From oneill@cambus.u-net.com Mon Aug 2 06:27:23 1999 Path: ix.netcom.com!hermes.visi.com!news-out.visi.com!feeder.qis.net!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!colt.net!peer.news.th.u-net.net!u-net!newsr2.u-net.net.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "O'Neill" Newsgroups: alt.comics.fan-fiction Subject: X-men Yin Yang 16/? X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.2106.4 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 194.119.176.11 X-Complaints-To: news@u-net.net X-Trace: newsr2.u-net.net 933369938 194.119.176.11 (Fri, 30 Jul 1999 22:25:38 BST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 22:25:38 BST Organization: (Posted via) U-NET Internet Ltd. X-Real-Host: 194.119.176.11 Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 22:23:44 +0100 Lines: 599 Xref: ix.netcom.com alt.comics.fan-fiction:18263 DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story are property of Marvel Inc., and I'm not making a profit from this, so don't sue me. Barring Helios and Glow, who are my own exclusive property. They may not be used without my expressed permission. X-Men: Yin Yang Part 16/?- Crossroads Morpheus, oneill@cambus.u-net.com Feedback appreciated, as is criticism, if constructive. {{blahblahbla}} is thoughts ^^blahblahbla^^ is telepathy NB: The vision of New York isn't partially inspired by 1984. It's totally inspired by it. Just in case anyone thought I was using uncredited plagiarism. Same with the last section of this edition, lifting the names and concepts from Lord of the Rings ============== A few years ago, Cain Marko met Doctor Strange. The enigmatic, reclusive mystic had searched for the Cytorrak Gem, and found it embedded in the chest of this war veteran. Cain had tried to fight him, but since all he could do was use brutish tactics, Strange subdued him quickly. He saw the potential for good in him, and helped him quell his hatred for his brother, by showing him what the effects of his months of rage had been. The deciding factor in Cain's change had been what his brother was doing. He saw the life of manipulation and deceit he was leading. He saw the countless people he had slaughtered and tortured, and was sickened. Today, Cain Marko had witnessed once again what he hoped he would never have to see; his brother's legacy hunting him down brutally. Of course, the Hellfire Club were not after him specifically, but it was always he who was left standing to witness his closest friends on the brink of death. The Rebellion had been caught off guard, and the initial attack had left only a few standing. Daredevil was the last to fall before Juggernaut, and he had been teleported away by Rasputin like all the others had. Cain had been chased back into the forest, wary of Shinobi Shaw's abilities. He knew he could alter his mass and make himself relatively intangible. That could leave Cain's crystal vulnerable. Unknown to him, the five Hellfire Club members had surrounded him, and Nemesis was currently charging his powers to try and flatten the great figure of Juggernaut. Cain was finding it difficult to try and hide, because of his twelve-foot frame, and the glowing red haze of the Crimson Gem of Cytorrak did little to aid his camouflage. He tried to tread carefully, but that too was futile. He had considered reverting to human form, but that would leave him too vulnerable. Finally, he decided to fight. Coming in directly from the edge of the forest was Shinobi Shaw, who had been injured slightly by an attack by Speed Demon. That was quickly stopped as he thrust an arm in front of him, quickly changing it from solid to intangible and back again. The attack ceased, and when Shinobi looked at his arm, the twitching form of Speed Demon was wrapped around his fist. Shaw stopped momentarily in his approach, hearing a sound from about twenty metres ahead in the darkness. The unstoppable force of the Juggernaut ran directly ahead of him, his swinging arms scything a path for him. Nemesis could only hear the rampaging form of Cain Marko as he demolished the trees in his way. In a futile gesture, he let loose his microwave blast, but without the concentration needed to direct it, the energy dissipated weakly around him, setting some vegetation alight. Cain, still charging forward, saw a flash of energy ahead of him, then a ring of fire lit the way for him. He saw Nemesis, lying flat on his back, and aimed himself in that direction. In a few seconds, Nemesis had been dispatched with a swipe of a fist like a boulder. The rest of Sebastian Shaw's attack squad now converged upon Juggernaut, with Mimic utilising the powers he had absorbed earlier to good effect. He currently had speed, flight and strength in his arsenal, and had just absorbed Exodus' powers to aid his abilities. Cain slowed down for a moment, and realised he had breached the forest's barrier, and was now in a clearing of some hundred square metres. Before he could find his bearings, he was struck by a barrage of energy that knocked him off his feet. Holding a colossal arm up to block the energy, he managed to catch sight of Exodus and Mikhail Rasputin, at the mouth of the forest, directing their powers against him. Mimic leapt into his window of opportunity, his fading super-speed taking him to Juggernaut's side before he could react. He leapt onto his enormous frame, and scaled his armour to his helmet. The energy attack not affecting him, he tried in vain to remove his powers. Even his enhanced strength would not budge it. Marko felt a tug at his neck, and reached up with his other hand and swatted Mimic. He fell to the earth limp, crawling slowly away. Cain then charged towards his other attackers, head down. He felt his body career into them, and stopped. A musky silence settled in over the groans of the injured. Shinobi Shaw leapt down from the treetops, and floated onto Juggernaut's back. Cain heard the wind whisper briefly, then a surging pain in the back of his head knocked him unconscious. Shaw retracted his fist from the Juggernaut's skull, and floated onto the ground as Cain Marko fell like the trees that surrounded him. == Within the bowels of the USA, Essex sat up suddenly, a sense awakened that had remained dormant since the battle with the Hellfire Club. He waited patiently, his body still of any motion; his mind clear of all distraction. He focused his thoughts, leaving himself open. Two minutes later he felt the disturbance once again. It was unmistakable. The raw energy dispersed into the atmosphere, and the familiar regeneration of power building inside a mutant frame. He reached out with his mind, divining the source of the power. In seconds, he had set off due west, his mind racing ahead of him to search for this mutant. {{Of course,}} he realised, {{this could be a trap, but I have not felt such great power emanate from one individual for a long time. I must follow it.}} Without another thought, Essex had broke into a run, relieved to be finally doing something, instead of endlessly trudging along a desert wasteland. Running faster than a normal body could usually go, he reached his destination in two minutes. As he approached a long-deserted village, he heard raw power burn the very air around him. His skin was taut and alert, the proximity to such power almost overwhelming him. Dust rode the desert winds, and a few ruined houses provided cover for Essex. The cluster of poorly built shacks could hardly be called a village, but it must have sufficed for a band of wanderers. Essex had seen many of these during his travels. After such devastating warfare by the Hellfire Club, those not enslaved or kept captive within the Hellfire cities, were left to wander the wastelands of what was left of America. Endless bombing by the Hellfire Club had reduced America's land to nothing but dust. Huge craters peppered the continent, and those humans left behind could only wander in search of hope. They would erect small shantytowns like this one, and live there until the food supplies in the area had ran out. Then, they moved on. This one had been deserted for perhaps a year, and the mutant that Essex had sensed was fast reducing it to dust. Essex decided to make his presence known, and began slowly weaving his way behind crumbling shacks, towards this new mutant. As he neared, he could see the devastating energy that this mutant wielded; energy blasts that emanated from his eyes. He watched the crimson energy level a shack in a second, then the energy subsided once more. The bearded man sank onto his knees, a pair of worn jeans his only clothing. He breathed in deeply, but his long ragged hair prevented Essex from viewing his face. Essex took this opportunity to approach the man. He walked slowly towards him, careful not to startle him. In preparation of attack, he erected a shield in front of his body. He stopped about two metres behind him, and said, "Friend, do not be alarmed." To his surprise, the man did not turn round, but simply whispered, "Go away." "I am Essex. I mean you no harm." "No!" he screamed suddenly, his head still bowed, "You don't understand. Go away, for your own good. I don't want to hurt you." "I do not understand." "I can't control my power. If I open my eyes I might hurt you." "I'm sorry for your burden, friend. I did not know." Essex remained at his distance, and waited for a while before continuing. "Where are you going? Surely you cannot be staying here forever?" "I . . . no, it is not important." He raised his head, and would be looking directly at the glaring sun were it not for his virtual blindness. "I am a mutant just like you, friend." Essex used this lie to try to win the man's trust, "Would you not prefer a companion to travel with?" The mutant sighed, and hung his head again. "I don't even know where I'm going. I would be a danger and burden to you." "Not true. I can protect myself from your power, and I could use someone to talk to. Join me." "Where are you headed then?" "I lead a Rebellion against the Hellfire Club, who--" "Hellfire Club? I've never heard of them." "Well, even in your condition I suspect you know of the decimation of the land?" "Yes. The entire earth feels dead, and I rarely encounter any other living being." "All you need to know is that they are responsible for this world. We aim to dethrone them before they destroy us all." Essex looked at the mutant's face (for he now turned to face Essex), and saw him smile briefly. "Would you like to join us?" "I don't know what use I could be, but I'd be honoured to come with you. There's no point in me just walking across this wasteland." "Excellent!", exclaimed Essex with a smile, "Then we shall take our leave now, and on our journey, I shall tell you all you need know of this world, which I assume you know little of." Essex helped the man onto his feet, and guided him slowly out of the shantytown. As they left the ruins behind, he asked, "Friend, before we continue, you did not tell me your name." "I lost nearly all my memory during the past few years. I only remember my first name. Scott." "It is an honour to meet you Scott." == In all of the United States of America, only one city was even remotely similar to its pre-Hellfire era incarnation. The Hellfire Club controlled their domination of the continent from New York, and had thereafter kept the city intact for their own personal use. Every other city was either demolished or kept in a state of martial law, where the Hellfire police forces governed the streets with an iron fist. In New York however, the humans had a modicum of freedom, provided they served the Hellfire Club's will. Each human was assigned a job, like creating the history documents that would be used in the new world order they intended to impose on earth soon. If they decided to rule the entire world, then they would need a history for the next generation to believe in. The system was frighteningly easy to maintain, as the threat of public executions was introduced for those that either defied or sabotaged the Hellfire Club's new regime. In return for loyal service, the lives of the humans would progress with a degree of relative normality, that was unknown in other Hellfire cities. Some were even happy with their new rulers; everything was provided for them, and they had secure jobs in a safe city. As the heart of the Hellfire Club's empire, New York had to be protected from the Rebellion. A hundred metre high defense network had been constructed around the city, and recently, new measures had been introduced. While the Hellfire Club had regrouped in Ship over the past few months, Sebastian Shaw had ordered some renovations to take place. The old Hellfire mansion (kept in a state of decay to hide their base in plain sight) had been upgraded to a fortress overground, expanding the underground headquarters into a new control centre above groun d. It now stood as the beacon of the Hellfire Club's acheivements. They no longer needed to hide from others; the imposing structure, including a tower that stretched into the heavens, featured a formidable defense grid that could extend its reach over the entire city. It also served the extra purpose of reminding the citizens of New York that they were under the control of the Hellfire Club at all times. Today, the man who had long ago assumed the mantle of Magneto, looked out over the city that he had assumed as his home. His eyes flitted over the various structures that punctuated the skyline. There was the long low building where the captured humans were transformed into slaves for the Hellfire Club. As usual, Doctor McCoy was there, supervising the inclusion of his new cyber-organic technology into the humans. About half a mile around the perimeter from that factory was the control tower from which the slaves' mind control implants were monitored and maintained. This dagger in the city's skyline was a mass of technological wonders, with all manner of wires and relay devices tacked on to the outside. Reed Richards and Doctor McCoy were constantly finding new ways to send instantaneous transmissions to their armies, as well as even more devious methods of protecting their communications. A lot of the technology had been culled from Ship's internal organs, but an equal amount had been invented by Reed Richards himself. The resources at his disposal only enhanced his prowess with technology. Now, the man formerly known as Erik Lehnsherr turned his eyes to the streets of New York. From his vantage point high in the tower of the Hellfire Club, he could see his human servants scurry about the streets like ants unleashed into a maze. A few days ago, Magnus had officially cast off his persona of Erik Lehnsherr after months of deliberation. He decided that to progress further with his plans, he would have to become the Magneto persona that was so feared among his friends and foes. He now had only two names, which he used for their parallel natures. Magnus would be used by those closest to him, but everyone else would know him as only Magneto. His children had followed suit almost immediately, renouncing their given names for the titles of Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch. This seemed an extreme move to the Hellfire Club members who witnessed the change, but Magnus had deemed it appropriate to give a public display of his intended rebirth. In the past few weeks since his return to New York, Magnus had regained the health he had lost recently. A prescription of nutrients from McCoy helped build back his lost strength, and he had become his former self within no time. He had also been slowly becoming more powerful. He found ways to augment the power had already had, and he had felt significant changes in his power levels to. Slowly but surely, he was regaining his former glory. Extensive tests in the Hellfire laboratories confirmed this, much to Magnus' joy. He could now levitate himself, and had even succeeded in separating an alloy into its two components. Magnus took another look through the one-way glass at his city beneath him, then turned back into the complex. He was on one of several hundred levels, and this particular level was his own. He had relocated his underground staff to this floor, and his own operations were now ran from here. He walked slowly around the corridor which ran around the entire floor, before entering the main chamber in the centre. The walls were lined with computer terminals, holding Magnus' databases, and running his monitoring programs. For the past few months, he had kept a virtual eye on several mutants around the world, as well as individuals in positions of power. Dressed in hooded red velvet robes, he walked slowly towards one of his personnel, unannounced. He stood silently over the middle-aged man for a few minutes, watching him call up a list of the proposed sites for a holding facility in the American wastelands. Magnus had set his team the task of preparing a facility which could be used as a future base away from the Hellfire Club. Magnus walked slowly away, the man still unaware of his presence. He stopped over the shoulder of a young blonde haired woman, who Magnus had personally chosen for his team. She was exceptionally bright, and her performance on the Hellfire Club tests was well above average. She was the head of the operation to transfer some of the technology from Magneto's Antartican base to the Hellfire Club. He had realised soon after his recovery that he would have to spend the majority of his time here at the Club, lest Sebastian Shaw gain an advantage. Today however, he had discovered that Shaw was on an excursion to the Heartlands, and would be gone for some time. He had taken this advantage to organise the transports and procure the equipment needed. Satisfied at his team's proficiency, Magnus slowly walked out, his robes gently trailing beind him. He walked around the corridor to the transport tubes, and, after placing his palm on the entry sensor, he stepped into his personal tube. The four members of the Inner Circle had personal transport tubes snaking all across the building. Every other member, soldier, or worker had to use simple level-to-level transports. Magnus sat into the moulded chair in the capsule, and was immediately bound to it by supports. Lowering his hood, he said, "Quarters", and the capsule shot into motion. The pressure was readjusted constantly to keep Magnus comfortable, while the capsule was propelled through dozens of subpassages and turns. He emerged in his study with a slight headache, and sat down on a Victorian couch that he had rescued years ago from a museum. He loosened his robes, and activated a holocamm via his keypad. "Computer; prepare to activate outside commline, and route signal through lines 233 through 345." ==warning: these lines are inferior quality, used for reference: outside radio reception. suggest using lines 100 through 150. do you wish to use these== "Negative. Open outside commline to location reference sector 36-A Grid Epsilon." ==authorisation required for outside commline. codeword needed to access this location== "Authorisation reference IC-Alpha-Gamma-Delta. Codeword is two words reference The Hand." == On the opposite coast, a similar society existed, within a similarly contained environment. New Pierra was a microcosmic world, able to provide for itself, with its own defenses, and a governing body with near-absolute power over its inhabitants. Now, they even had their own band of heroes. Logan stood inside the EarthGov tower in New Pierra, and gazed out over the mile long field that was in front of him. He turned back to Winston O'Brien, and said, "Nice plantation y'got here." Turning back to the window, he placed his left palm flat on the glass. "How many live here?" "Our last count was two million," replied O'Brien, who was altogether more composed than the first time he had met Logan. "We haven't admitted any others since then." "Where are they then? Underground?" "For the most part, yes. The underground facilities house the workers, and their places of work. We have several smaller communities down there. There are media groups, licensed food stores, recreational facilities, licensed health services, and much more of course. In this unfortunate time of war, we have tried to recreate a semblance of the society they used to know." "Interesting." "Indeed." O'Brien sat down at his desk, steepling his fingers in front of his face, and went on. "Now, I am afraid we must discuss the problem of your ally, what was his name, Helios?" "Yup." Logan frowned. He was still trying to figure out who could have such control over a mind, and who could have retained their telepathy. "We don't know how it happened. All we know is that he was under some kind of mind control. I've got him down in the quarters y'gave us, and the more senior members are tryin t'help him recover and figure out what happened. But, without our psis, we won't really have a chance." O'Brien's expression did not change, and he responded only by laying his hands crossed on his desk. Logan continued, "I know how bad this puts us in EarthGov's eyes, but we will make up for it. We'll go on some missions for ya, and y'll see that we can be trusted. We think that somehow someone escaped the psi-storm--" Here O'Brien interrupted. "What is the psi-storm, forgiving my ignorance of mutant affairs?" "It happened about four months ago," replied Logan, "And the short story is that it wiped out all psi-powers; telepathy, telekinesis, all of em. This means that no-one should be able to control another one the way that just happened." "And you don't know how it happened." O'Brien stated, not asking. "Exactly." "Is it possible he's mentally unstable?" "Maybe. We've got no way of knowing." "We do." O'Brien stood up from behind his desk, and moved around Logan to face out the window. Logan did not turn round. "We have several psycho-analysts in this complex, as well as equipment to monitor brain activity. We want him to submit to a full examination." Logan turned round, and decided that he could not argue any more. "I'll talk to him." "Excellent. In the meantime, we have a mission for you." == Somewhere just on the brink of fourth dimensional time, the guardian of Earth was in contemplation. Doctor Steven Strange watched the various pieces in this perilous game move into position, and was worried. He watched Sebastian Shaw arrive at his safehouse in America's Heartlands; he saw Essex and Scott Summers head towards their destiny; he saw Magneto enter into dangerous liasons; he saw Logan rescind control of his team to EarthGov; he saw Charles Xavier stir from his deep sleep. Then, casting his mind elsewhere, he saw a being wrapped in shadows evade his eyes. This anomaly would decide the game. He couldn't pierce the cloaks and mirrors of this being, yet he knew deep inside who it was. As he navigated the ebbing currents of the dimension he was in, traversing the plains to reach another realm, his mind kept straying back to the situation on Earth. {{This does not bode well for Earth. I fear that soon the game will escalate into something far more dangerous, if I do not intervene. I only hope that I will be allowed to do what I have planned.}} His body slowly began to feel drawn downwards, and, looking down, he saw the object of his travels. He let himself float into the realm where his heart dwelt, taking in the beauty of his surroundings. This dimension could not be done justice by mere words, and Strange was in awe whenever he visited this paradise. It took a conscious effort to wrench himself away, and it was becoming harder and harder each time. A vast continent floating effortlessly through the dimension that only a select few could enter. Even fewer were allowed entry to Valinor, and anyone not welcome would not be able to come near it. Valinor existed in a state of dimension flux, existing here as a corporeal form, but the masters of this realm could phase into three dimensional reality if it suited their needs. Doctor Strange came to rest near the royal court of Valinor, and began a short walk to gather his thoughts. He walked through the gardens of Z'challa, his path bordered by glittering pools of light. He gazed deep into one of them, and saw the majesty of the birth of a new universe. Remembering his task, he walked straight through the garden, concentrating on the entrance to the court ahead of him. He ignored the sky that was littered with the glory of every star in every universe in its prime. He ignored the tall trees of Lelandi, whose fruit could restore life in a man on the brink of death. He walked with determination, but also tried to hide the feat that his plea would be rejected. With a thought he opened the gate to the royal court, and announced himself. "My lords and masters the Valar, I have returned to your realm of great majesty to plead my case on behalf of the people of Earth. Will you hear my plea, and give me counsel?" Some way in front of the gate, four thrones sat, and upon those thrones rested four beings of undescribable beauty. For a mortal man to look upon the Valar, his eyes would be blinded for life. They appeared to each of their servants as they so desired. Their true forms were of pure energy, but could manifest into corporeal forms at will. They radiated pure white light, and as Doctor Strange looked upon them, he once again felt the need to rest here for eternity. He suppressed that emotion, and walked towards the thrones. On one knee, he rested before them. Then, the Valar on the centre right throne stood, and for a second towered immeasurably above the others. Then, in a blink of an eye it was of a normal height once more. This was the lord of the entire race of Valar, who presided over his realms with his lady, seated to his left, and his son and daughter, who sat on the outer two thrones. In a voice that contained fairness, but stern justice, he said, "Arise loyal servant. Doctor Strange, the Valar chose you as guardian of Earth because of your innate wisdom and judgement. We will hear your plea, and return you counsel." == The end for now. Anyone want to read the rest of this, because I don't know if there's a point to going on with it. Rebellion: Forge, Jean Grey, Deadpool, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Banshee, Clear-Cut, Blink[INJ], M, Iron Man[INJ], Shang-Chi, Callisto [INJ], Glow (original)[INJ], Legion, Gambit, Marrow, Juggernaut, Wisdom, Sabra, Speed Demon, Essex, Wolverine, Maverick, Havok, Iceman, Chrome, Doom, Sunfire, Boost, Maggot, Chamber, Abyss, Landscape, Helios (original), Storm Hellfire Club: Angel, Hank McCoy, Shinobi Shaw, Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Reed Richards, Emma Frost, Roberto daCosta, Mikhail Rasputin. Paige Guthrie as slave Inner Circle: Ennur Sabah (Apocalypse), Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (Magneto), Charles Francis Xavier (Mutant X), Sebastian Shaw. Marauders: Warpath, Thunderbird, Moonstar, Colossus, Jubilee, Polaris, Wildchild, Omega Red, Scratch, Deflector (Reyes), Fenris, Sack, Vessel, Skin, Nightcrawler, Unuscionne, Caliban, Aurora, Pyro, Avalanche, Spoor, Rictor, Dazzler, Meltdown, Siryn, Black Tom, Shadowcat, Multiple Man, Random, Strong Guy, Firestar, Tusk, Wolfsbane, Feral, Magma. There's loads more, but far too many to go into here. Externals: Gideon, Mimic, Cannonball, Nemesis, Exodus, Candra, Selene, Crule, Absalom. ==========