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 15/?- Voices in the Dark Morpheus, oneill@cambus.u-net.com Feedback appreciated, as is criticism, if constructive. {{blahblahbla}} is thoughts ^^blahblahbla^^ is telepathy ==blahblahbla== is computer ======== On the east coast of America, three agents for the Rebellion scaled back down a wall they had just climbed. Inside the Hellfire Club's stronghold, Gambit, Deadpool, and Pete Wisdom were inside the complex, descending a maintenance duct, full of grime and dust. Deadpool stopped abruptly, which resulted in Gambit stepping on his head. "Hey Cajun! Watch where ya stick those gumshoes." After a string of obscenities were slung, Deadpool replied, "Yeh yeh. Hey Cajun, light up this little tube will ya? I wanna see where bouts we are." A brief hiss of energy later, and Gambit's hand shone like a dying star, casting a dim glow over the dull steel walls. Deadpool looked around the cylinder, and was about to speak when he heard a creak come from beneath him. "What was that?" "I heard it too," said Wisdom. Deadpool hushed the trio, and waited for the noise to reappear. Just as he was about to speak, a tremendous roar erupted beneath them. At the exact same moment as the sound wave hit them, so too did a paralysing shockwave, sending them tumbling haphazardly down the maintenance shaft. == The sunrise on an autumn morning is usually a beautiful sight, nature in hushed glory. Scott Summers could not see this. As he wandered across open wastelands, his eyes clenched shut, he felt the sun's rays hit his body, warming the cold bones within him. He stumbled over a boulder, and fell to the ground. For a second, his eyes flickered open, and before he could shut them again, the ground in front of him was charred further, from a huge discharge of solar energy. Scott cursed himself, and, with a scratch at his bearded face, resumed his journey, towards where he did not know. He only knew that he must go. Scott would be unaware, even with sight, that, the object of his journey lay twenty miles to his south. == In the ruins of an unidentifiable city, Essex sat on a fallen roof girder, collecting his thoughts. He hoped that the Rebellion had been reunited, but suspected deep within that they hadn't. If this was true, he had only one course of action left, and that would be his original plan. His plans for the Rebellion were now in shreds, and he could only imagine what stage the Hellfire Club's plans were at without opposition. From the time he spent within Ship, after his capture by Apocalypse, he had learned of the plans they would set in motion, and they terrified him. As he let loose a blast of pure energy in frustration, he held the faintest hope that something would halt their merciless progress across the earth. == High above the earth, Ship maintained a geosynchronous orbit above Australasia. Within the conference room, the two active Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club sat in silent conflict. Sebastian Shaw had impressed the members of the Hellfire Club over the short time he had in control, but Magnus' mere presence held sway over several members. He had an aura of dignity and composure, and as he sat in his throne, relaxed yet regal, his power was returning to him. His cabal had at least four members, but he suspected that Shaw had that many also. There would be one person who would decide this conflict, if it escalated: Doctor Henry McCoy. Magnus had never been friends with the eccentric doctor, but suspected that he had as deep a resentment for Shaw as he, after Shaw revealed his plans to the entire Hellfire Club. Right now though, the Hellfire Club had convened to decide on a plan of action for the next month. Sebastian Shaw glanced at the circular table in front of him, and, seeing everyone was present, he began the meeting. "Computer: recorders one through eight online. Now, comrades, we are here today to plan our next month's campaign. We have the power and resources now to expand our web of influence past the old limits. I propose a final swoop of the American continent, tying up any loose ends that we have not drawn in, and then moving on Japan." "I disagree Sebastian." Magnus spoke up, still lounging in his throne. The rest of the Hellfire Club wore looks of discomfort, waiting for a situation to explode. "I believe we should consolidate our American resources, then resume our residence in New York. The time is not yet right to expand. We must wait for Charles and Apocalypse to return before moving so drastically. From New York, we can command the Marauders in operations to seize all of America." "I understand your position on this Magnus," said Shaw, a frown masking his growing hatred for Magnus, "But we don't know when the Rebellion will regroup. We should move now, while the playing field is open." "All the more reason for us to stay in America, where we can monitor them more closely, and act with swift retribution." Shaw glanced quickly at those Hellfire Club members whose face he could see. A few looked away, and a few frowned without commital. A look into Magnus' eyes showed confidence, despite the fact he had lost most of his power. Shaw realised that now was not the time to make his stand. "Very well Magnus. We will return to New York within the hour." "Thank you Sebastian," said Magnus, smiling. "Computer: stand-by ship wide broadcast system." ==standing by== "Message; Comrades. This is Magneto. We will be returning to our base in New York as soon as possible. There, we will regroup and command the total conquering of America. Prepare for evacuation of Ship. Message end." === Outside New Pierra, the remnants of the Rebellion were crouched in the slopes surrounding the citybase, staying beneath the scanning rays of EarthGov. Maverick and Storm were discussing Logan's situation. "Look Ororo, we both know that Logan can take care of himself." "Of course David. But can even his fire survive against an entire army?" "The truth? No. But he wasn't going in to fight. He went peacefully." "Destroying three of their sentries is peaceful to you?" "Abyss was in the area they took him in. There were no gunshots, Ororo. He's safe." "I hope so." "Storm. If I felt he was endangering himself, then I would have stopped him. I know Logan, and he'll be fine." == Deep within Ship, three Marauders were ending a training session when they heard Magneto's address. Shadowcat, Random and Scratch were in one of the shuttles that ferried personnel around the vast construct. Random stood behind Shadowcat and Scatch, watching them discuss this latest turn of events. Shadowcat said, "I can't really believe Magneto's back. I thought he was on life support." "Way I hear it," said Scratch, his English accent still thick, "Is that Shaw had some kind of sleep serum pumpin through 'im." "You're joking!", said Pryde, turning to Scratch, "How could he do that?" "Dunno luv, but some wee birdy tells me that ol' Bucket Head was sprung free by someone in the top ranks of the Club." "Gotta be Quicksilver." "That's what I thought. But that's too obvious. Shaw would've kept an eye on him, and Scarlett." "But who else would do it?" "Dunno. We lowly Marauders only do the dirty work. I can't even r'member who's in the bloody Club! All I know now is Magneto's back in power. But we're getten sent all over the fuckin' USA now! Ridiculous." "Wait til Mutant X gets back. Him and Magneto will take over." "Aye, but wait til that big blue bastard gets back. He'll sort the lot o' them out." As the shuttle decelerated outside the Marauders' communal quarters, Scratch and Shadowcat stepped out of the sliding doors. Scratch turned, and saw Random staying in the shuttle. "Aren't you comin' in, big boy?" "No. I'm going up." "Since when does a lowly Marauder get t'travel up to see the big bosses?" "That's none of your business," Random said slowly, staring down at the comparitively tiny mutant. "I'll go where I want." "Ah jeez, okay. Keep yer bloody overalls on." == Soon, Magnus sat in his soft leather chair, glad to be back among the familiar. As the clutter of several hundred subjects rebounded off the lead lined walls, he heard a faint creak at his door. He turned around slowly, drawing a dagger from his desk and cloaking it in the sleeve of his robe. "Master?" Magnus turned to see a cowering young girl, her head bowed before him. He put the blade down, deliberately in front of her. "Ah, Paige. I trust you've kept yourself occupied during my months absent?" "Of course master. I organised your study, and kept your programs running. You have several messages. They are in your database." "Thank you." Magnus realised he was being a bit kinder than usual, and said with haste, "You can go now." "Yes master." As Paige Guthrie slid the oak door back into place, Magnus turned his attention back to the knife. He concentrated his thoughts on it lifting into the air, and it eventually did. He dropped his hold on it, and it clattered onto the hardwood flooring. He exhaled deeply, his mind drained. He stood up slowly, holding his weight on the arms of his chair. He looked into the mirror that hung on his wall, and for the first time, noticed his appearance. For a man of fifty, Magnus considered himself in good physical condition, and healthy as a man half his age. Now, he saw that this was wrong. The time he had spent comatose, thanks to Sebastian Shaw, had stole a dear part of him. His face was bony, skeletal, and his cheeks were carved like pale, chalk cliffs, sunken, dead eyes in the deep hollows of his face, overtopped by a loose patch of straggly white hair. Magnus fell backwards into his chair, and realised for the first time that he would need more help than he imagined in regaining his power base. "Computer: open outside commline to location reference sector 36-A grid epsilon." ==authorisation required for outside commline== "Oh yes, of course. Authorisation reference IC-Alpha-Magnus." ==passcode invalid. unauthorised access request registered with internal records. user connection terminated== == A mile below Magnus' study, Sebastian Shaw stood watching his plans develop. Xavier was now in the medical wing of the Hellfire Club, but Shaw could still monitor him. "Computer: take into account most recent modifications to algorithm Apocalypse-Shaw-Alpha and estimate time for completion." ==extrapolation of all available information suggests completion of algorithm in thirteen days== Shaw let a smile crack onto his face, and turned to face the other occupants in his private quarters. "Well, isn't this a cause for celebration?" "Indeed, father. It appears we will be once again in control of the Hellfire Club's destiny." "Yes." Shaw turned back to his computer screen, and manually scrolled through a file, which was basically a list of Shaw's plans. He stopped at one entitled Rebellion Nullification. "Computer: display file currently selected on manual screen. Enlarge holograph to one-quarter maximum." A viewing window appeared in front of Shaw, and showed one of the dozens of cities that the Hellfire Club occupied. The constant stream of data sent from the base had ceased abruptly, and Shaw was alerted to the matter. He had used Ship's vast resources to track the town, and had found a worrying situation. "Shinobi, Mikhail, there is a situation here I want you to deal with. I have not yet informed the other members, but I believe we can handle it ourselves." "What is the situation, leader?" Mikhail Rasputin was a towering Russian, but he still followed Shaw with slavering devotion. "A division of the Rebellion has attempted to infiltrate one of our bases, sector 4-G. The clone guardians have taken care of the three who made the first run, but undoubtedly the rest will follow. As you know, the clones cannot withstand a long battle, and will degrade, so I want you to lead a team of Externals to deal with the rest." "I would be honoured, leader." Shinobi, being of more focused mind, asked, "But will the Externals follow our lead? From what I know of them, they only obey Apocalypse." "I understand your concern, but Nemesis is a smart man, and knows his father may not return for some time. He and I have made a temporary pact, and he, Exodus and Mimic will accompany you." "Who is in this Rebellion that we should worry about?" Shaw tapped a command into his armpad, and the focus of the holograph shifted to a view of the Rebellion huddled around a fire. "Like us, their telepaths have been negated, and I believe Blink is comatose. They cannot escape, and they are weak. However, they still have Juggernaut, so be careful. He is a threat all of his own." Shaw closed the holograph, and added, "Mikhail, you will transport the team to sector 4-G. I do not want to draw any undue attention to this mission by using the Club's resources. You will engage them in combat and take them to my safehouse in the Heartlands, where I will rendevous with you in two days. Understood?" "Yes, father." "Of course, leader." == Within the confines of the New Pierra citybase, Logan studied his cell in minute detail. He traced where he expected the lights' power source was, and then worked out where the infra-red grid was being projected from. In the three hours since Winston O'Brien had left his cell, he had devised four separate escape plans. Now he had a fifth, involving cutting off the power to the room before a signal could be sent to the control centre, registering his movement. As he turned his attention to the ceiling, he heard the locks tumble, and smelt O'Brien return. This time, he turned to face him, and saw anguish in his face. He thought that his offer had been rejected, but didn't let panic overwhelm him. O'Brien sat down at the table in the centre of the room, not looking at Logan. Logan stood up from his bed, and went over to the table, sitting down silently. O'Brien ran a hand through wispy hair, any trace of composure gone. He looked up at Logan, with tired eyes, and sighed. "You have a deal." == Back in New York, Magnus walked through the corridors of the Hellfire Club, watching the servants scurry by quickly. He strolled leisurely, but his mind was preoccupied with his current predicament. He was virtually powerless, and Shaw had changed the passwords to the data net. If confronted, he would argue security, and give him the new codes. But this only confirmed what Magnus had suspected all along. Shaw was implementing a takeover. His feet led him to the training centre for the Marauders. He walked into the observation dome, the palmpad still recognising his DNA at least. He did not announce his presence to his subjects, preferring to see their natural talents shine. He watched the vast hall spread out past his eye's boundary, as the darkness sunk into the floor. {{Nightwatch training}}, he thought, and opened a computer link. "Alter glass to preset reference Nightwatch." =confirmed. stand by== In a few seconds, the glass dome that shielded Magnus shimmered momently, then turned a mottled green. Then, the tint vanished, and Magnus had a clear view of the battlefield. There were about a dozen Marauders spread out in various states of attack or defense. He caught a sight of the green hair of Polaris, and realised that his occasional protege was now far more powerful than he was. He watched her casually send a light magnetic wave ahead of her, and, feeling a disturbance, fly high into the artificial air. She then aimed a blast of pure electro-magnetic energy at her opponent, who was the muscular native American, Thunderbird. He staggered backwards, winded by the force of the blow. As Lorna Dane lowered to the ground, she was attacked swiftly by the younger Proudstar. Warpath careered into her, slamming his weight into the small of her back. She collapsed into a heap, allowing Warpath to help his elder brother. Magnus was disappointed, and activated the commlink into the hall. "Warpath. Do not ever aid a fallen comrade on a battlefield. It is a sign of weakness, and leaves you open to attack. Do not err so again." As soon as Magnus had closed the commlink, the ever-eager Julio Esteban Rictor let loose a mild vibe-shock, that radiated from his entire body. In seconds, the entire room had been knocked unconscious, or were at least disoriented. Magnus smiled behind his screen, and reopened the commlink. "Very good Rictor. This training session is over. Transfer all injured to the medibay, and report back to your stations." == A few hundred feet beneath the earth's surface, a faint hint of rotting flesh entered Gambit's nostrils, and nudged him awake from a mild sleep. His head snapped upright, and after momentary grogginess, he regained his vision. Gambit, who had been in this situation before, did not make any noise, so as not to alert his captors. He took in his surroundings, and was greeted by the sight of his friends hanging in metal shackles on either side of him. They were in a small stone room, with no visible entrance. Craning his neck, he couldn't see two areas of the room, just beyond Deadpool and Wisdom. Having decided upon a plan of action, he sent a charge through his arms, and was surprised when his powers actually worked. Relieved, he melted his shackles, then leapt onto the floor. As he did so, he realised his mistake. As he hit the stone floor, a shock passed through his entire body, making him comatose once again. The electric field shimmered briefly, before deactivating. On the opposite side of the room, the wall suddenly disappeared, allowing a harsh blue light entry. From the light walked a hulking figure, at least eight feet tall. Long black hair lay limp over muscled green skin. As he walked, organic pipes pumped a black liquid through his system, and his tightly stretched skin rippled slightly. Vessel gazed through cold blank eyes at his captives, and flexed a huge forearm. == Outside New Pierra, the Rebellion were on sudden alert. The perimeter lights had activated suddenly, illuminating the hills that they hid in. Then, the two mile long structure made a soft whirring sound, and every throughway was raised. The tankdrones went inside, and the throughways closed. Maverick crouched in a mudhole he had burrowed halfway up a slope, and peered through the trees, as a patrol of soldiers filed out of one of the throughways far away from him. He couldn't make out a number, and couldn't identify any of them. He adjusted his position, ready to pounce down a predetermined path and out towards any trouble. As he adjusted the settings on the only gun he had carried with him on this journey, he hoped that Ororo had been able to travel the surrounding area without activating any sensors. A few hundred metres away, Storm rode on a slight gust of wind, using it to lift the heavier areas of her body. For years she had perfected this technique of flying, but had only ever used it on spying missions. Now, she did so to preserve the safety of her companions. If anything more than a breeze was detected, the tankdrones would be out in force attacking them. She drifted above the canopy of the trees briefly, and, seeing the patrol emerge, let herself fall onto the rough roof of vegetation. She maintained a cushion of air beneath her body, to lend support, and moved flat down to view the proceedings. After she was confident that she could not be seen, she focused her eyes on the entourage emerging from the citybase, and tried to gather her bearings. If she had kept her directions accurate, Helios would be nearby, and Iceman was about two hundred metres to her left. That was an acceptable safety net, if something had gone wrong. Ororo tried to distinguish some of the figures that were walking past the boundaries. They paused momentarily, and her eyes picked out the small, stocky figure of her partner. Logan was there, and unharmed! She noticed that two soldiers had their guns trained on him, but that would probably be a precaution. As they moved ever further out, she noticed a man wearing a business suit, with one hand hovering over what looked like a holster at his hip. She was about to present herself to the group, assuming that everything had gone to plan. From beneath her, she heard a rustle of soft leaves and then felt, more than witnessed, a figure sprint through the woodland and emerge at the bottom of the valley. She heard the scuff of boots on rocky floor, and tried to float over to the edge of the border wall of trees to get a look at this disturbance. She was alarmed to see Helios, arms blazing with energy, run about a hundred metres away from the EarthGov group, and then throw his arms back. He fired a few blasts of what looked like magnetic energy, and took out several soldiers. The ones that remained seemed to be powerless, and Maverick, who was stunned momentarily into inaction, knew that Helios had somehow negated their weapons. Helios threw his arms back, and rose high into the air, apparently flying. Logan, who was walking towards him cautiously, realised that he was creating solid light platforms for his feet and moving them upwards. As Helios reached a height far above the reach of the others, he cast a contemptous glance towards them. Logan looked at the eyes of the young mutant, and confirmed what he had suspected. They were glazed over, and he moved very slowly, and deliberately. Every action was one which had to be forced through the synapses to the corresponding body part. Mind control. In a loud booming voice, with his lips moving before each word emerged, Helios' body proclaimed, "This alliance cannot be allowed to happen. For the greater good, you will be stopped." Before anyone could respond, a flash of light blinded many of them, and Logan collapsed into a heap, growling wildly. Helios lowered himself a fraction, and with a wave of his hand, sealed the citybase within a hard light dome. The tankdrones had already begun emerging, but none had passed that perimeter, and could not penetrate Helios' barrier. Maverick, having recovered from momentary blindness, had begun running towards the fracas, and reached into his belt. He unclasped a small sonic grenade, and pressed the activator on its surface. He through it high into the air, and continued running. He knew that this would draw from hiding the rest of the Rebellion. As David neared Helios, he looked up, only to witness a blast of pure light head straight at him. He was knocked backwards and winded by the blow, but not seriously harmed. He stayed down, playing possum, storing his charge into his fists. Nearby, Storm had left her position on the tree tops, and was confronting Helios. "Why do you do this? Whoever you are, relinquish the boy's body." She saw that the figure was not responding, and with a devastating bolt of lightning, screamed, "Answer me!" Helios had apparently erected a shield around his body, as the energy dissipated a few inches in front of his body. He turned slowly in midair to face her, and when he did, smiled at what appeared to be a private joke. "Ah, Storm. I wondered when I would encounter you." "Do I know you?" the weather goddess demanded. "That is no concern of yours." Ororo decided to ignore this for now, and reiterated her request. "Release the boy's body now!" "I am afraid I cannot comply. I find the power within this vessel most. . .delicious. His recent encounter with Magneto was quite beneficial." "I do not care how power hungry you are. Release him!" "Again, I must decline." "Very well. If it is power you desire, then take my body. I will not resist." "A tempting offer, but this boy has far more potential than you can even imagine." The inhabitor of Helios seemed to anticipate Storm's response, and, with a casual gesture, sent a wave of laser light searing into her. Ororo cried out in pain, as her scorched body went limp, and was sent hurtling towards a rocky death. Logan, who had recovered his senses by now, leapt through the air, and grabbed Storm in his arms, before landing softly on the ground, continuing his run. He whispered, "Don't worry, 'Ro", as he ran towards the woodlands, he listened for any energy blasts, but heard none. He covered the few hundred metres in a minute, and laid down Storm's body gently onto a pile of leaves, hastily kicked together. He looked back momently, and saw the rest of the Rebellion gather around Helios, who was still hovering godlike above the battlefield. As he sliced open a plant leaf, squeezing its liquids over Storm's charred skin, he saw the motions of the battle, but Helios excessive power usage was creating static noise, making it hard for him to hear them. There was not much to hear. Havok had attempted a sneak attack; indeed, his energy blasts had knocked Helios out of the sky. There was no quarter given to their comrade, as all knew the need to free him from his occupier. As Havok's blast grounded him, Sunfire lit a ring of fire around him, entrapping him to open a window of conversation. Havok assumed command of this group, and demanded that whoever was inside Helios leave. Of course, this was refused. Logan massaged Ororo's skin with a cool leaf, and was startled by a presence next to him. He whirled around, his back to Storm, and unsheathed his adamantium claws. He was surprised to see Doom, his pale face blackened by layers of mud. Logan unsheathed his claws, and was about to speak, when Doom broke in quickly. "We don't have time to debate this. I have a plan. I've got something that can disrupt neural pathways, and that will give Helios control again. I need time to set the co-ordinates in though, so I want you to keep him stationary for 10 seconds." Before Logan could respond, Doom had disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Logan smiled, and if he had had time, he would have been proud that the once reclusive old man had developed into a clever tactical warrior. Logan moved to the edge of the trees, preparing himself for an attack. He took in the situation, and decided to wait. The Rebellion watched the body of Helios slowly stand up, and laboriously grin at them. He walked towards the clustered heroes, and walked straight through the flames. The manic smile stuck rigidly in his facial muscles, as he emerged from the wall of fire unscathed. He watched disbelief set in on the faces of the Rebellion, and took this opportunity to disable all of them. Without even looking back, he ignited the flames into a twenty foot inferno, and continued walking. He enacased them in a dome of light, then made it light reflective. The Rebellion were entombed by darkness. Helios heard, briefly, the hiss of Havok's energy blasts, and screams of agony as the energy simply rebounded into a comrade. The thin figure of Helios turned, his black suited body unharmed by the leaping, twirling tongues of fire. He seemed to have another plan of action in mind, turning his attention back to the citybase. Before he could do anything, Maverick rose behind him, his fists seething with recycled kinetic energy. Helios had lowered his shields, apparently storing his energy for another purpose. This left him open to attack. And Maverick did not hold back. David emptied his entire charge onto Helios, his frail body being sent flying off the ground and onto his back. Logan saw his opportunity, and sprinted with all his considerable speed towards the fallen boy. Maverick stood still, and aimed his gun at Helios. Set to stun, it would incapacitate him long enough for a plan to be forged. As the figure rose slowly, the wicked grin returning to his face, Maverick fired. In a display of dramatics, Helios rose a hand in front of himself, and erected a small shield there. David's gunfire was dispersed around the shield, rendered harmless. Helios walked slowly towards Maverick, who realised his resources were spent. The smile still stuck on his face, Helios stopped dead. The smile faded, and he shut his eyes. David attempted another attack, but the energy just disappeared around his shields. He looked into the now wide eyes of Helios, and saw nothing. There was no evil glint, or any hint of consciousness. This frightened him more than the power that this young boy wielded. To look into a living being, and see absolutely no emotion or life. It chilled him to the bone, something that distracted him from the imminent attack. Helios' right hand rose, and the air around it began to shimmer and glow slightly red. He was about to unleash another volley of energy, when suddenly he was knocked onto his side. Logan landed on his back and spun round, pouncing at Helios within nanoseconds of hitting him. Claws bare, he tried to strike at his arm, but found his attack blocked by a shield. Logan improvised, and threw his entire weight against the shield. Helios was disoriented, and could not retaliate. Maverick, sensing part of Logan's plan, leapt to his aid, throwing himself onto the force field with all the strength he could muster. Without even looking up from his struggle, he grunted, "Ten seconds!" Maverick understood, and pushed as hard as he was physically able to. Beneath them, Helios was trying to weaken his shield, but when he did so, Logan lunged at him, causing the shield to reappear. Logan let out a deep feral roar, and all his strength went into his arms, holding Helios down. In a few seconds, the writhing body of their erstwhile companion went limp, and the shield disappeared. Logan checked Helios' pulse, and found he was alive. He told Maverick he was going to help Storm, and as he ran back to the woods, he heard the voices of the rest of the Rebellion recover from the attack. He heard the mechanised growl of tankdrones, as they came out en masse to deal with this situation. Inside he was afraid of the validity of their deal, but he ignored that and concentrated on helping Storm. When he reached her, he found Doom running a device over her skin. "What's that?" "Dermal regenerator. I think it might be working. I took it from Forge's lab, but it's got a faulty power cell." He whacked it with a gloved hand, then put it into a napsack he was carrying. "Thanks for trying, Vic. We might be able to get ya some from EarthGov. Tell them I'll be over in a minute." "Okay," replied Doom, and began walking over to the rest of the Rebellion. There, Havok had lifted Helios off the rocky ground, and was talking with a suited man. Logan felt Storm's forehead, then added, "Ya did good there." As he continued walking, Doom smiled, and said, "Thanks Logan." == In the Hellfire Club, New York, Shinobi Shaw, Exodus, Nemesis, and Mimic stood in a circle, with Mikhail Rasputin in the centre. Shinobi checked a small handheld computer, then placed the pad into a compartment within his robes. He looked at each of his companions, and said "We're ready Mikhail." A ring of fiery energy whirled around the quintet, and they vanished. Several hundred miles away, another ring of fire appeared. The five crusaders emerged from the inferno of energy, which quickly subsided. Exodus suddenly shot straight into the air. Shinobi quickly surveyed the area, and, in the distance, could make out the huddled landscape of a dying city. Ten seconds later, Exodus floated gently next to him, and said, "The city is located one mile west. I can see their pitiful Rebellion around the outskirts of the forest. They number perhaps a dozen." Without another word, they all began to take flight towards the stronghold. Exodus raced ahead, eager for a taste of battle, partly to relieve the sense of frustration he felt at Apocalypse's absence. They arrived within ten minutes, and gathered behind some rock clusters to survey their prey. Nemesis was the first to speak. "I think we can do this quickly. I'll use a low powered blast, wide dispersion, and negate their teeps and those that are weak. They won't have defense. Then, Exodus and Mikhail move in with an attack on those that are left. Try to avoid Marko for now." Shinobi interrupted, "Exodus, are you sure you can cope with this mission? You lost your main powers." Exodus, who did not see the need for idle chat, replied curtly, "My blasts are mostly powered by kinetic energies, and I have flight, strength, and invulnerability." Nemesis smiled briefly at the look on the younger Shaw's face, and went on, "Mimic, you move in for the second wave, and get close enough to assimilate their powers. Shaw, you try to sneak round the back, and if you can, move for Marko and his crystal. We know he's been having problems with it. I'll go for a frontal attack on him in the second wave. Everyone ready? Then let's do it." The powerful figure of Nemesis leapt up from his position behind the rocks, and let loose a cascade of microwave energy, which hurtled towards the unsuspecting Rebellion. ********* Roll call Rebellion: Forge, Jean Grey, Deadpool, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Banshee, Clear-Cut, Blink[INJ], M, Iron Man[INJ], Shang-Chi, 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.