* WRITTEN BY *
Samy <samerc@mash.yok.utu.fi> Merchi
* ARCHIVED AT *
http://mash.yok.utu.fi/~samerc/fanfic/index.html
* STARRING *
X-Force |
MaraudersWorking for the enigmatic and immortal geneticist Mr Sinister, the Marauders are a ruthless group of people prepared to carry out any orders given them, from abducting children to decimating entire communities of people. Mercenaries all, they have pledged themselves into Mr Sinister's employ in exchange for cloning services which guarantee that should any of them ever fall in battle -- they will live again soon thru the miracle of cloning. |
* CONTINUITY *
This story
There's an exception to that rule, of course, and that is Cable and Domino, who are conspicuously absent from both of these far-future stories, and there is a reason for that other than my dislike of them -- and that is the fact that I wanted to depict X-Force as mature, capable adults (such as they are), with no need for guidance whatsoever from older people. X-Force has grown up. They are adults. They no longer need 'token' adults to look after them, and that is the main reason why I excluded both Cable and Domino from the rosters of these two stories.
The major inspiration for OpRecip was, as one might or might not guess, Devil's Due by Laersyn. For those who have not read the story, it tells the story of the Marauders luring the X-Men into the Morlock Tunnels, and then slaughtering them there, in a rather graphic manner. I was shocked, and frustrated by the X-Men's defeat -- and thus was born OpRecip, as I wanted some payback. Payback...or, by another word -- Reciprocity.
No, this story does not fit into Devil's Due continuity. The most obvious sign of this is probably the presence of Siryn, who died in Devil's Due. This story was never intended to be a 'sequel' of any kind, which is why I am not concerned with Devil's Due continuity. This story is simply inspired by Devil's Due. No more, no less.
Now, as for a little backstory for OpRecip -- as I have mentioned before, the story takes place in the future. To be specific, some five to ten years in the future, when X-Force is a more powerful group than ever. And that's where we begin our story -- with X-Force deep down in the Morlock Tunnels, and the Marauders springing a trap on them. Will X-Force go down, same as the X-Men did in Devil's Due? Or will the Marauders be taken down, hard? You'll have to read the story to find out.
But that's not all. Not by a longshot. In fact, I consider that the less important part of the story. The other part, which I am immensely more fond of, focuses on a not-so-little love triangle. Who? What? Why? How? You'll find out, just as all of X-Force will, when the stress of the battle brings the triangle to a boiling point -- and explodes it in X-Force's face.