OCT 2002 - #21

Return from Weapon X! Epilogue: Memories by Paul Hahn and Chip Caroon

The team had been through quite a lot in a very short time. They were brought together quickly in a time of need by their former teacher and father-figure, Professor Charles Francis Xavier, in order to combat the threat posed by Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. Unfortunately, in that fight, the mansion they called home was destroyed, and Xavier was killed. Then, they found a new home with Angel, and a new teammate with Wolverine. However, the Marauders attempted to kill the Morlocks, and the X-Men tried to stop them. Morph and Sarah were killed. Angel was injured. Afterwards, Wolverine went to look into his past and Weapon X, only to be forced against his will into rejoining. When the X-Men arrived, it was a battle royal for everyone's sanity.

[[Well, that's a very compact look at the past 20 issues . . . maybe you should go read 'em? - Paul]]

The team arrived home with some new guests, the former members of Weapon X: Lucas Bishop, Audrey Spears, and Tabitha Smith. They'd didn't speak much on the way back, but Wolverine insisted on the Weapon Xers heading to the Danger Room for an immediate debriefing, with the assist of the team's telepath, Jean Grey . . .

The five sat in a circle on the cold steel floor of the Danger Room. The lights had been dimmed, and a small batch of candles had been lit in the center.

"I don't understand the point of this," Tabitha frowned.

"We've all had our minds and memories messed with," Logan explained. "Before anything happens, I think it's best that we get past whatever they did to us. Jean was able to break Strong's control on us, but who knows what other damage remains?"

"So, what's the plan?" Audrey asked.

"We're gonna chat," Logan replied.

"Chat?" Bishop asked.

"Talk about what we remember," he explained. "Jean's here to scan us as we go, helping us to identify if we've got false memories."

"Unfortunately, most of your true memories will probably be deluded," Jean explained. "You may also have some significant loss. Logan suffers from severe memory loss . . . but then again, his time with Weapon X was much more extensive."

"Who's gonna start?" Tabitha asked.

"Why doesn't Logan?" Jean asked.

Logan let out a deep breath. "Sure, why not. I'll be the quickest.

"I remember very little of my past . . . basically, nothing. I know I'm old . . . least, older than any o' you would believe. I know for a fact I was involved with Weapon X during Vietnam . . . Korea . . . even World War II. Don't know if it goes back farther than that. Can't say I know when I was drafted into Weapon X, or how. But I do have vague memories of a childhood . . . living in a big house. I was sick a lot. And one day something bad happened, and I left . . . I wandered Canada most of my life. At what point, I totally lost control of myself . . . went all animal and instinctual. I was found by Weapon X somehow. I was on a team along with other mutants. You all met David Wraith. There was also Victor Creed, known as Sabretooth. He has, or possibly had, similar powers to me . . . we hated each other. He killed another team mate, Silver Fox . . . I think we were in love. Stone . . . we X-Men encountered him as Random, leader of the Marauders, was another team mate. David North was Maverick. I think . . . he was a friend."

Logan paused for a moment, then continued. "I know eventually Department H formed as a branch of Weapon X . . . they wanted me to lead a team called Alpha Flight . . . a group of Canadian heroes. I didn't want to . . . I wanted to quit. They didn't let me. Somewhere along the line I had Adamantium bonded to my bones, as well as my claws. I fled . . . for awhile, I think I was outta my mind, wandering . . . I somehow gathered things together . . . headed to America, joined the X-Men. I have a very clear memory of that day, and every day since that. But there are decades of blurry images."

"Well, everything checks out," Jean said. "There doesn't seem to be any false memories . . . but your mind is nearly impossible to scan deeply . . . and I can't uncover any other memories."

"No worries, Red," Logan grinned. "I've learned to except that. But let's move on. Who's next?"

Clark Kent and Bobby Drake sat and watched the news.

"Well, that coulda gone better," Bobby frowned.

"Could've gone worse, too," Clark sighed. "Stone, Wraith and Neurotap all disappear . . . but hundreds of operatives are caught and arrested for terrorist activities against the government. Their main facility is in great condition and in the hands of Department H. We shouldn't be dealing with them too much anymore."

"I feel kinda bad, though," Bobby said. "Neurotap wasn't a willing part of Weapon X, either . . . and we didn't save her."

"We didn't have the time," Clark said. "We'll go looking for them sooner or later. Don't worry."

Bobby nodded. "I just hope those Weapon Xers are gonna be alright . . . "

Tabitha Smith sighed. "My family was never a happy one. We lived in motels for awhile. My dad stole stuff so that we could eat. He got drunk a lot, and beat me and my mom. She split and left me with the bastard. We moved into a trailer. I know he stayed into crime. When my mutant powers developed, he had me become part of some mutie smuggler ring led by some bozo named the Vanisher. One day I was sick of it, so I quit . . . ran away from home. Ran for awhile. Then things get fuzzy.

"I know I didn't wander across the border. I mean, please, Canada? No one willingly goes to Canada. I think I was headed for New York. I'm assuming I got kidnapped and drugged or something, then brought to Weapon X. I was the third one to arrive, after Bish and Michelle. Now I'm in New York. Don't really know what else to say."

Jean nodded. "You don't have to say anything else, if you don't want to. Your memories seem to be true as well. It looks like all the implanted memories were wiped out when I freed you from Strong's Control."

"Hey, speakin' of Strong," Tabitha said, "the guy's a mutant, too. His body . . . I think it's artificial."

"Artificial?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," Tabitha continued. "Not sure why I think that, but I do. I'm positive he's a mutant, though."

"We'll keep that in mind for when the time comes to find him," Jean nodded. "Audrey?"

Hank McCoy gave one last look over a chart.

"All signs are positive," Hank grinned. "Your wings are healing, and will be back to normal in a few weeks."

Warren Worthington III smiled. "That's a relief. Not sure how I'd handle losing my wings. I mean, sometimes I hate this super-hero stuff, but . . . well, you've never flown. You have no idea what that is like. It's so . . . liberating. Refreshing. I love it . . . and I love having my wings."

"Well, you'll be back in action in no time, friend," Hank smiled back. "So rest easy."

"Born and raised in Chicago," Audrey started. "Had a mom, a dad, a sister and three brothers. June, Mike, Janey, Bif, Rob and Scoot."

"Scoot?" Logan asked.

"Scoot," Audrey shrugged. "I don't know if any of my other siblings had powers . . . but mine developed kinda early on. I'm partially color blind because of them, I think. With my powers being all light related or something. But yeah . . . we had a normal life, I thought. A nice house, two cars . . . we had a dog, Bosco. I think I was abducted after school one day . . . brought to Weapon X. I was the last of our group to arrive."

"What is it, Jeannie?" Logan asked, noticing how her expression had changed.

"I'm not sure," she said, her face wrinkled in concentration. "Something seems weird about some of those memories."

"W . . . weird?" Audrey asked.

"I didn't get this feeling with Logan or Tabitha," Jean frowned. "It's possible you may have some false memories. But it'll take a deeper scan to confirm that, and that's not something I want to try on you . . . it can be painful."

"But . . . I remember my family," she said. "How could they not be real?"

"Relax, girl," Logan said. "She said she's not sure about that. So just sit tight . . . this here is all about getting to the bottom of things. Bishop, you're up."

Bishop frowned. "I don't . . . remember much of anything."

"Like Wolvie?" Tabitha asked.

"No," Bishop said. "Not like Wolverine. I remember some things . . . vaguely. But . . . there's something screaming in my mind, saying that . . . I don't know . . . saying that this is wrong! All wrong!"

"What is?" Jean asked.

"This world," he continued. "It shouldn't exist."

"It . . . shouldn't . . . exist?" Audrey asked.

"I remember . . . things being totally different," Bishop explained. "I remember being a child . . . and being hunted by giant robots. I grew to be a policeman . . . for mutants. And then . . . everything changes . . . and . . . and I don't know. I'm in a peaceful world that looks completely different from my childhood. And, fairly different from this one. I . . . remember the X-Men!"

"We've never met you before," Jean said. "I've been with the school since it's formation, along with Clark, and we've never encountered you."

"Clark," Bishop said. "Thinking back to the fight at Weapon X . . . he fired a beam from his eyes. There was an X-Man who did that . . . but not him! There was a team . . . heroes! A family . . . a Professor . . . but . . . everything's wrong! There was some kind of threat . . . a crisis . . . spanning two worlds! Two . . . earths? This is not making sense . . . "

"Go on," Tabitha said.

"I don't have much else. There was a great sacrifice . . . and everything goes white. The next thing I remember is wandering a street in New York . . . at least, I think it was New York. In my confused state, Weapon X picked me up and turned me into the first of their new operatives. All I know is that I don't belong here . . . and this world shouldn't exist."

Logan looked over to Jean.

"I don't know what to tell you," Jean shrugged. "I don't get any sense that his memories are false . . . but I can't imagine them being true. They make no sense . . . "

"You've done more than enough already," Bishop frowned. "But I'm afraid I must be leaving."

"Leaving?" Logan asked.

"I appreciate that you freed me . . . but these . . . memories . . . are unsettling. I've got to try to understand them. And I need to save Michelle."

"Slow down there, bub," Logan said. "You just got here . . . take some time . . . relax . . . "

"Thanks, but no thanks," Bishop frowned. "I'll be leaving immediately."

"Me too!" Tabitha said. "I'm . . . gonna go with him."

"With me?" Bishop asked.

"I've got no place to go and . . . much as I'd rather not admit to this, you're the closest thing I've got to a father-figure," Tabitha said. "So . . . I'm going with you. No ands, ifs or buts."

"Can't argue with that," Logan grinned.

"And Audrey?" Jean asked.

"I . . . would like to stay," she said, looking over to Wolverine. "If that's fine with the team . . . "

"We would be more than happy for you to stay," Jean nodded.

"Good," Audrey grinned. "Just so I can get my bearings back . . . and then you guys can take me back to my family, just to prove that my memories aren't false."

"I'm sorry t'say bye to ya so soon," Logan said to Bishop.

"I've made up my mind," Bishop frowned. "I've got to find answers."

"We can help," Logan said quietly. "But I won't stand in your way. You know now where we are, if you need us. You too, Meltdown."

"Thanks for the offer, pops," Tabitha grinned. "Come on, Bish, let's blow this joint!"

Bishop sighed, then walked out with Tabitha trailing right behind him.

"Well then, Audrey," Jean said, "for the time being . . . welcome to the X-Men."

Audrey grinned. "Cool."

"I'm not surprised that he wanted to leave," Clark replied. "But those memories . . . something's not right.

"A stranger comes in, says he remembers a crisis that spanned two earths, walks out, and all you can say is 'something's not right'?" Bobby asked.

"Sorry," Clark said, "but there isn't anything I can do about that. It's all too strange."

{Really?} Jean asked telepathically. {For an alien?}

"Jean!" Clark exclaimed.

"Whoa! Missing some mind-talk. I'll leave now . . . " Bobby said, backing up, and opening the door. "You two obviously have something to talk about."

"No, wait, Bobby, I'm sorry," Clark said.

Bobby put his hands up. "No, no problem. I gotta go . . . do something anyway." He quickly left the room. The door shut, and Jean and Clark were left alone.

Jean put her arms around Clark's shoulders.

"I thought we weren't going to make a big deal about my origins," Clark said.

"Don't worry, he didn't hear anything," Jean replied.

"Still, I don't want it brought up until we know something more about my past."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Clark said.

The door opened, and Hank McCoy entered. He was holding a small package wrapped in brown paper.

"This just came for you, Clark. Special delivery."

"Looks weird," Jean commented, removing her arms from Clark's shoulders and standing up. "Almost glowing."

Clark took the package and looked at the label. "Hmm. No return address," he noted. He pulled the string that was wrapping it. The paper fell off. "A lead box?" he wondered.

"Not very well built, if I say so," Hank added.

Clark opened the box, and suddenly fell to the floor, crying out in pain. The box fell, and a small glowing, green stone fell out onto the floor as well.

" . . . weak . . . " Clark said.

Jean bent down and tended to Clark. Hank quickly grabbed the stone and put it back in the box, shutting it tightly.

Clark stop convulsing, and his breath slowly returned to him. He sat up with Jean's assistance.

"Fascinating," Hank said. "I shall get this to the lab at once, and study it."

"Be careful," Clark warned. "It could be poisonous."

"I dunno," Hank replied. "After all, it only affected you. I shall report my findings immediately." He walked out.

"Oh, great," Jean said. "He'll be holed up in the lab for another twelve hours. What was that?"

"I don't know. It was like no other sensation like I have ever experienced. Never have I felt so totally weak."

Jean picked up the brown paper that had wrapped the box and looked at the label. "Hey, you said there was no return address, but did you see these markings?"

"Of course."

"Maybe that's a clue."

"Let me see." Clark took the label and studied it for a few moments.

"I have a feeling we're going to start getting answers sooner than we expected."