Match 20863 Cypher vs. Sage

[JohnnyChany]

THE SECOND XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 5

TEAMS AND SET-UP

 

The X-Force Strike team consisting of Fantomex, Deadpool, Wolfsbane, Cypher, and Caliban walked down the corridor leading to the Danger Room

WOLFSBANE: I’m so excited that I get a chance to participate in this go around. I thought I was going to have a chance for some scrappin’ during the first tournament, but it wasn’t meant to be.

DEADPOOL: As excited as you are, there is no way it can compare to my excitement, fur face. I’m about to explode out of my suit.

CYPHER: Please don’t.

DEADPOOL: I make no promises.

Deadpool then stopped momentarily as the other four kept walking on.

DEADPOOL: That is of course assuming the writer of this story can see it through to my match. He has a nasty habit of biting off more than he can chew with these grand ideas and not completely seeing them through. How long has it been since the Canadian Medicine Man knocked off the gothic ghost lady?

FANTOMEX: Wade! Catch up! We need you focused so that we can win, not running your mouth.

DEADPOOL: Be right there. Also, no offense intended JC, we should chat later about my ideal tournament involving all Marvel mercenaries. It will knock your socks off.

Wade then jogged forward to catch the rest of his teammates. He then gave an exaggerated salute to Fantomex.

DEADPOOL: You can count on me. I’ll have your back like a third nervous system. I am just so glad you guys invited me to be on the team. Being a part of this tournament  makes me feel like I’m really one of you guys now.

CYPHER: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

DEADPOOL: My only disappointment is that Cable’s old X-Force team isn’t here this time. An all out X-Force brawl would have been great and so, so violent.

WOLFSBANE: Aye, I wouldn’t mind giving Feral a proper fight and something tells me she’d be for it too.

DEADPOOL: That’s what I’m talking about. Plus, it would give Shatterstar a long overdue chance at redemption.

CALIBAN: What does Shatterstar need redemption for? Was his match in the first tournament that bad?

DEADPOOL: I have no idea. What I’m talking about is embarrassing himself in front of millions of people on the big screen.

Caliban regarded Wade with confusion.

DEADPOOL: Don’t worry about it. It was a blink and you miss it moment. Trust me though it was embarrassing.

FANTOMEX: Enough nonsense, we are here.

Rahne’s eyes widened as the massive doors slid open.

WOLFSBANE: Who d’ye think we’ll be up against?

CYPHER: Judging from the teams that haven’t competed yet in the first round, It should be fairly obvious I would think.

They stepped inside the confines of the Danger Room, where their opponents were already waiting. Standing opposite of them was the New Excalibur team. Pete Wisdom stood with a nonchalant stance. Near him was Sage. Micromax and Longshot exchanged glances at the arrival of the X-Force team while Dazzler idly flicked her fingers, causing small bursts of light to sparkle.

Fantomex’s eyes immediately fixed on Pete Wisdom.

FANTOMEX: Wouldn’t mind getting a crack at you secret agent man.

Pete Wisdom smirked but before he could answer, a large hologram of Emma Frost shimmered into existence.

EMMA FROST: Sorry to disappoint, Cluster. You won’t be competing this round. The two who will be competing already know who they are.

Both Cypher and Sage stood apart from their respective teams and locked eyes.

EMMA FROST: Cypher. Sage. For those who don’t know, Sage handled the first Invitational's pairings, and Cypher assisted her with this one. It only made sense for them to compete head-to-head early on to prevent any whispers of favoritism.

Sage stood tall and gave a small nod of acknowledgment to Cypher. Cypher returned the nod with a calm expression, though there was a flicker of tension in his gaze. His hands hovered near the interface on his wrist.

EMMA FROST:  Here’s the twist, they won’t be fighting each other. Not that it wouldn’t be entertaining in its own right. At one point, Sage would have absolutely destroyed you in a fight, Doug. These days with your ability to read body language, maybe not. No, your true strength is strategy, your brilliance in tactical warfare. That’s why I came up with this challenge for you.

Everyone turned as a screen outside the Danger Room flashed on, revealing the old landscape of the island of Genosha.

EMMA FROST: You both will be given a simulated version of the original X-Men, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, and Angel as your teams. Your objective is simple: lead your team to the Sentinel production plant on Genosha and destroy it. The first to succeed wins.

SAGE: Those are the only parameters?

EMMA FROST: Bonus points will be awarded for the number of Sentinels destroyed, and you’ll lose points for any fallen team members. Keep them alive, or suffer the consequences.

CYPHER: All we have to do is take out a factory of sentinels. Seems too simple.

EMMA FROST: Please, darling, give me some credit. This is the Mastermold at the center of the factory.

The screen showed an abnormally large kaiju size sentinel with spider-like legs and three heads.

PETE WISDOM: That looks like a right nasty piece of work.

EMMA FROST: Cypher applying his language and code manipulation to the technology of the sentinels could give his team great insight into victory. Sage’s computer-like analytical processing of any situation could put her team in the best position to win. It’ll be interesting to see which skill set prevails. Are you both ready?

Sage glanced at Cypher.

SAGE: Good luck.

CYPHER: Same to you.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Cypher
Read more about Cypher at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: Wikipedia Marvel Comics Database Marvel.com

Sage
Read more about Sage at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Entertainment Links: Wikipedia Comicvine Marvel.com

[leroypowell3]

Sadley I've never read any stuff with Cypher in any combat. I've always known him to be dead.

Sage seems like the sure victor to me.