Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 391 THE JOB

After a good hour of driving the silence extended. Once we started getting closer to New York City, Logan started talking again. 

“The X-Men are still rather new to the world stage. Professor Xavier started the school up some time ago with his first student, Jean Grey. I joined up around then. The Professor was one of the first people to notice mutants and the X-Gene. He began tracking DNA, mapping out who had what, and started making people aware that what we can do isn’t always our fault. Last I heard Baldie drone on he said that only about 1% of the population was a mutant 40 years ago. That doubled to 2% 20 years ago. And is expected to reach 4% now. If it continues to double, in about 80 years over half the population will be mutants.”

I nodded. In My Hero Academia it was supposed to be the year 2150 or something. In that time 80% of the population had quirks. We were on track for that kind of growth. Unfortunately for this world, mutants were the focus of scorn and hate. We would see if they lasted that long. 

“I tell you this, because we are one of many groups out there. There are the Marauders, Serpent Society, Masters of Evil. Canada has Alpha Flight, Europe is working on their own thing, Genosha has started their Brotherhood, and probably the oldest group in the U.S. with some mutants is the Hellfire Club. That’s where we are headed now. The Hellfire Club started in Europe and made the trip over here about a century ago. The elite of the elites they’re…like a secret society. Got their own decoder rings and everything. They are the top 1% of the 1%. They use their money and influence to increase their money and influence. And as I hear it there has been a little bit of restructuring in their top brass lately.” 

I nodded. From what I remembered of the Hellfire Club they were run by Sebastion Shaw. In the movies they were the precursor to Magneto and his mutant superiority complex, in the comics they had their claws in most everything. 

“How did you get involved with Professor Xavier?” I asked as a lull in conversation formed. 

“Logan doesn’t like to talk about himself,” Hisako said with a wry smile. 

“Oh yeah?” I asked, unsurprised. “What about you then?” 

“Me?” Hisako asked. “Pretty standard. Mutant power manifested. Made some people freak out. Good old professor and his 1 eyed best bud show up and offer me free schooling.”

“What’s your power then?” I asked. 

She raised her hand and her arm was shrouded in a condensed glove of pink/red energy. Not Spiritual or lifeforce, the pink energy appeared to form some kind of exoskeleton. As if she was shrouded in a suit of Armor. 

“I make a psionic body armor,” she said. “Makes me a good tank.”

“Cool, can you shoot lasers?” I asked. 

“Kind of,” she admitted. “But this is how I got my codename, Armor. You thought on yours at all?” 

“I’ve been thinking about it,” I said. “Leaning toward Combo, Fuse, or Bastard.”

“Bastard?” She asked. “Why Bastard?” 

“Don’t know, it’s a cool sword. And technically I am one now,” I said.

The real reason I was leaning toward Bastard though was my own position in the world. Bastard was the name of a Korean manhwa. A psychological thriller it followed a kid whose dad was a serial killer. The kid knew his dad killed people and would often have to help him. But the kid didn’t like it, and tried to steer people away from his father. Especially those that resembled his father’s usual targets. 

I had read the story years ago, and only recently thought about it since I was curious if it was a world I had chosen. Lately I had been feeling a real kinship toward the main protagonist of the manhwa. He knew his dad killed people, and tried to keep people safe. I knew of the canon that could potentially hurt people, and when I was close to it tried to minimize the damage. 

But there was also a lot of death I probably wouldn’t be able to, or try to avoid. Like the death of Uncle Ben and his relationship to Spiderman. Or whatever causes Tony Stark to make the Iron Man suit. Even a few dozen bad things that could happen to the X-Men, I knew of, but it was useless to try to warn them or step in. 

Wolverine was most likely a hundred years old and had his memories wiped. I could try to give him clues, but I decided to just leave it. Let canon reach it’s course and let it affect whoever happened to be in the way. In this world and many others, I was the Bastard. 

“Are you a Bastard?” Logan asked. “Usually that’s for dads that don’t claim you.”

“Semantics,” I said. “Don’t know, the name just kind of hit me recently. Besides, it hasn't been taken. Might as well strike while the iron’s hot.” The other 2 quieted as we continued to hit red light after light. I played around with the name in my head, liking it more and more. I was a Bastard as it was, and I couldn’t think of any other cool names. 

“We are here,” Logan grumbled, parking the car out front. We got out and a valet took the keys, quickly jumping into the car and driving it to some carport. 

The front of the supposed Hellfire Club was pretty standard. Red carpet leading into a wide door. The building was about 5 stories tall. Music blaring from inside there were quite a few high class people standing in line to get in. They wore fancy suits, sparkling dresses, rich jewelry, and expensive haircuts. They were the top brass of the city, or at least people trying to pretend they were.

Logan didn’t wait in line though. Stepping up to the bouncer behind the velvet rope he growled and the big man let us in. Hisako gave me a wink as we walked in. Though she was trying to act confident I could tell she was nervous. As we passed those waiting I heard a few complaints since we were so plainly dressed, but we ignored them. 

Inside was a night club. A light show going on. People dancing everywhere. Not just on the main floor, but women on platforms that hung suspended from above as well. They were mostly nude and gave off the vibe of more than a few drugs floating around the place. Everyone on something, or working on getting on something, the spiritual energy of everyone inside was dark and twisted. 

Logan led us. Skirting the edge of the dance floor we came to another bouncer. This one in front of a black curtain he opened it for Logan. This bouncer actually feared Logan. I guessed he had to beat the man up once upon a time. Though he was shorter, Wolverine earned his name. Probably the deadliest and most feral of mutants, I didn’t want to fight him, even at my best. 

This other part of the club was a lot more calm. Where people had been pushing up against one another or acting the fool, these people sat at tables and talked. But there was always something to surprise me in this worlds. At some of the tables there was an exotic dancer. Some gorgeous woman in practically no clothes at all, danced around a pole, or gave lapdances to the men and women at the tables. 

I wasn’t exactly sure how to sign up for the table, but I guessed it wasn’t cheap. The place reeked of high-class drugs, money, and entitlement. The women were perfect 10s and then some. I honestly worried I would find Hancock there, but luckily she wasn’t. Extending my Observation Haki out I didn’t feel anyone that matched her general feel. 

As we walked, Hisako and Logan ignored the girls. I openly ogled them, especially one sitting on her phone. It was obvious she should have been stripping. Her blonde hair was so light it was practically white, her white corset, white panties, garter belt, and white panty hose looked amazing on her. But instead of dropping the clothes on the table she was sitting with her legs crossed next to a group of men going crazy for an empty table. Their mouths practically hanging out of their mouths as they stared at nothing, I couldn’t help but chuckle. 

I guessed she was the famous Emma Frost. One of the most infamous members of the Hellfire Club, she had powerful psychic powers. The movies never did her justice, but in the comics she was a gorgeous woman that didn’t take shit. Apparently she was a stripper at this time. As we passed her I was able to vaguely see the psychic illusion she had made for the men. Emma completely nude shoving one man’s head into her cleavage I stored the memory away for later. 

I gave the real Emma a wink as she noticed I was really staring at her. She looked genuinely surprised that I wasn’t fooled by the illusion. I was more than happy having the Major Psychic Resistance. Able to distinguish truth from illusion without much issue I knew it was needed in this world. 

“Logan,” a man’s voice said, causing me to tear my eyes away from Emma. I turned to see a very young man in an Armani suit. Light brown hair slicked to the side, immaculate white smile, tan skin, thick muscles, he looked like an all-American athlete. The kind of man that was a star quarterback and dated the cheerleaders. Only about 25 years old he stood at a table without one of the strippers. 

“Watch yourself,” Logan said to Hisako and I. We nodded and walked up.

“Shaw, good to see you,” Logan said, shaking the man’s hand. 

“You too. I see you brought more of your chicklings,” Shaw said. I guessed he was Sebastion Shaw, who was normally in charge of the Hellfire Club. What caught me off guard was that he was so young. Usually Shaw was an older man. 

“Yeah, thought it best to introduce the new blood around,” Logan said. At the table with Shaw  was a red headed woman, and bald man. I didn’t recognize either. “Where’s Ned at?” 

“Ned? Oh around I’m sure,” Shaw said. “Please, sit.” Logan grumbled, sniffing deeply but sat beside the bald man. Hisako sat next to him so I sat by the red head. She looked a lot like Jean Grey, but there were distinct differences in her facial expressions. 

“I find myself more and more intrigued by Xavier’s little experiment of a school. I don’t think I’ve met you before.” He looked at me as he said this. 

“Nope, I’m new,” I said, talking loudly over the music. “Weston Walker.” 

“Welcome to the Hellfire Club,” Sebastian said with a smile. But the smile didn’t extend to his Haki, the man was hiding something and doing his best not to think about it. “I’m Sebastion Shaw, this is my wife Madelyne Pryor, and my associate Obadiah Stane.” He pointed to the red head then bald man. 

“Obadiah Stane, you work for Tony Stark, right?” I asked.

The older man nodded. “Yep, surprised you know that. Tony likes to keep the spotlight.” I nodded, understanding and meeting yet another villain. Obadiah Stane would probably be Iron Man’s nemesis in this world as well. Again I doubted I would step in. 

“What brings you here today, Logan?” Shaw asked. His smile wider somehow as he ordered a drink for he and Logan. 

“Just saying hi. Heard that you had a fight here last night,” Logan said.

“A fight? That doesn’t sound right,” Shaw said but it was easy to see he was lying. “What kind of fight?” 

“The only kind there is,” Logan said and left it at that. Looking around he growled, “Weston, Hisako, why don’t you go get a drink? I have some….catching up to do.” I locked eyes with Hisako and we got up. I guessed we were simply there for the introduction, to put faces to names if they ever brought them up again. 

Walking away from the table I wasn’t too interested in what they were talking about. More than happy for some alcohol in my system I walked up to the bar and sat down. Ordering myself a whiskey, Hisako abstained as we sat side by side. My eyes were focused on the real Emma Frost as she continued to put on a fake show for her audience of the elite in the city. 

“That interested in strippers?” Hisako asked, annoyance in her voice. 

“Not really,” I said. “Looking at someone completely clothed actually.” Although her clothes were rather skimpy. 

“Whose that?” Hisako asked, looking to the table. 

“That woman, she is creating a psychic illusion,” I said. I could see some of the spiritual energy in the air leaking out from her to the other minds that looked in her direction.

“She what?” 

“She isn’t stripping, she is sitting there, casting an illusion to make the men think she is naked,” I said. “What do you see? Her shoving a guy’s face in her crotch? Yeah, that’s not actually happening.”

“Seriously?” Hisako asked. “How can you tell?” 

“Psychic resistance,” I said. “You said your powers are psionic, which is what? The physical manifestation of psychic powers? I’m surprised you don’t have a resistance to it.”

“Psychic resistance is pretty rare,” Hisako admitted. She squinted her eyes trying to see what I was seeing but my drink arrived. We both turned to face the bar. Rather than turning back around and discussing Emma’s current illusion, Hisako changed the subject. “What’s your story?” 

 I felt the equivalent of fingers move across my brain. I guessed Emma was forcing us to stop looking at her. I pushed back from the fingers but didn’t turn around. Giving her some privacy to keep swindling money from the rich. 

“Not much to say. Chemical spill gave me superpowers. Still trying to wrap my head around it.” 

“So you weren’t born a mutant?” She asked. 

“Not that I know of,” I admitted. Sipping my drink. I could feel that Hisako probably knew more about me than she was letting on. She really wanted to ask about my family, but was nice enough to leave it alone. 

“Got a boyfriend?” I asked, turning to her. 

“That was blunt,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“What can I say? I like to know my chances,” I said, giving her my best grin. 

“What kind of chances?” She asked. 

“Well I’m new to this whole X-Men thing. Lots of long hours together, maybe? Wasn’t sure if you and I would be going for a buddy cop drama, or romantic ‘will they won’t they’ cop drama,” I said. 

“We are cops now?” She asked, laughing. 

“Basically. What you didn’t get a gun?” I asked. 

“Hell no, or badge,” she said with a smile. 

“Boring. How are we supposed to have our heart to heart confession of love for one another if one of us gets shot?” 

“We are in love now?” Hisako asked, rolling her eyes. 

“Of course. Star crossed lovers in fact,” I assured. “You can be the neurotic neat freak, and me the lovable goofball.” 

“How come the woman always has to be the neat freak?” She asked, annoyed. 

“I can be the lovable neat freak if you really want,” I said. “You can be the anti-stereotypical Asian. Dumb, ditzy, and a great driver.”

“I am a great driver,” she said. “Despite what Logan might say. But why do I have to be dumb?” 

“I don’t make the rules,” I said with a shrug. “I can’t be a dumb neatfreak. Just not how the world works.”

“And how does it work, exactly?” She asked, her Haki telling me that she was enjoying the conversation more than she thought. Her attitude toward me was quickly changing for the better, so I kept up the attack. 

“I only know how the real world works through TV,” I said, raising my glass to order another drink. 

“As one does,” she said with a nod. 

“So there are 2 scenarios that will happen between you and I as partners,” I said. “Love and hate.”

“You can’t stop there,” she mumbled after I paused. 

“I was simply pausing for dramatic effect,” I assured. “So there is the love scenario. Where you and I secretly long to be together, but something always keeps us apart.”

“Like what?” 

“I don’t know, does the X-Men have a no dating your partner rule?” She shook her head. “Good to know,” I said, giving her a wink. “So something will keep us apart from one another, like your family hates me, or one of us will get moved to a new team.” 

“Yep, I see it, my family would hate you, go on,” she said.

“Then the Hate method. You and I can’t stand being near one another. Then we get into a life and death struggle. One of us saves the other’s life. We get trapped under a building. Confess our feelings. Then the other save’s their life. And we never talk about it again until we are alone once more. Then we can’t keep our hands off each other.”

“You know, I think I’ve seen that show,” Hisako said.

“Good, so we can skip all that,” I said. 

“Skip what?” She asked. 

“The dates and openly flirting,” I said. “Then after enough time we jump right into bed. Or should we skip the dates and flirting and go right to the bedroom?” 

“Wow,” Hisako said. “I’ve had a few dates since graduating. But never has someone proposed skipping the best part. You really are a new person.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“I’ve never had someone just openly say-” 

“Not that,” I said, interrupting. “A new person? What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing,” she said, with a sigh, but I could feel there was something there.

“Hisako, if we are to become intimate, you should really be truthful with me,” I said. “I can tell, you’re lying.” 

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “It’s nothing. Just after your…accident. With your family. I was the one assigned to watch you for a bit.” 

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. Grunt work is most of what we do here, and watching new prospective recruits since Professor X can’t be everywhere at once,” she said.

“How long after my accident were you watching me?” I asked. Genuinely interested. I hadn’t suspected that they kept an eye on me. 

“A day,” she admitted. “I watched you until the professor came.” 

“And where did you watch me from?” I asked. My room had a small window, but not much else. 

“That…I’m not supposed to talk about,” she said. Then thought better of it. “Actually you’re an X-Men, so you probably should know. One of the many things down below the school is Professor Xavier’s baby. We call it Cerebro. But it is this room that amplifies psychic powers.” I nodded, understanding a little better. Cerebro was a common tool used by Professor Xavier to find mutants from all over. 

“My powers are psychic in nature, but not really. I have enough power to watch a specific person from a long ways away with the help of Cerebro,” she said. “The professor was busy so I was volunteered. It’s usually him, me, or Miss Grey, or a few others at the school that use the room.”

“Is that where the professor usually is?” I asked. I had overheard Nick Fury talking about some toy the professor didn’t like to leave. 

Hisako nodded. “Yeah, he became obsessed with it when the machine was finished. He has started to leave more and more, but you can usually find him always looking for mutants with it. Haven’t mastered the whole automated mutant search thing yet. So someone has to monitor Cerebro daily.”

“Sounds boring,” I said. 

“It is,” she said. Eyeing me she bit her lip as she hesitated. “I’m sorry what happened to your family. I uh…spent some time in your mind. I know it wasn’t easy on you. I’m um glad you seem better.” 

“Thanks,” I said, the mood ruined. 

“Let’s go,” Logan said behind us. We turned around to see he had an angry look on his face…which was normal for him. We got up, I waved to Emma as I walked by. She flipped me off, but I laughed, enjoying my place in the world.  

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