X-4: Children of the Atom
Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellan, Stephen Lang, Idris Elba, Emma Stone, Zac Efron, Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano, Jeff Fahey & Ralph Fiennes
Synopsis:
At the End of the World, ex-policeman & mutant freedom fighter Bishop is displaced & sent back in time to the 60’s to alter history by assassinating one man. –BOLIVAR TRASK.
The only thing standing in his way … The Original 5 Students.
… The X-Men.
BACKGROUND:
After the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, public fear and outrage are at a fever pitch because of the Phoenix Incident at Alcatraz Island. The government ramps up the Mutant Registration Act & all local police and government forces are equipped with “Cure Weapons”.
MAGNETO after being Released from Prison becomes a disillusioned beggar.
It is soon discovered that the effect of the cure weapons is temporary and actually amplifies the powers of mutants.
The "WAR" between mutant and mankind begins ....
The Whitehouse places project “Wide Awake” into play.
Sentinels
Twenty foot android soldiers … are mass produced and empowered with self preservation protocols to make them more formidable in combat with super powered adversaries.
Most of the mutants are captured, but most are killed in battle or murdered outright.
A renewed and power boosted Magneto counters this move by recreating his mutant creating device from the first film. The newly dubbed “Generation X Bomb” is detonated and has an adverse effect sterilizing 75% of the population and infecting mutants with a debilitating illness later known as the “Legacy Virus.”
At this point most of the X-Men have been killed or died off from the virus leaving only Wolverine, Storm & Pyro alive (Brotherhood) alive, yet captured and held in a mutant gulag.
Magneto has also been captured, having given himself up after seeing the results of his dream of Mutant superiority die largely due to his own actions.
There is little HOPE left for the survivors of this Holocaust.
The only remnants of the mutant resistance are disenfranchised mutant police officers known as the XSE who follow the direction of an enigmatic mercenary known only as Cable.
(Note: Now that I've set the table with some background information, let's get into the actual fan fiction.)
X-4: Children of the Atom
Bishop and two other soldiers attempt to rescue the remaining “Originals”, Magneto, Storm & Wolverine. They fail miserably and what’s left of the X-Men are wiped out.
Bishop’s men are taken out as well during the retreat by a combination of Reavers and Giant Sentinels.
Bishop nearly dies crossing a desolate post apocalyptic desert. As he travels suffering from heat exhaustion, he continues to notice a massive humanoid in the distance passively watching his progress.
Bishop makes it back to Sanctuary (The Bombed out X-Mansion) to find what’s left of the resistance decimated and burnt out. He makes it to the GREAT HALL (Cerebro) where a virus ravaged Cable awaits news of his progress.
After hearing the grim news from Bishop, Cable assigns him one last mission … a suicide mission … Because even if he succeeds, he will never have existed.
Cable telekinetically binds a single band to Bishop’s arm & uses the last of his vast power to displace the soldier back in time. As he is fading away, the Sanctuary explodes killing Cable.
Note: The band on Bishop’s arm contains a speaking “Artificial Intelligence” which acts as a temporal anchor to tether Bishop to the past.
Bishop’s arrival in the 60’s causes a massive electro-magnetic pulse which blacks out a number of city blocks in upstate New York.
Note: The Band on Bishop’s arm has been damaged.
Bishop storms the Xavier Institute grounds and sneaks into a library window where he runs into one of the students: Hank McCoy. A misunderstanding leads to a brawl with McCoy and Bishop is eventually subdued by Hank & four other students … The Original 5- The X-Men.
Jean Grey attempts to read Bishop’s mind and is nearly driven mad with grief at visions of the desolate future from which he originates.
The other X-Men debate whether or not Bishop “really” is from the future. Jean separately speaks with Bishop about his childhood and utter lack of hope.
Bishop quote: When you believe in nothing, you are capable of-- anything.
Bishop explains his mission … He has been sent back in time to assassinate Bolivar Trask: “Creator of the Sentinels”
The X-Men refuse to take a life and attempt to restrain him.
Bishop demands to see Charles Xavier, but is given no answer as to his whereabouts. Cyclops tries to question Bishop further agitating the time displaced man which results in a brawl.
Bishop narrowly escapes, damaging the control center of the war room with a blast of mutant energy and nearly bringing the ceiling down on the student’s heads.
Note: Iceman saves the day with a giant snow globe type construct.
The X-Men suit up and pursue Bishop.
Bishop speeds towards Trask’s location on a motorcycle stolen from the school. [Note: The Band on Bishop’s arm is repairing itself.]
Setting: Old School 60’s style talk show (Think Dick Cavette, Merv Griffin or Larry King) and backstage segment with Trask speaking with a visibly nervous talk show host re: THE MUTANT PROBLEM.
Bishop has already infiltrated the studio audience and is about to fire on Trask when Marvel Girl invades his mind stopping him.
Trask suddenly unveils (2) twelve foot “Alpha-Sentinel Androids”
Note: The automatons are supposed to be inert due to there being no mutants in the area.
Bishop’s presence causes the Sentinels to activate and the robots begin trampling the audience in order to capture the detected mutant.
Mass hysteria ensues and people rush the doors as the sentinels fire into the crowd with 50 cal projectiles hidden in their fingertips. Unaware of the robot’s primitive weaponry, Bishop (who is expecting some sort of energy beam) catches a few rounds in the torso.
The X-Men arrive and destroy the two Alpha-Sentinels. Marvel Girl captures Trask.
The hysteria has spread to the streets … Rioting and chaos fill the many boroughs of New York.
The violence subsides as the X-Jet passes overhead.
Back at the damaged war room, Hank tends to Bishop medically while the other X-Men interrogate the captured Trask. Marvel Girl rips information from his mind of a Sentinel “Master Mold” kept in a New Jersey plant.
Hank reveals Professor X to Bishop telling him that Charles was felled by a telepathic backlash when Bishop arrived in the past. Bishop is devastated and remorseful.
(3) more Alpha Sentinels suddenly attack the X-Mansion rescuing Trask and capturing three of the team (Angel, Iceman & Marvel Girl).
Cyclops destroys two of the androids. The third destroys the X-Jet as it retreats from the mansion.
Cyclops, Beast & Bishop (seriously injured) attempt to follow the remaining sentinel in a smaller hover craft type vehicle.
New Jersey Plant:
Trask and his associates form A.I.M (Advanced Idea Mechanics) menace a psychically restrained Jean Grey while others collect DNA samples from Angel and Iceman.
Jean is “introduced” to the Prime Sentinel “Master Mold.”
Trask informs Jean that he intends to find a way to harvest mutant abilities and install them in Sentinels.
Angel is menaced by A.I.M lackeys intent on cutting his wings off with power saws.
At that moment, the remaining X-men storm the plant taking out the human soldiers & A.I.M scientists. Master Mold begins activating (4) more completed sentinels.
Cyclops and a newly released Iceman begin destroying the drones before they can fully activate. Jean struggles with Trask and subdues him only to be interrupted by some security personnel as she attempts to free Angel.
Cyclops saves her by blasting the guards from an adjacent room (Shoots through wall.).
Angel has escaped from his restraints and flies through the factory attacking various people.
Master Mold begins to rise from seated position taking most of the building with him in the process.
Trask is escaping when he is confronted by a badly injured and dying Bishop wielding a handgun. He has the drop on Trask but ultimately is unable to kill the man and let the X-Men down.
“You are Inferior to mankind … an Anomaly!! You don’t even have the strength to pull the trigger. That is what makes you weak-boy!!”-Trask
“No-It is what makes me strong.”-Bishop
A security guard suddenly appears at the end of the hall way and shoots Bishop in the back. This causes Bishop to release all of the remaining energy he has stored in his body.
Trask is hit in the leg and incapacitated. The security guard recovers and tries to help a screaming Trask to a nearby elevator.
Note: The metallic band on Bishop’s arm begins a cryptic countdown.
Bishop struggles but finally fires one last beam of energy at a nearby propane tank causing it to explode.
The X-Men escape the building as it explodes.
They watch as the building implodes into a heap of smoke and flaming debris.
The Master Mold suddenly rises from a massive cloud of billowing smoke partially damaged … It call out to the X-men in a loud metallic voice (MUTANTS!!)- before being decapitated by Cyclops.
The headless automaton crashes to earth spectacularly.
The X-Men watch the flames silently as Jeans sobs for the departed Bishop.
“He believed in the dream … before the end. I felt it.”
-Fade to Black-
Fade In:
Ariel shot of the repaired X-Mansion. Professor Xavier wheels into one of the rooms and calls out to the X-Men mentally.
Credits
POST CREDIT SEQUENCE:
Bishop awakens in what appears to be limbo. He finds himself in the company of Uatu, the Watcher.
The Watcher has “plucked” Bishop from reality at the very moment of his death. Uatu commends him on a job well done. Bishop is offered a “job.” Bishop’s activities have changed the course of history.
Note: A number of energy spears float around Bishop as the Watcher speaks; some depicts scenes from the prior X-Men movies.
Bishop finds a strange looking female mutant (Blink) at his side.
…END of PART ONE ….
…shadowgeek10 returns to the shadows once more …