BIOGRAPHY - Page 4
The unflappable super-spy found himself increasingly vulnerable and fallible, a situation he simply could not abide. Fantomex was searching for the missing Cluster in Egypt during the "Alexandria Incident," a major event of apparent mutant terrorism. He was found in the aftermath by Cable, another survivor, and recruited into X-Force again as a new network of mutant black ops agents. Fantomex's mind deteriorated even faster after Alexandria, but Cable's daughter Hope had been rendered comatose by the event, and he was willing to take any aid for his mission, even from the unhinged. Fantomex was reunited with Psylocke as part of this X-Force but, while she no longer wanted to kill him per se, she only tolerated him at best. His faux Gallic charm no longer had any effect on her. [X-Force (4th series) #1-3]
Fantomex's inadequacies grated on him in ways normal people could not understand. Part of his Weapon Plus programming was the belief that there was nothing greater than himself, an innate cognitive dissonance that was hardwired into his brain. Or rather, brains. Fantomex's pre-programmed view of his own effectiveness was perfectly balanced with his capabilities when all three brains were working in coordination with each other. Now, his capabilities no longer matched his unshakeable view of himself, and the contradiction was causing an emotional meltdown. EVA attempted to fulfill her basic function as his internal maintenance protocol, but she too was "off" as a result of his cognitive redistribution. Since Fantomex was hardwired to believe he was the best at everything, EVA counseled him to "square the circle" by murdering everyone who dared appear to be better than him. [X-Force (4th series) #4]
Fantomex got by for a time using minor acts of arrogance or success to carry him forward. He threw himself into any opportunity to prove his skills over those of another. More darkly, he also murdered his leader Cable on a semi-nightly basis. One of X-Force's primary goals was solving the mystery of the Volga Strain, a power-bestowing nano-chemical cocktail of extra-dimensional origin. Cable and his daughter Hope were afflicted with this unstable strain in the Alexandria Incident, which was engineered to kill them in 24 hours. To compensate, Nathan was cloning a new body every day and passing his memories forward using a thought-recording mnemonic headband. Fantomex stepped in to kill Cable in the evening after his thought-band recording was done, relieving the psychic tension from having to answer to another person without the next day's Cable being able to remember how he died. [X-Force (4th series) #5-7]
Fantomex also began a virtual relationship with Meme, a physically inert datamorph on the team who interacted with them through a holographic avatar. Fantomex's Weapon Plus nanotech allowed Meme and him to share a projected digital plane for moments of intimacy. While on the surface this appeared to be just another example of Fantomex's fragile vanity seeking acknowledgement, it was actually far more sinister. Cable's daughter Hope had been in stasis since the Alexandria Incident after her mutant power-copying ability duplicated a psychic version of the Volga Strain from her father, putting her life at risk as well. Cable believed Hope was unconscious, but she had actually been using her powers to duplicate those of the brain dead Meme, interacting with the team indirectly. Fantomex recognized "Meme" for who she really was, and used their virtual sessions for EVA to analyze her psychic copy of the Volga Strain, hoping to create his own digital copy and make himself the best again.
Meanwhile, X-Force learned of the existence of a surveillance network-for-hire known as the Yellow Eye, using insect drones to monitor all mutants on the planet and selling the information to national agencies. [X-Force (4th series) #8-9] Cable wanted to shut them down or take control of their network, and Doctor Nemesis discovered the existence of an existentially-unnoticed mutant called Forgetmenot. By making his power to go unnoticed "flicker," Nemesis thought they could lure out a new insect drone, then follow it back to the Yellow Eye when Forgetmenot's powers were restored and it lost its target. Because of X-Force's growing moral lapses, they chose to kidnap Forgetmenot instead of merely asking for his help, but his powers made him difficult to keep track of. He would escape, they would forget he was even there once he was out of sight, then remind themselves thanks to a video message Doctor Nemesis had prepared to keep them on track. Forgetmenot couldn't escape, because their base was a floating decommissioned Helicarrier in the Pacific, and so he spent days off and on running and hiding from X-Force.
Fantomex's reactions during this adventure showed how far he had fallen. His enhanced senses and brain allowed him to keep awareness of Forgetmenot when the others lost their recollections. Instead of helping move the mission forward, Fantomex gleefully allowed the comedy of errors to continue simply so he could continue feeling smarter and superior to his teammates. Forgetmenot finally figured out what the team needed him for and, being a genuinely decent person, he used Nemesis' power suppressor to draw a drone's attention, despite all the torment. However, even once he removed the suppressor, the insect drone still kept track of him and wouldn't return to base. Here, Fantomex stepped in and knocked Nemesis unconscious. After bragging to Forgetmenot about his own superiority, he maliciously shot to kill the innocent man, giving the insect drone another, more horrific, reason to return to base. [X-Force (4th series) #10]
Fantomex and EVA couldn't get their digital Volga Strain to work, so Jean-Philippe unceremoniously dumped Meme just before the Yellow Eye mission. Still a teenaged girl at heart, Hope tried to hack back into Fantomex's brain to understand why he acted the way he did. Hope realized Fantomex knew who she was the whole time, and psychically confronted him. This altercation pushed Fantomex over the edge. His crumbling psychosis could no longer stand the idea of taking orders or being made to feel inferior to anyone. Believing taking over the Yellow Eye facilities would serve him better than remaining in X-Force, Fantomex unleashed the unstable and aggressive version of EVA to kill his teammates. They only survived due to his need to monologue and the unexpected arrival of Domino, who put a bullet in the madman's head. [X-Force (4th series) #11]
Unfortunately, this led to the worst of all possible outcomes. EVA's digital version of the Volga process couldn't affect Fantomex because his nano-mechanical defenses made him immune, effectively acting as a firewall to this invader. Once he died, however, it was free to integrate into his system and "reboot" him. The Volga process granted super-powers, but at the cost of explosive meltdown in the recipient. EVA fixed these flaws and used her picotech level computerized intelligence to control the Volga Strain, which basically allowed Fantomex to manifest new super-powers at will. The insecure and all-powerful braggart was distracted by his success long enough for X-Force to flee, but he then began a campaign of attacks around the world to prove his superiority. [X-Force (4th series) #12-13]
Fantomex engaged X-Force in the field on several occasions until Hope created a plan to deal with him once and for all. She transmitted the Helicarrier's new location to Fantomex, drawing him into another conflict. By getting Fantomex in range of her comatose physical body, Hope was able to copy the stabilized digital version of the Volga Strain in his mutant powers, restoring her ability to function outside of Meme's projections. Still, Fantomex himself proved nigh-indestructible even after being dismembered by Marrow or bodyslid into the sun. Hope was now strong enough to fight him, but even with X-Force she couldn't defeat him.
Instead, she moved to a different tactic. Using Psylocke's telepathy, Hope gathered the mental failings and insecurities of the entire team, concentrating it all into a psycho-digital malware cocktail she forced upon Fantomex thanks to their link. Fantomex's ego of personal perfection couldn't stand these perceived flaws, and ordered EVA to purge him of impurities. In doing so, however, he also purged himself of the digital Volga strain. This not only removed Fantomex's new powers, it created a cure which Hope was able to pass on to herself and Cable. Mad with the idea of being defeated, Fantomex lashed out impotently at X-Force until Psylocke pierced his mind with her psychic knife. Betsy destroyed EVA as an independent consciousness, removing the contradictions in Fantomex's programming so he could now cognitively accept his own imperfection. Jean-Philippe was sane again, but significantly less skilled or effective than he had ever been before. Still, he was now capable of dealing with that fact like anyone else. [X-Force (4th series) #14-15]
Fantomex retreated from the world for a time to stabilize himself. EVA eventually rebooted with her original personality and demeanor, and his ability to misdirect recovered as well. At one point, Fantomex suggested he might have even reintegrated his three selves, but that has not been confirmed. In time, the Terrigen clouds released by the Inhumans began to span the world and caused mutants to suffer a plague known as M-Pox. Fantomex and Mystique became unlikely allies as operatives working for the Hellfire Club, gathering information about the mysterious Someday Corporation that was offering mutants safe haven in cryo-stasis, for a price. [Uncanny X-Men (4th series) #3] In truth, the two of them were only part of a larger network of X-Men and allies being coordinated and compartmentalized by Magneto. To Fantomex's dismay, he reported that Someday seemed to be using technology that could only have come from the World. [Uncanny X-Men (4th series) #5]
Magneto's habit for keeping his operatives oblivious of each other had consequences when he called in Fantomex and Mystique as back-up during an X-Men mission investigating Clan Akkaba. Psylocke was a member of Magneto's X-Men, and Fantomex had grown to hate her since their last encounter. Her psychic surgery of EVA cost Jean-Philippe a part of himself for a time, and he saw it as a personal betrayal. When Magneto was captured by Akkaba, Fantomex and Psylocke crossed paths. Fantomex briefly entertained the idea that Magneto put them in each other's way for him to assassinate Betsy, desperately hoping to justify his own need for revenge. In the end, Jean-Philippe chose not to indulge himself. Akkaba released a Death Choir of Archangel clones that needed all the X-Men's attention, and so he put his petty need for vengeance aside. Perhaps he truly had grown as a person, despite himself. [Uncanny X-Men (4th series) #8-10]