Uncanny X-Men (Marvel Omega)

Confrontation

Somewhere In The Sahara

He is Fantomex. That is the only name he has ever been known by. He was born in the Garden – or rather, grown there. It's a creation of the Black Womb, they grow mutants in vats and accelerate their aging. Technically, they're not really mutants – they're something more.

Fantomex was engineered for assassination missions. As his name implies, he is like a phantom. He moves with uncanny speed, his marksmanship is unmatched, and he is virtually invisible to psionics and radar. He was designed to feel no remorse, and the word 'morality' has never been part of his vocabulary.

Now though, he feels a pang of guilt and failure. When he escaped from Black Womb, he thought he was free of them. Until he discovered they used his genetic material to produce another mutant. His offspring, his son or daughter – he never knew which. And now, he fears he never will. Amanda Mueller and Black Womb have found a way to keep their claws latched onto him. He's going to find out what he can about his child, even if he has to destroy Black Womb in order to do it. And no one, not even the X-Men, will stand in his way.

He takes one last look at the Blackbird and the small gathering of mutants camped outside of it before beginning to walk in the opposite direction. Before he can take his next step, however, a small fire erupts before him.

"Where are you going?"

Fantomex turns and sees the figure of Leyu Yoshida hovering behind him. She is one of his teammates in the X-Men, called Sunpyre.

"That doesn't concern you, Miss Yoshida," he replies.

"Where are you going?" she repeats.

"Back to the wreckage," he says. "I'm going to find any survivors from that base, and I'm going to make them tell me where my child is. And if they refuse to tell me, or if they plead ignorance, I'm going to shoot them. Repeatedly."

"Are you an idiot?" asks Sunpyre. "The Blackbird is damaged and Ever is out of commission, so we can't attempt a telepathic link. We have to wait for someone to answer our radio signal."

"Then you wait for an answer," he replies. "I joined the X-Men for one reason – and that reason was to find my child. So if the X-Men aren't willing to assist me, then I'm going back on my own."

He turns from Leyu once more and continues walking from the campsite.

"Coward..." mutters Sunpyre.

"What was that?" asks Fantomex.

"You heard me," replies Sunpyre. "You're a coward."

Fantomex turns and walks back towards her. He stands a few feet from her and holds a gun to her. He presses the barrel against her forehead.

"I don't think I heard you correctly," he says. "Please repeat."

Sunpyre keeps her eyes trained on his and then she repeats herself, "You're a coward."

"I've killed people for less than that, child," he says.

"You're the one having the temper tantrum and I'm the child," says Sunpyre. "That's rich."

"Do you have a deathwish or something?"

"No," she replies. "I just call it like I see it. And what I see – what I'm looking at – is a coward. You heard what Nightcrawler told us about Cassandra, and it scares you. For the first time, the mighty Fantomex is terrified. So instead of standing your ground, you're going to run off, hoping that you'll avoid all of this."

"You're so far off-base it's not even funny," says Fantomex.

"Then why were your eyes shifting?" asks Sunpyre.