Well folks, we're done with one-shots. After this, there's only two more installments before the finale, so things are going to start falling into place rather quickly.

Now, we're back to the Nathan storyline... tangentially, anyway. If you'll remember during the Mystique story, Dr. Nathan has a brief conversation with someone who apparently was trying to get him something in exchange for his notes. Well, here he is. This story features a fictional Costa Rican island called Isla del Fuego, which I'm using in place of the real Tierra del Fuego simply because the latter is too far south (especially since the Savage Land itself doesn't exist here). Oh, and just a heads' up: this story and the next one take place at the same time. They were originally going to be one story, but the separate plot lines kind of made the whole thing a big, confusing mess, so I separated them entirely. I'll point out that this was done months ago, so it's not a last-minute revision like some of the other things that have sprung up.

Also, no, I did not plan on having this story posted the same day The Incredible Hulk opens in theaters. Unless Marvel is controlling me? Oh, and excuse the grammar.

The numbers on the handheld watch were closing in on 'zero.' A young blond man held it, watching the numbers nervously as he ran through the thick jungle at night, where the humidity and high temperature did not drop, despite the late hour. He didn't care that his sweat was attracting all kinds of parasites, or that his body heat and motion could be sensed by nocturnal predators. He didn't care that, in his hurry, he trampled aimlessly through the foliage, only making it easier for something to follow him.

20 seconds.

He didn't have much time. He had to get as far away from the nearest village as he could. He nearly tripped over the roots of a tree, but recovered and kept running. Young and thin, the man had already removed his glasses and placed them in a loose backpack he held in one hand.

10 seconds.

He couldn't afford to check the watch again. He threw it into his backpack, afraid that he might not be able to find it again once it reached zero... he could easily buy another on the mainland, but on the island, it was essential.

He couldn't look at his watch again, but he knew the countdown was finished. He could feel it in his chest, burning, like something living trying to claw its way out. Every muscle in his body stiffened, and the convulsed, and he began to lose control. He buckled to his knees, clawing at the moist ground, unable to move them on his own; it was taking over. His hands were turning green, and his fingers were growing abnormally long. The creature inside was gaining control, slowly rising to its feet, struggling to balance itself as they transformed beneath him.

In less than a minute, the metamorphosis was complete. The creature spread his arms; no, his wings, and raised his head, shrieking into the sky. Flapping his long, wide wings, he took to the sky, announcing to the jungle that its master had awakened.

--

Brotherhood Five

"Sauron"

--

Chapter 01

The Brotherhood had been informed ahead of time that they would have two concurrent missions. Quicksilver, being the prudent one, decided that the team would be split into two groups of three. In order to decide who went with which squad, they had agreed to choose in the most democratic method they could conceive.

"Alright, time to divvy up the team," Quicksilver ordered. "Line up, line up. Team captains need to make their pick."

"Do we have to?" Toad whined.

"Yes," Avalanche said. Toad, Blob, the Scarlet Witch and Pyro all stood up and formed a line in the Brotherhood's control room. Blob crossed his arms, confident that he would be one of the first picks. Wanda's arms were also crossed, if only to display how ridiculous she thought this game was. "I call first pick."

"No, I'm the team leader, so I get first pick," Quicksilver protested.

"I called first pick before you did, so I get first pick."

"He's got a point," Blob said. "He called it."

"Fine, make your pick," Pietro conceded.

"I call Wanda!" Avalanche said, to Blob's surprise. Wanda sighed and walked over to Avalanche. Quicksilver was clearly unhappy with the decision, but grudgingly accepted it.

"Alright, I've got Blob."

"Yes!" Blob shouted, running to Quicksilver, and causing the floor to shiver slightly. Now realizing that the team wasn't quite large enough for an effective draft call, Avalanche looked at the remaining two choices: Toad and Pyro. He glanced over at Quicksilver, who clearly had the same idea, and flashed his eyes nervously towards him, and then back towards the two remaining choices.

"I choose..." Avalanche's finger waved ambiguously between the two remaining members. Toad and Pyro were both getting antsy, neither wanting to be the dreaded last pick. "Hmm... I think I'll choose..." From the corner of his eye, Lance spotted Quicksilver continuing to glance nervously at him.

"Don't... don't..." Blob started whispering.

"I choose..."

"C'mon, c'mon," Toad started whispering, wiggling his fingers in anticipation. Sweat was beginning to form on Pyro's forehead.

"I choose Toad," Avalanche finally said.

"Whew!" Quicksilver exhaled. Avalanche gave him a confused look. "I thought you were gonna stick me with him."

"You'd rather have Pyro than Toad?!" Blob protested.

"No, but I'm trying to save face here, you moron," Pietro quickly muttered. "So, good luck dealing with the smelly degenerate, Lance!" Quicksilver turned to the console after hearing a chime. Once activated, Lieutenant Kevin Denti appeared on the screen. "Okay, Lieutenant, our teams are all set and ready to go."

"Teams? Who said you'd get to choose your teams?" Denti asked.

"W-wha?"

"Commander Bishop has two missions for you," Denti explained. "And you don't get to choose your teams. But first, I feel I should inform you that one of your captures has escaped."

"What?!" Quicksilver shouted. "Who?!"

"Gambit," Denti revealed. "We're not even sure how he did it. We can't find him anywhere. The Commander was going to personally take over the interrogation today. So far, none of our techniques gave us any answers."

"And you just let him get away?" Avalanche asked.

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," Denti explained. "I don't have any further details yet, but Commander Bishop will brief you on your missions." Denti's image disappeared, replaced by Commander Bishop, reporting from his own office.

"Hey, what kind of security do you have there?" Avalanche asked. "You just got Gambit locked up and already he's out, and nobody knows-"

"Alvers, shut up," Bishop told him. "Gambit is not your priority. For now, let us worry about him. I'm assigning two separate missions to your team. Karl Lykos has been sighted in Costa Rica, and Kenuichio Harada in Canada. Our window is limited in foreign territory. Therefore, you'll need to keep your numbers small if we want to avoid any problems. Team one in Costa Rica will consist of Avalanche, Blob, and Pyro."

"Damn it," Avalanche said under his breath.

"Alright, so I'll take Toad and the Scarlet Witch to Canada," Quicksilver presumed.

"Wrong again," Bishop said. "The Scarlet Witch will be going to Canada. Alone."

"You're sending the team out without their leader?" Quicksilver protested. "With all due respect-"

"Why am I being sent alone?" Wanda asked.

"Omega Red," was Bishop's reply. Wanda opened her mouth to speak, but remained quiet. Nobody noticed the wry smile forming on Pyro's face. "He escaped from you once before. Or more like you allowed him to escape." His eyes shot directly towards Wanda, who almost took a step back. "We know, Wanda. And I'm willing to give you another chance. Harada is located in the same place as Omega Red. You have to bring them both back."

"Wait a minute, that's unfair," Avalanche said. "Why is she-"

"-Why can't Wanda take someone else with her?!" Quicksilver interrupted. Avalanche grimaced.

"She's lucky we're offering her a second chance," Bishop said. "What she did was insubordination and treason. And you're all guilty of aiding and abetting."

"This is bullshit," Avalanche said. "You're having Toad and Pietro sit out so you can play this little game? That's so-"

"Shut up," Wanda said to them. "I don't need you guys trying to defend me. If that's what he's ordering, then I have no choice. I can handle this."

"Good. I'm sending a second helijet to you. Avalanche, you will go to Costa Rica with your team. And Quicksilver, you'll stay here. Is that clear?" There was silence. "Is that clear?!"

"Yes, sir," Lance and Pietro both reluctantly muttered.

"Commander, if I might make a suggestion," Pyro said, stepping forward with an odd half-grin. Toad glared at him. "Maybe you should send me to go with Scarlet here... you know, keep an eye on her, make sure she's alright, something like that?"

"...No," Bishop said. He hoped Pyro wouldn't be stupid enough to blow his own cover, but he didn't need him watching Wanda. "I've assigned you to Avalanche. You'll go with him. I'm turning it back over to Lieutenant Denti. He'll give you the details."

"Karl Lykos has been seen on Isla del Fuego, a small island belonging to Costa Rica," Denti explained, returning to the wall monitor. "The villagers on the island have given him a place to stay, so he shouldn't be too hard to find... but due to his powers, we strongly suggest caution. As for Omega Red, he's been spotted in Northern Ontario, along with Harada. The coordinates will be sent to your helijet's computer. So far, no intel on motives or objectives on these two. Good luck."

"What was that all about?" Blob asked Pyro, while Lance, Wanda and Pietro discussed the mission elsewhere. "Are you trying to get some alone time with her, Allerdyce?"

"No, just doing my duty," Pyro says. "I'm a part of this team, aren't I?"

"Yeah, besides, we all know Pyro's gay," Toad said, unable to resist throwing in a jab.

"I am not, you stinky little pest. Go count the notches on my bed. Go count them! Right now!"

"That doesn't prove they're girls," Toad replied.

"Yeah, well how come I've got girly mags stashed away? Explain that!" Pyro countered.

"You got body image issues, and you want to keep reference material," Toad replied. By now, Toad and Lance had been let in on Blob's practical joke. Blob was struggling to hold back his laughter, and this only encouraged his smaller friend. "And I mean, c'mon. I've seen how you look at Pietro."

"I don't look at him. He's not even on my radar!" Pyro protested.

"C'mon, a little honesty never hurt anyone," Toad said, putting an arm around Pyro. "See that? Pietro really fills out that suit, doesn't he? It just hugs those tight little buns behind him... don't they just look so firm?" Toad took one of Pyro's arms and pointed it in Quicksilver's general direction. "C'mon, you can't keep living a lie. I know Pietro. He and I are old buddies. I know he's into you, man. Just go up to him, give him a nice little pinch, say 'what's cookin' good lookin',' and-"

"That's it!" Pyro yelled, turning and socking Toad in the face. "You've taken your sick little joke too far!" Before Toad could jump away, Pyro tackled him to the ground, continuing to punch him with his lanky arms. Blob grabbed Pyro by the flamethrower and pried him away, pushing him off long enough for Toad to recover, though he had to take a few breaths between laughs. By now, Wanda had gone to the hangar, and Avalanche wandered over to the group. "What the hell's going on here?"

"Toad said Pyro was gay," Blob explained.

"Oh?" Avalanche asked. "What's the matter, don't you want Pietro to know how you feel about him?"

"I heard my name, what's going on?" Quicksilver asked.

"Nothing!" Pyro yelled angrily. "Nothing at all!"

--

"Good practice," Rogue said to her group of students, following a series of exercises on the Institute grounds. Her small squad of twenty had just finished running an obstacle course near a path of trees. They had performed well (though she worried about underachiever Ellie Harsaw), and so she let them go early.

Drinking from her water bottle, Rogue approached Kitty Pryde, who was preparing for her own training session to begin the following period. Kitty sat on one of the outlying benches with a small duffel bag filled with balls for a game of mutant-powered catch. She seemed a little restless, as if she was anxious to avoid being idle.

"You alright?" Rogue asked.

"I should be asking you," Kitty replied. "I can't believe you're already back with your students. Kurt's still taking it slowly."

"He was there longer," Rogue said. "And I think he took it worse than any of us. Even Amanda can't snap him out of it."

"Everyone's affected by this," Kitty said. "Scott seems like he's afraid Jean will disappear if he takes his eyes off of her... Hank's been so busy trying to find out who this 'Nathan' guy is that he's hardly sleeping. The Professor... I hardly see him anymore, since he seems to be at Cerebro twenty-four seven. But you jumped right back into your old routine."

"I guess it's 'cuz I'm the new Logan around here," Rogue mused. "I dunno. I guess I'm just tryin' to keep my mind off the whole thing."

"Well, we'll find this creep. Everyone's working too hard not too. Even the Brotherhoo-" Kitty abruptly stopped herself.

"Are you still mad at Lance for what he said to you?" Rogue asked, knowing only from second-hand accounts of the incident with Lorelei.

"Actually, it's not really that," Kitty admitted. "He wasn't himself... but I don't know. This whole thing... I just felt like the Brotherhood didn't care enough. I mean, even Blob gave us something. But everyone else... it's like it doesn't matter what happens to the X-Men. And Lance really hasn't shown me that he cares. And it keeps happening. Every time I think he's matured... I keep seeing the old Lance. Like that angry rebel is still in there."

"Isn't that what got you all hot for him in the first place?" Rogue asked.

"Yes... I mean, no... I... well, it can only go so far," Kitty replied. "We're not teenagers anymore." Kitty's students started to appear, walking out to her in their training outfits. Rogue put a gloved hand on Kitty's shoulder before leaving. Kitty sighed and stood up, hiding her depression from the students. "Okay, everyone's here!" she announced happily. "You guys ready to do some warmups? Alright, let's go!"

--

"Okay, we have to find Lykos on some jungle island in Costa Rica," Avalanche announced to Blob and Pyro as they rode on a SHIELD helijet, along with a pilot provided for them (as both of the team's pilots were excluded from this mission). "This shouldn't take us too long. I've read the file on Lykos, so I think we'll be prepared."

"Anything important we should know?" Blob asked.

"Well, he's about our age," Avalanche explained. "He used to study genetics at Yale, but they expelled him because he kept missing classes. He sort of absorbs energy from lifeforms around him. The report said he can't control this power, so I guess it'll be like fighting Rogue."

"Easy enough," Blob said. "Guess that's why they just sent us three. You think Wanda will be okay on her own?"

"She insists on going alone like Bishop said, so I guess so," Avalanche replied. "Still bothers me."

"Hey, she can take care of herself, right?" Pyro added. "She'll be alright."

"Like you even care," Avalanche accused.

"I care plenty! She's my teammate too, you know. I mean, it'd be a shame if she went and died on me before I could share my, heh, feelings with her. Am I right?" Pyro raised his hands in hopes of a few high-fives. All he got were two irritated glares. "And you both say I'm the gay one..."

"I'll kick your ass later, Pyro," Avalanche said. "Once we get to Isla del Fuego, we'll find Lykos and bring him back. Then we can worry about everyone else."

"I think you'll be too busy fending off mosquitoes," the Pilot said over the intercom. "They're the size of housecats. I'm serious."

"Housecats? They don't get that big," Avalanche argued.

"Sure they do. They grow very large in tropical settings. They've been known to suck children dry. That's what Chupacabras is, you know."

"...Chupacabras is a housecat-sized mosquito," Avalanche droned.

"Yes. It's native to Puerto Rico," the Pilot explained.

"...We're going to Costa Rica."

"That's in Puerto Rico," the Pilot said.

"...No, they're two separate countries," Avalanche argued. "Who educated you?!"

"Uncle Sam, of course," the Pilot responded. "We're now over Costa Rican airspace. We'll be arriving at Isla del Fuego shortly."

--

Karl Lykos washed the soot and grime from his hands at the side of a stream, near a cliff overlooking the ocean. After getting it out of his fingernails, Karl dried his hands with his own shirt, then adjusted his glasses. Karl was a thin, almost scrawny young man, around college-aged, with dusty-blond hair. He had a pair of dirty gray pants and a green shirt, and with him a worn red backpack. Around his neck, he wore an overly large metal ring, gold in color. Digging through it, he found a photograph of a young red-haired girl. After staring at it for a moment, he carefully put it back and instead took out a notepad, where someone had scrawled something on the newest page:

'ALMOST THERE' the note said, using the worst handwriting Karl had ever seen. It looked like an animal had attempted to hold a pen. He put the notepad down and took out a small watch. It had been reset; he had six hours. Taking a pen from the backpack, he turned the page on the notepad, and wrote a new message.

'We may not have much longer, see if you can do it faster,' Karl wrote. Then, he took a cell phone and checked for a signal. Once he had one, he dialed.

"Byron's Books," the old man replied. "How can I help you?"

"Do you have anything by Mr. Milbury?"

"Karl, my boy," Dr. Nathan said in relief, once the password had been given. "How is it coming along?"

"He says it'll take five more hours," Karl replied. "It'll be about six more until he can get back to work. With any luck, I should have something for you in the next few days."

"Good. I've done a second check, and it appears all of my notes are accounted for," Nathan explained. "I will arrange to have copies sent to you once I have the gem."

"Looking forward to it."

"But I should warn you, there's no guarantee that you'll find what you're looking for in my notes alone," Nathan said. "This will be hard work. Are you willing to go through all of that trouble to contain your condition?"

"Not contain, cure," Karl said. "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of being a lousy mutant. We should all be wiped out..."

"Now now, that's no way to talk. Not all mutants are evil, Karl. You may resent your own condition, but don't forget that you're truly no different than any other human. Mutant or not."

"Yeah, yeah," Karl muttered. "I've made up my mind, Doctor. I know this is what I need. And maybe... maybe I'll just end up fixing the world's problems while I'm at it." Karl disconnected. He felt something in his mouth, and reached in for it- a fish eye. Disgusted, he threw it aside and began to drink from the river. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a jet overhead. In the distant sky, he saw a black helijet heading towards the island. SHIELD had arrived. Putting everything into his backpack, he ventured back into the foliage.

--

Avalanche, Blob and Pyro arrived at a small village at the base of a sleeping volcano, with no paved roads, and apparently little in the way of permanent structures. Most, if not all of the houses were made of bolsa wood, and the people seemed to wear clothing made of straw. These people were an isolated offshoot of the Maleku tribe, and as could be seen by their homes and clothing, they did their best to preserve their way of life. One old man sat on a straw mat in front of his house, wearing a faded dress shirt and a straw hat, and clutching a wooden cane. He glanced up at the strangely dressed newcomers, but still nodded to them in regard.

"I'll handle this," Blob said. "I know Spanish."

"You know Spanish?" Avalanche repeated.

"Hey, I'm from Texas, I picked up a few things," Blob boasted. "Hola!" he called, with thickly accented Spanish. "We... uh, vengo para... uh... buscar... un Americano... Karl Lykos?" The old man gave him a confused look, then started shouting into his house. The old man's son, a muscular man with long black hair, stepped out, looking at the visitors as if they were wearing brightly colored outfits... which, in fact, they were. The old man said something to him, and the younger man approached Blob.

"Si, you hablo Espanol," the man said. "Me llamo Urraca."

"Yo soy Blob," Blob introduced. "El as Lance, el is Tonto. We... uh... vengo... buscar Karl Lykos."

"Karl Lykos?" Urraca asked. "Si, si, aqui esta, dice que viene para estudiar, de alguna universidad, no entiendo que exactamente, perro si, aqui esta."

"Uh... mas slow," Blob requested. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to speak English, would you?"

"English?" Urraca asked. He shook his head. "Mire, soy el unico aqui que habla otro idioma. Vienan solo a buscar a Lykos?"

"Uh... si?" Blob replied. As Urraca continued explaining the situation, and Blob continued to nod, only catching a few words here and there, Pyro just glanced around, wondering how easy it would be to set the houses on fire.

"Okay, he says he went out to the forest," Blob explained. "I think."

"That's helpful," Avalanche muttered, leading the group away. "We can't just go out looking for him. We'll have to wait until he comes back here."

"But that's boring!" Pyro whined. "Let me clear some brush, mate, we'll smoke him right out!"

"We're not burning down the forest," Avalanche commanded. "So, as long as we're here, let's see what there is to eat." Behind them, one of the other men was arguing with Urraca, pointing furiously at the visitors. Avalanche caught this out of the corner of his eye and turned around, cautious. "I don't like the way he's pointing at us."

Soon, more villagers emerged, carrying bows and arrows. The team was surrounded by the local militia, most of them young men, but a few older men and even women were armed and prepared to fight.

"Get behind me," Blob said. Blob retreated with Pyro and Avalanche using him as cover. The arrows were surprisingly powerful, but he managed to deflect them with his tough skin. They backed away from the mob and quickly moved through the forest to escape. While Avalanche was able to move quickly through the trees, Blob was not so lucky, and the thick foliage only slowed him down. Pyro kept running after Avalanche, glancing back to see Blob trying to shake off the militant natives, who were now trying to jump on him and pin him down.

"Fred!" Avalanche yelled. He ran back, arm outstretched to manipulated the ground, but Pyro grabbed him and yanked him further into the jungle. By the time Avalanche managed to push him off, Blob was motioning for them to go on. Avalanche refused, starting back towards his friend, but Pyro stopped him.

"What's more important, huh? The mission or your teammate? What's Bishop gonna say, mate?"

"Fuck Bishop, I'm going after Fred!"

"Look at the picture, mate! Lykos is right under our noses!" Pyro forcibly turned Avalanche's head towards the jungle. The blond-haired, thin Lykos walked towards them, stopping when he realized there were foreigners watching him. Immediately, he began to run in the opposite direction.

"Argh... go help Fred," Avalanche ordered, chasing after Lykos.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Pyro said in the general direction of the now distant mob, certainly not loudly enough for them to hear. "I tried, they were too much for me. So long, Dukes!" Pyro said, running after Avalanche.

Incidentally, the clueless pilot also appeared in Invisible Cell. He doesn't have a name, or a purpose.

For the curious, Urraca explained that Karl is indeed on the island, claiming that he was a student from some university there to study something (Urraca isn't sure what subject). Also, he's the only one there that speaks any other language (but you probably already guessed that).