FEB 2002 - #14

The body count increases . . . Part VI: Falling Angel by Paul Hahn and Chip Caroon with excerpts from the original Mutant Massacre by Chris Claremont

Wolverine moved silently through the carnage, alert for the slightest sound, the smallest movement, the faintest scent of life. Violence is in his nature. Murder is not. He means to find those responsible and pay them back - in full measure.

Been a long time since I saw slaughter like this, he thought as he approached another group of bodies. Professional work. Top-Notch . . . as thorough as it was merciless. That sound--Rats!

His reaction is immediate and instinctive. He bares his fangs and growls. The vermin get his message and flee.

Wasted effort, that. They're just doin' what comes naturally. Soon as I'm gone, they'll be back. Too many bodies . . . with no one, no place, no time to bury 'em. He took another look around. How did you get yourself into this mess, Logan? You rescue some mutants from a fight . . . you even shack up with 'em. Talk about joining their crusade . . . and now you're knee deep in a brutal, horrible war. I even took orders from a guy named Superman. Huh. I guess even I can see that, in this situation, something needs to be done.

{You're absolutely right, Logan,} Jean Grey telepathically said.

"Jeez," Logan said, caught off-guard. "Don't go in my thoughts, darlin'. They ain't pretty."

{Sorry to startle you. Clark wanted an update.}

"It's as bad as can be. I've found no survivors. Marauder scents are all stale. I figure they're either long gone, or just about."

{He still wants a prisoner for me to interrogate.}

"I'll get one. But one is all you're gonna get. The rest are mine."

{I understand. We're gonna head into the tunnels again, too . . . try and find more survivors . . . including Bobby and Warren.}

"I gotta go. Got work to do. I'll be in touch."

"How are you doing, Sarah?" Jean asked.

"I'll live," she said. "But unfortunately, most of these people probably won't."

"We . . . We're heading back into the tunnels," Jean said. "Will you be okay here?"

"As okay as I can possibly be under the circumstances," she nodded. "Good luck. And be careful."

Jean nodded. She exited the jet and met up with the rest of the remaining X-Men: Superman and the Beast.

"The three of us will have to do," Clark frowned. "Our main job is to locate Bobby and Warren . . . and bring them back alive."

"We will, Clark," Beast said. "We have to."

Clark nodded. "Let's go."

"Purdy wings, eh?" Arclight asked, holding the unconscious Angel up from the neck.

"He's phat," Vertigo grinned. "Mmmm, too bad we need to kill him . . . I'd sure like a few evenings with him . . . hee hee . . . "

Arclight grinned. "Who says he needs to die so soon?"

"I do," Harpoon frowned. "I cannot listen to your banter much longer." He drew a pair of Harpoons from the case over his left shoulder. "Perhaps we'll use him as a sign . . . hang him on the wall . . . leave him as the Marauders calling card."

"That'll work," Arclight said. "Okay, I . . . brrr . . . did it just get really cold in here?"

"I thought I was just getting excited, but . . . " Vertigo started. "It's really cold."

Bobby Drake sat in hiding. He was hurting. But he would not let his friend die.

"Argh!!"

The Marauder known as Mercury struggled against his pain as he traveled through the tunnels. He had suffered greatly during the fight with the Hellions.*

*(Mutant Massacre Secret Files #1 - Paul)

But he was victorious. And now he had another goal in sight. He crawled from the tunnels to the surface. He saw a jet parked up ahead. He knew his target. It was a refuge for the wounded. It was hope. Hope was something a Marauder couldn't let exist.

"You're still alive?" Arclight asked.

"Drop him, or I swear, I will freeze every molecule of your bodies."

"Whoa . . . kid's got guts," Vertigo grinned. "Or maybe you're just tryin' t'act macho in front of us girls? Trying to impress us, maybe?"

"Or maybe he's bluffing," Harpoon said. "Maybe he's scared witless . . . and thinks words can stop us."

"I'm not bluffing," Bobby said. "Let him go."

"You heard him," Superman said. He, Beast and Jean stood behind Iceman. "Drop Angel . . . or you all die."

"Random, right?" Wolverine asked. "Leader o' this pack o' murderers?"

"That'd be me," Random said.

"You got a lotta guts takin' me on by yourself."

"Or maybe I know you're over-rated," Random said.

"How would know anything about me?"

"Weapon X, old man," Random grinned. "So many things go back to Weapon X. Including myself. You probably don't remember me. Your mind's probably so screwed up you don't know which way is up. But not me . . . I've got a crystal clear memory. And you, shrimp . . . are gonna pay for what you've done."

"Do tell," Wolverine answered, popping his claws. This guy's from Weapon X . . . the program responsible for my claws! He has answers I need . . . this guy's gonna be my prisoner.

Wolverine leapt forward, but Random dodged. Random quickly formed a blade out of his right hand, slashing Wolverine's leg.

"I love the taste of blood," he said. "Especially yours!"

Logan leapt at him again, and Random met him without flinching. Wolverine's claws were proving ineffectual against the shape-shifter's malleable skin.

"You're fast," Random said. "I'm faster. You're strong. I'm stronger. You kill - I'm a killer!" Another hard blow connected into Wolverine, knocking him to the floor. "Your fancy claws can't cut my skin. And your hotsy-totsy healing factor won't save you when I rip out your heart!"

"Cute," Logan said, leap-frogging over Random's charge. "But no cigar."

"What're you doing?" Random asked, as Wolverine's claws began tearing up the tunnel.

"Bringin' down the house," he said. "Tunnel was weak. Figured it wouldn't take much to collapse it!"

More of the tunnel fell, toppling on top of Random. The load was enough to knock him unconscious.

"You were right, Random," Wolverine said. "You're the killer. I'm a man . . . who sometimes kills. We seem evenly matched. It's possible we coulda fought for hours. Maybe if I was younger, I woulda given that a shot. The road was easier back then. But that's past. Sure, I don't remember much . . . but I do know I've changed. I've learned about honor . . . a hard road, more often than not. But worth the effort."

He picked up the unconscious body and began walking back towards the Blackbird jet.

"We won't allow you," Superman said.

"Who said we'd give you that option?" Vertigo asked. She unleashed her powers in a fury, sending waves of nausea through the X-Men.

Arclight followed it up with an intense shockwave to the floor, dropping the X-Men to their butts. Harpoon pulled a pair of slayspears from his quiver and flung them.

Clark acted instinctively, firing his eye beams. He managed to fry one spear. The second was deflected by Jean's telekinesis.

"On the bright side, I dropped 'Wings'," Arclight grinned. She leapt forward, slamming a punch into Clark's chin.

Beast tackled Harpoon. "I owe you, villain! For what you did to Morph!"

"Iceman, check on Angel!" Jean said, using her telepathy to overcome the affects of Vertigo's powers. "I'll deal with her!"

Bobby nodded and quickly ran over. He's got a pulse . . . thank god, thank god. "He's okay! Let's beat the snot out of these guys!"

"Done and Done!" Superman said. He returned a punch to Arclight, breaking her jaw. A second blow cracked a rib. And a third sent her flying down the long stretch of the tunnel.

Jean concentrated, and using her telekinesis, she squeezed some blood vessels in Vertigo's brain, causing a minor aneurysm. It was something the former Marvel Girl would never have tried . . . but circumstances had never been so trying.

Beast and Harpoon continued trading blows, with neither gaining a clear advantage.

"There's only so long I'll sit back," Bobby said. He bulked up the ice on his arms, and, clutching both fists together, swung upside the back of Harpoon's head. The Marauder fell to the ground, unconscious.

" . . . We beat 'em," Beast said.

"Good work, team," Superman said.

The stench was horrible. The site even worse. Dozens upon dozens of Morlocks lay piled up in the tunnels. All dead.

The Visionaries came upon a sight that had become familiar to two groups already, and their reaction was pretty much the same.

"Who could do something like this?" Rift asked, shocked.

"When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, I didn't believe it," Sketch said. "But this . . . oh, man . . . "

"I sense that there is life farther down the tunnel," Psylocke announced. "Perhaps we might learn more."

The Visionaries continued their silent trek through the tunnels that were now full of death.

"So many injured . . . so many more casualties," Sarah shook her head. "God help me for thinking it, but my job would be easier if more of these people were dead . . . "

"That can easily be arranged."

"Huh?" Sarah spun around in time to see Mercury standing in the doorway to the jet. "You . . . you're a Marauder, aren't you?"

"How'd you guess?" Mercury asked, his metallic fingers growing slightly and sharpening.

"Stay back," Sarah said. "I'm warning you. Stay back or I'll make you feel pain!"

"Go ahead, girl," he grinned.

"You asked for it!" Sarah exclaimed. She poured fire from her hands, spreading her flame over Mercury's body. It had no affect.

"I just crawled out of a pool of liquid hot . . . Magma," Mercury laughed to himself. "Flames are nothing compared to that. You are nothing."

"Butcher!" Callisto yelled, popping out from the side and smashing Mercury with an IV stand. It bent upon contact.

"Please, woman," Mercury said. He grabbed Callisto by the throat and flung her into a computer console.

Sarah turned up her flame even more, cutting loose. It had no affect whatsoever. Mercury just took small steps until he was close enough to grab her by the throat.

"Just so you know . . . it's nothing personal," Mercury said. "It's not your fault you were born. And while I do derive lots of thrill from the chase, unlike my other Marauders, I do not take much pleasure in the kill. But I'm afraid it's quite necessary."

"N . . . no . . . "

"Oh, yes," Mercury said. His razor sharp fingers extended, slicing apart her neck in five different spots. Sarah Da'Part was dead.

Mercury dropped her body, looking upon his deed with a solemn face. He turned, seeing all the other bodies lying about. It would take him scant few minutes . . . and then his job would be done.

"I read ya, Jeannie," he said. "I've got your prisoner. Couldn't find Iceman or--"

{It's okay, we did. They're both safe. We're heading back towards the jet, though . . . Warren needs some help. We left three beaten and unconscious Marauders back behind us. We couldn't carry 'em, and didn't want to bring them back to the Morlocks. Any ideas?}

"I'll come up with something later," Wolverine said. "I'm only concerned with my prisoner right now. I'll meet you back at the jet . . . I think things are just about wrapped up. Can't pick up any other Marauder scents."

{Alright. See you in a few.}

"Yeah," Logan huffed. "In a few . . . "