Chapter 12: Crime Scene Manhattan

Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel Characters or logos.

X-23 attempted to relax as she remained seated on a bench, silently watching the institute's students go through their basic training. Today's obstacle course was just as easy to her as the previous day's session, so after effortlessly completing the run in an act of perfect demonstration she was allowed to supervise the others and critique their performances. Needless to say not a single one of them had managed to impress her so far, as their attempts were half-hearted, lazy, and even sloppy for the most part. Still, due to her level of experience she was much more skilled then any of the others, a fact that set her apart from even other mutants.

The former assassin tugged at her casual clothing with a restless expression, the lightly colored shirt and tight jeans at a stark contrast to what she normally wore. She was used to dressing in dark colors while on missions, although when HYDRA taught her how to blend in with normal people she was given normal clothing to wear. A rustling in the bushes caught her off guard, but a quick whiff of the surrounding air told her that it was only a squirrel, and she did not bother to turn her head. Having enhanced senses and agility gave her an advantage against almost any type of opponent, and throughout her career there were a number of times when she needed it.

She continued watching the daily proceedings for several minutes until someone came over to speak with her. Raising her head, she noticed a familiar figure heading in her direction, although she did her best to appear uninterested in his approach. Wolverine dropped onto the opposite side of the bench with a gruff expression, although having spent a lot of time with him the past few days she noted how relatively carefree he was compared to before. The older mutant had the blades on his left hand sticking through an apple. She merely stared for a moment as he used his opposite hand to pry the fruit loose from his retreating claw, sinking his teeth into it seconds later.

Loosing interest in the snack, Logan gave it a gentle toss before facing the girl beside him. "So, I take it you've been doing pretty well for yourself." He murmured casually.

"I am thankful for Professor Xavier's hospitality." She spared a glance at the students in the yard before returning his gesture. "In all honesty I find these training sessions pitiful. I was able to finish the daily regimen much faster than the others and there seems to be little else for me to do now that I have met the daily objective…"

Her male counterpart looked sideways at her as though he were seeing a kindred spirit. "Kid, I know how you feel. I've been telling Charles for years now that his expectations for the students is too low, although he seems to be happy with the way things are around here." When she did not respond, the man leaned forward and folded his hands. "All things considered, I didn't figure that someone like you would find basic training difficult."

The young mutant's glum expression intensified as memories of her childhood came flooding back, and for a moment she felt the familiar emotions return… the pain and sorrow that she had endured for many long years in captivity. From a very early age, HYDRA forced her to train relentless for days like an animal at the circus, forcing her to perform incredible feats while punishing her if she failed to complete the session in the designated amount of time. Her mind flashed again as more memories returned to her, many even more painful than the previous one. Growing up, they had performed countless tests on her body, some things so horrific that they would probably have made Doctor Frankenstein cringe in fear.

Worst of all was the day that they ripped her body and treated her bones with adamantium solution, turning her into the weapon they had always wanted as she sat and watched. The doctors and scientists who operated on her had not bothered to use any type of anesthetic on her before beginning the procedure, meaning that she had felt every single bit of pain as they opened her body, the advance healing factor she had inherited from Wolverine being the only thing that had saved her from dying on the spot. If the previous tortures she had endured at the hands of her creators had not made her tolerant to the pain, she may have lost her sanity.

Thinking about these terrifying events shook her soul, yet not a single tear formed in her eyes. It wasn't as though the memories didn't cause her pain, but the experiences had made her callous, like an animal that had retreated into its shell. They had also taught her to let go of cumbersome emotions, and although the practice allowed her to cope more easily, the process of breeding out all feelings had been the cause of her treachery to begin with. The volatile nature she often displayed towards others was a result of this, her mental conditioning having created explosive anger instead of the lack of emotion her creator's had been working to induce. She let out a small scowl as her mind returned to the present, her eyes settling into her lap as the thoughts of her past lingered once more.

Wolverine placed a hand on her shoulder, eliciting an angry growl from the feral girl. "Sheesh, and they say I'm always in a bad mood." He mumbled irritably.

She looked up and hesitated for a moment as if to apologize for her earlier response, but chose not to say it. Instead she turned her head and tried to ignore his presence, but her attempt failed miserably as he did not seem keen on continuing this game. The older mutant gave her a gentle shake to get her attention, bearing down on her with a critical gaze as their eyes met. He wasn't usually the type of person to force a conversation, quite the opposite, but at the moment he had been told to give her some news.

The man scratched his back with one hand, giving his head a small shake. "I was told to come and find you by Charles. He wanted me to tell you to meet him in his office so that you guys could discuss the arrangements we mentioned earlier."

"As we agreed, I have no obligation to any of you during my stay in this mutant school." X-23 replied.

He sighed wearily as if he had been expecting her to react this way, but merely shifted her comment aside without complaint. "The least you can do is hear him out, considering how hard he's been working lately to help you."

"To make things clear, I never asked for his help to begin with, nor did I ever ask you for yours." X-23 answered flatly.

Wolverine shook his head with a neutral expression. "Fine then, just do whatever you want. I'm only saying that Charles spent all night and most of the morning on the phone making arrangements for you. He wants you to be comfortable while you're here, and this ain't exactly the best way to thank him."

She glanced at her male counterpart for a moment, carefully observing his expression for a sign of lying. Of course she had no reason to mistrust him, but considering everything she had been through over the last few years of her life, it never hurt to be cautious in her case. The volatile girl let out a small sigh as she stood up from the bench, keeping her back facing Wolverine as she proceeded towards the mansion. After taking a few steps, she stopped, keeping her gaze fixated away from the man behind her. Her eyes moved scanned the ground as she pondered the recent exchange between them.

"I didn't know that a man like you was even capable of acting so sentimental." She added with certain briskness to her voice.

The older mutant's expression seemed to harden is only slightly as he dismissed her. "Just go…" he added in a similar tone.

X-23 marched away towards the institute building, having memorized most of the layout after the previous night, combined with her infiltration of the manor several months ago. Once through the back door, she knew where the professor's office was and quickly made her way through the regal halls. Her ears naturally searching for signs of other life due to her inbred paranoia and enhanced senses of perception. A few people walked past her as she navigated the corridors, but she resisted the urge to hide from their eyes and continued onwards without even sparing a glance. She heard some of the younger students who had hung back from joining the training session talking about her as she passed, but such trivial matters didn't bother her.

After a minute of steady procession, the Weapon X mutant found herself standing outside of the door leading to professor's office. She reached out to grab the handle, but the door opened by itself as another person stepped through it. Storm looked slightly taken aback as she locked eyes with the irate child outside of the office, but recovered quickly. The dark-skinned woman gave her a pleasant expression that her newest teammate did not return, before pushing the door open all the way and gesturing inwards.

"After you…" Ororo added kindly.

The young mutant merely swept past her without so much as a single glance as she stepped into the telepath's office. Storm slipped out behind her and closed the door to give them some privacy, although the indifferent and sometimes hostile behavior displayed by their new recruit had her wondering whether or not offering her a chance to join the X-Men had been the best idea. Anyone who knew of her past would understand, but that didn't change the fact that she was lonely, impossible to talk too, and at times unpleasant. The weather witch sat and considered these sentiments for a moment before turning into her own room.

"Please have a seat…" the professor welcomed the young mutant into his office, ushering her into the chair in front of his desk. He sat back with a calm expression, placing a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat. "Now then, I'm certain by now that you were wondering why I called you here."

X-23 shifted slightly in here seat, her cold expression becoming less pronounced. "Logan told me that you wanted to talk to me, although he did not specify why." She replied almost mechanically.

The bald telepath's expression did not change, although those who knew him best might have seen a glimmer of cheer behind his usual expression. "Truthfully speaking, I wanted to give you the details in person, considering that you were so kind as to accept our invitation to join us here at the institute."

"He mentioned something about you making some kind of arrangements concerning this subject…" she replied tactfully.

Professor Xavier closed his eyes for a moment before giving her an answer, his eyebrows knitting together briefly as he contemplated how to present the information. "That is a more simplistic way to phrase things, although the process by which we have chosen to hide you is more complicated as you have no doubt anticipated."

She leaned forward slightly with anticipation. "I was told that you spent the greater part of the last twelve hours working on this dilemma, so explain to me exactly what you have done." The young mutant spoke in a commanding yet respectful tone.

"Although it seems that we may face troubles in the future, nevertheless I believed it was wise to hide your previous identity." He began slowly. The telepath reached into his desk draw, taking out a set of documents he had forged the previous night. "Using my various connections I was able to create an identity for you to use in the case you ever need to leave the premises, and also for official purposes."

Without waiting for him to give the word, she took the papers from his desktop and looked at them, noting the realism of the forged identification. Everything was present, including a birth certificate and several other official-looking documents. After several minutes of inspecting them for errors or sign of fraud, she placed the papers back on his desk and seemed to relax a bit more. Her tension became less noticeable then before, but the strain on her shoulders did not lessen. She wasn't sure if she liked every aspect of what the files had taught her, but for the most part it didn't seem to make a much of a difference to someone like her. The man sitting across the desk placed the papers into a compartment and locked the draw with a small key, his own expression lightening as he prepared to address her again.

"As you can probably guess, this new identification may work as a form of protection, and may also grant you some freedom that you did not have before." The Professor explained. "I will not make any presumptions, only give you the choice to reach out and take this new chance if that is what you so desire."

She let out a small sigh as if his words annoyed her, but in reality she was unsure how to feel towards this new development. "I do not see how it will make a difference to me, but I will commend your efforts to improve my well-being." She replied in an empty drawl. "If you have nothing more to say, then I will head back to my room."

Charles Xavier gave her a small nod. "You may do as you wish, but there is one more thing that I wish to discuss before you head off."

The girl stopped herself mid way and sat back down with a slightly irritated look, although if her host took any offense he didn't show. The professor took a moment to pull a few more documents from his desk before speaking again. This time he personally handed her the sheets in anticipation of her previous reaction.

"Now then, seeing how skilled you already are, I was beginning to think that there is little more we can teach you by subjecting you to the same basic training as the other students. Therefore I am offering you a chance to join our more experienced students in the field. Taking note of your past experiences, I feel that it would be more appropriate for a mutant of your talents." He explained to her.

X-23 read the paperwork in her hands carefully before something else caught her attention. "I will consider your terms, but according to this document there is still one class that you wish for me to attend."

The Professor nodded again. "While I acknowledge your talents, I did schedule occasional sessions in the Danger Room in the case that you choose to attend. None of us will force you to participate if you choose not to, but I felt it would be good to offer you the chance to learn some teamwork skills, and how to coordinate your abilities to best serve the group if the need arises."

"I will consider it…" she answered coolly. The young mutant placed her papers back on his desk before standing back up and heading for the door.

"One more thing before you leave…" he called out to her, causing the girl to turn her head. He sat back, gently folding his hands in his lap. "I do not know if you were ever given a name aside from the experiment number given to you by HYDRA, but for your own safety you will be known Laura Kinney from this day forward and Talon during missions. I hope that you do not have any complaints about these aliases."

"I… …" The female mutant hesitated for a moment as if someone has suddenly punched her in the stomach, but her face did not betray her. "I do not…" she answered in a controlled tone.

She swept from the room a few moments later, disappearing from view as the doors closed behind her. The professor said nothing to stop her from leaving and seemed to relax when she was gone, looking mildly bewildered by the recent conversation. He was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't voiced any protest to ay of his proposals, although he still wondered if she really wanted anything that they had offered her. Shifting the thoughts aside, he wheeled out from behind his desk and decided to return to his personal chambers and get some rest, having spent the greater part of the last day working on these preparations.

As he rolled along, the professor remembered his visions of the future that he had seen in the mind of Apocalypse, a few of which included X-23 as a member of the core team. He believed wholeheartedly that these visions were the truth, or at least a possibility of what the future could hold for mutant kind. Whatever the case, he believed that their newest recruit would eventually realize that she was more than a human weapon, but rather a part of this family. After all she was genetically Logan's daughter, although he would never presume to say something like that in front of either of them for fear of their reactions.

Even though Laura had been given a name, he wondered if it was possible to reverse the damage that her childhood experiences had done. Perhaps it would be difficult, but in time he hoped that she would eventually come to see the other students and staff as not only teammates, but family as well. Bearing these thoughts in mind, the bald telepath slide through the doors and into the hall, silently preparing for what was sure to come. He proceeded towards his room, but before he could enter, Wolverine stepped out from behind one of the mansion's decorative pillars.

"So, how did it go?" Logan asked with a serious expression, a sense of nervousness lingering in his flat tone.

Charles Xavier stopped his wheelchair's movement, using his powers to make certain that no one else was close by before answering. "I do believe that things turned out rather well, considering that she proved rather cooperative for the most part. I am not sure why she remains here, but I do not believe that it is because she actually wants to be a member of this team."

"I wouldn't assume she liked the name you picked out either." The feral mutant replied.

"She did not raise any complaints and seemed cooperative for the most part." The bald man relaxed his shoulders and paused for a minute before looking at his old friend with a shadow of a smile. "I was no rude enough to pry to learn as to why she chose to remain here, but my personal opinion is that X-23 desires companionship after seeing how ordinary people live."

Wolverine inclined his head slightly in thought as he leaned against the corridor wall, his arms folding in front of his chest. "I remember when those people at SHIELD first told me about the kid. She had been denied companionship her entire life, even though she observed ordinary families while working undercover. It's bad enough she was used like a weapon, but the entire time she knew how ordinary kids lived. Like rubbing salt into a wound, huh Charles?"

"Indeed…" the telepath replied solemnly. He paused again as though trying to find the right words. "On that same note, I believe that the girl has grown fond of you without even understanding why?"

Logan raised an eyebrow with an apprehensive look, but his expression softened a few seconds later. "I'm probably the first person who ever treated her like a human being, and probably the closest thing she has to family…"

The Professor rolled past him and placed a hand on the handle of his door. "It's good to know that you understand her situation so well. For that reason if nothing else, I would like you to keep an eye on her. Normally I would not ask such a favor for a new student, but truthfully speaking you are the only person in this mansion who can possibly understand X-23."

"That's my intention." Wolverine answered as he watched the crippled man's form disappear through the door.

In New York

With the X-Van totaled by the Rhino's rampage, Scott and Jean had spent the night in a random hotel, and had to employ the services of a taxi to reach their destination. It would have been easier if mutants were not so reviled by a large percentage of the general populace, considering that they could have used her telekinetic abilities to levitate, but at the moment they were still trying to lay low from prying eyes. Of course any cover they had might have been compromised, but this fact had been confirmed on the cover of the city's largest newspaper.

Jean looked slightly affronted by this bit of information as they journeyed on foot through the streets of Manhattan, her eyes scanning the front page of the Daily Bugle. "Can you believe this?" she cried loudly, shoving the periodical under her boyfriend's nose.

He straightened his ruby-quartz glasses, using his free hand to take the paper from her. He took a moment to read the headline on the front page, but the thing that shocked him the most was a picture of the masked hero they had encountered the previous day. Although clearly not at the center of the picture, the shot had also captured them in the background. Both mutants looked surprised by this development, considering that they did not remember seeing anyone around during that battle with Rhino that could have taken the picture. Closer inspection revealed the photographer's name, Peter Parker, below the photograph, although the name meant nothing to them.

"We came here on a secret mission and ended up on the front page of one of America's most widely read newspapers." The redhead stated bluntly. "I can't imagine this is a good thing."

"I guess we should be grateful that the person who took this didn't catch a good shot of us and was more focused on the spider dude, but I would have preferred if we hadn't gotten caught on film to begin with." Scott replied.

The psychic took the paper from him again, and spent a minute or so skimming the article. "Some of the eyewitness accounts are also in here, meaning that it doesn't make much a of a difference whether or not the photographer captured us."

They continued to discuss this new problem for several minutes until they reached the location specified on the paper given to them by Professor Xavier. In a matter of minutes the couple found themselves stand outside an apartment in one of Manhattan's wealthier neighborhoods. Cyclops reached out, but found his hand hesitating slightly as he prepared to knock on the door, but Jean seemed less patient and rung the doorbell to the right of the entry. Both of them tensed up as they waited for an answer, as they weren't entire sure if the person they were searching for was even home, but after a moment of waiting they could hear frenzied movements from the room beyond.

The door swung back to reveal a blonde-haired man wearing a gray trench coat over his body. He had light-colored hair and a kind expression, although the large jacket made him seem slightly intimidating at first glance. The man immediately recognized his visitors, but he had actually expected them to arrive the day before from what the professor had told him on the phone. After what some people would see as an awkward staring contest, Angel stepped to the side and forced a smile, attempting to greet his guests in spite of their sudden and partially unexpected visit.

"What kept you?" he questioned while ushering them inside, casting them a genuine smile as they entered his abode.

Scott and Jean both entered his home without argument, the two mutants taking a moment to admire their surroundings as he closed the door behind them. The living room was large and spacious with a large fireplace and several pieces of furniture scattered around, a bookshelf filled to the brim with volumes resting against the opposite wall. An authentic oriental rub cover the center of the floor, and an intricate lamp sat upon the mahogany coffee table. In many ways it reminded them of the professor's study back at the Xavier Institute, although from the look of the room it was clear that their host was also reasonably wealthy.

The owner sat down on a large comfy-looking armchair in the corner of the room, using the remote control to switch off his television. "Feel free to make yourselves at home." He gestured towards the adjacent couch.

His guests exchanged looks before staking a seat on the sofa, both of them noticing the real leather upholstery. "We apologize for showing up like this, but Professor Xavier has some concerns about the recent events in this area, and we were hoping that you could help us." The red-haired telepath explained carefully.

"I wasn't really doing anything when you guys came in, so there's no problem there. I was actually the person who told the professor about that sighting of Magneto after reading the story in the paper a few nights ago." Warren explained with a benevolent expression. "I don't have any prior obligations, so I'll do whatever I can to help you guys out today."

"We're both very grateful for the assistance." Jean replied.

Angel dismissed this comment. "It's really no problem for me… To be completely honest I was half expecting you guys to show up at some point after seeing your pictures in this morning's edition of the Daily Bugle."

Scott scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression. "Oh, that… We didn't really expect to be photographed. Even though it's only in the background of the picture, we still ended up on the front page after working so hard to avoid blowing our cover."

"There's a lot of strange things going on in this city, but we'll get to that later." Their host stood up from his seat. "I'll go and fetch some documents I have that might shed some light on your questions. While I'm gone, would either of you like anything from the kitchen, maybe something to eat or a drink?"

"We had a big lunch, so I'm good for now." Cyclops replied with a wave of his hand. "What about you?" he asked the girl sitting beside him.

Jean shook her head in response to the question. "No thanks… I wouldn't want to intrude, and we do have some more important things to worry about right now." She responded with a friendly expression.

Their host left the room to fetch the things he was looking for, although he took a little bit longer than they had expected. After several minutes of silence, Warren returned with a laptop under him arm and a platter on the other, making certain to place the computer down first before setting the tray of food on the opposite end of his coffee table. The dishes appeared to be made of real china, and were carefully etched with beautiful patterns that were likely painted and treated by hand. The presentation looked rather impressive as their host poured them cups of freshly brewed tea, setting the filled cups down on a pair of saucers he had placed in front of them. The winged mutant removed his jacket now that they were alone in his home, keeping his wing muscles tight so that the span did not take up too much room.

"Thanks for the tea, but you didn't have to." The female telepath replied.

Angel sat back down in the opposite chair, taking a small sip of his own tea as he set the cup down on his side table. "The kettle was already on the stove before you came, so it wasn't an inconvenience." He assured her.

"We're grateful for your hospitality." Cyclops drank the tea in his own cup out of courtesy before addressing the issues at hand. He set the cup back down and folded his hands, leaning forward slightly in anticipation. "Now then, we had some questions about strange things that have been going on, and we think that you can help us out."

"If you're referring to the incident with Magneto, I really can't tell you anymore than what they printed in the newspaper. There were some testimonials from the security guards on duty at the museum, but only one artifact was found missing, and it wasn't even one of the more valuable ones in the collection." He explained carefully. "The only major giveaway were the large metal orbs flying away from the scene, and there's only one person I can think of whose powers would be capable of that."

Jean set her cup down with a levelheaded demeanor. "It's obvious that Magneto was up to something, but until we investigate more thoroughly there really is very little we can do about it in any capacity."

"If my company is welcome, I will accompany you on this investigation, but didn't you mention other questions about this city you want to ask me." Warren added.

They fell silent again, exchanging glances as if they were in the middle of contemplating their next course of action. More recent events had caught their attention, and they were in need of information. Although they trusted him, he wasn't really an official member of the team, but the fact that he had fought alongside them multiple times was enough for them to think of him as such. After a brief metal conversation between the pair of X-Men, they decided to share with him what had happened during their rescue mission in the woods. Although they knew very little right now, perhaps their associate could fill in the blanks.

The red-haired psychic placed her hands in her lap before speaking. "I think it might be a good idea for us to give you the whole story before we start asking questions. This way we can reduce misunderstandings that might occur later on." She began.

"I'll listen if that's what you need." Warren merely nodded his agreement, looking slightly concerned by her words.

"It's an interesting story, but I'd say it's probably a good idea if we start from the beginning." Cyclops took a breath and settled into a more relaxed position before speaking again. "It really all started when Wolverine went out to recruit a mutant for the institute, but the girl we were looking for was an experiment made by the illegal spy network, HYDRA."

Angel wore a pensive look as he considered them. He wracked his mind for familiarity with the organization they mentioned, although he still wasn't certain. "I'm sorry, but I can't say I've ever heard of these people." He replied disappointedly.

"That's unfortunate, but a lot has happened recently, and we figured there might be something you know that we don't considering you live in this city." Scott shook his head. "HYDRA may have been the main cause of our troubles, but the people they hired proved formidable as well."

Jean Grey continued the story. "According to Wolverine, a scientist with mechanical arms shooting out of his back led an army of robotic drones to capture the mutant we were searching for. The battle ended with both of them being confined to an underground base where the leader of the HYDRA organization was planning on claiming her former experiment. Our team found them using the professor's telepathic link as a guideline and managed to save the others, fighting through an army of cybernetic robots."

A look of recognition flashed across Angel's face as he considered their story. "Did you manage to learn anything more about Wolverine's captors, such as names or maybe aliases?"

"The scientist with the mechanical limbs told Logan that his name was Otto Octavius, and the Supreme Hydra was only referred to as Madame Hydra. The man who hired the scientist and seemed to be in charge of the underground base was a large individual wearing a suit." Scott remembered the man who had attacked him from behind painfully.

"We learned that he calls himself the Kingpin…" his girlfriend added helpfully.

Although he had taken some information out of the story, Warren looked as though someone had doused him with freezing water as he heard her mention this last detail. His reaction did not go unnoticed by the others, even though the look on his face only made them wonder whether or not they really wanted to know more. Their host recovered after a moment or two, having been shocked that they had met one of the most legendary criminals in the country, let along of the three large cities that comprised New York City itself. Angel reached over and took a sip of his tea before speaking again, feeling slightly discomforted by the looks of curiosity he had prompted with his own reaction.

Cyclops cracked his knuckles to relieve the tension in his fingers. "I take it that you know some of those people we mentioned?" he questioned hopefully.

Warren snapped open his laptop, having started the computer while they were telling him what happened. He slid his finger around and pushed a few times on the touch pad, quickly bringing up some files he had archived on his computer for such an occasion. His guests watched carefully as he pressed a button, bringing up a picture of the scientist Cyclops had met during his visit to the underground lab. The man in the picture wore a grim expression along with his sunglasses and was holding up a plate with numbers in his mug shot, but despite the absence of his metal arms it was clearly the same man.

"That's the man!" Cyclops leaned forward to see the screen as his host turned to screen in his direction.

"Doctor Otto Octavius, one of the city's most wanted criminals. He uses his desire to further his science as an excuse for committing felonies." Warren replied with a glum expression. He looked up and noticed the look of surprise on their faces, but quickly decided to explain. "I've been fighting crime openly ever since Magneto revealed the existence of mutants, and because of that I've archived information and pictures on just about every major criminal in this city, particularly the crazy costumed guys."

"After seeing you earlier expression, I'm more concerned about the other man Scott mentioned earlier." The red-haired telepath mused.

Angel shook his head dismally. "Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure about the man you were talking about. They say that the Kingpin is the cause of most of New York's crime as well as several crimes happening around the world, although the police don't buy it completely. The idea of one man with that much power going virtually undetected seems like more of a story than anything else to law enforcement."

"So you're saying that this man had avoided being discovered by the authorities?" Scott questioned.

"Precisely… Those of us who fight crime in this city of our own accord have reason to believe otherwise, even if the police remain blind to the truth." his host replied.

Jean looked positively disgusted by the thought. "Surely someone knows who this evil man really is."

Her comment caused Angel to pause in thought. "Yes and no… There are a lot of rumors of who the big man really is, but word on the streets is that some of the city's heroes might know the truth even though no one's shared the information with me before."

"Speaking of which, you probably read in the paper that we helped a guy named Spider-Man stop a villain yesterday. Do you have any idea who he is?" Cyclops asked.

"There are a lot of crime-fighters in this city, and being one of them I have worked with some of them from time to time. Even so we all wear masks to conceal our identities from enemies. I've helped the web-slinger in the past, but I don't really know who or what he really is." The blonde-haired man explained. "The Kingpin supposedly considers Spider-Man to be one of the greatest threats to his operations. The rumor is that they have fought in person."

Scott looked slightly discomforted. "Our team saw the Kingpin's face when we rescued Wolverine from his lab in the woods, although the entire facility self-destructed shortly after the big guy made his escape with Madame Hydra."

The female mutant clutched his hand with surprising force, but her gaze moved towards their host instead. "You don't think he'll attempt to get rid of us now, do you?"

"No…" Warren replied casually, his eyes betraying little sign of worry. "The Kingpin's identity is virtually nonexistent to most of the public, and even police who know about his existence have never been able to gather sufficient enough evidence to find him, let alone convict him of any crimes. Silencing a few people is beneath someone who doesn't even leave a trail behind for the law to follow, so I don't think you have any reason to panic."

"Do you have any idea who he is?" Jean beckoned him. "I'm sure Scott would recognize him on sight."

Angel placed his laptop back on the table and opened another file, revealing a virtual printout of newspaper clipping of the same man that the X-Men had fought previously. Beside him was a significantly smaller man with similar features; only the ordinary-sized individual wore a blue suit and a full head of brown hair.

The winged mutant pointed at the larger man with a pondering expression. "The rumors are that the Kingpin is really the famous businessman, Wilson Fisk. Although people always talked, others became suspicious when his son, Richard Fisk, was sent to prison for stealing secret information from the government. When asked whether or not he had any accomplices the younger Fisk denied the claim, but it was public knowledge that he was working for his father when they put him behind bars."

Cyclops took one look at the photograph and nodded. "That's definitely the man I saw… Looks like this Wilson Fisk in the Kingpin."

"To think that a man would use his own son and then sever all connections to prevent himself from facing justice." His girlfriend added defiantly.

"I'm glad I could clear some things up, but even if Wilson Fisk knows something about these HYDRA people you were asking about, there's really no way for you to find out." Angel replied with a look of regret.

Jean let out a pronounced sigh as the path they had just found crumbled away. "I guess there's no way we could if there's no solid proof of his identity. The only way we could use this lead is if we went the Kingpin, but I don' think that attacking one of Manhattan's businessmen would be legal."

"They would probably see us as the criminals if we went after him. Right now that's really not an option." Warren voiced his agreement.

The group fell silent as they considered the problems they now faced, and the enemies that they had made. If getting involved with HYDRA were not bad enough, their old nemesis was still at large, and honestly enough they still knew very little about the Kingpin's activities. At the very least they could probably ignore some of the latter problems, but they doubted that any of the issues surrounding X-23 and Magneto would just disappear overnight. Professor Xavier and Wolverine seemed concerned during their last conversation, and right now the last thing that they needed was to make an enemy of the villains in New York too.

"All things considered we should probably focus on investigating Magneto's activities right now." Scott Summers replied. "At the very least, we can still relay any information we find to Professor Xavier, and maybe find out what exactly he's up too. If anyone could figure out what's going on, it's probably him."

Angel stood up from his chair and retrieved his coat from the hook where he had left it. "You have my support too. I'll point you guys in the right direction and we can work from there."

Jean Grey gave him a look of embarrassment. "I hope we don't mind if we use your car, considering that the Rhino guy totaled the X-Van yesterday."

"That won't be too much of a problem for me" Their host reached into the pocket of his jacket, withdrawing a set of keys moments later. He gave the ring a quick jingle and a gentle toss before putting them away and heading to the door of his apartment. "Let's go…" he ushered them out, locking the door behind them as he lead the way.

Meanwhile

Herbert Landon sat by his computer terminal, typing viciously as he explored the contents of the drive given to them by Madame Hydra. He was noticeably excited by what the files held as he marveled at the readouts they contained. With a few keystrokes, the blueprints for the equipment that the government had used during Project Rebirth appeared on the screen. True to her words, it did not seem as though HYDRA had known the details of the super soldier formula, but at the very least these details of the machines appeared to be authentic. Although it was a gamble making a deal with those snakes, it looked as though they had emerged triumphant at the end of the day.

It had taken some work to extract the files from the drive, but the laboratory and computers he had used were some of the most advanced in the world. The room was located in the central hub of the Kingpin's main headquarters, located in his main office building in the business districts of Manhattan. The entire place was temperature controlled and coated in a soundproof metallic paneling, creating a futuristic look befitting of the lab's state of the art technology. Several monitors lined the walls, each manned by members of the organization's research team,

As if on cue, the laboratory's metallic doors slid open, revealing the mountainous form of his employer. Wilson Fisk stepped over the threshold with furrowed brows, but his angry expression twisting into an evil smirk as he caught sight of the monitor above their heads. The crime lord advanced on his top scientist with a satisfied expression as Landon searched the plans a second time to make sure that they were real. The disfigured researcher stood up and moved aside with a weary expression, although the excitement he had felt moments before was still evident in his sinister expression.

"So it appears that my slippery associate was telling the truth after all in that the conditions from the Project Rebirth really were contained on that device." The Kingpin commented boisterously.

The deformed worker only sneered with a sense of pride as he held up the stick-shaped object in his hand. "I would not give her too much credit considering that she encrypted to files in the case that you managed to get your hands on them, but that pesky little obstacle has been taken care of. It took several hours, but I was able to decipher and upload everything she had saved onto this drive. Needless to say, the secrets she had originally tried to hide from us have now been exposed."

"I assume that these readouts are authentic…" Wilson Fisk glanced at the screen, even though he wasn't as much of an expert with technology as his employee, but the latter didn't seem worried by these concerns.

"When you arrived I had just completed my inspection of the files, and there is no sign that she gave us fraudulent information." Landon assured his superior.

The much larger man folded his arms with an ironclad expression. "It is unfortunate, but without the actual formula, there is very little use for the equipment on this drive. Which reminds me… Have you begun searching for details concerning this Magneto that Madame Hydra mentioned to me during our little conversation? According to her testimony, this man not only understood the formula, but even used it on his own body."

Landon's deformed eye widened slightly as his dislike of mutants surfaced. "My research team has referenced both the name Erik Lehnsher and his alias Magneto, and we found several incidents connected to his crimes in the last year."

"Elaborate!" the crime lord ordered aggressively.

"Well from what we were able to learn, this man you were searching for is a mutant extremist who commits acts of terrorism in the name of his cause. We know very little about his past, but his abilities are formiddable enough." The mad scientist picked up a paper with the details he had printed out. "He is supposedly a master of magnetism, and can manipulate metal. A report issued by world military intelligence which I discovered, indicates that he once pulled a satellite from space to use as a weapon during the Apocalypse incident months ago."

The Kingpin cracked his knuckles menacingly. "It sounds as though capturing this one will not be easy, but to do that we must at least find out where he is hiding."

His subordinate flipped through the pages before finding the details he wanted to relay. "Ironically enough, we also referenced his powers and discovered a recent incident that may interest you. Several metallic orbs were seen vacating a crime scene after a robbery took place in this very city. Although local police were baffled, federal agents suspect that this Magneto may have been involved based solely on this report."

Wilson Fisk leaned in to see the article from himself, his eyes skimming the page briefly as he scratched his chin. "Why would a terrorist steal artifacts from a Manhattan gallery?"

"That's hard to say, but I do have some limited knowledge of these artifacts. The text I found through personal study indicates that the crystal was one of a set." Landon replied with a shrug.

The much larger man took a moment to ponder the situation before formulating an idea. "Do you believe there is a chance that he is after the entire set?"

"I am still not sure about that, but the interviews with the curator indicate that he did not steal any of the more expensive gemstones in the case, despite the fact that it would have been all too easy if his desire was to sell them." The mad scientist deduced out loud.

The Kingpin looked as though he had just devised the perfect plan. "Now it all becomes clear!" he declared with an evil smile, his large hands rubbing together in anticipation. "For whatever the reason, this man seems to desire these artifacts. If we research where to find these objects and obtain them first, then he will come to us, and with him the information we desire concerning Project Rebirth."

"Brilliant!" Hebert Landon replied with an elated expression. The disfigured man took a seat and began typing away once more. "I shall began working on this right away."

"See that you do…" the large crime lord replied with a satisfied look.

Turning his back on the research team, Wilson Fisk crossed the room and headed back to the elevator. The doors closed behind him a loud swish, allowing him a few moments of peace before he went back to his office. If all went according to his plans, his ambitions would finally be realized and along with them he would have the materials necessary to create an army of superhuman warriors to serve his every command. The way he saw things, it was only a matter of time before everything fell into place, and once the details of Project Rebirth were in his hands, everyone inside and outside of the criminal underworld would bow down to the might of the Kingpin.

Note to Readers: With so much X-Men stuff going on I decided to take a look back at the Kingpin's activities. Maybe next chapter I'll write about Magneto and Silvermane's activities. Thanks for those of you who read my story, and even more to those of you who have reviewed. Thanks Ironsavior and Kairan1979 for their reviews and support, and a special thanks to Crow Black Nightmare for a good critique of my overall story up till Chapter 11.

I'm betting this chapter has more errors then usual, but I suppose the fact that I often work on these chapters late at night. My chapters are reasonably long so editing can be a hassle too. Sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors. I hope that everyone who can will REVIEW, considering how hard I've worked to write this story so far. I could still use some critiques or suggestions if anyone is willing to contribute. I do listen and often try to think of ways to incorporate good ideas. Feel free to share if you have any.