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weapon X HQ

Jackson entered the protected complex of Weapon X, one of the most powerful clandestine living weapons engineering organisations.
He was satisfied, having gone through hardships & trials (coup d'état included) making SHIELD look like idiots ,to get his place as one of the main players. Whistling cheerfuly , he knew full well that Colcord's days will be soon (or already) over. His plan was nearly flawless , his team was monthly moving from a place to another & there's no team that could counter them. Fury & SHIELD were too busy dealing with the new Blitz at London (its prime suspect was the Red Skull) & the avengers were too busy fending off cosmic threats these days.
" Director Jackson, Dr Windsor is waiting for you in front of your office...)"said a beautiful brown-haired woman.

"Ah thanks Amanda! I'll see him this instant."
He entered his office along a man with a balding head, a mustache & seemed to be well in his fifties.Greeting Jackson with a calm yet almost cold voice , he sat down holding an impressive pile of paper on his hand.

"Mr Jackson ,I'm glad you made it."

"Oh, come on Dr Windsor , why so formal? you can call me Brent,after all you've been in this program longer than I did, not to mention age difference..."

"And about hiring Deadpool?"

"No need for that at all. Actually , that cancerous lunatic won't even cost us a dime. Give him the right files & push to do it, & Malcolm will be a bleeding steak thrown in sharks water.& Deadpool is out of our hair for a long time! What more can we ask for?"

"What about the facility expansion of the program?"

"Ah yes. The Wolverine crazy fanboys! To think that department devoted , about what, 22 dead babies before getting one right? That's not even counting the failures in between . Next time they'll give us one with a mohawk ? & One day the cub bites them & runs off.As always... Thank god they didn't try cloning that bastard Sabretooth..."

Jackson , while with blood on his hands, hated former agent Victor Creed. Colcord forcefully recruited Creed to be a recruiter & top agent. Most of his missions have indeed been quite successful, any compromising file destroyed, any "shameful " secret hidden & any assassination executed. Yet Sabretooth has been underestimated. He's managed to steal many of their files, escaped twice from their hands while he, Jackson , was for executing Sabretooth the first time around. [All because of that retarded psychopath Colcord was too blind to see a rabid dog in front of him. & now Weapon Plus may have these files.A time for trial is definitely not out of the question.]

Windsor then showed a picture of X-23 being held by an older teenager with a knife on her other hand "It seems however that they did an efficient enough job at recapturing her..."
" And what do they want us to do with her ? That's the facility's job to play Logan factory , not ours...

" You mean ours deals with more... diverse weapons..." Brent smiled " Well since I took over our operation, no one seemed to be complaining... & no government worth his salt would fire his best garbagemen .As for her..." he ripped the picture " We know the gig, she'll escape once they get her. Unless you have the good leash ,like we have, no way in hell they'll  control her. This business is like sword fighting, you hold the sword too tightly you can't use it, too loosely you won't keep it. Everything is about the right balance & nothing else... Anyway How our agents doing?"

"Well as you know, Mesmero is still in Paris for the #13 operation. He seems quite happy  to have regained his wholesome confidence & mega hypnosis."

" What can I say? Save a guy from being executed,give him his schtick back & you'll use HIS kicks for your dirty work..."

" Dr Lykos has strangely improved, his Sauron personna seems to have regained more intelligence, yet..."

"Yet...?"

"...his ferocious tendencies tend to be harder to temper . And I don't think our casual soldiers would love being drained until being turned into husks."

"Heavy medication for Sauron. I'll have 2 words with Karl another day, but I'm rather glad his brains are coming back..."

"Now the  elements that are quite troublesome..."
Jackson pulled a Scotch bottle & 2 glasses , Sarcastically saying: "I'd better be prepared, this is gonna be painful..."

"Wild Child seems ..."

"YES. I know , still heart-broken from Aurora's "betrayal".Ah, women when you get us... This kid just needs a new girl or we'll have eventually a new agent. We still have to milk his competences to their maximum,that'll keep the little guy in a good shape!"

" So , you will not reconsider a new recruit?"

".. No, that won't be necessary. The project reader is still in progress ?"

Windsor took a look at his files again : "Yes, the process has been slowed down since our monthly displacements. We had to change our directives & conserve the necessary elements, since you decided to free the young Leech in mutant town..."

"Oh, I am just taking a little precaution.He's the perfect bait. No one would supect"
" You mean.."
"This was done during your absence Robert, we managed to give the kid a little parting gift ." He showed a small chip " this is grafted on his brain, it will detect eventual powerful presences so that our field agents might be alarmed . Not to mention he'll use his powers unwillingly to help us catch the target."
Windsor smiled : "You take this better than I'd have expected.I'm more worried about Starsmore. He's so obviously a mole from the x-men & quite skilled at that. Not to mention he entered the telepath room ."

"That should be the least of our worries actually. The microchip implanted in his artificial mouth is giving him blurred infos about the facilities
Heh, suggestion & misdiredtion. The kid's been discovering that we captured Leech,& vowed to free them over & over. What's not to love? & Finally..."

"Agent Zero...The One-man army."

" HAHAHAHAHAAA...!"

Windsor was surprised, "errr... what is hilarious in that? He knows of THIS location right  ?"

" Remember Mesmero? If Zero is our ace in the hole,then Mesmo is our Joker . Using Zero's vendetta against Gene Nation is the carrot to dangle in front of him. He's been a clever hound catching the remaining members through rain & snow.Besides he can bring on any exterior help , he'll be handing us a future employee without knowing it. He was our solution for the Neverland problem... & he didn't even notice ."

Neverland was a mutant concentration camp that doubled as a recruitment center for Weapon X operatives. Weapon X detention facility, supposedly designed to hold mutant terrorists, actually served as mutant concentration camp. Mutants with useless or dangerous power were executed or depowered. All mutants were kept under a power supression field generated by Leech. Once the camp was shut down,all remaining mutants were terminated. It was also a for mutant organs traffickers like Sublime's 's third species movement or, unknowingly t most, a specimen "free buffet" for some sinister people...

"The old law of survival of the fittest then ?

"Why yes, we've selected 30 prisonners to be our agents while Zero nullified the rest of the camp. Of course he'll forget about that & Sublime will be deprived of more sweeties .Hope you're not shocked."

"It's clear that if we fail , the sanctions will be most severe."

"No worries , as long as our 2 best cards are in the deck we have nothing to fear."

In a rather cold indifference Windsor replied: "This procedure reminds of a very old ... acquaintance, Jackson. My guess is that he is still right saying that all the time."

District X, the "box" bar

The tentacle-handed barmaid Jo has lived here a long time ago. Her bar is not all that strange to a certain man that has been coming regularly since the beginning of the week. She was familiar with the " tough guy as he's been nicknamed & it was pleasant to have regular customers.

However the man himself didn't seem pleased.He was silent , brooding & smoking after drinking enough to knock an ox & was still unphased.Keeping his mysteries to himself for a while now, he's been waiting for 2 days now. While he was more of an active & impulsive person, Wolverine was still experienced when it to comes to spying & dismantling rival organizations or criminal groups.A century of being used as a weapon, whether by his own volition or not, you still can learn a trick or 2. Wolverine, member of the x-men, now on a mission that concerns only him...
Finally, his "ally", finally arrived ! He was tall, covered in a large coat & a fedora. But the most bizarre thing about his costume was a Groucho mask.

" Nice costume, got that from a halloween party?"

"yeah yeah, trick or treat & all that .Efficiency matters & it does the job. I have what you're looking for.Sure you'll do this without your X-buddies?

"No. It's personnal . I refuse to risk anyone else's life but mine or t'let these creeps do their dirty work.Besides I have to get him outta there."

"Chamber is fine if this is what worries you, they haven't fully assimilated him to the program. His mutation isn't the most practical for this kind of implant. The biggest problem may come from the other agents.

"Jono's my responsibility! It was my plan to keep an eye on 'em & I have ta bust him out, no matter what."

"And as for the girl?"

"They've got Laura...good...

"And why is that?

" Cause this ol' canuckle head will bust both of them & say goodbye t'whatever that bastard Jackson is tryin' ta hold together."

The coated man coughed , handing Logan a paper." Memorize this, & pulverise it, you know the routine. We won't have much time"

"I see, no cajun caught with the kid?"

"If it was still Colcord ,they'd have him brainwashed to get to you or anyone close , or shot him on the spot . But with Jackson at the helm, they'd try to convince him & use him...

"Knowin' Gumbo, he 'd rather die than be a puppet to them. Havin' worked with him, you will never guess when he'll pop up.

"You won't have much choice..."

"... Wait bub, Yer hand 's bleedin'!"

The spy took a rather cold look at the blood & just sighed "Forget about it."

Logan didn't say anything. Through that unconscious self inflicted wound it was all clear now. Deep down he reconised a man who ,despite tremendous abilities & skills, was broken.This Agent Zero is definitely a killer - a man who will terminate anything but innocent bystanders with little hesitation. Had it been what weapon X wanted , he would have turned this entire bar into a graveyard, & there would be little Wolverine could do to stop that. Everything about this man screams pissed off, antisocial seasoned killer haunted by his past and angry about it. In many ways, a 2nd Wolverine. Yet... one crucial point made them highly different, Logan was seeing here a broken reflection of what he could have been. An image of him having lost all his friends, his daughters; all his motivation to be more than a jaded cynical beast replaced by a void of self disgust & deep hatred. [ Once this job's over pal, I swear I'll find what yer real deal...& just who the hell you are] hoped Logan , while wondering if he was just lying to himself.
"Here are the locations & the codes. We're in a hurry, in 2 minutes ,they'll start observing my actions again. Any weapon?"

" I'll have a few bombs. Courtesy of an old friend .& these..." he popped his adamantium claws"...should suffice."

"Your first target will be the psychic factory in the new HQ. Meet me at this airport for next briefing. The 13th french should have done his part by now."

"Just one question..."

"yes ?"

"Yer kiddie mask, is it to mock me because of yer inodorosity ability or ya somehow want me t'guess who you are?"

"That's for me know & for you to find out. And ,between us, you wouldn't want to know."

Megacorp Building, basement

3 men were in front of a rusty door. 3 beings that may not completely be human for different reasons: Victor Creed ,Sublime & Aoual.
3 monsters brought here for different reasons.

"All this fer that? Guess yer frankeinstein lab 's gotta be far more impressive than theirs to wow me, Doc..."
John  smiled at that remark " I promised that the surprise will be worth the wait , my oafish ill-shaved friend." clicking on a small call command he pulled out of his white jacket a  portal appeared.

" Welcome to the " world" gentlemen .Or to be more precise, an access to the core part located in England. We hope that your little sejour will be pleasant, will you come Dr Aoual?"

"In a moment John , In a moment. Creed ?"

"Yeah I know ,the message to our old pal . T'think I'd have better stuff for the check than being an errand boy"

"The teleporting device I granted will be at your complete disposal once the message is sent. Before I forget..."
He gave a photo to Sabretooth " Consider this an appetiser.I'm assured that with your peculiar...imagination , you will be inspired with what to do with her." Upon looking the picture, Sabretooth eyes narrowed & he declared with ferocious glee  "...how sweet! I'll even get some dessert fer this! Ya got yerself a deal ." He disappeared then in the blink of an eye.

Having secured his message & sent his employee for a day to the task, the tall man entered the mysterious place. Gazing upon the location with a newfound air of sinister curiosity, he knows that a lot is at hand here. The World .A secret lab owned by the Weapon Plus Project, in which the program scientists intended to create superior humans employing eugenics, nanotechnology and artificial evolution technology (time is "artificial" at the World and it can be frozen or altered in any way the Program Scientists desire). The artificial time technology employed by Weapon Plus was stolen from AIM. A low level of gamma radiation is constantly present to produce mutations in the population.
The human DNA of the inhabitants' ancestors in this artificial environment was spliced with sentinel microtechnology, meaning they are no longer humans in the traditional meaning of the word, as they have evolved into a race of mutated and naturally born cyborgs refined through eugenics.

Because the scientists have absolute control over the time inside The World , both freezing it and speed it up so that decades and centuries can pass within it while time runs normally in the real world.

Sublime started explaining

"My dear colleague,this is the highest achievment in weapon engineering humanity will never know. The U-men are only a mere... first step. The main course is here! The most promising individuals in each generation are selected while the others are terminated. Also natural selection  is possible by exposing the population to different forms of selective pressure. This way, new breeds of superhumans can be evolved within a few months, instead of hundreds or thousands of years. Half a million years inside The World represents only eighteen months on the outside. Only the best stay! I dare hope your little project  "
Aoual calmly said
"Magnificient. such a pure & brave strong world... I do believe that I'll love this place. But now is the time to give birth to a new form of life, the new genesis of a revolutionnary child! Let's go..."

Paris tour eiffel

A white silhouette with binoculars was observing a hostel from a distance

"It appears that our friend has secured this entire place for himself."

"The Name is Mesmero, Powerful hypnotist, currently best Agent of Weapon X, Mission: Capture us & secure our hiring."

" Tudieu, fichtre , bougre! They have bigger eyes than their stomachs, non?"

There he was at the top of the tower, Wearing a white tuxedo covered by a whiter trench coat. The gentleman's name is Fantomex.
Fantomex was created by the Weapon Plus Program to serve as a super-sentinel against Earth's mutant population. Through experimentation with human-machine hybridization, Weapon Plus created a population of technorganic organisms whose living tissue was fused with Sentinel nanotechnology at the cellular level. His mother, a member of this race, became pregnant when she was fertilized with nanomachines, resulting in the birth of Fantomex. Like the rest of his people, he was born and raised in the World, a man-made environment designed to create super-sentinels, media-friendly mutant-hunters modeled after Saturday morning cartoons ( for people are so easily misled ). Although his nationality is technically British, Fantomex was not raised in British culture. He adopted a French sense of identity and  persona out of a fascination with the French language, particularly because of its usefulness for cursing and distracting people.
His experiment designation at the World facility was "Charlie Cluster-7," but he has adopted the name "Jean-Phillipe." For a few years now, he has lived as a carefree burglar, only seeking the thrill & the adrenaline rush his thieveries would provide. It could go from diamonds to a baguette, & if money was the target of the day it could get thrown in the garbage cans so that the average joe could get it had he some luck that paryicular day.

It was a game , a ritual for him, the half-man half machine....

It's been 2 weeks that the white burglar has been pursued by almost every security officer or policeman  who ever crossed his path .Something was terribly wrong with THESE new pursuits however. Like if something made these usually pleasantly bumbling fools more competent.Of course it was amusing for a month or 2 but by now , they are getting way too good at this game...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious hostel Mesmero,hypnotist extraordinaire, has literally taken control of the whole place. On the ebony table.A brain was floating in a jar. what was more impressive is that this organ was still alive . It's what they left of the poor Jack-In -The Box, an unlucky telepath whose telepathic powers have severely hurt his body. Whenever he used this gift, his body crumbled. And now Jackson ordered that his brain should be put in a bottle along with the right devices to make his powers more malleable.

Mesmero was savoring an excellent wine, while exploiting his psychic link with Jack, & expanding his hypnotic power through th whole hostel.
" AAAh , what can I say , this is the life! A toast to Weapon x!".Here he was , a smug snake of a man & an opportunistic slimy manipulator. The man once known as Vincent was the living embodiment of how much can power can corrupt!
As a mega hypnotist, he used all his abilities yet ended most of the times as a bumbling fool But not anymore! few can actually resist his newfound might. One glance & you're his slave now baybay !

Outside, Fantomex & EVA are floating above the hostel.

"EVA , prunelle de mes yeux, can you do something about his charming yet somewhat bothersome telepath ?"

"The best way to go undercover here is yet to enter without any disguise..."
Fantomex paused for a moment & poured a glass of champagne on his head (his way of drinking ...). " Well, guess it's time for a little "Cheval de Troie"...

10 minutes later.

A rather violent signal shook up Mesmero, " What the...? Cameras, please!"
An impressive number of screens showed him what was happening in the corridors. It was Fantomex himself, fighting against an entire crowd armed with what could be described as plastic sticks." Well, if that's not daring. Since when do thieves enter by the front door". Fantomex made a quick job of the controlled crowd & entered the elevator.

" Of all of them he has to choose the one with the broken camera. Oh well..."
someone was knocking

" Yes ?

" Room service , sir your dinner is served

" Ah! Nothing to enjoy a mission but a nice filet. Oh by the way !Garçon .." He opened the door "don't forget the truffles next time..."
Suddenly, someone broke the door. "Pfft...and before dinner, ah anyway..."

"I guess monsieur, that you're not so offended by my intervention."

Mesmero smiled " No, It deserves a 10 for the muscle, but I'd give a 0 for the brains..." He sat down calmly & proceeded to cut his steak while the mesmerised waitresses were cleaning his shoes.
" Ah can you please sit down? It's stressful to do business while you are up..."
Jean-Philippe had no choice but to sit " Now , peel the shrimp & pipe down, we have to talk."
Fantomex immediately sat down " How come I..."
" The moment you stared at my glance , you were mine. See , the Jack in a jar over there has helped me expand my influence on the ordinary commoners that entered this room. However, mutants or mutates with a tortuous mind like yours , I had to keep an eye on them personnally."
Fantomex could not add anything he was trapped! " And don't call your vessel , we know that if we hurt you it'll be hurt... With that out of the way , it's better that I explain why this manhunt started."
After a few detailed explanations about Weapon X's new perspectives. "So Sublime is also your target now..."

" Yeah , but not for the same reasons . I don't have much time left, so I'll have to go but I have to hand it to you Kleenex boy, you were one hell of a target, but personnally I'm Mesmero..."

Then he stood up, happy as punch that his mission was finally completed. Next thing Vincent knows, something punches him on the back of his head ...

Weapon X , Undergroung Cell

X-23 was trapped, Held with metal restrictions  within a containment chamber, she saw... her...Kimura ?
As an agent of the Facility, Kimura became X-23's handler. She abused X-23, finding any excuse to bully her, regardless of whether X-23 failed or not. After X-23 escaped the Facility, Kimura made it her duty to track down X-23, bring her back to the Facility, and kill anyone X-23 has come in contact with.
She eventually tracks X-23 to San Francisco, where Laura is living with her Aunt Debbie and her cousin Megan. While Debbie & Megan escaped & were still alive, Laura knew that it would be a matter of time. She even left the X-men mansion because she didn't want to take that risk. Her lifelong bully always finds her...

No...Something was not quite right here

It didn't look like her anymore. The smile was much more predatory, teeth that were as sharp as a wolf's... the heavy sedative doses  are still keeping her drowzy... Then she could distinguish 2 distinct screams; one was fainting while the other kept going , she still felt way too weak to properly move..

A deep voice was heard " Pipe down kid, do as I say & I won't harm ya...". It wasn't Kimura, it sounded like something out of a nightmare; "
Please, don't ! you have no idea what will happen if you do this! Her re-education hasn't finished yet..."
"I said SHUT UP! Give it now or I'll just take it from yer cold hands."
The large silhouette took a seringe  injecting it within her arm. She was still tired, but the sedatives wearing down. And the sensation of the sting was here, growing more & more intensively ...
" Now , let the fun begin Doc ! Later!"
" Wait ! You  can't leave me here ! Please !

The scientist couldn't see nothing but the chackles falling . The young girl was standing right in front of him, & he could barely move ! As if a cold body from the morgue just woke up to get him, her stare was lifeless. She stood here nude & motionless & didn't even seem to pay any attention to him.
In a fraction of seconds , he could only contemplate his heart on her hand... & barely felt it .

The accident that harmed the program once was about to be reiterated . History repeats itself with different actors & elements however...

Weapon X HQ , outside forest

Two weeks. Two weeks since Laura has been taken from him. Two weeks where the master thief used all his resources to locate this HQ .Two weeks spent listening to that stranger's cryptic informations about this place. That was not really something that would bother him , Gambit was perfectly accustomed in working with people that are shrouded in mystery, even those with less noble motivations than most. In his world , there was no other way to survive , a thief has to be pragmatic & just get the job done.
But this time , like more often than not,it was something personal . He has someone to rescue " Hope ces ordures are ready for some spectacle , this time, Ill give them one they won't forget ..."  His feelings were mixed . Anxiety was present , fear most certainly yet a certain joy at having some action done & the satisfaction to severely piss off his foes .
It would not be the first time he'd deal with weapon X cronies either, but they must have made improvements since then .

Inside the base , " Seems we have a little intruder nearby, & this little weasel seems to know what he does with the entrance..."
  "Got his file. Remy LeBeau... Heeeyy, now lambs are going to the slaughter by themselves ?"
Jackson contacted them." Karl , I want to capture this guy. I have to leave for 2 days. Be sure to incapacitate him & bring him alive."
" Yesss. He shall be the prey of the SSSky emperor ." A large figure stood up . It was green , heavy & drooling .
These times have been rather for Sauron . He has been recovering quite well from the mistreatment & indignities he endured at the hands of Colcord. It is time for him to use his enhancements .
Sauron has become a more powerful mutate  on the team, even though they had to be more discrete  & go underground after their attack on Weapon +, they all knew this cold war would escalate. However , they had to wait for proper missions & he for proper meals . This is a golden opportunity , the gambling thief is his next meal !

Weapon X HQ Lab

Meanwhile in the lab , Windsor was noting the last few progresses of his last researches.[ Perfect,my time spent working in the shadows of this organisation is nearly over. I succeeded in accelerating the development of these embryos in mere minutes, these new children will be the fruits of years of research... Now to prepare for my departure...]

Footsteps were heard.Walking on the metallic ground

Lurking in the shadows, Sabretooth was scratching the walls with his claws with a snarky smile on his face.
" Yo doc! Your good Ol' employee is back fer a little visit . "
Windsor sighed with no sign of surprise whatsoever " What sort of price would make a sheep throw itself willingly in the wolves cave? And aren't you tired of interrupting my work? Of course, not that you'll matter on the long run." He sighed without even giving a glance at the dangerous mutant

" As A matter o' fact, I 'd say the wolf is in the hen house."

" How did you find this place ? And more Importantly, how did you make yourself unnoticed? you are not that discrete usually."

Victor smiled & pulled a cigar from his coat. "Tssk tssk doc, curiosity killed the cat, remember? Nothing ya can't do when ya work fer the right guy... with the right gadgets..."
"Weapon Plus ? Ah, will rivalries never cease ."
" Try higher... Anyway I still have my job t'do before the fun time I'm gonna have with the runt."

Windsor said with a glimpse of annoyance in his voice "Victor, I am presently Occupied, if you could get out of this room so I won't sully my hands to do so myself..."
" Nothing to do with me doc... But this message from yer buddy is the reason I busted my ass ta find you."
" A friend of mine ?"
" Yeah... & I'd bet 10 bucks that it won't do much to yer benefit."
Upon reading the paper , Windsor seemed to tremble for a moment " I see..."ripping it to shreds .
" Make it as convincing as possible..."
" Heh ! ya geniuses really need a lot of time t'catch on do ya..." He prepared his claws & ...

Weapon + HQ, The"World"

Sublime & Doctor Aoual finally went out of the lab . Both men seemed satisfied with this experiment .
" This was amazing, your laboratory seemed to have a life of its own . And I am not a man that is easy to impress ..."
" Why old chum, I am honored , however..."
" what ?"
" I do think you'll be our next subject..."
Multiple darts were shot at Dr Aoual who fell on the ground almost immediately . " 2 months spent in a time distorted place, & no need for food or any sustenance ? His organs will be some of the most wondruous additions to our collection. Now hurry along ! We have to see what the ultimate man baby is made of ..."
His sentence was cut short by 2 of his henchmen heads flying in front of him . A metallic sound was heard,
" I would call that a case of " absolute coincidence" , Dr Sublime . For I had the exact same intention ! "

Weapon X HQ Lab

5 minutes later , a guard entered the lab, discovering a headless body wearing a white lab coat...
" Director we have a problem here..."
Before he could even complete his sentence, he felt nauseous, dizzy, almost as if all his energy & tenacity was being siphonned. He fell brutally on the ground , before even grasping what occured to him. In the now light-free lab, 2 red glowing eyes were looming at the body, when a cold smooth voice was heard " My dear boy, your presence was truly fortunate. I can't sadly the same about HIS... "

TO BE CONTINUED ! Shall I continue ? YOU MAKE THE CALL !

Description
weapon X HQ

Jackson entered the protected complex of Weapon X, one of the most powerful clandestine living weapons engineering organisations.
He was satisfied, having gone through hardships & trials (coup d'état included) making SHIELD look like idiots ,to get his place as one of the main players. Whistling cheerfuly , he knew full well that Colcord's days will be soon (or already) over. His plan was nearly flawless , his team was monthly moving from a place to another & there's no team that could counter them. Fury & SHIELD were too busy dealing with the new Blitz at London (its prime suspect was the Red Skull) & the avengers were too busy fending off cosmic threats these days.
" Director Jackson, Dr Windsor is waiting for you in front of your office...)"said a beautiful brown-haired woman.

"Ah thanks Amanda! I'll see him this instant."
He entered his office along a man with a balding head, a mustache & seemed to be well in his fifties.Greeting Jackson with a calm yet almost cold voice , he sat down holding an impressive pile of paper on his hand.

"Mr Jackson ,I'm glad you made it."

"Oh, come on Dr Windsor , why so formal? you can call me Brent,after all you've been in this program longer than I did, not to mention age difference..."

"And about hiring Deadpool?"

"No need for that at all. Actually , that cancerous lunatic won't even cost us a dime. Give him the right files & push to do it, & Malcolm will be a bleeding steak thrown in sharks water.& Deadpool is out of our hair for a long time! What more can we ask for?"

"What about the facility expansion of the program?"

"Ah yes. The Wolverine crazy fanboys! To think that department devoted , about what, 22 dead babies before getting one right? That's not even counting the failures in between . Next time they'll give us one with a mohawk ? & One day the cub bites them & runs off.As always... Thank god they didn't try cloning that bastard Sabretooth..."

Jackson , while with blood on his hands, hated former agent Victor Creed. Colcord forcefully recruited Creed to be a recruiter & top agent. Most of his missions have indeed been quite successful, any compromising file destroyed, any "shameful " secret hidden & any assassination executed. Yet Sabretooth has been underestimated. He's managed to steal many of their files, escaped twice from their hands while he, Jackson , was for executing Sabretooth the first time around. [All because of that retarded psychopath Colcord was too blind to see a rabid dog in front of him. & now Weapon Plus may have these files.A time for trial is definitely not out of the question.]

Windsor then showed a picture of X-23 being held by an older teenager with a knife on her other hand "It seems however that they did an efficient enough job at recapturing her..."
" And what do they want us to do with her ? That's the facility's job to play Logan factory , not ours...

" You mean ours deals with more... diverse weapons..." Brent smiled " Well since I took over our operation, no one seemed to be complaining... & no government worth his salt would fire his best garbagemen .As for her..." he ripped the picture " We know the gig, she'll escape once they get her. Unless you have the good leash ,like we have, no way in hell they'll  control her. This business is like sword fighting, you hold the sword too tightly you can't use it, too loosely you won't keep it. Everything is about the right balance & nothing else... Anyway How our agents doing?"

"Well as you know, Mesmero is still in Paris for the #13 operation. He seems quite happy  to have regained his wholesome confidence & mega hypnosis."

" What can I say? Save a guy from being executed,give him his schtick back & you'll use HIS kicks for your dirty work..."

" Dr Lykos has strangely improved, his Sauron personna seems to have regained more intelligence, yet..."

"Yet...?"

"...his ferocious tendencies tend to be harder to temper . And I don't think our casual soldiers would love being drained until being turned into husks."

"Heavy medication for Sauron. I'll have 2 words with Karl another day, but I'm rather glad his brains are coming back..."

"Now the  elements that are quite troublesome..."
Jackson pulled a Scotch bottle & 2 glasses , Sarcastically saying: "I'd better be prepared, this is gonna be painful..."

"Wild Child seems ..."

"YES. I know , still heart-broken from Aurora's "betrayal".Ah, women when you get us... This kid just needs a new girl or we'll have eventually a new agent. We still have to milk his competences to their maximum,that'll keep the little guy in a good shape!"

" So , you will not reconsider a new recruit?"

".. No, that won't be necessary. The project reader is still in progress ?"

Windsor took a look at his files again : "Yes, the process has been slowed down since our monthly displacements. We had to change our directives & conserve the necessary elements, since you decided to free the young Leech in mutant town..."

"Oh, I am just taking a little precaution.He's the perfect bait. No one would supect"
" You mean.."
"This was done during your absence Robert, we managed to give the kid a little parting gift ." He showed a small chip " this is grafted on his brain, it will detect eventual powerful presences so that our field agents might be alarmed . Not to mention he'll use his powers unwillingly to help us catch the target."
Windsor smiled : "You take this better than I'd have expected.I'm more worried about Starsmore. He's so obviously a mole from the x-men & quite skilled at that. Not to mention he entered the telepath room ."

"That should be the least of our worries actually. The microchip implanted in his artificial mouth is giving him blurred infos about the facilities
Heh, suggestion & misdiredtion. The kid's been discovering that we captured Leech,& vowed to free them over & over. What's not to love? & Finally..."

"Agent Zero...The One-man army."

" HAHAHAHAHAAA...!"

Windsor was surprised, "errr... what is hilarious in that? He knows of THIS location right  ?"

" Remember Mesmero? If Zero is our ace in the hole,then Mesmo is our Joker . Using Zero's vendetta against Gene Nation is the carrot to dangle in front of him. He's been a clever hound catching the remaining members through rain & snow.Besides he can bring on any exterior help , he'll be handing us a future employee without knowing it. He was our solution for the Neverland problem... & he didn't even notice ."

Neverland was a mutant concentration camp that doubled as a recruitment center for Weapon X operatives. Weapon X detention facility, supposedly designed to hold mutant terrorists, actually served as mutant concentration camp. Mutants with useless or dangerous power were executed or depowered. All mutants were kept under a power supression field generated by Leech. Once the camp was shut down,all remaining mutants were terminated. It was also a for mutant organs traffickers like Sublime's 's third species movement or, unknowingly t most, a specimen "free buffet" for some sinister people...

"The old law of survival of the fittest then ?

"Why yes, we've selected 30 prisonners to be our agents while Zero nullified the rest of the camp. Of course he'll forget about that & Sublime will be deprived of more sweeties .Hope you're not shocked."

"It's clear that if we fail , the sanctions will be most severe."

"No worries , as long as our 2 best cards are in the deck we have nothing to fear."

In a rather cold indifference Windsor replied: "This procedure reminds of a very old ... acquaintance, Jackson. My guess is that he is still right saying that all the time."

District X, the "box" bar

The tentacle-handed barmaid Jo has lived here a long time ago. Her bar is not all that strange to a certain man that has been coming regularly since the beginning of the week. She was familiar with the " tough guy as he's been nicknamed & it was pleasant to have regular customers.

However the man himself didn't seem pleased.He was silent , brooding & smoking after drinking enough to knock an ox & was still unphased.Keeping his mysteries to himself for a while now, he's been waiting for 2 days now. While he was more of an active & impulsive person, Wolverine was still experienced when it to comes to spying & dismantling rival organizations or criminal groups.A century of being used as a weapon, whether by his own volition or not, you still can learn a trick or 2. Wolverine, member of the x-men, now on a mission that concerns only him...
Finally, his "ally", finally arrived ! He was tall, covered in a large coat & a fedora. But the most bizarre thing about his costume was a Groucho mask.

" Nice costume, got that from a halloween party?"

"yeah yeah, trick or treat & all that .Efficiency matters & it does the job. I have what you're looking for.Sure you'll do this without your X-buddies?

"No. It's personnal . I refuse to risk anyone else's life but mine or t'let these creeps do their dirty work.Besides I have to get him outta there."

"Chamber is fine if this is what worries you, they haven't fully assimilated him to the program. His mutation isn't the most practical for this kind of implant. The biggest problem may come from the other agents.

"Jono's my responsibility! It was my plan to keep an eye on 'em & I have ta bust him out, no matter what."

"And as for the girl?"

"They've got Laura...good...

"And why is that?

" Cause this ol' canuckle head will bust both of them & say goodbye t'whatever that bastard Jackson is tryin' ta hold together."

The coated man coughed , handing Logan a paper." Memorize this, & pulverise it, you know the routine. We won't have much time"

"I see, no cajun caught with the kid?"

"If it was still Colcord ,they'd have him brainwashed to get to you or anyone close , or shot him on the spot . But with Jackson at the helm, they'd try to convince him & use him...

"Knowin' Gumbo, he 'd rather die than be a puppet to them. Havin' worked with him, you will never guess when he'll pop up.

"You won't have much choice..."

"... Wait bub, Yer hand 's bleedin'!"

The spy took a rather cold look at the blood & just sighed "Forget about it."

Logan didn't say anything. Through that unconscious self inflicted wound it was all clear now. Deep down he reconised a man who ,despite tremendous abilities & skills, was broken.This Agent Zero is definitely a killer - a man who will terminate anything but innocent bystanders with little hesitation. Had it been what weapon X wanted , he would have turned this entire bar into a graveyard, & there would be little Wolverine could do to stop that. Everything about this man screams pissed off, antisocial seasoned killer haunted by his past and angry about it. In many ways, a 2nd Wolverine. Yet... one crucial point made them highly different, Logan was seeing here a broken reflection of what he could have been. An image of him having lost all his friends, his daughters; all his motivation to be more than a jaded cynical beast replaced by a void of self disgust & deep hatred. [ Once this job's over pal, I swear I'll find what yer real deal...& just who the hell you are] hoped Logan , while wondering if he was just lying to himself.
"Here are the locations & the codes. We're in a hurry, in 2 minutes ,they'll start observing my actions again. Any weapon?"

" I'll have a few bombs. Courtesy of an old friend .& these..." he popped his adamantium claws"...should suffice."

"Your first target will be the psychic factory in the new HQ. Meet me at this airport for next briefing. The 13th french should have done his part by now."

"Just one question..."

"yes ?"

"Yer kiddie mask, is it to mock me because of yer inodorosity ability or ya somehow want me t'guess who you are?"

"That's for me know & for you to find out. And ,between us, you wouldn't want to know."

Megacorp Building, basement

3 men were in front of a rusty door. 3 beings that may not completely be human for different reasons: Victor Creed ,Sublime & Aoual.
3 monsters brought here for different reasons.

"All this fer that? Guess yer frankeinstein lab 's gotta be far more impressive than theirs to wow me, Doc..."
John  smiled at that remark " I promised that the surprise will be worth the wait , my oafish ill-shaved friend." clicking on a small call command he pulled out of his white jacket a  portal appeared.

" Welcome to the " world" gentlemen .Or to be more precise, an access to the core part located in England. We hope that your little sejour will be pleasant, will you come Dr Aoual?"

"In a moment John , In a moment. Creed ?"

"Yeah I know ,the message to our old pal . T'think I'd have better stuff for the check than being an errand boy"

"The teleporting device I granted will be at your complete disposal once the message is sent. Before I forget..."
He gave a photo to Sabretooth " Consider this an appetiser.I'm assured that with your peculiar...imagination , you will be inspired with what to do with her." Upon looking the picture, Sabretooth eyes narrowed & he declared with ferocious glee  "...how sweet! I'll even get some dessert fer this! Ya got yerself a deal ." He disappeared then in the blink of an eye.

Having secured his message & sent his employee for a day to the task, the tall man entered the mysterious place. Gazing upon the location with a newfound air of sinister curiosity, he knows that a lot is at hand here. The World .A secret lab owned by the Weapon Plus Project, in which the program scientists intended to create superior humans employing eugenics, nanotechnology and artificial evolution technology (time is "artificial" at the World and it can be frozen or altered in any way the Program Scientists desire). The artificial time technology employed by Weapon Plus was stolen from AIM. A low level of gamma radiation is constantly present to produce mutations in the population.
The human DNA of the inhabitants' ancestors in this artificial environment was spliced with sentinel microtechnology, meaning they are no longer humans in the traditional meaning of the word, as they have evolved into a race of mutated and naturally born cyborgs refined through eugenics.

Because the scientists have absolute control over the time inside The World , both freezing it and speed it up so that decades and centuries can pass within it while time runs normally in the real world.

Sublime started explaining

"My dear colleague,this is the highest achievment in weapon engineering humanity will never know. The U-men are only a mere... first step. The main course is here! The most promising individuals in each generation are selected while the others are terminated. Also natural selection  is possible by exposing the population to different forms of selective pressure. This way, new breeds of superhumans can be evolved within a few months, instead of hundreds or thousands of years. Half a million years inside The World represents only eighteen months on the outside. Only the best stay! I dare hope your little project  "
Aoual calmly said
"Magnificient. such a pure & brave strong world... I do believe that I'll love this place. But now is the time to give birth to a new form of life, the new genesis of a revolutionnary child! Let's go..."

Paris tour eiffel

A white silhouette with binoculars was observing a hostel from a distance

"It appears that our friend has secured this entire place for himself."

"The Name is Mesmero, Powerful hypnotist, currently best Agent of Weapon X, Mission: Capture us & secure our hiring."

" Tudieu, fichtre , bougre! They have bigger eyes than their stomachs, non?"

There he was at the top of the tower, Wearing a white tuxedo covered by a whiter trench coat. The gentleman's name is Fantomex.
Fantomex was created by the Weapon Plus Program to serve as a super-sentinel against Earth's mutant population. Through experimentation with human-machine hybridization, Weapon Plus created a population of technorganic organisms whose living tissue was fused with Sentinel nanotechnology at the cellular level. His mother, a member of this race, became pregnant when she was fertilized with nanomachines, resulting in the birth of Fantomex. Like the rest of his people, he was born and raised in the World, a man-made environment designed to create super-sentinels, media-friendly mutant-hunters modeled after Saturday morning cartoons ( for people are so easily misled ). Although his nationality is technically British, Fantomex was not raised in British culture. He adopted a French sense of identity and  persona out of a fascination with the French language, particularly because of its usefulness for cursing and distracting people.
His experiment designation at the World facility was "Charlie Cluster-7," but he has adopted the name "Jean-Phillipe." For a few years now, he has lived as a carefree burglar, only seeking the thrill & the adrenaline rush his thieveries would provide. It could go from diamonds to a baguette, & if money was the target of the day it could get thrown in the garbage cans so that the average joe could get it had he some luck that paryicular day.

It was a game , a ritual for him, the half-man half machine....

It's been 2 weeks that the white burglar has been pursued by almost every security officer or policeman  who ever crossed his path .Something was terribly wrong with THESE new pursuits however. Like if something made these usually pleasantly bumbling fools more competent.Of course it was amusing for a month or 2 but by now , they are getting way too good at this game...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious hostel Mesmero,hypnotist extraordinaire, has literally taken control of the whole place. On the ebony table.A brain was floating in a jar. what was more impressive is that this organ was still alive . It's what they left of the poor Jack-In -The Box, an unlucky telepath whose telepathic powers have severely hurt his body. Whenever he used this gift, his body crumbled. And now Jackson ordered that his brain should be put in a bottle along with the right devices to make his powers more malleable.

Mesmero was savoring an excellent wine, while exploiting his psychic link with Jack, & expanding his hypnotic power through th whole hostel.
" AAAh , what can I say , this is the life! A toast to Weapon x!".Here he was , a smug snake of a man & an opportunistic slimy manipulator. The man once known as Vincent was the living embodiment of how much can power can corrupt!
As a mega hypnotist, he used all his abilities yet ended most of the times as a bumbling fool But not anymore! few can actually resist his newfound might. One glance & you're his slave now baybay !

Outside, Fantomex & EVA are floating above the hostel.

"EVA , prunelle de mes yeux, can you do something about his charming yet somewhat bothersome telepath ?"

"The best way to go undercover here is yet to enter without any disguise..."
Fantomex paused for a moment & poured a glass of champagne on his head (his way of drinking ...). " Well, guess it's time for a little "Cheval de Troie"...

10 minutes later.

A rather violent signal shook up Mesmero, " What the...? Cameras, please!"
An impressive number of screens showed him what was happening in the corridors. It was Fantomex himself, fighting against an entire crowd armed with what could be described as plastic sticks." Well, if that's not daring. Since when do thieves enter by the front door". Fantomex made a quick job of the controlled crowd & entered the elevator.

" Of all of them he has to choose the one with the broken camera. Oh well..."
someone was knocking

" Yes ?

" Room service , sir your dinner is served

" Ah! Nothing to enjoy a mission but a nice filet. Oh by the way !Garçon .." He opened the door "don't forget the truffles next time..."
Suddenly, someone broke the door. "Pfft...and before dinner, ah anyway..."

"I guess monsieur, that you're not so offended by my intervention."

Mesmero smiled " No, It deserves a 10 for the muscle, but I'd give a 0 for the brains..." He sat down calmly & proceeded to cut his steak while the mesmerised waitresses were cleaning his shoes.
" Ah can you please sit down? It's stressful to do business while you are up..."
Jean-Philippe had no choice but to sit " Now , peel the shrimp & pipe down, we have to talk."
Fantomex immediately sat down " How come I..."
" The moment you stared at my glance , you were mine. See , the Jack in a jar over there has helped me expand my influence on the ordinary commoners that entered this room. However, mutants or mutates with a tortuous mind like yours , I had to keep an eye on them personnally."
Fantomex could not add anything he was trapped! " And don't call your vessel , we know that if we hurt you it'll be hurt... With that out of the way , it's better that I explain why this manhunt started."
After a few detailed explanations about Weapon X's new perspectives. "So Sublime is also your target now..."

" Yeah , but not for the same reasons . I don't have much time left, so I'll have to go but I have to hand it to you Kleenex boy, you were one hell of a target, but personnally I'm Mesmero..."

Then he stood up, happy as punch that his mission was finally completed. Next thing Vincent knows, something punches him on the back of his head ...

Weapon X , Undergroung Cell

X-23 was trapped, Held with metal restrictions  within a containment chamber, she saw... her...Kimura ?
As an agent of the Facility, Kimura became X-23's handler. She abused X-23, finding any excuse to bully her, regardless of whether X-23 failed or not. After X-23 escaped the Facility, Kimura made it her duty to track down X-23, bring her back to the Facility, and kill anyone X-23 has come in contact with.
She eventually tracks X-23 to San Francisco, where Laura is living with her Aunt Debbie and her cousin Megan. While Debbie & Megan escaped & were still alive, Laura knew that it would be a matter of time. She even left the X-men mansion because she didn't want to take that risk. Her lifelong bully always finds her...

No...Something was not quite right here

It didn't look like her anymore. The smile was much more predatory, teeth that were as sharp as a wolf's... the heavy sedative doses  are still keeping her drowzy... Then she could distinguish 2 distinct screams; one was fainting while the other kept going , she still felt way too weak to properly move..

A deep voice was heard " Pipe down kid, do as I say & I won't harm ya...". It wasn't Kimura, it sounded like something out of a nightmare; "
Please, don't ! you have no idea what will happen if you do this! Her re-education hasn't finished yet..."
"I said SHUT UP! Give it now or I'll just take it from yer cold hands."
The large silhouette took a seringe  injecting it within her arm. She was still tired, but the sedatives wearing down. And the sensation of the sting was here, growing more & more intensively ...
" Now , let the fun begin Doc ! Later!"
" Wait ! You  can't leave me here ! Please !

The scientist couldn't see nothing but the chackles falling . The young girl was standing right in front of him, & he could barely move ! As if a cold body from the morgue just woke up to get him, her stare was lifeless. She stood here nude & motionless & didn't even seem to pay any attention to him.
In a fraction of seconds , he could only contemplate his heart on her hand... & barely felt it .

The accident that harmed the program once was about to be reiterated . History repeats itself with different actors & elements however...

Weapon X HQ , outside forest

Two weeks. Two weeks since Laura has been taken from him. Two weeks where the master thief used all his resources to locate this HQ .Two weeks spent listening to that stranger's cryptic informations about this place. That was not really something that would bother him , Gambit was perfectly accustomed in working with people that are shrouded in mystery, even those with less noble motivations than most. In his world , there was no other way to survive , a thief has to be pragmatic & just get the job done.
But this time , like more often than not,it was something personal . He has someone to rescue " Hope ces ordures are ready for some spectacle , this time, Ill give them one they won't forget ..."  His feelings were mixed . Anxiety was present , fear most certainly yet a certain joy at having some action done & the satisfaction to severely piss off his foes .
It would not be the first time he'd deal with weapon X cronies either, but they must have made improvements since then .

Inside the base , " Seems we have a little intruder nearby, & this little weasel seems to know what he does with the entrance..."
  "Got his file. Remy LeBeau... Heeeyy, now lambs are going to the slaughter by themselves ?"
Jackson contacted them." Karl , I want to capture this guy. I have to leave for 2 days. Be sure to incapacitate him & bring him alive."
" Yesss. He shall be the prey of the SSSky emperor ." A large figure stood up . It was green , heavy & drooling .
These times have been rather for Sauron . He has been recovering quite well from the mistreatment & indignities he endured at the hands of Colcord. It is time for him to use his enhancements .
Sauron has become a more powerful mutate  on the team, even though they had to be more discrete  & go underground after their attack on Weapon +, they all knew this cold war would escalate. However , they had to wait for proper missions & he for proper meals . This is a golden opportunity , the gambling thief is his next meal !

Weapon X HQ Lab

Meanwhile in the lab , Windsor was noting the last few progresses of his last researches.[ Perfect,my time spent working in the shadows of this organisation is nearly over. I succeeded in accelerating the development of these embryos in mere minutes, these new children will be the fruits of years of research... Now to prepare for my departure...]

Footsteps were heard.Walking on the metallic ground

Lurking in the shadows, Sabretooth was scratching the walls with his claws with a snarky smile on his face.
" Yo doc! Your good Ol' employee is back fer a little visit . "
Windsor sighed with no sign of surprise whatsoever " What sort of price would make a sheep throw itself willingly in the wolves cave? And aren't you tired of interrupting my work? Of course, not that you'll matter on the long run." He sighed without even giving a glance at the dangerous mutant

" As A matter o' fact, I 'd say the wolf is in the hen house."

" How did you find this place ? And more Importantly, how did you make yourself unnoticed? you are not that discrete usually."

Victor smiled & pulled a cigar from his coat. "Tssk tssk doc, curiosity killed the cat, remember? Nothing ya can't do when ya work fer the right guy... with the right gadgets..."
"Weapon Plus ? Ah, will rivalries never cease ."
" Try higher... Anyway I still have my job t'do before the fun time I'm gonna have with the runt."

Windsor said with a glimpse of annoyance in his voice "Victor, I am presently Occupied, if you could get out of this room so I won't sully my hands to do so myself..."
" Nothing to do with me doc... But this message from yer buddy is the reason I busted my ass ta find you."
" A friend of mine ?"
" Yeah... & I'd bet 10 bucks that it won't do much to yer benefit."
Upon reading the paper , Windsor seemed to tremble for a moment " I see..."ripping it to shreds .
" Make it as convincing as possible..."
" Heh ! ya geniuses really need a lot of time t'catch on do ya..." He prepared his claws & ...

Weapon + HQ, The"World"

Sublime & Doctor Aoual finally went out of the lab . Both men seemed satisfied with this experiment .
" This was amazing, your laboratory seemed to have a life of its own . And I am not a man that is easy to impress ..."
" Why old chum, I am honored , however..."
" what ?"
" I do think you'll be our next subject..."
Multiple darts were shot at Dr Aoual who fell on the ground almost immediately . " 2 months spent in a time distorted place, & no need for food or any sustenance ? His organs will be some of the most wondruous additions to our collection. Now hurry along ! We have to see what the ultimate man baby is made of ..."
His sentence was cut short by 2 of his henchmen heads flying in front of him . A metallic sound was heard,
" I would call that a case of " absolute coincidence" , Dr Sublime . For I had the exact same intention ! "

Weapon X HQ Lab

5 minutes later , a guard entered the lab, discovering a headless body wearing a white lab coat...
" Director we have a problem here..."
Before he could even complete his sentence, he felt nauseous, dizzy, almost as if all his energy & tenacity was being siphonned. He fell brutally on the ground , before even grasping what occured to him. In the now light-free lab, 2 red glowing eyes were looming at the body, when a cold smooth voice was heard " My dear boy, your presence was truly fortunate. I can't sadly the same about HIS... "

TO BE CONTINUED ! Shall I continue ? YOU MAKE THE CALL !