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. X-Men: Yin Yang Part 3/?- Only the Strongest Will Survive Morpheus, oneill@cambus.u-net.com {{blahblahbla}} is thoughts ^^blahblahbla^^ is telepathy Sorry about the gap between this one and the last one, I've been too busy with school to write ============== In the dead of night, four huddled figures sat round a dying camp fire. Smoke spirlled into nothingness above their heads, as the final sparks were extinguished by a throw of sand. "We'd better put this out. We've not to be spotted, remember?". This came from a wiry individual, with his voice a pitch above human levels. "Ah, yer paranoid Wagner," another said. From her fingers a small spark leapt, starting a new fire. "No Angie. He's right." From his voice, it was evident this man was Russian. Suddenly, he put his hand over the newly ignited flame, and it vanished. As his hand reached the flame, it sparkled, for it was metal. The other figure stayed silent, for there was no need for further conversation. They had a job to do in the morning, and they needed sleep. ============== The silence of this night was not evident in Tony Stark. He took off his helmet, and threw it into the corner. It clunked hollowly, then rolled into the shadows. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, then in a fit of anger, blasted a hole in the wall with his repulsor rays. The rage in his blood subsided, he collapsed onto his knees, silently sobbing. He sat for several moments, before a gentle voice murmured, "Tony?" He looked up briefly, his eyes blurry and sore. "Tony, Callisto told me what happened in Mexico. It wasn't your fault." "I should've saved Penance's life, Sabra. I could've got past the flames." "No you couldn't have. You had to help those people that were trapped. Callisto and Gambit couldn't clear the rubble on their own. Penance chose to try and help the others. It wsa her decision." "I know. . .but. . .I should've done something. . ." his voice trailed off and he started crying again. Sabra put her arms round his neck and tried to sooth him. She noticed a severe burn on the side of his neck, obviously from the battle. Something had got through his armour. {{Poor Tony, he tries so hard to help everyone else, but he never helps himself.}} ============= The next morning, atop the mountains of Switzerland, a lone man stood, wind blowing his jet black hair away from his head. This man, with his deathly pale skin, seemed to fit in perfectly with this area. Especially with the traumatic life he, Nathaniel Essex had led. In the early days of this. . .monstrosity of a body he now inhabited, he had lived a life in exile. His family was dead, and suicide was hopeless. He could not bring himself to end his misery, for a reason that eluded him to this day. Then, once he learned of how Apocalypse was attempting to take over the world, he began to organise a Rebellion, one that has been successful to this day. However, he is still alone. For the sheer volume of allies always around him, respecting and admiring him, he has never felt comfortable in the presence of others since he lost his Rebecca. He is most at home when he is doing what he does now. Looking for mutants. It is a long and tedious process, but he strives to enhance the Rebellion, and the only way to do so was finding new recruits. He didn't complain. In distant lands, away from the mass of the Rebellion, he could relax, without worry, and finally be at peace. He wasn't at peace today. With the death of an ally, and the critical situation of another, how could he focus? Jean had informed him in a telepathic communication moments ago. Penance had been killed in battle when a village in Mexico was attacked by the Marauder, Pyro. She was so young, which made her death all the more hurtful to Essex. He had personally rescued her from Russia only a few weeks ago. The other worry on his mind was Juggernaut. Juggernaut had been having problems with his powers for weeks, after preventing a nuclear meltdown. He was reverting to human form constantly, with his ability to change to the Juggernaut lost. Forge and Essex both agreed that the only way to stop Cain losing his powers forever was to kill him. [see YinYang 2 for details] They had performed the operation a few days ago, and it seemed a success, with the Crimson Gem of Cytorak healing Cain's death wounds. But as soon as he tried to move, a blood-red glow burst from the Gem, and Cain lapsed into a coma. He still showed normal life signs, but he just would not come out of the coma, even when psychically coaxed. Essex was reluctant to leave Cain in this condition, but Forge had insisted, saying that it was necessary to swell the ranks of the Rebellion. In truth, Essex had not tried to fulfill his task since he arrived. He felt guilty about leaving Cain, but with Forge, von Doom, and Stark there, he was in good hands if trouble arose. It didn't take much persuasion to get Essex to leave, but he knew if anything happened Blink or Deadpool would retrieve him. Essex put Cain and Penance out of his mind, and suddenly sensed something. A mutant. He leapt off the mountain top, sailing down thousands of feet without warning. He felt air slam against his body, and he slowed his descent mentally, until he landed gently on the soft snow. With the grace he had just displayed, it was hard to see that he was one of the most dangerous men on earth. Apart from him jumping off a mountain, that is. His eyes studied the landscape quickly, and he scanned for any psychic activity. This was his usual mutant check, first to see if they're in his vicinity, then to check for signs of psi-powers. He found neither. He reached out with one of the powers given to him by Apocalypse, to search for mutant bio-signatures. Again, nothing. He was now confused. He had sensed a mutant seconds ago. Where could it have gone? He closed his eyes, and again searched for signs of the X-factor nearby. He was so involved in the search, that he failed to hear the energy charge build up behind him. A beam of searing energy lanced into his back, then a powerful forearm slammed into his neck. Essex collapsed into a heap, ambushed too quickly for his defenses to arise. One of the world's most powerful men, reduced to a whimpering heap in seconds. =================== Dum-dum-dummmmmmmmmmm! What'll happen next? Who knows? Not me. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner than the gap between 2 and 3. See ya soon. Morpheus Roll Call ********* Rebellion: Essex, Wolverine, Storm, Forge, Maverick, Jean Grey, Havok, Deadpool, Daredevil, Iceman, Hawkeye, Banshee, Clear-Cut, Chrome, Doom, Blink, M, Iron Man, Shang-Chi, Morph, Sunfire, Callisto, Glow (original), Boost, Speed Demon, Legion, Maggot, Spiderman, Chamber, Gambit, Marrow, Abyss, Juggernaut, Wisdom, Sabra. 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, Northstar, Pyro, Avalanche, Spoor, Rictor, Dazzler, Meltdown, Siryn, Black Tom, Shadowcat, Multiple Man, Random, Strong Guy, Firestar, Gauntlet, 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. ==========