AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK: Page 4 of 5

Written By: 
Last Updated: 
20th August 2011
AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK HEADQUARTERS
aka Cooterman’s Creek / Maynards Plains

Introduction / Location
History
Characteristics of the Town
Technology
Chronology

Technology

Cooterman’s Creek is outfitted with advanced technology, some of it of unknown origin. It is unclear which of its technology was installed by the Reavers and which of it has other, even more mysterious origins. Although some team members, such as Havok and Maddie, wanted to use the advanced technology to their advantage, others, like Wolverine and Storm, did not trust its creators and blamed it for corrupting Madelyne. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #245]

The computer systems are extremely advanced – more so than those at the X-Mansion. Madelyne inferred that the Reavers must have been technological geniuses. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #230] The computer includes extensive files on the X-Men – files, according to Storm, that were more extensive than they even had at their headquarters in Westchester. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #239] The computers can track the locations of individuals anywhere in the world. The X-Men used it to keep tabs on Storm when she fled abruptly one night. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #12] The underground computer system is so advanced that it taught Madelyne how to operate it – something she found eerily convenient. It can also tap into any computer communications device on Earth and access any data network on the planet. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #232, 240]

The comprehensive surveillance system can map out three-dimensional displays of the entire town, both above and below ground. These feeds also provide live displays of every occupant’s position in the town. The footage feeds into the central computer, which displays the images on its myriad screens. Additionally, the cybernetic dingoes that patrol the compound also stream live surveillance footage to the monitoring systems. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #13]

The computer once tapped into Madelyne Pryor’s dreams and displayed them on the monitor. This suggests that it may have the ability to psionically scan minds and translate this into visual images. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #232-234] It is also possible that Madelyne’s budding psychic abilities subconsciously broadcasted her dreams onto the computer screen. The computer may also boasts a connection to the realm of Limbo. The demons S’ym and Nastirh would often override the computer and appear on its screen. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #234, 236] However, there is evidence that S’ym and Nastirh could perform this same trick with other devices. During one instance while Madelyne was away from the Outback, Nastirh contacted her over a computer monitor on the island of Genosha. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #236]

In addition to being connected to Limbo and possibly self-aware, the computer is self-repairing as well. It may even grow like an organic organism. The monitor twice repaired itself after a user damaged it: once at the hands of Madelyne and once by Havok. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #234, 249]

Because the computer system can physically repair itself, it should come as no surprise that it can grow as well. After the Reavers retook the town, they observed that the computer system seemed to be growing on its own. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #252] However, this came as a surprise to the system’s former operator, Bonebreaker. He did not understand its new programming language or how it was capable of growing and compared it to a living organism.

What accounts for the computer’s seemingly mystical elements? Judging by how the Reavers reacted to it upon their return to their base, it is likely the mystical elements of the technology developed during their absence, while the X-Men occupied the base. It is possible the blossoming magical power in Madelyne Pryor, on her way to becoming the Goblyn Queen, kick-started the computer’s magical development. It is also possible that the goddess Roma, who made the X-Men invisible to all magical and electronic sensors except for the ones in the compound, inadvertently spurred its magical growth. Regardless, this technology appears to be foreign to the facility and remains the greatest mystery surrounding the town.