Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > Between Life and Death
Intentions
0 reviewsA mission gone horribly wrong leads Scott Summers to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his friends. But is he really dead? Or something more sinsiter going on? Scott/Jean, Kurt/Kitty, minor hints...
0Unrated
Between Life and Death
Chapter 4: Intentions
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The facility where Mr. Sinister and his henchmen were eagerly transporting the lifeless body of Scott Summers was no ordinary base of operations by any stretch of the imagination. On the outside, it looked like a rather expensive estate that some rich person would live in, but like the Xavier Institute...The inside of the building told a much different story. On the inside of this seemingly abandoned structure, laboratory and scientific equipment dominated every wall and every surface. No matter where one turned, they would see a computer terminal, barrels full of special chemicals, and machinery that looked like it was made for genetic experiments. But the level of technology that surrounded the inside of the estate was far beyond anything one would see in a normal lab. Every component visible looked as though it was 50 years ahead of it's time. Yet the intentions for this equipment remained a mystery...For everybody except Mr. Sinister.
While Sinister and the Nasty Boys were bringing up their prize to the main level, in another room in the estate...Two women who had been left behind on the mission for some reason casually sat at a table in what looked like a lounge area playing a game of cards.
One woman bore predominately Asian features, had long purple hair, and a very fit body that seemed built for combat and confrontation. But despite her Asian appearance, she spoke with a British accent. Her name was Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, also known as Psylocke. She came from a rich family in England, but the body she had was not the body she was born with. In a bizarre accident, she found herself used as a pawn by a shady group called The Hand, who had kept her alive after a deadly car crash because of her mutant telepathic abilities. Because of The Hand, her mind was taken from her dead body and placed into that of one of their female warriors known as Kwannon. After that, things got pretty messy.
Not only did she find out that she had Kwannon's body, but she also had her fighting skills and her mutant ability to form psionic blades. The Hand wanted to use her, but Betsy was not a woman who liked to be used. For months, she played The Hand in order to make them feel as though they had succeeded, but when they tried using her on a mission...She managed to make herself vanish, hoping that they would presume her to be dead and for the most part she succeeded in that. But even after escaping The Hand, that didn't change the fact that she was in someone else's body. While it was not a body any woman would have been ashamed to have, it still wasn't HER body. It had taken months for her family to believe that she was their daughter, but even after she was accepted by them it still didn't feel quite right. She tried using her new skills to her advantage by helping her brother, who was already an established heroic figure in Britain, but she still longed for her old body and self. And in the end...That's how she ended up working for Mr. Sinister.
While Betsy had little knowledge about Nathanial Essex, aka Mr. Sinister, he was quite enthralled by her thieving skills that she had carried out for her brother and came to her with a proposal she just couldn't turn down. In exchange for her services as a thief of highly sensitive and rare equipment, he would use his highly advanced technology to rebuild her old body and put her mind back in it. And of course, Psylocke jumped at the chance. Although she had grown somewhat use to her new body, the promise of having her old one back was just too good an offer to pass up. Sinister had showed her that he had genetic technology that hadn't even been dreamed of yet and if she wanted any hope of being in her old body again, she had no choice but to trust him...As crazy as she knew he was.
The other woman sitting across from her at the table was a very attractive and shapely blonde woman that looked to be in her early twenties. She bore a tight fitting white outfit that went well with the bright shade of blonde of her hair and her skin tone. Her attractive body was one that many would have aspired to have, but this woman already had it. Her name was Emma Frost, also known as the White Queen. Like Betsy, she was born into a fairly wealthy family in Massachusetts. Her upbringing was dominated by the grooming and education of her parents in hopes that she, her sisters, and her brother would one day inherit the family business and carry on their rich legacy. However, conflict in working to gain control of that business had torn her family apart. Relations between her sisters had devolved into one of pure rivalry and her brother had ended up engrossed in the world of drugs, prompting the inevitable overdose that later killed him.
All the tension in her family caused Emma Frost to walk away from it all. But in doing so, her parents and sisters shunned her and branded her a traitor to her family. Finding out that she was a mutant with powerful telepathic abilities didn't help much either, but her luck later changed after she started her own little company with the business knowledge that her family had taught her and joined a secret organization known as the Hellfire Club. The club was the cream of the crop of the elite and they aspired to attain only two things...Money and power. In joining, Emma felt as though she had bested her family and managed to gain the status of the White Queen, a name she still bares to this day. There, her mind for business made her invaluable and in return, she gained great control over her mutant abilities and even unlocked her hidden power to form a diamond hard shell around her body. However, these good times did not last for the young woman.
While she became a major asset to the Hellfire Club, she was not immune to the club's dark side. In the world of the Hellfire Club, the most common way of moving up was assassination. When it succeeded, one could move up...When it didn't, whoever was behind it would 'disappear' forever and a new position would be open. While Emma got her status through the latter, the dark nature of the club soon caught up with her as an assassination attempt on one of the members failed...And somehow she was thought to be the one behind it. Even though Emma pleaded her innocence and offered explanations, that didn't stop the club from stripping her of her position and openly pursuing 'punishment' for her crimes as only the Hellfire Club could do.
In the end, Emma's uncanny resourcefulness had saved her and she managed to escape the clutches of the club, but her name was now number one on the club's most wanted list. And being pursued by the Hellfire Club was almost always a death sentence. Since her family had abandoned her and allies had betrayed her, there was little she could do. That was until Mr. Sinister showed up. He offered her two things that she couldn't possibly turn down...Protection from the club and evidence proving her innocence. Such an offer was too great to turn down and of course...She accepted. But the price of working for this man had not come without its drawbacks. She quickly learned that Sinister was a few stars shy of a galaxy and the tasks he gave her and Betsy were not easy in the slightest. For months now, she had been forced to work with the Nasty Boys to steal cutting edge technological components, both legal and illegal in this country. But stealing wasn't an issue for Emma, or Betsy for that matter...They just wanted to get what Sinister had promised them.
Both young women were not at all as crazy about Sinister's intentions as the rest of his Nasty Boys. In fact, the only reason he probably recruited them was because he was currently in a state of undeclared war with Magneto...Whom he used to actually cooperate with until the Apocalypse incident changed the master of magnetism to the point where he was willing to take down Sinister and everything he was trying to accomplish. It was a curious matter, but neither Emma nor Betsy really cared about it. They didn't care what happened to Sinister as long as they got what they wanted out of their deal.
After living and working together for some months now, Emma and Betsy had developed a rather nice friendship as a result of their predicaments. While they often clashed over certain things, they did have a lot in common and they did enjoy having decent conversations with each other since nobody else in the Nasty Boys seemed very good at it. Overall, working for Sinister had it's moments of danger and it's moments of boredom. And right now...Both Betsy Braddock and Emma Frost were stuck in a state of boredom, casually playing a game of poker for what seemed like the fourth straight hour.
"Okay luv...What have you got?" said Betsy as she hid her cards from view.
Emma let a slow smile spread across her face as she looked at her cards.
"Looks like my winning streak still stands...Four Jacks," she proudly proclaimed as she laid her cards out onto the table.
Betsy, however, didn't seem too distraught over this and this time it was her turn to grin.
"Think again Emma..." said the purple haired mutant as she showed her cards, "Four Kings."
"What?!" exclaimed Emma, "You bitch! You cheated!"
Betsy just laughed as she casually leaned back in her chair in triumph.
"Isn't it ironic? That's the second time you've been screwed over by kings," smirked Betsy, referencing her Hellfire Club past experiences.
"Don't remind me..." grumbled Emma as she simply threw the deck of cards back on the table.
Betsy still kept grinning, knowing that teasing each other about what they had done in the past always led to one of them being miserable and grouchy for the rest of the night.
"You see, this is why I don't like playing cards with you luv," said Betsy as she began to casually shuffle the deck, "You have got to be one of the sorest losers I have ever come across."
"Well I don't enjoy losing..." mumbled Emma.
"Of course you don't enjoy it! Nobody does," said Betsy as she rolled her eyes at her blonde friend, "You just take it to another level."
Emma didn't respond after that, instead she just shot the purple haired woman a venomous look to drop the subject. And thankfully, she did. Losing was not something Emma liked to experienced because every time she lost in her life, it lead to such immense and messy conflicts and the only logical way to avoid them in her mind was to win all the time. From her family to the Hellfire Club, losing was never an option...But she didn't tell Betsy that.
"Geez," said Emma with a deep sigh, "All this technology, decades ahead of it's time, and Sinister is still too cheap to get something as simple as a TV."
"I know..." groaned Betsy as she simply shuffled the cards, using it to pass as much time as she could in this state of boredom, "The bloody bloke won't even spring for some decent books unless they have something to do with Biology or Genetics."
"I hated science class in school," commented Emma, "Hell, I think I slept through every class I had even remotely related that shit."
"Well I just went the easier route and skipped those classes entirely," said Betsy, "And if the principal came along...A little telepathy and he was off my case."
"Well you didn't have a bickering family to deal with ever day, so what better place to catch up on sleep than school?"
The two young women simply sat in the deep silence of the estate, which never seemed to have anything to pass the time unless there was a mission. Lately, Sinister hadn't given them a whole lot of missions. And even though there was a mission tonight, he said that their skills were not needed and they were forced to sit it out...Much to their dismay.
"So do you know when Sinister and his whipping boys are coming back?" asked Betsy as she prepared to deal the cards.
"Your guess is as good as mine," said Emma with a tired sigh, "They've been gone all night."
"I still don't get why we couldn't come along on this one," said Betsy as she began dealing, "This place is so boring...I'd much rather be out there other than wasting away here with nothing to do."
"That was my logic...But Sinister said that this mission didn't require any additional help," scoffed Emma, "Or maybe he just doesn't trust us."
"Yeah, there's a big surprise," said Betsy, her words dripping with sarcasm, "Then again I don't trust that crazy son of a bitch either. I don't know what his mother did to him or how many times he was dropped on the head as an infant, but he's one psychotic bastard."
"Like it takes a degree from some rich prep school to figure that one out..." quipped Emma.
"But I don't give a damn if he trusts me or not. As long as helps me get my old body back like he promised, he could hate my guts for all I cared."
"I still don't understand what's wrong with the body you're in now," said Emma as she took the cards Betsy had dealt her, "Most woman would kill to have a body like that. Slim, fit, no fat...Why would you want to give that up? You could get tons of men to do you're bidding with a body like that."
"Speaking from experience Emma?" smirked Betsy suggestively.
"Please..." scoffed the White Queen, "Men are simple creatures that only think with their dicks the second they see something to with nice legs and big breasts. All the more reason to keep the body you have."
"Hey for your information...My old body wasn't that bad either," responded Betsy, "I actually did some modeling in my old body so don't think this one is any better."
"Can your old body form those psionic blades you play with so much?" asked Emma as she looked at her hand, not very enthusiastic about what she had.
"No, but that body was MINE," stipulated Betsy as she looked at her equally lousy hand as well, "Even if the one I'm in now is more attractive...It isn't the body I was born in."
"But still...You can't say that it would be a total loss if you couldn't go back," reasoned Emma as she drew three cards.
"I'll just have to wait and see with that," replied Betsy as she drew three cards as well.
The two women continued to play cards, not making much more comments here or there. They didn't know if Sinister was back yet and they could care less if he was. But they knew with each day they dealt with this man, the closer they came to getting what they wanted and never having to see his freaky face again. That is...If this crazy man held up his end of the bargain.
As they prepared to play another hand, suddenly...The elevator in the hall outside the room came to life and the heavy doors opened as Sinister and his henchmen stepped out.
"Emma, Psylocke...Come to the main laboratory," ordered Sinister as he passed the door, "The show is about to begin."
"Oh goody..." said Emma sarcastically as she and Betsy got up, eager to do something other than rot away in the lounge.
They both followed close behind Ruckus and Vertigo, but Sinister took the lead with Gorgeous George following close behind with the glass tube still being carried along with them. As the group made its way through a maze of corridors that resembled that of a hospital more than a home, they soon found themselves in the central lab where Sinister had set up the bulk of his machinery. The mad scientist seemed a bit more giddy than usual, but Betsy and Emma didn't show that much interest in it. They only hoped that with whatever mission that they seemed to have accomplished, it would bring them one step closer to fulfilling their part of the agreement and getting what Sinister had promised him.
"Set him over by the bio tank Gorgeous," ordered Sinister as he flipped a few switches, causing the vast array of computer terminals to come to life, "And get ready...The process is about to begin."
Having seen this area many times before, Betsy and Emma didn't look too thrilled about what was going on. Sinister had been working on these machines for quite some time now and every day brought a little something different to the mix. But this time...He had a certain component that he had never used before...A body. Curiously, both Betsy and Emma looked over at the glass tube containing the lifeless body of Scott Summers.
"So THIS is the mission you deemed too important for us?" scoffed Emma upon seeing the young man in tube.
Sinister merely chuckled at the White Queen's observation. No matter what he did, he always had to contend with Betsy and Emma's snide comments. For the most part, they did little other than annoy him...But with what he had now, his eagerness greatly overshadowed his capacity to feel anything other than excitement at this point.
"Do not insult me Emma...As important as this mission was, the fewer who partook in it...The better," quipped Sinister, not going into too much detail as he ran dozens of programs on the vast array of machines.
While the mad mutant scientist continued to prepare for the big test, Psylocke soon found herself looking over at the body in the glass tube. He didn't look any older than 19 and he also wasn't moving all that much. She had never seen him before, but in seeing how young he was the young psychic somewhat cringed at the thought of Sinister using him. But she didn't say a word about it...For her main focus was to get her old body back and the last thing she wanted to do was give Sinister any more reasons to dislike her. However, this didn't keep her from commenting.
"Is he dead?" asked Betsy as she tried to detect any signs of life in the clear glass tube.
Sinister let out a light chuckle as he the strange looking, oversized bio tank lit up and further illuminated the room.
"No...But he is the closest any living thing can possibly be," answered Sinister cryptically, "Any doctor or psychic would quickly pronounce him dead. Unfortunately for them, they don't have the level technology and know-how that I do."
"So he isn't dead?" said Betsy, still finding it somewhat hard to believe in looking at the unmoving body.
"No...But he isn't alive either," replied Sinister, "Thanks to the advanced phisioparalysis disrupter device I gave Gorgeous to use on the boy, he is now in the deepest possible coma anybody can ever be in. He's at the gates of the next world...But he can't go in...Not just yet."
As bizarre as working for Sinister had been, this was a new one for both Emma and Betsy as they looked at the boy in the glass tube. His body lay perfectly still and they could detect no signs of life via telepathy. Every normal sense in the human mind told them that this kid was dead, but somehow they doubted Sinister was stretching the truth.
From what both women could see, the boy looked as though he had been in some kind of struggle. The top part of whatever he was wearing had been completely blown off and he now lay completely bare-chested. The boots he was wearing had also been removed for some reason and the pants he was wearing were also torn in many places. His brown, chestnut hair looked a little messy, but remarkably there didn't seem to be any real wounds or scars on his body. It was strange, but then again...It was Sinister after all.
"So just who is this oh so important specimen that you've brought in?" said Emma, still not looking too thrilled about seeing another one of Sinister's eccentric experiments.
As annoying as the comments of the two women were becoming, nothing could taint Sinister's excitement about this moment. He had worked so long and hard for this moment...Longer than anybody ever could have imagined. And now that it was finally coming to pass, he wasn't about to let anything taint this moment that he had taken so much time and work to get to.
"That specimen my dear...Is the most important creature to come about in over 100,000 years of human evolution," answered Sinister as he began running the final programs, "For countless years, I have waited for this day. And it's not just me...Evolution itself has been clamoring for this moment when every mechanism and development over the course of 3 billion years of life all comes to ahead in this humble little laboratory."
The grand scale at which Sinister spoke was not unlike the usual babble that they heard him preach day after day, but something about the tone in his voice made this time very different. His usual patience and uncanny aptitude for cleverness seemed to give way to excitement, which only made the curiosity of both Betsy and Emma grow even further as Sinister continued to speak.
"My dear Nasty Boys," continued Sinister, "This day had been a long time coming. Everything I've had you steal...All the equipment, documents, and software that wrought many dangerous missions and situations...Is all about to culminate right here in this room. The machine you see before you is what I like to call...The Final Step. Throughout countless years of human evolution, both the body and mind of the species that has come to dominate this planet has been hindered and held back by countless limitations. In the thousands of years that have passed and all the development in culture and technology, human being still cannot let go of their old ape-like mentality. They hate, they kill, and fear anything that they cannot tame. It's really sad..."
"Like we haven't heard that little speech before..." muttered Psylocke, but Sinister chose to ignore it and continued.
"Mutants, as advanced as they are, still retain too much of their human counterparts' mentality. People like Magneto still hate and destroy like the animals they still are. The rest of you also fit into this category...But fear not, for this machine will change all that...Starting with this young man as a test subject."
Looking back down at the unmoving young man laying before them, it was hard to believe that what Sinister was implying all relied on such an insignificant looking being. Not having the knowledge of science and genetics that Sinister had, nobody in the room had any idea of what he was hinting at in describing this strange looking machine that he ominously referred to as 'The Final Step.' But whatever it did, it appeared that the young man in the glass tube would be the first to bear the full force of it.
"So just who is this guy that's going to be the big centerpiece for this whole 'experiment?'" said Betsy as several components, some of which she and Emma had personally stolen, lit up and added to the ominous feel of the machine.
"That you do not need to know," said Sinister as he looked back at the body of Scott Summers with a slight grin, "The less you know about him, the more comfortable you will be. Just know that he has everything I've been looking for in a test subject for this marvelous machine and once he goes in...We'll all know if our laborious efforts were in vain."
"And if this little experiment IS a success...Does that mean our terms of service are up and you'll give us what you promised?" asked Betsy.
"Patience Psylocke...Patience," coaxed Sinister in an all too calm tone of voice, "Both you and Emma will get exactly what you want after all is said and done here. If this experiment is a success...Then I will have no further need for you."
"Good..." said Emma, sounding more interested in the outcome of this experiment if it meant that she could finally be free from this man's service, "Just as long as you keep up your end of the bargain."
"Well on that...You'll just have to trust me," grinned Sinister, which only made the situation all the more unsettling.
Both Emma and Psylocke then fell silent, not wanting to delay or jinx any bit of this experiment, wanting earnestly to get it over with so that they could get everything they had worked so hard for. The last of the machines soon came online and the bio tank looked ready to go. Sinister grew all the more eager as he turned back to Gorgeous George.
"It's ready...Put the body in the tank," ordered Sinister.
The strong mutant obediently replied as he walked over to the glass container and hit a button on the side causing it to open. Then with one hand, George easily picked up the body and placed it in the empty glass tube and sealed the door. As soon as it was sealed and fully pressurized, Sinister hit a series of buttons and the experiment started. Betsy, Emma, and the rest of the Nasty Boys watched as the tank filled up with a strange green liquid. On monitoring screens that were strewn all over the area, vital statistics and readings of his genetic makeup and cell structure appeared in order to monitor the progress.
Several more components came to life as Sinister activated some of the advanced machinery that he had personally configured with technology and expertise well ahead of it's time. The hum of high voltage and the flash of strange light began to fill the area as the rest of the onlookers watched in anticipation.
"What in the bloody hell is happening?" asked Psylocke as she saw more lights come on and increasingly different readings on the monitors.
While his henchmen grew all the more curious over what they were seeing, Sinister remained calm with an eager grin as he watched the body in the tank become engulfed in the strange glow of the machines.
"There's no easy way to explain that to a mind uneducated in the realm of science," responded Sinister as sparks began to fly from the machines as the level of activity began to increase, "But think of it this way...In the world of mutants there have been many classes of division. The two most well known are the alpha and omega class. The alpha class, which all of you are, is the class where mutant powers manifest most clearly and visibly. There are five levels of alpha class and naturally, the higher the level the greater the power. There aren't many level five alphas out there. And unfortunately, even at higher levels the capacity for control of these powers is not always that great."
As the next phase began, the bio tank that contained the body of Scott Summers was engulfed in a strange, rainbow-like light. This forced the Nasty boys to shield their eyes, but Sinister continued talking, apparently not bothered by the lights.
"Level five alphas tend to be a danger to themselves and others if not properly controlled because the natural mechanisms that allow the body to control itself are off balanced by the X-gene. In a sense, they are incomplete mutations. And in the ultra-rare omega class...This is taken to the next step. The omega class is the poster child for immense power and even greater instability. To this day...The only omega class mutant to walk the Earth has been Apocalypse. Omega class powers are practically godlike, but unfortunately such levels of power are corrupting and detrimental to the mind. It drove Apocalypse insane and he tried to destroy the world...And at one point he nearly succeeded, thus exemplifying the true folly of the omega class mutant..."
Sinister then looked upon the image of DNA on one of the primary monitors and watched it began to warp in shape much to his elation. So far, everything was going as he had hoped. The experiment was going forth each step exactly as he had meticulously planned them many years before. While the rest of his henchmen remained bewildered by the sight, only he truly knew the significance of what they were witnessing.
"So evolution was at a paradox for the human race," continued Sinister as the noise in the room continued to build, "The alpha class is incomplete while the omega class in unstable...And that is where this machine comes in. The young man you see before you is undergoing a process of changes that no other living thing has ever undergone before. He is a relatively moderate level alpha class mutant. His X-gene gives him the mutant power to metabolize energy from the sun and convert it into photo-concussive blasts through his eyes."
'Hmm...Why does that sound so familiar?' thought Betsy, but she was unable to think any further about such thoughts as Sinister continued to talk and the experiment continued into the next step.
"He is a classic example of an alpha level mutant. His control and power is incomplete like the rest of the alpha level mutants out there. Like all mutants, he is an example of evolution at work as it tries to advance Homo sapiens to the next stage of existence. The X-gene is but a small piece of evolution that is unable to fully assimilate with the rest of the DNA in the body because of innate stubbornness of the molecule. Evolution in all its glory is a painfully slow process wrought with mishaps like incomplete alphas and unstable omegas. Yet were evolution ends...This machine begins."
Sinister hit several more buttons, causing a strange red light to surround the body in the bio tank. This was the most crucial step and it would either prove the experiment to be a success...Or it would kill the test subject.
"This machine...The Final Step...Is the culmination of a lifetime of research and aspiration. I have worked countless hours and poured vast amounts of resources into this machine in hopes of reaching this momentous event. This machine...Will do what evolution has taken far too much time to do and create the first of the next dominate species of this planet. When this young specimen exits the bio tank...He will no longer be mutant or human in a sense...He'll be so much more. Right now...This glorious machine is taking his X-gene and incorporating it into the rest of his genetic structure. And in doing so...The very function of his DNA is enhanced on all levels. Because over 99% of DNA is identical from person to person and much of that DNA isn't even used for anything, that leaves so many things left for such a marvelous molecule to do. This machine allows the X-gene to fully incorporate and accelerate what evolution would take thousands if not millions of years to do. Upon completion...The young man you see before you will have a genetic structure more advanced than any living thing that has ever evolved in the history of life. His body will be able to carry out its functions with unprecedented power and efficiency. Every cell in his body will be completely restructured to perfection...Every strand of DNA will become many times more complex and powerful than any human or mutant mind could ever hope to ascertain. His powers will go beyond simply tapping the energy of the sun...Instead he'll be able to tap ANY kind of energy the universe has to offer throughout his entire body."
"Sounds pretty powerful," commented Emma, as the readings on the screen grew all the more confusing to everybody except Sinister.
"You have NO idea Emma," smirked Sinister, "What most people don't realize is that there is enough energy within the volume of a coffee cup to evaporate all the world's oceans. Being able to tap just a fraction of that energy would give one power unlike anything that has ever been conceived of by man or mutant. In retrospect, this young man will be able to hold the power of a nuclear warhead in the palm of his hand and use it in any way he wants. Energy...Vast, limitless energy to manipulate and control as he pleases. He will be more advanced than alpha, but in total control unlike omega...He will be a new class onto himself. He will be a part of a new class that I have entitled...The delta class."
"Delta class?" said Psylocke, not sounding too impressed by it.
"Make no mistake...If all goes as I have planned, we'll be in the presence of the next dominant species of this planet in less than five minutes!"
It was a bold statement, but everybody present knew that Sinister never made claims that he wasn't willing too back up. The thought of standing in the presence of a new being more advanced than anything anyone had ever seen would definitely be a sight to behold. However, that all depended on whether or not Sinister's experiment did everything he said it would do. The man may have had knowledge many years beyond the rest of the world, but he was by no means perfect at everything he did. Both Besty and Emma could attest to that.
The light in the bio tank continued to glow as the hum of the machines grew louder and louder. All the while, the body of Scott Summers remained as still as ever even as it was engulfed in a slew of strange energies unlike anything anybody had encountered. Every cell in his body was being affected by this experiment and if he had been awake and fully aware...There was no doubt that it would be very uncomfortable for him. The mad grin on Sinister's face continued to grow as the final step of the process began and the moment of truth drew ever nearer. The lights became so bright that the rest of Sinister's henchmen had to shield their eyes from it. Images on the monitors began showing unusual readings since this was unknown territory for any human mind, mutant or not.
Alarms began going off and several warning signs began blaring on the monitors. The vital signs of the body were beginning to fail and the weakened state did little to help this.
"Sinister! What in the bloody hell is going on?!" yelled Betsy over the noise.
Sinister, who began feverishly punching in commands on the computer terminal, didn't seem to be too anxious despite the urgency of the loud alarms, but judging by his actions they were not something to be taken lightly.
"Relax Psylocke...Everything is under control," he grunted in response as the final step neared completion.
The alarms continued to blare as the clock began the countdown to the end of the process. It still read one minute, but the alarms still wouldn't cease despite Sinister's fevered actions.
"I had a feeling this would happen..." said Sinister as he ran an emergency life support program, "He just needs to hang on a little longer...Just a little bit longer and it'll be done."
Seconds felt like hours as each one passed while alarms over the life support system continued to echo through the lab halls. Both Betsy and Emma, however, were the most anxious because the success of this experiment could make or break their terms of service with this madman.
"Oh no he's going to fail..." said Emma, not feeling very optimistic about the end result.
"Shut up!" shouted Sinister, "I anticipated this and I will NOT fail!"
30 seconds remained on the countdown and the vitals alarm was still going off as Sinister kept typing in commands on the console. Looking at the clock and the fading vitals, he knew that if the specimen didn't stabilize soon he would not survive the final seconds. But failure was not an option for Mr. Sinister. He was not about to let a lifetime of work end right. The rest of his Nasty Boys didn't look to enthusiastic about the progress of this most important of experiments, but Sinister didn't care what they thought. He KNEW that this experiment had to succeed...He had worked too long and too hard on this for it not to.
Then suddenly...With only 15 seconds left to go, the alarms stop and the vitals stabilized.
"There...Just as I anticipated," said Sinister with a grin as both Betsy and Emma breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Both Emma and Psylocke looked at the mad scientist skeptically, not believing that this was something Sinister had planned to happen entirely. But as the alarms stopped and everything seemed okay once again, they had no reason to complain as the final seconds came and went.
"Finally...It is done," said Sinister in triumph as the lights stopped and the fluid within the tube drained away.
Then as everything began to clear up, Betsy, Emma, and the rest of the Nasty Boys gathered around the tube to take a look at the results of the experiment that Sinister had deemed so important.
As they took in the sight of the unmoving body, it was clear that Sinister's machine had done something. The body of Scott Summers was now quite different than it was at his arrival. Now, every muscle in his body from head to toe had grown and he was now an inch or two taller, yet everything seemed to be perfectly in proportion. Every muscle was big, but it didn't look oversized...It looked optimized. Sinister had boasted that when this young man came out of the machine, he would be a force like no other...The first of his kind. And from the looks of it, the experiment had worked. Now, as they stood before the new breed of mutant species that Sinister hoped would one day dominate the Earth, he felt an overwhelming sense of triumph...For his lifelong dream finally seemed to be standing before him.
"100,000 years of human evolution, yet it's barely tapped the sheer potential of the human species," proclaimed Sinister as he and his Nasty Boys stood before the finished experiment, "But on this night...Millions of years of time and growth have been condensed to a mere 5 minutes. The barbaric, unenlightened Homo Sapians that have dominated this planet for so long have had their chance...Now it is time for a new species to take over...My species...The delta class mutant. And standing before you...Is the first step towards ultimate evolution."
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AN: Well, that's it for now! Things have just taken a turn for the bizarre. The mansion is mourning the loss of their friend and leader, yet it never happened the way they think it did. Now Sinister holds the upper hand and so far, he's used them well. So what do you think Sinister has in store for Scott? Knowing him, it's never very promising. What about Emma and Betsy? What do you think will happen to them? Do you like how I've incorporated those two into the story? Please tell me! Send me your reviews via email or post them on the fanfiction website! I'd love to know what you think! Thank you all for reading my story and I wish everybody the best!
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Chapter 4: Intentions
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The facility where Mr. Sinister and his henchmen were eagerly transporting the lifeless body of Scott Summers was no ordinary base of operations by any stretch of the imagination. On the outside, it looked like a rather expensive estate that some rich person would live in, but like the Xavier Institute...The inside of the building told a much different story. On the inside of this seemingly abandoned structure, laboratory and scientific equipment dominated every wall and every surface. No matter where one turned, they would see a computer terminal, barrels full of special chemicals, and machinery that looked like it was made for genetic experiments. But the level of technology that surrounded the inside of the estate was far beyond anything one would see in a normal lab. Every component visible looked as though it was 50 years ahead of it's time. Yet the intentions for this equipment remained a mystery...For everybody except Mr. Sinister.
While Sinister and the Nasty Boys were bringing up their prize to the main level, in another room in the estate...Two women who had been left behind on the mission for some reason casually sat at a table in what looked like a lounge area playing a game of cards.
One woman bore predominately Asian features, had long purple hair, and a very fit body that seemed built for combat and confrontation. But despite her Asian appearance, she spoke with a British accent. Her name was Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, also known as Psylocke. She came from a rich family in England, but the body she had was not the body she was born with. In a bizarre accident, she found herself used as a pawn by a shady group called The Hand, who had kept her alive after a deadly car crash because of her mutant telepathic abilities. Because of The Hand, her mind was taken from her dead body and placed into that of one of their female warriors known as Kwannon. After that, things got pretty messy.
Not only did she find out that she had Kwannon's body, but she also had her fighting skills and her mutant ability to form psionic blades. The Hand wanted to use her, but Betsy was not a woman who liked to be used. For months, she played The Hand in order to make them feel as though they had succeeded, but when they tried using her on a mission...She managed to make herself vanish, hoping that they would presume her to be dead and for the most part she succeeded in that. But even after escaping The Hand, that didn't change the fact that she was in someone else's body. While it was not a body any woman would have been ashamed to have, it still wasn't HER body. It had taken months for her family to believe that she was their daughter, but even after she was accepted by them it still didn't feel quite right. She tried using her new skills to her advantage by helping her brother, who was already an established heroic figure in Britain, but she still longed for her old body and self. And in the end...That's how she ended up working for Mr. Sinister.
While Betsy had little knowledge about Nathanial Essex, aka Mr. Sinister, he was quite enthralled by her thieving skills that she had carried out for her brother and came to her with a proposal she just couldn't turn down. In exchange for her services as a thief of highly sensitive and rare equipment, he would use his highly advanced technology to rebuild her old body and put her mind back in it. And of course, Psylocke jumped at the chance. Although she had grown somewhat use to her new body, the promise of having her old one back was just too good an offer to pass up. Sinister had showed her that he had genetic technology that hadn't even been dreamed of yet and if she wanted any hope of being in her old body again, she had no choice but to trust him...As crazy as she knew he was.
The other woman sitting across from her at the table was a very attractive and shapely blonde woman that looked to be in her early twenties. She bore a tight fitting white outfit that went well with the bright shade of blonde of her hair and her skin tone. Her attractive body was one that many would have aspired to have, but this woman already had it. Her name was Emma Frost, also known as the White Queen. Like Betsy, she was born into a fairly wealthy family in Massachusetts. Her upbringing was dominated by the grooming and education of her parents in hopes that she, her sisters, and her brother would one day inherit the family business and carry on their rich legacy. However, conflict in working to gain control of that business had torn her family apart. Relations between her sisters had devolved into one of pure rivalry and her brother had ended up engrossed in the world of drugs, prompting the inevitable overdose that later killed him.
All the tension in her family caused Emma Frost to walk away from it all. But in doing so, her parents and sisters shunned her and branded her a traitor to her family. Finding out that she was a mutant with powerful telepathic abilities didn't help much either, but her luck later changed after she started her own little company with the business knowledge that her family had taught her and joined a secret organization known as the Hellfire Club. The club was the cream of the crop of the elite and they aspired to attain only two things...Money and power. In joining, Emma felt as though she had bested her family and managed to gain the status of the White Queen, a name she still bares to this day. There, her mind for business made her invaluable and in return, she gained great control over her mutant abilities and even unlocked her hidden power to form a diamond hard shell around her body. However, these good times did not last for the young woman.
While she became a major asset to the Hellfire Club, she was not immune to the club's dark side. In the world of the Hellfire Club, the most common way of moving up was assassination. When it succeeded, one could move up...When it didn't, whoever was behind it would 'disappear' forever and a new position would be open. While Emma got her status through the latter, the dark nature of the club soon caught up with her as an assassination attempt on one of the members failed...And somehow she was thought to be the one behind it. Even though Emma pleaded her innocence and offered explanations, that didn't stop the club from stripping her of her position and openly pursuing 'punishment' for her crimes as only the Hellfire Club could do.
In the end, Emma's uncanny resourcefulness had saved her and she managed to escape the clutches of the club, but her name was now number one on the club's most wanted list. And being pursued by the Hellfire Club was almost always a death sentence. Since her family had abandoned her and allies had betrayed her, there was little she could do. That was until Mr. Sinister showed up. He offered her two things that she couldn't possibly turn down...Protection from the club and evidence proving her innocence. Such an offer was too great to turn down and of course...She accepted. But the price of working for this man had not come without its drawbacks. She quickly learned that Sinister was a few stars shy of a galaxy and the tasks he gave her and Betsy were not easy in the slightest. For months now, she had been forced to work with the Nasty Boys to steal cutting edge technological components, both legal and illegal in this country. But stealing wasn't an issue for Emma, or Betsy for that matter...They just wanted to get what Sinister had promised them.
Both young women were not at all as crazy about Sinister's intentions as the rest of his Nasty Boys. In fact, the only reason he probably recruited them was because he was currently in a state of undeclared war with Magneto...Whom he used to actually cooperate with until the Apocalypse incident changed the master of magnetism to the point where he was willing to take down Sinister and everything he was trying to accomplish. It was a curious matter, but neither Emma nor Betsy really cared about it. They didn't care what happened to Sinister as long as they got what they wanted out of their deal.
After living and working together for some months now, Emma and Betsy had developed a rather nice friendship as a result of their predicaments. While they often clashed over certain things, they did have a lot in common and they did enjoy having decent conversations with each other since nobody else in the Nasty Boys seemed very good at it. Overall, working for Sinister had it's moments of danger and it's moments of boredom. And right now...Both Betsy Braddock and Emma Frost were stuck in a state of boredom, casually playing a game of poker for what seemed like the fourth straight hour.
"Okay luv...What have you got?" said Betsy as she hid her cards from view.
Emma let a slow smile spread across her face as she looked at her cards.
"Looks like my winning streak still stands...Four Jacks," she proudly proclaimed as she laid her cards out onto the table.
Betsy, however, didn't seem too distraught over this and this time it was her turn to grin.
"Think again Emma..." said the purple haired mutant as she showed her cards, "Four Kings."
"What?!" exclaimed Emma, "You bitch! You cheated!"
Betsy just laughed as she casually leaned back in her chair in triumph.
"Isn't it ironic? That's the second time you've been screwed over by kings," smirked Betsy, referencing her Hellfire Club past experiences.
"Don't remind me..." grumbled Emma as she simply threw the deck of cards back on the table.
Betsy still kept grinning, knowing that teasing each other about what they had done in the past always led to one of them being miserable and grouchy for the rest of the night.
"You see, this is why I don't like playing cards with you luv," said Betsy as she began to casually shuffle the deck, "You have got to be one of the sorest losers I have ever come across."
"Well I don't enjoy losing..." mumbled Emma.
"Of course you don't enjoy it! Nobody does," said Betsy as she rolled her eyes at her blonde friend, "You just take it to another level."
Emma didn't respond after that, instead she just shot the purple haired woman a venomous look to drop the subject. And thankfully, she did. Losing was not something Emma liked to experienced because every time she lost in her life, it lead to such immense and messy conflicts and the only logical way to avoid them in her mind was to win all the time. From her family to the Hellfire Club, losing was never an option...But she didn't tell Betsy that.
"Geez," said Emma with a deep sigh, "All this technology, decades ahead of it's time, and Sinister is still too cheap to get something as simple as a TV."
"I know..." groaned Betsy as she simply shuffled the cards, using it to pass as much time as she could in this state of boredom, "The bloody bloke won't even spring for some decent books unless they have something to do with Biology or Genetics."
"I hated science class in school," commented Emma, "Hell, I think I slept through every class I had even remotely related that shit."
"Well I just went the easier route and skipped those classes entirely," said Betsy, "And if the principal came along...A little telepathy and he was off my case."
"Well you didn't have a bickering family to deal with ever day, so what better place to catch up on sleep than school?"
The two young women simply sat in the deep silence of the estate, which never seemed to have anything to pass the time unless there was a mission. Lately, Sinister hadn't given them a whole lot of missions. And even though there was a mission tonight, he said that their skills were not needed and they were forced to sit it out...Much to their dismay.
"So do you know when Sinister and his whipping boys are coming back?" asked Betsy as she prepared to deal the cards.
"Your guess is as good as mine," said Emma with a tired sigh, "They've been gone all night."
"I still don't get why we couldn't come along on this one," said Betsy as she began dealing, "This place is so boring...I'd much rather be out there other than wasting away here with nothing to do."
"That was my logic...But Sinister said that this mission didn't require any additional help," scoffed Emma, "Or maybe he just doesn't trust us."
"Yeah, there's a big surprise," said Betsy, her words dripping with sarcasm, "Then again I don't trust that crazy son of a bitch either. I don't know what his mother did to him or how many times he was dropped on the head as an infant, but he's one psychotic bastard."
"Like it takes a degree from some rich prep school to figure that one out..." quipped Emma.
"But I don't give a damn if he trusts me or not. As long as helps me get my old body back like he promised, he could hate my guts for all I cared."
"I still don't understand what's wrong with the body you're in now," said Emma as she took the cards Betsy had dealt her, "Most woman would kill to have a body like that. Slim, fit, no fat...Why would you want to give that up? You could get tons of men to do you're bidding with a body like that."
"Speaking from experience Emma?" smirked Betsy suggestively.
"Please..." scoffed the White Queen, "Men are simple creatures that only think with their dicks the second they see something to with nice legs and big breasts. All the more reason to keep the body you have."
"Hey for your information...My old body wasn't that bad either," responded Betsy, "I actually did some modeling in my old body so don't think this one is any better."
"Can your old body form those psionic blades you play with so much?" asked Emma as she looked at her hand, not very enthusiastic about what she had.
"No, but that body was MINE," stipulated Betsy as she looked at her equally lousy hand as well, "Even if the one I'm in now is more attractive...It isn't the body I was born in."
"But still...You can't say that it would be a total loss if you couldn't go back," reasoned Emma as she drew three cards.
"I'll just have to wait and see with that," replied Betsy as she drew three cards as well.
The two women continued to play cards, not making much more comments here or there. They didn't know if Sinister was back yet and they could care less if he was. But they knew with each day they dealt with this man, the closer they came to getting what they wanted and never having to see his freaky face again. That is...If this crazy man held up his end of the bargain.
As they prepared to play another hand, suddenly...The elevator in the hall outside the room came to life and the heavy doors opened as Sinister and his henchmen stepped out.
"Emma, Psylocke...Come to the main laboratory," ordered Sinister as he passed the door, "The show is about to begin."
"Oh goody..." said Emma sarcastically as she and Betsy got up, eager to do something other than rot away in the lounge.
They both followed close behind Ruckus and Vertigo, but Sinister took the lead with Gorgeous George following close behind with the glass tube still being carried along with them. As the group made its way through a maze of corridors that resembled that of a hospital more than a home, they soon found themselves in the central lab where Sinister had set up the bulk of his machinery. The mad scientist seemed a bit more giddy than usual, but Betsy and Emma didn't show that much interest in it. They only hoped that with whatever mission that they seemed to have accomplished, it would bring them one step closer to fulfilling their part of the agreement and getting what Sinister had promised him.
"Set him over by the bio tank Gorgeous," ordered Sinister as he flipped a few switches, causing the vast array of computer terminals to come to life, "And get ready...The process is about to begin."
Having seen this area many times before, Betsy and Emma didn't look too thrilled about what was going on. Sinister had been working on these machines for quite some time now and every day brought a little something different to the mix. But this time...He had a certain component that he had never used before...A body. Curiously, both Betsy and Emma looked over at the glass tube containing the lifeless body of Scott Summers.
"So THIS is the mission you deemed too important for us?" scoffed Emma upon seeing the young man in tube.
Sinister merely chuckled at the White Queen's observation. No matter what he did, he always had to contend with Betsy and Emma's snide comments. For the most part, they did little other than annoy him...But with what he had now, his eagerness greatly overshadowed his capacity to feel anything other than excitement at this point.
"Do not insult me Emma...As important as this mission was, the fewer who partook in it...The better," quipped Sinister, not going into too much detail as he ran dozens of programs on the vast array of machines.
While the mad mutant scientist continued to prepare for the big test, Psylocke soon found herself looking over at the body in the glass tube. He didn't look any older than 19 and he also wasn't moving all that much. She had never seen him before, but in seeing how young he was the young psychic somewhat cringed at the thought of Sinister using him. But she didn't say a word about it...For her main focus was to get her old body back and the last thing she wanted to do was give Sinister any more reasons to dislike her. However, this didn't keep her from commenting.
"Is he dead?" asked Betsy as she tried to detect any signs of life in the clear glass tube.
Sinister let out a light chuckle as he the strange looking, oversized bio tank lit up and further illuminated the room.
"No...But he is the closest any living thing can possibly be," answered Sinister cryptically, "Any doctor or psychic would quickly pronounce him dead. Unfortunately for them, they don't have the level technology and know-how that I do."
"So he isn't dead?" said Betsy, still finding it somewhat hard to believe in looking at the unmoving body.
"No...But he isn't alive either," replied Sinister, "Thanks to the advanced phisioparalysis disrupter device I gave Gorgeous to use on the boy, he is now in the deepest possible coma anybody can ever be in. He's at the gates of the next world...But he can't go in...Not just yet."
As bizarre as working for Sinister had been, this was a new one for both Emma and Betsy as they looked at the boy in the glass tube. His body lay perfectly still and they could detect no signs of life via telepathy. Every normal sense in the human mind told them that this kid was dead, but somehow they doubted Sinister was stretching the truth.
From what both women could see, the boy looked as though he had been in some kind of struggle. The top part of whatever he was wearing had been completely blown off and he now lay completely bare-chested. The boots he was wearing had also been removed for some reason and the pants he was wearing were also torn in many places. His brown, chestnut hair looked a little messy, but remarkably there didn't seem to be any real wounds or scars on his body. It was strange, but then again...It was Sinister after all.
"So just who is this oh so important specimen that you've brought in?" said Emma, still not looking too thrilled about seeing another one of Sinister's eccentric experiments.
As annoying as the comments of the two women were becoming, nothing could taint Sinister's excitement about this moment. He had worked so long and hard for this moment...Longer than anybody ever could have imagined. And now that it was finally coming to pass, he wasn't about to let anything taint this moment that he had taken so much time and work to get to.
"That specimen my dear...Is the most important creature to come about in over 100,000 years of human evolution," answered Sinister as he began running the final programs, "For countless years, I have waited for this day. And it's not just me...Evolution itself has been clamoring for this moment when every mechanism and development over the course of 3 billion years of life all comes to ahead in this humble little laboratory."
The grand scale at which Sinister spoke was not unlike the usual babble that they heard him preach day after day, but something about the tone in his voice made this time very different. His usual patience and uncanny aptitude for cleverness seemed to give way to excitement, which only made the curiosity of both Betsy and Emma grow even further as Sinister continued to speak.
"My dear Nasty Boys," continued Sinister, "This day had been a long time coming. Everything I've had you steal...All the equipment, documents, and software that wrought many dangerous missions and situations...Is all about to culminate right here in this room. The machine you see before you is what I like to call...The Final Step. Throughout countless years of human evolution, both the body and mind of the species that has come to dominate this planet has been hindered and held back by countless limitations. In the thousands of years that have passed and all the development in culture and technology, human being still cannot let go of their old ape-like mentality. They hate, they kill, and fear anything that they cannot tame. It's really sad..."
"Like we haven't heard that little speech before..." muttered Psylocke, but Sinister chose to ignore it and continued.
"Mutants, as advanced as they are, still retain too much of their human counterparts' mentality. People like Magneto still hate and destroy like the animals they still are. The rest of you also fit into this category...But fear not, for this machine will change all that...Starting with this young man as a test subject."
Looking back down at the unmoving young man laying before them, it was hard to believe that what Sinister was implying all relied on such an insignificant looking being. Not having the knowledge of science and genetics that Sinister had, nobody in the room had any idea of what he was hinting at in describing this strange looking machine that he ominously referred to as 'The Final Step.' But whatever it did, it appeared that the young man in the glass tube would be the first to bear the full force of it.
"So just who is this guy that's going to be the big centerpiece for this whole 'experiment?'" said Betsy as several components, some of which she and Emma had personally stolen, lit up and added to the ominous feel of the machine.
"That you do not need to know," said Sinister as he looked back at the body of Scott Summers with a slight grin, "The less you know about him, the more comfortable you will be. Just know that he has everything I've been looking for in a test subject for this marvelous machine and once he goes in...We'll all know if our laborious efforts were in vain."
"And if this little experiment IS a success...Does that mean our terms of service are up and you'll give us what you promised?" asked Betsy.
"Patience Psylocke...Patience," coaxed Sinister in an all too calm tone of voice, "Both you and Emma will get exactly what you want after all is said and done here. If this experiment is a success...Then I will have no further need for you."
"Good..." said Emma, sounding more interested in the outcome of this experiment if it meant that she could finally be free from this man's service, "Just as long as you keep up your end of the bargain."
"Well on that...You'll just have to trust me," grinned Sinister, which only made the situation all the more unsettling.
Both Emma and Psylocke then fell silent, not wanting to delay or jinx any bit of this experiment, wanting earnestly to get it over with so that they could get everything they had worked so hard for. The last of the machines soon came online and the bio tank looked ready to go. Sinister grew all the more eager as he turned back to Gorgeous George.
"It's ready...Put the body in the tank," ordered Sinister.
The strong mutant obediently replied as he walked over to the glass container and hit a button on the side causing it to open. Then with one hand, George easily picked up the body and placed it in the empty glass tube and sealed the door. As soon as it was sealed and fully pressurized, Sinister hit a series of buttons and the experiment started. Betsy, Emma, and the rest of the Nasty Boys watched as the tank filled up with a strange green liquid. On monitoring screens that were strewn all over the area, vital statistics and readings of his genetic makeup and cell structure appeared in order to monitor the progress.
Several more components came to life as Sinister activated some of the advanced machinery that he had personally configured with technology and expertise well ahead of it's time. The hum of high voltage and the flash of strange light began to fill the area as the rest of the onlookers watched in anticipation.
"What in the bloody hell is happening?" asked Psylocke as she saw more lights come on and increasingly different readings on the monitors.
While his henchmen grew all the more curious over what they were seeing, Sinister remained calm with an eager grin as he watched the body in the tank become engulfed in the strange glow of the machines.
"There's no easy way to explain that to a mind uneducated in the realm of science," responded Sinister as sparks began to fly from the machines as the level of activity began to increase, "But think of it this way...In the world of mutants there have been many classes of division. The two most well known are the alpha and omega class. The alpha class, which all of you are, is the class where mutant powers manifest most clearly and visibly. There are five levels of alpha class and naturally, the higher the level the greater the power. There aren't many level five alphas out there. And unfortunately, even at higher levels the capacity for control of these powers is not always that great."
As the next phase began, the bio tank that contained the body of Scott Summers was engulfed in a strange, rainbow-like light. This forced the Nasty boys to shield their eyes, but Sinister continued talking, apparently not bothered by the lights.
"Level five alphas tend to be a danger to themselves and others if not properly controlled because the natural mechanisms that allow the body to control itself are off balanced by the X-gene. In a sense, they are incomplete mutations. And in the ultra-rare omega class...This is taken to the next step. The omega class is the poster child for immense power and even greater instability. To this day...The only omega class mutant to walk the Earth has been Apocalypse. Omega class powers are practically godlike, but unfortunately such levels of power are corrupting and detrimental to the mind. It drove Apocalypse insane and he tried to destroy the world...And at one point he nearly succeeded, thus exemplifying the true folly of the omega class mutant..."
Sinister then looked upon the image of DNA on one of the primary monitors and watched it began to warp in shape much to his elation. So far, everything was going as he had hoped. The experiment was going forth each step exactly as he had meticulously planned them many years before. While the rest of his henchmen remained bewildered by the sight, only he truly knew the significance of what they were witnessing.
"So evolution was at a paradox for the human race," continued Sinister as the noise in the room continued to build, "The alpha class is incomplete while the omega class in unstable...And that is where this machine comes in. The young man you see before you is undergoing a process of changes that no other living thing has ever undergone before. He is a relatively moderate level alpha class mutant. His X-gene gives him the mutant power to metabolize energy from the sun and convert it into photo-concussive blasts through his eyes."
'Hmm...Why does that sound so familiar?' thought Betsy, but she was unable to think any further about such thoughts as Sinister continued to talk and the experiment continued into the next step.
"He is a classic example of an alpha level mutant. His control and power is incomplete like the rest of the alpha level mutants out there. Like all mutants, he is an example of evolution at work as it tries to advance Homo sapiens to the next stage of existence. The X-gene is but a small piece of evolution that is unable to fully assimilate with the rest of the DNA in the body because of innate stubbornness of the molecule. Evolution in all its glory is a painfully slow process wrought with mishaps like incomplete alphas and unstable omegas. Yet were evolution ends...This machine begins."
Sinister hit several more buttons, causing a strange red light to surround the body in the bio tank. This was the most crucial step and it would either prove the experiment to be a success...Or it would kill the test subject.
"This machine...The Final Step...Is the culmination of a lifetime of research and aspiration. I have worked countless hours and poured vast amounts of resources into this machine in hopes of reaching this momentous event. This machine...Will do what evolution has taken far too much time to do and create the first of the next dominate species of this planet. When this young specimen exits the bio tank...He will no longer be mutant or human in a sense...He'll be so much more. Right now...This glorious machine is taking his X-gene and incorporating it into the rest of his genetic structure. And in doing so...The very function of his DNA is enhanced on all levels. Because over 99% of DNA is identical from person to person and much of that DNA isn't even used for anything, that leaves so many things left for such a marvelous molecule to do. This machine allows the X-gene to fully incorporate and accelerate what evolution would take thousands if not millions of years to do. Upon completion...The young man you see before you will have a genetic structure more advanced than any living thing that has ever evolved in the history of life. His body will be able to carry out its functions with unprecedented power and efficiency. Every cell in his body will be completely restructured to perfection...Every strand of DNA will become many times more complex and powerful than any human or mutant mind could ever hope to ascertain. His powers will go beyond simply tapping the energy of the sun...Instead he'll be able to tap ANY kind of energy the universe has to offer throughout his entire body."
"Sounds pretty powerful," commented Emma, as the readings on the screen grew all the more confusing to everybody except Sinister.
"You have NO idea Emma," smirked Sinister, "What most people don't realize is that there is enough energy within the volume of a coffee cup to evaporate all the world's oceans. Being able to tap just a fraction of that energy would give one power unlike anything that has ever been conceived of by man or mutant. In retrospect, this young man will be able to hold the power of a nuclear warhead in the palm of his hand and use it in any way he wants. Energy...Vast, limitless energy to manipulate and control as he pleases. He will be more advanced than alpha, but in total control unlike omega...He will be a new class onto himself. He will be a part of a new class that I have entitled...The delta class."
"Delta class?" said Psylocke, not sounding too impressed by it.
"Make no mistake...If all goes as I have planned, we'll be in the presence of the next dominant species of this planet in less than five minutes!"
It was a bold statement, but everybody present knew that Sinister never made claims that he wasn't willing too back up. The thought of standing in the presence of a new being more advanced than anything anyone had ever seen would definitely be a sight to behold. However, that all depended on whether or not Sinister's experiment did everything he said it would do. The man may have had knowledge many years beyond the rest of the world, but he was by no means perfect at everything he did. Both Besty and Emma could attest to that.
The light in the bio tank continued to glow as the hum of the machines grew louder and louder. All the while, the body of Scott Summers remained as still as ever even as it was engulfed in a slew of strange energies unlike anything anybody had encountered. Every cell in his body was being affected by this experiment and if he had been awake and fully aware...There was no doubt that it would be very uncomfortable for him. The mad grin on Sinister's face continued to grow as the final step of the process began and the moment of truth drew ever nearer. The lights became so bright that the rest of Sinister's henchmen had to shield their eyes from it. Images on the monitors began showing unusual readings since this was unknown territory for any human mind, mutant or not.
Alarms began going off and several warning signs began blaring on the monitors. The vital signs of the body were beginning to fail and the weakened state did little to help this.
"Sinister! What in the bloody hell is going on?!" yelled Betsy over the noise.
Sinister, who began feverishly punching in commands on the computer terminal, didn't seem to be too anxious despite the urgency of the loud alarms, but judging by his actions they were not something to be taken lightly.
"Relax Psylocke...Everything is under control," he grunted in response as the final step neared completion.
The alarms continued to blare as the clock began the countdown to the end of the process. It still read one minute, but the alarms still wouldn't cease despite Sinister's fevered actions.
"I had a feeling this would happen..." said Sinister as he ran an emergency life support program, "He just needs to hang on a little longer...Just a little bit longer and it'll be done."
Seconds felt like hours as each one passed while alarms over the life support system continued to echo through the lab halls. Both Betsy and Emma, however, were the most anxious because the success of this experiment could make or break their terms of service with this madman.
"Oh no he's going to fail..." said Emma, not feeling very optimistic about the end result.
"Shut up!" shouted Sinister, "I anticipated this and I will NOT fail!"
30 seconds remained on the countdown and the vitals alarm was still going off as Sinister kept typing in commands on the console. Looking at the clock and the fading vitals, he knew that if the specimen didn't stabilize soon he would not survive the final seconds. But failure was not an option for Mr. Sinister. He was not about to let a lifetime of work end right. The rest of his Nasty Boys didn't look to enthusiastic about the progress of this most important of experiments, but Sinister didn't care what they thought. He KNEW that this experiment had to succeed...He had worked too long and too hard on this for it not to.
Then suddenly...With only 15 seconds left to go, the alarms stop and the vitals stabilized.
"There...Just as I anticipated," said Sinister with a grin as both Betsy and Emma breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Both Emma and Psylocke looked at the mad scientist skeptically, not believing that this was something Sinister had planned to happen entirely. But as the alarms stopped and everything seemed okay once again, they had no reason to complain as the final seconds came and went.
"Finally...It is done," said Sinister in triumph as the lights stopped and the fluid within the tube drained away.
Then as everything began to clear up, Betsy, Emma, and the rest of the Nasty Boys gathered around the tube to take a look at the results of the experiment that Sinister had deemed so important.
As they took in the sight of the unmoving body, it was clear that Sinister's machine had done something. The body of Scott Summers was now quite different than it was at his arrival. Now, every muscle in his body from head to toe had grown and he was now an inch or two taller, yet everything seemed to be perfectly in proportion. Every muscle was big, but it didn't look oversized...It looked optimized. Sinister had boasted that when this young man came out of the machine, he would be a force like no other...The first of his kind. And from the looks of it, the experiment had worked. Now, as they stood before the new breed of mutant species that Sinister hoped would one day dominate the Earth, he felt an overwhelming sense of triumph...For his lifelong dream finally seemed to be standing before him.
"100,000 years of human evolution, yet it's barely tapped the sheer potential of the human species," proclaimed Sinister as he and his Nasty Boys stood before the finished experiment, "But on this night...Millions of years of time and growth have been condensed to a mere 5 minutes. The barbaric, unenlightened Homo Sapians that have dominated this planet for so long have had their chance...Now it is time for a new species to take over...My species...The delta class mutant. And standing before you...Is the first step towards ultimate evolution."
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AN: Well, that's it for now! Things have just taken a turn for the bizarre. The mansion is mourning the loss of their friend and leader, yet it never happened the way they think it did. Now Sinister holds the upper hand and so far, he's used them well. So what do you think Sinister has in store for Scott? Knowing him, it's never very promising. What about Emma and Betsy? What do you think will happen to them? Do you like how I've incorporated those two into the story? Please tell me! Send me your reviews via email or post them on the fanfiction website! I'd love to know what you think! Thank you all for reading my story and I wish everybody the best!
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