Atomic Angel
| Atomic Angel | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dates run: | August 10- September 17, 2009 |
| Run By: | Ben |
| Read the logs: | Atomic Angel |
"And I need to fix it! Why do you close your mind and refuse to understand what I am doing? This is the only way."
Driven into psychosis by the Hand and his own meditations, Shiro returns to Japan with a 'holy mission' that could destroy an entire city.
Part 3 of the Kemono Arc.
Contents
Cast
Shiro Yoshida, Jay Guthrie, Nicholas Gleason, Jean-Paul Beaubier
Cyclops, Rogue, Emplate, Rufus, Pants On Fire
Timing
Plot Summary
Following the mutant terrorist attack at Srinagar, India, the countries of Asia have been put on red alert. This was the first public mutant attack in that region of the world, and it highlighted just how unprepared Asia is for such an event. Since last summer, the government of Japan has been privately discussing what they could do to prepare for a domestic or international mutant threat. While establishing an analogue to SHIELD and/or Alpha Flight would be best, it's questionable whether or not the Japanese constitution would permit it. Given the already dubious status of Japan's military, the prime minister is considering a proposal to amend the constitution to explicitly permit a self-defense military. The government doubts there would be much public support, though, so the prime minister has not yet publicly announced this possibility.
Keniuchio Harada is unsurprisingly very much in support of such an
initiative, as this would allow significant increases in military spending,
and more business for Silver Samurai, Inc., which is suffering under the
global economic crisis. Even his illegal businesses in the Yakuza were
suffering due to attacks by The Hand. So a Japanese SHIELD/Alpha Flight
would be exactly what he needs to recover. Harada reasons that the Japanese
people just need some incentive to realize how much of a threat mutant
terrorists really are. Should a terrorist strike Japan on even a fraction of
the scale of Srinagar, support would shift. And although a nuclear attack
isn't really in the collective consciousness of Japan anymore, such an
attack would still resonate with the people. Fortunately for Harada, he
knows a nuclear-powered mutant who could be manipulated to unite Japan and
even take out The Hand in one fell swoop.
Harada leaked the existence and potential magical power of the sanshu no jingi to The Hand, knowing that mutant deaths would attract the X-Men and bring Shiro to their attention. He then leaked the possibility of using a mutant energy source to fuel the ritual, and plotted to "detonate" Shiro when The Hand summoned Kemono. However, The Hand discovered Harada's spy just before the events of Clause 16, and instead decided to abduct Walter Lawson for their failed scheme.
Summoning Kemono has been a bust two times now, thanks to Shiro's efforts,
and it now is pointless pursuit for the time being. The Hand has recast
their sights on the Yakuza to take revenge for having been fooled twice.
Matsu'o Tsurayaba finds Harada's plan to be a good one and decides to twist
it for his own gain; rather than launching a mutant terrorist strike on
Japanese territory, they will attack a neighboring country (China or North
Korea) and expose Japan's secret plans to develop their own SHIELD/Alpha
Flight. This blatant violation of their constitution would result in severe
international condemnation and possibly military retaliation by the victim
country, ultimately collapsing the Japanese government and allowing The Hand
to have the opportunity to pick up the pieces. All they need is Shiro.
Shiro has been having a very troubling summer. Clause 16 was barely even the
start. Jean-Paul's abduction and psychic torment left Shiro wishing to wreak
bloody vengeance on Taygetos, and even that doesn't appease him. Leyu's manifestation of powers identical to his own increase the worry that she will fall for
the same traps he did. While his relationship with Jay seems to work out at
the beginning, the failure of that relationship and the revelation of his
infidelity to Kali will leave him depressed and angry with no one to blame
but himself. And during a routine checkup, Shiro discovers that his powers
have left him infertile, a blow to his already diminished self sense of
masculinity. Meditation becomes his only solace, as it allows him to discard all
mundane concerns and lose himself in the impersonal emptiness of samsara.
In early August Shiro will start having visions while meditating of Tokyo
burning after a nuclear attack. These visions are infrequent at first, and
Shiro chalks them up to bad dreams. They soon become very repetitive,
though, invading his sleeping and waking hours. He convinces himself that
they are valid prophecies of the future and ignores the naysayers. Tired of
not being taken seriously, he goes to Tokyo alone to investigate. He
inexplicably finds himself drawn to Kanda Shrine, where Tsurayaba and
henchmen are waiting. Shiro accompanies them without argument.
He wakes up some time later chained to a wall in pitch blackness. Tsurayaba
explains Harada's plot to get him riled up, but try though he might, he
can't escape. He spends the next couple of days in the darkness, mentally
retreating into himself. When Tsurayaba finally returns to pack Shiro to
China (having figured him so deprived of power than he'll be easy to
manipulate and detonate), Shiro snaps and takes advantage of a momentary
distraction to escape. He nearly destroys the shrine when he reenters
sunlight.
When he comes to, he is by the tracks at Tokyo Station. He's disoriented,
having barely any idea where he is, how he got there, or even who he is. All
he knows is that he's being followed by people who want to hurt him, and
that he is somehow connected to the imminent destruction of Tokyo. He enjoys
a brief moment of lucidity when he crawls out of the station, and manages to
get in contact with the mansion long enough to beg for help before he's
attacked by Hand ninja and flees.
The X-Men assemble to find him following a desperate phone call answered by Nick, in which Shiro pleads for Jean-Paul's help. Since even they can tell he's losing control, they bring with them his uniform which was outfitted to help him easily discharge his energy buildup (similar to Alex's containment
shirts) and bring Jean-Paul along to calm him down. They find him at the site of his childhood home (which he blew up when his uncle shot his father, now replaced by high-rises), still disoriented and hallucinating, and they're come upon by Yakuza thugs led by Harada's lieutenants Baymax and Honey Lemon, who were sent to retrieve Shiro for Harada. He slips away during the ensuing fight. Back in New York, Marie-Ange has a sudden vision of a Japanese city up in flames, almost identical to Shiro's vision of Tokyo. Now assured that he may not have been making it up, she informs the X-Men and her description of a shrine holding a sword leads them to Atsuta Shrine, the home of Kusanagi-no-tsurugi.
They find him there, his control over his powers slipping but at least lucid
enough to recognize his teammates. When he wielded Kusanagi in
Omikami no Isan, he felt its magics strengthening him and it gave him an
edge over Tsurayaba. Now, convinced that he doesn't have much time left, he
wants to take out Tsurayaba and Harada and is assured he can do it with the
help of Kusanagi. When they are attacked once more by both Yakuza and Hand
soldiers, the team goes to battle that threat while Jean-Paul talks Shiro
down. He gets calmed enough to don his uniform which relieves a lot of the
physical stress and allows him to help the team beat them back.
When they return to New York, Shiro realizes that he needs help that Xavier
and the school can't provide. His ordeal has resulted in a loss of control
over his powers, compounded by meditation-induced psychosis and other
associated psychoses that will require intensive therapy. He leaves for
Muir, where he'll stay until he manages to reclaim his control and his
sanity.
Related Links
External Links
Trivia and Meta
Trivia
Following his breakdown and rescue, when Shiro was sent to Muir Island to recover, Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie Beaubier went with him.
Leyu remains at the school to train with her new powers.
Marie-Ange's vision also included elements which X-Force would investigate for Operation: Man of Stone.
Meta
Plotrunner: Ben
