|
" You've succeeded?" Came a female voice. Jasper knelt down and nodded, " Indeed I ‘ave Ms. Yamamoto." " Where is he?" " ‘E is resting. We ‘ad to keep ‘im sedated so ‘e would not fight back." Ms. Yamamoto scowled, " He resisted?" " It's not ‘is fault. This ‘ole thing is a shock to ‘im." " It will be hard to breed him if he doesn't cooperate," Ms. Yamamoto replied, getting up and peering out the window of the large building she owned. " I was more than happy to assist in creating Black Womb II. We've gone, however, at least 2 years without T-3. We can't wait forever." Jasper stood up an approached, " Ms. Yamamoto, it'll take some time. Per'aps I can persuade ‘im to think differently?" She turned to him and scowled, " How do you plan to do that, Jasper? You're mind control?" " I'm a very good speaker. I don't need my powers for such trivial things." He paused and thought of a possible solution. " Pair me with ‘im." " YOU?" Ms. Yamamoto growled. " There are several women for you to choose. Why do you want T-3 as your partner?" " I like ‘im. And I think the match is perfect. You'll get S quality brood I'm sure with the two of us put together. That'll beat the A quality you'd get pairing me with the lower A-Grade women." " You are the only S Grade, Jasper. What makes you think he's worth it. We had hoped to pair you with another S-Grade." " ‘E is S-Grade." Jasper argued. " ‘E survived more tests than anyone. ‘E is, after me, the pride of Black Womb. I demand ‘im or my breeding quality shall never contribute to Black Womb II." Ms. Yamamoto sat back at her chair behind her desk, " You strike a hard bargain, Jasper. Very well...if you'd rather submit and take T-3 as your partner, I can't object. We did after all, have a deal. You could have your pick." " You wn't regret this, Ms. Yamamoto," Jasper bowed, " You'll get many fine specimens from this pairing." *** Wanda brought her hand to her head and groaned, " What...happened?" " We were led straight into a trap," Scott huffed. " Where are we?" From Beast. " Power house," Wolverine replied, slashing the door down. " They didn't do very good holding us in," Kitty observed. " I don't think they intended on harming us in the first place." " They wanted Toad," Wanda explained. " I heard the one called Mudley say they were after him and we were in the way. If we're all in here, then that means they have Toad." Jean stepped out and did a scan, " They are nowhere in the area." " All of you go back to the mansion,"Wolverine ordered. " Maybe the Prof. Can find something with Cerebro. I'm going to look on foot." " I'm going with you," Wanda insisted, " I'm the only one allowed to abuse that slime-ball, and I plan to do something about those pains in the..." " I'm not about to play babysitter," Wolverine argued. " Go back to New York. Maybe you'll be able to find something." *** Toad let out a heavy sigh, not objecting to the touch anymore. He was too sedated to fight back. He lay on his bed and gave an occassional glance at the barred window. He could feel someone laying behind him, stroking his hair. He didn't feel restricted at all, definately meaning a change of clothing in the process of his unconscousness. " Why are you doing this to me?" " Just relax. No need to strain yourself." Toad didn't even have to look to identify the metallic voice, " Jasper, why am I not surprised?" " You've been out for three days. I was beginning to get worried." " Where are we?" " Black Womb II." Toad forced himself up and dragged himself to the barred window, peering out. It was unfamiliar territory, yet somehow he had a strange feeling. " I don't know this place." " Osaka." " Wha..." " The empire of technology, it seems. Japan." " Where are..." " They are safe," Jasper interrupted. " We didn't do any ‘arm to them." Toad glanced down at his clothing. Mirror had worn the same exact clothes. He turned to Jasper and frowned. Jasper smiled weakly and came closer, " I made them give you a painted room, Todd. I know the lights and the bright color ‘urts your eyes." Toad nodded, " Why are you being so nice to me?" " Why wouldn't I? We'll be spending a lot of time together from now on." " But..." " What ‘ave they ever done for you?" Jasper asked. Toad knew exactly who he was talking about. " I...they...were my friends." " Chaps don't abuse each other. They didn't care about you the way you wanted them to." Jasper sat down. Toad glanced at him, realizing just how large that bed was. It actually looked inviting. " Sit." " I'd...rather not." He looked out the window. " I thought you said Black Womb II was a breeding thing." " T'is." "So, now what? They gonna whore me out?" " Such a dirty mouth," Jasper chuckled. " You've already been paired with someone." " Where is she?" " I'm she." *** Xavier scanned with Cerebro. Jean frowned, " Any luck?" " It's not as easy as I thought. Wherever they are, they are equipped to handling mutants." " Maybe Wolverine has something?" *** Wolverine glanced around, sniffing the air, " A plane?" He glanced down to see a strange object lying on the ground. Picking it up, he noticed strange markings. This was an emblem...much like the X on the costumes of the X-Men. It was, however, written in Kanji. He snorted. Why would there be Kanji in York? " I thought I told you to stay behind, Witch?" " I have no respect for authority," Wanda replied, walking in closer. " Where is he?" " Japan." " Why Japan?" " Why anywhere? " I'm going after him." " How will you find him? Japan is bigger than you think. What you need is someone who's been there before and knows it backwards and forwards." Wanda spun around, " WHERE will I find a person like that?!" Wolverine growled, " ME! I know the language and know the area. Maybe this emblem is not as mysterious as we think." *** " I told you to relax." " Forget you!" Toad spat, spitting slime into Jasper's face. " I just want to be left alone." " You can't evade me forever." " I can. If this is a breeding program than you have no business in this bed." Jasper began to laugh and snuggled up to Toad, " You seem to misunderstand my powers, Todd. Do you honestly think Black Womb would be stupid enough to pair me with you...if we couldn't produce offspring together?" Toad turned over on his back to stare him in the face, " What are you talking about?" " Z-4: Jasper Banks. Don't you remember me, Todd? I was the bed across from you. Non-Gender...psychic...." he leaned in closer, " shapeshifter." Toad remained silent a moment, before pushing Jasper off, " You're a guy." " I merely ‘ave the build of a man..and yes...I do live as a man. But I've no gender. I'm neither and both. I'm an S-Grade mutant. I can mimic forms, powers, voices....become completely ‘oo I want to be....man...woman....animal...mythical creature...you name it." Toad hated the feeling of deja vu. But this was a serious case of it. He sat up and brough his knees to his chest....making himself harder to get at. " I don't care." " I can be Wanda." Toad covered his hears, " No, not again." Jasper took Toad's hands and kissed them, " I'm not going to ‘urt you. Far from it. I'm doing my best to protect you. I'm the superior in our group. Stick with me and you will certainly not be far behind." " Why?" " I'm convinced you're another S-Type. You can adapt better than most of them. It doesn't matter what environment or what exerpience...you can adapt and bounce back." Toad watched him warily. " Because of my supriority over the A types, and my cooperation and loyalty...Black Womb II agreed to allow me to choose my own partner." " Why me?" " You've always been my favorite. And I can see things in you that no one else can. I know what it is you want...and I'd be more than happy to try and give it to you." Toad lowered his head, " Why are guys promising this crap to me?! I'm NOT a homosexual!" Jasper laughed. " Give in, Todd." " I will not, Yo." " Would you if Wanda were your partner?" Toad was silent. " She doesn't like me." He peered up and gasped seeing Wanda in front of him...red bathrobe...silk. " Wanda?" " I told you I could give you what you wanted." Jasper said in Wanda's voice, resting beside Toad, " Between the two of us...we could create demi-gods." Toad pushed "Wanda" away and eyed him angrily. " I don't like this game. I've never made a big deal about being the fool...but you won't do that to me." " No, you'll do it to me." Jasper said...still in Wanda's voice. Toad was beginning to have trouble turning the offer down. Jasper did however look exactly like Wanda...especially after removing the robe. Toad was, after all, a young teenage boy. He had seen her naked lots of times....more times than Wanda knew about. He swallowed hard. Jasper smiled, " Go ahead. I won't fight." Toad turned away, " I can't believe this." Jasper or "Wanda" leaned in, pressing "her" chest against him. " I'll understand, Todd....if you want to call out her name. You won't hurt my feelings." Toad felt weak. Logic would prevent him from giving in to this shapeshifting. But, Jasper was correct after all. Toad slightly remembered a sexless mutant in his Black Womb days. Simply being flat-chested and masculine in appearance, yet with a feminine accent. It was a lovely feature in men that Toad didn't have. Very few men had it that way. Pietro had it.... Toad shook his head. " I don't fantasize about him." " My joke, Todd," Jasper "Wanda" chuckled. " It's her you want....you are quite a monster in those fantasies." " You're not Wanda." " This may be as close as you'll ever get to her. If she were me....as much as I am her now....what would you do to her?" Toad was silent. He let out a defeated sigh, " Probably take advantage of the moment." Jasper "Wanda" nodded and leaned in, kissing him. Toad's brain seemed to shut off. Before he could stop himself...he had embraced her. " Wanda..." *** " HEY!" " They aren't deaf, Wanda," Wolverine sighed.He turned to see someone else. After getting his attention, he spoke fluent Japanese..making Wanda feel dizzy. " Any luck?" " He says it's a pet pin." Wolverine enterpreted. " Property tags used in Osaka on breeding stock. He couldn't remember the company's name or the product. But I'll give you three guesses who's there and what they plan on using him for." " Breeding stock? Toad?" Wanda gasped. " Makes sense. Humans breed animals to retain certain favorable qualities...then it becomes a breed. Wouldn't surprise me if Black Womb is experimenting doing the same with mutants. Safest to experiment on subjects they already have marked and own. There must be certain qualities in the Kid that they are desperate to integrate into their breeding program." Wanda thought hard about that, " Well, aside from being gross...I suppose...but that doesn't make sense. Mutants all over the place have better qualities." " It would take too much time to study each new mutant. They already know everything about Black Womb patients. Health, history, everything. This would mean just throwing a pair together with the qualities sought after and letting them pop out puppies bred for specific purposes." " That's awful." Wanda pouted, " Wolverine, let's hop on the next whatever to Osaka. Toad or no Toad, mutant breeding doesn't sound very.....safe. Sounds like something my father would set up." *** " You're not ‘appy?" " How can I be?" Toad sighed. Jasper had re-taken his form after the event and stroked Toad's hair. " What is it about ‘er that drives you crazy?" He asked sadly. " She's so beautiful and strong." " You want a woman to dominate you?" " Well...not...really. I don't know what I want." " Nice to ‘ear you admit that." Toad sighed. He got up and looked out the window. " Osaka is pretty," From Jasper. " Where are the others?" Jasper got up and handed Toad the white clothes, " We're still working on providing you with a nice wardrobe." " I want..." " We'll see them." Jasper led Toad to the Rec Room where a handful of the Black Womb mutants had gathered. Jasper pointed and gave Toad a push forward, " That interesting young lady over there is N-6: Cheryl Mudley." " Everyone just calls me Mudley though," She smiled. " Psychic Commander." " You've met Duke North, Negator. Sidewinder, just a nickname. S-4 Simon Yess. Physical mutations and snake-like abilities. A-4: John Wolfe, wolf-like abilities and physical mutations. X-2: Vivian Boone, aka Vixen. Animal features and martial artist. Keen senses. This is the small ‘andful that took part in retrieving you." " A lot of others are in their suites," Mudkey chimed in. " And some giving birth," From Duke. " Kinda funny," Wolfe sighed. " Teachers tell us not to ‘ave sex as teens and that parents should be adults in at least their mid-twenties. None of us ‘ave even ‘it 16 yet and already parents." " Some of us," Vixen corrected. " I've not ‘ad a baby yet." " I ‘ave." Mudley replied. " Little boy...Andrew." Toad shook his head. He peered over at Jasper who smiled. Vixen giggled, " So, it's true, isn't it, Jasper? Todd is your breeding partner?" " Manners, Vixen." Jasper warned. " We may be a tight community but we must not invade what little privacy we have." *** Ms. Yamamoto folded her hands, " You're still interested?" " I've had experience with T-3 before." The woman bowed. " I'd be honored to continue monitoring him." " Start today. Take notes. We'll be performing a little experiment after they've all woken up. He's paired with an S-Grade, Jasper Banks." " I remember Jasper." " Hai, so you know to use extreme caution. Jasper is rather demanding but resonable. We tend to let him call the shots since everyone respects him." Toad opened his eyes. It had been a week since he came to Black Womb II. He actually was beginning to become content waking up every morning and peering out at Osaka below. He even.....was content to wake up with warmth beside him. He turned and smiled at a sleeping Jasper. He didn't know for sure if he had any true love for Jasper. He was, however, quite fond of him. He was always there to stroke his hair or massage him or whisper nice things to him at night. No one ever wanted to do those things before. He smiled, hoping, if he had to stay in Osaka, that perhaps they'd create a base so they would be able to have places of their own to live. Even apartments. Some sense if freedom to actually enjoy life outside of this breeding thing. Free room and bored...free food free clothes tax-free...just to spend his days breeding with his partner and maintaining himself. " Lovely day," he heard Jasper say. He nodded, " Just thinking about some things." " I ‘ope they were good things." He forced himself out of bed and smiled, " We ‘ave a test today. We'll all be meeting in the Chamber." " What for?" " Some new product." Toad frowned, " I don't want to be a part of anymore experiments. If I have to stay in Black Womb II, I'll agree to the whole breeding thing, but not more elixers....no more experiments. I've had enough." *** " Wolverine, this is taking FOREVER!" Wanda hissed. " Calm down, Wanda. There's nothing we can do right now. The Professor said to just sit tight and wait here in Osaka until he could send us a team." " They could be torturing Toad and you want us to just wait?" " Yep. I doubt they'd do anything stupid. They went through a lot to get the Toad. I don't think they'd do that if they planned on plain torture." *** Toad frowned and sat down in the corner of the Chamber. The Chamber always meant gas tests. Jasper said so. He watched as everyone seemed to chatter carelessly. " Ohayo gozaimasu, minn-san," Ms. Yamamoto said over the speaker. " I want to thank you for coming cooperatively for this test. Hopefully, if all goes well, this should have no lasting effect after the vapors clear." A large ball was tossed into the Chamber and it released a green foul-smelling gas. Everyone coughed at the smell mostly. It filled the whole room, but after a few minutes, lifted and seemed to vanish. The others coughed and glanced at each other. " Smells like someone cut one," Mudley coughed. " Lovely imagery," Jasper replied flatly. " I ‘ope the smell doesn't stick to my clothes." Duke spoke up. " Cake," Vixen smiled. " If it was to ‘ave no effects, why'd we ‘ave to test it?" Wolfe suddenly asked. They all shrugged. Jasper turned to Toad, who had been awfully quiet. The poor kid was still crouched in the corner and covering his head. " Todd, you alright?" No answer. " Todd?" " Can't you bloody ‘ear, Boy?" Duke spat. In an instant, Toad leapt forward, grabbing Duke about the neck and lifting him by the throat into the air and against the wall. His face was blank and angry. The strength clamped Duke's air off. Jasper ran over to him, " Todd, let go!" The retort was a whack from him. However, he did drop Duke. Sidewinder noticed the predatorial advance and slithered over, wrapping about Toad and constricting. It wasn't doing much good. He was amazed at the strength Toad used to push back. Jasper stared into Toad's face. The eyes...they glowed with such blank rage. Like some witless rabid animal. It made him sick to feel this energy from him, " ENOUGH!" He was up in a flash and placed a hand on Toad's forehead, dropping him unconscious. " What the bloody ‘Ell?!" Duke coughed. " We were set up," Jasper whispered. " I know what that stuff was." " Where did that violent rage come from?" Mudley asked. " And why did none of us show any?" From Wolfe. " Wart Gas," Jasper replied. " It's an experimental drug originally tested on reptiles and amphibians. Inhumane acting tactic. I've seen it before. Reptiles and amphibians ‘ave a special chemical in their bodies that react negatively to the gas. They go into fits of violent rage and almost insane rabid-like behavior." " Odd." From Duke. " I've seen it when it was originally used. A gag checmical used to make frogs, chameleons and alligators battle for audiences looking for viscious bloodshed." " But, they are animals," From Wolfe. " T-3..... ‘e's got amphibial mutations. It's possible perhaps ‘e also ‘as the chemical. Ms. Yamamoto tested the gas on ‘im....wondering if he'd react to it and attack us." " Think she's planning on using T-3 as a weapon?" From Mudley. " I'm not sure," Jasper scowled. *** " Jasper?" Toad choked out. Jasper sat down and changed the wet cloth on his head. " You gave us a scare." " What happened?" " Wart Gas. Seems your seed isn't the only thing Black Womb II is interested in from you. You're a pretty tough bloke." " I...can't remember." " It's okay, Todd." Jasper leaned down and kissed his cheek, " I'll do everything I can to make sure no one ‘urts you." " I don't feel so good." " I know. You'll be fine though, trust me." Toad turned over on his side. " I don't think I like it here, Jasper." He pushed back the tears in vain. " What the HELL is happening to me?!" Jasper was patient and comforted his partner. " Todd, it's gonna be okay. Trust me. Wart Gas causes emotional shut-downs. You're recovering from the effects. So, your emotions are going to be out of whack for a couple hours. Just ‘ang in there. I'm ‘ere for you." He thought a long moment then frowned. =Wart Gas= he thought to himself =Why would she want Wart Gas? She's up to something. Is she honestly thinking of using Todd as a weapon? Or....will she...test it...on our offpsring? A viscious army. S-Grades too. I will not be a toy for some Homo Sapien!= To Be continued... | ||||
