X Force

Disclaimer:

All of the standard disclaimers apply. The X-men are the property of Marvel, and I take no credit for the creation of their characters, only my own. This is a fanfiction, therefore anything discontinuous to the normal X-men universe, including sexuality of the characters, is the product of my imagination. Any similarities to real people or events is completely coincidental.

This story contains male/male sex and romance. If you find either theme offensive, what are you doing reading nifty stories? And if you are underage or this story is illegal where you are reading, please leave. But if you chose to ignore this warning, it's your own fault!

Hey there, everyone.

I just wanted to apologise for the lateness of this chapter. My last semester at Uni was, to be thoroughly honest, a bitch. Whoever said juggling three majors was easy deserves to be shot (or maybe I do for listening). Anyway, like I said, sorry for the lateness.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me with their input and comments, you all know who you are. I really appreciate everything you said.

Once again, I find myself writing this giganimous chapter (that's right, I said giganimous) but I've had some people say they like the longer chapters.

Before I forget, a certain little someone who shall remain unnamed, `accidentally' erased my list of names for people to email about X-Force. If you'd like to be on the new list, please send me an email at scifi_fanboy@hotmail.com with the word X-Force in the subject line.

Chapter 7 - Revelations

The low whine of Xavier's wheelchair echoed off of the subbasement's polished metal walls, magnifying the normally unnoticeable sound. Xavier turned the last corner and headed down the long barren corridor that led to his destination; the bioelectrical psionic amplifier known as Cerebro. The corridor that led to the chamber housing Cerebro was completely empty save for the circular portal at its very end. Xavier halted at the circular blast door that barred his path and sent a telepathic signal to the bioelectrical locking mechanism. With a low whine, the system recognised his thought patterns and the blast doors slid up into the ceiling, granting him access to the spherical room. A narrow platform extended from the doorway to the very centre of the room where a small console glowed brightly. Resting on a bare section of the consol was a silver headset connected to the system via two long black cables.

Lights blinked into life along the edge of the platform, and a cool female voice reverberated through the futuristic space.

`Welcome, Professor'.

Xavier made his way to the consol and began activating all of the necessary systems. He checked one of the many screens blinking on the consol before nodding to himself and donning the headset. The system thrummed to life, its bioelectrical circuitry generating the psychic field required for psionic amplification. Xavier felt a tingle at the back of his mind as the spherical walls of the Cerebro Chamber fell away, leaving the platform overlooking an empty black abyss.

The Professor activated the tracking system and the abyss suddenly gave way to a radiant representation of the Earth as though seen from it's core. The planet spun slowly and in the background, Xavier could hear the faint sounds of a symphony. Directing his attention to North America, the continent grew in size, the other continents disappearing into Xavier's peripheral vision as they moved to accommodate the expanding landmass.

`Hotel Chevalier,' the Professor whispered to himself, focussing his attention on the place where he knew the Brotherhood facility was located.

The coast of Florida suddenly expanded, filling the Professor's vision completely. After a moment, Xavier realised he was looking at the city of Miami. Starting with the central business district, he began probing the city, searching for the thought patterns of known Brotherhood agents. At the edge of the city he felt a slight tremble, the psychic equivalent of hearing someone whisper your name at a party. Under all of the background noise generated by the city the source of the disturbance was impossible to locate, but it confirmed that the Brotherhood were present. Slowly, Xavier began sifting through the multitude of voices, tuning them out one at a time. After silencing most of the voices, he felt it again, the same tremble of a thought signature before it was silenced. Xavier smiled. Someone was trying very hard not to be found, hiding their mind behind a psychic curtain. Pouring more energy into his search, the Professor delved deeper, tuning out voices faster and faster until all that was left was silence. He took a deep breath and held it, preparing for the moment. The tremble was barely perceptible this time but Xavier caught it before it disappeared, zeroing in on an empty lot at the very edge of the down town. He recognised it almost immediately. While the building was not there, the lot was exactly like Bobby's memory, which meant that someone was keeping it hidden behind an illusion of some kind.

Mastermind,' Xavier smiled to himself. It's been a long time, Jason'.

Mastermind, the great illusionist. Of all the psychic mutants at the Brotherhood's disposal, only he could have hidden the hotel so well. Xavier retracted his psychic probes, redistributing their collective energies. Then, with the speed and intensity of a lightning bolt, Xavier lashed at the barrier with his mind. The fragile illusion tore like tissue paper, revealing the hotel and the minds within. The Professor felt Jason gather his strength, preparing to defend against the psychic assault, but Xavier paralysed his mind, placing him in a placid daze. Unaware that their psychic camouflage had been penetrated, the facilities populace continued about their business unperturbed.

Xavier completed a quick scan of all the mutants assembled at the base, passively probing so as not to alert any mutants sensitive to telepathic invasion. He counted twenty-two mutants in all, including the Scarlet Witch, Magneto's own daughter. Besides her and Mastermind, only two other higher echelon members of the Brotherhood were present. Julian Keller, the telekinetic prodigy known as Hellion, was pacing backwards and forwards in his room up on the third floor, idly levitating his furniture as he considered his options in light of the power struggle between Magneto and Raze. The last Brotherhood official, Arthur Centino, also known as Longshot on account of his ability to alter the laws of probability, was sitting with a group of younger mutants in the kitchens playing poker.

Xavier completed a second scan of the facility, then sighed. Remiel was nowhere to be found. Deciding to move onto the next facility, Xavier turned his attention back to Mastermind, peeling away the mutant's recollection of the assault and implanting the suggestion that he had simply dropped the camouflage by accident and that such a simple lapse in concentration was not important enough to worry about. Pulling back to the exterior of the facility, the Professor watched as the hotel shimmered and faded, leaving the lot vacant.

Satisfied that the metal patch had succeeded, Xavier directed his thoughts to the second location both he and Bobby had uncovered in the depths of Bobby's memory. The scenery blurred and was replaced by the entrance to a mine shaft. A rusted sign hung diagonally across the doorway, the words Danger, Not Safe, emblazed across it in faded white paint. Xavier focussed and the scenery faded away, leaving only a number of coloured lights glowing in a dark void. In a perverse way, it reminded Xavier of an exhibit he had taken a number of the students to at a nearby science centre. Insects had been fed a dye that made them glow in the dark, which made them far easier to see in the exhibit's darkened room.

At total, Xavier counted thirty-four mutants, with a majority of them located at the bottom of the facility. With the same passive probes he had used at the Chevalier, the Professor began exploring the compound. Four mutants caught his attention in particular. Forge, the mutant with the ability to intuitively build anything his mind could conceive was at the base of the facility in a chamber located away from the others. Inside the chamber, Xavier could feel powerful psychic pulses, marking the location of Cerebra, the Brotherhood's Cerebro equivalent. From Forge's mind Xavier drew the information he required. They were using Cerebra's tracking function in an attempt to locate a number of mutants Raze had named as powerful allies, while simultaneously generating a passive psychic shield, cloaking the facility from the general psychic sweeps Xavier had used in his first attempt to locate the Brotherhood facilities.

The second mutant to catch Xavier's attention was the young woman who referred to herself as Blink. The most powerful teleporter in the Brotherhood, she had the ability to open portals to the dark side of the moon and back, as well as a dangerous level of competency with her abilities. As one of Magneto's key lieutenants, her loyalty to the Brotherhood was second only to her love of the fallen Sabretooth.

Finally, the mutants Mystique and Callisto were alone in Mystique's quarters discussing the current state of affairs created by Raze's arrival. Mystique's psychically shielded mind prevent Xavier from detecting her presence, but Callisto's ability to sense mutants in her vicinity allowed the Professor to sense Mystique via a sort of psychic osmosis. Although he could not hear the words they were speaking to one another, he could sense the overall message they were trying to convey to one another. They were in a heated discussion about who the Brotherhood should follow. Callisto was of the opinion that Raze was a far more progressive leader, and while Magneto had led them well in the past, it was time for a change in leadership. Mystique stoutly refused to acknowledge anything said against Magneto, stubbornly arguing that the magnetic mutant was the only one truly capable of leading the Brotherhood, citing the way in which the operation designed by Raze ended in Sabretooth's death, while Magneto was able to capture one of the most powerful X-men. The debate raged on between them, but hearing all he needed, Xavier pulled back from the facility.

So, Xavier thought to himself. Sabretooth is dead and many Brotherhood members blamed Raze. This...could prove to be useful.

Once he had completed another scan of the facility, Xavier moved on in his search for Remiel, honing in on the last location he was aware of. The Greenvale hospital materialised around him and he immediately felt a psychic jamming field extending around the perimeter. The field was much like the one generated by Cerebra, hiding the facility from general psychic sweeps. The energy being used to sustain the field was being generated by a number of psychics Xavier sensed, but the construction of the field itself was easily recognisable as Mindpyre's handiwork. Layer upon layer of psychic strands interwoven right down to the astral plane. If he did not know where to look for the facility, Xavier was sure he would never have been able to find it on his own.

As carefully as he could, Xavier began plucking at the psychic strands, loosening them just enough for him to pin them back, but not enough to disrupt the psychic circuit. After painstaking work, the Professor created a breach in the field, allowing him access to the interior of the facility. With a small exertion, Xavier shifted his psychic perception, causing the figure of each mutant to be replaced by sheath of colour that represented their unique thought patterns. Eighteen mutants were present at the facility, including Magneto, whom Xavier could only sense but not read due to the thought concealing technology built into the mutant's helmet, Mindpyre, Gateway, Raze and Magneto's son, Quicksilver. But there was only one mutant that Xavier was interested in. In the bowels of the facility, Xavier could sense Remiel's thought pattern. It was dim and faded, but still perceptible enough for Xavier to pick out from among the other bright signatures. As Xavier focussed on Remiel's signature, the scenery rushed past the Professor, expanding until only the room in which the captive mutant resided occupied his vision. It was then that Xavier realised his mistake. The colours that made up Remiel's thought patterns were not simply dim, they were dark. The radiant tapestry of thought and emotion that Xavier had become so accustomed to during Remiel's training had been corrupted. Brilliant shades of gold had been replaced with dull ochre. Sky blues and leaf greens had been darkened into malevolent incarnations of themselves and the faint pink of the young mutant's love had been violently ripped and left in crimson tatters.

My god, Remiel,' Xavier gasped, his voice barely above a whisper within the confined sphere of Cerebro. What have they done to you?'

As Xavier looked closer and closer at the distorted patterns, careful not to arouse suspicion, he caught a faint flicker of light, like a candle behind a curtain. Elation flooded the psychic as he recognised the light. The true Remiel.

As quickly and as stealthily as he could, Xavier plunged into the captive mutant's thoughts, scaling the few barriers that defended it from outside assault. The Cerebro chamber became a rush of images as Xavier sought out the light, flickering from one to the next with blinding speed. Deeper and deeper the Professor pushed until finally he arrived at his destination. The Mindscape reminded Xavier of a patchwork quilt. Segments from hundreds of memories were haphazardly stitched together to form a massive chamber. A wave of revulsion crashed through Xavier as he recognised some of the memories used to create the psychic environment. Every awful memory and traumatic event Remiel had ever experienced. A muffled whimper drew Xavier's attention to the massive edifice at the chamber's centre. The colossal wrought iron cage was a masterpiece of sadism. Each of the bars were wrapped tightly in barbed wire that glowed a malicious orange against the cold black metal. Xavier gasped when he recognised Remiel, held aloft within the prison, forced spread-eagle by chains that were bolted to the floor and ceiling of the cage. More red hot barbed wire was wrapped around his wrists and ankles where the chains were manacled to his body. Hundreds of long metal skewers were protruding from his muscles, slick blood dripping off of them in large bulbous drops. Yet more blood trickled from claw-like marks across the young man's chest and back, running down his naked limbs.

`Remiel!' the Professor shouted.

The ravaged mutant slowly raised his head from his chest, revealing more rivers of blood flowing from his nose and eyes.

Professor?' he half whispered. Is that you?'

`I'm here, Remiel. What happened to you?'

You have to get out of here, Professor,' Remiel gasped out, a wild fearful flicker appeared in the soft brown pools of his eyes. He knows you're here, and he's coming. I can feel him. You have to get out now!'

Who's coming? Mindpyre?' Xavier's face twisted in a snarl. I swear that the next time we meet it will be for the last time!'

No,' Remiel whispered, not Mindpyre. Morningstar. He's evil, Professor. You have to get out of here. You have to get out so you can stop him'.

But, Remiel,' Xavier pleaded, stepping closer to the bars only to gasp and step back from the blazing heat of the metal prison. I can't leave you here'.

Oh no!' Remiel's eyes filled with fear. He's here! Professor, run!'

The sound of pounding wings and tearing fabric pulled Xavier's attention away from the captive mutant towards the back of the patchwork room.

`Please, Professor, don't leave on my account,' Morningstar said as he stepped forward, spreading his ebony wings out wide, blocking any exit.

`Who are you? What have you done to Remiel!'

Done to Remiel? I haven't done anything to him, in fact, I couldn't hurt him any more than I could hurt myself,' Morningstar stated. The corners of his lips twitched up into a feral grin. But you're another story entirely'.

Raze awoke sometime in the night to find Quicksilver wrapped tightly in his embrace. They were lying side by side with Quicksilver's back pressed firmly up against Raze's chest with the latter having his arms entwined around his partner's waist. At some point in the night they had moved beneath the blankets, staving off the biting cold that accompanied the nights within the abandoned hospital.

Raze leaned forwards lightly and kissed the back of Quicksilver's neck before pulling him closer against his chest and resting his head on his shoulder. He knew that he should have sent Quicksilver away after they had finished, after all, he could not afford to be seen as sentimental, not with Magneto's wolves circling him at every opportunity, but for some reason he could not comprehend let alone explain he had let Quicksilver stay.

He turned his head slightly and inhaled the scent of Quicksilver's silver grey hair. It smelt mostly of sweat and Quicksilver's own masculine scent, an odour that Raze found both alluring and intoxicating. Taking the opportunity while Quicksilver was asleep, he casually caressed the firm but relaxed muscles of his partner's chest and stomach, feeling the soft creamy flesh beneath his fingertips. Quicksilver stirred for a moment, causing Raze to cease his exploration, but after a few seconds stilled. Raze resumed his gentle survey of soft flesh. His hands started just above Quicksilver's crotch where the very bottom of his abs descended into the fine coating of pubic hair. Unlike his head of silvery hair the smattering of hair covering Quicksilver's pecs and the thin treasure trail that ran down his stomach before blossoming out into his pubic hair were a dark shade of gunmetal grey. Gently, his hands made a slow ascent, his fingers tracing light patterns across the perfectly defined muscles of his partner's stomach. Unlike many of the other mutants Raze had taken to his bed Quicksilver's body was not bulging with muscle, but lean and supply. His hands reached the bottom of his partner's pecs and he found the erect nubs of the young man's nipples. With his thumb, Raze began rubbing one of them, drawing it up further with deliberate strokes. He felt himself grow hard, his swelling member pressed up against the small of Quicksilver's back. Raze pulled his hand away from the erect nipple.

`Oh, please. Don't stop,' Quicksilver moaned softly, tilting his head back onto Raze's shoulder.

Raze started slightly at the realisation that Quicksilver was awake. Heat bloomed across his cheeks and for the first time in his life, Raze was overcome with embarrassment.

`I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep'.

`I woke up when you started, I just...please don't stop'.

Now with Quicksilver's permission, Raze pulled him closer and wrapped his arms tightly around his partner, letting his hands roam freely across the expanse of muscle that were now heaving beneath Quicksilver's quickened breaths. Slick precum flowed from the engorged head of Raze's swollen member, causing it to slide against Quicksilver's back, drawing a soft moan from both mutants.

`I want you,' Raze surprised himself by whispered in Quicksilver's ear. In all of his life he had never let himself admit wanting another person, not to himself and certainly not the person in question.

Quicksilver rolled over, causing his own hardness to caress Raze's. He pulled Raze's face as close as possible to his own and gently brought their lips together in a kiss that was passionate but unhurried.

`I'm yours,' Quicksilver whispered as he broke the kiss.

Quicksilver rolled onto his back, pulling Raze on top of him as he did. The pair resumed their kiss, causally exploring each other's mouth tenderly. Quicksilver ran his hand through Raze's short military haircut, feeling the strong strands bristle against his fingers. His other hand roamed the rippling muscles of his partner's back, the bulging muscle fibres convulsing under his touch.

Raze's hands slid along the sculpted flesh of Quicksilver's sides and back before descending to the mutant's thighs. With an easy motion, he brought both of Quicksilver's legs up and around his own waist before positioning himself for entry. Unlike the night before, Raze's entry was smooth and tender, causing Quicksilver to break their kiss and moan softly into the night. Carefully, Raze slid himself inside of his partner, taking care not to cause undue harm.

As Quicksilver felt Raze slowly sink into his body, he looked up into his eyes. The barely repressed anger that normally burned behind Raze's beautiful amber eyes was gone, replaced by a gentleness and a desire that Quicksilver had never seen before. The longing and desire that filled those now soft pools caused Quicksilver to gasp. Raze had not been lying when he said that he wanted Quicksilver. He truly had wanted him. But Quicksilver had been telling the truth too; he was Raze's, body, mind and soul.

As Raze began to slowly move inside of Quicksilver, pulling out until only the head of his engorged rod was still inside of him before sliding back in , he realised that this time was different. Before it had just been sex, fucking, with no more intimacy than the crude word suggested. This was different. This wasn't just sex, this was making love. Raze's entire body thrilled at the thought. His pace quickened and he delighted at the sounds he was drawing from Quicksilver's undulating form. Wrapping his hand around Quicksilver's back, Raze pulling himself up onto his knees, drawing Quicksilver upright with him. In that position Raze's face was pressed against Quicksilver's chest and he quickly fastened his lips around one of Quicksilver's nipples. Quicksilver cried out in pleasure as he ground his hips against Raze's stomach, moving both the flesh buried deep within him and his own slick member pressed against Raze's abs.

The pair moved together for what felt like hours, changing their position whenever they felt the urge until, finally, with their hand interlocked above their heads and Raze still buried inside of the mutant writhing beneath him, they both cried out in ecstasy. Raze flooded Quicksilver with his essence while Quicksilver's spilt across his own chest.

In the heat of the moment, three words escaped Quicksilver's lips, `I love you'.

Raze was stunned into silence before the same feeling that had originally prevented him from casting Quicksilver aside welled up in his chest. He lowered himself on top of Quicksilver and pressed his lips against the silver haired man's forehead.

`I love you, too'.

Jean was walking down the hall when it hit; a psychic pulse that struck with the power of a freight train. Her ears were filled with an ungodly shriek and her mouth was filled with the taste of blood. The smell of burnt flesh filled her nose and her body was plagued by the sensation of a thousand knives piercing her flesh. Darkness rolled across her vision, blinding her to everything but the devastating feelings assaulting her other senses. The sensation of knives was suddenly replaced by talons ripping at her arms and legs, and the taste in her mouth changed to offal. Bile filled her nostrils and the shrieking became the cries of tortured children.

Over the cascade of torturous feeling, a voice rang out, a voice she immediately recognised as the Professor's.

<Jean! Oh God, please help me!>

As soon as the message struck her the pulse ended, leaving her writhing body where it had fallen. As her senses returned to her, Jean slowly rolled over, looking all around her. Three other mutants Jean knew to be psychic had fallen to the ground also, all of which had been rendered unconscious by the pulse's intensity.

Jean!' she heard her voice shouted out loud. Turning to locate the source of the noise, she saw her husband running as fast as he could along the corridor to meet her. Sliding to the ground like a ball player coming into home base, Scott grabbed Jean tightly and pulled her close to him. What the hell just happened? Every psychic in the school just took some sort of psychic hit'.

It was some sort of psychic sensory overflow,' Jean gasped, clinging to her husband. But that doesn't matter. We need to make sure all of the students are safe and we have to find the Professor right away'.

`What's going on?' Scott said in a panicked voice.

`I don't know, but I think the Professor was just attacked'.

Scott rose from his seat at the conference table and addressed the assembled mutants, all of whom looked dejected. `I know we're hurting right now, first with the loss of Remiel, and now the Professor, but we need to stay strong. If not for ourselves then for the students at this school. Right now, we need to regroup and figure out what happened to the Professor. Then we'll go after Remiel'. Scott nodded to Jean, who rose to her feet.

`Betsy and I have been going over the Cerebro records, and from the looks of things, the Professor was searching the locations he and Bobby uncovered'.

`Can you tell us what happened to him when he was attacked?' David asked.

`No. The records are stored like organic memories in Cerebro's bioelectrical circuitry. When the Professor was attacked, the psychic feedback spilled over into the circuits disrupting their ability to store information. Josh and Betsy are down there now trying to repair some of the circuits to see if we can get some idea of what happened, but for the moment we're working off of the theory that someone back traced the Professor's psychic signal and used a sensory pulse to sever the link between the Professor's body and his mind'.

Hang on a minute,' Bobby said. No one else was left in a coma. Hell, you were still awake afterwards. If you could pull through something like that, how is it he didn't?'

`Because all of the other psychics in the school only experienced the overflow,' Jean explained.

`What?' A confused look crossed Bobby's features.

`Okay, imagine an explosion. A psychic overflow is like the pressure wave created by that explosion. Now, it's not going to kill you if you're far enough away, but it will still knock you on your arse. That's what all of the other psychic's experienced, but the Professor was at the centre of the explosion. What we felt would only be a fraction of what hit him'.

Wait,' David said. Are you trying to tell me that the psychic pulse that knocked out two thirds of the school's psychics was just collateral damage? Who the hell has that kind of power?'

`I believe I have the answer to that,' Bailey said as he materialised out of the shadows.

What the hell!?' Bobby swore. How long have you been lurking there'.

`Long enough,' Bailey said nonchalantly.

You said you knew who did this,' Scott interceded before Bobby could speak again. Would you care to share your insight'.

Bailey glared at the older mutant, but unlike many of the other mutants to receive the same look, Scott didn't flinch.

The only mutant in this timeline to possess the power needed to incapacitate the Professor is Remiel St.Cloud'. Bailey's eyes sought out the figure of John, who was hunched in his seat beside Noriko. I'm sorry to say but it looks like the Brotherhood have turned him'.

That's bullshit!' David yelled. Remmy would never hurt the Professor, no matter what the Brotherhood did to him'.

Then that just makes you ignorant,' Bailey snapped. You have no idea of what Mindpyre can do, especially when he has all of the other Brotherhood telepaths backing him up. In my future there are entire mental wards full of people whose minds Mindpyre clawed his way into. Most of them spend their days huddled in corners screaming. So don't you underestimate Mindpyre. Don't you dare!'

Enough!' Jean yelled, silencing the room. Everything else aside, Remiel has never demonstrated the power you're talking about'.

Really?' Bailey sniped. Have you caught any falling aircraft lately? The powers he's demonstrated are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Yes, he's telepathic and telekinetic, but he also has an ability neither he nor you are aware of yet'.

`And what's that?' Noriko asked.

`He can siphon psychic energy directly from the astral plane'.

`What the hell does that mean?' Bobby asked.

My god,' Jean muttered as she sank back into her seat. It means that he has a potentially unlimited supply of psychic energy at his disposal'.

That's right,' Bailey nodded. No matter how hard or far he pushes himself, the only thing that will ever limit his abilities is his level of skill'.

Then we need to find him as soon as possible and do everything we can to rescue him,' Scott stated calmly. But I wont force anyone to come on this mission. Attacking the Brotherhood is beyond dangerous, so I'd like a show of hands. Who will help rescue Remiel'.

For the first time since the meeting began, John lifted his head to gaze around the table. Every mutant present had their hand raised. A deep warmth flooded his body and a soft smile bloomed across his features.

`John?' Noriko prompted, causing him to realise he himself hadn't raised his hand. Smiling stupidly, the blond pyrokinetic lifted his hand.

Well now that that's settled, what about you?' Jean asked Bailey. We're family, but you don't owe any allegiance us or to Remiel. Are you going to help us?'

Bailey's eyes softened for a moment before the azure glow of his powers sparked to life in the depths of his cobalt eyes.

`You say Remiel is a part of your family? Well, he's a part of my family too. I'll help in whatever way I can'.

We can't let anyone find out,' Raze said quietly. If anyone does, it will be the end of me...of us. My enemies will use you to get at me'.

Quicksilver sat on the edge of the small bed, watching as Raze pulled his clothes on.

I understand,' he said. I know how the game goes. When we leave this room, you're going to have to treat me like you always do'.

Raze paused in mid-step before walking back over to squat down in front of Quicksilver, interlocking their fingers. He wanted to say something that would reassure Quicksilver of his feelings, but love, a real, tangible emotional connection, was something Raze had never experienced before. Relationships were based on trust, hadnt he heard that somewhere before. Honesty, that was the key. Raze settled on that, in lieu of other reassuring words. I don't want to, but I need for everyone else to see me as cold and uncaring'.

It's okay,' Quicksilver said, lowering his head so that their foreheads were pressed against one another. I'll stay out of your way as much as possible. That way you wont have to treat me coldly. And then, tonight, we can pick up where we left off'.

Raze felt a tug deep in his chest. `Thank you,' he said, leaning up slightly so that their lips touched. The kiss was slow and soft, less passionate than any they had shared the previous night, but infinitely more intimate. Time stretched out as their tongues caressed each other, before finally, Quicksilver pulled away.

`We need to hurry, or you're going to be late,' he said.

You're right,' Raze muttered remorsefully, already mourning the lost kiss. You'll come back tonight?' Raze's voice was almost pleading.

Yes,' Quicksilver reassured him. Now go'.

Bailey stood at the foot of the ramp, staring up at the small jet. Although almost an exact duplicate of the Blackbird, the Falcon lacked a number of the upgraded systems of the original craft, diminishing Bailey's trust in the X-men's last remaining mode of aerial transport.

Are you sure that this is such a good idea, given how easily your last jet was destroyed?' Bailey quipped, folding his arms across his chest and quirking his eyebrows at Scott, who was looking down at him from the top of the ramp. Remember, there are going to be a lot more of us onboard than last time, and Seraph wont be there to catch us if you crash it again'.

Okay,' Scott sniped. A, I did not crash last time, we were shot down, B, we weren't going for stealth, we were going for speed and finally, C, if you don't like my flying, you can always walk to the west coast'. Scott turned on his heel and stalked towards the cockpit.

`Is it really necessary to antagonise Cyclops, Comrade?' Colossus asked as he made his way towards the ramp.

Of course it is,' Bailey replied in perfect Russian. Consider it pre-emptive payback for all the things he's going to do to annoy me in the future'.

Colossus frowned as he watched Bailey casual stride up the ramp before he followed. The inside of the falcon was similar to the Blackbird, with one minor exception; instead of two pilot chairs only one sat at the head of the craft, with four others arranged behind it. Today each of those chairs was occupied, with several other mutants sitting on benches that folded out from the walls. Scott in the pilot's chair, with Danielle and Jean occupying the chairs directly behind him. The remaining chairs were occupied by Betsy and Ororo. Along the right hand side of the craft, spread across two fold-down benches sat Noriko, John, Bobby, Amara, Xian, Whitney, and Logan. On the opposite side of the craft sat Kurt, Josh and Bailey, who had acquired an entire bench to himself. Deciding to give the mysterious mutant his space, Colossus strode over to where Kurt and Josh were seated and joined them.

That's everyone,' Jean announced to Scott, who immediately sealed the jet. Are you sure it's wise to bring everyone with a combat ability? What if the school is attacked in our absence?'

You don't need to worry, Jean,' Bailey told her from his bench. I left a few surprises for anyone who wants to attack the school while we're away'.

What kind of surprises?' Ororo asked, her eyes narrowing. Anything that could hurt the students?'

Bailey just rolled his eyes.

`Jean, are you positive these coordinates are where Remiel is being held?' Cyclops asked as he engaged the engines.

`As sure as I can be. This is the last sight the Professor scanned before he was attacked. I have to assume this is the place'.

`Okay, everyone. Hold on to something'.

Magneto sat in quietly in his room, idly manipulating the stray pieces of surgical equipment that littered the hospital. A dozen scalpels danced a complicated pattern in midair as the master of magnetism contemplated the next phase in his plan.

He had a weapon capable of destroying the mutant, Raze, but when to implement it, that was the problem. Too soon and the followers Raze had gathered to him would turn on magneto like rabid dogs in defence of their master. Too late and he risked loosing more followers to the time-travelling mutant.

Before he struck, he had to disgrace Raze, drawing his wayward flock back into the fold. But how? Another failed confrontation with the X-men would certainly manage his objectives, but engaging the X-men over anything but a critical matter would be useless, the failure unimportant, but if they were to engage the X-men over something critical and purposely lose, that would mean giving the X-men too great an advantage.

A knock at the door drew Magneto away from his musings.

`Come in'.

The door swung open and Mindpyre stepped into the quiet space. Magneto watched as Midpyre's eyes were immediately drawn to the complex display of levitating scalpels, a faint smile flickered across the mutant's face. The master of magnetism couldn't help but admire the perverse simplicity of Mindpyre's attractions. For a telepath of such talent, he was amused by the simplest of displays, almost childlike in a way.

`Yes, Mindpyre?' Magneto prompted, pulling the mutant's attention away from the dancing metallic instruments.

It's amazing, isn't it,' Mindpyre said. With your talents, you could be one of the most skilled surgeons on Earth, save so many lives, and yet...' Mindpyre's voice trailed off.

Magneto smiled. So maybe his childlike attention span was far more adult than expected.

`I just wanted to let you know that I've been receiving some disturbing signals from Morningstar's mental harness. It appears that he is resisting my attempts to influence his thoughts'.

`Really? I had thought he was adjusting well,' Magneto stated calmly.

`That's just the thing. Mentally, he's very well adjusted to the Brotherhood in general, but the programming that I've embedded in his psyche just doesn't seem to be holding very well. For the moment I think it will keep him in line and following your orders, but if you try to make him do something he doesn't want to do, I don't think my harness will be able to keep him subordinate'.

This complicates matter's somewhat,' Magneto said gravely. But he is still loyal to the Brotherhood?'

`Yes. I think his actual personality is very well suited to Brotherhood life. I think that even without the harness, he'd stay a willing member. But without the harness, I very much doubt that he'd put his loyalty to you over that of the Brotherhood. If he thought that Raze was the better leader...'

`I understand. He's loyal to the brotherhood, not to me personally'.

Mindpyre nodded. `Like I said, as long as we don't force him to do anything directly against his nature, the harness will keep him loyal to you, but if he shakes it off...there's no telling what he'll do'.

`Can you make the harness stronger, harder to shake off?'

Mindpyre shook his head. `His mind is simply too strong for anything else. The harness I've placed on him is subtle, it makes him believe that what we tell him is in line with his own goals. If I put anything stronger on him, he'll recognise that he's been mentally tampered with and rip whatever hold I have on him to shreds. It's the price we pay for harnessing a mutant this powerful'.

`So we just have to make sure that we don't ask him to do anything too extreme. Can you scan him, find out what his limits are?'

I already have,' Mindpyre smiled. Apparently, his moral compass is centred on revenge, primarily against his father and his brother, and then the United States Military by extension'.

`The United States Military?' Magneto frowned.

`The abusive father was a marine. Morningstar blames the marine corp. for his father's attitude towards him'.

`And the brother?'

Mindpyre shrugged. `I don't know the specifics but he was the father's favourite, so I'm guessing that he represents everything Morningstar's father demanded of him. In any case, he'll be ideal for deployment against military targets. I don't thing political targets will be much of a problem either. The only thing that might be an issue is engaging certain members of the X-men. Pyro, Surge, Elixir and Prodigy specifically. Seraph's ties to them haven't been lost, merely overridden by Morningstar's need for revenge'.

`What about our plans? Can we still use him to eliminate Raze?'

Mindpyre sighed. `At the moment, pushing him to do so would break the harness. Too many member of the Brotherhood believe that Raze is a key asset, and killing him would be against Morningstar's ideas of mutant superiority. But if Morningstar could be convinced that Raze was an obstacle to his crusade against humanity, then I think he'll do it on his own'.

`So all we have to do is convince him that Raze is a threat to what the Brotherhood's goals,' Magneto smiled.

Which is easier said than done,' Mindpyre judged. Morningstar is highly intelligent. He'll take more convincing than some low level operative'.

I see,' Magneto considered. So it seems I'm back to where I stared. How to make Raze look like a fool?'.

Morningstar stared into the mirror, fascinated by the reflection it showed. No longer did he have to stare out through Seraph's doughy cow eyes, raging against the cage that childish weakling had erected to contain him. For almost ten years, Morningstar had to sit back and watch as Seraph let himself be bullied and pushed around. Helplessly observe as one of the most powerful mutants in the world shied away from using his powers and taking his place as a god among cattle. But no longer. No longer did he have to watch as Seraph was made to bend to the will of others, too weak to take a stand for himself, to make the others bend to his will. Now Morningstar could have his revenge. Now he could repay every slight, stone and word tenfold. Now it was Seraph's turn to look out at the world and know he could do nothing to affect it.

And it was the Brotherhood who made it possible. Magneto and the others. They were the ones who had freed him and given him the power to lock away the weak, pathetic excuse for a mutant that had jailed him for so long. Everything was clear now. Magneto wanted the same things that he wanted. Revenge against the humans that had abused Seraph, and Morningstar by extension. Revenge against the mongrel bastard who had the nerve to call himself Morningstar's father. Revenge against the organisation that could have created the same bastard. And revenge against his to-perfect brother who Seraph resented but was too weak to hate. And all the Brotherhood asked was his help to take what the mutant's deserved. Freedom. Power. Their place at the top of the food chain. And the best thing was that in helping the Brotherhood, he'd be taking his vengeance. His father, who hated mutants so, could watch as his perfect world was destroyed, and the pleasure of watching the son he abandoned, the son who he hated for being a mutant, heralding the end of Homo Sapiens's corrupt reign on Earth. And his brother, his brother could watch as everything that made him better in their father's eye was washed away in a flood of fire and blood. It wouldn't matter how athletic he was, or how many women he'd slept with or how many sports he played. It would all end. Everything. Everything would end and from the ashes of the old world a new one would rise and the age of Homo Sapiens Superior would begin.

Okay people, here's the plan,' Scott said, as he gestured to the holographic image being projected in the centre of the craft. We'll be dividing into three teams of five. Noriko, Peter, Xian, Whitney and Ororo, you're Squad A. John, Logan, Jean, Kurt and Josh, Squad B. Squad C will be made up of Betsy, Danielle, Bobby, Amara and myself. Squad A will approach from the North where I believe the Brotherhood will most likely expect an attack. Now since Squad A is made up of some of our heavier hitters, you objective is to draw out as many of their fighters as you can'. Scott pointed out a series of five blue dots approaching an elongated rectangle from beneath the cover of a small grove. As the dots drew closer to the rectangle, a number of red dots appeared and began moving to intercept.

Squad B,' Scott gestured to another series of dots, these ones yellow, will approach from the East. Now your squad will do one of two things depending on the reaction of the Brotherhood. If Squad A looks like they can handle the defenders they're up against, you'll head into the complex and try to neutralise any defenders that are in the building or force them out into the open where you'll then assist Squad A in finishing them off. If Squad A is having difficulty with their defenders, you'll flank them and try to set up a crossfire'.

My Squad,' Scott continued, directing everyone's attention to five green dots moving to the rear of the facility, will approach from the South, where we'll try to make an undetected entry into the facility. Once we're in, we'll search for Remiel and extract him if we can, or capture him if we need to. Once that's done, we'll enact a strategic withdrawal back to the Falcon which will be located here,' the image pulled back to display a larger blue dot, `approximately one and a half miles from the facility, within range of Kurt's teleportation ability should he need to transport anyone. Are there any questions?'

Just one,' Noriko said, raising her gauntleted hand. Where's Mister Mysterious going to be during all this smack down'. Noriko turned to face Bailey, who was leaning up against a support beam with his arms crossed. `I thought you said you were going to help, or was that just talk?'

Bailey smiled at her sardonically, `Don't blow a circuit, Sparky, I'll be there. Who do you think's going to play ball when the big boys step up to the plate?'

Scott nodded. `That's right, more or less. Bailey is going to engage Tyler and, since he's immune to telepathy, Mindpyre if the opportunity arises'.

Like hell!' John swore, his eye conveying the seriousness of his words. If anyone's going to watch that son of a bitch fry, it's going to be me'.

John, this is a rescue mission,' Jean said stepping through the hologram to stand in front of him. This is not about hurting them, it's about brining one of us home. Forget Mindpyre. He isn't worth becoming a killer for'.

`But you'll let Bailey fight him?' John demanded.

Bailey smiled to himself before muttering in a voice barely above a whisper, `I'm already a killer'.

Everyone was silent for what seemed like forever before Josh finally spoke.

`If you're trying to sneak into the facility, why didn't you bring Robyn? She could have made you all invisible, and kicked some serious arse if you did get caught'.

Yeah,' Logan agreed. That girlie can open one serious can `a whoop ass'.

`This situation is too serious to bring in someone as untrained a Robyn. We've already lost one man because of the unexpected. I'm not going to put another life in danger that I don't have to,' Scott explained.

Oh,' Josh nodded. Okay. It's just that Remiel is the closest thing to real family she has. I know she'd have helped if we'd asked'.

Scott's right,' Bailey declared evenly. There's no doubt that she would help, but she's not ready. If what I sensed from her is accurate, she's only just beginning to scratch the surface of her abilities. At this point in her development, all she really has to offer is raw power, and that is not what's needed here'.

How do you know about her powers?' Josh demanded. For that matter, how do you know about any of our abilities? You haven't told us anything about your powers, only the Professor, and he's unconscious. All we know about you is that you're from the future and that you're powerful enough to fight Tyler'.

I told your Professor everything he needed to know,' Bailey snapped. If he chose not to share that information it's not my problem. All you need to know is that I'm able and willing to help you rescue Remiel. And if you don't like it, you can go straight to hell'.

Enough!' Jean snapped, ending the argument. We're here to do a job, so let's get it done. We'll be arriving at our landing site in a few minutes. Once we arrive, Kurt, you'll need to teleport everyone into position...'

No,' Bailey cut in, let me do the teleporting. It wont tax my strength like it will Kurt's'.

Fine,' Jean continued. Everyone, get ready'.

Max, or Minotaur as he was called by other members of the Brotherhood, sat at the table and inspected his cards. A King of Spades and a Queen of Hearts. The Flop had already come out - a Six of Spades, a Two of Clubs and a Queen of Diamonds. Reaching up to rub an imaginary itch on one of his mighty horns, he snorted through his bull-like snout.

`I'm in, and I raise ten'.

`Careful now, we've got a big spender,' Hex ribbed from the other side of his mountain of chips.

Minotaur snorted loudly, `Fine. I raise twenty'.

`I'm out,' Boomer announced, throwing his cards in the middle face down.

`I'm in,' Hex said, a cruel smile sliding across his features.

`So am I,' Viper declared, his snakelike eyes tilting to look at the next card.

Blackout, the dealer, was about to throw down the next card when his normally superior expression went blank. Frozen in mid-movement the mutant's eyes became glazed over.

`What the?' Minotaur rumbled before a sharp siren sounded overhead, causing him bolt upright, flipping the table. On the other side of the lawn, just in front of the small grove that ringed the northern side of the property, a bank of fog had appeared. Letting out a horrendous bellow, Minotaur charged out from behind the bunker, lowering his head in preparation for a full run. Viper quickly followed suit, his bright scales rapidly changing colour from green to red, highlighting the reptilian mutant's alarm. For a few moments nothing happened, until suddenly, from within the bunker, Hex's voice could be heard.

`Blackout! What the...,' his voice was suddenly cut of by a bellow that sounded a great deal like Blackout.

A moment later one side of the bunker exploded outwards, carrying the charred remains of Blackout with it. Boomer quickly jumped out of the hole in the bunker and proceeded to rain fiery bolts of explosive energy at the charred corpse which, to Minotaur's surprise, had started to climb to his feet.

`The hell is going on here!' Viper shouted, drawing Minotaur's attention just in time for the Bull like mutant to witness a massive bolt of electrical energy slam into the reptilian's smooth scaled face. The bolt sent Viper skidding across the soil where he came to a rest at Boomer's feet.

Turning towards the fog, Minotaur barely caught sight of the lithe girl running into the expansive fog. Bellowing again, he charged after her, lowering his head as he did. His mutation fuelled his muscles, driving him faster than any ordinary human in the direction of the running girl. Breaking into the fog, he barely heard Boomer shout. The words were distorted by the air rushing past his ears. Minotaur didn't realise that the words were `it's a trap', until he broke through the fog bank...right into the fist of a giant metal Russian.

Mindpyre's eyes snapped open at the sound of the alarm. Sitting up in his bunk, reached out with his thoughts towards the origin of the disturbance. There, on the perimeter of the psychic web he himself had constructed to protect the facility. Someone had unwoven a section, loosening the threads of psychic energy and disrupting the flow of the whole.

Rolling out of his bunk, Mindpyre began pulling his clothes on clumsily in the dark. Pulling his jeans up around his hips and zipping them, he reached out again with his thoughts, only to fell the rest of his carefully constructed web fall in on itself. He snarled to himself. With the net down, there was no way of knowing just how many intruders were on the grounds as anyone skilled enough to take the web apart was more than capable of shielding mental signatures from psychic detection.

`Damn it!'

Mindpyre ripped open the door to his quarters, cursing as he stepped into the corridor.

<Intruder alert!> he shouted telepathically, startling almost every non-psychic mutant in the facility save for a few higher level operatives.

Taking a quick inventory of the Brotherhood's operatives, Mindpyre quickly ascertained everyone's positions. Raze, whose mind was seemingly impervious to probes, was in his quarters on the first floor, hurriedly getting dressed. Quicksilver was on the second floor, racing up and down the barracks, waking up what operatives weren't already conscious. Magneto, by virtue of his psychic-blocking helmet, was invisible, but Mindpyre assumed the master of magnetism wasn't just sitting idly by. Finally, Morningstar was situated in the basement of the facility, casually making his way to the stairs.

By the time he had finished with his mental scan Mindpyre had made it down the corridor to the main stairway. As quickly as he could, the psychic darted down the stairs, mentally shouting orders as he did. Two flights of stairs later, and Mindpyre had pieced together the details of the attack from the minds of the other operatives; someone was attacking the facility from behind the cover of a fog bank. The attack was from the north and consisted of electrical attacks and large stone projectiles. Almost to punctuate the point, Mindpyre heard one such projectile smash into the earth with a resounding boom.

Mindpyre was about to burst through the front doors when a thought struck him. It didn't make sense for the X-men to make a frontal assault. They were obviously here to rescue Remiel St.Cloud, and a frontal assault would be pointless if their objective was an extraction. And besides, if they had mounted a full frontal assault, they would be doing it with more than a few volts and pile of rocks. Unless the frontal assault was just a distraction. Grinning to himself, Mindpyre turned on his heel and began running to the rear of the facility. If he had planned this operation, a covert strike team would infiltrate from behind, while the team tasked with creating a distraction drew the defenders to the front. Of course the attackers couldn't be too strong, they needed the defenders to believe they had a chance of winning or they would retreat back into the facility.

Mindpyre shook his head as he ran. Close, but not close enough.

Bursting through the doors to the rear atrium, Mindpyre looked out through the tall glass windows towards the rear of the property. Scanning the shadows for movement, the psychic reached down into the farthest recesses of his mind to the place where he pulled fire from. Small ribbons of flame danced between his fingers as he waited for their arrival.

`Are you looking for us?' he heard Betsy Braddock's voice behind him. Wheeling around, Mindpyre let loose a stream of flame at the source of the voice, only to have it strike harmlessly against steel gurney.

The blow came with the force of a sledgehammer, impacting his mental defences with enough brute strength to cause him to stagger and cry out. Almost as soon as the blow struck, tendrils of alien thoughts began slithering in through the breaches it had created, wrenching them wider. Pulling together as much psychic strength he could muster, Mindpyre moulded the densest wall he could around his thoughts. Satisfied with his newly constructed defence, he released the energies contained in his outer barriers before reshaping them into a makeshift weapon with which he began slapping away the intruding tendrils. After a few precise blows, Mindpyre drove of the invading thoughts, but as soon as the last invading tendril retreated, several sharp psychic spikes began pummelling at his newly erected barrier. As quickly as they struck, the spikes would disappear, leaving Mindpyre no course of retaliation. The lightning fast strikes began to quickly erode at the barrier, thinning it in several areas.

Realising that his only hope for victory relied of a last ditch offence of his own, Mindpyre traced the psychic current of the spikes, following the path of the mental energy back to its source. There, hidden in the shadows. A psychic he quickly recognised at Betsy Braddock. Summoning the remnants of his strength, the Brotherhood psychic shaped a javelin of energy in his mind's eye, and aimed it directly at Braddock's central nervous system. With a feral snarl, he let the weapon loose, hurling it mentally through the air.

As soon as the javelin left his thoughts, he realised his mistake. His weakened shield was suddenly smothered by dozens of psychic tentacles. Together the mental appendages squeezed, crushing the last resistance out of Mindpyre's defences. His barrier fractured and collapsed, leaving his thoughts exposed. The tentacles delved into this mind, flooding it with paralysing fear.

Suddenly he wasn't in the rear atrium of the Brotherhood facility. He was lying in his old bed, in his old room in his old house, with his father's hand creeping up the inside of his legs beneath the sheets.

Danielle looked down on Mindpyre's quivering form. His eyes were glazed and his entire body was shaking from the visions her powers were showing him. His own personal hell, in technicolour. Reduced to a frightened child, she could almost pity Mindpyre. Almost.

`Excellent work, ladies,' Amara declared in her rich bell-like soprano as she casual stepped over Mindpyre's quivering form towards Betsy, who was picking herself up off the floor, having had to dive out of the way of the Brotherhood operative's last ditch attempt to defeat her.

Betsy dusted off her long black pants and straightened her knee length jacket.

`I still don't see why I had to be the bait,' she complained, her British accent giving her words a noble quality.

Simple,' Danielle stated. Of the two of us, you are clearly the bigger threat, therefore, the most likely target. If I'd been the bait, he would have realised I wasn't working alone, but you have more than enough power to do everything on your own, which is why he didn't suspect another simultaneous attack'.

Enough chatter,' Scott said, moving out from beneath the cover of the stone bench he had concealed himself behind. We've got work to do'.

`Yes, sir,' Bobby said, rolling his eyes.

Ororo watched the fight from above, suspended in the air by the power of her mutation. They were doing better than she had thought they would, given the Brotherhood's fortified position.

Noriko zipped in and out of the fog, using her superhuman speed to avoid the Brotherhood's attacks while delivering her own precision electrical strikes. By Ororo's count, she's already downed three Brotherhood mutants on her own and lured two through the fog curtain. Of the two who'd been foolish enough to follow her though the fog, one had been pummelled into submission by Peter and the other Mindjacked by Xian and forced to charge at the Brotherhood, screaming and throwing long bone spikes that sprouted from his arms before being taken down by his own comrades.

Whitney was drawing up large mounds of earth before causing them to ripple into large stone spheres. Ororo didn't envy the young man's gift. From what she understood of it, it allowed Whitney to alter any aspect of reality he wished, but the greater the field of his influence and the farther outside the traditional laws of physics he pushed, the greater the physical strain and level of control. Thankfully, tasks like altering the molecular links of the soil didn't appear to be much of a challenge.

Peter's abilities, however, were far simpler in comparison. Super strength and near invulnerability while in his metal form - both gifts he was using to their full extent. Every sphere Whitney pulled up from the ground, Peter picked up and hurled like a baseball at Finlay Park. The spheres shot through the air before slamming into the ground and bunkers like wrecking balls.

Forced from their hiding places, the Brotherhood mutants scurried around the lawn, using their gifts in an attempt to strike back at the quick footed Noriko. One Brotherhood telekinetic, at least, showed some talent, erecting a shimmering dome of protective force around a small group of long range fighters, all of whom were throwing various forms of energy into the fog. One stream of what Ororo thought to be molten plasma, cut through the fog and made a direct path to Whitney and Peter. She was about to shout out to them when from nowhere, the earth in front of the pair simple ripped itself upright, forming a dense earth shield upon which the plasma splashed harmlessly.

Enraged by the close call, Ororo summoned as much of her power as she could without disrupting the subtle flow of force holding the fog in place. Dark storm clouds took shape above her, where spider webs of lightning flickered. With a gesture, a dozen bolts of electrical judgement rained down upon the shielded Brotherhood soldiers.

The shield wavered but held, infuriating Ororo, who began raining bolt after bolt of lightning on the defended position. To her shock, the electrical arcs twisted out of the way, slamming harmlessly into the ground on the perimeter of the shield.

You may be the master of the wind, Weather Witch,' a haughty voice sounded behind her, causing her to twist in mid air. But even lightning must obey the master of magnetism'.

With a resounding Bamph, Jean's squad materialised on the roof of the hospital. Jean immediately rushed to the edge of the building, where she made a snap assessment of the situation. With Ororo's focus devoted to Magneto, high above the battlefield, the wall of concealing fog had evaporated, allowing the Brotherhood soldiers a clear view of their assailants. Noriko appeared to be handling the situation with ease, not having to remain in any one position for longer than a few second to throw a bolt of electrical energy. But Peter and Whitney were on the retreat, alternating between running and ducking behind barriers of reality warped earth. Only Xian, who Jean attempted to contact, could not be seen.

<Karma?>

<I'm here, Phoenix, but I'm kind of in the middle of something right now>

From the mental link, Jean could feel Xian struggling against another Brotherhood telepath who was attempting to break into the young X-man's mind.

<Just hold on a little longer, I'll give my squad their orders and then I'll be back to help you>

Turning to her squad, Jean issued her instructions.

`John, Logan, you're on assault. Kurt, get Josh to the grove, then support Peter and Whitney. Josh, you're on medical detail. I'll relay information from here. Go'.

Jean barely had time to turn around before both Kurt and Josh vanished in another acrid plume of smoke. Logan grabbed John roughly around the shoulders before running over to the edge and jumping off. Jean gasped, but her fear was short-lived once she realised Logan had embedded his claws in the side of the building and was using them to slow both his own and John's descent. Once they reached the bottom, John began swearing fluidly and loudly enough that even Jean could hear over the sounds of battle.

`What are you fucking crazy! You could have fucking killed me, you fucking crazy son of a bitch. Don't you every pull that shit again!'

Pushing John's words out of her mind, Jean sought out the telepath engaging Xian. Finding him huddled behind the telekinetic shield, she began pummelling his mind with her own, using her thoughts like a sledgehammer. Though it lacked the finesse she usually expected of her students, Jean only needed to distract the telepath from his assault of Xian, buying the X-man the time she'd need to mount an assault of her own. After a few brutal strikes, the telepath's focus broke and Jean felt Xian's mind seep through the cracks in his concentration, smothering his mind. Obviously too strong to dominate for any period of time, Jean felt Xian strike at the telepath's conscious mind, rendering him into the sweet fold of sleep. From her position above, Jean watched the telepath's physical body crumple and fall, startling his compatriots.

Several tongues of flame erupted from John's position behind on of the ruined bunkers. The ribbons of fire wove together, forming a towering pillar of flame that fell of the telekinetic bubble protecting the small contingent of Brotherhood soldiers. The pillar revolved slowly around the shield, obscuring it from view entirely. Apparently satisfied that nothing could withstand the assault, John allowed the fire to dissipate. The spiralling flame evaporated, leaving the very air outside of the vortex glowing. But the shield had not fallen. Where the telekinetic bubble had been, there now stood a perfect dome of sculpted ice with the words `Fuck You X-men' etched into the surface. With a snap, the telekinetic shield reappeared around the ice-dome, which cracked along thousands of invisible faults. With a sound like thunder, the ice burst outwards, passing through the shield harmlessly and hanging in the air for a fraction of a second before hurtling across the field towards the grove.

With every ounce of strength she could muster, Jean began swatting at the largest pieces of ice with her mind in an attempt to deflect them, but even at the speed of thought, her attempt were to no avail. The ice shot through the air towards the grove.

<Watch out!> Jean cried, her thoughts echoing across the battlefield.

What happened next was beyond anything Jean had ever witnessed before. Reality itself seemed to shatter, splintering like a broken mirror. The centre of the fracture was directly in front of the small grove, and it was from this point that the shards began falling away, into an endless black void. The void sucked greedily at the remaining shards of reality and everything else before it with the endless hunger of a black hole. As the ice drew closer to the gaping hole in reality, their trajectories shifted, taking them directly in the empty expanse. Jean was surprised by the silence as the fragments of ice passed into oblivion. She didn't know what to expect, of course, but still, the silence of such substance simply disappearing was unnatural. The howls of the wind intensified as more and more air was sucked into oblivion. Even from across the field, Jean felt the tremendous pressure the void was exerting on her. The sound of tinkling glass chimed over the howling wind and Jean braced herself against the wind in time to se the cracks in reality begin to reseal. The remaining shards of reality melted into one another, sealing the cracks between them then flowing towards the centre of the massive breach. After a few second the breach sealed and both the pressure and sound of the wind disappeared, to be replaced by the renewed sounds of battle.

<Phoenix!> Xian's thought's shouted across the distance. <Mystic is down. I repeat, Mystic is down. Whatever the hell he just did, it drained him. Nightcrawler's taking him back to the jet with Elixir. Then he's going to drop me off at your location. Colossus is going to team up with Wolverine and hammer at that Telekinetic Shield>

<I hear you. I'll give Colossus as much cover as I can. Keep your head down until Nightcrawler gets back from the jet>

<Roger!>

From the front of he grove, a very angry steel Russian erupted, roaring like a wounded bear as he tore across the battleground towards shield. A dozen different bolts of energy sot across the distance towards Peter, only to strike harmlessly against the shimmering fields of force that materialised like a second skin around the Russian's metallic flesh. Lowering his bulk closer to the ground, Peter made it clear that he wasn't simply running towards the shield, he was running at the shield. The assaults of energy continued right up until the Brotherhood soldier's realised what was happening.

Peter impacted the shield like the Siberian Express. Under the astronomical force generated by Peter's charge, the shield shattered like an eggshell, leaving the X-man enough momentum to crush the Telekinetic sustaining the shield and the two mutants standing beside their smaller ally. The ten mutants that survived the impact quickly dispersed in different directions, but Logan, who had been stalking the shield before Peter's assault cut two of them down in a storm of adamantium blades before they made ten feet. Three more were quickly cut down as Xian infiltrated the mind of one mutant before using his powers to blast the two standing nearby. A blast of frigid cold slammed the mentally dominated mutant to the ground as the cryokinetic that had sculpted the ice barrier took charge of the fleeing Brotherhood soldiers.

`Form up on me!' he shouted out to them.

The four remaining mutants from the Shield as well as the remaining five that had managed to avoid Logan's claws outside of the shield, darted towards the sound of his voice, clearly glad to have a voice of authority to follow.

An acrid plume accompanied by the sound of a small bamph, told Jean that she was now in the company of Xian and Kurt.

Jean broadcast her thoughts to the assembled mutants <Pyro. You wanted to vent some steam? Well here's your chance. Take down that cryokinetic. Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, you're all on crowd control. Karma, see if you can reach the others and inform them of what's going on, when you do, send Surge to their location. I'm going to do what I can to help Storm. Get ready people. Move!>

Gathering every ounce of her remaining power, Jean wrapped herself in a field of energy and hoisted herself upwards, locking onto two of the large stone spheres Colossus had used earlier as she did, dragging them into the air as she ascended.

Raze strode along the corridors, an air of authority hanging around him like a nearly visible aura. His amber eyes flashed with anger whenever a stray Brotherhood mutant crossed his path.

Get out of my way!' he growled to a Brotherhood telepath that had the misfortune of stepping out of his quarters at the wrong time. And then get your arse outside and fight!'

Raze could not abide cowardice. As far as he was concerned, anyone who wasn't willing to fight along side their brothers didn't deserve the honour of joining the Brotherhood. And any mutant who wasn't a brother deserved a first hand demonstration of molecular diffusion.

A bright glow illuminated the exterior of the facility, filtering inside through the various windows on the northern face of the building. Peeking his head around a corner he knew to have a window, he caught sight of a colossal pillar of flame circling in the air.

`John,' he half muttered to himself. Of course it would be the X-men attacking. After all, who else would it be. And if the X-men were attacking, then Bailey couldn't be far. Raze smiled to himself. It looked like he'd get his rematch after all, and this time, there wouldn't be anyone to distract him at the eleventh hour.

Turning away from the window, Raze sprinted along the corridor, straight towards the wall. As soon as he was within a few feet, he sheathed himself in the mysterious radiation upon which his ability was based. The intensity of the radiation melted through the wall like molten steel through warm butter. Reaching open air, Raze adjusted the intensity of the radiation sheath, diminishing its diffusive quality so that when he hit the ground, the earth would still absorb some of his momentum. Striking the ground, the soil liquefied, causing Raze to sink into the earth up to his chest. With a half formed thought, he forced the radiation from his palm, causing a pulse to slam into the earth, propelling him to the surface where the soil's molecular structure quickly resolidified.

Resuming his spring, Raze darted away from the hospital and towards a small area enclosed by a series of half constructed buildings that were abandoned along with the hospital. The site of what Raze hoped would be his last battle with his greatest rival.

Betsy darted around the corner, pressing her body against the wall as she did so as to keep her lithe form hidden in the shadows. Squad C's infiltration had been a complete success, save for Mindpyre's anticipation of their attempt. However, given that he was still a babbling mess, courtesy of Danielle's rather singular gift, Betsy considered nothing amiss.

<Psylocke!>

Betsy froze in place.

<Karma? Is that you?>

<Who else would I be?> came Xian's sarcastic reply. <Jean wanted me to relay some Intel, hold on>

Betsy barely had time to send the other members of her squad the signal to hold still before her mind was inundated with images and memories of the events occurring outside. After quickly reviewing the information, Betsy mentally reiterated the key points to the rest of the squad.

<Are you sure you don't need any help?> Betsy asked.

<No, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler have already dealt with most of the other mutants out here and Pyro is about to take out their cryokinetic> Xian said, sending images of Logan slashing mutants apart, Peter pummelling others while Kurt teleported large stone spheres into the air above the remainder. The last image Xian sent was of John facing off against a mutant with black hair and icy blue eyes. <I'm also sending Surge your way. She'll pick of any Brotherhood mutant's between here and you, so you have a clear path to the front lawn>

Betsy replied. <We're almost at the basement. We'll be on our way to you soon>

Just give up, girl!' Magneto shouted over the sound of the roaring wind Ororo summoned to buffet him. There's no way you can hope to defeat me!'

I don't need to defeat you!' she shouted, her snow white hair flailing in the wind. It'll just be a bonus when I do!'

Flooding her body with unbridled rage, Ororo let loose with a torrent of frigid air that lashed and whipped at Magneto's electro-magnetic shield, leaving icicles on the older mutant's clothes where the chill leaked through.

The same scalpels Magneto had been toying with earlier zipped through the air towards Ororo like darts, only to strike against the zephyr of arctic air that surrounded her body like a bullet-proof cloak.

With a growl, Magneto reached down towards the hospital where the implements of his victory awaited his summons. With nary a thought, the master of Magnetism wrenched every metal component on the hospital's top floor out through its roof, sending them soaring towards him.

I think it's more than time to end this little contest,' Magneto sneered. If you could even call this farce a contest'.

`I couldn't agree more!' a new voice declared.

Swinging around in midair, Magneto barely had time to register Jean Grey's flaming red aura before he was forced to dodge a massive stone sphere being hurled in his direction. Safely out of the balls path Magneto observed the crude weapon orbit the psychic as if it were suspended on an invisible chain.

Ah, Jean Grey. How pleasant of you to join us. As I was just saying to Miss Munroe. It's time to settle this little engagement'. As Magneto's voice died on the wind, his newly summoned arsenal materialised from beneath him, where it began circling him in a cyclone of twisted metal. Shall we begin?'

John stared across the battlefield towards the cryokinetic, who returned his gaze in the form of a sneer.

`Are you ready for this, Brotherhood?' John asked.

The name is Sub-Zero, X-man,' the cryokinetic spat, pointing a finger accusingly at John. And just so you know, the lowest circle of hell is a frozen wasteland, reserved for traitors like you'.

`I'm no traitor! You're the ones who ruin lives!'.

Aren't you a fiery one!' Sub-Zero laughed. But don't worry. At absolute zero, everything freezes'.

His last words spoken, Sub-Zero flicked out his right hand, casting what looked like snowflakes into the air. The flakes stopped in mid flight where white vapour swirled around them. In less than a second each flake lengthened, becoming a spear of ice as long as John's forearm that lurched towards him as if thrown.

With barely a moment's thought, John whipped his Zippo lighter across the front of his uniform, summoning the flame that he swiftly moulded into swirling disc of fire. Remembering that his fire hadn't been hot enough to pierce Sub-Zero's ice, John willed his barrier hotter. In his mind's eye he saw the molecules of air glowing like embers zipping back and forth, saw them accelerate until they simply became a blur. Pouring as much of his energy into the disc as he could, John watched the swirling flames melt into a radiant plasma. With less than a second to spare the ice spears collided with the plasma disc, vaporising instantly on contact. Pushing himself further than he'd ever gone before, John willed the disc into a new shape, increasing its mass as he did. In a fraction of a second, the disc became a colossal serpent of plasma that surged towards Sub-Zero, who began raining bolts of pure cold towards it.

Each strike Sub-Zero delivered blackened areas of the serpent that were immediately revaporised. Once the Serpent was within striking distance it reared back it's head and a massive hood unfolded from its sides, revealing the serpent for what it truly was. Opening its jaws wide, the plasma cobra loosed jest of directed plasma that arced towards Sub-Zero in a fraction of a second, engulfing him in flame.

For the second time that day, when the flames cleared, Sub-Zero was left standing, his clothes blackened and burnt.

`This isn't over,' Sub-Zero coughed in John's direction, once again raising his hand to point at him.

Yes,' John said. It is'.

With blinding speed, the cobra snapped forward, closing its jaw around Sub-Zero's arm, vaporising the limp in the time it took for Sub-Zero's mind to register the assault.

The last thing John saw before turning his back on the fallen mutant was Sub-Zero crying out and slumping to the ground.

`I was wondering when you'd arrive,' Raze said as he stretched the muscles in his arms. With a casual demeanour, the time travelling mutant turned around, locking eyes with Bailey as he materialises in a plume of azure smoke.

Well it looks like your waiting is over,' Bailey responded with an equally calm expression. With a quick glance, he surveyed their newest battlefield. They were standing in a wide roadway that ran between two rows of half-built storage sheds. You know what this reminds me of?'

That little town in Nevada,' Raze smiled. What was it...six years ago?'

Seven,' Bailey corrected him. The first time we fought'.

Raze smiled. `I thought you'd appreciate the symmetry'.

`So is this what it's really come to?'

`Looks like,' Raze nodded.

Bailey cocked his head to one side. `You know, it doesn't have to be this way. The timeline's changed. The war may not happen anymore. We can both be free of it'.

No,' Raze said definitively. Even if it doesn't happen the way we remember it, the war is coming. I'm just trying to arrange the pieces so that when everything comes crashing down, mutants are on the top of the pile'.

But if you help us, there doesn't have to be a war!' Bailey pleaded. We can stop what happened to us from happening to our future selves. Don't you know what that would mean? Don't you care?'

Don't you think I've thought of that!' Raze snarled. Even if we prevent it from happening to our future selves, I'll still remember! Nothing will have changed for me!'

Tyler, please,' Bailey begged. Let go of your anger. We can help make a better world here'.

And what about you, Bailey?' Raze asked. Can you let go of your anger? Could you forgive me for the things I've done to you? For what I did to Cooper?'

Bailey's entire body tensed at the sound of the name Cooper. Swallowing hard, Bailey replied. `I can try. It's true, I'll never be able to forgive what you've done to me, but I can try to forget. Like I've been trying to say, we can let go of our pasts, start over, live like ordinary people'.

But that's the thing, Bailey,' Raze said, scarlet energy gathering in the palm of each hand. We're not ordinary people. We're not even ordinary mutants'.

`It doesn't have to be this way,' Bailey repeated.

I'm sorry, little brother,' Raze said, watching the scarlet light dancing between his fingertips, but it really does'.

Jean saw the bright flashes of light out of the corner of her eye. Scarlet and azure bursts, bright enough to dazzle the eyes if looked at directly.

Ah,' Magneto smiled. It would appear that our young time-travellers have finally begun their little dance. Tell me, Jean, what has your new ally told you about the future?'

Jean mentally hurled herself out of the path of a warped support beam as it came whizzing towards her under the influences of Magneto's power.

`Nothing I feel like sharing!' she swore at the helmeted mutant as he deflected one of Ororo's lightning bolts with his electro-magnetic shield.

Really!' Magneto laughed. My time-traveller was very vocal about the future. I was right all along, you know. A war is coming, and it will be the wretched Homo Sapiens that strike the first blow'.

`You're lying,' Jean cried, swinging one of the stone spheres she was carrying telekinetically at the master of magnetism.

Deftly avoiding the blow, Magneto continued his tirade. `Oh, I'm not lying, Dr. Grey. Ask your own time traveller if he makes it out of this conflict alive'.

`Enough talk!' Ororo shrieked, her powers of the wind amplifying her voice. Summoning the most powerful gust she could manage, Ororo directed the full force of her power against the older mutant, causing him to be buffeted brutally towards the ground.

`Jean! Now!'

Taking her cue from her allies words, Jean hurled both stone spheres at the descending mutant. One sphere struck against a hastily assemble electro-magnetic shield, shattering into a thousand pieces but the other collided with Magneto's shoulder. Even over the sound of the howling wind, the shriek of shattering bones and the mutant's muffled scream could be heard. Magneto, rendered unconscious by the blow, fell rapidly from the sky.

`Oh, no you don't,' Jean shouted as she rapidly descended after the villainous old man. As near as she could, Jean sent a lasso of telekinetic energy zipping through the air and around Magneto's body, slowing his descent until he came to a dead stop just feet from the ground. Allowing herself to touch down on the blacked grass, Jean guided the unconscious mutant to the ground, before collapsing to her knees from exhaustion.

Ororo followed her to the ground, coming to rest beside her.

Storm, Phoenix!' John shouted as he ran over to the tired pair. Are you all okay?'

We're fine, Pyro,' Jean breathed hoarsely. Just a little tired'.

Logan, Peter and Kurt finally made it over to the small cluster of X-men.

`How did you guys do?' Jean asked.

Better n those guys,' Logan drawled. Gesturing to the unconscious form of Sub-Zero behind them, he said, `Matchstick didn't do so bad either'.

Another series of bright flashes, followed this time by echoing booms drew the small group's attention to the west of the hospital.

`I guess Bailey and Tyler are going at it pretty hard,' John said, shielding his eyes from the bright glare of the light show.

It would appear so, comrade,' Peter agreed. But let us focus on the task at hand'.

`Remmy,' John said, his eyes aglow with emotion.

`Remmy,' Jean agreed.

Quicksilver ran as fast as he could, zipping from room to room in search of Raze. When the attack had first commenced, he had made sure that everyone was on their feet and moving towards the front of the building where the defenders were gathering to push back the assaulting force, but now that he had completed that task, he rushed to aid his lover.

He was on the top floor when every metal component was ripped through the ceiling, causing a large rafter to collapse on him, pinning him to the ground. It was just like his father, to take without any thought to the consequences of his actions. After fifteen minutes of struggling against the wooded beam, he had managed to slip out from beneath its weight. Towards the end of the second floor he saw the breach that Raze had made exiting the building, as well as the dazzling lightshow shining through the missing segment of wall.

Readying himself for a jump at super speed, Quicksilver darted forward. Three paces away from the breach, something struck him from the side, causing him to slam into the wall, shattering the already weakened structure, and topple through the opening. Slamming into the ground with a resounding thud. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the dizziness away, Quicksilver looked up in time to see a young Asian woman dressed in black cargo pants and a tight shirt and large metal gauntlets drop from the second floor, landing with barely a whisper as she ran down the wall and onto the ground before gravity to generate and downward pull.

`And where do you think you're going?' the young woman asked calmly, crossing her arms and quirking an eyebrow.

It wasn't until he saw the stylised X emblazed on her silver belt buckle and gauntlets that Quicksilver realised who his opponent was.

`Surge,' he said as he climbed to his feet.

`In the flesh,' she smirked.

`I really don't have time to deal with you right now,' Quicksilver growled, sweat dripping from his gunmetal grey hair.

Come on,' Noriko continued to smirk. Between the two of us, this shouldn't take any longer than a few seconds...literally'.

Wait,' Quicksilver said, raising his hands in surrender. I'm not here to fight. You're here to save someone you love, fine. I'm trying to do the same. Let's just go our separate ways. We can settle this another time'.

Noriko could barely hide the shock she felt at hearing Quicksilver's words. She had always believed herself a good judge of character, and at that moment, she knew Quicksilver was telling the truth. He really didn't want to fight.

`Swear to me you wont harm any X-Man you come across,' Noriko demanded.

`You have my word,' Quicksilver swore.

`Fine, go. But if you harm another X-Man God himself will not keep me from ripping you apart, understood?'

Agreed,' Quicksilver said. Turning to make his way towards the light show, he paused. Thank you. I wont forget this'.

Noriko sighed. `You'd better not'.

The remnants of Squads A and B were about to make their way up the front steps of the hospital when the doors burst open from within. Jean immediately wrapped her companions in a telekinetic shield, expecting one last surprise attack by the Brotherhood, but instead finding the confused faces of Squad C looking out at her.

`What are you doing out here?' she asked, lowering the shield.

Scott immediately stepped forward, `We've searched every square inch of this facility, and we can't find Remiel anywhere'.

What do you mean, you can't find him?' John demanded. He has to be here!'

Pyro!' Ororo chastised. Calm down. Just because we haven't found him yet doesn't mean he's not here'.

At that moment, Noriko blurred into view, skidding three feet as she decelerated.

Perimeter clear,' she reported. With the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Titan over there,' she pointed at the flashing scarlet and azure lights, `we're all clear'.

`Did you see Remmy anywhere?' John pleaded.

No,' Noriko frowned. What do you mean? Haven't you found him yet?'

`No. He's not in the facility. They must have moved him before the attack,' Betsy explained.

A booming laugh rang out into the closing darkness, sending chills down everyone's spines.

`I'm afraid that you are...quite mistaken,' a deep malicious voice sounded loudly from above, drawing the collective attention of the assembled X-men to the roof of the building.

Standing atop the facility, silhouetted by the last remnants of the setting sun, stood Morningstar. Launching himself into the air, the mutant descended with two beats of his mighty black wings. Circling in the air, he landed softly upon the charred grass behind the X-men. Extending his black wings to their full span and opening his arms wide he declared,

`I am Morningstar, Archangel of the Brotherhood and Harbinger of the end of Homo Sapiens rule'.

To Be Continued...

Thanks to everyone for reading the newest instalment of X-Force!

Okay, like the last chapter, I have a few questions I'd like to ask my audience so I can improve my writing. Firstly, I'd like to ask everyone what their favourite mutant ability is and why, particularly because I'm thinking of introducing a new team of mutants to the mix so that the story is completely Brotherhood/X-Men orientated. Secondly, is there anything you would like to see more of? Anything from action and romance to characterisation and character histories?

Feedback is the lifeblood of all writers, so please, drop me an email and tell me what you think. You can reach me at:

scifi_fanboy@hotmail.com

Please put the word X-Force in the subject line so I know that your email isn't just junk.