Everyone give a big hello to our new writer for X-Factor, anonymous. ********** (C)Copyrighted 1996 This is a piece of X-Writers fan fiction, using characters owned by Marvel Comics. We do not have their permission, nor do we have money, so don't sue. ********** X-Factor #124 'Imagery and Fallacies' By anonymous Edited by Andrew Wheeler ********** Fall's Edge, X-Factor Compound, 10:00. Monday. "Forge?" Val Cooper wandered throughout the halls of the X-Factor compound. She wasn't really keen on being in here at all. It wasn't always like this. She used to enjoy her work, she had fun, but now, it was a chore. X-Factor was more efficient now than it was before, partly due to Forge's management skills, but something was different. Maybe it was the new headquarters. This new compound resembled a bunker more than an office complex. It was too big and too dark for someone who's idea of a relaxing time was sitting down in a well-lit cubicle. Now, she was on a quest for Forge, the deputy leader of X-Factor, inventor of fantastic devices, and general recluse. Although she cared for Forge, Val and Forge disagreed constantly on how to run the team. Forge also wasn't very interested in filling out forms or signing requisition sheets. Val hated to admit it, but she liked sitting at a desk and filing papers. Going out into the field with a cannon strapped to her shoulder was not her idea of a safe or sane life. Having arguments with a man who regularly fights alien menaces was difficult, to say the least. Right now, Val desperately needed Forge to sign the repair authorization forms for Damage Control. Although she was technically his supervisor, Damage Control's forms specifically called for both hers and Forge's signature before they would begin repairs on the southern wall. Val wasn't even sure why she was bothering with it, it wasn't like she was the one who fired an energy blast into the support structure in anger. Shard had gotten upset over something her brother, Bishop, had told her, and responded by destroying a chunk of the wall. Val wan't sure how liable a hologram was, though, or whether or not Shard could even pay money. That was another thing that she wanted to talk to Forge about. "Forge? Has anyone seen Forge?" shouted Val, as she turned a corner into a crowded science lab. "No, ma'am," said a technician. Like the others at the lab, he was a thin, white coat-wearing man who had probably never seen the sun. Val could never keep them separated. They all looked, talked, and dressed the same. She always forgot to run a background check on them, to see if they were in fact, related. If they weren't, they all had to be mutants. "How the heck are we supposed to get anything done if we can't even find one another?" cried out Val. Her face started to turn red. "Is there a problem Ms. Cooper?" asked a voice from nowhere. A thin body suddenly popped out of the thin air behind Val Cooper. "Ahhhh!!" screamed Val, as she shuffled backwards into a table. "Oh, sorry," said Wild Child, with an amused look. "Don't...do that!" "Yes ma'am." said Wild Child, with a slight grin on his face. Val waited a second while her heartbeat returned to normal. She couldn't understand why a Canadian was on an American task force. At least Rahne had had an excuse, she'd had a green card. As far as Val knew, Kyle didn't even have a passport, and yet he was hired. At least he wasn't a convicted criminal like some of the other members. Well, she amended, at least he wasn't *RECENTLY* convicted. "And this is supposed to be a good thing?" mumbled Val. "Pardon?" asked Wild Child. "Never mind, I'm glad I ran into you, Kyle. Have you seen Forge?" asked Val. "A couple hours ago. He took one of the jeeps and headed off. I'm not sure where," mumbled Kyle, as he quickly sauntered down the hallway. "Great..." moaned Val, as she miserably shuffled down yet another vast corridor. She really needed a good cup of coffee now. Unfortunately, this was a government complex. Good cup of coffees were nowhere to be found. ****** X-Factor Compound, Training Room. 11:45. Monday. Another stream of energy singed past Mystique. This one narrowly missed her head by less than an inch. "Give it up, Mystique. You don't have a chance," said Shard. The blue-skinned Mystique dodged behind another wall as Shard unleashed two more bolts of energy from her hands. Mystique blamed all of this on Val. Val Cooper thought that it might be a good idea for Mystique and Shard to get to know each other, both in person and in combat. Mystique was hardly the epitome of warmth, and Shard...Shard was a hologram, a concept which Mystique found unnerving. It didn't help that Shard was also dead...oh, about a 100 years from now. What was even more irritating was that Mystique knew that Val wouldn't want her to employ lethal force, despite the fact that neither of them were sure if it was possible to kill a hologram. Obviously, Shard realized this dilemma, and had been toying with Mystique for the past ten minutes. "Oh come on. If you give up now, I promise I won't hurt you," said Shard, with the cocky grin she always had. She lazily floated through the room. That was the final straw. With a sudden burst of speed, Mystique hurtled away from the wall. She switched her pistol to a wide-spread, high-burst energy beam. It would deplete her pistol's charge and render it useless, but Mystique was intelligent enough to know that if this didn't work, she didn't have a chance anyway. "ZAMZAMZAMZAMZAMZAMZAM!!!!" In the blink of an eye, Shard duplicated. There were suddenly dozens of Shards, all flying throughout the room. The blast hit none of them. The Shards then closed around in a circle, hands glowing and a sadistic grin on their faces. The door to the training room was suddenly pushed open, and Wild Child ran in. "Hey, Shard!" cried out Wild Child. "Wha..." said the Shards, surprised by Wild Child's unexpected appearance. The momentary distraction was enough for Mystique to jump from her position and run towards the cover of the door. "Kyle, you ruined my shots!" said the Shards. They rapidly merged into one again. "Hey, sorry. But it's almost noon, and I thought you might want to go out for lunch...or..something," said Wild Child, with a sheepish look upon his face. "Sigh...sorry for yelling at you like that, hon. You're right, it'd be nice to get away from here. Looks like you get a break, Mystique," said Shard. She had an arrogant tone to her voice, and teasingly winked at the shape-shifter. Mystique merely glowered as the pair walked off. After she was sure that they were gone, she angrily threw the useless pistol at the wall. It bounced off, doing nothing to assuage her anger. ******* X-Factor Compound, Outer Perimeter, 0:01. Tuesday. The X-Factor compound is nearly impenetrable. Placed in the heart of a mountain range in West Virginia, its location is remote enough to discourage most intruders. There is a 12-foot high concrete wall arund the perimeter, which is topped by an electrical fence at the top. If an intruder gets past this though, he'll have to walk through fields of motion detectors, heat sensors and pressure pads. Following this is a grassy plain, which looks simple enough, but actually contains an array of infrared beams. If any of them are triggered, dozens of tasers instantly launch into the intruders. None of the traps, of course are lethal. There are regulations against using deadly force on civillians. But all of them comply perfectly with government regulations, and that's perhaps the most frightening thing of all. If, by some miracle, an intruder gets inside, well, let's just say that it's very, very painful and the countermeasures involve several devices which have been declared herectical by most organized religions. On the bright side, these devices also conform with every federal safety and health standard. Of course, it's not certain which government of which century we're talking about. This is why it would be a complete surprise if anyone got past these security devices, like someone just did tonight. ******* X-Factor Compound, Computer Room, 0:30. Tuesday. The intruder quietly and quickly snuck into the central computer center of the compound. He or she knew where it was located, and did not hesitate even once. The intruder efficiently evaded all of the security devices leading to the doorway, as if he or she knew the entire layout of the compound. In the absence of light it was hard to make out the figure. For one moment, it seemed to be a heavy-set man. A second later, it appeared as a svelte woman. The intruder had one goal and one goal only. There was a tremendous danger in being found in this compound, especially with all of the super-powered residents. However, the intruder wasn't too worried, everything had been planned. The only light in the room was on the computer terminal. [DOWNLOADING FILE: SHARD] ********** Gollam Research Corp. 15:21. Tuesday. A thin, short-haired man walked into the laboratory. Gollam was a leader in artificial intelligence software. They were all also fanatical watchers of Knight Rider. The closest they came to real AI was a coffee machine that could make either a dreadful coffee, or brown sludge, depending on how appreciated it felt. The man took a quick glance until he found the programmer he was looking for. It was a monumental task, to say the least. Everyone at the lab dressed the same, looked the same, and talked the same. The visitor was almost certain that they must all be long-lost brothers. "Afternoon, Mr. Ritchie," said the programmer, pointing towards an empty chair in front of him. "Hi, John. Did you fish working on that job?" asked Ritchie. He sat down in the reclining chair that John had pointed to. "Yes, sir, Mr. Ritchie, but I have to tell you, I don't know why you bothered bringing it to me," replied John, picking up a disk that was inside his shirt pocket. "What do you mean?" asked Ritchie, with a puzzled tone. "This program, it's some type of operating system for a hologram projector, right?" asked John, as he inserted the disk into his desktop computer. He punched a few buttons and called up the program. "Yes, why?" "Well, I mean, it doesn't do anything," said John, with a nasally tone to his voice. "What are you talking about?" said Ritchie, his voice rising slightly in panic. "It's a pretty rudimentary version of HoloArt 2.0. You can buy that at most stores for about $200. Why would a company like yours be interested in it?" "You're telling me that the program on the disk..it doesn't do anything?" "Not really. It's a pretty elementary code. From what I gather, all it does it call up a single image, turn it 3-D, and just lets it stand there. It's no different than those stickers you see at toy stores." "The code....there's nothing special about it at all? There's no AI involved in it at all?" "No. Heck, my nephew could whip up something like this in a couple of hours," said John. "...." "Shane, are you all right? Would you like some coffee?" ********** X-Factor Compound, Val Cooper's Office, 20:07. Wednesday. If you could say anything about Val Cooper, the one thing that everyone could agree upon is that she's predictable (The other thing they would say is that she had a 6-inch rod stuck up her...well, you know). They would all say that Val lives and sleeps inside her office. Val Cooper is the type who would bed snuggling a classified file. Val Cooper is a woman whose idea of adding excitement into her life consists of using different-colored paper clips. All of these things are right, of course, but most of these folks tend to be clueless twits who have never actually talked to Val Cooper. Although this night, Val WAS in her office at Eight O'Clock, and she WAS looking through some classified files instead of having a social life. "Val," said a deep voice. What was once a shadow suddenly formed into the shape of a blue-skinned woman. "Wh....Raven? How did you..oh...never mind," said Val Cooper. "Val, there's a problem," said Mystique. "What is it?" "I'm not entirely sure, but there's something dangerously wrong with X-Factor, and it involves Forge," said Mystique, her tone getting more frantic. It wasn't like Mystique to ever show nervousness. Even her accent, which she was so careful to conceal, started to show. "What *about* Forge?" "I think he's got his own agenda. I don't know what he's up to, but he's been playing us all for fools. He's using us all, using X-Factor for some agenda that I'm only beginning to figure out," said Mystique. "You think Forge is a traitor? Forge? But.." "Val, you know I only joined X-Factor because of you. We both know that your goverment couldn't offer me anything I wanted. I joined because you needed someone you trust, someone you knew could find out what was really going on," said Mystique, as she slowly paced around the room. "Well, yes...I mean...I wanted someone who would distract the management and the team...so we could uncover any secrets..." replied Val, but she was now speaking in more hesitant tones. "Well, you were right. Funds for X-Factor are definitely being siphoned off. There have also been a series of shielded and unauthorized transmissions from the compound. You're right about everything. But Val, Forge is behind it." "I...tell me more." "I've been looking through his personal files. I searched through his room during one of his disapperances. There are invoices and orders to Stane International for some heavy munitions and armored tanks. I checked X-Factor's budget...there's no order at all for any type of heavy artillery. I also traced his phone calls for the last month like you recommended. He's been making a number of calls to a company called Janus Industries.." "And...?" "Janus Industries is a front for AIM. I know, I've...used their services before," "My....God...." "I broke in here the other night. In case the computer system detected an unauthorized user, I wanted to make sure that Forge thought it was someone from the outside, not someone from the inside. I don't think I was spotted, though," said Mystique. She then slowly turned her face towards Val, "I took the time to make a copy of Shard, a copy of the program." "What? You had no right....." Val looked confused, perplexed. Mystique had rarely seen her like this. "Val, I had 'Shard' analyzed. The program doesn't DO anything. It's only supposed to generate a static image. Not some flying mutant with energy blasts. Forge has been lying to us all along." "I never suspected that Forge could be a traitor though...maybe Wild Child...but.." "I know, but that's what he wanted us to think. I looked over the personnel records and communiques from Forge for the past several months. You wouldn't believe how much of this insanity he's responsible for. That also explains this plan to recruit Spoor, I mean really, was someone expecting X-Factor to be...a...a suicide squad? A group where 'villains' come together and work for the government? It sounds laughable if you think about it," said Mystique, her voice rising in pitch. "I don't...I don't know what to say. We've got to stop him, that's for sure. He's become a menace. What do you think we should do?" "We should find out why he's doing this. Why he's betrayed you. What his agenda is!" said Mystique. "I can't understand why he'd do this...." muttered Val, her eyes growing frantic. "Neither can I, but there has to be a reason. Can you think of anything at all?" inquired Mystique, but there was a calmer tone to her voice now. Her manner had subtly changed. "I don't know. He's been different the past few months, that's for sure. More closed, sometimes...maybe even acting out of character. It's like he's not himself....like someone's pretending to be him." "You know what Val" "What?" "I think you're right." In a blur, Mystique's pistol was in her hands. Three bolts of energy had lanced across the air and into Val Cooper's chest. All of them hit solidly, spurting blood throughout the room. Surprisingly, none of the blood splattered on Mystique. "Why...." moaned Val Cooper. The shape of Val Cooper began to disappear and melt, reforming itself into another shape, a familiar one. The form of the body-thief, Mountjoy. The wounds and blood were still there, but Mountjoy had a familiar grin on his face. The same grin that Mystique remembered so well on "Shard." "Con...congrat..congratulations Mystique....it...seems.... you've...tricked...a trickster," gasped Mountjoy. "Now the only question is what I'm going to do with you in the two minutes or so of life you have left," said Mystique, with a calmness to her voice that wasn't there before. "I...gasp...can't.....wheeze...believe....this..." "Don't look so surprised. You should have known this was coming. Both Val and I suspected that there was something wrong with Forge. Like Shard. How could Forge come up with a hologram with super-powers? One that could travel for miles without being connected to a generator? And one that fell in love with Wild Child? Then there were the ludicrous events, like Wild Child or even Spoor joining X-Factor? Oh please, we're not idiots," said Mystique. "....Obviously...." "You somehow took over Forge, and came up with the roster change to catch us off guard. I must say, I'm a bit impressed at how you were able to work through intermediaries, making your shock seem sincere. Then, you used your 'Shard' to charm Wild Child, since you figured that without Forge, he'd be the only one among us who might be able to detect you." "It...can't...end....like...this..." wheezed Mountjoy, his limbs flailing through the air. "It will. You lose," said Mystique, raising her pistol again, this time, at Mountjoy's head. "I.....don't think so, Mystique," said Mountjoy, with a gleam in his eyes. Strength suddenly returned to his voice, and his demeanor completely changed. "What.." "You can't trick a trickster, Mystique." Mountjoy's "body" disappeared. The chair he was sitting on had been destroyed, as if it was hit by energy beams. Mystique quickly turned around, but not fast enough. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her by the throat, slowly lifting her into the air. "Tell me, Mystique, for a man who was able to 'create' a walking, talking, fighting hologram, how hard do you think it was to fool you into seeing me on that chair? I co-opted Forge. He and I are one. I have his knack for seeing patterns, you know. I've been expecting you for hours," Mystique struggled valiantly, but she found that it was harder to move. Her arms and legs felt like they were in molasses. "You tried to kill me. Let's see if you're as good at coming back from the dead," taunted Mountjoy. He slowly crushed his hands around Mystique's throat, snapping her windpipe with ease. "Ahhhhhhh!!!" cried Mystique, gasping for air. She kicked and punched Mountjoy as hard as she could, but none of her blows affected him. "You tried Mystique, but you're just not good enough..... Good-bye," said Mountjoy, with a whimsical tone in his voice. He watched with sadistic joy as Mystique flailed helplessly, gasping for air that wouldn't come into her lungs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mystique's arms and legs stopped moving. The ghastly choking noses stopped, and her head fell towards the floor. He checked her pulse and breathing until he was certain that she was dead. Then, just to make sure, he slit her throat with a quick slice from a knife he drew from his coat pocket. He turned around and slowly headed towards the window. His eyes flashed like two bright suns. He casually opened the window to Val Cooper's office, and jumped out, accomplishing an impossible leap of over 50 feet to the ground. He quickly rebounded and scampered off, playfully jumping over the security devices. His speed was inhuman. Anyone looking would have seen nothing more than a blur. At the final perimeter wall, he leaped up into the air, flipped over, and landed precisely on the other side of the wall. He shuffled away from the compound and looked backwards once. "Perfect," muttered Mountjoy. He took a quick glimpse until he spotted a camera trained upon him. He looked at it and smiled. His grin was inhuman. He appeared to be in sheer ecstasy. "Good-bye kids," quipped Mountjoy. He raised his hand, which had a small device with a large red button on it. He pressed the button and rapidly ran away. The explosion began from Val Cooper's office. It was followed a by a series of even larger exposion all over the compound. Within a matter of minutes, the entire X-Factor compound was destroyed, levelled completely to the ground. ********** X-Factor Compound, The Basement Command Center, 04:17, Thursday. "That was a risky gamble you pulled." "I...know. It still hurts. But I was able to use my shape shifting power to trick Mountjoy into thinking he killed me. I've never used my powers before to re-shape my organs like that though. I don't think I'll be able to shape shift for a while. It took all I had to get out of your office before the bombs went off," said Mystique. She was still bloodied and bruised from the attack, but she was alive. She sat down in the chair again, trying to focus past the pain she was still in. Fortunately for her, the basement command center was well-stocked in medical gear. "I...know. I'm sorry, Raven. I shouldn't have let you go in like that. I...I just didn't know we were up against Mountjoy.. My God...those people in there.... It's all....it's all my..." "Stop it Val, it wasn't your fault. Neither of us suspected anyone like Mountjoy. It's as much my fault as it was yours. We're just lucky that the compound was pretty much vacated by that time," "I..." Val Cooper sat silently for a minute, then, her countenace changed immediately. Her face hardened once more, and she became the strong-willed woman that Mystique knew intimately. "I tried contacting Wild Child. No go. Wherever Mountjoy went, he must have taken Kyle with him. No one's seen him at all since he and 'Shard' went out for lunch the other day," said Val. "That's no surprise. He was completely smitten over that monstrosity," growled Mystique. "Apparently, Department Kappa sent out Threnody Smile, which as you know, is another government-funded group. They spotted Forge...Mountjoy via their satellite tracking system an hour ago, and have been trailing...." A terminal flashed into action, and new data scrolled across the screen. "Oh no....." said Val. The strength suddenly seemd to drain out of her. "What happened?" asked Mystique. "Threnody Smile....they engaged Mountjoy without approval. They found him about 30 miles from the compound. Apparently, he was just standing there, waiting...." "And?" "They're dead. They're all dead. I don't know who Mountjoy absorbed besides Forge, but he slaughtered Threnody Smile. Apparently...ugh..he eviscerated James Prodigy, fleansed Jack Delphi, blew up Jessica Aoler from the inside, and...and....ripped apart John Demon limb by limb..... He was expecting them... The rescue crew found their...body parts....strewn all over.." said Val, her face white with shock. "I'm sorry Val, I know how much you were counting on them.So what do we do?" "We fall on our backup plan. We both knew that someone in X-Factor had been compromised. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting the entire team, though. With Threnody Smile out of the action. We'll have to activate our rescue plan faster than we anticipated. Wild Child, Shard and Forge are all gone. We don't know what he wants, but with Forge's genius on his side, Mountjoy's almost unstoppable," said Val. "You have all of the agents ready?" asked Mystique. As much as she admired Val, even Mystique had to admit that she was amazed by Val Cooper's speed and efficiency. In their own ways, Val and Mystique were easily the most dangerous women on earth. "Yes. This time, I hand-picked all of them. I didn't want to take the risk that another government management team would screw it up. Take a look," said Val, pointing towards a large terminal. Several faces flashed upon the screen. "Red Wolf. He's supposed to be some type of spiritual guardian. He has enhanced sense, among his abilities. He should be able to track down Mountjoy. Also, he fills our minority super-hero requirements." "What?" asked Mystique." "New federal laws say that at least 20% of any government-mandated super-hero teams have to have a 'person of color' on it," said Mystique. "That's ridiculous!" shouted Mystique. "Don't complain. It was the only way I could get you on the team," said Val, with a sarcastic smirk on her face. "Kevin Vaughn, AKA Redeemer. And Harlan..." Mystique studied the screen intently. The two faces that flashed on was vaguely familiar. She knew that she had seen it somewhere, and very recently, indeed. "Wait, they look familiar. I don't recognize the name, but.... THEM???" remarked Mystique in surprise. She wasn't surprised with most of Val's choices, indeed, Mystique had helped her come up with most of the list, but this addition was completely unexpected. "I know..." "I must say, Val, you're full of surprises. You didn't want Spoor on X-Factor, but you chose those two?? The Acolytes? I thought that at least one of them was dead, anyway.." said Mystique. "Yes, yes. It's..a long story. Just believe me when I say that I have a very good reason to trust both of them, for very different reasons. Besides, we'll need their help. If we're up against Mountjoy, we can't afford to go in underpowered," It took them both only a short moment to regain their composure, then Val returned to her presentation, without any hint of a break. Another face flashed on the large screen, one that was familiar to both of them. "John Walker AKA Jack Daniels, AKA the USAgent. Last reported killed in the Savage Lands. Fortunately, SHIELD had enough sense to report him as being dead. He requested it, actually," said Val, "His 'Jack Daniels identity had been compromised, and he didn't want to risk any further retaliations on his family. I've used his services before. He's a bit of loose cannon, but his loyalty is unquestionable. He also has extensive military training. The others, you might know already," said Val. "Garrison Kane, AKA Weapon X. I must admit that I'm not too familiar with him. Still, he comes highly recommended from SHIELD, and I'm not in a position to turn down help." "Lorna Dane, Polaris. I've kept her in reserve just in case things did blow up...sorry, no pun intended," "Guido Carosella, Strong Guy. He's recovering from injuries in California, but according to the doctors, he'll be ready for battle immediately. "And.." "Avalanche...." Val looked at Mystique intently. If there was any fear, pain, or any emotion at all going through Mystique's mind, then she was hiding them superbly. Val wasn't sure how Mystique would handle the inclusion of Avalanche. If Mystique had one chink in her facade, it was the legacy of Freedom Force. There may have been a better alternative, but Avalanche was still working for the government, and was the easiest agent to contact. There simply was no time to be gentle. "Impressive," said Mystique. She had a slightly contemptuous tone to her voice. It was difficult for Val to tell if it was genuine or not. "...Oh, and there's one more person," said Val, in an off-handed way. A side door opened, and a tall man casually lounged in. He had a wide grin on his face. "Mystique, say hello to Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. He used to be dead." "Hi," said Jamie. ************* To Be Continued... ************* -- \\ \\ | "I don't believe in cute quotes in .sigs" | \\-\\ | "Quip _IS_ a valid word in newsriting!" | ( X-X) | Liberator of Andrew Wheeler's Couches! Viva La Jem!! | {_^_} | E-Mail: holee@syr.edu WWW: http://web.syr.edu/~holee/ | -- Amethyst BSc -- Keeper of the Labyrinth Flame | "Beg, borrow or steal Amethyst's Excalibur and Editor of X-Writers | #98. It's better than mine." Warren Ellis http://www.eskimo.com/~ash/ | "Never try to explain Warren Ellis to http:/minuteman.com/x-writers | your mother. Ever." Elizabeth Celeste "I'm a Guiness slut." Wheeler | http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~hawk/fanfic.html