The Mask of Ozymandias
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things --Percy Bysshe Shelley
A strange kidnapping and theft of an ancient mask from the Museum of Cairo sends Gambit, Storm and Rogue over to Africa, where they must deal with a figure from Storm’s past and the unlikely involvement of the Brotherhood.
Contents
Cast
Remy LeBeau, Marie D’Ancato, Ororo Munroe
Achmed el-Gibar, Sabretooth, Nick Fury
Timing
June 4th-7th, 2006
Plot Summary
Remy received a forward from Jake Gavin at Infonet about Magneto and the Brotherhood being rumoured to have kidnapped a pair of professors and their research. There were two professionals abducted; an Egyptologist and a metallurgist. It doesn't take long to figure out what they have in common; an ancient Egyptian deathmask, housed in the Cairo Museum . The mask is stolen a few days later, without any clues.
However, nothing is stolen in Cairo without Achmed el-Gibar knowing about it. Remy knows about him, but has never met him. However, he's read Storm's file and knows that she had an association with him as a kid. He dropped by the mansion to talk to her, and she agrees to go and check out the rumours with LeBeau. Marie argues with comes along as the Blackbird copilot and backup just in case something happens while they're checking out the rumours.
Not only does el-Gibar know who stole the mask but also where it and the professors are. But, he only will give them the information if they're willing to do a little job for him. One of his rivals in Cairo, Adris Masaqaharta al-Sanussi, late of de Libyan military, recently jumped up his standing with the purchase of a 12th century Quran, and el-Giber wants to recement his primacy by having it stolen.
While Storm isn't exactly happy about the idea of returning to her roots, the fact remains that if Magneto is involved, the X-Men need to know about it. Rogue doesn't have the training to pull off the heist, and Remy's injuries leave him unable to do it himself. The heist goes off without a hitch, Remy coordinating a diversion with Rogue so Storm can slip past the defenses and steal the Quran.
Once they get the Quran, el-Giber reveals that he was the one that stole the mask, and it's due to be delivered to a contact in Aswan that day. Based on the sudden deadline, the three head for Aswan at all speed. They are too late to intercept the contact at the hotel, but they do manage to rescue the two professors, who reveal the reasons for the heist. The mask was a gift to Ramesses II, from one of the southern African tribes as a tribute between their cultures. The mask itself is covered in gold leaf, but the actual core metal is the extremely rare metal Vibranium. The Egyptologist has dated the artwork on the mask as derivative of the tribes in what is now Wakanda.
Vibranium is extremely rare, worth a lot of money, and through a UN agreement, can only be sold to certain governments and under extreme oversight. It has all sorts of applications, especially for military purposes, and the unique nature means that in the hands of someone like Magneto, it could open up the possibility of him making some kind of WMD at will. Which makes the thirty five pounds of Vibranium that composes the mask an important asset to any terrorist organization.
They discover the exchange is taking place at the Aswan High Dam, just outside of the city. They reach it in time to disrupt the hand over. Magento's involvement is obvious as Sabretooth is on the scene, with a handful of flunkies. The battle ensued in which Sabretooth badly re-injured Remy’s bad leg. Just as they fight turns into a rout, with Rogue knocking Sabretooth from the top of the dam, a set of lights locked on them and armed men appeared all around.
They are quickly identified as SHIELD, come to take possession of the mask from them. While Egyptian authorities will want the mask back, because of the battle, there's no proof that the mask wasn't lost during it, and SHIELD's commander, Nick Fury, isn't about to leave the vibranium in the hands of that government. He thanks them for their help by letting them go, and they return back to the US .
Related Links
External Links
Trivia and Meta
Trivia
The damage done by Sabretooth to Remy's leg directly leads to the future deterioration of his condition that nearly leads to his aputation or death.
This marks the first time Storm is willing to use the skills of her former life.
Meta
Plotrunner: Dex
Ozymandias was the major domo of Apocolypse in the original comics canon. The sarcophagus of Apocolypse was covered with an Egyptian deathmask that represented his visage.
