Here's Ch10 of my Xmen/Witchblade xover. I want to thank the few people who have taken the time to review this story.

Rogue is from the South (Mississippi) and has a southern accent which I don't even want to try and write. Same with Piotr and his Russian/ Slavik accent. I might give small glimpse, but use your imaginations to get the real voice. with C.Park as the subject line.

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"Is the test subject ready?" Irons asked as he took his seat in the observation booth. Far below him, the cloned warriors waited patiently for their final test.

Dr. Hanes finished his conversation with his underlings before turning to his employer. He took the PalmPilot from the lackey and sent him on the way. He verified the data on the device before passing it to Irons who took it and barely gave it a glance. Hanes was not fooled by the apparent disinterest, having studied his master carefully in the short time since his ascension to Irons side. He had no doubt that the younger looking man had memorized the entire data on the device as well as all the reports that had recreated those data bases.

"They are just finalizing a few preparations on the subject. Apparently he was injured during the capture, and manage to injure several of the team sent to retrieve him. It seems that Mr. Lensher underestimated his desire to live free as well as his skills in battle. All of which works better for us, since he will prove a more significant challenge for our little team." Hanes stated calmly without glancing to the other seated figure, who tensed at his words.

"Now, Doctor, I am sure that Magnus meant no ill when he gave the statistical data on the subject. Perhaps something has happened in the subject's life that has affected his aggression levels. It matters not. Magnus assures me that the subject will offer a challenge worthy of my troops. The subject is a former member of the Xmen and various teams of that nature, and has battled and helped defeat the Brotherhood on several occasions."

"And what are his special abilities?" Irons asked, again not referencing the file he had likely memorized, but playing his role to the hilt for their guests.

"The man is a feral type, with slightly enhanced senses, less so then Nottingham, a strength factor and healing factor, and can conduct electricity over his body and through his hands. The electrical energy he generates is potentially lethal, though it has a relatively low amperage and high voltage. Mainly it disables an enemies motor functions temporarily, allowing the subject to escape or otherwise finish the fight. He is a dark green, nearly blackish color, with almost scaly skin. His eyes and hair are red, and his fingers have black tipped claws instead of fingernails. He masses roughly 450 lbs. and stands at just under 7 feet tail upright. Due to the reverse nature of his knees and elongated feet/ankles, he walks in a crouch and moves equally skillfully on four limbs as two. If not for the fact that he had no body hair, and a practically normal facial appearance, he greatly resembles the commonly accepted traits given to the werewolf. Except that his skin is more like a snake or eel's then a mammals and he only has hair on his head. No body hair at all." Hanes described dryly, not affected the appearance of the subject. He'd seen far worse in his years working for Irons, even before the Nottingham's defection.

"Any weaknesses or non physical gifts?" Irons asked again for the benefit of his guests.

"He has none of the mental mutations, but has a keen intellect. Nothing in the range of mutants like Hank McCoy, but definitely far beyond the human baselines. No special mechanical or electronic ability. Basically, he's like a sponge. He has near perfect recall. No special training in any particular area. Has a moderate level of skill in combat, equivalent to someone nearing black belt in two or three martial arts, and a competent armed soldier. No where near the levels of training given the team, but enough to make him a challenge to test their limits. On a singular basis, he could likely defeat on, possibly even two, of the team, but against the full team he stands no chance of winning."

"So in your opinion, he's good enough to make them sweat and work at beating him, but not quite capable of defeating the team?" the figure in the chair next to Irons asked, having tired of waiting quietly.

As previously instructed, Hanes ignored that the guest had asked the question and directed his answers to Kenneth. "That is my opinion based on the simulations and test data currently on hand."

The guest grinned and leaned forward, revealing her face to the light. Blue eyes flashed as the scantily clad, blonde haired woman studied the team with a chilling expression on her exceptionally beautiful face. "Then let us begin." she stated in her near frozen voice, an embellishment she affected to suit her given name.

It was Irons who replied, taking the time to study her statuesque figure and the generous display of cleavage covered only barely by the white furred outfit. "Of course Ms. Frost. Anything for some one as . . . charming as you." he finished with a raised eyebrow and another glance of appreciation at her ample charms.

Emma Frost gave a small smile and slid back in the chair until her face was again clouded by shadows. Men were such foolish things, she thought to herself while using her own gifts to block out the waves of thoughts directed at her from the two hormone ridden men ogling her form. Show a little skin, act like you find them even the slightest bit attractive, and they'll roll over backwards and run to do your bidding. I didn't even use any of my gifts.

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The trio were in excellent spirits as they made their way up the stairs to Sarah's loft. They'd had a great day, and while it wasn't all that late, it had been rather draining. They'd walked more then either of the teens were used to, and even more then Sarah usually did in one day. Wandering the attractions at the circus for a few hours, playing a few of the games, and even winning some prizes. Then the show at the Big Top with the most amazing acrobats and gymnastic displays Sarah had ever seen. Even Marie had been impressed and she'd seen Kurt going through his practice routines in the danger room.

Piotr had been like an overgrown child the entire trip, pointing out various attractions and acts that he remembered from his experience as a child. He'd talked the handlers into letting them 'backstage' and into the cage areas the animals were kept and they'd had a ball being able to actually get close enough to touch some of the animals. Sarah's favorites had been the Siberian tigers, with their white fur and black markings. They had such a calm, gentle look in their eyes, as though they were amused by what was going on around them and were only granting the humans a favor by remaining in the cages that were supposed to hold the potentially dangerous animals. There was an aura around them that reminded her of Ian, and for the first time, she'd been able to consider the man without any of the negative distractions that usually interfered in her attempts to understand the enigmatic man. She'd felt none of the fear or loathing she'd formerly held towards the one time assassin. She'd been able to think of him simply as a man, one with rather specialized and highly diverse skills, but a man none the less and not simply a tool used by Irons to weed out his competition and perform his less reputable tasks.

Nottingham had committed many crimes in his years of slavery to Irons, and by all rights she should be doing everything in her power to bring him in and put him behind bars for the rest of his unnatural life. But instead, she was trying to think of ways to get him to help her bring down Irons and place the blame for his past actions on the man who had bred him and been brainwashing him since his very birth. She had seen Nottingham trying to fight the training forced on him by the twisted being who he'd always considered as a father figure. She understood now that, for the most part, he hadn't enjoyed what he'd been ordered to do by his master.

She'd also seen him obey orders that most sane or decent people would have refused. Murders that remained unsolved that she knew he'd committed. Thefts and break ins that she knew he'd been responsible for. But it all went back to Irons and his perverse attempts to gain control of any even potentially mystical item or source of spiritual power. With the occasional mundane business dealing, both legal and illegal. She suspected that Irons had his hands in more illicit trafficking then she'd been able to track. She knew that he was using the cover of Vorshlag's military contracts to experiment in human genetics and cloning, as well as working the arms trade, both the minor local trade and the large international trades, all of it illegal. She also suspected that Irons was behind the increased drug traffic and the influx of under age and foreign prostitutes from Eastern Europe and Southern Asian countries.

Ian had admitted that Irons had tweaked his body by force feeding him a variety of drugs and gene coding techniques using machines that were so advanced, most of the world considered even their concept to be science fiction. Machines capable of altering a person's genetic makeup, granting specific abilities or weaknesses as the controllers of the operations dictated.

She shook her head as they reached the door to her loft and she had to juggle the stuffed animals and other prizes that had been won at the circus. Surprisingly, each of the three had won a near equal amount of prizes at the various games. Sarah had excelled at the marksmanship games, while Piotr had been a force among the strength tests. Marie had surprised them all with her accuracy at the various target games, hardly ever missing a throw, whether it was darts at stars/balloons or rings around bottles.

Piotr had the honor of the largest single prize when he'd out-lifted the circus strongmen during a Test of Strength open challenge while Marie had the most individual prizes. Sarah had won the most expensive prize, a boxed set of pistols used by John Wayne that had been donated to the circus as prize for their Sharpshooter prize. There was an signed letter from Wayne to the former owner of the circus, who had also been a movie buff back in the 50's and 60's and had collected many props used in some of the most famous movies of the time. They'd been valued at a little over $50000, though one avid collector had been rumored to offer more then $250000 for them, as they had also been used by Gary Grant.

They eventually, between the three of them, managed to open the door and let themselves in, only to drop the plush toys and other prizes on the table and sofa in the living room area. They collapsed onto the limited space left, and Sarah took the voucher for her big prize from her jacket pocket. The guns were currently being held in custody at a private auction house, and the voucher was the proof of ownership transfer that they would need to let Sarah take possession of the collectibles. Or for her to authorize their sale.

"I'm gonna need a better safe." she thought out loud, trying to decide what to do with her new possessions.

Marie giggled and Piotr chuckled as they pawed through the various animals, trading each other for personal family favorites. Marie didn't think she'd keep any of them, except the small foot long plush wolverine, but there were plenty of kids at the school and the nearby community that would enjoy receiving them as gifts. Piotr was shifting through for some to send to his sister and other relatives back home.

"So you gonna keep 'em?" the brunette asked while mentally labeling a wild haired koala for Jubilee and a white unicorn for Kitty. The Asian girl had been found in Australia after running away from her foster parents there and hiding out at a series of shopping malls between Sydney and Canberra. She still had something of an Australia fetish and collected almost anything to do with the 'Great Down Under.' The unicorn was something of a joke, as Kitty's mother had decorated her room with unicorns as a child and the then teen hated them. Her mother refused to allow her to change any of the wallpaper and artwork and figurines in the room, so Kitty took great private pleasure in using a stuffed unicorn as a punch toy when she was annoyed with some boy or school problem. Her last one, sent to her by her mother, had weighed as much as she did and stood three feet tall at the back. It was starting to fall apart, and the horn and tail had long since been torn off.

"I am thinking about it." the older woman confessed as she stood and went over to her small kitchen. She got to the door of the fridge before remembering that she hadn't had a chance to go grocery shopping yet, but opened it any way. A twinge of excitement went through her when she noted the fully stocked fridge. She damped down the excitement and pulled out three cans of Coke before slapping the door closed. She took a discrete look into her shelves to see that they too had been restocked while they were out. That could mean only 1 thing: Nottingham was back in town. He and Logan must already be set up in the other building.

She returned to her young friends and handed each a can. "I remember watching John Wayne and Gary Grant, Gary Cooper, and all those guys with my father. The old serials on TV. Those guns were actually in those movies and used by those actors. My dad would have gone nuts to be able to even see them in person, let alone own them and possibly hold them."

"My dad and I used to watch some things together." Marie stated, giving the first bit of her family past to someone other then Logan. "We were pretty close before my powers hit. I think that's part of why he was so angry. He had always loved me and taught me that mutants were against the laws of God, so when it turned out I was a mutant, he just couldn't handle me any more. My mother sort of tried to understand, but she wasn't very good at it. So one day, after my dad got drunk and tried to beat me for being a mutant, I gathered some clothes and all the money I had saved and headed north to Alaska."

Piotr nodded. "When I was working the farm one day, our work horse died while pulling the plow. I was alone in the field an no one could hear me. I had to unhook the horse and while struggling with it's weight, I just kept wishing I was stronger, that I could move the horse. Then the horse flips up into the air off the ground and lands ten feet away. I feel a coldness start creeping over my skin and I felt my bones shifting. I was soon looking at my hand at this weird metal like plating moved down my arm and I grew larger. I was not a small child, but the form I am now as Colossus is the same as it was then when I was but 12. I had grown more then 2 feet taller and three times as heavy in minutes."

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I can't really feel all that bad for you. Aside form some arrogant arseholes who have their heads stuck up their own asses, you, and mutants in general, have gifts that most normal people would love to have. Though I can understand why you might want to be 'normal', secretly every normal person wants to have a few special gifts. Maybe not some of the extreme changes some have undergone, but at least the healing, strength, telepathy mutations are things most people would love to have. They don't see the downside to them. I know I didn't understand before I got stuck with my little gift." she jangled the bracelet on her arm, the eye flaring with a pulse of red light at the motion. "Don't get me wrong, I've learned to accept that I'm not going to have a normal life. The blade can be a pain in the ass with the visions and the weirdness that it's brought into my life, but it's also helped me save more people then I would have without it. I was and am a good detective, but the with the blade giving me visions of crimes, I can catch people BEFORE they hurt others instead of after they hurt people."

"My family was frightened, but not as frightened as I." Piotr continued, understanding clear even with his accent. "We were in a rural part of Russia and did not know of mutants. I was first in village. They thought I was monster and shot at me and threw pitchforks and rocks and even spears but all just bounced off the plating on my body. It was Illiyana who was first to accept me after I run and hide in our barn. She find me and told me she still loved me, even though I changed. Once I hear this, I change back to old self, only I remain as I am now. All grown into man, but still mortal. Until I learn to call back gift and become stronger and indestructible. We have found nothing that can get through the metal skin. When I am in that form, I don't need breath or eat, but it takes great energy to change, and so can't do it often or for long times."

"My mutation is a curse. I suck other people into my head. With mutants I get their powers as well as memories and personalities. It knocks them out, but they do recover. For humans, if I hold on too long there is not recovering. I take everything. All their memories, thoughts, ideas. Their entire personality and all their quirks becomes mine. And it hurts. It's painful for the person I touch, and it doesn't feel good for me either."

"That is horrible. You'd think that whatever power was guiding the world would at least make it so that it didn't hurt you!" Sarah stated, getting a better understanding of what the younger woman went through each time someone came in contact with her skin. "And you can't touch any one? No part of your body is touchable?"

Marie sighed and looked down, rubbing the can between her gloved hands. "No. MY entire body is like this, and there's no one who is immune. As long as it's skin to skin, I will drain them. I . .. it's ... . It's even possible I could kill someone if I held on too long. It's almost happened a few times with Logan."

"So if it's skin to skin, can you touch Piotr? And what about those kids I saw covered in fur?"

Marie gave Piotr a look before shrugging and turning back to Sarah. "The kids are find, but I don't know about Piotr. And as much as I like him, I don't really want anyone else bouncing around in my head unless I have to."

"Let's hope nothing serious enough to force you to try happens while you're here." Sarah stated, finishing her can and setting it down next to a plush figure of Disney's fox Robin Hood. She had wanted the Nottingham figure to throw at the namesake, but the last one had been given to a boy who was there with the Children's Wish foundation. Apparently, the animalized version of the story of Robin Hood was the boy's favorite movie, and he had collected all the plush toys, but had been missing the Nottingham and Little John figures which he'd won at the games. She glanced out at the window at the fire escape and was not surprised to see a flash of black material disappearing just beyond her eye line.

Surprisingly, having Ian back in his customary place on her fire escape gave her a sense of peace and belonging. A feeling that all was right with the world, thanks to her personal stalker slash former assassin watching over her as she relaxed in the comfort of her own home.

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So how was it? Good bad indifferent?