If anyone on this short list of people doesn't want to receive any further installments, please e-mail me. I am sending this part out to those who have provided feedback, because I'm not on any fanfic lists. DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story are property of Marvel Inc., and I'm not making a profit from this, so don't sue me. Barring Helios and Glow, who are my own exclusive property. They may not be used without my expressed permission. X-Men: Yin Yang Part 12/?- Come Find Yourself Morpheus, oneill@cambus.u-net.com Feedback appreciated, as is criticism, if constructive. {{blahblahbla}} is thoughts ^^blahblahbla^^ is telepathy ==blahblahbla== is computer Just a quick note: not all of these events are happening in a simultaneous order. For instance, Essex's story is happening on a wider time scale than the others. He's been travelling for weeks, but the Rebellion's story is a week or two behind that. And, the Hellfire story is ahead of the Rebellion as well Also, any placenames referred to will be inaccurate, not corresponding to geography, or just plain fictional. I don't know the layout of the US, being from Scotland, and this is a new world, so places are called what I want them to be. ============== Somewhere several miles below sea level, a ghost of a man walked along his chosen path in silence, treading earth untouched in years. Essex's eyes pierced the darkness ahead, lighting the way back home. He had travelled nonstop since leaving the Rebellion, and was coming closer to his destination. === "Engage monitor sequence Magnus-Sabbah-Xavier." ==confirmed== Sebastian Shaw sat once again watching his allies lie helpless and vulnerable, deliberating his options. In the weeks since the battle with the Rebellion, he had spent most of his time in his strategy room, preparing for whathe felt he must do. "Query: scan records in past five days for access attempts to medicomm control section Magneto-Alpha." ==scan complete== "Query: number of unauthorised attempts?" ==two access attempts did not use valid password== "Trace location of attempts." ==confirmed== "Display." ==one access attempt from residential quarters - reference: grey 17 lehnsherr p - and one access attempt from unknown location. insufficient data available to validate location== This latter revelation shocked Shaw. Only the Inner Circle were privy to the secrets of Ship's computers, and no-one else, to his knowledge, could hack so efficiently into the systems. Suddenly, he thought {{If someone can block an access attempt, could they bypass the codeword too?}} "Query: number, and location, of authorised access attempts to medicomm control section Magneto-Alpha." ==three access attempts. two from strategic quarters - reference: blue 12 ic shaw - and one access attempt from unknown location. insufficient data available to validate location== === At the helm of the vast Ship, three of the select cadre of mutants, the Hellfire Club, stood in the observation dome, looking down on the rest of the world they knew they would someday rule. Roberto daCosta, Warren Worthington the Third, and Doctor Henry McCoy stood talking about recent events. "So, Hank," said daCosta, "How are your experiments going? After Shaw so kindly informed us of them, we have all been eager to see some of the results." McCoy bared a fang as he grinned, and replied, "Well Robert, I have discovered that the cyber-organic organisms will work more efficiently if regulated. I initially considered doing so by transmitted computer signals, but that is quite difficult and cumbersome. Instead, I have been investigating the alternative option; nanites." "Intriguing," said Worthington, taking a sip of champagne from his glass. "I thought you were still at a theoretical level with those." "Well, I told you a lot of things, but since our dear leader Sebastian has revealed the extent of my other project, I see no reason to deflect the truth now. Apocalypse knew of the progress I had made on the cyber-organic technology, and had given me a tissue sample of his own cyber-organics. These employed nanites to control the various functions of his versatile body, and the secret of how to implement these successfully was revealed to me." "I'm surprised our retiring leader would be so generous," ventured daCosta. "It seems that he was aware of the extent our operations will soon extend to, and stood by the tenet of being prepared, as it were." After several awkward moments were they contemplated the future of the Hellfire Club, apparently shredding apart, Warren Worthington the Third, or, as he prefers to be known, Angel, spoke up. "I've been meaning to stretch my wings for a while, and see no better time than the present." He pressed a button on his wristwatch, releasing a metal sheath that encased his majestic feathered wings on his back. "Alert me if Ship will be going anywhere." He stepped next to the glass dome, and without turning to his colleagues, said, "Gentlemen, I suggest you hold onto something. "Computer: stand by to open observation dome, and compensate for atmospheric pressure. Security bypass: Omega-HC." ==confirmed. ready to open observation dome== "Activate." With a sudden gust of wind, Angel slipped out of Ship, falling several hundred feet til he opened his wings and soared on the air currents that swirled in a torrent around his body. === On the Western seaboard, Logan's team were still aiming for somewhere to rest, when Sunfire suddenly appeared in the distance, a glowing streak of fire, who arrived in seconds. "Logan! I found one of the bases you told me about!" he screamed while still landing on a wave of flames. "Calm down Shiro," Logan said, peering into the direction he had just arrived from. "Didja look for the symbols I told ya bout?" "Yes. I saw the..the EG on top of the citydome, and the tankdrones patrolling the area, just like you said. I stayed far enough away so that I wasn't seen." "They'll have probably picked up yer heat sig anyway." Logan saw the worried look on Sunfire's face, and continued, "Not that that matters. We'll be heading there anyway. I think we need to have a talk with EarthGov." === On the other side of the coast, the second half of the Rebellion was preparing for a similar operation, but against the opposing side. Forge had developed a small electro-magnetic generator from the remains of Iron Man's armour, and was getting help from Tony in increasing its effective radius. Daredevil and Banshee were discussing their strategy, as Jean and Legion were testing some techniques Essex had shown them to stimulate latent telepathy. Daredevil asked Sean; "Did Speed Demon confirm the location of the Hellfire town?" "Aye. Location is bout two miles north west of here, over them hills there." "How big is this town?" "Well, t's big nough fr 'couple a hundred foot soldiers. All slaves." "What about the Hellfire control team?" "Dunno. I'm still not sure bout only one mutant controlling the lot o them. I tought there'd be at least tree or four. I think our little team should be prepared fer that too." "Good idea Sean, I'll brief them when we're finished. I have my doubts as well." === High in the earth's atmosphere, Sebastian Shaw sat in the Inner Circle's control room high above helm control. Below him was a vast chamber similar to the strategic unit, only with an enormous viewing window at one end. Shaw relaxed in his leather chair, and addressed his computer. "Stand-by shipwide broadcast system. Record message on internal address; Shaw-IC." ==standing by== "Message; This is Sebastian Shaw. We will be moving within one minute to a test site for some experiments, details of which are available on the data net. Doctor McCoy will be experimenting with a new gene virus, which will, hopefully, aid our plans to no end. We will be travelling at full velocity possible within Earth's atmosphere, and will arrive within five minutes of departure. "All strategic units prepare to be deployed. Group coding Alpha-Gamma. Message end." =confirmed. message sent. recorded on internal address - reference shaw-ic== After a suitable time had passed, Sebastian commanded; "Activate Ship helm controls; codeword Phoenix." ==confirmed. password valid== "On my signal; descend; drop into Earth's atmosphere, and activate algorithm climate-control-Earth-X. Set course for location; America- MidWest; and set propulsion to maximum. Activate cloak protocols." =confirmed. standing by== "Descend." Slowly, but with a menacing ease, the vast, futuristic cruiser known as Ship, fell from a blanket of clouds into the cool air of Earth. Then, as a subdued roar echoed around the heavens, it vanished in a blur of light and sound. === Miles beneath the Earth's surface, Essex was unaware of the events above ground. He had trodden these stony corridors for nearly two days now, and abruptly came to a halt next to an unremarkable outcrop of rock. Facing it, he placed his palms facing the stone, and sent an energy wave rocketting into it. The wall shook slightly, then Essex gripped a crack in the rocky surface, and pulled. Not usually known for his strength, this display was rare. After a minute, a gap had opened up, sufficient to take his shape. Without a look behind him, he stepped through the crack into another world. Sheets of dulled metal composed a small chamber, at the opposite side of which was a small keypad. Essex carefully walked towards it, anticipating the volatile nature of his surroundings. One alphanumeric code later, another opening emerged, this time, into a lead shielded room, in the centre of which stood a pedastel of sorts. Resting on it was a pure white gem, and as Essex glanced at it, a cascade of colours flowed through it. He moved slowly towards it, and clasped his hands around it. Instantly, a surge of power rushed through his fingers, pulsing into his body, reopening connections severed not that long ago. === Logan sniffed the silent air, his senses alert for any signs of an ambush. They were descending a valley which surrounded the EarthGov base that Sunfire had found. The city of New Pierra was one of the most secure of EarthGov's strongholds in the US, barring New Washington. In groups of three, the Rebellion waded down through lush foliage, clearing a path obviously no-one had preceded. Suddenly, a metallic tinge entered Logan's nasal passage, and signalled those behind him to halt. The Rebellion members rolled to the side of the path they had trodden, hiding beneath bushes or behind trees. Logan, flat on the ground, unsheathed his claws. He smeared some mud on his face, and inched down the hill towards the source of the smell. He knew it was some sort of weapon, for he also detected an oily residue in that vicinity. As he approached the source, he paused, listening for any movement. Ahead and to the right, he heard a slow, steady intake of breath. He was within six feet of his target. In one swift movement, he leapt through the air, from a crawl. His forearm swung around his unwitting victim's neck, as his other arm's hand clasped over his mouth. "Not a word," Logan said. He scanned his uniform briefly for an EG badge, but saw nothing. Claws still bared, he whispered, "Hellfire Club?" The mercenary slowly nodded, taking his time to avoid Logan's claws. "What does it take for a nice merc like you to be sucked into an operation like this? Few hundred grand? Some tech? Or a promise of immunity?" Without moving another millimetre, he mumbled "mney" "Tut-tut. Well, are ya gonna tell me what yer mission is? Maybe then I'll let ya off with a few limbs intact." Logan retracted his claws, allowing him room to speak, but not to activate any alarm systems. "Hired to monitor Pierra. Didn't tell me why. Just to tell them if anything unusual happened. Like this." Logan stood for a few moments, still holding the merc tight. Then, he bared a single claw, and sliced a vein on the neck Essex had told him about. It was not a major function, but any pressure or disruption in the blood flow would induce a small bout of unconsciousness. He signalled for the Rebellion to gather, having already scouted the rest of the area briefly for other mercs. "I'm not willing to kill today. We'll need a way to mindwipe him, then set him loose. Doom, get working on it. Everyone else; stay alert. I don't know how long we'll be stationary, but I'm going to approach the base in ten minutes, once the tankdrones start their next cycle. It'll be risky, but I've got a plan." === Roll Call ********* Rebellion: Forge[INJ], Jean Grey, Deadpool, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Banshee, Clear-Cut, Blink[INJ], M, Iron Man[INJ], Shang-Chi[INJ], Callisto [INJ], Glow (original)[INJ], Legion, Gambit, Marrow, Juggernaut, Wisdom, Sabra, Speed Demon, Essex, Wolverine, Maverick, Havok, Iceman, Chrome, Doom, Sunfire, Boost, Maggot, Chamber, Abyss, Landscape, Helios (original), Storm Hellfire Club: Angel, Hank McCoy, Shinobi Shaw, Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Reed Richards, Emma Frost, Roberto daCosta, Mikhail Rasputin. Paige Guthrie as slave Inner Circle: Ennur Sabah (Apocalypse), Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (Magneto), Charles Francis Xavier (Mutant X), Sebastian Shaw. Marauders: Warpath, Thunderbird, Moonstar, Colossus, Jubilee, Polaris, Wildchild, Omega Red, Scratch, Deflector (Reyes), Fenris, Sack, Vessel, Skin, Nightcrawler, Unuscionne, Caliban, Aurora, Pyro, Avalanche, Spoor, Rictor, Dazzler, Meltdown, Siryn, Black Tom, Shadowcat, Multiple Man, Random, Strong Guy, Firestar, Tusk, Wolfsbane, Feral, Magma. There's loads more, but far too many to go into here. Externals: Gideon, Mimic, Cannonball, Nemesis, Exodus, Candra, Selene, Crule, Absalom.