Apocalypse stood still, his eyes closed, as if he were focusing on something. All around him he felt the mutants' impatient-ness and fear. Apocalypse was in charge; he was making the orders and no one would stand in his way. Except the X-Men. After being betrayed by Magneto, Apocalypse trusted no one. He wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way of his destiny. His destiny to rule the world and create it in his image. Anyone who followed him would be rewarded. But those who would stand in his way would be destroyed.

"Apocalypse?" came a nervous voice. Apocalypse slowly opened his eyes and turned around. His apprentice Rex was bowing his head at him, his hands shaking violently. "They are done your excellence."

Apocalypse grinned and moved past the little man walking up behind Sinister. "How are they?" he asked looking up at the gigantic sentinels that towered in the warehouse.

Sinister faced Apocalypse and nodded. "We have fifteen to count," he answered. "That's good for us Apocalypse seeing as Forge did not finish what he started."

"Just be ready for them," Apocalypse told him.

"For who? I thought you told me that you had someone on the inside…"

"I know what I told you Nathaniel!" Apocalypse boomed. "Just be prepared. I will not fail this time. Is that understood?"

Sinister lowered his head. "Yes, it is."

Apocalypse turned as he saw others near by watching the conversation. Ignoring them, Apocalypse walked away, out of sight. Sinister looked up and frowned as two women approached him.

"What was all that about?" one asked.

Sinister shook his head. "Form up," he ordered them. "We're going to have company soon."

The two girls smiled thrilled by excitement finally coming their way and ran off to tell the others.

--------------------------

"Okay, like, now what?" Kitty asked.

Logan growled lowly in his voice and Peter put a hand on his shoulder, calming him down. "Now we have to scope out the place first," he told Kitty. "So we don't run into any surprises."

Logan turned to Remy. "Do ya know of any other entrances, other than the front, Cajun?"

Remy shook his head, playing with a card in his hand. Logan grunted and turned to Peter. "You stay here and I'll check it out."

Peter nodded and Logan dashed into the clearing towards the warehouse. "Oh man. I got a really bad feeling about this," Kitty said trembling. Peter grabbed her and pulled her close for comfort. Kitty looked up at Peter, whose eyes remained on Logan and his movements, and smiled while Remy rolled his eyes.

--------------

As Jean, Magneto, Mystique and John all made it to the clearing from the woods, Jean held out her hand stopping them. "What?" Mystique demanded.

Jean looked off into the distance. "We're not alone."

"Is it Apocalypse?" John asked.

Jean shook her head and exhaled. "No." She turned to Erik. "It's the X-Men."

-----------------

Logan ran back towards his group and kneeled down, making sure they were covered by the wood's trees.

"Well?" Remy asked.

"If we split up, we should be good," Logan informed them. "There aren't too many guards covering the entrance."

"So either he ain't expecting us or he is," Kitty summed up.

Logan nodded. "Pretty much kid."

"So what's the plan?" Peter asked.

Logan sniffed the air, failing to answer Peter's question. "Everyone stay quiet," he instructed. They did so while Logan extended his claws and looked around on alert. Suddenly, the group heard rusting in the bushes as someone grabbed Logan and surrounded them.

"Jean?" Logan cried out in surprise.

Jean still held onto Logan's shirt. "What the hell are you doing here, Logan?" she demanded.

Logan retracted his metal claws. "What're you doing here?" he shot back.

Jean released him as John, Erik and Mystique all came into view. "We're getting the second sample from Apocalypse," Jean answered.

"Funny," Kitty said. "So are we."

"You all are on a suicide mission," Magneto snapped.

"Funny," Remy said. "Dat we're all after da same thing."

Magneto glared at Remy. "I should've known you and Charles were working together," he grumbled.

Remy smiled. "Yes…you should have."

Magneto growled at Remy and took a step towards him when Jean stepped in between them. "Enough!" she yelled. "This is doing us no good!"

Magneto and Remy backed off and Jean sighed, turning to Logan and the others. "Logan, I thought Emma had you all under a spell?"

"I dunno how to explain it, Jean. But…we all know what happened. I guess some thanks has to go to Marie."

"Rogue?" Jean asked confused. "Why?"

"She was the one that opened our eyes to it," Kitty explained. "Everyone knows something's wrong but… whatever Emma did to us made us miss it."

Jean nodded. "What about Scott?" she asked carefully.

Logan looked at Jean sympathetically. "Whatever she's done to Cyke, she's been doing for awhile," he offered.

Jean nodded once more and ran her hand through her crimson colored hair. "Okay," she said getting back to business. "We need to formulate a plan."

Logan nodded. "We already got one. Here's what we're gonna do…"

------------------

Scott sighed as the doors behind him leading to the infirmary closed. Emma walked up to him and linked her arm in his as they began to walk down the hall. "How are they?"

Scott sighed. "Not good, Em. I wish I could do something for them."

"Well, nothing can be done."

Scott nodded. "I know. I sorta wish Jean was here."

Emma frowned at his statement. "Why?" she demanded.

"Because…Forge and Hank are scientists really. Jean is a doctor. For some reason whenever Jean is around, no matter how fucked up things get…she makes it better."

"You're not still in love with her, are you?"

They stopped walking and Scott's eyes searched the floor. Scott's expression was masked with sudden confusion. "I…will always love her," he finally answered.

Emma clenched her fists. "Scott! Do I have remind you that she cheated on you?"

Images suddenly forced their way into Scott's mind. Images of Logan and Jean together. Together in bed; on missions; on the beach; at the lake; kissing; flirting. Scott grabbed his head in pain and backed away from Emma. "Stop it!" he yelled. Were these images real? Emma grabbed Scott and pulled him into a hug. "Why would she do that to me?" Scott whispered.

"Because she took you for granted," Emma lied. "She has always wanted Logan and always will. She doesn't care about you."

Scott broke away and tried to compose himself. "Yeah," he mumbled.

"Let's get something to eat," she suggested.

Scott nodded in agreement and as they walked towards the elevator when he started to violently cough. Emma patted his back and looked at him concerned. "Are you okay?" Scott nodded, though he didn't seem to convincing. "Maybe we should get you to…ah-coo!"

Emma covered her mouth with her hand as she sneezed then stared at it in surprise.

"What is it?" Scott asked.

"I…" Emma stared at Scott in shock and dismay. "I've never sneezed in my entire life."

Scott looked at Emma, not understand. Then it finally hit him…the coughing, sneezing. How often was it that mutants' got the flu?

"The virus," he muttered.

And then everything around him went black.

----------------------

Magma walked up to Vanessa as known as Copycat. "What crawled up Essex's ass?" she snickered.

Vanessa shrugged. "Dunno…don't care."

"Hey!" the Blob called from behind them. As the two girls turned towards Fred, the front door of the warehouse blew open. Both girls screamed and dove for cover as the door hit the Blob then crashed to the floor. "What the hell?" Fred managed.

The X-Men all walked into the warehouse calmly and looked at all the gathering mutants, ready to fight. Just as Magma began to rush them, Logan held out his hands. "Wait a sec, bub."

Magma stopped and Logan studied them closely as Jean and Mystique surveyed the warehouse. "Let's try this the civil way first," he said calmly. "All we want is a sample of the virus." He looked around at the mutants. "Any chance one of ya wanna help us out?"

Logan and his team all stood their ground as the other mutants all glanced at each other, confused. "No?" Logan assumed. He shrugged his shoulders. "Your call."

Logan's metal claws then extended out and he growled lowly in his throat as the other mutants tensed up. John lit his lighter as Peter's body was quickly covered in steel. Jean and Remy stepped forward as her eyes became red and he pulled out a playing card. "Time to play," Remy smiled.

"X-Men," Magneto boomed. "Attack!"

At once, both sides clashed all screaming in rage attack their enemy with the best they got. Logan and Pyro seemed to be untouchable. Pyro easily had the mutants keep their distance, burning anyone who dared step up to him while Logan tapped into Wolverine and became a savage beast, if not killing, than severely injuring those in his path. Kitty charged toward Copycat and phased right through her. Copycat turned around, her face full of anger. Kitty only smiled at her and ran off, forcing Copycat to run after her. Magneto used his powers on the dormant sentinels, using their weight as it came crashing down on the mutants who didn't see the danger in time. Remy took out another one of his playing cards and looked at it quickly. "Ace," he grinned. He threw it at the feet's of his opponents as the card suddenly exploded sending them crashing into the wall behind them. The Blob watched as the X-Men quickly gained the upper hand. Enraged, he locked eyes on Jean and charged. Seeing Blob rush at her, Jean smirked and raised her hand stopping Blob successfully then lifting him in the air. "Hey!" he yelled.

Jean continued to enjoy watching him helpless when she heard Logan yell. She suddenly dropped the Blob and ran over to see Logan barely holding his own again dozens of mutants who decided to all go after him as one. Jean sensed Peter on his way to help but she turned to him and pointed to the second floor of the building. "No!" she called out. "You and Mystique get the sample."

Peter nodded and he and Mystique ran up the stairs. John watched as Jean's body suddenly became engulfed in fire and he knew what was coming. He turned his attention to Peter and Mystique and watched as other mutants realized what they were after. Using his powers, he directed the fire in their path, which threw them off giving Peter and Raven the extra time they needed.

Logan yelled in fiery as Magma hit him with her powers, burning his clothing on his back. He turned around and growled, posed to strike when he heard a familiar cry. Phoenix. Logan's eyes widened as Kitty quickly phased through the crowd and grabbed Logan, using her powers so Phoenix wouldn't harm them as the fire consumed bird swept down, engulfing several mutants and smoldering them crisp. Logan and Kitty shielded their eyes from the intensity the bird was given off and saw that of the dozens of mutants that had attacked him, only two had survived the Phoenix and he knew it was because Jean did not use the Phoenix's full power. Logan looked at Kitty. "Thanks kid," he said.

Kitty nodded at him and, as Logan's body began healing itself from the burn marks, scratches and numerous wounds over his body, he and Kitty ran up beside Jean and Magneto. "Thanks," he whispered to her.

Jean turned to him and flashed a smile. "You're welcome."

"We got bigger problems," Magneto warned. Jean, Logan, Kitty, Remy and John followed his gaze and it fell upon Apocalypse and Sinister as several of their followers, including Blob, Copycat and Magma, were recovering.

"Guess who else join the party," Remy pointed out.

Sure enough, from beside Sinister, Juggernaut and Sabertooth emerged.

"Mystique and Colossus need to hurry," John whispered.

Mystique and Peter hastily entered another room. Mystique looked around the lab at all the vials and equipment and quickly read all the labels as Peter fended off other mutants. "We need to hurry," he shouted over his shoulder.

Mystique focused on her task and finally found the vial labeled, 'Legacy Virus.' Mystique turned to face Peter and held it up. "Got it."

Peter nodded and turned to leave when he saw a crowd of mutants approaching them quickly. He turned around and shook his head. "Not that way," he told her.

Mystique looked around the room. "Then where?" she fumed.

Peter glanced over his shoulder at the advancing mutants and then ran towards Mystique grabbing her by the waist and charging through the wall, smashing directly through it and landing on the grass outside.

Jean's eyes narrowed and she gasped in surprise. "What?" Kitty said, terrified.

"You will not leave here alive, X-Men," Apocalypse boomed. As the X-Men looked on, Apocalypse doubled his size. Logan titled his head as he stared at him in amazement. "Is everyone seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I think now's a good time to leave," John announced.

The team nodded in agreement and dashed for the exit behind them. At once, the mutants gave chance as the X-Men met up with Mystique and Peter outside. "Did you get it?" Erik asked.

Mystique nodded. "We got it."

"Good…any plans of escape?" John asked.

Just as she asked, the X-Men's jet flew over them. Kitty glanced back. "Okay, so like, how are we suppose to get up there?"

"Allow me," Jean said. Quickly her body emerged itself with fire again as the Phoenix surrounded itself around the entire team, and then took off towards the X-Jet. The mutants below stopped giving chase and stared up in astonishment. Magma stopped to catch her breath and returned to her human form. "How the fuck they'd do that?" she muttered to herself.