CONROY, WISCONSIN
NOW
Illyana Rasputina, the mutant known as Magik, twisted the hilt of her glistening soulsword between her tightened fingers as she grimaced from behind the protection of the blade. It had been years since the mutant sorceress, then capable of simply casting “stepping discs” to allow teleportation, had succumbed to death via the Legacy Virus. It seemed so surreal that she would once again stand alongside her former friends, even if the situation they had once again found themselves in was less than fortuitous.
As a child of Limbo, tormented and tortured beyond even the worst of nightmares, Illyana had been unable to slip peacefully into the night. Even after her friends, the so-called New Mutants, had rescued her, the Russian had been haunted by the experience and, as her body decayed in the cold earth of the Xavier Institute, her soul had been forced to once again endure the endless assault of the demon Belasco and his demonic hordes. Illyana had risen from the experience stronger, more competent, but she carried herself with a darker edge. When death should have been her ending, it had set the path towards a new beginning.
Axe brandished his weapon, the broad-shouldered brute had expected the slender blonde to be intimidated by him as all his previous victims had been. It was common that enemies much larger than her underestimated Illyana but when the legions of demons had descended upon a woman, it tended to alter her perception of fear. Without hesitation, a slight smirk even formed on her thin lips, Magik stormed forward, holding the blade high above her head. Axe swung low, aiming directly for her abdomen, but she sidestepped his assault and landed one of her own. The soulsword clanged against his invulnerable skin, sending him snaking to the left. He roared, it was nothing short of animalistic, as he turned back towards her and launched a second attack.
As Illyana continued her battle, the Nova Roman Amara Aquilla stepped forward. She had spent so much of her life conflicted and uncertain of herself, even her own identity, but no longer. Golden hair slithered from her armoured shoulders with each step. She moved with the grace of a dancer, her arms swaying languidly as she stared down her serpentine enemy, the Gladiator known as Viperion. Amara had been one of the first recruited into the merry band of mutants after the originals had started on their adventures. The beauty had quickly turned heads and earned the respect of her friends, it was hard to underestimate a woman who could make the very earth dance on her slightest whim. Viperion snarled and hissed, snapping at the mutant as she approached, fire springing to life at her heels. Stretching her hands outward, Amara’s skin rippled with hues of orange as she burst into flames. Jumping forward, Magma caught Viperion by the neck, her touch burning its skin, and launched him into the nearby wall.
As Magma moved forward, she smiled menacingly. “This is gonna be quick.”
Behind her, the cone-bra wearing Ivich Williamson – outdated as the green skinned mutant looked – was whimpering on her knees as Danielle Moonstar infiltrated her mind, utilising her deepest fears and projecting them into the Gladiator’s mind without restraint. Twin blades lay unused just within her reach as the woman desperately clawed for her mental freedom. It seemed as though the Native American mutant had already proven victorious until the murkiness of Ivich’s eyes began to clear and the green-skinned woman rolled forward, catching a hold of her swords as she bounded upright. There was a moment of hesitation in Mirage’s reaction.
In the years since she’d left behind the Xavier Institute and the New Mutants, eventually making her way to Force Works, she had grown as a warrior. There had always been a recklessness to the woman’s bravery, Danielle had been prone to throwing herself into situations with little regard for herself because she knew the pro’s by far outweighed the con’s but now she doubted her capability, even if just for a moment, and that could prove deadly. She narrowly managed to duck beneath the swing of Ivich’s weapons.
Ivich snarled. “My life has been nothing but fear and loathing. Your mind-games can’t hold me. At least, not for long.”
Danielle rebounded, slipping to the left just as the blades thrashed against the cement at their feet. With a war cry, Mirage pelted forward. She’d quickly learned that psychic prowess would never be enough to establish herself as a hero and Danielle was nothing if not quick on her feet and firm with her fists. If her time at the Institute had transformed her from mere mutant to superhero, then Force Works had shaped her into a keen and strategic warrior. Recklessly, she bolted forward and landed her foot firmly against Ivich’s stomach, sending her backwards into the nearest wall.
As the building shuddered violently, Julio Richter sidestepped the charging Horns – the Gladiator’s movements and countenance being akin to a rhino. He was heavy footed and slow to react whereas Rictor had the advantage of being nimble as well as powerful. He waved his hands, sending a shockwave through the earth as Horns was thrown upward before crashing into the cement with a thud. His time with the New Mutants, as brief as it was before they became X-Force, had taught him how to fight and the weak, bullied kid he’d been on the streets of Guadalajara was in the distant past. Shatterstar had seen to that. Even his shot at returning normalcy had been so fleeting that it seemed like the blink of an eye.
Horns bellowed as he charged once again. As Rictor reached towards the earth, he felt a kindred spirit, it was like the warm embrace of an old friend. As the earth heeded his call, cement cracked and, throwing his arms outward, it shot forward in a wave as the cement crashed into Horns’ thickened hide.
Above them, Roberto da Costa continued to fire energy blasts at the evasive, purpled skinned gargoyle known as Lexi. The one-time President of San Marcos, as much viewed as a terrorist as Rictor was, ducked as Lexi attempted to grasp at him. Roberto smiled broadly as he barrelled upward and crushed Lexi into the roof, moving to the right, the purple-skinned mutate swirled and collided with the ground.
“Is this really the best they could come up with?” he laughed cockily, loudly taunting the villains below. “I’m surprised Karma couldn’t take them all by herself.” The insensitivity of his words, in a moment of rashness, wasn’t lost on the Brazilian mutant.
His bravado was short-lived as Lexi recovered and shot forward, smacking into him in a tackle. Winded, Sunspot lost his control and crashed into the earth. The Brazilian narrowly avoided an axe as Magik collided with, and disarmed, the same-named Gladiator beside him. She grunted, slamming the soulsword against his remaining axe but the Gladiator wasn’t so easily best as he reached beneath his weapon and pounded his fist into her stomach. Fire billowed around them as Magma continued her assault against Viperion, the serpentine creature having grown to four times his original size.
A roaring from beyond the walls of the building caught them all off-guard as both New Mutant and Gladiator paused their various battles.
Amara, nearest the window, turned to her right. Her eyes focused solely on Danielle as Viperion slithered from her grasp. “That can’t be . . .”
Danielle, in a moment of bravery and true fear, stepped through the doorway. Her eyes looked towards the heaven at a figure she had hoped to never face again. “The Demon Bear.”
NOW
Illyana Rasputina, the mutant known as Magik, twisted the hilt of her glistening soulsword between her tightened fingers as she grimaced from behind the protection of the blade. It had been years since the mutant sorceress, then capable of simply casting “stepping discs” to allow teleportation, had succumbed to death via the Legacy Virus. It seemed so surreal that she would once again stand alongside her former friends, even if the situation they had once again found themselves in was less than fortuitous.
As a child of Limbo, tormented and tortured beyond even the worst of nightmares, Illyana had been unable to slip peacefully into the night. Even after her friends, the so-called New Mutants, had rescued her, the Russian had been haunted by the experience and, as her body decayed in the cold earth of the Xavier Institute, her soul had been forced to once again endure the endless assault of the demon Belasco and his demonic hordes. Illyana had risen from the experience stronger, more competent, but she carried herself with a darker edge. When death should have been her ending, it had set the path towards a new beginning.
Axe brandished his weapon, the broad-shouldered brute had expected the slender blonde to be intimidated by him as all his previous victims had been. It was common that enemies much larger than her underestimated Illyana but when the legions of demons had descended upon a woman, it tended to alter her perception of fear. Without hesitation, a slight smirk even formed on her thin lips, Magik stormed forward, holding the blade high above her head. Axe swung low, aiming directly for her abdomen, but she sidestepped his assault and landed one of her own. The soulsword clanged against his invulnerable skin, sending him snaking to the left. He roared, it was nothing short of animalistic, as he turned back towards her and launched a second attack.
As Illyana continued her battle, the Nova Roman Amara Aquilla stepped forward. She had spent so much of her life conflicted and uncertain of herself, even her own identity, but no longer. Golden hair slithered from her armoured shoulders with each step. She moved with the grace of a dancer, her arms swaying languidly as she stared down her serpentine enemy, the Gladiator known as Viperion. Amara had been one of the first recruited into the merry band of mutants after the originals had started on their adventures. The beauty had quickly turned heads and earned the respect of her friends, it was hard to underestimate a woman who could make the very earth dance on her slightest whim. Viperion snarled and hissed, snapping at the mutant as she approached, fire springing to life at her heels. Stretching her hands outward, Amara’s skin rippled with hues of orange as she burst into flames. Jumping forward, Magma caught Viperion by the neck, her touch burning its skin, and launched him into the nearby wall.
As Magma moved forward, she smiled menacingly. “This is gonna be quick.”
Behind her, the cone-bra wearing Ivich Williamson – outdated as the green skinned mutant looked – was whimpering on her knees as Danielle Moonstar infiltrated her mind, utilising her deepest fears and projecting them into the Gladiator’s mind without restraint. Twin blades lay unused just within her reach as the woman desperately clawed for her mental freedom. It seemed as though the Native American mutant had already proven victorious until the murkiness of Ivich’s eyes began to clear and the green-skinned woman rolled forward, catching a hold of her swords as she bounded upright. There was a moment of hesitation in Mirage’s reaction.
In the years since she’d left behind the Xavier Institute and the New Mutants, eventually making her way to Force Works, she had grown as a warrior. There had always been a recklessness to the woman’s bravery, Danielle had been prone to throwing herself into situations with little regard for herself because she knew the pro’s by far outweighed the con’s but now she doubted her capability, even if just for a moment, and that could prove deadly. She narrowly managed to duck beneath the swing of Ivich’s weapons.
Ivich snarled. “My life has been nothing but fear and loathing. Your mind-games can’t hold me. At least, not for long.”
Danielle rebounded, slipping to the left just as the blades thrashed against the cement at their feet. With a war cry, Mirage pelted forward. She’d quickly learned that psychic prowess would never be enough to establish herself as a hero and Danielle was nothing if not quick on her feet and firm with her fists. If her time at the Institute had transformed her from mere mutant to superhero, then Force Works had shaped her into a keen and strategic warrior. Recklessly, she bolted forward and landed her foot firmly against Ivich’s stomach, sending her backwards into the nearest wall.
As the building shuddered violently, Julio Richter sidestepped the charging Horns – the Gladiator’s movements and countenance being akin to a rhino. He was heavy footed and slow to react whereas Rictor had the advantage of being nimble as well as powerful. He waved his hands, sending a shockwave through the earth as Horns was thrown upward before crashing into the cement with a thud. His time with the New Mutants, as brief as it was before they became X-Force, had taught him how to fight and the weak, bullied kid he’d been on the streets of Guadalajara was in the distant past. Shatterstar had seen to that. Even his shot at returning normalcy had been so fleeting that it seemed like the blink of an eye.
Horns bellowed as he charged once again. As Rictor reached towards the earth, he felt a kindred spirit, it was like the warm embrace of an old friend. As the earth heeded his call, cement cracked and, throwing his arms outward, it shot forward in a wave as the cement crashed into Horns’ thickened hide.
Above them, Roberto da Costa continued to fire energy blasts at the evasive, purpled skinned gargoyle known as Lexi. The one-time President of San Marcos, as much viewed as a terrorist as Rictor was, ducked as Lexi attempted to grasp at him. Roberto smiled broadly as he barrelled upward and crushed Lexi into the roof, moving to the right, the purple-skinned mutate swirled and collided with the ground.
“Is this really the best they could come up with?” he laughed cockily, loudly taunting the villains below. “I’m surprised Karma couldn’t take them all by herself.” The insensitivity of his words, in a moment of rashness, wasn’t lost on the Brazilian mutant.
His bravado was short-lived as Lexi recovered and shot forward, smacking into him in a tackle. Winded, Sunspot lost his control and crashed into the earth. The Brazilian narrowly avoided an axe as Magik collided with, and disarmed, the same-named Gladiator beside him. She grunted, slamming the soulsword against his remaining axe but the Gladiator wasn’t so easily best as he reached beneath his weapon and pounded his fist into her stomach. Fire billowed around them as Magma continued her assault against Viperion, the serpentine creature having grown to four times his original size.
A roaring from beyond the walls of the building caught them all off-guard as both New Mutant and Gladiator paused their various battles.
Amara, nearest the window, turned to her right. Her eyes focused solely on Danielle as Viperion slithered from her grasp. “That can’t be . . .”
Danielle, in a moment of bravery and true fear, stepped through the doorway. Her eyes looked towards the heaven at a figure she had hoped to never face again. “The Demon Bear.”
Issue #1 (April 2018)
"INTO THE BADLANDS - Part One"
Written by Gavin McMahon
"INTO THE BADLANDS - Part One"
Written by Gavin McMahon
Featuring:
Karma
Magik
Magma
Mirage
Rictor
Sunspot
The Gladiators
Demon Bear
|
EAGLE POINT, OREGON
THIRTEEN HOURS AGO Xi’an Coy Manh fluttered her eyes as she allowed the buzzing of the room to overwhelm her senses. Her head pounded and there was a scratchiness in the back of her throat. The bright lights blinded her momentarily but shapes soon became solid. A hand grasped her own, it was warm, inhumanly so and she soon found herself resting her hazel eyes on the concerned face of Amara. Her long blonde hair snaked down her back and she looked dreamily into the distance, her eyes unfocused. As Xi’an shifted her shoulders, she caught Amara’s attention. The startled blonde bounded from the bed and leant over her, biting at her lip as she waited for the Vietnamese mutant to respond. The silence threatened to kill them both but finally, Xi’an found herself able to speak. “A . . . Allison.” “Amara,” corrected the Nova Roma automatically, as she’d done so frequently since her return from Muir Island. As realisation suddenly set across her features, there was an excited fervour to Amara’s movements. “Oh, Xi’an! Thank the gods. We’ve been so worried. It’s been over a week.” She stepped back, flustered. “Just relax. The others will be back soon. They just stepped out for some air. We’ve been here since it happened.” Amara’s hand shot to her mouth as she continued to fret. “Oh Xi’an. What were you thinking?” Xi’an began to cough and splutter, attempting to speak but unable to do so. “I’ll get you some water,” whispered Amara hurriedly, reaching for the jug on the bedside locker and pouring a glass. She assisted her friend in drinking it, lifting Xi’an’s chin so the water slipped easily down her throat. “Better?” Xi’an managed only a curt nod. “You’re up.” There was an air of surprise in Danielle’s words as the bedridden mutant looked towards the doorway. Her oldest friend, or at least one of them, was flanked by the shocked faces of Illyana, Roberto and Julio. Amara spoke for her. “She’s finding it a little tough to speak, after the incubation tubes and everything.” It was intended to be helpful but, as she was feeling incredibly fragile and helpless, Xi’an found the constant interruptions to be irritating. The other four entered, assuming positions around the room with such ease and familiarity that she could quickly see just how accustomed to the hospital they’d become. Amara had said a week but, as Xi’an’s eyes scattered around the room, there was no sign of how long exactly she’d been unconscious or how severe it all was. She caught sight of Danielle, whispering something into Julio’s ear that sent him spinning on heels and out of the room. Xi’an attempted to move, to gain a sense of comfort in the bed, but it only alerted her to the numbness that rushed through the lower part of her body. Wide-eyed and confused, the concern on her friends faces took a new level. “What’s going on?” she rasped, her throat still raw. Danielle took the lead, replacing Amara on the edge of the bed and grasping Xi’an’s hand in her own. “It’s okay, Xi’an. Julio’s gone to get the doctor. It’ll all be explained soon, much better than we ever could.” “Leong, Nga,” panicked the Vietnamese mutant as Amara returned to her side, attempting to offer comfort. Despite the sympathetic approach of most of her former companions Illyana was less cautious and tactful. She stepped forward, her blunt fringe almost concealing her eyes. “What happened Xi’an? Who did this to you? Where are the twins?” The barest traces of a Russian accent still lingered on her words. Xi’an was silent, frightened and unable to regain control. “C’mon,” said Roberto. His voice was intended to be soothing but the forcefulness of his curiosity, the residual anger he felt, betrayed the sentiment. “We need to know what happened here. We need to know who’s behind this and why the hell you were in Oregon.” She sighed. “The Gladiators.” “Gladiators? As in those wrestling assholes from Los Angeles?” snapped Roberto. Illyana’s gaze darkened as wisps of metallic blue energy danced at her fingertips, the realm of Limbo and her soulsword just within her reach at a moment’s notice. “Why? It’s been years since we even heard of them. Why did they attack you now?” Amara interjected. “I thought they fell apart when we defeated Shadow King. They always seemed more opportunistic than organised.” “Let her speak,” Danielle silenced them. “Go on, Xi’an. Explain.” “They have Leong and Nga . . . or had. I don’t know where they are now. If I’m like . . . If I’m in this state then they could already be dead,” she answered solemnly. “I led them. Yeah, I might have been controlled but I did it. That’s on me.” Her eyes met each of theirs. “Look at our history. This is what we do . . . or at least, what we did. The third generation of mutants, the New Mutants, landing themselves in trouble and somehow managing to free themselves from it all. Did we ever actually solve any of it? No. The Gladiators could enact revenge because when I led them, I abandoned them. I didn’t shut down the operations permanently. I walked away. We all did. I might have just been the first. They might target Amara or Bobby next. You guys were members, remember.” The pair shifted uncomfortably. “We never resolve anything. Resolved. You know what I mean,” muttered Xi’an. “We just go about our lives and hope someone else will pick up the pieces. We all have our own lives now. Some of us are just back.” She looked towards Illyana. “My siblings are out there. We need to finish this. We need to close our loose ends ourselves. We can’t be the second-stringers waiting for the big guys to come in and fix it.” “Xi’an a lot of us have other commitments,” stumbled Danielle, haphazardly navigating the conversation without sounding to disinterested or unwilling. “Force Works is chasing leads. It was all I could do to find the time away . . . That’s why Rahne had to stay behind. I’m needed there.” Amara reasoned. “And Sam wasn’t able to get away either.” Flustered, she continued. “I know the twins are . . .” “I know we all feel like we’ve moved on but this is our job, Dani. We can’t let this go on. Leong and Nga . . .” “And we’ll get them back,” said Roberto. Julio returned with the doctor. “If I can have a moment with Miss Coy Manh alone,” said the doctor, waiting until the others had filed into the hallway. “Now that you’ve woken, there’s something we need to discuss . . .” “So, what are we thinking?” asked Roberto as he leaned against the vending machine with his arms folded. He spoke to break the tension as much as to gain actual answers. He’d already come to his conclusion. Illyana shrugged. “Xi’an is clearly passionate about this and if we look at our past history, doesn’t she make sense? Yes, we might all try to move on but the past has a way of haunting us because we never allow the chapter to close properly. Limbo is always biting at my ankles and Amara’s constantly getting mind-screwed by Empath and anyone else who walks past her. That’s only two examples and it already proves her point.” “I wouldn’t say constantly,” sniped Amara defensively. Illyana rolled her eyes. “More than twice is a bit more than a pattern. It almost makes me wonder if you spend your time laying the wait for the next mental attack.” “Where have you even been, Amara?” enquired Danielle. “It’s been months since, well, it all happened.” Roberto eyed her curiously, Amara simply shrugged dismissively and turned her eyes to the ground. She was silently seething at Illyana’s comments. Julio stepped forward. “Biting at each other’s throats and throwing shade will solve nothing. I get this is a high stake situation for you, it’s stressful, and you’ve known Xi’an for a lot longer than I ever did. Hell, I was more X-Force than I was New Mutant but perhaps that’s a good thing. A little clarity from the outsider.” He cleared his throat. “I know it seems like there’s a lot going on right now but, to play devil’s advocate, there are many teams out there already who can deal with this. It might be time to put a call into the Institute.” The very word seemed to make Amara uncomfortable. Roberto frowned. “Why should we? Better again, why should we stand back and let them? Xi’an is one of our oldest friends. She’s one of us. We’ve been through a lot together and we’ve thought we’d lost her before. This was all very familiar. We didn’t deal with the Gladiators last time so maybe this is our chance. We can fix those mistakes so the Gladiators can’t do this again. Amara and I were both controlled by Farouk too, what if they come after us next? We shouldn’t wait.” He paused, looking towards the silent Native American. “Dani? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you this quiet.” “She’s right. We’ve moved on but from what? This needs to be dealt with. Leong and Nga might still be out there, captive, and they’re children. This is what we do. We need to protect them and, if we can’t, we need to bring those who hurt them to justice. Who’s in?” All raised their hands. Danielle nodded. “I guess we follow up on her leads and we find the Gladiators.” The doctor exited. Amara moved towards the door. “First, we need to make sure she’s okay. He’s clearly told her the bad news. She’ll need us.” CONROY, WISCONSIN NOW “Dani–” “It’s fine,” the words rushed from Mirage’s mouth, cutting Sunspot’s concern short so as not to betray how she really felt about confronting an old foe. The Demon Bear had haunted her for so much of her youth and now, in her twenties, she believed she’d finally recovered from its mental manipulations. She hadn’t realised that this creature, the monster that had been responsible for making her believe she was an orphan for so long, could still hold so much sway over her. It was terrifying yet exhilarating to face such an old foe. “They’re gone.” Magik’s tone was blunt and unforgiving. She, like all the others, had aged since they’d truly known one another and the hellish dimension of her captivity had left its mark on her soul and attitude. Whilst the others felt sympathy for Mirage’s plight, Magik was focused exclusively on the task at hand. In turning their attention to the arrival of the Demon Bear, the New Mutants had lost the Gladiators and, as she saw it, failed in the very objective they’d re-banded to achieve. Karma had sent them there with the purpose of closing the cold case, righting the wrongs of their pasts, but they’d managed nothing more than becoming sloppy and allowing Mirage’s old wounds to affect them all. They could have ended both but the opportunity had slipped between their fingers. She stormed forward, pushing Mirage from her path as she stepped into the shadow of the roaring Demon Bear. “One crisis at a time, people,” Rictor reminded them all. “Giant ghost bear now and then we’ll bring in the Gladiators.” The New Mutants, as they now stood, stormed forward. Sunspot took to the air, circular energies swirling around his pitch-black hands as he fired directly into the roaring creature’s eyes. It swatted at him, as if deflecting a fly, but Sunspot was agile and evasive. Instead, the Brazilian recharged the energies and made another strike. Experience had taught him, perhaps all of them, very little about the Demon Bear and Magik’s soulsword had killed the last one but this was larger, more dangerous, and he could see the soulsword being of little use beneath him. Momentarily distracted in his thoughts, the Demon Bear caught Sunspot with a slap and sent the mutant crashing through a house and across the idyllic front garden of the Wisconsin property. He groaned as he attempted to ready himself for another attack. Rictor cast his hands forward as the earth shifted under his design, pointed columns shot upward and one pierced through the Demon Bear’s hind limb. If he could achieve nothing else, at least he had managed to keep the creature in place. The Mexican stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding the creature’s attack from above, as its attention was drawn away from him with a fireball. The statuesque blonde Amara Aquilla paced forward, entering the fray as majestically as the princess she’d been raised to be, as fire spat against the earth with every footstep. Immediately upon gaining the Demon Bear’s attention, Amara’s body exploded in a flurry of fiery energies and Magma propelled herself into the air. As she began to lose momentum, near the creature’s face, and freefall to the earth, Magma unleashed all those pent-up energies. Sunspot shot upward to catch her as the geothermal wave crashed over the creature and knocked it backwards. “Magik! Teleport it somewhere! Limbo, anywhere,” ordered Mirage as she fired another psionic arrow. It pierced the creatures furry hide but to little avail. Magik rebuked. “I’m not unleashing this thing on Limbo.” “They’re already in hell anyway,” snapped Mirage. Magik dropped to her knees as she focused all her energies through her hands, pressing firmly against the hard surface of the earth, and generated a teleportation disc that she wasn’t sure she could sustain. In a blinding light, the Demon Bear was gone . . . they all were, until they found themselves hurtling through the air and colliding with a cold, dusty landscape. Magma rose to her feet, igniting her hand as a torch, her eyes surveying the slightly clearer terrain. “Where are we?” mumbled Julio, his eyes looking at the darkening horizon that was unfamiliar but clearly not Wisconsin. Illyana shifted uncomfortably. “I think we got caught in the backlash. I think this might be the Demon Bear’s realm. Where it’s from.” “The Badlands,” grimaced Danielle as they listened to the roaring in the distance. A cacophony of sound that sent shivers down their spines and alerted them to the dark truth, this wasn’t a singular bear . . . it was many. Next in the New Mutants: Dangers lurk in the Badlands for our five New Mutants! |