia sung as she arrived at the front desk near the end of the infirmary's hall, a subtle smile across her face as she handed the secretary nurse a clipboard.
"Thanks Doctor Reyes," The middle aged woman replied, amused good heartedly by the young doctor's enthusiasm. "With all the alien invasions and gang wars springing up, you still manage to look pretty spirited tonight."
Moaning tiredly though backed with a bit of a laugh, Cecilia leaned into the counter and folded her arms over it's flat surface and laid down her head. "As grueling of a job it is and as horrible as it is seeing some of the injuries... it feels incredible to be back."
Marcy shook her head with a low chuckle in agreement as she looked down to the computer monitor before her, beginning to type away.
"I'll agree with you on that one."
Doctor Cecilia Reyes exhaled slowly with another tired moan as she took in the moment's rest. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar man sprawled out on bench. She stood up and focused more on his tainted form and torn clothes.
It had looked like he went through hell, and with the current transpiring events she knew it was quite possible.
"Hey, we have some coffee coming in in a bit," Marcy stated, looking away from the monitor towards Cecilia as she noticed her standing back up. "Would you like some?"
"Yeah, sign me up for a cup..." Cecilia replied, keeping her eyes trained on the young leather clad man sitting at the bench. "I'll be right back."
Adjusting the glasses sitting on her face, she walked across the infirmary hall towards the bench near the elevator.
"Drake?" The young doctor greeted with a bit of a concerned tone, looking down to him through her round glasses.
Bobby looked up to her, his tired brow furrowing in surprise.
"Cece...?"
"What are you doing here?" The two former X-Men both said in unison.
After a brief pause they both laughed quietly, Bobby continuing to look at Cecilia with that folded brow as she gently sat down beside him and looked to him with insistingly.
"It's a long story I'd rather not get into right now," Inhaling a breath of air, Bobby turned his head away from her, leaning it back against the wall and closing his eyes. "You?"
"Same," Cecilia frowned a bit, though at the same time tried to hold a gracious smirk. "All there is to know now is I'm back doing what God intended me to do."
"I can respect that, Doc."
"Here you go, Doctor Reyes," Marcy smiled as she looked down to Cecilia Reyes and Bobby Drake, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. Cecilia took it into her hands gradually, careful not to spill any of it.
"Mmm... thanks, Marcy," Cecilia said before drawing the cup to her lips, and slowly sipped at it. The secretary nurse looked to Bobby, who in turned looked to her and smiled politely, before glancing to the Nurse's I.D. on her chest.
Turning around, Marcy walked away.
"Hmph," Bobby laughed ironically to himself. "Marcy Redfield."
"What's so funny about that?" Cecilia asked, glancing away from the coffee held close to her face and back to Bobby.
"Oh, nothin'," He replied, cocking his head to the side and turning his head back her way. "This girl I met in Salem moved out of state not too long ago. Her last name was Redfield."
"Tanya?" Cecilia hunched her brows his way, taking another sip of her coffee.
"Yeah," Bobby replied, scratching the back of his head. "How'd you know?"
"That's her mother," Cecilia nodded towards the front desk and counter, and looked back to Bobby as she held her coffee. "She talks about her and her little girl all the time."
Bobby's eyes widened a bit and his body grew stale as his facial expressions soon melted away. Cecilia set down the cup of coffee on the edge of the bench, and waved a hand in front of Bobby's face. Snapping to attention, Bobby looked her way.
"You okay? It looks like you just soiled yourself, Drake."
"I think I just did...." Bobby trailed off, looking towards the desk of Marcy Redfield. Feeling the eyes of Cecilia Reyes boring through the side of his head, Bobby looked back to her and sat up. "Sorry to cut our little reunion short Cece, but I'll catch ya later."
"All right Bobby," Cecilia's voice was softer and more toned towards that of Bobby's sudden reaction, as well as her body language when she nodded. "We'll catch up."
Nodding in response, Bobby turned away from the doctor and made his way towards the elevator. Cecilia Reyes watched him for a moment before downing the rest of her coffee and going back to work.
Winterbrand Corporate Offices.
Alain Weiss stood at the head of his large office on the tower building with his hands clasped behind his back. It was late and most all of the corporate employees had gone home, aside from the security guards. Hearing the sound of a door opening, Weiss glanced to the side, and then returned his gaze to the New York skyline.
"Brooklyn was burning tonight..." The President of a Multi-Billion dollar corporation said, his eyes dreery as they searched through the city's lights. The young Asian woman who had just entered the office was Opal Tanaka.
"I saw on the news," She said gently as she stood her distance. "When I was younger, I used to think thugs and gangsters were... sexy, and dangerous. Now I watch the chaos and destruction they're capable of when they pull together, and it makes me sick."
"Everyone has a fantasy of something exciting and different when they're young," Weiss laughed quietly to himself, glancing away from the skyline and down to the streets distant below. "I'm glad you grew up, and your ideals for the future changed."
Suddenly Opal appeared at the side of Alain Weiss, leaning her head into his shoulder and sliding both hands onto his aged frame. She sighed and closed her eyes quietly. Alain looked away from the streets and to her momentarily.
"When I was going through the different news tapes of the brief gang war that errupted earlier, I found something interesting," He said as he turned away from Opal and walked towards his desk. She stared at his back side before deciding to follow slowly.
On the large desk was a flat screen monitor being held up by a thin metal supporter, and a keyboard. The desk itself seemed to be made around a number of Winterbrand technological wonders. Weiss pressed a button on the monitor before sitting down. Opal took a spot behind him as the screen came on to a frozen image.
It was an enhanced view of a shadowy formed posed in mid-air, a hood appearing to be over it's head of glowing bright eyes, holding a pair of hand guns, and bearing a sword strapped onto his back. Opal analyzed the image for a moment, then looked back down to Weiss, who in turned typed a few commands into the keyboard.
"Taskmaster..." Opal stated as the image was lit up, moving through the darkness and shadow to identify the man. "So that's what his last big job was."
"Yes," Weiss nodded, drawing his elbows up onto the large desk and clasping his hands together once again. Through his dimly tinted glasses, he continued to stare at the image. "It seems like he was contracted to decimate the Red Dogs, and put it off as a gang war. I can't say it's our business to know who hired him."
"You're not seriously thinking about still hiring him?"
"He's the best at what he does, Ms. Tanaka," Weiss sighed, not moving his eyes away from the flat screen monitor. "We still need him. Have you found the second one we need?"
Opal nodded in response. "He was involved in the gang war this evening, too."
"You don't mean...?" Weiss finally looked up to Opal suddenly, intrigued.
"I do," She looked away out the corporate office's window. "But I don't think he'll whole heartedly agree to what we have in mind."
"Luckily we have a bargaining piece," Weiss said before standing up from the desk, and walking away from Opal towards an elevator door in the corner of the office. "I'll be in the lab."
Opal bit down onto her bottom lip as she glared coldly to the exiting Weiss, then her unsettling gaze returned outside that of the building's main window.
Xavier Institute For Higher Learning. Later that evening.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help, Forge," Said Hank McCoy as he looked to the flat screen monitor before him with a plate of sympathy. "Best of luck though."
{{ It's no problem at all, Henry. Enjoy your vacation. }}
Hank stared in thought at the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem as the transmission closed, pulling his fury blue and large beast like hand to his defined chin. Finally, he pulled out the ear piece connected to the edge of the monitor display and tucked it into his belt.
"Guess everything's not going too well for the Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate folks, huh?"
Turning his head over his shoulder, Hank saw Bobby leaning over the empty seat next to him, his forearms crossed on the top of the seat and propping his head up. He wasn't able to hear any of the conversation because of the earpiece Hank was wearing.
Cocking his head to the side dryly, the fury blue scientist slid away from the monitor display and controls in the War Room to the round, metalic briefing table.
"Working on a mission with S.H.I.E.L.D. during the whole alien invasion not too long back, Darkstar apparently was enveloped by the darkforce."
"Ouch..." Bobby frowned at the news on his former teammate, though he hadn't spoken with her in some time obviously. "What does that mean for her?"
"It means she's become one with the Darkforce itself..." Hank bit his bottom lip, pondering the entire predicament.
"Is there any chance for her?" Bobby asked sympathetically, raising a brow.
"Honestly I can't say," Typing a few commands into the metalic briefing table's controls, a display closed and Hank cocked his head to the side with a shrug. "It's quite possible if her conscience is still alive within the darkforce it could be extracted. But if her physical body was destroyed..."
"Hnh... Yeah, I know what you're saying," Bobby nodded as Hank trailed off, the fury blue Beast losing himself in what's become full on contemplation.
After a moment of silence, Hank McCoy snapped to attention and turned back to Bobby. "I'm sorry, Bobby. Did you need something?"
"Actually Hank, I was wondering if you could wire Cerebro to find someone for me," Bobby stated as he looked back to Hank, unfolding his arms across the back of the briefing chair.
"Who do you have in mind?" Hank turned back to the briefing table's controls, keying in a few commands that brough up a project of the world globe. Bobby looked up to the holographic projection and thought to himself.
"Find out where Sherry is. Sherry Redfield."
Hank paused for a moment, glaring at Bobby before he typed in any of the search information into Cerebro's database. Bobby caught Hank's glance and looked away from the globe to meet his yellow orbs.
"Tanya's daughter... I thought you said they moved back to Carolina because of Tanya's mother," Hank inquired, becoming a bit unsettled. "Did something happen to her?"
"Nah," Bobby shook his head reassuringly. "It's just I found out Tanya's mother lives here in New York, and that she didn't go to Carolina."
"She lied to you?"
"Yeah, and I'm a little curious as to why."
"Plankton," Hank announced as he looked back to the holographic project. Bobby's eyes followed. "She's in Plankton, New Jersey."
The Iceman leaned back into the briefing room chair with a bit of a frown, raising a hand to scratch through the limp brown hair covering the temple of his head.
"Why would anyone want to go to Jersey..."
NEXT ISSUE: Why WOULD anyone want to go to Jersey???