The Society. A group of people dedicated to the total domination of the planet. Taken with just that bit of information, someone of a sound mind would laugh, but if you align it with the activities of a singular group of people, you have a conspiracy of a debilitating magnitude.

The Druid Sect. A legend in Ireland that surfaced in ancient times, a group of people who were rumored to have magical powers and worshiped trees. A front. An Arab, stranded from his home, his ship wrecked against the jagged cliffs of the country.

Found by a particularly gullible band of people he didn't know existed. Enthralled by his ways, they pledged allegiance to his way of life and he manipulated him. The Arabic culture was one of the most economically advanced, in wealth and in practice, and he found a wiling audience to convey his information.

In secrecy they came and in secrecy they completed their work. Slowly gathering resources, making their own rich on the principles that were taught to the group long ago. Always recruiting, ones who wanted power and money at all costs, including lives of others.

They have killed monarchs, collapsed whole governments and arraigned the death of presidents and CEO's who got in their way. No one had escaped their ranks with their lives, no one in seven hundred years.

Their name, the Illuminati, which means "those of illuminated thinking" was well known by that time, and they couldn't use it without everyone becoming suspicious. It wasn't in their best interest to be high profile at that moment, not when it was so ripe to shift the economy of the world.

They engineered the Great Depression and the assassination of two civil rights leaders. They considered Malcolm X to be to militant for them to use, so they killed him. Martin Luther King was manipulated at first, for his pacifist ways and his want of material wealth. When he woke up and realized he was being an enemy to his people, they had to pull the plug. Even Kennedy was too much of a wildcard for them, he had to go.

No one person knows exactly how dangerous they are, which makes them even more insidious. Operate in the shadows, only the top echelon knows the true plan. It is only told once, and if you forget the goal, you're killed. Xavier clawed his way to the top by exposing the weak natures of the ones ahead of him. Weakness is frowned upon, and a weak house cannot stand, so they were killed steadily, Xavier promoted.

In the eighties they decided they needed a top man in the FBI. They already had one in every branch of the government, the CIA and the NSA, when the FBI was just an infant. Placed perfectly and his way paved by others before him, he assumed his job with gracious silence, all the while the goals of the Society foremost in his mind.

Africa was the goal. One of the most important goals. Sliced up when they had a member of the group in every kingdom in Europe, even popes they've had in their grasp, all used to open Africa to their pockets. Untold billions when there wasn't that much money in the entire world. Billions of people for labor, tons of deposits of precious metal and gems, oil, and salt.

Staging the Spanish Inquisition, it set the stage for the opening of Africa, and when it ran its course, they suddenly had a way in. Follow a few tribes, and wait fifty years. The indigenous people, which they considered primitive and inferior, used and threw away precious metals because it didn't matter. They knew where to get plenty more, and have grown up with the unwitting wealth for generations.

First, the people had to be removed, but they had a spirit they didn't count on, a ruthlessness of their own that came out when faced with evil, and that's what the society is, evil. Whole villages destroyed, looted and burned. Women and children killed, abused, tortured in front of the men who could do nothing. Spears cannot hold up to swords and armor.

Finding kings and chief who wanted more wealth than they had eagerly tried to help, selling their people into slavery, never to see their land again. While it was true most thought it would be like African slavery, a slave had some rights, could marry without consent, could bring his family and could protect his wife from his master, quite a few realized it wasn't , and continued to sell.

Whole civilizations were decimated and discredited, slammed under the fist of society as they waged war against the Dark Continent. The transplanting of white peoples into places of amazing mineral wealth unsurped the ability for Africa to get back on its feet, thus causing it to be dependent in all ways. Uprisings were crushed with a brutality they were not used to, things they could not fathom doing to another, breathing human.

Colonized, told to think the only way for survival was to reject your culture, it became easier to control, because most Africans became more European than the European, making them easier to crush. And over the years as wars broke out and uprisings became successful, the society pulled back for a lull, and watched the floundering begin.

By then it was industrialized nations, and democracy was the flavor of the day. Businesses instead of kings from far away came in and offered to bring jobs and money to the lacking economy, but the rape of the land began anew, causing more problems under the guise of "progress."

And now, one woman. One woman could destroy almost a millennia of work. That would not be tolerated. Bigger, stronger, MEN had been brought down. A woman would not be their stumbling block. Xavier smiled as he looked out his window. She'll be dead by nightfall.

*

Logan unlocked the door to the apartment and turned on the lights. Frowning he lowered his gun. "Look, Remy, don't make me shoot you." He holstered his weapon and took the suitcase from Ororo.

"I'm sorry. I needed to talk to you, and I think the phone's too risky." He sat at the table, and rubbed his face.

"Of course it is." Logan raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"My house was bugged."

"Who would bug your house?" Ororo asked as she closed the door, locking it and unlocking it, and locking it again. Four locks on the door, and she didn't feel safe.

"That's what I want to know. I sent Marie to her mothers." Remy took a drink of his beer and looked into the bottle dejectedly.

"I don't like the smell of this. Think it's an inside job?"

"They were stupid enough to use our own equipment. I don't know, it could be to throw me off. This case is more important than we thought." Ororo looked surprised and became grim.

"So you weren't taking it seriously before?" She asked, accusingly.

"That's not what I meant, okay? What I mean is, it's so important that they've bugged my house and think I'll talk or I know too much to live." He sneered at his bottle again.

"Get a hold of yourself." Logan came over and threw the bottle in the sink. Remy didn't even flinch, just sighed and leaned back further. Ororo looked at the scene and groaned inwardly. Is this what she gave her life up for? "Did you leave anyone behind?
"Jubilee is in the back room. I couldn't have her there alone. She knows as much as I do. Almost, and that makes her dangerous." Logan nodded and sat down as well. Ororo felt like a third wheel and cleared her throat.

"Oh, here." Logan passed her a driver's license. She chuckled slightly as she read the name.

"Mary?" Remy cracked a smile.

"What about it?"

"You think I'm a Mary?" Logan frowned.

"Look, just deal with it." Ororo frowned and stomped to the back room, almost slamming the door when she saw Jubilee. The pretty Asian woman was sitting on the bed, reading a magazine.

"Hello." She looked up and smiled.

"Hi. I'm Jubilation Lee, but you can call me Jubilee." She stood and they shook hands. "You're the witness aren't you?"

"The witness is it? Yes, I am. But please, call me Mary." Ororo held up the card and Jubilee smiled.

"He has a way with names…" Was all she said as she sat back down. Ororo went to the window and leaned her head against the glass. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy."

"Don't worry, Logan is the best protector in the business. Very into his work, and with your looks, you don't have to worry about him watching you." Jubilee tried for a joke, and Ororo laughed.

"Thanks, I think."

"Not a problem." Ororo looked down at the new license and examined it. A standard New York State license with a fictitious address near the Upper East Side. Walking distance from the park, where she liked to have lunch on the weekends. If she tried that now, she probably would get shot.

The picture was fine, she's never known herself to take bad pictures, but something… She put her thumb on it, and felt a slight warmth. Frowning she turned to Jubilee. "Is this supposed to be warm?" She indicated the picture on the license.

"Damn." Jubilee yanked the permit out of her hands and ran down the hall to the living room, where Remy and Logan were planning. "Guys, it's homing." The reaction was instantaneous. Remy picked up the suitcase as Ororo came out of the bedroom, ushering both ladies to the fire escape. Logan snatched the license and stuffed it down the garage disposal, unholstering his gun and going after them.

They made it to the roof, where they crossed several buildings, taking another group of fire escapes down to the ground, and started running. The door to the apartment was thrown open, all four locks shot with a silencer. Murphy and his men surveyed the situation and saw the open window leading to outside. "DAMN!" He rubbed his temples as his men looked uncomfortable. The leader wouldn't take too kindly to this recent development.

*

"I thought we were safe!" Ororo hissed as they melted into the New York sidewalk. No one looked, no one asked questions, but everyone saw two beautiful women being hurried along by two men. Most didn't care, except for a few men who admired the women. Ororo's hair had come out of her bun and it fanned out behind her like a flag, drawing some slight attention.. Logan scanned the crowd for the usual followers as his arm secured itself around her waist as they walked, his hand quickly gathering her hair and pushing the hood over.. That was too close, they had enemies in their own camp. Kitty… she knew.

"We were betrayed. That tends to be a surprise." Logan looked over at Remy, who had Jubilee by the hand and the suitcase. Their pace was brisk, but brought no attention as he and Remy thought up and rejected many plans. "Library. Nearest Library or museum."

"The M.O.M.A." Jubilee said without hesitation.

"The what?" Remy asked, still scanning his surroundings.

"The Museum of Modern Art." Ororo supplied. She pointed down the street to their left, and a banner with the name flew in the wind.

"Good. We need to talk and regroup."

*

"You what?" Scott couldn't keep the smug sound from his voice.
"I said they weren't there." Murphy said, trembling with anger.

"So you failed."

"No, they weren't there. I didn't have the correct information."

"The Leader will not be pleased."

"I know what the leader feels more than you do." Scott laughed at the weak jab aimed at him.

"I don't care. You're going to feel it harder than anyone else. I have orders."

"What orders? I wasn't given any orders."

"Too bad. What's three plus four?" Murphy's forehead creased in confusion.

"Seven." That was the last thing he said as one of his men raised his gun and shot three times into his temple.

*

"What should we do?" Jubilee asked as they sat at a table in the museum's café. Ororo had her arms crossed in front of her, trying not to think if she had just put it down like she wanted to. They'd all be dead.

"We need to get out of the open. Do you have somewhere you could go?" Logan asked, still looking around carefully. Ororo hesitated. "Who?"

"Well, this guy I used to date. We're still on a friendly basis…I guess this is an emergency."

"Yes it is. Where?"

"Bayshore."

"Long Island?"

"The same."

"Lets go."

*

"Killing her is a top priority, but we have the formula." Xavier said calmly as he stared down Scott. He squirmed in his seat, trying to while not seeming to avoid his gaze.

"Actually sir…"

"What happened."

"She destroyed all active vials of the compound, as well as the digitally stored formulas."

"The backups?"

"Gone too." Xavier frowned.

"So…we're without the final ingredient to our plan, and it's in the head of the person we need to kill." Scott sighed and waited for the bullet to come. "I want to kill you, but the leader doesn't think it wise. You've given us many years of hard work, and we will give you a chance to do better. Don't fail us."

"Yes sir. I will not be unsuccessful." Scott stood and left the penthouse, heart thudding in his chest. Time to call in the heavy artillery. A plant of a sort. A smile came to his face as a thought ran through his mind.

He reached his car and got in quickly, taking out the Rolodex that was on Dr. Munroe's desk at home, before they destroyed it. Flipping through his finger settled on one particular name, in Bayshore. Perfect. With no where to go, they'd go for a friend.

Taking out his cell phone, he dialed a number and waited for it to ring two times. He hung up and dialed another number and waited. "What?" A harsh woman's voice answered quickly.

"I have a job for you."

"Do I get to hurt someone?"

"Why not."

"I'll be there at the regular time." She hung up and Scott smiled for the first time in a days.