The Genoshan Job - Part 4

Posted on Tue Mar 4th, 2025 @ 12:08am by Connor Bruin & Hayden Davis & Kennedy Kelly & Kayleigh Marshall & Maeve MacKenna & Drew Williams & Desmond Greene & Alex Summers

4,164 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Episode 6: X-Fernus Agenda
Location: Genosha
Timeline: December 8th, 1990

Nearly a whole day had passed since the central station debacle. Everyone had scattered their different ways, breaking into smaller groups that would be more difficult to follow. There was no telling who else had made it out. Every survivor could only push for the only refuge they knew, which was located outside the city of Hammer Bay in the foothills of the Ridgeback Mountains, which was adjacent to the imposing Flesh Factory nestled above the capital city and the presidential palace which crowned Havershaw Heights.

Nothing like hiding in plain sight to tempt fate.

The safehouse was as barebones as it got—a narrow tunnel entrance, concealed beneath thick jungle undergrowth, leading into a humid cave system carved into the earth. Inside, flickering lanterns cast dim pools of light against rough stone walls, illuminating crates of emergency rations, scattered bedrolls, and the weary faces of those who had made it.

Alex paced near the entrance, arms crossed, his usually composed features shadowed with tension. Drew knelt beside Maeve as they both recovered from the ordeal of their escape. The air was thick with exhaustion, sweat, and the lingering scent of smoke clinging to their clothes.

When Tandy's group stumbled in, consisting of Connor, Desmond, Kayleigh, and Kennedy. Their footfalls uneven from fatigue.

Alex turned to them immediately. "Finally. I was starting to worry nobody else made it. Did you see any of the others?"

Connor shook his head, his hands moving swiftly as he signed, "MOREAU ENACTED MARTIAL LAW AND A STRICT CURFEW. ORDERS ARE FOR ALL CITIZENS TO STAY INSIDE. THE CITY IS LOCKED DOWN. WE HAD TO MOVE CAREFULLY, BUT IT MADE FINDING ANYONE ELSE WAS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE."

Alex exhaled sharply through his nose, running a hand through his disheveled blond hair. "No news is good news, I guess," he muttered. "If Moreau had caught anyone, he'd be making a spectacle of it by now." His jaw clenched at the thought.

Tandy, still catching her breath, sat on an overturned supply crate and rubbed her temples. "They weren’t pulling punches out there. We had to dodge at least two Magistrate patrols outside the city just to get here."

Looking around, Alex realized this could very well be what was left of the Resistance in Hammer Bay. It wasn't a great scenario by any stretch. "First thing's first. How is everyone doing?"

“Tired and frustrated.” Kennedy grumbled as sat down on the floor inside the safe house. “That was an absolute disaster of a mission, we were lucky to get out of there alive.”

So far, she'd never run from a fight as an X-Man. But this hadn't been like any fight she'd been in. "No kidding" Hayden said. She leaned against the cave wall, tired and hurting. "And I'm sore in places I never been sore before. A few minutes to catch my breath would be nice."

"Is this what you guys' missions are like? Fighting, and killing rhino dudes and hoping the despotic eugenic dictator dude doesn't find us?" Desmond asked. His voice rumbled deeply, almost disappearing in the background hum of others talking. He found a reasonably flat wall to sit against. The heavy thud blew up dust from the ground. "This is hecking crazy!"

“Just fine and dandy if you count failure as a good option.” Kayleigh sighed. “We saved Maeve, but what else did it get us apart from becoming the hunted?”

Maeve felt bad enough about being caught, even more so that people had to come and save her. They put their lives on the line and even though the attack on the Flesh Factory was pre-planned anyway it didn't make it any easier to know that some may have lost their lives in doing so.

The cave rumbled slightly as Maeve's emotions flared. She was still having trouble after being out of touch with them for so long due to the collar she'd been forced to wear. That, and the fact she was in pain from being tortured by Windrider and held captive in such a restrictive way. "It destroyed that horrible place where they torture mutants." she said quietly in response to Kayleigh, but more so that everyone would know it wasn't just a target on their back for the sake of an attack. "We need to go back out there and keep fighting for the people here." she rose shakily, holding onto the interior rock of the cave. Another rumble rippled through as her hand connected leaving small minor cracks in its surface.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Kayleigh offered an apologetic glance as she looked towards Maeve. “We’re not going to give up, but right now we need to stay hidden for our own safety. We all need time to gather our strength.”

"Right," Alex agreed, grimly smiling and nodding at Kayleigh for her practical perspective. "Because the Flesh Factory is still up there on the mountainside. All we did was blow up the transport hub that sent those Magistrates wherever Moreau needs. We crippled them, but unless we take that factory down, then Moreau will gather his strength as well, and once he does, there won't be anywhere on this island to hide."

"WE NEED TO RESCUE OUR FRIENDS AS WELL," Connor interjected, thinking of Kurt and Tyrone. "THEY COULD HELP US ESCAPE."

Drew was leaning on the cave wall. He was quiet as the others spoke up. He didn't know anyone from the Resistance fighters and he certainly didn't trust them.

The sound of heavy breathing and shuffling footsteps echoed through the cave, cutting through the tense murmurs of the group. All heads turned as Victor Creed emerged from the jungle tunnel, looking like something the cat had not only dragged in but chewed up and spat out. His face was a mess of bruises and dried blood, one eye swollen nearly shut, his clothes torn and crusted with dirt. He limped forward, favoring one leg, but his presence was no less commanding. The sheer force of will that had kept him alive radiated from him like a storm cloud.

"There is no escape," he snarled, his voice rough as gravel. He swept his glowing, predatory gaze over the assembled survivors. "There is victory... or death."

Alex stepped forward, instantly on guard. "Everyone, get back," he ordered, his tone sharp as his hand lifted, crackling with the warning hum of pent-up plasma energy. His stance was rigid, his expression unrelenting. "You better start talking, Creed. Where the hell have you been?"

Victor bared his teeth, his own hackles rising at the challenge. He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Oh, you know. Took a nice little swim," he sneered. "That storm that weather witch kicked up blew my ass out to sea. I got washed through a culvert and had to crawl my way back inland through a muddy ditch, bleeding all the damn while." His muscles coiled as he took a step closer. "Now put your damn hand down before you lose it."

The energy in Alex's palm flared without discharging, but he didn't back down. "How did Moreau know we were coming, huh?" he demanded. "Why did everything go to hell right after you were late stealing that truck? How did they know every move we made before we made it? How is it that you're standing here, barely worse for wear, when almost everyone else got slaughtered?"

Victor let out a low, dangerous growl. "Because I’m a survivor, same as you. Same as everyone left in this cave," he shot back. His breath was ragged, his body still bearing the wounds of battle, but the fire in his voice never wavered. "Quitting now is the coward's way out, and I ain't no coward. I swear to the devil himself I'm gonna see this through to the end."

Alex's jaw clenched, his fingers twitching around the barely restrained energy gathering in his palm. "Yeah," he said, voice cold. "And that end is gonna be a cage or a pine box. For all of us."

"Heh," Victor grunted. "Never took you for a coward, Summers."

"Better a coward than a traitor," Alex retorted.

Victor’s patience snapped. A guttural roar tore from his throat as he took another step forward, his whole body vibrating with rage. "Say that again, Summers!" he dared, his hands curling into claws. "Say that again and see what happens!"

The air in the cave grew thick, charged with the weight of the impending clash. The X-Men stood frozen in the middle of it, caught between the two men—one of pure discipline and controlled destruction, the other a force of raw, unrelenting carnage. The tension crackled like a live wire, ready to snap at any moment.

Maeve shuffled forward, her feet dragging a little behind her. "Fighting with ourselves is a sure fire way of none of us surviving anything. We are better than that guy... please stop. We need to take that factory out, but..." she hesitated. Moreau had mentioned an inside man and she felt it was important to mention it. However, she didn't know these men, she knew her team and looked over at Connor, her leader.

Drew finally spoke up. His words directed at Victor Creed. "I'm not one of your foot soldiers. I have no intention of dying for your cause. I'm here to rescue Ty and Kurt and then get off this Godforsaken island with my team." He turned to Alex Summers. "You talk about a traitor in our midst. You're probably right. So figure it out. Understand something though. I'm here to help those prisoners up in the Flesh Factory escape their tormentors. That's it. I don't give a rats ass about either one of you or Doctor Moreau." He finally turned to Connor. "Time for the X-Men to come up with our own plan, because I am not going to follow either one of these guys again." He knew his words were a challenge to all three men. He was okay with that.

“You’re just going to let the mutant slaves suffer?!” Kennedy seemed offended by Drew’s statement and her voice almost raised to a shout. “You think Ty and Kurt would feel good about leaving this place as is after what happened to them?! You might not care what happens to the slaves of Genosha, but I do. Moreau needs to be stopped and his Magistrate watch dogs taken down. This whole island needs to be freed, not just the people we care about.”

Kennedy huffed and stood up as a rush of adrenaline gave her energy to continue. “You have a spy in your group. If that’s true, we’re doomed before we try anything. Whatever we say or plan, they’ll tell Moreau and we lose any advantage we come up with. So let’s find them right now, look at the chain of events and get rid of them, then we plan our next move.”

“Those of you in the Flesh Factory were freed by Alex. He saw your uniforms and knew to get you out, he changed his intel mission to a rescue mission. At the camp, Victor and John planned an attack but were soon stopped. We couldn’t free everyone and had to let them fend for themselves. Then Victor was late to the train heist and he forgot to get the password along with the vehicle… combined with the fact that Moreau brought Maeve to the train station because of the leaked information. Rhino and Windrider were waiting for us, it was all known before we acted.” Kennedy huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Victor, it looks bad for you. Especially when you get defensive and angry anytime someone questions your whereabouts.”

“Hold on one minute” Kayleigh sighed. “For all we know this so called spy in our midst could be an innocent one, with all the experiments they were doing, they could easily have made someone a spy who doesn’t even know they’re doing it.” She glanced at Victor uncertain how she felt about him. “Right now we all need to rest, recouperate, and get any injuries tended to before we go out to rescue anyone else.”

While Kayleigh spoke, Victor's had lips curled back into a sneer as he leveled a glare at Kennedy. "Now you wanna' run your mouth too?" His voice was quiet at first, his tone like gravel scraping against steel. "You wanna dogpile on Summers’ little conspiracy theory and act like you know a damn thing about what I've been through?"

His fists clenched at his sides, his whole body vibrating with tension. "Listen here, you sanctimonious little bitch," he snarled, his voice rising as he took a step forward. "You ain't got a goddamn clue what it takes to survive this hellhole, and I sure as shit don't need some mouthy twat with a bow tellin' me how it is!"

Kennedy barely had time to react before Victor's massive hand swung out in a brutal backhand. The impact sent her flying against the rough cavern wall with a sickening crack, the force knocking the breath from her lungs as pain exploded along her side.

"Now shut your goddamn whore mouth before I shut it permanently," he growled, standing over her, radiating fury.

Kennedy’s head practically snapped backwards as the back of Victor’s hand made impact with the side of her face. The blow stung but it was her impact with the wall behind her that made her see stars. Things went dark for a moment as Kennedy crumbled like a doll to the ground. She was lifeless for a moment before she regained consciousness, her breath coming back to her in a sharp, hissed inhale. Screaming pain through her skull and the taste of coppery blood filled her mouth as she remained dazed for a moment.

Drew had moved to check on Kennedy. He didn't like bullies and Victor was turning out to be the worst sort.

Hayden was content to let the boys fight it out while she searched for something. She soon found a container marked with a red colored cross indicating a medical kit. There probably wasn't anything powerful enough in it to really help Kennedy, but a little relief might be welcome. Hayden quickly brought it over and knelt down next to her.

"It looks like there's different medicines for pain and inflammation," she said as she opened it and rummaged through. "Some wraps and bandages if you think that'll help. Oh, um, water." She gathered the molecules into a small pool of water in front of her hand and caused a small fountain to arc upwards. 'There. Just like the water fountains at the school," she added with a smile.

“Thanks.” Kennedy said to Hayden before she swished and spat out the now red-tinted water from her mouth, that hunter’s gaze returned to her eyes and she focused on Victor. “I’ll be fine…” That wasn’t completely true but her temper and her adrenaline were high.

“Fuck you Victor!” Kennedy hissed while clawing her way back to her feet.

“That was a warning to keep your mouth shut, but if you’re a dumb bitch on top of all of that, I’ll gladly knock some more sense into you, Victor said with a snide chuckle while flexing his clawed fingers.

Alex's restraint finally snapped. His eyes blazed with raw fury as his hand shot up, crackling with barely restrained energy. "That's enough!"

With a concussive blast, a beam of plasma rocketed forward, striking Victor square in the chest. The force sent him hurtling upward into the ceiling of the cave, where he collided with a deafening boom, sending loose rock and dust cascading down. The entire cavern rumbled from the force of the impact.

Victor groaned as he tumbled back to the ground, landing in a heap but already starting to stir.

Before anyone else could move, a new voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Cut. The. Fucking. Shit. Now."

John Proudstar stood at the cave entrance, his expression dark and uncompromising, his massive frame backlit by the faint moonlight filtering in. He held a high caliber pistol in both hands, yet the weight of his presence alone was enough to make the air in the cave feel heavier. He stepped forward, gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Victor, then Alex.

"You want to throw down, you do it on your own goddamn time. Right now, we have bigger problems," he growled. "The next person who takes a swing at someone else? I put a bullet in you myself."

Silence fell over the cave, thick and uneasy. Even Victor, still dazed from Alex's blast, didn't push back.

Connor, who had remained quiet through the chaos, finally stepped forward, his mechanical voice cutting through the tension with cold finality. "IF THERE IS A TRAITOR AMONG US, THEN THERE IS ONLY ONE SOLUTION. NO ONE GOES OFF ALONE. NO ONE SLEEPS ALONE. NO ONE EVEN TAKES A PISS ALONE." His gaze swept across the assembled group. "IF WE STAY TOGETHER, WE WILL FIND OUT WHO THE MOLE IS."

Alex's jaw tightened, his arms crossing as he weighed the idea. "You really expect us to babysit each other 24/7? That’s not exactly a flawless plan."

Victor spat a wad of blood onto the cave floor, pushing himself to his feet with a glare. "Great. Just what I wanted. A goddamn sleepover."

John's expression remained unreadable, but there was an edge of approval in his tone. "It’s the best shot we’ve got," he said. "And we’re gonna need to work together, whether we like it or not. Because I have a plan to get us inside the Flesh Factory." He holstered his weapons and eyed everyone uneasily. "But first we gotta agree not to tear each other apart."

From his seat behind the group, Desmond spoke up. "I get why Victor's being looked at suspiciously. Kennedy summed it up all nice there. But the big guy over there also just showed up, pretty much without a scratch on him." The other big guy, Desmond, pulled himself back up on his feet. "Proudstar also wasn't with us when we were waiting on Victor to show up with the transport. I'm new here, but why do we distrust Victor and trust John, if the situation seems so similar?"

“John has been part of the rebellion from the start…” Tandy replied but she seemed a little uncertain, “He was taking me to this safehouse… when I was captured and sent to the camp.” She suddenly seemed doubtful of Proudstar as another moment of bad luck was divulged to the group. “But you got away, didn’t you?”

"Yeah, how do you think we planned a rescue so fast?" John said. "If I was dirty, I coulda' just left you there!" He looked around at the rest of them. "That goes for all of you!"

Right now Kayleigh was wishing she was back at the mansion, everything had fallen apart but she knew they had to keep on fighting. She had to wonder just who they could really trust right now.

"HERE IS HOW IT IS GOING TO BE," Connor said, signing faster than his speech-generating device could speak. "JOHN PROUDSTAR CLAIMS HE HAS A PLAN, BUT THE X-MEN ARE GOING TO COME UP WITH OUR OWN. WE WILL ASSIGN EVERYONE A ROLE TO PLAY WITHOUT THEM KNOWING THE FULL SCOPE. THAT WAY IF WE DO HAVE A TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST, THEY CANNOT ALERT THE MAGISTRATES WITHOUT GIVING IT AWAY."

Victor's expression soured immediately. "This is bullshit," he muttered, shaking his head. "I ain't playin' some game of blindfold-and-hope for the best. I should know the damn plan."

John crossed his arms, his jaw set tight. “I already got a plan. One that doesn’t involve second-guessing everyone in the goddamn cave.”

Alex spoke up. "And I'm sure it's a great plan, John. But Connor's right—if someone's feeding Moreau intel, we need to limit what gets out. You don't like it? Tough." He turned his sharp blue eyes to the group. "Like Connor said before, we all stick together. No one goes anywhere alone. But I say we group up into quartets. That way there's no chance of someone slipping a message out unnoticed."

Victor let out a low, guttural growl. "I give the orders," he snarled. "You don’t like it, you can take your little school club and—"

"NO," Connor cut through Victor's growling. His face was set with pure resolve. "STAY HERE AND GIVE ALL THE ORDERS YOU WANT. THE X-MEN ARE STEPPING UP NOW. IF YOU WANT TO COME ALONG, THEN YOU WILL FALL IN LINE."

Victor narrowed his eyes, his fangs bared slightly.

But John exhaled and shrugged to shake off the tension. "Fair enough," he muttered. "Long as we're still busting into that factory, I don't really give a shit how we do it."

Victor clicked his tongue against his teeth, exhaling sharply through his nose. His whole body radiated barely restrained irritation, but he jerked his chin at Connor. “Fine. What’s the play, then?”

Connor smirked and simply signed, "GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES." Without another word, he strode toward the back of the cave, disappearing into the supply stash to take inventory.

There was a scoff from Victor but didn't push the issue further. Instead, his sharp gaze flicked toward Kennedy, lingering for a long moment. His jaw clenched, then, barely audible over the crackling embers in the center of the cave, he muttered, “Sorry... That hit was outta line.”

“But bitch, twat, and a whore mouth were perfectly acceptable?” Kennedy said with a glare. Her high cheekbone was already starting to bruise but the severe headache and the lacerations inside her mouth were the lingering pain. “Spare me your apologies and just have our backs when we storm the Flesh Factory. I hope I’m wrong for questioning your motives.”

Kennedy looked past Victor and towards the direction Connor had travelled off to. “He’s smarter than you think he is, Connor will come up with a good plan. Just play your part because we all want the same thing, this island needs to be liberated.”

Drew stayed close to Kennedy. He didn't trust Victor. He considered the man nothing more than an arrogant bully. His expression one of utter contempt when he looked at the man. The only good thing Drew thought of the man was that he probably wasn't the traitor. That would take two things that Victor Creed didn't possess. Patience and intelligence.

Connor reemerged from the shadows of the cave, his smirk barely visible in the dim firelight. In one hand, he held a pack of explosive Semtex, and in the other, a folded map—worn, creased, and undoubtedly vital to whatever plan he'd just devised. He let the weight of his return settle over the group before finally breaking the silence.

"THIS IS GOING TO TAKE TIME," he signed, "AND MAXIMUM EFFORT. SO EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET SOME REST WHILE THEY CAN."

Alex nodded, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Right. If we're doing this, let's do it smart. We sleep in shifts. No one gets caught off guard—whether it's an attack or our mole slinking off to pass intel." His gaze flickered toward Victor and John. "You two good with that?"

Victor clicked his tongue, his arms crossed tight over his chest. "Fine. Long as it means we ain't wastin' any more time sitting on our asses than needed."

John gave a noncommittal shrug. "Don't see as how we have any much choice. We have to work together."

Connor didn't acknowledge their agreement beyond a brief nod. Instead, he gestured toward the others. "PAIR UP," he signed. "DRAW STRAWS FOR FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD WATCH."

Drew shrugged. "I'll take middle shift. I really don't require a lot of sleep anyway. A speedsters stamina and all." He wasn't planning on sleeping anyway. Not when there was a high probability that a traitor was in their midst.

"I can take third watch." Kennedy volunteered "I wouldn't mind sleeping for a bit but I naturally wake up rather early." She helped herself to some of the pain medication that Hayden had offered her, she swallowed them dry before finding a place to lay down.

"I don't mind what watch I take." Maeve looked around the group. "But I think I need to lie down for a bit. I wasn't really allowed to sleep, or rest very much before..."

"THAT LEAVES KAYLEIGH, HAYDEN, AND JOHN WITH ME," Connor said. "ALEX, YOU TAKE SECOND WITH DESMOND, DREW, AND VICTOR. MAEVE CAN JOIN KENNEDY AND I WITH THIRD." He clapped his hands and urged everyone to be about it. Tomorrow would be a long day.

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