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MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS... "ACTS OF WAR"
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| Ben Reilly listened to the hum of the helicopter rotors as the sun reflected on the ocean water below. He leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed. He was exhausted from the trip, and it was just approaching the end. As soon as he arrived in Genosha, it'd be straight to work though. The SimsCorp team would be working on the telecom system until a planned state dinner with several members of Magneto's cabinet- and perhaps Magneto himself. That was the least of Ben's concerns though. "We will proceed as you initially planned," Agent Harold Powers declared. The bulky red-headed federal agent handed each of the SimsCorp employees file folders with a couple type written pages and clip-on ID badges. "We will handle anything deviating from your plan. You are to wear these badges at all times. They contain trackers that will maintain a lock on your location to our main computers stateside." Ben looked down at his folder and the crappy picture of himself on the yellow and green badge. He'd had a sinking feeling about the government's involvement in the "mission" since he learned about it. Ezekiel Sims had appointed him project supervisor, even though his bio-chem skills had no relation to the task at hand. It was his dual identity as the Scarlet Spider that had ensured his placement on the team. "Does anyone have any questions about what's going on here?" "Yeah," Ben said, looking up at Powers. He held up the badge. "Do these come in another color? I look terrible in yellow." "Don't be a smart-ass Reilly," Powers growled. "You've been one since we left Hanoi. Do you have a problem with what we're trying to do here?" "No," Ben replied. "I just think you're an asshole." The other Sims employees, Johnson, Ferretti, and Halsted, all laughed, and Powers' parter, Knowles, surpressed a chuckle. Powers scowled at Ben, his bushy eyebrows shading his eyes. "Just a couple days, and you'll never see me again," he grunted. "Until then, this is a matter of national security, and you had better treat it with that sort of respect." "Securing ourselves against a third world country that's in the process of rebuilding itself?" he replied. "A country whose population is nearly one hundred percent mutant," Powers replied. "Ranging from freaks with tails to little girls who could bury entire cities in an earthquake of her own making." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll err on the side of caution here." Ben shrugged. "Whatever man," he said and leaned back against the bulkhead. He could see the island nation growing in the distance. "Just whatever." The Genoshan Viceroy
Exodus was an imposing figure. Ben had heard stories about him- a former
Crusader, one of the most powerful Acolytes, a telepath on par with Xavier
himself. He honestly didn't know what to believe. What he did know was
that he felt the strange tickle at the back of his mind that was always
a signal of a telepath. He suspected it had something to do with his spider-sense,
since he'd never really heard of anyone else feeling it. "Ben Reilly," he said, sticking out his hand to Exodus. He looked at it for a couple moments before accepting and shaking. "A... pleasure," he said. "Welcome to Genosha." "Thank you," Ben said with a hint of discomfort. It obviously wasn't a pleasure, but he wasn't going to say it. He chuckled inwardly- the supervillain had become a diplomat. "This is my associate Ever," Exodus introduced with a motion beckoning the large man to his side. Ben nodded and offered his hand again. Ever accepted much more willingly than his... master. "Welcome Ben," he said. "Ever is head of the Genoshan psi-corps, or whatever name they're being called by today." "Then I'll be making sure to think happy thoughts," Ben joked. Ever chuckled softly. Exodus's expression remained stoic. "Ever will also accompany you to your accommodations," Exodus continued. "So you'll need to continue with your 'happy thoughts' for a bit longer." Ben nodded, and ignored the slight buzz of his spider-sense. He knew Exodus wanted to harm him. It was very clear from the twitch at the edge of his eyelids. He didn't know the twitch was more than that though. Are you unable to sense them as well Ever? Exodus asked. Yes, the younger telepath replied. They're using psi-dampeners. Keep an eye on them, either by yourself or one of your more talented agents. Do not trust them. Point taken... Ezekiel hated paperwork. More than hated- despised it. He would have preferred to have been out in the city, leaping from building to building as he once did in his youth. He glanced over at the edge of his desk at an amber paperweight. Inside was a prehistoric ancestor of the modern Tarantula. The spider had become trapped in the amber and stuck in place for millennia, and now sat on his desk as a very expensive decoration. Ezekiel often felt as trapped as the spider. His phone began ringing. He glanced at the display. It was an internal call, from the Thirteenth Floor. Ezekiel sighed, bracing himself for word of another engineer being sucked through a transdimensional gateway, picked up the receiver and pressed the flashing button for the incoming line. "Hello?" he said. "Sir, sorry to bother you," said a voice he recognized as Franklin Bard, one of the tech supervisors. "It's about Johansen." "Oh? Is he okay?" He bit his lower lip and waited for the answer. "Of course," Bard replied. "But he's in the process of walking out. I think the Skrull DNA splicing was freaking him out." Ezekiel sighed and made a mental note to check with the geneticists on the Floor and see what exactly they were doing. "Let him go," Ezekiel said. "But sir, the Scarlet Spid-" "I'll take care of a replacement," he interrupted. "Send me his personnel file also. I want to make sure he's not left high and dry." He hung up the phone and turned to his computer. With a few keystrokes, he accessed his desired database and began searching, hoping the technician he was thinking of was still available. Ben realized he hated diplomacy the more he experienced it. The state dinner had been boring as hell, and he wasn't exactly sure to classify it as a state dinner really. It seemed sparse, with only Shinobi Shaw, Exodus and Amelia Vought present. Exodus had increasingly made him uneasy, the way he was staring at them. The installation team slowly made their way to their rooms. Ben could feel Powers’ gaze drilling a hole in the back of his head. He had made several jokes at the intelligence agent’s expense at the dinner table, and he hated it. He glanced over his shoulder, and met Powers’ gaze. He turned away immediately. Ben rolled his eyes. He stopped in front of the door to his room and grabbed his keycard from his pocket. “I’m going to turn in early,” he said. “I don’t think Genosha has much of a night life.” Johnson and Halsted laughed. “With you there,” Halsted said. “Just make sure you wear your badge if you leave,” Powers said. “We need to make sure you’re safe.” Ben rolled his eyes again. “I’m a big boy Harry,” he said. “I don’t need you holding my hand. I’ll keep your stupid badge on though.” It was a lie. There was one thing on his mind, and it involved a scarlet costume in his suitcase. He turned to the door and slid the card into its slot. He swung the door open and waved to his comrades. As soon as he was inside, with the door shut securely, he began stripping down. He crossed the room and opened his suitcase. He grinned as he popped the hidden compartment open, revealing the Scarlet Spider costume. “Hello gorgeous,” he muttered. He lifted the costume out and held it up. He’d been itching for some web-slinging the entire flight. Ollie Osnick carefully moved the tendril-like arm of his suit and tipped the beaker of magnesium powder, pouring some of it into the beaker of acid. The solution began bubbling and Ollie grinned. He turned to the group assembled behind him and lifted his goggles from his face. “Yes, it may remind you of Doctor Octopus,” he told his investors, “but the practical advantages of the exo-suit outweigh the disadvantages.” “What about wannabe supervillains?” asked an overweight balding man who held a diet soda tightly in his grasp. “Anyone who would want to steal your suit and rob banks?” “Mister Castillo, is that correct?” Ollie stated. He nodded. “Okay, well, we’ve thought of that. The Human Torch or Power Man is not always going to be available to stop anyone who gets a little too greedy.” He turned and pointed at a small unit that appeared to be a boxy refrigerator. “The transceiver unit holds a fail-safe. If the suit gets too far away, it will automatically shut off-“ A short blonde woman in thick rimmed glasses cut Ollie off by knocking on the Plexi-Glass behind the crowd of investors. “Excuse me,” Ollie said with a smile, waving Carolee Mueller inside. He unhooked himself from the harness and joined her at the door. His partner was a brilliant programmer, and had created most of the software running the suit. He wouldn’t have had a chance if it wasn’t for her. “Hey, sorry,” she muttered. “No need to apologize,” he said. “You’re the boss. What’s up?” “Phone call for you, line four,” she said. “He said it was urgent. About the project.” She grinned. “I think it was Ezekiel Sims!” Ollie raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go grab it,” he replied. “Answer their questions?” “Certainly!” Carolee replied. Ollie ducked out the door as Carolee began speaking to the investors. He jogged to the phone, picked up the receiver and punched the flashing light for line four. “Hello?” he asked. “Ollie, Ezekiel Sims, how you doing?” Ollie grinned. Carolee was right. He felt a rush run up his spine. “Excellent Mister Sims,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure.” “The same,” Ezekiel replied. “I was just calling to make an offer. Full funding for the exo-suit if you’re willing to move it to my LA facility.” Ollie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uhm, wow!” Ollie exclaimed. “That’s… that’s… awesome! I’d need to talk it over with Carolee, but I’m sure she’ll be all for it!” “Great,” he said. “We’ll want your staff out here also, naturally.” “Of course!” he exclaimed. He glanced over to where Carolee was speaking to their investors. She grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. He echoed the gesture and turned back the desk, frowning. “One question though,” he asked. “Why ask for me? Why not tell Carolee?” “Because I need the Steel Spider for a side job,” Ezekiel replied. Ollie raised an eyebrow. Very few people knew about his time as the Spider. “And that is?” “I’ll need you working with the Scarlet Spider,” he said. “Maintaining his equipment and keeping it top of the line.” “That’s it?” Ollie said in relief. “Well, that’s not a problem. Let me talk to Carloee, like I said, but that’ll be fantastic.” “Well, I’ll email you the information then. I have your address. Thank you Mister Osnick.” “Thank you!” Ollie replied. The line went dead. Ollie stared at the phone for a minute, then replaced the handset. He turned and took a step, stopped himself and looked back at the phone. He smiled and jumped back to it. He picked the phone back up and quickly dialed his apartment number. “Hello?” the familiar voice of his wife Julie said. “Jules, it’s Ollie,” he said. “Remember talking about moving to California eventually?” Ben flipped through the air, then extended his left arm and fired a webline. His stomach jumped as he started into freefall. He let himself fall until the webline snapped taut and swung him over Hammer Bay. He grinned and let go of the line. He twisted and spread his arms wide. He fell several stories, then fired two more lines, catching the buildings to either side of him. The lines drew tight quicker this time and shot him up into the air like a slingshot. He curled his body into a ball and flipped several times, then landed on a rooftop. Below he could see several fires in steel barrels on the street. “This is disgusting,” he muttered. “Agent GI Joe is insisting this country is a threat, and look at them.” He crouched down and watched as an extremely tall woman knelt next to her pink-skinned daughter and handed her a crust of bread. The child dug into the bread eagerly then thanked her mother. Nearby an older gentleman with scaly skin rubbed the shoulders of his younger wife, whose only visible mutation were several pointed ridges on her ears. Ben glanced down the street, noticing several other similar scenes. This was Genosha’s capitol city. What was the rest of the country like? “And he wants us to spy on them. Asshole.” Ben watched for several more moments, then jumped into the air, firing a new webline and pulling himself into the air. He swung into the distance, while a younger man with dark hair stepped out of the shadows. He’d heard exactly what was intended for him to hear. He glanced at his watch. It was late, or more accurately early, but he’d been directed to report in no matter what. He pulled a slim black radio from his pocket and turned it on. He was getting better at communicating over telepathy, but at this time of night and over this distance he didn’t want to risk it. “Ever, this is Scan,” he whispered into the radio. He waited for several seconds until he received a reply. “What?” Ever muttered, obviously groggy. “Sorry to have woken you, sir,” Scan said. “Scan, I’ve told you a half dozen times that I’ll lobotomize you if you keep calling me ‘sir,’” Ever growled. “What is it?” “Exodus was right, si- uuuhm,” he paused. “He was right. Two of the Americans are government agents, and they’ll be installing some sort of software backdoor after the Sims people are done.” “Dammit,” Ever muttered. “I was really hoping that Exodus was just paranoid. It wouldn’t be the first time a flatscan has just worn a psi-buffer to protect their thoughts.” “Yeah, but those flatscans are loaded. No offense.” “None taken.” Ever sat up in bed and hung his head. This was going to turn ugly, he was sure of it. “Which of the Sims people did you learn this from?” “You’re not going to believe it,” Scan declared. “Try me.” “The Scarlet Spider.” Ever swore and kicked the sheets off his bed. They had sent a superhero. He jumped to his feet and began dressing. He grabbed the radio again. “Which one of them is the government agent?” he asked. “Powers,” Scan replied. “Good. You did well Scan. Go home, get some rest.” “Will do.” Ever turned off the radio and continued to dress. He didn’t ask if Scan had discovered the Spider’s identity. He had a strong suspicion about that. He picked up his phone and dialed a number that had become all too familiar. “Tabitha, please meet me near Exodus’s quarters.” He hung up and took a deep breath. He then began walking, dread building with every step. Exodus would be furious. Quite frankly, Ever didn’t blame him. Elizabeth Tyne watched the scenery roll by as the bus continued ever onward. She was on the last leg of the trip, and she was looking forward to the destination. Liz had been hoping to hear from Ben for some time, but had never dared look for him. When the Scarlet Spider reappeared in Baltimore, then again in LA, she slowly came to the realization of who he was. She needed his help, and she needed to warn him. She knew what was coming for him. She’d spent two years with the man who had piloted the Big Wheel weeks ago before he’d traveled to Los Angeles to give her a “better life.” What he’d become was the furthest from a better life she could imagine. “Mommy?” the blond three year-old next to her asked. “Are we close?” “Yes Reilly,” she said. “And then we’re going to find your daddy.” His mind was made up. Still in costume, Ben sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the Genoshan sunrise. He ignored the exhaustion from his lack of sleep. He ignored the aches from the night full of web-slinging. He had one thing on his mind, sabotaging Powers’ mission. He glanced at the clock and clenched his eyes shut for several moments. It was time to begin work for the day. He stripped down and began to dress in his street clothes. Powers was going to have his head for this. He wasn’t a programmer. He was a chemist, which meant his sabotage would have to be physical damage. He stretched and turned to the door. Taking a deep breath he strode out of his room. Johnson and Ferretti smiled at him and hefted packs of tools onto their backs. “Sleep well Ben?” Johnson asked. “Eh, okay,” he shrugged. “Powers is waiting for us downstairs,” Ferretti said. “He told us to break your door down if you took another couple minutes.” Ben chuckled and shook his head. “What a prick,” he muttered. “You’re telling me,” Johnson replied. Ben waved the two technicians down the hall and followed them closely. His mind ran through all the different possibilities of how to ruin Powers’ software. None of them really seemed to click, but he continued as they boarded the elevator and began going down. After another couple moments, the car stopped and the doors opened. Powers looked up at them and glared at Ben through his sunglasses. “Dammit Reilly,” he growled. “Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?” “I didn’t as a matter of fact,” Ben replied. “Thanks for asking.” Powers scowled and Knowles shrugged, mouthing the word “sorry.” Ben gave Halsted a nod, and the group continued down the hallway to the main lobby of the hotel they’d been boarded in. Standing in the middle of the lobby were Exodus, Ever, and two others Ben recognized as Meltdown and Madrox. “Good morning!” Ben exclaimed. “Glad to see yo- Oh shit.” Ben’s danger sense flared as Exodus rushed forward, grabbed Powers by the throat and lifted him into the air. “What the-URK!” was all Powers was able to say before Exodus began choking him. “You would dare betray us?” he growled. “I have the power to destroy armies. One pathetic excuse for a spy is nothing to me!” The viceroy’s eyes began to glow yellow and Powers clenched his eyes shut. “Do you feel that?” Exodus continued. “That is every blood vessel in your body contracting. Every.” Powers grunted. “Last.” Exodus clenched tighter. “One.” Powers opened his eyes wide and his head exploded in a rush of blood and gore. Exodus dropped his corpse and turned to Meltdown. The Sims team jumped back in a mixture of surprise and terror. “Tabitha,” he ordered. Ben saw small plasma globules form in her hands and his danger sense began screaming at him. He jumped forward and tackled Meltdown, sending them tumbling. Ben jumped to his feet, but Tabby was already on hers. “Bastard!” she exclaimed. She blasted a stream of plasma at him. He jumped straight up about ten feet, and flipped, avoiding the assault. “Not quite,” Ben replied. “I understand Mommy and Daddy were married.” He landed in a crouch and leapt forward. “Smart-ass,” Meltdown growled. She dodged his pounce and ignited a plasma burst just over his shoulder. “We’ve worked so hard for this country, and you come in to bring it down! To spy on us!” Ben hit the ground hard, propelled downward by Meltdown’s time bomb. He rolled as she jumped at him, and caught her in his arms. “Trust me, wasn’t my call,” he grunted. He pushed forward and slammed Tabby onto her back. “Why would I ever want to harm a babe like you?” “You’re a pig too, hunh?” She blasted him again, sending Ben sailing through the front of the hotel. She jumped up and sprinted after him. Exodus turned from the fight and cocked his head towards the four remaining men. “Madrox, restrain them,” he said. “With pleasure,” Jaime replied. He stomped his foot several times, creating six duplicates of himself. They each grabbed one of the men. “It looks like Ever’s guess of who was the Spider was spot on,” Exodus said. He gave his young protégée a nod. “Good job.” Ben crawled painfully into his window. He shed his shredded clothes quickly, and grabbed his costume. The metal mesh woven into the fabric would help shield his body from Meltdown’s powerful plasma bursts. He pulled the mask over his face as the outer wall exploded inward. Meltdown jumped from a floating platform, obviously a relic left by the magistrates. “Can the Spider come out and play?” she pouted sarcastically. Ben grinned. What an old cliché. “You bet your ass.” He ran forward and put his head down. Meltdown tried to duck out of the way, but he was too fast, tackling her and sending them both out the window. She started flailing at his head, while he grabbed her by the waist and fired a webline to the building to his side left. The line caught and yanked him into her gut. Tabby gasped as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Ben swung in a tight arc over the courtyard and into the city, trying to ignore the injuries the fight already had caused. He needed to end this before anyone else got hurt or killed. Powers was bad enough. Meltdown blasted him point-blank. Ben let go of his line and flipped. Stars formed in eyes and he gritted his teeth. Tabby hit a nearby rooftop hard. She stood shakily as Ben landed on his side. “You know I hate hitting girls,” he muttered. She rolled her eyes and kicked him hard in the stomach. “I don’t mind hitting boys,” she replied. “Gets stress out.” She stomped on his left arm, which laid flat on the ground. He winced, knowing his suit had just prevented a broken arm. She kicked again, but Ben was ready. He twisted his body, and caught her foot. His legs shot out and kicked her feet from under her, sending her to the deck hard. “Didn’t say I wouldn’t.” He jumped to his feet and fired a glob of impact webbing at her. She rolled and pushed herself back up, standing at the edge of the roof. She blasted him, throwing him back several feet. He caught himself and broke into a sprint. He hit Tabby in the stomach and they tumbled over the edge of the roof. He grabbed her again and fired a line to catch them. “Let me go!” Meltdown cried. Ben grinned. “You asked for it.” He simply let go, letting Meltdown drop. He tapped his web-shooters, firing a ball of impact webbing to create a cushion underneath her. Meltdown angrily fired several small time bombs, which latched onto his webline. Ben let go as the globules of plasma exploded. He flipped several times and landed on the ground as Tabitha hit the webbing. “Are you an idiot?!” Ben exclaimed. “Are you trying to kill us?” “I could ask you the same!” Tabby growled, struggling against the sticky goo. “You’ve essentially invaded our country and you’re acting indignant about it!” Ben ripped off his mask. “I’m acting indignant about Powers death!” he yelled. “I had just about figured out a way to kill his backdoor when Exodus popped his head like a zit. Wait…” Ben paused. “Why wait until today? Why didn’t he do this yesterday?” “Because you took off your psi-dampener last night.” Ever stalked towards Ben carefully. “One of my men read your thoughts. He heard everything about your government’s plan.” Ben cocked his head. Psi-dampener, of course. He was surprised that he didn’t realize it earlier. His danger sense was buzzing again, but not nearly as powerfully. Ever was in his head. Ben imagined a hand with an outstretched middle finger. Ever chuckled. “You were going to,” he said. “You were going to do something that could have branded you a traitor in the states out of pity for us.” Ben heard several small pops, and glanced back at Meltdown. She stood, having freed herself from the cushion of webbing. “We don’t need pity,” she declared. “And I don’t need a hole in my head,” Ben quipped. “I want to help. I don’t want to kill your country. Please…” Ben extended a hand to Ever for the second time in as many days. The former Morlock stared for a few moments, then took it. “Let me talk to Exodus,” he said. “He wants the five of you executed. I think I can talk him into letting you leave peacefully.” “That’s it?” Meltdown exclaimed. “You give him a brainscan, we let him go?” Ever shot his former commander a glare. “Pretty much,” he growled. “I trust that you won’t have a problem with that.” Meltdown cocked her head down and glared over the rims of her sunglasses. “I trust that you won’t have a problem with that,” she mocked. She turned her glare on Ben. “You’ve got a little something…” He motioned to a small trickle of blood on the right side of her mouth. “Just… there…” “Screw you.” She flipped him off and stormed away. Ben sighed and sat down on the ground. He sighed. “Shit,” he muttered. “Shit, shit, shit.” He needed about six hours of sleep- He twisted a little and winced. -and a nurse. Julia Carpenter sipped at her cappuccino and glanced at her watch. He was late. He was very late. She’d thought that a meeting in a Starbucks was unusual, but whatever he’d wanted. She sipped again and sucked in a deep breath to cool the heat within her mouth. “Carpenter?” a voice asked from behind her. She turned and saw a Caucasian man in his early thirties with thinning brown hair, a long nose and a sharp business suit and messenger’s bag. “Pusher?” she asked, inwardly wincing as she said the words. “That’s me.” He stepped over to the counter and slapped down a five-dollar bill. “Triple soy mocha with lots of foam.” He rejoined Julia and sat down, shifting the messenger’s bag from his back to his lap. He opened it with a rip of velcro and pulled out a plain brown paper bag. He set it on the table and pulled the bag of his shoulder. Julia picked up the bag and glanced inside. “That’s it?” she asked. “Two vials? “That’s it,” Pusher replied. “One dose for now, one dose for about three months out. That’ll stick for a year.” She pulled one of the vials from the bag and held it up. It looked like nothing more than carbonated water in a long oval bottle. “What is it?” she asked. “Irradiated spider venom, steroids and something called MGH,” he said. A waitress set his coffee in front of him and he handed her a ten-dollar bill. “MGH?” Julia asked. Pusher nodded. “Mutant growth hormone.” He grinned and took a sip. “Best high out there.” Julia bit her lip. Was this really worth it? She stared at the vial for a few moments as Pusher watched her closely. “Well?” he finally asked. Julia sighed and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small wad of bills and handed it to him. “Six hundred,” she said. “Just like we said before.” Pusher nodded and took the money. “A pleasure,” he said. Julia gave him a half-hearted smile and stood. She picked up the bag and slipped it into the pocket of his jacket. She gave Pusher a nod and turned away. He pulled a phone from his pocket as soon as she was outside. He held down the “3” key until the phone began dialing. After three rings someone picked up. “Hello?” a voice said at the other end. “She has it,” Pusher said, then hung up. Ben sat atop the capitol building and watched the Genoshan sunrise for the second time, this time with a completely different set of feelings. He leaned to the left, gingerly pushed at his ribs and winced. At least six were broken, and the mutant healer had declared he had miraculously avoided any other injury beyond a concussion that still had him dizzy. He curled his legs up to his chest and thought about what he’d done. If Exodus had not acted, where would he have been? “Penny for your thoughts?” asked a rich deep voice. Ben turned and saw the familiar purple robes that had become a symbol of terror to many in the world. Oddly enough, he had the opposite reaction to Magneto. This was a man who could have been a force for good, had life dealt him a different hand. “Magneto,” Ben said, standing to offer his hand. The ruler of Genosha accepted the gesture. Ben could see his years worn into his face. “A pleasure,” he said. “I must apologize for the brash actions of my Angels. I was glad to hear you were generally unharmed after Ever spoke so highly of you.” He stepped to the edge of the roof and looked over Hammer Bay. “I understand that you gave as well as you got.” “Is Meltdown okay?” he asked. “No permanent damage, except her pride,” he smirked. “She needed it a bit.” He sighed and drew his cape around him. “What would you have done? If Exodus hadn’t attacked?” “Pretend to be clumsy,” he shrugged. “Spill coffee on the computer or knock it off the table. Something that would have ruined their software.” “And if the late Agent Powers deduced that it was intentional? Branded you a traitor?” “I’ve done the fugitive on the road thing before,” Ben said. “I could do it again.” “You would have been welcome here,” he declared. A knot formed in Ben’s gut. He shook his head. “I sympathize with your people,” he said. “I don’t condone the methods of the Fallen Angels or Acolytes. I’m not a terrorist.” Magneto winced at the mention of the Acolytes, then nodded. “You’re not a mutant either,” he said. Ben nodded. “I’ve always wondered something though,” he asked. “Why not follow Xavier’s dream? What is so wrong with peace?” Magneto hung his head and sighed. He reached up and began unbuttoning his tunic. He opened his shirt and showed Ben two brands on his chest- one a number, scarred deep into the flesh over the right side of his ribs. The other was a Star of David on his left pectoral with the word JEW scrawled across it. “I masked these scars for years,” he said. “Kept them cleverly hidden behind synthetic flesh, make-up, even Shi’ar holograms. No one alive today has actually seen them.” “Has anyone?” “Charles did,” Magneto said, draping his tunic back over his body. “This is why I cannot accept peace. As soon as our kind, our superior kind, grew comfortable with that peace, a new Hitler will rise, and they’ll target us. They’ll wipe us off the face of the Earth.” Ben nodded, then took a deep breath. “Do you still want the Sims tech? Or would you rather we leave?” “Do your work Mister Reilly.” Magneto turned and offered his hand again. “And I mean it in both senses. Shinobi will create a cover story for Powers’ death so this incident does not start a war. Yet.” A field of magnetic energy began humming around Magneto, and he lifted from the rooftop. “Thank you Scarlet Spider.” “Thank you,” Ben replied. Magneto floated away and Ben wondered if his words would be prophetic, one in particular. “Yet.” She rubbed her eyes and brushed her black hair away from her face. The flight from New York had been terrible. They had hit turbulence over Las Vegas and she had ended up in the lavatory for a few minutes. She returned to her seat and picked up the copy of the Los Angeles Times she’d picked up on their lay-over in Denver. She knew it was him. She was certain of it. She stared at the picture of the Scarlet Spider. Ben was alive. Jessica Carradine looked back out the window. This assignment was the perfect way to see him again.
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