UNCANNY X-MEN
Written by Gail Simone
Art by David Marquez
On Sale 8/7
Outlaw heroes once again, the X-Men embark on a new mission! Making themselves at home in the Big Easy, the X-Men protect a world that hates and fears them! Join Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Wolverine on explosive super hero adventures. Uncanny as ever, the X-Men are back to saving the day mutant-style!
"I think X-Fans are special in that we identify with having something different about us...and you're going to feel that in this book, and what it means to have that thing about you that's different, or exceptional. We go deep into the emotional part of that," Simone told the crowd.
"David Marquez is the perfect artist for this book," she continued. "He does amazing action, amazing character work, and he’s really excited about getting into the characters appearing in this book. I knew from the very first panel that this book was going to be super exciting and gorgeous. He just knows how to knock it out of the park!"
X-MEN
Written by Jed MacKay
Art by Ryan Stegman
On Sale 7/10
Krakoa is no more… but the X-Men fight on! From their new base in Alaska, the X-Men raise a flag of defiance! Join Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, Psylocke, Kid Omega, Temper (formerly Oya), Magik and Juggernaut as they assemble against new forces, battling for the destiny and philosophy of the mutant species. Mutant business is their business.
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN
Written by Eve L. Ewing
Art by Carmen Carnero
On Sale 9/4
Mutantkind’s two greatest teachers mold the next generation of X-Men! Kate Pryde has returned home to Chicago following the war with Orchis. Having stepped away from the world of mutantdom, she is nevertheless called back into action as she crosses paths with a trio of new young mutants, Bronze, Axo, and Melee, who clearly need training and guidance. Unfortunately for Kate, Emma Frost thinks so as well!
"Longtime fans of Kitty Pryde can count on the kinds of adventures you expect from her as a classic favorite, while I hope new and old readers alike will get to love this all-new team of young mutants," Ewing shared. "Kitty, the one-time kid sister figure of the X-Men, has to reckon with her own memories—good and bad—of being a child of Xavier as she navigates a role as leader and mentor for a new generation of mutants who are trying to make their way in a time of crisis."
"I always try to strike a chord between appealing to veteran comics fans and new readers, but since so many people fell in love with the X-Men as teens and this book is about a team of young folks, that feels especially important to me here," she continued. "I hope that for some 13- or 14-year-old readers, this might be the first comic book they pick up.
"Working on this series has been a ton of fun already, as Carmen Carnero's art is bringing so much dynamism to these pages and the entire X-team of writers is in a flurry sharing scripts and feedback and ideas," she added.
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Damage Gets Done - SAS: Rogue Heroes x OC - Chapter 9
Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 |-| Chapter 10 | Chapter 11
Summary: As the group returns from the raid on Benghazi, Diana is forced to confront the secrets she's kept from Paddy
Relationships: L Detachment x Platonic!OC, eventual Reg Seekings x OC
Warnings: Language, mentions of death, angst
Word Count: 2.5k
Tags: @20th-centu-fairy-girl @trenchenjoyer @dcyllom @footprintsinthesxnd @regseekings
A/N: Sorry this one's a little shorter than usual! I was originally going to include this part at the end of the previous chapter, but it got too long so I decided to separate them. Enjoy!
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Exhaustion tugged at Diana's eyelids as the jeeps rolled into their rendezvous point, the familiar figure of Mike Sadler lounging tiredly beneath a makeshift shelter, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched them approach. She was jolted sharply awake by the sudden ceasing of the engine's constant hum, a noise she had grown accustomed to over the past few hours, and hurried to re-button her shirt, her makeshift camouflage now nothing more than a frankly embarrassing memory.
But Mike was not the only figure awaiting their arrival. Over by the car stood a woman, dressed sharply with a pair of designer sunglasses to shield herself from the glaring light. Diana suddenly recalled her first day in the SAS camp - had she truly looked as out of place then as this woman did now? The idea almost embarrassed her. But the woman's presence immediately raised a million questions in her mind - questions none of the gawking men around her seemed to share.
Men. Pathetic.
"There's a rumour going around in Cairo that Winston Churchill's son went on a mission behind enemy lines with the SAS," The woman spoke, fanning herself with the brim of her hat as she approached. Scanning Stirling's face, Diana could tell he recognised her. Actually, the more she looked, she wasn't entirely sure she didn't recognise the woman.
On her right, Reg let out a low whistle, staring unashamedly at their new visitor. Diana raised a brow, shooting him a disapproving look, which he didn't seem to notice. That stung. That stung far more than she had expected, and that was... concerning. She wasn't supposed to give a shit when fucking Reg Seekings of all people looked at another woman like that.
But he'd looked at her like that. And maybe she'd been stupid enough to think she was the only one who got that look. Maybe she even cared that she wasn't.
And the more she stood there, the more she was sure she had seen this woman before. "Sorry-" Diana interjected, suddenly realising the others had been halfway through a conversation when the entire group's gazes fell upon her. "Have you been in my house?"
"I have," She nodded, a slight smile curling her lip. "I've spoken with your father on a few occasions - he's one of the only senior officers I can count on to stay in one place."
Diana smiled, nodding. That was her father alright - a nester if ever she'd seen one. He'd lived in Cairo all her life, but she wasn't confident he could navigate beyond the end of their street. The woman held out her hand, and she received in, introducing themselves in turn. She could feel Churchill's gaze boring into the back of her skull, and could tell he was irritated at his meeting with yet another good-looking woman being interrupted.
As her hand was released, she sidestepped towards the Prime Minister's son. "Chin up, Randy. 0 for 2 isn't too bad when we're both out of your league," Diana spoke with a tone of mock sympathy. "I'm sure there'll be a whole fleet of boring little posh-o's with a history of inbreeding in the family for you to choose from once you get home."
He looked nothing short of horrified, face turning bright red, visible even under the layer of sunburn. She let out a snort, patting him on the shoulder and turning away. Making the man squirm was one of the small joys in life, and Diana cherished her chances.
But when she turned, the sight before her almost stopped her in her tracks. Reg had since discarded his shirt, arms raised in a not-so-subtle attempt to show off his muscular build as he continued to stare blatantly at Eve, giving Diana not so much as a second glance. Before her mind had quite had time to register whether her actions were altogether reasonable, she had reached down, grateful for the loose laces on her boot as she tugged it off. Standing awkwardly on one foot so as not to fill her sock with sand, she took a swing and lobbed the shoe straight at Seekings, striking him in the side.
It had not been a hard throw, but enough to elicit a yelp from the man, who stared back at her with an expression of equal parts outrage and confusion.
"What the fuck-?"
"Put your fucking shirt back on," Diana frowned. "Making us look bad, ya creep."
"Fucking Christ," Reg muttered, rummaging for a replacement shirt as he eyed her remaining boot with unease.
"And give me my shoe back," She demanded, leg raised like some kind of enraged flamingo. Seeking chuckled, shaking his head in a wordless reply, holding her boot by the laces as he began to walk further out of her reach.
"Reg? Reg?" Diana prompted, gesturing dramatically at her bare foot as Cooper noticed the situation, beginning to laugh along. Eve, along with Stirling and Churchill, had moved far enough away to continue their business without being disturbed, but she found she had little choice other than to hop after him, suddenly regretting her impulsive act of aggression.
"Oh, you shit," She called, tearing off her remaining shoe with as much zeal as she had the first, throwing the second with greater force as it collided with Reg's back. If it had hurt, he hadn't shown it, for he was too amused at the sight of her standing there in her socks upon the sand, already grimacing at the feeling of it between her toes.
"Well, what are you gonna do now?" Seekings laughed, the corners of his eyes creasing as he held out the shoes to her like she were some dog failing at fetch.
"Fuck!" Diana cried, her dismayed expression suddenly turning to a grin as Cooper swooped in from behind, snatching the boots from Reg's grip in the second that he was caught off guard. She gasped, chuckling at Seekings' stricken expression as he tossed them over, scrambling to catch them before they hit the sandy ground below.
"Johnny, my darling, someday you'll make some girl very happy," She said, craning her leg at an awkward angle as she tugged the thick leather back over her heels. Cooper batted a hand at her, wordlessly wandering off, but she noticed a spattering of red across his cheeks accompanying his boyish grin. Reg frowned, turning around and almost walking straight into a jeep when Diana smirked back at him.
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For the remainder of the trip back to Jalo, Diana kept her feet propped up on the dashboard beside Stirling, attempting to get the sand out of her socks. He complained frequently, but in the months they had known each other David had long since grown accustomed to her complete disregard for what he did or didn't want her to do. Frankly, he was just glad she wasn't driving.
"You're flicking sand on me," He droned, eyes on the horizon as they led the small convoy behind them.
"You're annoying," Diana retorted, shaking out one of her socks as she flexed her toes, making him grimace.
"Very mature, thank you."
"You're welcome," She replied sweetly, and he caught a glimpse of her smile in the crooked rearview mirror. Dammit. No matter what she did, he could never quite hold a grudge. Stirling found himself wondering if he would have liked to have had a sister growing up. Although, he wasn't sure he could have coped living with Diana every day, especially not in the more petulant days of his youth.
It was silent for a long moment, but he could feel her gaze boring into the side of his face. "Whatever you're about to do, don't."
The sudden feeling of her finger in his ear made Stirling yelp, and Diana let out a loud snort, laughter erupting like a bubble from her throat. "Stop acting like a child or I swear I'll crash this jeep," He barked, attempting to sound authoritative but sounding altogether far too alarmed, succeeding only in making her laugh harder.
"You think the pair of us dying in a horrible crash is an appropriate punishment for that?"
"I'll probably enjoy it the same amount," David stated, beginning to chuckle himself as Jalo came into view up ahead. "Do not tell the others you just did that," He sighed.
"Think it'll undermine your authority, eh?"
"I find you do little else, Diana," Stirling smiled sarcastically at her, pulling up the handbrake as they rolled to a stop outside the oasis.
She grinned, taking her feet off the dashboard and straightening up as the pair got out of the car, matching frowns tugging at their expressions as they noticed the new French troops lounging about in the sun chairs, flipping through newspapers and sipping on their booze.
"What the fuck..." Stirling muttered.
"They're definitely supposed to be training," Diana pointed out.
Beginning to march up the sandy slope towards the gaping hole in the wall they used as an entrance, Stirling called back to her over his shoulder. "You're in charge for the next thirty seconds until I get back."
Planting her hands on her hips, she let out a snort. "Promotion. Nice."
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By the time he returned, blustering and pissed off, Diana had taken to staring at the tent pitched just beyond the boundaries of their little territory, the canvas blowing slightly in the breeze, a recently shot gazelle strung up over a wooden frame like the hunting trophies her father used to collect.
She hadn't even had to ask what the situation was when Stirling returned - if she knew anything at all about Paddy, she could figure this one out. "He's not done shit since we left, has he?"
"What he has done is break bones, knock out teeth, and almost inspire a fucking mutiny," He fumed, brushing past her as he made an angered beeline for Mayne's tent. At the feeling of her hand grasping his shoulder he stopped, turning to look irritably back at her. "What?"
"I'll go. He doesn't like either of us but he respects me more than he does you."
Stirling raised a brow. "Are you sure about that?"
"In fairness, it's a low bar," She nodded, patting him on the shoulder before taking his place in the march towards Paddy Mayne's makeshift sanctuary.
In the dim light of the tent, he lay down on his bunk, book propped up against his chest as he read in silence. He somehow looked even worse than he had the last time she saw him, covered in dirt and dust, his hair greasy and his beard matted. Diana didn't bother waiting for an invitation, grunting as she crouched down to sit on the floor, stealing the half-empty bottle of whiskey from beside his bed.
Paddy hadn't looked up from his book when he spoke. "So. How'd it go."
"Blew up a car," She spoke, pulling out the cork with her teeth. "Tore a hole through a building, probably killed a dozen men, didn't stay to find out. Beat up a guy in an alley though - scratched his eyes so bad he couldn't see."
He let out a grunt that could've almost been a laugh, putting the book down, open against his stomach. "Buildings don't count for the tally."
"You know I never gave a fuck about that," Diana shrugged, taking a sip of the whiskey. "I do care about this though," She gestured to the tent around them. "About you not doing your job - beating the shit out of those French wankers."
"They deserved it."
"Fucking probably, doesn't mean you get to do it. D'you think I'd be here if I broke the ribs of everyone I met who deserved it? They'd give me the fucking death penalty," She chuckled, almost passing the bottle back to Mayne before rethinking it.
He smiled then, a sliver of teeth showing. After a pause, Paddy spoke. "Why'd Stirling send you, then? Scared to deal with his own problems as usual."
"He was gonna come - I stopped him. Figured you and I could have a more productive conversation."
"And why the fuck did you think that?"
"Because, unlike Stirling, I don't feel threatened by you."
"Oh, bullshit, yes you do."
Diana's brow furrowed, her frown creasing her cheeks. "No. I don't."
Paddy's head lolled to the side, his gaze finally meeting hers. "Then why won't you talk about Eoin?"
She almost choked, a held breath stoppering her throat and making her feel the need to gag. No one had mentioned Eoin's name to her, not since it had happened. Those that had been there knew what she'd been through and left it alone. Those that hadn't didn't know enough to ask her about it. Until now.
"You don't need to know about what happened to Eoin," Diana spoke, her voice meek, barely above a whisper.
His brow furrowed angrily. "You don't get to fuckin' tell me what I do or don't need to-"
"No, no!" She pushed, holding up a hand to silence him. "Let me speak. What I mean is you - specifically you - don't need what happened to him stuck in your head..." In the dim light of the tent, Paddy could still spot the beginning of a tear welling in her eyes. "I know what you went looking for out in the dunes, Paddy, and I know you didn't find it."
He sucked in a sharp breath, the air hissing as it was dragged through the gap in his teeth. "I think you should leave now."
"I didn't tell you about what happened because I blamed myself. And I was scared of what would happen if you did too."
No one spoke for a long time, the desert wind whistling through the gaps in the canvas, the open tent flap swinging back and forth with a repetitively smacking sound as it collided with the outside. The whiskey bottle was tucked between Diana's knees, but she didn't reach for it.
"Weren't your fault." He uttered. She looked up at him with those big, brown, sad eyes of hers, and he almost wanted to hit her. Paddy had never known how to deal with sad people. "Maybe you'll never tell me what happened, but-"
"One day I will."
"But, I know it wasn't your fault."
Diana sniffed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Yeah," She nodded. "Yeah... thank you."
Paddy nodded, picking up his book and resuming his reading. She almost laughed, pushing herself up onto her feet.
"Y'know... you're gonna have to apologise to the French."
"Oh, fuck off - you know I won't."
Diana chuckled. "I do. But now I can tell Stirling that I told you to, so it's not my fault when you don't."
The corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk. She turned to leave, pausing in the opening of the tent. "Oi."
"Aye?"
"... Wanna go cook the gazelle?"
Paddy took a long pause, thinking this over. After a prolonged moment of silence, he tossed the book aside, pushing himself to sit up with a grunt.
"May as well. Not giving that Jordan prick any, though."
She smiled. "We'll see."
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