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#4
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“More Than Just Thieves” Part One
Dikithi looked down through the window at one of his men being worked on by the dark Beast; standing behind him were Nova and Fatale. “I don’t like them seeing him. He smells foul and enjoys his work too much.”
“Regardless of McCoy’s hygiene, the work he does is good. I would not have him here otherwise.”
Fatale tried to keep her expression blank. “But can we trust him?”
Nova took a breath. “I promised that I would keep him away from you and I meant that, but we cannot dismiss him as a resource.”
Watching the Dark Beast inset a syringe, Dikithi said, “Part of me hoped that you saw us as more than just a resource.”
The Director sighed. “I use that term with McCoy because he is deserving of it. I have seen the foul wastelands of his mind and know all the injustice he has done. Surely you don’t place yourself and your people in the same bracket as him?”
“I’m just worried he’s causing them unnecessary pain,” Dikithi said.
Reaching up, Nova put a hand on the man’s shoulder but she nearly had to be on her tiptoes to do it. “I am trying to build loyalty, my friend. Allowing McCoy to torture your people certainly wouldn’t help in that.”
Dikithi believed her words. “So, it’s been brought to my attention that two of mine are about to embark on a mission?”
Fatale asked the question that Dikithi was burning to. “Are they ready for that?”
“True readiness can only be discovered through true experience. They will be fine Dikithi, I hear they had quite the leader.”
With that, Nova teleported away, leaving Dikithi and Fatale alone. The two had a great deal of respect for each other: he saw that she didn’t want to harm his people in Uganda and she admired him for doing everything he could to protect them. Fatale wished that McCoy had been half as protective of her. He only ever saw her as just another experiment and now he had a bunch of new toys to play with.
“Do you think that Nova is being on the level with me?” Dikithi asked as he watched the Dark Beast continue to work on Hao. The boy wasn’t a day over twenty and he had already to become a full-fledged soldier. Just the idea of it saddened him, but this was their lot as mutants. War and death; if that was to be their share then he was glad to be at Nova’s side, even if he had his suspicions.
“If there is one thing that Nova can do its keep someone on a leash. So if she says that McCoy is under control then he is.”
Dikithi’s red eye dug into Fatale. “You’re scared of him, aren’t you?”
“I betrayed him and joined Weapon X. He’s going to try and get his revenge one day. It’s just in his nature.”
“When he does he’ll find me at your side. That’s a promise.”
“Don’t blame me if I don’t believe in promises.”
The Ugandan frowned. Was that another ill mutants had to suffer? “Trust comes easy to few of us, Fatale. I hope I’ll gain yours in due time.”
He looked one last time at the Dark Beast and slithered away. Fatale stayed behind, afraid to respond to Dikithi’s wish. She had never been nervous around a man before.
Nova paced behind her desk as Dark Beast hung upside down from the roof in front of her. “You could stand to be a little less obvious, McCoy.”
McCoy closed his Popular Mechanics magazine and smiled. “Obvious? Ms. Nova, I think my whole existence has been one blaring obvious point after another. Starting off with my simian--”
“You know what I mean!” Nova said as she slammed her hand on her desk and telekinetically knocked the Dark Beast from his perch. When he hit the ground, her eyes burrowed into him. “I need Dikithi to understand that his best place is here. If you’re looking like Hannibal Lecter tearing into his people then that won’t happen. And you know what happens if I’m displeased.”
Rising to his feet, McCoy swallowed back a lump in his throat. He knew full and well what Nova was capable of when she was made into an unhappy camper. When she had first approached him to join Weapon X, he had refused. He could only surmise that wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear as she poured nightmare after nightmare into his mind. Nova had literally scared the piss out of him to join Weapon X. It was just like the good ol’ days with Apocalypse.
“I will make an uncanny effort to tone down the smiles if that’s what you want,” the Dark Beast said as he mocked a bow to the elderly woman.
Nova gave a tiny smile that was accented by her wrinkles. It was one of those smiles that would seem unsuspecting on any other old, sweet lady except this old lady could turn your brains to gush and rip your heart out your chest. So that kind of dimmed the sweetness. “That is what I want, McCoy, so happy to have you oblige. Now, how is our other project?”
“The Weapon Program is moving along quite nicely. Weapons Xi and Upsilon are near completion.”
“Good. I want them all to be battle ready before our little four pronged assault.”
Lady Deathstrike paced around her room while Junta sat on the couch. On the coffee table in front of Junta there was a circular device that looked like a smooth, blue stone. Projecting from this stone were two 3-D figures of some of Weapon X’s newest recruits. Yuriko had been informed about two hours ago that these men were going to be part of her team in a mission.
“Their powers don’t seem too bad,” Junta said as he read the text accompanying the hologram. Lasker had hard light claws and a reptilian-based healing factor. Maniac was able to draw upon the memories of those he touched and transform into images from those memories. It wasn’t as effective as regular shape shifting, but it did allow for some great inspiration. Junta still didn’t get why he was called Maniac.
Folding her arms, Yuriko’s fingers dangled over her forearms. “I don’t even know what this mission is. Nova only gave me my team and said the rest of the details would come later.”
“At least you have most of your regular squad. I’d be more worried about that wacko Sauron.”
Lady Deathstrike flared her nose and stopped her pacing. “Sauron may be crazy, but at least he has combat experience. He’s actually faced the X-Men in a fight.”
Junta laughed at his squad leader’s seriousness. “Who says we’re fighting anyone? We might just have a retrieval mission like Alaris and Gryphon.”
He could only hope that was the case because, unlike so many of his contemporaries at Weapon X, he didn’t have a thirst for combat. If there was a job to do he got it done and went about his business. Yuriko was more of the honor bound warrior type so she sort of had that mentality. Junta had a pretty good notion that most people who get into it with Yuriko didn’t walk away because of that code.
It was why she was really the only squad leader he trusted not to turn on him. The rest all irked Junta in one way or another, especially Domino. Something wasn’t right about her, but he couldn’t push it. She was one of the Director’s favorites and was always close by her side. Lady Deathstrike was by no means a saint, but at least he knew that she had standards.
“My gut tells me we’re going on a combat mission.”
Junta smirked. “Speaking of guts, how the heck do you fill yours with them pokers in the way?”
“You would be surprised. I can be very creative.”
“If I didn’t know better I would think you were flirting with me.”
Yuriko gave only the slightest hint of a smile. “Then it’s good that you know better.”
Hopping up from the chair, Junta straightened out his black shirt and nearly moved to pull out a wedgie, but he hesitated at the last moment. “So I guess I’ll see you once you get some mission details?”
“Yes. We will need to strategize before we embark.”
“Well I’m about to grab some grub. You want the cook to send something up to your room?”
Yuriko sat down in front of her coffee table and went into a lotus position. “No, that’s fine. I think I will meditate until I hear something from Nova.”
“Hope she doesn’t take too long. Would hate for you to get stuck like that.”
She creaked one eye open. “Enjoy your meal.”
Junta knew when to take a hint (most of the time) so he backed away from her and walked out the door. He turned his mind to Roman’s beef fried rice.
Director Nova smiled from across her desk at Lady Deathstrike who did nothing to hide a scowl. “I know you are a woman of business, Yuriko, and that you do not like things being kept from you, but I did promise that the details would come later.”
Yuriko nodded. She may not have been pleased with the Director’s lack of forthcoming, but she wasn’t stupid enough to voice it. Creed cowered like a schoolgirl around this woman. Being outright with her was suicide. “I trusted that you would deliver as you said, Director. I know that you would not want me going into a mission blind.”
Nova continued to smile and Yuriko couldn’t imagine anything faker. “Of course not. I would never want my agents to not have the tools necessary to do their very best.”
“So what is the mission?”
Nova’s smile stopped. “Straight to the chase I see. Allow me to do a telepathic briefing if you would please.”
Lady Deathstrike closed her eyes as she felt Nova pour the information about the mission into her mind. Apparently, one of her associates from GenTech, Matthew Raynor, had a mutant he was experimenting on by the name of Genecide. Someone nabbed Genecide from one of the company’s labs in Singapore and now it was up to Deathstrike’s team to retrieve the woman. Yuriko couldn’t help but to smile. Junta was right about something for a change.
“GenTech is Europe’s third largest genetics research company. I need their facilities to finish a special project I’ve been conducting and Raynor falling out of favor with his superiors is the last thing that I need. So retrieve his lost toy and you will be doing me a tremendous favor.”
Yuriko rose from her chair and gave Nova a slow bow. “This task will be done. I shall not fail you.”
“I know you won’t, sweetheart. Just put a little more faith into those I have assigned to you. I didn’t do it without reason, you know.”
Deathstrike was almost tempted to ask the reason, but decided against it. Some things were probably better kept unknown.
Dikithi knocked on the metal door and was quickly greeted by a smiling face. “Dikithi! It is good of you to visit.”
He slithered his way into the apartment, which was standard issue for all agents of Weapon X. “It was my pleasure, Mgamo. Or should I start calling you Lasker?”
Mgamo’s chest puffed up a bit. “Mgamo’s fine, but it does feel good knowing I can do my part now.”
Dikithi saw the man’s pride and smiled. When they were in Uganda he had often expressed how useless he felt compared to some of the others. In truth, Mgamo had not been a powerful mutant. He could only emit two harmless, thin lasers from his eyes. Dikithi had cleverly used the man to fool soldiers into thinking they were being targeted by a sniper. That had scared a few off, but that had been the extent of Mgamo’s usefulness.
That was until Dikithi made his deal with Nova and the Dark Beast began his genetic treatments. Mgamo was mutated so that his lasers were far more potent and came out of his fingertips along with his eyes. His skin had been mutated to possess thick, gray scales that could deflect most firearms. Steroids had been pumped into the man’s body to increase his musculature. He had gone from a scrawny, almost useless mutant to a fearsome beast. Dikithi nearly admired the work done to him. An unconfident mutant had been transformed into a warrior. Still, there was something dark in the work of Nova’s scientist. It made him uneasy.
“So are you ready for your first mission?”
Mgamo shrugged and tried not to look Dikithi in the eye. “I think so. It is a bit daunting knowing I will be commanded by another.”
“Yuriko is stern, but seems to be honorable. Follow her lead and you will return safe.”
Dikithi much preferred that this people would be under Yuriko rather than someone like Creed or Gorgon. They were ruthless to the point of being hazardous to those around them. People like them had been mentally mutilated by a lifetime of war and destruction. Nova seemed to like surrounding herself with such men. There was something dark about her too.
“Are you anxious for your first mission, Dikithi?”
Dikithi had been so concerned with making sure that his charges were well taken care of that he failed to give any thought to the tasks ahead of him. Nova had given him the rank of squad leader, which placed him in a position of leadership. He didn’t think that the other squad leaders though much of him. Creed looked at him like he was a slab of meat and Domino always gave him this sad head shake like she thought he belonged somewhere else.
Fatale was the only one who gave him the time of day and part of him was ashamed that he had to look to women for support. He was raised to believe that it was man’s job to uplift the woman and not the other way around. Yet, he was doing exactly what his father thought shameful. He took orders from Nova and sought support from Fatale. More than a few times a day he wondered if coming here was a mistake.
Mgamo seemed anxious for an answer so Dikithi smiled. “I think I am quite ready my friend. Too long we have had to run and scurry. Now we can fight.”
Elsewhere
The young woman woke up in darkness. Only hours before she had been in GenTech HQ and now she had absolutely no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. All she remembered was a few loud explosions and a searing pain in the back of her neck. Reaching back there, the young African-American woman felt the tiny hole where something had pricked her.
“I apologize for that, but it was necessary for us to have an audience. I did not think you would come quietly.”
She looked into the shadows to try and see someone, but could not. Then she reached out with her second sight. Her mutant ability allowed her to sense, see and manipulate genetic codes like putty. If she could use that then she could see what she was dealing with. The woman’s eyes began to glow purple as her power went into effect. Scanning, the room around her the source of the voice was finally found in the back corner.
The genetic code she saw frightened her because it belayed terrible power. More than she could handle.
“So you see me, my dear. How exquisite,” the man said as he stepped into the light. His skin was as pale as chalk and a red diamond was centered in his forehead. “Now you shall see why I have brought you here.”
When he smiled, she screamed.
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To Be Continued...
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