The Wild Hunt
| The Wild Hunt | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dates run: | November 14, 2014 |
| Run By: | Dex |
| Read the logs: | The Wild Hunt |
"You know, one day I'm going to invent a time machine, go back to the point that the first person came up with this whole Weapon-X idea, and kick him right in the fucking nuts."
More secrets of the Weapon X program are revealed as the search for Kyle's kidnapped mother continues.
Contents
Cast
Kyle Gibney, Garrison Kane, Wade Wilson, Logan, David North
Tyler and Midge Gibney, Malcolm Colcord
Abraham Cornelius, Romulus and unnamed mate, Lady Deathstrike, Ajax, Washout, Slayback
Timing
Plot Summary
With Wade, Logan and Kyle having recovered from the virus, Garrison questioned Dr. Huxley, who he recognised from Canada’s Gamma Flight program. When Huxley protested he was unable to provide answers about the Weapon program without authority, Garrison called Department H head, Malcolm Colcord, who gave permission for Huxley to explain the connection the Canadian government had with the Weapon program, which was a joint research project between Canada and the US in response to the Cold War. Huxley further explained Omega Red was suffering rejection issues for the carbonadium coils in his arms and that Cornelius believed that a combination of the Thetagen-24 virus mutagen research and an extremely strong healing factor would provide a way to stablise Arkady’s reaction to the coils. The only place Huxley thought they would be able to find a strong enough healing factor was something called “The Tiber Complex”, another defunct research facility, in the Canadian Rockies. With its focus on ferals, the complex would be the best option for Arkady and Cornelius’ needs for a healing factor. However, when it was abandoned, Colcord added, several individuals were left behind, too feral to be rehabilitated. It seemed to be the best lead they had on Kyle’s mother, and with the promise of a vehicle at the Canadian border from Colcord (but no other help as the entire mission was technically illegal), the group went in pursuit.
Traversing the last distance towards the complex on foot, they came across a clearing where Omega Red and Cornelius had been, with the remnants of a camp fire and, buried in a shallow grave, the gnawed and chewed bones of what had been Kyle’s mother. However, before the group could do more than react to the atrocity, they were attacked by a wildman – one of the ferals Colcord had mentioned as being left behind as part of the program. Between the wildman’s speed, agility and savagery and another feral lurking at the edge of the clearing, the group was outmatched and chose to flee before they too were eaten, Garrison hitting the panic button on his cell to alert the X-Men.
They were able to take shelter in an old training facility building, holding off the pair for the moment. They also discovered Cornelius, severely injured and left by Arkady to die in the building. The former Weapon X researcher explained that it had been Arcady who had used Kyle’s mother as “bait” for what he called the apex feral, Romulus – the samples left behind were too old to be of use. He also explained that it had been Romulus who had forced the abandonment of the facility, taking the region as territory for himself and his mate, dismissed as a “brood mare” by Cornelius. Due to their extreme healing factors, both ferals were sterile, but during the time of the facility, it was discovered that if their DNA was mixed with ordinary DNA, they could implant the resulting embryo in an ordinary human woman and the child would gestate in weeks. Margaret Gibney had been one of those surrogates, Cornelius explained, and Kyle was the result.
Kyle barely had time to react angrily to this revelation when both North’s visions and the power went out – Romulus and his mate were coming for them. Cornelius had revealed that there was a concrete underground tunnel leading from the building several hundred yards away and hopefully out of Romulus’ territory – Kane sent Wade and Kyle to take the injured doctor to escape that way while they held off their attackers. They were hugely outmatched, despite using everything available to them, and just when it seemed they were about to be killed and eaten, rescue came in the surprising form of Deathstrike and her team. Rescue did not come without a price, as Deathstrike also took Cornelius, Kyle and Wade too beaten up and exhausted to stop her and her team (Wade tried, and nearly lost his hand). It was a relief when the Blackbird showed up and they were evacuated out by Clarice.
Related Links
X-Men Mission: The Grotesque and the Sublime
External Links
Trivia and Meta
Trivia
This plot revealed Kyle's connection to the Weapon X program and finally answered the question of his "bio-dad". It wasn't a revelation he appreciated and he still refuses to talk about it.
Meta
Plotrunner: Dex
Romulus is one of twin boys said to have been suckled by a she-wolf and later founded the city of Rome.
The title of the plot refers to the myth of the Wild Hunt, in which a man or men are hunted down.
