“The Folly of the System - Part 2”
Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.
-George Orwell
Shard always wondered what Forge was like as a younger man. She never actually thought she would get to t see it. Of course this Forge had some different experiences than her own. Her Forge had never been Director of SHIELD for one. That was enough to change anybody, especially considering all that occurred during Forge’s time as Director. Shard almost understood why he was happy with an Assistant Director position in XSE, but that wasn’t him living to his true potential. Forge was a leader whether he wanted to run away from it or not.
“You two are going to walk in the front door of this facility,” Forge said to Shard and Jin Agni. Shard heard it in the man’s voice, he was a commander. Some things just came naturally. “Our intel still seems to be pretty reliable. We’re still looking at a weapons depot, but it would seem The System is holding a bit of a floor show.”
Shard could imagine a hundred different ways that show could produce disastrous results. The System had really started to spread their wings as of late. They needed to be reigned in before they caused a serious incident. “So it sounds like we’re going in with a full frontal assault.”
Forge stroked his chin. “Perhaps I should have worded that batter. You two are going into this show as potential buyers. My contact has managed to procure the two of you invitations to the affair.”
“Who is the contact sir?” Agni asked.
Forge clicked a button on the remote he was holding and on a nearby screen popped up an image of a young Arab man. He had a neatly shaven goatee, curly hair and a slender nose. Shard could look at him and see he had combat experience. The XSE of her time trained her to know the difference between a thug and a professional. This man was most definitely capable f holding his own.
“This is Jyoti Veza, a member of The White Palm that has been working with us the last three months. His intel has proven invaluable.” Shard guessed that Forge must have read her and Agni’s faces. “Yes, I know they’re mostly a rumor, but they exist and he’ll be doing his best to keep you out of trouble.”
“So how are getting in? Hologram projectors?” Agni asked. Shard could have groaned at the eagerness in Angi’s tone. He was a skilled man, but the worst kind of officer. The next promotion was always drove him to be a good soldier, not character.
“Not technology on this one. Just a few old fashioned cosmetic changes. Te System would sniff out a hologram like a bloodhound.” As Forge spoke, two agents walked into the room carrying suitcases. One was sat next to Shard and Agni. “You’ll find your disguises inside.”
Agni picked up his case, placed it on table and popped it open. He held up a small box. “Contacts huh? Hope they shoot lasers.”
Shard sifted through her case an held up the item she had the most problem with. “A wig, Forge?”
He shrugged. “Eve you have to admit your hair is distinctive. It was either that or shave you bald.”
“I’d break anybody’s arm who tried,” Shard said, sitting the wig back in the case. “So when do we leave?”
“Flight leaves for Ecuador in sixteen hours. Enjoy the downtime in the meanwhile.”
=X=
Sixteen hours and halfway into a flight later
Agni leaned back in his seat and sat his hands across his chest. He closed his now hazel eyes and smiled. “First class feels so damn good. Glad Forge made this happen.”
Shard looked out her window, trying her best to be natural in her disguise. Wigs, heels, make-up and tight clothes weren’t part of her make-up. She wasn’t the pretty girl because never had time to be. “It’s part of our cover. No one will buy weapons dealers flying coach.”
Agni opened up his eyes and took a sip of champagne. Shard hated how much he seemed to enjoy this. He was comfortable in all this luxury. For some irrational reason, that made her dislike him a great deal in that moment. “Cover or not, this is how I prefer my flights. You should try and enjoy it a little more…what’s your damn name again?”
“Drink a little less and you might remember,” Shard said, snapping a bit harder than she intended. “I’m Viola Winship and you’re Carlton Yin.”
Agni straightened up at the bite in Shard’s voice. He was back to being the consummate career soldier. Whatever part she had just seen of him, Shard successfully managed to lock it right back up. “Yes ma’am, I’ll keep that in mind. We should be landing in the hour.”
“Good, I’m already thoroughly sick of this mission.” Shard knew why comfortable things put her in such a funk. Enjoying them made her feel like she was betraying her home. Like she was betraying her young self. She knew it didn’t make sense because she taken enough lumps to enjoy a few finer things, but she couldn’t. “I owe you an apology Jin.”
“Why is that ma’am?” Agni asked in a way that told Shard he already knew the answer. It dug at her a bit but she swallowed that lump of pride.
“I lost my temper over something that has nothing to do with you. Do you know anything about where you come from?” Shard knew Agni had at least some idea. He struck her as the type to study his superiors.
“Approximately eighty years from now. Mutants packed into camps. You and your brother were among some of the last.”
Shard nodded. “That about covers it.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Shard spoke again. I’m not good at apologies. No one in my family is. But I lost my temper because this is all unnerving to me. My entire life has been a fight that’s what I’m use to. Not this.”
“My father was a diplomat so this is all I’ve ever known. You’re right to have disdain for it. This much comfort makes you too easily corrupted. You get things and you want to hold on to them so badly you do awful things. I almost forgot that for a second.”
IN that moment, Shard saw something desperate in Agni. He was running from something. It was easy to get caught up in people’s behavior without stopping to think about their being a reason why. “So it’s pretty obvious where your negotiation skills come from.”
“Among other things.” Agni ran a hand through his dyed white hair. “Forge said this only suppose to last for a couple of weeks right?”
“I happen to like it. White hair was all the rage when I was a teenager.”
Jin laughed. “So I’m sixty years ahead of the curve.”
Shard figured that was about as forward thinking as Agni would ever get. The man was squeaky clean and by the book. He marched to the step of procedure. But now Shard decided she was going to try to fault him a little less for it.
=X=
One tarmac and a limousine later
Jin opened the door to their suite, sat down their suitcases and took in the luxury. Shard halfway expected him to start drooling. “Can you believe this?”
Shard was dealing with more important matters, like not breaking ankle in one of her high hells. Throwing herself on her king sized bed; Shard found great joy in kicking the purple shoes off. “What I can’t believe is that Forge ever expected me to walk in those.”
Jin furiously worked through the room’s bar and concocted himself a drink. He held one out for Shard, but she was quick to refuse. The refusal prompted him to throw both drinks down his throat. He shrugged afterwards. “We’re supposed to be wealthy black market dealers and we’re pretty sure that we’re being monitored to some degree right? So it would be suspicious to no indulge.”
“How many bugs did Forge say they removed again?”
“Twenty. Pretty low considering. They must not suspect us too much.” Jin mixed another drink and merely sipped on this one. Shard remembered Hancock and the amount of booze he use to drink. She figured it was the only thing that got him through the day.
“I wonder how the others are faring.”
Jin laughed. “I imagine Punchout has lived up to her name by now.”
=X=
In a “wonderful” little tourist resort
“You sonnuva bitch!” Punchout said, punching Micromax across the chin and sending him through an open door. “You cheating bastard!”
“I didn’t cheat. You’re just a sorry ass player,” Micromax rubbed his chin and get to his feet. He looked at Lorien laid out on one of their room’s dusty beds with his feet crossed. A magazine was close to his face. “Why don’t you ask Lorien to play if I’m such a cheat?”
Lorien pulled the magazine back and looked at both of them quietly before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t want to play with either one of you.”
Punchout slammed her hand down on the table, rattling a number of the dominos off of it. “Think you’re too damn good for us, huh?”
Lorien pointed at Micromax. “Him not so much, but you without a doubt.”
“Sonnuva bitch!” Punchout picked up a chair and flung it at Lorien. He rolled out of the bed, dodging the flying wood. “Stay still you scrawny punk!”
Lorien did a hand stand, put his feet against the wall and in gravity defying fashion, pulled his body into a ball. He launched himself from the wall and hit Punchout head on. She stumbled back a few steps but was no worse for wear. Spinning around her Lorien had a knife at her throat before she could take her next breath. “Throw or hit one more thing I this room and we’ll put your invulnerability to the test.”
Punchout smiled. “You got spunk kid. I like that. But a tango with me is the kind of hurt that you don’t want.”
Lorien pressed his knife against her throat harder. His whisper was short and vicious. “Test me again and we’ll dance like its Prom Night.”
Dropping his knife, Lorien moved away from Punchout and lifted up a window blind. Dust flew up in his face as result. He started to cough and waved the imperceptible cloud away. “And after this BS, we have to go hiking through some woods.”
“Yea, whoever thought playing back-up could be so shitty?” Micromax asked, moving to Lorien’s side. He spared no shortage of harsh stares for Punchout. She held up a fist in response.
“Let’s just hope Jin doesn’t blow their cover,” Lorien said putting the blind back down. “The guy is just too straight laced. Not sure what Brand was thinking there.”
“Shoulda sent me,” Punchout said.
Lorien got back o the bed and picked up his magazine. “She might have if you weren’t so psycho.”
“You only call me that because you wish you lived like me,” Punchout said, plopping down in the one remaining good chair in the room. She started rocking back and forth in it. “I know enough about you to know you got plenty of psychos for friends. So don’t try and make me out to be some unique experience in your life.”
Lorien flipped through his magazine without ever reading a word. “Your wanting to be seen by anyone is pathetic. Didn’t you have enough notoriety on Genosha?”
“You don’t know shit about me and Genosha you little punk.”
Looking up from his magazine, Lorien narrowed his eyes at Punchout. He might as well have been trying to set her on fire. “I’m missing a few details. Like how many mutants exactly did you send to their deaths?”
“Whoa!” Micromax moved in the path of the two. “This heat has our brains all out of whack. I think we should all just take a breath.”
Punchout was already doing plenty of hard breathing. Veins along her neck and forehead throbbed violently. “Move out my damn way!”
“We have a mission Punchout and I know you don’t want Brand or Shard dressing you down.” Micromax bit his bottom lip, watching for her reaction. She still looked like an attack dog ready to pounce.
Punchout relaxed and walked away. “He just saved your ass.”
=X=
And let the show begin…
“Hello Ms. Winship and Mr Yin. It is a pleasure to have your company today. We hope you enjoy today’s selection of merchandise.”
The polite greeting didn’t fit the man delivering it. He stood well over six feet and had the frame of a lineman. His broad face and chest were littered with tattoos and scars. Him being polite seemed as unlikely as a domesticated lion. Shard knew better than to buy the act. The man might indeed be polite, but he knew his way around a fight. She didn’t imagine The System putting a lackluster fighter at their front door.
Shard and Agni handed the man the small, green jump drives that served as their invitations and confirmed their false identities. Inserting each drive into tablet, the doorman scanned the information. He smiled and nodded at each of them after reviewing their drives. “Again, welcome to the presentation.”
Shard walked by and scanned her surroundings upon entering the building initial hallway. It was a dark place without any kind of identifying marks. The air had a musty quality that reminded Shard of a locker room. The floor was wet because every step she too gave a splash after. At the very end of the hallway was a single green door. She didn’t like being confined to this tight a space. It was too easy to be ambushed.
Every inch walked felt like an eternity to Shard because she waited any moment for an attack. Finally, the two of them got to the green door. A large red circle was where a peep hole might have been. Unexpectedly, a red light washed over them causing Shard to step back, ready to attack. Agni pressed is hand towards the ground in a signal for her to calm down.
The red light continued to wash over them without causing any sort of visible effect. Shard didn’t feel any heat or any sensations along her skin. She figured they could be scanning for number of things; wires, weapons, any kind of equipment that would make them uneasy. Finally, the red light stopped its scanning and was followed by aloud clicking sound before an automated voice came through an intercom system. “Genetic scan complete. Two mutant signatures identified.”
Shard looked over at Agni and he might as well have been a ghost; white skin and mouth wide open. “What’s wrong with you?”
Agni straightened up and composed himself immediately, as if he forgot that Shard was next to him. “I just don’t like the idea of my DNA being kept in a catalog somewhere.”
The door opened and it was like they were on the floor of some Vegas convention. There were booths, displays and even panels discussing the wares that The System had to offer. Shard actually found herself impressed with the organization of it.
“What a pleasure to see you again Ms. Winship.”
Shard and Agni both turned to the source of the greeting, expecting the worse. They both relaxed when it was realized the source was their contact, Jyoti Veza. He was taller than Shard expected, but everything else fell in line with the mental image. The large chest and biceps, the move star curls, and a ladies’ man smile all matched up. It just made her not trust him, especially the smile. Reminded her too much of Trevor.
“Was wondering when you might show, Shard said. Forge said the man was source of intel, but she wasn’t sure that he could be entirely trusted. The White Palms were just as bad as The System. Still, something about Veza was found useful so she would trust Brand and Forge’s judgment. “So what next?”
“You come with me and your friend does some of his own shopping,” Veza said, unexpectedly taking Shard’s hand and pulling her in close. She didn’t like it, but wasn’t about to make a scene in here. Agni looked as tense as she felt. A simple nod though confirmed Jyoti’s plan and Agni walked away.
Shard waited till Agni was lost in the crowd before speaking. “Touch me like that again and I’ll blow off both your hands.”
“And I have no doubt that you could but we needed to have an air of intimacy. Your cover here involves me.”
Shard cut her eyes. “How?”
Jyoti smiled just like Trevor. “They believe you and me to be an on again, off again lovers.”
“And I’m assuming us being on again is how you got me in here?” Shard was starting to like the frontal assault idea more and more.
“Am I really such bad company?” Jyoti asked as the two of them started to move through the expo. Shard saw someone explaining the mechanics of mutant negation collars, remnants of a broken Genosha. There were others peddling spare Sentinel part and scraps of alien technology left from the planet’s many extraterrestrial encounters. Many of the potential buyers were unknown to Shard, but she was sure a few government officials were in the mix. But there were a few of the buyers that Shard did know.
Gryphon, the mangled former Prime Sentinel, was looking over a variety of cybernetic parts. She questioned the dealer about ways to best integrate cybernetic components to complement mutant abilities. Shard absorbed as much of the conversation as she could. Gryphon wasn’t a high-level threat, but that didn’t stop her from being dangerous. Not every credible threat had to Magneto.
They stopped for a moment at a panel on the newest technologies in genetic alteration. She took note of Dr. Animals’ presence in the panel primarily because of his heavy association with The Red Skull. It was strange to see the topic presented in such a scholarly and frighteningly informative manner. Jyoti had to pull her away. “We need to keep moving.”
It quickly became obvious why Jyoti ushered her away. Two large gates were at the end of the convention hall and standing in front of them was every member of The System side by side. No shortage of armed guards was in front of the mutant crime lords. Before long, nearly everyone present at the convention was gathered around those gates. Shard found Agni and he moved to her side.
“Quite the interesting supply of goods they have around here,” Agni said, flashing business cards. “I got referrals for assassinations, cloning and cybernetic alterations in five minutes.”
“It looks like the main event is about to start,” Shard said, looking through the crowd to see Adam Rulke motioning for silence. It’s not hard to get a crowd to shut up when a hundred men with automatic weapons are in front of you.
“Welcome esteemed guests. Today’s event was a success because of your participation. Now we want to show a bit of gratitude by providing some entertainment. Please follow us into the auditorium, have a seat and enjoy the show.”
Adama, tall and eloquent, was the first to disappear with the shadows of the auditorium with the other members of The System following behind him. Shard took a mental note of that and turned to ask Jyoti a question but he was gone. She looked to Agni. “Did you see him leave?”
“No ma’am. Was trying to focus on the crowd.” Agni still scanned faces even as he talked to her. Shard wondered just how much he would retain, but again that wasn’t even really necessary. XSE had enough telepaths to catalog every single thing Agni and her saw. He probably was already operating off this fact.
They followed the crowd into the auditorium that was really more a stadium. Shard began to wonder how one beat up warehouse contained all of this. She suspected terrasect technology. In her time, the use of it was on the rise among drug dealers looking to hide their stash. You could hide a year’s worth of supply in a jewelry box. “We need to get close seats. Come on.”
The two moved casually through the crowd, giving an air of aloof dominance that allowed them to move up to front seats in the auditorium. A sterilized smell filled the auditorium like a cold hospital room. The odor took shard back to the many wounded soldiers she had to visit, surrounded by that smell. Jin took her out of that state of mind. “This must be some demonstration.”
Shard leaned forward, her hands clasping her knees. Fighting back her disgust was had as men clad in black fatigues dragged a chained young woman into the center of the arena. He raven hair was matted, layers of dirt darkened her skin and her legs and arms were littered with bug bites. It took everything in Shad to bite back the instinct to rescue this girl. She needed to see this play out.
Trailing the chained girl was a sleek, sliver humanoid robot that stood there heads taller than her. It moved awkwardly, walking t the opposite side of the auditorium floor. The chains were taken off the girl and clanked to the ground. She rubbed her wrists and looked hatefully at the robot. There was animosity there; Shard knew it because it was the same way her brother looked at Trevor.
The voice that blared through auditorium’s sound system was Adam Rulke. “This lovely specimen here is Megan Munn, a Canadian born mutant we captured a few months ago. She has extraordinary abilities that you’ll be able to see now.”
Lights flared up in the arena, illuminating Megan and the machine about to be set against her. Wasting no time, Megan’s artificial opponent charged at her. It lifted its arm it he air and brought it down in an attempt to cleave her in two. Sidestepping the attack, Megan kicked the robot’s wrist. In an instant a rusty ring appeared around the robot’s wrist and the hand snapped clean off.
Shard nearly jumped out of her seat to shout support for the girl. Agni leaned in to whisper. “She’s got some training. Either that or they’ve done this with her quite a few times. Probably a combination of both.”
“We can’t leave her in here.”
Megan ducked a swipe from the handless arm of the robot. She ran at the machine, pressing her hands against one of its ankles. Much like the wrist, its ankle snapped off from rust. Megan back stepped and rolled as the robot tumbled forward, nearly falling in top of her. She was about to gin for another attack when she started clutching at her neck.
Adama Rulke’s arrogance laced voice came over the intercom again. He made no effort to hide his upper class upbringing. “As you can see, she I quite the vibrant example of homo superior. But with The System’s modified tech, she is kept on a very tight leash. Case in point…”
The robot reached back with its good hand and smacked a struggling Megan clear across the arena. She slammed into a wall and crumpled down it. Blood trickled from a dozen different wounds and her legs were in unnatural positions. Shard fought back a tidal wave of rage. It was all Shard could do to not leap into the arena.
Rulke’s smug voice projected again, full of pompous pride. “As you can see, this young beauty has been gravely injured. But the collar around her neck is its own medic.”
Glowing blue, the circuitry in the collar started to buzz. It echoed through the stadium and Megan’s wounds began to knit themselves together. Just as soon as the buzzing started, it stopped. “That is just a demonstration my friends. There is far more in store.”
Shard’s stomach was in knots thinking about Megan and what she had been enduring on a likely regular basis. It was all she could think about as The System’s guests and potential buyer were ushered out of the auditorium. It kept her pensive all the way on the ride back to her hotel room. In every window they passed, she saw images of Megan battered. Agni didn’t say anything the entire ride.
Her first words were not spoken until they were alone in the hotel room. “We have to get her out.”
Agni nodded, walking to the window and looking in the direction of the warehouse, he sighed. Shard took comfort in the fact this was bothering him as much as it was her. She didn’t think he was heartless by any means, but she wasn’t sure how far from the mission he was willing to deviate. As his commander she could make him, but she rather have him want to.
“It’s barbaric. We have to stop it.” Agni’s voice trembled a bit. “No one deserves to be treated like that.”
“Then we stop it.” Shard pulled out a pocket make-up mirror and sat it on her bed. The mirror pulled open and started to project an image of the ratty tourist trap the rest of X-Force was in. “Pull it together guys. We have a repot.”
Lorien was first to make himself visible. “We’re here boss. Wassup?”
“We have a rescue operation on our hands now,” Shard said, watching Micromax and Punchout enter into the hologram. “The System is trying to sell some bad tech. Not the end of the world, but they’re using a girl to demonstrate it.”
“And her name is Megan Munn,” Agni said, moving to Shard’s side. He was tall, stoic and perfectly military. Shard looked at him and wondered what happened to him in her timeline. He must have never had the opportunity to become the man she saw before her.
She knew something was truly wrong by the look on the miniature Lorien’s face. He looked like a kid who just saw their dog ran over. “What’s wrong?”
“Did she have long, black hair? Pale skin?” Lorien asked the questions with such desperation that Shard knew the inevitable conclusion.
“You know her.”
“We were in The Exiles tighter. I lost track of her after exodus sent us to the wind.” Lorien pressed a hand to his forehead and looked down. “Should have never lost track of her.”
“Don’t go blaming yourself kid. We’re going to get her out.” Shard put a hand on Agni’s shoulder. “Go back to that warehouse and see if you can find her. I’ll stay here to keep up appearances. Lorien, get ready to call in the cavalry.”
“Just get her out,” Lorien said, disconnecting the hologram.
=X=
In the midst of a temper tantrum…
“Those bastards!” Rulke said, slamming his hand down on the table holding the communication device that was transmitting through a speaker. It wasn’t a particularly violent slam because the Egyptian didn’t have a build made for power. Rulke was all suave and finesse, but he wasn’t showing any of that at the moment. “They’re coming for her.”
“It’s too easily to assume that,” Lenka said, his arms folded across his chest, highlighting the dragon tattoos on his arms. His long, silver hair hung casually over his shoulders. “We don’t know how much they know. They could have known we were listening in and said something to throw us off their real objective.”
“Entirely possible,” Bemidji said while scoffing down a ham sandwich. The large, bearded Filipino man was always eating, but with good reason. Every bite he consumed increased his strength, if doing nothing for his figure. “They probably are still going to attempt a rescue of the girl regardless. He needs to be notified to monitor her more closely.”
Vizenor scoffed, the numerous piercings across his face rattling as he did so. The man had enough piercings to set off a metal detector, all in the name of testing his incredibly strong healing factor. “I don’t know why we’re even trusting that traitorous bastard. He could turn on us as easily as he’s turned on all his other allies.”
DaVingi sighed. “As we’ve discussed before, he is a tool. And so is the girl. Our best strategy is to act as if we know nothing at all. Let the XSE act with impunity and when they bring the breadth of their forces here, we’ll bring this building down on their heads.”
“A sound idea,” Rulke smiled. “And one that will infinitely increase the reputation of The System.”
“This expo might be worthwhile after all,” Lenka said.
=X=
After plans have been laid…
Agni moved through the halls beneath the auditorium arena, constantly scanning his surroundings. There were too many doors thus too many opportunities to be caught by surprise. He really was walking in here blind, but he knew why Shard ordered it. There was too little time to for a proper recon because the expo could be over any day now. And that would mean Megan could be lost to them for months.
That just couldn’t be allowed. Agni had seen the pain on Lorien’s face. It reminded him far too much of his mother’s face upon hearing of his father’s death. You didn’t ignore that kind of pain. You did whatever you could to erase it.
Keeping close to the wall, Agni did his best to inspect every room in as short amount of time as possible. Eventually, he came across two large window panes providing a view of a room filled with medical equipment. Clear bags full of life0giving fluids and boxes of sterile gloves and needs were spread around the room. In the center of it all was Megan, strapped down to a hospital bed. IVs were stuck in her arm and machines monitored her vitals as she peacefully slept.
Agni crept into the room and two knives slid out silent from his sleeves as he approached the bed. Swift cats tore through the straps and even swifter movement disconnected Megan from all the machines. He moved an unconscious Megan onto his shoulders and walked out into the hall.
“Put her down. Now.”
Agni turned to the authoritative voice and saw a man about his height in a black trench coat and combat boots. The man carried a gun at his side in each hand. Agni figured that there was a good amount more weaponry that what he saw. The man standing in front of him never came to a fight unprepared. Agni didn’t know him personally but had read the files.
Maverick was never to be underestimated.
NEXT ISSUE: Agni vs. Maverick! And what will be the fate of Chemistra?
BRAND PROTOCOLS
SHARD
Age: 27
Height: 5’9
Weight: 159 lbs
Mutant Ability: Absorb ambient light particles from her environment and transmute them into blasts of raw concussive force
Potential Characters Traits to Take Advantage Of:
Analysis: The fighting ability of this woman is not to be underestimated. She was trained and became an office in an organization that perceives a menace like Sabretooth as a light weight. Trying to take her down in a physical confrontation is the least likely way to eliminate her. If you want Shard dead, you have to get her alone and overwhelm her with numbers. It’s what killed her the last time so if it ain’t broke…
You won’t get Shard alone easy. I didn’t make her my top field commander for nothing. If you want to get her by herself you play on two things. Her loyalty to others and her brother. I’d recommend the first because going after Bishop can be tantamount to suicide.
Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.
-George Orwell
Shard always wondered what Forge was like as a younger man. She never actually thought she would get to t see it. Of course this Forge had some different experiences than her own. Her Forge had never been Director of SHIELD for one. That was enough to change anybody, especially considering all that occurred during Forge’s time as Director. Shard almost understood why he was happy with an Assistant Director position in XSE, but that wasn’t him living to his true potential. Forge was a leader whether he wanted to run away from it or not.
“You two are going to walk in the front door of this facility,” Forge said to Shard and Jin Agni. Shard heard it in the man’s voice, he was a commander. Some things just came naturally. “Our intel still seems to be pretty reliable. We’re still looking at a weapons depot, but it would seem The System is holding a bit of a floor show.”
Shard could imagine a hundred different ways that show could produce disastrous results. The System had really started to spread their wings as of late. They needed to be reigned in before they caused a serious incident. “So it sounds like we’re going in with a full frontal assault.”
Forge stroked his chin. “Perhaps I should have worded that batter. You two are going into this show as potential buyers. My contact has managed to procure the two of you invitations to the affair.”
“Who is the contact sir?” Agni asked.
Forge clicked a button on the remote he was holding and on a nearby screen popped up an image of a young Arab man. He had a neatly shaven goatee, curly hair and a slender nose. Shard could look at him and see he had combat experience. The XSE of her time trained her to know the difference between a thug and a professional. This man was most definitely capable f holding his own.
“This is Jyoti Veza, a member of The White Palm that has been working with us the last three months. His intel has proven invaluable.” Shard guessed that Forge must have read her and Agni’s faces. “Yes, I know they’re mostly a rumor, but they exist and he’ll be doing his best to keep you out of trouble.”
“So how are getting in? Hologram projectors?” Agni asked. Shard could have groaned at the eagerness in Angi’s tone. He was a skilled man, but the worst kind of officer. The next promotion was always drove him to be a good soldier, not character.
“Not technology on this one. Just a few old fashioned cosmetic changes. Te System would sniff out a hologram like a bloodhound.” As Forge spoke, two agents walked into the room carrying suitcases. One was sat next to Shard and Agni. “You’ll find your disguises inside.”
Agni picked up his case, placed it on table and popped it open. He held up a small box. “Contacts huh? Hope they shoot lasers.”
Shard sifted through her case an held up the item she had the most problem with. “A wig, Forge?”
He shrugged. “Eve you have to admit your hair is distinctive. It was either that or shave you bald.”
“I’d break anybody’s arm who tried,” Shard said, sitting the wig back in the case. “So when do we leave?”
“Flight leaves for Ecuador in sixteen hours. Enjoy the downtime in the meanwhile.”
=X=
Sixteen hours and halfway into a flight later
Agni leaned back in his seat and sat his hands across his chest. He closed his now hazel eyes and smiled. “First class feels so damn good. Glad Forge made this happen.”
Shard looked out her window, trying her best to be natural in her disguise. Wigs, heels, make-up and tight clothes weren’t part of her make-up. She wasn’t the pretty girl because never had time to be. “It’s part of our cover. No one will buy weapons dealers flying coach.”
Agni opened up his eyes and took a sip of champagne. Shard hated how much he seemed to enjoy this. He was comfortable in all this luxury. For some irrational reason, that made her dislike him a great deal in that moment. “Cover or not, this is how I prefer my flights. You should try and enjoy it a little more…what’s your damn name again?”
“Drink a little less and you might remember,” Shard said, snapping a bit harder than she intended. “I’m Viola Winship and you’re Carlton Yin.”
Agni straightened up at the bite in Shard’s voice. He was back to being the consummate career soldier. Whatever part she had just seen of him, Shard successfully managed to lock it right back up. “Yes ma’am, I’ll keep that in mind. We should be landing in the hour.”
“Good, I’m already thoroughly sick of this mission.” Shard knew why comfortable things put her in such a funk. Enjoying them made her feel like she was betraying her home. Like she was betraying her young self. She knew it didn’t make sense because she taken enough lumps to enjoy a few finer things, but she couldn’t. “I owe you an apology Jin.”
“Why is that ma’am?” Agni asked in a way that told Shard he already knew the answer. It dug at her a bit but she swallowed that lump of pride.
“I lost my temper over something that has nothing to do with you. Do you know anything about where you come from?” Shard knew Agni had at least some idea. He struck her as the type to study his superiors.
“Approximately eighty years from now. Mutants packed into camps. You and your brother were among some of the last.”
Shard nodded. “That about covers it.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Shard spoke again. I’m not good at apologies. No one in my family is. But I lost my temper because this is all unnerving to me. My entire life has been a fight that’s what I’m use to. Not this.”
“My father was a diplomat so this is all I’ve ever known. You’re right to have disdain for it. This much comfort makes you too easily corrupted. You get things and you want to hold on to them so badly you do awful things. I almost forgot that for a second.”
IN that moment, Shard saw something desperate in Agni. He was running from something. It was easy to get caught up in people’s behavior without stopping to think about their being a reason why. “So it’s pretty obvious where your negotiation skills come from.”
“Among other things.” Agni ran a hand through his dyed white hair. “Forge said this only suppose to last for a couple of weeks right?”
“I happen to like it. White hair was all the rage when I was a teenager.”
Jin laughed. “So I’m sixty years ahead of the curve.”
Shard figured that was about as forward thinking as Agni would ever get. The man was squeaky clean and by the book. He marched to the step of procedure. But now Shard decided she was going to try to fault him a little less for it.
=X=
One tarmac and a limousine later
Jin opened the door to their suite, sat down their suitcases and took in the luxury. Shard halfway expected him to start drooling. “Can you believe this?”
Shard was dealing with more important matters, like not breaking ankle in one of her high hells. Throwing herself on her king sized bed; Shard found great joy in kicking the purple shoes off. “What I can’t believe is that Forge ever expected me to walk in those.”
Jin furiously worked through the room’s bar and concocted himself a drink. He held one out for Shard, but she was quick to refuse. The refusal prompted him to throw both drinks down his throat. He shrugged afterwards. “We’re supposed to be wealthy black market dealers and we’re pretty sure that we’re being monitored to some degree right? So it would be suspicious to no indulge.”
“How many bugs did Forge say they removed again?”
“Twenty. Pretty low considering. They must not suspect us too much.” Jin mixed another drink and merely sipped on this one. Shard remembered Hancock and the amount of booze he use to drink. She figured it was the only thing that got him through the day.
“I wonder how the others are faring.”
Jin laughed. “I imagine Punchout has lived up to her name by now.”
=X=
In a “wonderful” little tourist resort
“You sonnuva bitch!” Punchout said, punching Micromax across the chin and sending him through an open door. “You cheating bastard!”
“I didn’t cheat. You’re just a sorry ass player,” Micromax rubbed his chin and get to his feet. He looked at Lorien laid out on one of their room’s dusty beds with his feet crossed. A magazine was close to his face. “Why don’t you ask Lorien to play if I’m such a cheat?”
Lorien pulled the magazine back and looked at both of them quietly before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t want to play with either one of you.”
Punchout slammed her hand down on the table, rattling a number of the dominos off of it. “Think you’re too damn good for us, huh?”
Lorien pointed at Micromax. “Him not so much, but you without a doubt.”
“Sonnuva bitch!” Punchout picked up a chair and flung it at Lorien. He rolled out of the bed, dodging the flying wood. “Stay still you scrawny punk!”
Lorien did a hand stand, put his feet against the wall and in gravity defying fashion, pulled his body into a ball. He launched himself from the wall and hit Punchout head on. She stumbled back a few steps but was no worse for wear. Spinning around her Lorien had a knife at her throat before she could take her next breath. “Throw or hit one more thing I this room and we’ll put your invulnerability to the test.”
Punchout smiled. “You got spunk kid. I like that. But a tango with me is the kind of hurt that you don’t want.”
Lorien pressed his knife against her throat harder. His whisper was short and vicious. “Test me again and we’ll dance like its Prom Night.”
Dropping his knife, Lorien moved away from Punchout and lifted up a window blind. Dust flew up in his face as result. He started to cough and waved the imperceptible cloud away. “And after this BS, we have to go hiking through some woods.”
“Yea, whoever thought playing back-up could be so shitty?” Micromax asked, moving to Lorien’s side. He spared no shortage of harsh stares for Punchout. She held up a fist in response.
“Let’s just hope Jin doesn’t blow their cover,” Lorien said putting the blind back down. “The guy is just too straight laced. Not sure what Brand was thinking there.”
“Shoulda sent me,” Punchout said.
Lorien got back o the bed and picked up his magazine. “She might have if you weren’t so psycho.”
“You only call me that because you wish you lived like me,” Punchout said, plopping down in the one remaining good chair in the room. She started rocking back and forth in it. “I know enough about you to know you got plenty of psychos for friends. So don’t try and make me out to be some unique experience in your life.”
Lorien flipped through his magazine without ever reading a word. “Your wanting to be seen by anyone is pathetic. Didn’t you have enough notoriety on Genosha?”
“You don’t know shit about me and Genosha you little punk.”
Looking up from his magazine, Lorien narrowed his eyes at Punchout. He might as well have been trying to set her on fire. “I’m missing a few details. Like how many mutants exactly did you send to their deaths?”
“Whoa!” Micromax moved in the path of the two. “This heat has our brains all out of whack. I think we should all just take a breath.”
Punchout was already doing plenty of hard breathing. Veins along her neck and forehead throbbed violently. “Move out my damn way!”
“We have a mission Punchout and I know you don’t want Brand or Shard dressing you down.” Micromax bit his bottom lip, watching for her reaction. She still looked like an attack dog ready to pounce.
Punchout relaxed and walked away. “He just saved your ass.”
=X=
And let the show begin…
“Hello Ms. Winship and Mr Yin. It is a pleasure to have your company today. We hope you enjoy today’s selection of merchandise.”
The polite greeting didn’t fit the man delivering it. He stood well over six feet and had the frame of a lineman. His broad face and chest were littered with tattoos and scars. Him being polite seemed as unlikely as a domesticated lion. Shard knew better than to buy the act. The man might indeed be polite, but he knew his way around a fight. She didn’t imagine The System putting a lackluster fighter at their front door.
Shard and Agni handed the man the small, green jump drives that served as their invitations and confirmed their false identities. Inserting each drive into tablet, the doorman scanned the information. He smiled and nodded at each of them after reviewing their drives. “Again, welcome to the presentation.”
Shard walked by and scanned her surroundings upon entering the building initial hallway. It was a dark place without any kind of identifying marks. The air had a musty quality that reminded Shard of a locker room. The floor was wet because every step she too gave a splash after. At the very end of the hallway was a single green door. She didn’t like being confined to this tight a space. It was too easy to be ambushed.
Every inch walked felt like an eternity to Shard because she waited any moment for an attack. Finally, the two of them got to the green door. A large red circle was where a peep hole might have been. Unexpectedly, a red light washed over them causing Shard to step back, ready to attack. Agni pressed is hand towards the ground in a signal for her to calm down.
The red light continued to wash over them without causing any sort of visible effect. Shard didn’t feel any heat or any sensations along her skin. She figured they could be scanning for number of things; wires, weapons, any kind of equipment that would make them uneasy. Finally, the red light stopped its scanning and was followed by aloud clicking sound before an automated voice came through an intercom system. “Genetic scan complete. Two mutant signatures identified.”
Shard looked over at Agni and he might as well have been a ghost; white skin and mouth wide open. “What’s wrong with you?”
Agni straightened up and composed himself immediately, as if he forgot that Shard was next to him. “I just don’t like the idea of my DNA being kept in a catalog somewhere.”
The door opened and it was like they were on the floor of some Vegas convention. There were booths, displays and even panels discussing the wares that The System had to offer. Shard actually found herself impressed with the organization of it.
“What a pleasure to see you again Ms. Winship.”
Shard and Agni both turned to the source of the greeting, expecting the worse. They both relaxed when it was realized the source was their contact, Jyoti Veza. He was taller than Shard expected, but everything else fell in line with the mental image. The large chest and biceps, the move star curls, and a ladies’ man smile all matched up. It just made her not trust him, especially the smile. Reminded her too much of Trevor.
“Was wondering when you might show, Shard said. Forge said the man was source of intel, but she wasn’t sure that he could be entirely trusted. The White Palms were just as bad as The System. Still, something about Veza was found useful so she would trust Brand and Forge’s judgment. “So what next?”
“You come with me and your friend does some of his own shopping,” Veza said, unexpectedly taking Shard’s hand and pulling her in close. She didn’t like it, but wasn’t about to make a scene in here. Agni looked as tense as she felt. A simple nod though confirmed Jyoti’s plan and Agni walked away.
Shard waited till Agni was lost in the crowd before speaking. “Touch me like that again and I’ll blow off both your hands.”
“And I have no doubt that you could but we needed to have an air of intimacy. Your cover here involves me.”
Shard cut her eyes. “How?”
Jyoti smiled just like Trevor. “They believe you and me to be an on again, off again lovers.”
“And I’m assuming us being on again is how you got me in here?” Shard was starting to like the frontal assault idea more and more.
“Am I really such bad company?” Jyoti asked as the two of them started to move through the expo. Shard saw someone explaining the mechanics of mutant negation collars, remnants of a broken Genosha. There were others peddling spare Sentinel part and scraps of alien technology left from the planet’s many extraterrestrial encounters. Many of the potential buyers were unknown to Shard, but she was sure a few government officials were in the mix. But there were a few of the buyers that Shard did know.
Gryphon, the mangled former Prime Sentinel, was looking over a variety of cybernetic parts. She questioned the dealer about ways to best integrate cybernetic components to complement mutant abilities. Shard absorbed as much of the conversation as she could. Gryphon wasn’t a high-level threat, but that didn’t stop her from being dangerous. Not every credible threat had to Magneto.
They stopped for a moment at a panel on the newest technologies in genetic alteration. She took note of Dr. Animals’ presence in the panel primarily because of his heavy association with The Red Skull. It was strange to see the topic presented in such a scholarly and frighteningly informative manner. Jyoti had to pull her away. “We need to keep moving.”
It quickly became obvious why Jyoti ushered her away. Two large gates were at the end of the convention hall and standing in front of them was every member of The System side by side. No shortage of armed guards was in front of the mutant crime lords. Before long, nearly everyone present at the convention was gathered around those gates. Shard found Agni and he moved to her side.
“Quite the interesting supply of goods they have around here,” Agni said, flashing business cards. “I got referrals for assassinations, cloning and cybernetic alterations in five minutes.”
“It looks like the main event is about to start,” Shard said, looking through the crowd to see Adam Rulke motioning for silence. It’s not hard to get a crowd to shut up when a hundred men with automatic weapons are in front of you.
“Welcome esteemed guests. Today’s event was a success because of your participation. Now we want to show a bit of gratitude by providing some entertainment. Please follow us into the auditorium, have a seat and enjoy the show.”
Adama, tall and eloquent, was the first to disappear with the shadows of the auditorium with the other members of The System following behind him. Shard took a mental note of that and turned to ask Jyoti a question but he was gone. She looked to Agni. “Did you see him leave?”
“No ma’am. Was trying to focus on the crowd.” Agni still scanned faces even as he talked to her. Shard wondered just how much he would retain, but again that wasn’t even really necessary. XSE had enough telepaths to catalog every single thing Agni and her saw. He probably was already operating off this fact.
They followed the crowd into the auditorium that was really more a stadium. Shard began to wonder how one beat up warehouse contained all of this. She suspected terrasect technology. In her time, the use of it was on the rise among drug dealers looking to hide their stash. You could hide a year’s worth of supply in a jewelry box. “We need to get close seats. Come on.”
The two moved casually through the crowd, giving an air of aloof dominance that allowed them to move up to front seats in the auditorium. A sterilized smell filled the auditorium like a cold hospital room. The odor took shard back to the many wounded soldiers she had to visit, surrounded by that smell. Jin took her out of that state of mind. “This must be some demonstration.”
Shard leaned forward, her hands clasping her knees. Fighting back her disgust was had as men clad in black fatigues dragged a chained young woman into the center of the arena. He raven hair was matted, layers of dirt darkened her skin and her legs and arms were littered with bug bites. It took everything in Shad to bite back the instinct to rescue this girl. She needed to see this play out.
Trailing the chained girl was a sleek, sliver humanoid robot that stood there heads taller than her. It moved awkwardly, walking t the opposite side of the auditorium floor. The chains were taken off the girl and clanked to the ground. She rubbed her wrists and looked hatefully at the robot. There was animosity there; Shard knew it because it was the same way her brother looked at Trevor.
The voice that blared through auditorium’s sound system was Adam Rulke. “This lovely specimen here is Megan Munn, a Canadian born mutant we captured a few months ago. She has extraordinary abilities that you’ll be able to see now.”
Lights flared up in the arena, illuminating Megan and the machine about to be set against her. Wasting no time, Megan’s artificial opponent charged at her. It lifted its arm it he air and brought it down in an attempt to cleave her in two. Sidestepping the attack, Megan kicked the robot’s wrist. In an instant a rusty ring appeared around the robot’s wrist and the hand snapped clean off.
Shard nearly jumped out of her seat to shout support for the girl. Agni leaned in to whisper. “She’s got some training. Either that or they’ve done this with her quite a few times. Probably a combination of both.”
“We can’t leave her in here.”
Megan ducked a swipe from the handless arm of the robot. She ran at the machine, pressing her hands against one of its ankles. Much like the wrist, its ankle snapped off from rust. Megan back stepped and rolled as the robot tumbled forward, nearly falling in top of her. She was about to gin for another attack when she started clutching at her neck.
Adama Rulke’s arrogance laced voice came over the intercom again. He made no effort to hide his upper class upbringing. “As you can see, she I quite the vibrant example of homo superior. But with The System’s modified tech, she is kept on a very tight leash. Case in point…”
The robot reached back with its good hand and smacked a struggling Megan clear across the arena. She slammed into a wall and crumpled down it. Blood trickled from a dozen different wounds and her legs were in unnatural positions. Shard fought back a tidal wave of rage. It was all Shard could do to not leap into the arena.
Rulke’s smug voice projected again, full of pompous pride. “As you can see, this young beauty has been gravely injured. But the collar around her neck is its own medic.”
Glowing blue, the circuitry in the collar started to buzz. It echoed through the stadium and Megan’s wounds began to knit themselves together. Just as soon as the buzzing started, it stopped. “That is just a demonstration my friends. There is far more in store.”
Shard’s stomach was in knots thinking about Megan and what she had been enduring on a likely regular basis. It was all she could think about as The System’s guests and potential buyer were ushered out of the auditorium. It kept her pensive all the way on the ride back to her hotel room. In every window they passed, she saw images of Megan battered. Agni didn’t say anything the entire ride.
Her first words were not spoken until they were alone in the hotel room. “We have to get her out.”
Agni nodded, walking to the window and looking in the direction of the warehouse, he sighed. Shard took comfort in the fact this was bothering him as much as it was her. She didn’t think he was heartless by any means, but she wasn’t sure how far from the mission he was willing to deviate. As his commander she could make him, but she rather have him want to.
“It’s barbaric. We have to stop it.” Agni’s voice trembled a bit. “No one deserves to be treated like that.”
“Then we stop it.” Shard pulled out a pocket make-up mirror and sat it on her bed. The mirror pulled open and started to project an image of the ratty tourist trap the rest of X-Force was in. “Pull it together guys. We have a repot.”
Lorien was first to make himself visible. “We’re here boss. Wassup?”
“We have a rescue operation on our hands now,” Shard said, watching Micromax and Punchout enter into the hologram. “The System is trying to sell some bad tech. Not the end of the world, but they’re using a girl to demonstrate it.”
“And her name is Megan Munn,” Agni said, moving to Shard’s side. He was tall, stoic and perfectly military. Shard looked at him and wondered what happened to him in her timeline. He must have never had the opportunity to become the man she saw before her.
She knew something was truly wrong by the look on the miniature Lorien’s face. He looked like a kid who just saw their dog ran over. “What’s wrong?”
“Did she have long, black hair? Pale skin?” Lorien asked the questions with such desperation that Shard knew the inevitable conclusion.
“You know her.”
“We were in The Exiles tighter. I lost track of her after exodus sent us to the wind.” Lorien pressed a hand to his forehead and looked down. “Should have never lost track of her.”
“Don’t go blaming yourself kid. We’re going to get her out.” Shard put a hand on Agni’s shoulder. “Go back to that warehouse and see if you can find her. I’ll stay here to keep up appearances. Lorien, get ready to call in the cavalry.”
“Just get her out,” Lorien said, disconnecting the hologram.
=X=
In the midst of a temper tantrum…
“Those bastards!” Rulke said, slamming his hand down on the table holding the communication device that was transmitting through a speaker. It wasn’t a particularly violent slam because the Egyptian didn’t have a build made for power. Rulke was all suave and finesse, but he wasn’t showing any of that at the moment. “They’re coming for her.”
“It’s too easily to assume that,” Lenka said, his arms folded across his chest, highlighting the dragon tattoos on his arms. His long, silver hair hung casually over his shoulders. “We don’t know how much they know. They could have known we were listening in and said something to throw us off their real objective.”
“Entirely possible,” Bemidji said while scoffing down a ham sandwich. The large, bearded Filipino man was always eating, but with good reason. Every bite he consumed increased his strength, if doing nothing for his figure. “They probably are still going to attempt a rescue of the girl regardless. He needs to be notified to monitor her more closely.”
Vizenor scoffed, the numerous piercings across his face rattling as he did so. The man had enough piercings to set off a metal detector, all in the name of testing his incredibly strong healing factor. “I don’t know why we’re even trusting that traitorous bastard. He could turn on us as easily as he’s turned on all his other allies.”
DaVingi sighed. “As we’ve discussed before, he is a tool. And so is the girl. Our best strategy is to act as if we know nothing at all. Let the XSE act with impunity and when they bring the breadth of their forces here, we’ll bring this building down on their heads.”
“A sound idea,” Rulke smiled. “And one that will infinitely increase the reputation of The System.”
“This expo might be worthwhile after all,” Lenka said.
=X=
After plans have been laid…
Agni moved through the halls beneath the auditorium arena, constantly scanning his surroundings. There were too many doors thus too many opportunities to be caught by surprise. He really was walking in here blind, but he knew why Shard ordered it. There was too little time to for a proper recon because the expo could be over any day now. And that would mean Megan could be lost to them for months.
That just couldn’t be allowed. Agni had seen the pain on Lorien’s face. It reminded him far too much of his mother’s face upon hearing of his father’s death. You didn’t ignore that kind of pain. You did whatever you could to erase it.
Keeping close to the wall, Agni did his best to inspect every room in as short amount of time as possible. Eventually, he came across two large window panes providing a view of a room filled with medical equipment. Clear bags full of life0giving fluids and boxes of sterile gloves and needs were spread around the room. In the center of it all was Megan, strapped down to a hospital bed. IVs were stuck in her arm and machines monitored her vitals as she peacefully slept.
Agni crept into the room and two knives slid out silent from his sleeves as he approached the bed. Swift cats tore through the straps and even swifter movement disconnected Megan from all the machines. He moved an unconscious Megan onto his shoulders and walked out into the hall.
“Put her down. Now.”
Agni turned to the authoritative voice and saw a man about his height in a black trench coat and combat boots. The man carried a gun at his side in each hand. Agni figured that there was a good amount more weaponry that what he saw. The man standing in front of him never came to a fight unprepared. Agni didn’t know him personally but had read the files.
Maverick was never to be underestimated.
NEXT ISSUE: Agni vs. Maverick! And what will be the fate of Chemistra?
BRAND PROTOCOLS
SHARD
Age: 27
Height: 5’9
Weight: 159 lbs
Mutant Ability: Absorb ambient light particles from her environment and transmute them into blasts of raw concussive force
Potential Characters Traits to Take Advantage Of:
- Always duty bound
- Loyal to a fault
- Unwilling to let others make sacrifices on her behalf
Analysis: The fighting ability of this woman is not to be underestimated. She was trained and became an office in an organization that perceives a menace like Sabretooth as a light weight. Trying to take her down in a physical confrontation is the least likely way to eliminate her. If you want Shard dead, you have to get her alone and overwhelm her with numbers. It’s what killed her the last time so if it ain’t broke…
You won’t get Shard alone easy. I didn’t make her my top field commander for nothing. If you want to get her by herself you play on two things. Her loyalty to others and her brother. I’d recommend the first because going after Bishop can be tantamount to suicide.