E.G.G Q&A: Episode 47

This Q&A Session contains full spoilers for E.G.G Episode 47: Experiment X-23! If you have not read it, please click here to do so now!

While on the way back to E.G.G Base, Josh hit a mysterious teenage girl with his car. While nursing her back to health, the gang quickly discovered that she was no ordinary girl. With a healing factor and sharp Adamantium claws, the girl was revealed to be the Wolverine clone known as Experiment X-23! Weapon X came to retrieve their experiment, but Sarah Kinney, the only woman that could calm her down, was killed, sending X-23 into a berserker rage! After a hard fought battle, Josh was finally able to calm her down, reminding her what Sarah had always wanted her to be: Larua Kinney, and not Experiment X-23.

“So why’s she have… you know…” Josh said. “Snikt, snikt?” Sarah sighed.

“I’m a mutant geneticist, I work with Weapon X.”

“Aren’t they the guys that made Wolverine?” Acacia asked.

“Yes.” Sarah replied. “And due to his… insubordination, they’ve been trying to recreate him ever since. After years of experiments gone wrong, they called me in.”

“So how did Laura come about?” Eileen asked. Sarah closed her eyes.

“I suggested that experimentation on mutants was a dead end, and that we need to start from scratch, make a clone. So, using a damaged DNA sample from Wolverine, we successfully imbued a female infant with his abilities, most prominently his healing factor.”

“Are you serious?” Acacia said. “You ran experiments on a baby?” Tears began to stream down Sarah’s face.

“I know, it sounds bad, but we were on the verge of a scientific breakthrough…”

“Was that worth injecting an infant with the X-gene!” Eileen exclaimed.

“I feel horrible for the things Laura had to endure…”

“Wait a minute, what else did you do to her?” Josh asked. Sarah shook her head.

“She was deprived of love. Left in a room alone as a child, only ever receiving human contact when it was time for her to eat or bathe. When she was five, she began training, to achieve physical perfection…”

“She was just a kid!” Acacia said.

“What kind of creeps are you?” Josh added.

“I’m not proud of what I’ve done!” She defended. “I tried to give Laura some remnant of a normal life, that’s why I gave her a name. I tried to take her out of the lab every now and then, but she became… violent in public.”

“Gee, I wonder why.” Eileen said angrily. “Finish the story doctor. What happened to make her like this?” Sarah buried her face in her hands.

“At age 7 she went on her first mission, the assassination of a senatorial candidate…”

“Assassination!” Acacia shouted.

“A seven year old girl!” Eileen added.

“That was one of many. Weapon X wanted a monster, a weapon, this way she was left emotionally… void. Filled with no compassion, trained to hate and kill, exactly what they wanted. By age 10 she had been left in the forest, the desert, the snow, for two years, forced to survive on her own in extreme conditions, constantly set against impossible odds.”

“This is horrible…” Acacia said.

“At age 12 she underwent the Weapon X Procedure, and Adamantium was fused to her bones.”

“Oh my goodness…” Eileen gasped.

“Seriously!” Josh shouted. “I’m pretty sure even HYDRA labeled that procedure inhumane!”

“I don’t believe this,” Acacia said. “All this to make the perfect assassin that Weapon X could bend to their will?”

“I didn’t want to go along with it, but you have to understand, these men rarely don’t get what they want…”

“You didn’t like the guests but you stayed for the party, huh?” Josh growled. “Guilt by association Dr. Kinney.”

“I only stayed for Laura’s sake!” She shouted. “I’m the closest thing she had to a mother, or family of any sort!”

“So what’s with the X-23?” Acacia asked. “That her serial number?” Sarah looked away.

“She was codenamed X-23 because… because we attempted and failed 22 times to recreate Wolverine, she was our 23^rd try.”

* * *

The guys that made Wolverine, the beginning of the legend, Weapon X. I couldn't just throw X-23 in here without her backstory, so I told it through Sarah Kinney. I really like that her debut was actually the X-Men Evolution TV show, so I got to rewatch that episode, since I drew heavily from there for her origin.

Across the base, the commander received a transmission.

“Hodge.” He answered.

“Commander Hodge, this is the Professor.” A voice said.

“I read you loud and clear Professor, go ahead.”

“Have you procured experiment X-23 yet?”

“We found her, but I don’t know if it’s gonna be that easy getting her back to the lab. She’s pretty resistant.”

“Find a way.” The Professor replied.

“Yes sir.” He looked over. “What about Kinney? She’s not gonna back off easy.”

“Kill her, the good doctor has long outlived her usefulness, and she’s always been a liability.”

“Understood. Hodge out.” Commander Hodge cut transmission and signaled his men to form up on him.

* * *

This is an Easter E.G.G, I know Cameron Hodge has nothing really to do with Weapon X, but good job to everyone that spotted him! And super bonus points to anyone who knows who the mysterious 'Professor' is pulling Hodge's strings...

“Hodge…” She growled. With a snikt she popped her claws, her eyes white with rage.

“Oh no…” Acacia said. Hodge finally punched Josh and rolled him aside.

“Get off of… me?” He looked to see X-23 snarling at him. “Oh crap, subdue target!” The Weapon X agents opened fire.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!” She roared, charging through the shower of bullets towards the men.

“Josh! She’s going to kill them!” Eileen exclaimed. Josh immediately held out his hand, and an arm to his latest suit of armor came soaring out of the Humpty Dumpty Hall and attached itself to him. He aimed and fired a laser blast on X-23, just before she reached the troops. She slid into a conference room.

“I’ll keep her busy,” he said. “You guys got these chumps?”

“Hey, it’s us you’re talking to.” Eileen reassured. Josh nodded and rushed into the conference room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

You all know it, when Wolverine's eyes go white and he just starts tearing stuff up! The berserker rage, basically an invincible, irrational, and strictly primal Wolverine. I wanted to showcase this in X-23, and basically let everyone know that if she were to unleash, everyone in the base would die. Which is why not keeping Sarah around was probably not a good idea...

“I think she’s out again,” Acacia said. She put her ear to the door, and suddenly two of the girl’s claws burst through right next her head. “No, she’s definitely still awake!” Acacia screamed, running for her life. The girl’s other two claws crashed through, and she began to cut an opening.

“Run!” Josh shouted as he and Eileen once again followed Acacia. The girl cut a hole in the door and began pursuing the three friends.

“Is she still behind us?” Eileen asked. Josh looked back.

“Rrrrraaaahhhh!” She screamed, lunging towards them.

“Yeah, still there!” Josh replied, as he and Eileen picked up speed. They were about to round the corner when Acacia came around with a Thwip Blaster.

“Move!” She shouted as Josh and Eileen spun out of the way.

“Grah!” The girl roared as she lunged. Acacia then blasted her with a web net and stuck her to the wall. “Er! Ah! Grr! Get me out of this!” She screamed. Josh laughed and walked up to her.

“Not so tough now, are you?” He asked. Then, with a snikt, another claw popped out from the top of her foot and she kicked at Josh, barely missing his neck as he jumped back. “Are you kidding me? She has one in her foot? Does Wolverine have claws in his feet?” The girl brought her leg up and cut the web loose with the claw on her foot. The three friends backed into a corner as the girl approached them, snarling angrily.

* * *

So, E.G.G v.s X-23 is kind of a one sided fight. That's why I decided not to make it a fight! Having X-23 chase the Eggheads through the base is a way I think to establish her threat level and make it so that a confrontation between them made sense. It kind of added that horror "something's chasing you" element, I think.

Emma Frost walked into a dark circular room, lit only by torches. Five figures emerged, shrouded in the shadows.

“Emma darling, it is very good to see you.” A man said.

“Have you completed your task?” Another man asked.

“Yes.” Emma said. “Poor girl, I felt horrible, making her run into the street like that.”

“Yes, it is unfortunate when a mutant must be injured for the greater cause.” A third man said. “But alas, it is necessary.”

“Back to the matter at hand,” a female said. “The files you retrieved for us those many months ago, is what they say true?”

“But of course,” Emma said. “I don’t know why you doubted me in the first place.”

“That is very pleasing to hear,” a fourth and final man asked. “I’m assuming you acquired what we need to accomplish our goal?” Emma smiled.

“Yes,” she said. “I now know the location of the group called E.G.G.”

* * *

Emma's back! But who is she reporting to? (Like you don't know) And what does she want with E.G.G? (Okay, you might not know that). We haven't seen her since Episode 13! Well, clearly she's got a plan, you'll just have to read on to find out!

Make sure to read Episode 48 tomorrow and post comments and any questions you have so that I can answer them in the Q&A next Thursday, September 17! Only two more episodes until E.G.G's 50th Episode Spectacular!

The White Queen returns! As Emma Frost mounts an attack on E.G.G, the pieces to a much bigger plot fall into place. The first time she came was just a smash and grab, but this time, the consequences may be much, much worse! Find out what happens tomorrow, September 11, in E.G.G Episode 48: The X Factor!