A/N: Well, here it is. Chapter two. It explains a bit more about who the
rest of the X-Knights are, and also introduces some of their old baddies.
Once again, I apologise for any inconsistencies with the Marvel timeline.
Enjoy!
And thanks, Ravenclaw2, for the good review.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel characters nor am I making any money off of this. And so on, and so on.
"I don't mean to interrupt," Beast said. "But I just remembered something that may be rather important."
"What?" Cyclops asked.
"Well, the reason that we went to Canada in the first place was to investigate the strange temporal disturbance there." The others looked at him expectantly. "There were two others."
"What?" The X-Knights leapt from their chairs, even Druid. "Where?"
At a nod from Cyclops, the X-Men led their new allies into the War Room. The X-Knights stopped and marvelled at the impressive display of technology around them. Though they had fought many scientific geniuses in their time, their own resources were very limited; they often were reduced to stealing food to survive, and didn't know from day to day if they would be sleeping in a bed or in the gutter. The sheer resources the X-Men had surprised them.
Beast walked over to a computer. "There was one disturbance about the same size as the one that led to you in the Amazon rainforest, and a smaller on an Island in the pacific."
"Bishop, Rogue, Gambit, and Iceman are investigating the larger disturbance. Angle and Psylocke were vacationing on a near-by island, so we sent them to investigate," Cyclops said.
"With much complaining from them," Jean added wryly
"Can you think of anyone from your world that might have been sent here as well as yourselves?" Beast asked.
"No one we like," Rebel answered.
"Can you contact your people?" Ebony asked Cyclops.
"Yes," he replied. He tapped on his communication badge. "Angle, this is Cyclops."
"Hello?" the reply came back, crackling with static.
"Report."
"We found someone on the island after the disturbance, but other than that it was empty."
"What does he look like?" Ebony asked worriedly.
"Who is that?"
"A new friend," Cyclops said. "I'll explain latter. Just answer her question."
"He looks kind of pale, and he's dressed in tattered black robes. Looks a bit like a corpse."
"The Necromancer," Ebony sighed in despair. Rebel clenched her fists and growled, a low, primal sound of rage and hate. Shadow hissed, then nodded at Ebony.
"Tell your people not to engage," she commanded Cyclops. "And whatever happens, they can't let him touch them. Shadow will go to help them."
"What happens if he touches them?" Storm asked curiously.
"They die."
"Warren," Cyclops barked at the communicator. "Did you get that?"
"Yes, but I think that we can."
"No. Keep your distance until help arrives."
Rebel stood forward, he hands still clenched in a fist. "I'm going too."
Ebony stared at the young woman's hate-filled face, then nodded. "All right," she agreed. She grabbed Rebel by the shoulder and held her gaze. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Got it."
"Wolverine and Storm will go with you," Cyclops said as he motioned to the two mutants. "They'll help you." Shadow looked as though he were about to say that he didn't need any help, but a sharp glance from Ebony silenced him. "Take the flyer, and hurry." The four nodded and left, the X-Men leading the way to the hanger. Cyclops typed again on his communicator. "Bishop, come in." Static and silence answered his call. "Bishop! This is Cyclops. Respond." He paused. "Bishop! Rogue! Anyone!" Still nothing. He turned, a worried look on his face, to his companions. "Beast, find out the location of their flyer. I'll prep the Blackbird." "At once," Beast replied, hopping over to one of the computers. Ebony, Druid and Berzerker followed Jean and Scott to the Blackbird.
"So just who is this Necromancer?" Wolverine asked as the flyer sped off towards the west. Rebel was sitting with Storm at the front of the jet, both silent. "An old enemy," Shadow replied solemnly, toying with his dagger. "How old?" Shadow realised that he wouldn't be able to put the gruff little man off. Besides, the more he knew about the Necromancer, the more willing he'd be to avoid a direct confrontation. Or so Shadow hoped. "He was the mutant that killed Rebel's parents," Shadow said after a moment. "I thought Ebony said ye had killed 'im." "We did. Or rather I did." "Ye did a good job, then." Shadow glared at the grinning X-Man. "So how come you killed him, and not anyone else? They always let ye do the dirty work?" "We don't always work together. I had been sent to Australia to hunt the Necromancer while Druid and Ebony worked to try and find the Hunters' base of operations. I met Rebel there. She had travelled from Spain to Australia on her own as a young girl to hunt down her parents' killer. She didn't know who he was, though, only that they had died in Australia. So when she got there she was a bit lost. She was taken in by a group of mutant bikers, a kind of outlaw band fighting against the local government in their own, small way. Her powers were just emerging, and they began to teach her how to use them. "I found her weeping over the body of one of her friends. It seems that they had found out who had killed her parents, and decided to take care of him for her while she was away. Some kind of birthday present I think. The got massacred. The strange thing was only one body was left behind. "I knew what the Necromancer was capable of, so I wouldn't let Rebel go after him. He was one of the most powerful mutants - one of the most powerful creatures - I've ever met. He could kill someone just by looking at them. He could also animate dead bodies, give them some semblance of life, so that they would fight for him." "What," Wolverine snorted. "Ye mean he made zombies?" "Exactly. Zombies, or skeletons if they were old enough. The walking dead. And he had plenty of corpses. But there was nothing he could do against me. The zombies couldn't touch me if I didn't let them, and his powers were useless against me; I'm immune to all life-draining attacks. So, after I had gotten Rebel to swear she wouldn't try to follow me, I set off to kill the Necromancer. "But that damn Aussie was clever. More clever than I gave him credit. He circled back on me, caught up with the girl and held her captive. He planned to use her as a hostage. "Luckily for the world, I'm a cold hearted bastard. I told him to kill the girl. She didn't matter to me. I attacked him. Rebel knew what was going on, though, and she was far from helpless. She managed to pull away from him just enough to distract him, stabbing him in the leg with one of her discs, and I attacked. "It still wasn't easy. He could fight, and he was stronger than I expected. Rebel had to fight off the dead bodies of her old friends, but she managed to hold her own until I could finish off the Necromancer. When he fell, the rest of the bodies did as well. "At Rebel's insistence, we gave them a proper burial, but we left the Necromancer to the crows. I was all for leaving Rebel on her own, but the girl insisted on coming with me, and I guess I felt a bit sorry for her. We did a bit of work in the Asian petty kingdoms together before we met up with the others. By then Ebony and Druid had rescued Berzerker, and so we were finally complete." Wolverine puffed at his cigar in the silence. He stared at where Rebel and Storm were now in a quiet discussion. "The girl cares greatly for ye," he said after a moment. "I suppose. I did avenger her parents' death and teach her to gain full control over her powers. I also taught her to fight." Shadow grinned a rare, broad grin. "You should see that girl use a katana. I never understood why she didn't keep one." "And do ye care fer her?" Shadow shot a quick glance at Wolverine, guessing his meaning. He thought about this briefly. "I care for her as much as a father cares for a daughter," he answered carefully after a moment. "I've met some pretty nasty fathers." "I can be pretty nasty at times." "But I bet all she has to do is give ye an innocent little doe-eyed look and yer all lost." Shadow chuckled dryly. "I see you have some experience with this kind of thing." "Bah."
Storm looked carefully at the young woman who was sitting so quietly beside her. The Spanish woman had a look of great anger and pain on her face, one that, try as she might, she could not hide. Storm guessed that the Necromancer had hurt her or someone close to her greatly in the past. Still, she was not one to pry. After a few more minutes with only the hushed conversation of the men and the slow humming of the engine, Rebel broke the silence. "What's it like, being an X-Man?" Storm puzzled over the question. "Why do you ask?" Rebel smiled slightly. "When the Traveller told us about the X-Men, he was obviously awed by all of you. Lord Sumner either hated or feared you, or both. And the only difference between this world and ours is Xavier and his dream. You've done so much good in this world." She waved a hand at the scenery that passed far below the jet. "If you flew across our America, even at this height, the scars of war are evident. Abandoned villages, massive airfields, huge factories left derelict that once produced the tanks, planes and guns we used to fight. There are no camps of refugees, no armies of self-appointed 'mutant police.' It all looks so peaceful." "Looks are often misleading." "Maybe." "Is that why your leader took the new name X-Knights? Because you have heard that we made a world that seems better than yours?" "Maybe, but I don't think so. The Traveller told us that Xavier's dream was to have mutants and humans living in peace, to stop prejudice against mutants. Ebony would love to have that as her goal, but she never could. We were simply trying to survive, and help others to do the same. In our world, it's illegal to be a mutant. Hell, in England it's the only hanging offence besides treason, and there wasn't a state that wouldn't kill you for it. We understand that in your world if someone killed a mutant they would probably get away with it. But if someone did that in our world, they'd be given a medal and paraded around the streets. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ebony, all of us, have the same dream as you, and the name was Ebony's way of showing that." "I think I understand," Storm replied. "But what about Shadow? He doesn't strike me as one to fight for freedom and justice for mutants, especially as he's not a mutant himself. Does he still only aid out of his debt to Ebony?" "I don't think so. He's repaid that enough times over." She smiled affectionately. "Shadow's not as cold and heartless as he'd like everyone to think. I've caught him talking to himself from time to time, when he thinks he's alone, and he's actually very poetic." Her smile widened. "He'd kill me for saying this, but I think he's a bit of a romantic." "You are fond of him, aren't you?" "He taught me how to fight, how to defend myself. And he's always supported me. There are times when I want to do things that Ebony. disagrees with. She's so worried about image and appearing untouchably noble so that we can gain 'the people's' support. Whenever she forbids me to do something, Shadow will help me out from under her eye and we'll go off together on our own little missions. If Ebony knew half the things we've done she'd string us both alive." "And he takes care of you, doesn't he?" It was more a statement than a question. Rebel made a face more suited to a younger girl. "Yes. It's ridiculous. He doesn't seem to think I can take care of myself. I've been doing this for a few years now, and I'm almost as good at it as he is." Storm laughed at the young woman's irritation. Though at times she seemed as adult as her companions, there was still a youth about her that was infectious. "There was one time, shortly after I joined the group, that I snuck away to go hang out at a biker bar. Well, some of the guys there got to bragging and getting rough with me, until I had to fight. I was doing just fine, but when the battle was over I noticed that there was a guy in the corner with a gun whose throat had been slit." Storm raised her eyebrows in shock. Rebel noticed the look. "The guy was going to kill me. Its perfectly reasonable." Rebel made another face. "But I could have taken him. After all, nothing surprises me." "Really?" "Yup. Part of my mutant power. Precognition. I can see into the future briefly, usually only a couple of seconds. It kicks in when someone tries to sneak up on me or fight me. I get to see what my opponent is going to do before they do it." "How useful." "Extremely. I'm fast enough to avoid most things, so I don't actually get hurt much in combat. And, I can also change my attack so my opponent doesn't dodge it. Oh, it's got its limits. It doesn't always work if the attack is fast enough." The young woman snorted. "And Shadow doesn't trigger it, damn him. He's the only person who can surprise me." "He has a great many powers it seems." "That he does." There was a slight pause. "But what about you? I mean, Druid said that your powers were from nature, and he's never wrong about these things." "I can control the weather." "Cool. That must be useful on vacation." Storm chuckled. "Unfortunately I am often forced to use it on more dangerous occasions." "Oh, I don't know. People get quite angry when their vacations are interrupted by bad weather." Storm glanced at the sweet young woman, who managed to hold her earnest expression for a whole three seconds before bursting into gales of laughter. Storm smiled, feeling that the X-Knights would prove more interesting allies than any of them had first guessed.
"Doctor McCoy?" "Yes?" Beast replied, as he turned to face Berzerker. The young man held out his hand. "I believe I owe you my life." The startled Beast shook the proffered hand. "I assume you are referring to my incarnation in your time?" "You got it." "Well, I must say, I would be most intrigued to hear about myself from this other world." Berzerker looked out as the land stretched bellow them. "Sure, why not." The young man was fidgeting as though he was filled with nervous energy. "Well, the first thing I ever remember seeing is your face." The Nordic teen chuckled. "Of course, it wasn't quite so furry, or blue at all. You see, you were my doctor. Or rather my last doctor, in a long line of doctors." "When I was born, I was unhealthy. In fact, I only survived by being plugged into the gods know what machines and having some serious chemical pumped into me. It seems my body was missing various vital chemicals, but the doctors just couldn't figure it out. I was moved from expert to expert, my whole family moving to the states when I was still young so I could receive the best medicine had to offer. "I think it was when I was about ten or twelve when I was sent to you in LA. No one knew you were a mutant. Hell, I didn't know until old one-eye up there," he jerked his thumbs towards Cyclops, "introduced you and I made the connection. I never would've guessed, either. I guess that's what happens when mutants are killed on sight." "Am I to assume that I cured your malady?" "No. It cured itself. But you did take credit for it." "That hardly seems honest of me." "Ah, well, it wasn't. But it saved my life. My mutant power kicked in when I was under your care. My body started pumping out a powerful chemical that gave me the energy that I was lacking. You explained it all to me some years latter. Lets see, what was it now? Oh yea, that's it. My body lacked the energy to pump blood around my body, as well as lacking certain stimulants. Overall, that meant I was about as active as a sack of potatoes. After my mutant power activated, everything changed.
"It was my mutant powers that saved me. But I would have been killed if anyone thought I was a mutant. You claimed you had cured me so that no one would know I was a mutant. You never even told me. It wasn't until after I joined with the Knights that I came back and you admitted to me you knew. You told me how my powers worked, too. "I wrote the details down, it was all in fancy jargon, and Ebony could probably recite it for you, but I basically know how it works. This new chemical that replaces my missing adrenaline (among other things) keeps me active. It gives me a level of energy that most people only get after a bucket of coffee. I can increase it at will, but the more I pump through me the hotter I get. However, the more I pump the stronger I get, and the more resistant to pain. My powers actually react to pain; if you hammered a nail into my hand it wouldn't hurt me one bit. Unfortunately, at a certain level it overloads my brain or something and I go berserk. You saw it back up in Canada. I start frothing at the mouth and basically lose control." "Intriguing," Beast said, struggling to keep up with Kyle's fast-paced, loose method of speech. "Was it that that allowed you to survive the drop to such a low pulse caused by Shadow earlier?" "What? Oh, that. No, Shadow didn't do that. That's a side affect of my powers. All he did was slow me down to normal. See, I've got a huge weakness. My body can only produce a certain amount of the chemical, but I can kinda 'borrow' more, if you see what I mean. After that my body basically shuts down until it starts building up again. If it's not to bad I just sit there humming to myself. Nothing can reach me then. I've been hit with a truck and not even noticed. If it's too bad, like after I go berserk, I fall back to how I was before my power. That's why my pulse was too low. Luckily my body's built to withstand that for long enough that I wont die. Or, I haven't yet. I still don't know how much I can push myself." "An interesting power," Beast admitted. "Oh, there's more. My, um, 'bio-physical chemistry,' or some similar rubbish, is unique. It makes me immune to plenty of things; addictions, drugs, poisons, diseases. Anything that messes around with your chemistry gets hammered by my powers." He grinned evilly. "I've been hit by enough tranquilliser darts to stop a herd of elephants and not even slowed, I've given up smoking in less then a minute, swallowed a whole jar of cyanide without breaking a sweat and I've never caught so much as a cold in my life. Of course, then there's the pher. phere. phero.." "Pheromones?" Beast guessed. "That's the one. My body produces powerful pheromones that drives most women wild with desire." He winks slyly. "It sure helps when looking for a date." "You use your powers to seduce women?" Beast accused darkly. "Hey, it's not like that." The X-Knight looked a bit hurt. "I don't break hearts or anything; I always make sure they know it's just for fun. After all, I should be in university right now. I'm just looking for a good time. I've never slept with another man's wife, and I've never, never made a women do what she doesn't want to do." "But does your power not insure that they want to do whatever you wish?" "No. I was taught the difference real early. Before I realised I was a mutant, when I was still in school, all the girls would go weak as soon as they looked at me. All but one, that is. She was the hottest, smartest, coolest girl I have ever met. And she wanted nothing to do with me. Eventually I broke down and asked her why she didn't like me. After all, I had to be attractive if everyone else wanted me. "She told me that she was attracted to me. Very much so. But she found me an arrogant, selfish lout and didn't want anything to do with me. See, my power makes women lust after me, but it doesn't change their feelings towards me. Any woman will desire to sleep with me, but not all of them will want to. See?" "I think I do," Beast replied dubiously. He wondered about this young hero. Something in him guessed that he was helping the others more to have something to occupy his apparently endless supply of energy rather than any sense of duty. All ready Berzerker was pacing up and down the ship, casting sly glances at Jean whenever he caught her looking at him. Beast would defiantly have to inform his friends of this. This young man's passions for life and pleasure could prove to be a problem. Henry McCoy shook his head sadly. "'Fie on sinful fantasy! Fie on lust and luxury! Lust is but a bloody fie, Kindled with unchaste desire,'" he said softly to himself. "Shakespeare."
Scott was deep in conversation with Ebony, discussing the possibilities of any threats from her world they might face, and Beast and Berzerker were likewise talking, leaving Jean with only the enigmatic Druid to speak to. "Druid," she said after a moment. The robed man turned an impassive face to her. "Why are you working with Ebony?" Druid raised his eyebrows slightly, but remained silent. "I understand why Rebel and Berzerker are helping Ebony, and I think I can guess at Shadow's reasons, but you I just don't understand." "Why don't you just take a look and see?" "I tried," the woman known as Phoenix admitted. "But your mind is full of chaos." She shook her head in wonder. "You mind is as full as Shadow's is empty. I'm surprised you can think." "A draw back to my power, yes. But I survive." "What is it?" Druid scratched his beard thoughtfully. "The noise? It is just that - noise; Sound without meaning, thought without cause, feelings without reason." "I don't think I understand." Druid just smiled. "Don't think you're supposed to." Jean turned to see Berzerker standing just behind her. "Ol' Druid enjoys making people guess." He winked at Jean. "Try getting him to order diner at a restaurant. He really pulls out all the stops then." The tall teen chuckled. "I swear some waitress quit 'cause of him." "We're here," Ebony said, walking from the front. "Get ready."
They found the flyer crashed amongst the trees in the rainforest. As the team stepped out of the Blackbird, Druid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Such heaven," he said, his voiced quiet with reverence. Ebony was also awe-struck by the scene around them, gazing wondrously into the surroundings, though she took the time to cover herself in her armour to protect herself from the swarms of bugs around her. Berzerker noticed the puzzled looks of the X-Men as they studded his companions. "There's nothing like this back home," he replied in answer to their unasked question. "There's no rainforests?" Jean asked, shocked. "Nope. Destroyed during the war. Don't remember why, or by who. Probably all three sides over a certain amount of time." He shrugged. "Not much survived that time, I guess." "Cyclops?" A voice came from the undergrowth near by. A tall man with an M tattooed over one eye and a wealth of weapons walked forward. "Bishop," Cyclops replied. "Where are the others?" "Back here," he turned and led them to a large ice-igloo, slowly melting in the warm air. "The others were bothered by the insects." The insects all buzzed in unison suddenly, then zipped off into the distance. "Strange." "Your welcome," Druid replied, bowing slightly. The others were exiting the igloo by now. They stared at the three X- Knights. "Who are they?" Iceman asked. "Our new friends," Cyclops answered. "They call themselves the X-Knights. This is Berzerker, Druid, and Ebony, their leader." Cyclops turned to Ebony. "This is Bishop, Rogue, Gambit and Iceman." The X-Men nodded to the X-Knights. "Mon chere," Gambit said, taking Ebony's hand and kissing it. Ebony rolled her eyes and chuckled wryly. Beast noticed the look Rogue was giving Berzerker, and his returning gaze. For a moment Beast had an image of Berzerker kissing the southern belle, and it struck him as a certain amount of poetic justice. Still, it might kill the teen, and that was a bit harsh. He turned to Jean. "I'd like to have a word with you and Rogue for a moment." Jean and Rogue nodded, both a bit puzzled. He looked to Ebony. "I would also appreciate it if you joined us." "Of course," Ebony replied replied, a bit concerned. Berzerker guessed at Beasts plan, and shot him a dark look. "Traitor," he mouthed. Beast could only shrug in reply. "I am afraid that the device Beast gave us was damaged in the crash," Bishop continued Beast and the ladies walked off. "So we were unable to track the disturbance." "What caused the crash?" Cyclops asked, staring at the charred husk that was once a flyer. "I don't know. We approached the area and suddenly all the systems cut out." "I have found them," Druid interrupted, snapping his eyes open. The others looked blankly at him. "I believe that it was the Hunters who arrived near here, and I know where they are." "The Hunters?" Bobby asked. "More 'new friends'?" "Only if you like people who want to kill you," Berzerker replied, cracking his knuckles. Cyclops mentally asked Phoenix as she returned with the others. I she replied, looking darkly at Berzerker. Rogue, pointedly ignoring the blond teen, walked over the Gambit and wrapped her arm around his. The surprised Cajun smiled. "What is dis?" "Shut up, swamp rat," she replied. Gambit chuckled. Ebony walked up to Berzerker, who was staring at the ground and shuffling his feet. She raised a finger as if to reprimand him, then lowered it and sighed helplessly. "We'll talk latter," she warned him. Cyclops, still puzzled, turned to the others. "Ebony has told me about the Hunters. They're dangerous, so be careful." He paused, as if struggling how to say something. "One of them looks a lot like Logan," he said after a moment. Don't let that stop you. He's just as dangerous as the others." "Maybe even more," Ebony added. "They'll know your powers, so don't expect to surprise them, and they've worked together for a while now, so they'll have good team work. They've been hunting mutants all their life, and they've gotten good at it. They've got high-tech weaponry, and their tough. I've been facing them for as long as they've been working together, and I don't know everything they can do. So be careful." "Sounds dangerous," Bishop stated flatly. "'Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow,'" Druid stated calmly. "'If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.'" "Oscar Wilde?" Beast asked. "Correct," Druid replied, impressed. "Two of them," Iceman and Berzerker said together in mock horror. They glared at each other. The others all chuckled slightly.
Archangel and Psylocke were waiting for them when they arrived at the island. The two looked quiet irritated at missing their vacation. The blue-skinned billionaire flew over to bring himself face to face with Storm. "All right," he said, "Exactly what is going on?" "We don't have time to explain," Storm told him. "These are Rebel and Shadow, our new allies and." She paused, glancing around. "Where is Shadow?" "Gone to hunt for the Necromancer," Rebel replied. "He'll be back when he's killed him. Remember, if you see him, don't go anywhere near the Necromancer. He'll kill you without so much as a second thought." "That I will, my dear," a raspy, dry voice told them. Stepping from shadows was a tall, emaciate figure. He was gaunt and pale, which was accentuated by his tattered, dusty black robe. Red blood stained it. His eyes shone with a dark, evil hatred. His long, bony fingers ended in claw- like nails, and his teeth were yellow and rotting. His white hair was thin and scraggly, plastered over his skull. "Ah, my dear, dear Miss Walsh. So nice to see you again." "Necromancer," Rebel hissed. "What a wonderful new world this is. So full of life," the balding man spat. "Still, it has promise." "Give it up. There's no one for miles. Your all alone, and when Shadow catches up to you." "What? He'll kill me? My dear, he has killed me many times all ready. I don't see how one more will make a difference." He grinned cruelly. "And as for the lack of people. did you know that this island once had a cemetery? And that you are standing on it?" Suddenly, the ground erupted. Two dozen pairs skeletal, bare hands burst from the ground. Archangel and Storm launched themselves into the air, avoiding the grasping hands, and Rebel danced out of reach, but Wolverine and Psylocke both found themselves pulled to the ground as dead arms and hands pinned them down. Storm launched a lightning bolt at the Necromancer, but he ignored it, his dead flesh only charring slightly. With a wave of his hand a swarm of skeletal birds, some still with bloodied flesh hanging off them, flew from the trees and attacked her. Archangel flew at the emaciated figure, his hands before him clenched into fists. The villain merely stood, smiling, his arms outreached as if to welcome the winged mutant. A dark figure leapt from the trees, barrelling into Archangel and knocking him from the air. Rolling on the ground, his dagger drawn, Shadow faced his opponent. "Shadow," the Necromancer growled with hatred. The silent man stalked forward. In the distance, Wolverine had freed himself, cutting the bones of the skeletons that attacked him to pieces, but these pieces merely re- assembled and continued their assault. Psylocke was struggling, her psi- knife useless against her dead opponents, and Warren, unconscious, had a skeleton holding each of his limbs, and one holding each wing. Storm had destroyed the skeletal birds with a whirlwind, but more were attacking her, keeping her occupied. "How many times must you kill me," the Necromancer continued. "Before you learn that I cannot die?" "As many as it takes." "Tsk tsk tsk," the Necromancer waggled a finger at him. "You always seem to be getting yourself in this situation. If you come one step closer, I shall have my minions rip this winged man limb from limb." Shadow shrugged. "See if I care." He leapt forward, stabbing at the Necromancer. The dagger bit deep, rending his flesh. "Warren!" Psylocke, who had heard the whole conversation, screamed as the skeletons began pulling Archangel apart. A golden disc landed beneath him. For a second it sat there, then exploded, sending Archangel and the skeletons flying in different directions. The stunned X-Man landed hard against the ground, moaning in pain. Rebel jumped over his recumbent form, golden discs in hand, ready to defend his fallen body. A handful of skeletons charged her. She held a golden disc between each of her fingers, their razor sharp edges glinting. She slashed out with them, and the cut through brittle bone with ease. She lashed out with a foot, catching one skeleton in its chest and knocking it backwards. She ducked under one wild blow, slicing upwards with one hand and severing the arm just bellow the elbow. She sensed the next attack before it occurred and easily avoided the blow to her back, separating the skeleton's head from its shoulders. Shadow and the Necromancer were locked in a deadly dance, the Necromancer trying to dodge Shadow's razor-sharp dagger, his hands, claw-like, swiping harmlessly through Shadow's insubstantial body. Each time the dagger struck a skeleton crumbled to the ground. Eventually the X-Men had gathered around to watch, Rebel keeping them at a distance. "This won't be the last time," the Necromancer warned Shadow as the dagger sunk up to the hilt in his chest. Wordlessly Shadow withdrew the dagger and, with one smooth, swift motion, severed the Necromancer's head from his shoulders. As his body toppled to the ground it crumbled into dust, blowing away in the wind. "We're safe," Rebel said after a moment. "For now. It usually takes him a few months to come back." "He can come back from that?" Archangel asked, rubbing his bruised chest tenderly. "Just who are you people?" Shadow turned and glared at the handsome winged mutant. He stalked over and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him up to his face. Red eyes glinted in anger. "The people who saved your life." Warren stared back unimpressed, and Shadow sensed Psylocke moving behind him. He tossed the X-Man away, turning and walking right through Psylocke towards the jet. The purple-clad X-Man shivered with a dark chill as he passed though her. Rebel walked up to the pair. "I'm sorry," she said, only half sincerely. "He's like that sometimes." She glared at Archangel. "But if you had gotten near the Necromancer, he'd have killed you. Next time, pay attention when someone tells you not to do something. It may save your life."
They had given up any hope of sneaking up on the Hunters. Due to the sensors plugged into his brain, Hunter had already identified them and told all his companions all their mutant powers. Still, they knew as much about their opponents as possible. They were facing each other across a small clearing. They had just seemed to gravitate there, as though it were the best place for the fight. Ebony was standing a little ahead of the others, facing a tall, handsome man with a cruel face and dark eyes. A scar ran across his left cheek. He was carrying a gun that made Bishop's look like a kid's toy and was covered in more weird-looking devices than Beast's lab. "Captain," he growled in a voice thick with hatred. "Devon," she replied, scowling. She had covered herself in her armour apart from her head. There was a slight pause where the X-Men took the chance to study their opponents. Standing opposite Berzerker was an even more massive figure. Whereas the young Kyle was merely tall and muscular, this man was abnormally so. Over eight feet tall and almost as wide, he was hunched over in a perpetual stoop. His long arms ended in huge, glove-like hands that could easily envelope someone's head. Bits of metal, obviously cybernetic implants, were dotted around his body. His brown hair was short and revealed a large, protruding forehead. His gaze was filled with slack- jawed stupidity. Hissing and growling, Drake was snorting small bursts of fire. Instead of skin he had metallic-green scales, and his face had been elongated to resemble a reptiles. His pupil-less eyes darted this way and that. Occasionally he let forth a large burst of flame at some insect or small animal that scuttled near him. He grabbed at the charred carcase of a bird that had gotten to close and began chewing absently on it. The fourth figure was the only one who seemed to be studying the X-Men as intently as they were studying him. By his metallic arms and legs, as well as a metallic mask that covered most of his face, the guessed him to be Prime Suspect. He stood stalk still, only his glinting, robotic eyes moving. Jean winced back from his mind. It was cold, calculating and deadly. She knew that as he studied them he was picking out their weaknesses, both physical and emotional, and choosing the best way to kill them, painfully and slowly. But it was the last one that held their attention the most. Pawing at the ground like a cadged animal, he threw his shaved head about wildly and made various guttural, primal noises. He only wore a loincloth, and the X-Men got the opinion that if he were free he wouldn't even wear that. Jagged, metallic claws protruded from his hand. When he opened his mouth sharp, metallic teeth glinted in the dim light. "Logan?" Jean gasped in shock. Though she had known, she hadn't been prepared for this. The Logan before her didn't deserve the name Wild Man, for it implied that the poor creature was a man. What stood before them could only be called an animal through lack of better comparison. The thought that someone had deliberately done this to him made it somehow much worse. "New friends?" Hunter was saying to Ebony. "Yes." "Doesn't matter. One of you or a hundred of you, we'll kill every damn stinkin' one of you." "Then why are you hesitating?" Without another word, she encased her head in armour and launched forward, black shards flying forward. Hunter, brining his gun around and firing at her, dodged the crystals with effortless ease. His shot slammed through the trees as it narrowly missed Ebony, severing several trunks as it disappeared into the distance. The Hunters and the X-Knights reacted marginally quicker than the X-Men. Berzerker and Thug both bellowed, Berzerker already frothing at the mouth, and charged, slamming into each other with a solid slap of flesh against flesh. Berzerker lifted Thug above his head, but the larger man slammed a huge elbow into his opponent's face, knocking him to the ground. Berzerker growled, hurling Thug away. Druid raised his hands above his head and the trees seemed to spring to life, trying to entwine Drake as he leaped high into the air. A burst of flames charred one tree but the damp would did not catch alight. Drake landed, whipping an arm back and catching a root in his hand, severing it. He rolled away as a branch nearly severed his head from his shoulders. With a yell of "kill" to Wild Man, pointing at the still shocked Phoenix, Prime Suspect walked slowly forward towards the X-Men. He typed something into his arm, and Wild Man became frenzied, charging forward at full speed. The X-Men split up to help their new companions. Beast, leaping from tree to tree, landed atop Thug's shoulder. The huge man threw the blue-furred scientist away, but Beast quickly recovered and leapt back into the attack. Iceman hurled a blast of ice at the dodging Drake, momentarily encasing him. Beaming at Druid, he didn't notice the ice prison shatter and a burst of fire hurl towards him. Only a tree limb sparred him an early grave, spinning him to the dirt under the blast, knocking him out. Rogue flew up into the air, trying to see where she would be most usefull. Beast and Berzerker were taking care of Thug, and Druid was keeping Drake off Iceman, as well as keeping the strange man occupied. Bishop and Gambit stalked towards Prime Suspect, while Cyclops was trying to blast Wild Man as he charged forward. Only Ebony seemed in dire need of air, Hunter having hit her with a paralytics bolt from one of his guns. Mustering all her strength she flew down, fists held ready. She was surprised when Hunter spun round, hurling a strange device at her. To close to change course and too fast to stop, Rogue couldn't dodge the glowing orb that struck her. It detonated, releasing a strange energy, and Rogue felt her entire body become much heavier. She fell to the ground, momentum carrying her forward, skidding through the dirt. When she stopped, she tried to lift herself from the ground, but she lacked the strength to even raise her arm. Jean had been taken back by Wild Man's sudden charge, and had barely managed to get up a telekinetic shield before he reached her. His ferocious attack kept her on her back feet, her shield straining against the frenzied assault. Only an optic blast from Cyclops dislodged him, and he turned, howling, to attack the leader of the X-Men. Prime Suspect lifted his hands and fired a bolt of pure energy at Bishop. The mutant absorbed the attack, turning it into his own bolt that he shot back at the curiously still Hunter. The bolt slammed into his chest, ripping his shirt and revealing the left side of his body as metal, but didn't seem to harm him. In fact, his metallic body parts seemed to glow with extra energy. "This should be interesting," Prime Suspect stated blandly. A pair of playing cards slammed into his back, exploding, but the result was no more effective. He turned to his second assailant in time to receive Gambit's boot in his face. Sprawling to the ground, he flipped back up, facing both the X-Men. He launched a barrage of darts at them from his chest. Gambit dodged them adroitly, but one hit Bishop. He felt the poison leaking through his body, and his vision grew blurry. Struggling with his suddenly weighty gun, he fired once at Prime Suspect before collapsing to the floor. Cyclops blasted the charging Wild Man, but the agile mutant dodged aside and leapt forward with astounding speed. Cyclops fell to the ground with Wild Man perched on top of him. He screamed in pain as a set of sharp, metallic teeth sunk into his shoulder and ripped a chunk of his flesh away. Wild Man slurped down the flesh, blood smearing his face. A telekinetic punch hurled Wild Man off Cyclops's body, and Phoenix rushed to his side. "Scott!" she cried, bending over him and covering them both with a telekinetic shield. Cyclops stirred, but didn't respond. Prime Suspect noticed this exchange while fighting off Gambit. He had trouble against the agile Cajun, who's swift blows kept him from activating one of his weapons, but a swift punch that he landed on Gambit's chin gave him enough time to type a command into the key-pad on his arm. Ignoring Cyclops and Phoenix, Wild Man launched himself at Gambit. His claw cut deep into the startled X-Man's side, pulling him away from the wild creature's master. Gambit spun away, a single blow knocking Logan from him. Prime Suspect walked slowly to were Jean held the fallen leader of the X- Men. "Ah, love," he said, gently caressing the telekinetic shield that held him back. "How feeble. How delectable." Phoenix glared darkly at him, gathering the strength to strike. She struck him with a powerful bolt of telekinetic energy, but he merely twitched in annoyance as a shield he had generated deflected it. "Dear lady," he said. "Why fight? I wish you no harm." He placed a hand on the shield. A bolt of electricity flowed through it and shot strait at Jean's mind. Shrieking, she fell backwards, pain exploding through her mind. "No harm at all." "Jean," Scott groaned, struggling to rise. The telekinetic shield had dropped, and Prime Suspect casually strolled forward. An optic blast was promptly absorbed. He reached down and effortlessly whipped Cyclops's visor from his face. "Don't bother opening you eyes, dear boy," he said. He placed his hand on Scott's wounded shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. "Such a nasty cut," he continued, increasing the pressure. Meticulously he began inserting his fingers deeper into the wound. "You must learn to be more careful." He found the nerve he was looking for. "Ah, there it is." A small blade flicked from his finger and he severed the nerve. Cyclops screamed in pain, his eyes bursting open and his optic blast shooting into the sky, ripping through the treetops. "Much better." Rogue's attack had provided just enough of a distraction for Ebony to break free of the paralysis. She hurled a shard at Hunter's back, piercing his side. The obsessive man screamed in anger and shock, spinning and pulling out a grenade. He tossed it at Ebony's feet, but she jumped away, rolling back on the offensive. Another shower of bolts made Hunter duck, brining his head into the path of Ebony's foot. He staggered backwards, his eyes watering, but none-the-less managed to pull out a small pistol. Aim, fire, and duck. A powerful explosion knocked Ebony from her feet, her armour cracking under the strain. Rogue couldn't see much of the battle from where she lay. The strange device still held her. She tried to discover what was going on, but couldn't even muster the strength to bat an eyelash much less than mover her head. Suddenly, though, a bolt of movement dashed across her vision. Gambit had danced backwards, trying desperately to avoid Wild Man's claws. Rogue watched as his cards exploded at the mutant hunter's feet, but the mindless creature continued unaffected. She saw him sink his claws into Gambit, red blood spilling onto the ground. "Remy!" she called. Struggling, she managed to shift her hands under her. The device crackled as she strained against it. She managed to push herself up to her knees, struggling all the way. Her body felt as though it weighed the world. The device gave another crackle and she nearly fell back down as the field increased. But she caught sight of Wild Man sinking his teeth into Gambit. With a primal scream she thrust upwards with strength born of desperation. The device fell from her, its power exhausted by her strength. She flew through the air, slamming into Wild Man and ripping him from Gambit's fallen form. Iceman woke to see a mass of tree branches and roots weaved around him. He could see Drake and Druid through the gaps in the weave, Druid with his staff around Drake's neck, his knee jabbed in Drake's spine. Drake was spitting fire and swinging wildly, but couldn't shake the powerful mutant. The charred remains of various snakes and other animals littered the floor. A slightly burnt jaguar was stalking them, staying carefully out of the way of any bursts of flame. Iceman burst from the cover with a shower of ice. A large lance of ice shattered against Drake, failing to penetrate his scaly armour. Drake finally got a hand around Druid, lifting him from his back and hurling him away. The jaguar jumped up, knocking Drake to the ground, but Drake opened his mouth and a burst of flame engulfed the poor cat's head. A series of roots, branches and vines entwined Drake, holding him down and wrapping his mouth shut. He struggled against his bonds, but a sheet of ice soon covered him, trapping him completely. Prime Suspect flew through the air as Phoenix's telekinetic punch slammed into his back. Cyclops snapped his eyes closed and struggled to rise. His visor was telekinetically lifted from the ground where it fell and placed on him. He turned, firing a bolt at the ground beneath Prime Suspect's feet, sending a shower of dust and dirt flying. Berzerker grunted as Thug slammed his fist into his face, then grabbed his arm. With a powerful push, he pushed Berzerker's arm up and through his shoulder, the bone bursting through his flesh into the air. Unconcerned, he replied with a solid punch to the stomach, causing Thug to double over. He hit the hulking man in the back of his head, and he fell to the ground with an audible grunt. A solid kick sent him spinning through the air, where Beast caught him with his feat, spinning him around and throwing him back. Berzerker leaned back and, at just the right moment, launched a punch that smashed a number of Thug's ribs and sent him flying. Hunter fell backwards, glowering as his opponent stood above him. He stuck a sharp dart in her foot, its sharp blade cutting through her armour with ease. He tapped the top of the dart, and it began beeping. Rolling away, he watched it explode, shattering Ebony's armour and knocking her to the ground, unconscious. He grinned evilly and walked over to her, but a bolt of ice knocked him back and a vine wrapped around his leg. He glowered at Druid and Iceman as the walked towards him. He glanced around and saw Prime Suspect fall. He noticed where Drake was captured and where Thug was gasping on the ground. He saw Wild Man pinned to a tree under a hail of blows from an extremely mad Rogue. He noticed Prime Suspect signalling to him, and reluctantly nodded. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a small box. Pressing a button, the box gave out a bright light, stunning everyone. When they could finally see, the mutants saw that their opponents had vanished. Cyclops gave one last gasp of pain and dropped, unconscious, Jean catching him as he fell. Rogue rushed over to where Gambit lay, unconscious but alive. Berzerker looked around for someone else to fight, but his feet gave out underneath him and his eyes rolled back into his head. Druid carefully checked Bishop's pulse. He pulled a leaf from a plant that had suddenly sprouted next to him and fed it to the fallen mutant. "He's alive," he said to the others. "But he'll be out for a few hours." They gently brought the fallen together. Fully half their number lay incapacitated, and their enemies had escaped. The mood was glum. They would all survive, but things hadn't gone very well. A strange chitterling was coming from the trees. Druid closed his eyes briefly, sniffing the air, then widened them in shock. "Look ou." he managed to say before the hail of darts erupted from the surroundings. Gambit, Rogue, Iceman and Beast were stuck with the darts. They struggled but the insidious venom soon had them asleep on the floor. Phoenix had managed to shield herself in time, and Druid's powers made him immune to the natural poison that coated the darts. Druid tried to discern the location of their attackers, but a net dropped from above pinned him to the ground. Before he could bring his powers to bear a scuttling figure ran up to him and knocked him out with a blow to the back of his head. Phoenix tried to levitate upwards, but a net was dropped on her as well. She lifted it up using her telekinesis, throwing it off her. She tried to figure out who was attacking her, and from where, but she couldn't pierce the minds of any of her attackers. Suddenly a strange, metallic claw burst from the ground, gabbing her telekinetic sphere and squeezing it. She struggled against the force, but it proved too much for her and, after a brief moment, she collapsed unconscious. The metallic claw released her, placing her gently on the ground beside her companions. Shadowy, scuttling figures darted from shadow to shadow, wrapping crude vine ropes around the fallen mutants. Soon, as the moon rose into the sky above, they were dragged away to meet their fate.
And thanks, Ravenclaw2, for the good review.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel characters nor am I making any money off of this. And so on, and so on.
"I don't mean to interrupt," Beast said. "But I just remembered something that may be rather important."
"What?" Cyclops asked.
"Well, the reason that we went to Canada in the first place was to investigate the strange temporal disturbance there." The others looked at him expectantly. "There were two others."
"What?" The X-Knights leapt from their chairs, even Druid. "Where?"
At a nod from Cyclops, the X-Men led their new allies into the War Room. The X-Knights stopped and marvelled at the impressive display of technology around them. Though they had fought many scientific geniuses in their time, their own resources were very limited; they often were reduced to stealing food to survive, and didn't know from day to day if they would be sleeping in a bed or in the gutter. The sheer resources the X-Men had surprised them.
Beast walked over to a computer. "There was one disturbance about the same size as the one that led to you in the Amazon rainforest, and a smaller on an Island in the pacific."
"Bishop, Rogue, Gambit, and Iceman are investigating the larger disturbance. Angle and Psylocke were vacationing on a near-by island, so we sent them to investigate," Cyclops said.
"With much complaining from them," Jean added wryly
"Can you think of anyone from your world that might have been sent here as well as yourselves?" Beast asked.
"No one we like," Rebel answered.
"Can you contact your people?" Ebony asked Cyclops.
"Yes," he replied. He tapped on his communication badge. "Angle, this is Cyclops."
"Hello?" the reply came back, crackling with static.
"Report."
"We found someone on the island after the disturbance, but other than that it was empty."
"What does he look like?" Ebony asked worriedly.
"Who is that?"
"A new friend," Cyclops said. "I'll explain latter. Just answer her question."
"He looks kind of pale, and he's dressed in tattered black robes. Looks a bit like a corpse."
"The Necromancer," Ebony sighed in despair. Rebel clenched her fists and growled, a low, primal sound of rage and hate. Shadow hissed, then nodded at Ebony.
"Tell your people not to engage," she commanded Cyclops. "And whatever happens, they can't let him touch them. Shadow will go to help them."
"What happens if he touches them?" Storm asked curiously.
"They die."
"Warren," Cyclops barked at the communicator. "Did you get that?"
"Yes, but I think that we can."
"No. Keep your distance until help arrives."
Rebel stood forward, he hands still clenched in a fist. "I'm going too."
Ebony stared at the young woman's hate-filled face, then nodded. "All right," she agreed. She grabbed Rebel by the shoulder and held her gaze. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Got it."
"Wolverine and Storm will go with you," Cyclops said as he motioned to the two mutants. "They'll help you." Shadow looked as though he were about to say that he didn't need any help, but a sharp glance from Ebony silenced him. "Take the flyer, and hurry." The four nodded and left, the X-Men leading the way to the hanger. Cyclops typed again on his communicator. "Bishop, come in." Static and silence answered his call. "Bishop! This is Cyclops. Respond." He paused. "Bishop! Rogue! Anyone!" Still nothing. He turned, a worried look on his face, to his companions. "Beast, find out the location of their flyer. I'll prep the Blackbird." "At once," Beast replied, hopping over to one of the computers. Ebony, Druid and Berzerker followed Jean and Scott to the Blackbird.
"So just who is this Necromancer?" Wolverine asked as the flyer sped off towards the west. Rebel was sitting with Storm at the front of the jet, both silent. "An old enemy," Shadow replied solemnly, toying with his dagger. "How old?" Shadow realised that he wouldn't be able to put the gruff little man off. Besides, the more he knew about the Necromancer, the more willing he'd be to avoid a direct confrontation. Or so Shadow hoped. "He was the mutant that killed Rebel's parents," Shadow said after a moment. "I thought Ebony said ye had killed 'im." "We did. Or rather I did." "Ye did a good job, then." Shadow glared at the grinning X-Man. "So how come you killed him, and not anyone else? They always let ye do the dirty work?" "We don't always work together. I had been sent to Australia to hunt the Necromancer while Druid and Ebony worked to try and find the Hunters' base of operations. I met Rebel there. She had travelled from Spain to Australia on her own as a young girl to hunt down her parents' killer. She didn't know who he was, though, only that they had died in Australia. So when she got there she was a bit lost. She was taken in by a group of mutant bikers, a kind of outlaw band fighting against the local government in their own, small way. Her powers were just emerging, and they began to teach her how to use them. "I found her weeping over the body of one of her friends. It seems that they had found out who had killed her parents, and decided to take care of him for her while she was away. Some kind of birthday present I think. The got massacred. The strange thing was only one body was left behind. "I knew what the Necromancer was capable of, so I wouldn't let Rebel go after him. He was one of the most powerful mutants - one of the most powerful creatures - I've ever met. He could kill someone just by looking at them. He could also animate dead bodies, give them some semblance of life, so that they would fight for him." "What," Wolverine snorted. "Ye mean he made zombies?" "Exactly. Zombies, or skeletons if they were old enough. The walking dead. And he had plenty of corpses. But there was nothing he could do against me. The zombies couldn't touch me if I didn't let them, and his powers were useless against me; I'm immune to all life-draining attacks. So, after I had gotten Rebel to swear she wouldn't try to follow me, I set off to kill the Necromancer. "But that damn Aussie was clever. More clever than I gave him credit. He circled back on me, caught up with the girl and held her captive. He planned to use her as a hostage. "Luckily for the world, I'm a cold hearted bastard. I told him to kill the girl. She didn't matter to me. I attacked him. Rebel knew what was going on, though, and she was far from helpless. She managed to pull away from him just enough to distract him, stabbing him in the leg with one of her discs, and I attacked. "It still wasn't easy. He could fight, and he was stronger than I expected. Rebel had to fight off the dead bodies of her old friends, but she managed to hold her own until I could finish off the Necromancer. When he fell, the rest of the bodies did as well. "At Rebel's insistence, we gave them a proper burial, but we left the Necromancer to the crows. I was all for leaving Rebel on her own, but the girl insisted on coming with me, and I guess I felt a bit sorry for her. We did a bit of work in the Asian petty kingdoms together before we met up with the others. By then Ebony and Druid had rescued Berzerker, and so we were finally complete." Wolverine puffed at his cigar in the silence. He stared at where Rebel and Storm were now in a quiet discussion. "The girl cares greatly for ye," he said after a moment. "I suppose. I did avenger her parents' death and teach her to gain full control over her powers. I also taught her to fight." Shadow grinned a rare, broad grin. "You should see that girl use a katana. I never understood why she didn't keep one." "And do ye care fer her?" Shadow shot a quick glance at Wolverine, guessing his meaning. He thought about this briefly. "I care for her as much as a father cares for a daughter," he answered carefully after a moment. "I've met some pretty nasty fathers." "I can be pretty nasty at times." "But I bet all she has to do is give ye an innocent little doe-eyed look and yer all lost." Shadow chuckled dryly. "I see you have some experience with this kind of thing." "Bah."
Storm looked carefully at the young woman who was sitting so quietly beside her. The Spanish woman had a look of great anger and pain on her face, one that, try as she might, she could not hide. Storm guessed that the Necromancer had hurt her or someone close to her greatly in the past. Still, she was not one to pry. After a few more minutes with only the hushed conversation of the men and the slow humming of the engine, Rebel broke the silence. "What's it like, being an X-Man?" Storm puzzled over the question. "Why do you ask?" Rebel smiled slightly. "When the Traveller told us about the X-Men, he was obviously awed by all of you. Lord Sumner either hated or feared you, or both. And the only difference between this world and ours is Xavier and his dream. You've done so much good in this world." She waved a hand at the scenery that passed far below the jet. "If you flew across our America, even at this height, the scars of war are evident. Abandoned villages, massive airfields, huge factories left derelict that once produced the tanks, planes and guns we used to fight. There are no camps of refugees, no armies of self-appointed 'mutant police.' It all looks so peaceful." "Looks are often misleading." "Maybe." "Is that why your leader took the new name X-Knights? Because you have heard that we made a world that seems better than yours?" "Maybe, but I don't think so. The Traveller told us that Xavier's dream was to have mutants and humans living in peace, to stop prejudice against mutants. Ebony would love to have that as her goal, but she never could. We were simply trying to survive, and help others to do the same. In our world, it's illegal to be a mutant. Hell, in England it's the only hanging offence besides treason, and there wasn't a state that wouldn't kill you for it. We understand that in your world if someone killed a mutant they would probably get away with it. But if someone did that in our world, they'd be given a medal and paraded around the streets. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ebony, all of us, have the same dream as you, and the name was Ebony's way of showing that." "I think I understand," Storm replied. "But what about Shadow? He doesn't strike me as one to fight for freedom and justice for mutants, especially as he's not a mutant himself. Does he still only aid out of his debt to Ebony?" "I don't think so. He's repaid that enough times over." She smiled affectionately. "Shadow's not as cold and heartless as he'd like everyone to think. I've caught him talking to himself from time to time, when he thinks he's alone, and he's actually very poetic." Her smile widened. "He'd kill me for saying this, but I think he's a bit of a romantic." "You are fond of him, aren't you?" "He taught me how to fight, how to defend myself. And he's always supported me. There are times when I want to do things that Ebony. disagrees with. She's so worried about image and appearing untouchably noble so that we can gain 'the people's' support. Whenever she forbids me to do something, Shadow will help me out from under her eye and we'll go off together on our own little missions. If Ebony knew half the things we've done she'd string us both alive." "And he takes care of you, doesn't he?" It was more a statement than a question. Rebel made a face more suited to a younger girl. "Yes. It's ridiculous. He doesn't seem to think I can take care of myself. I've been doing this for a few years now, and I'm almost as good at it as he is." Storm laughed at the young woman's irritation. Though at times she seemed as adult as her companions, there was still a youth about her that was infectious. "There was one time, shortly after I joined the group, that I snuck away to go hang out at a biker bar. Well, some of the guys there got to bragging and getting rough with me, until I had to fight. I was doing just fine, but when the battle was over I noticed that there was a guy in the corner with a gun whose throat had been slit." Storm raised her eyebrows in shock. Rebel noticed the look. "The guy was going to kill me. Its perfectly reasonable." Rebel made another face. "But I could have taken him. After all, nothing surprises me." "Really?" "Yup. Part of my mutant power. Precognition. I can see into the future briefly, usually only a couple of seconds. It kicks in when someone tries to sneak up on me or fight me. I get to see what my opponent is going to do before they do it." "How useful." "Extremely. I'm fast enough to avoid most things, so I don't actually get hurt much in combat. And, I can also change my attack so my opponent doesn't dodge it. Oh, it's got its limits. It doesn't always work if the attack is fast enough." The young woman snorted. "And Shadow doesn't trigger it, damn him. He's the only person who can surprise me." "He has a great many powers it seems." "That he does." There was a slight pause. "But what about you? I mean, Druid said that your powers were from nature, and he's never wrong about these things." "I can control the weather." "Cool. That must be useful on vacation." Storm chuckled. "Unfortunately I am often forced to use it on more dangerous occasions." "Oh, I don't know. People get quite angry when their vacations are interrupted by bad weather." Storm glanced at the sweet young woman, who managed to hold her earnest expression for a whole three seconds before bursting into gales of laughter. Storm smiled, feeling that the X-Knights would prove more interesting allies than any of them had first guessed.
"Doctor McCoy?" "Yes?" Beast replied, as he turned to face Berzerker. The young man held out his hand. "I believe I owe you my life." The startled Beast shook the proffered hand. "I assume you are referring to my incarnation in your time?" "You got it." "Well, I must say, I would be most intrigued to hear about myself from this other world." Berzerker looked out as the land stretched bellow them. "Sure, why not." The young man was fidgeting as though he was filled with nervous energy. "Well, the first thing I ever remember seeing is your face." The Nordic teen chuckled. "Of course, it wasn't quite so furry, or blue at all. You see, you were my doctor. Or rather my last doctor, in a long line of doctors." "When I was born, I was unhealthy. In fact, I only survived by being plugged into the gods know what machines and having some serious chemical pumped into me. It seems my body was missing various vital chemicals, but the doctors just couldn't figure it out. I was moved from expert to expert, my whole family moving to the states when I was still young so I could receive the best medicine had to offer. "I think it was when I was about ten or twelve when I was sent to you in LA. No one knew you were a mutant. Hell, I didn't know until old one-eye up there," he jerked his thumbs towards Cyclops, "introduced you and I made the connection. I never would've guessed, either. I guess that's what happens when mutants are killed on sight." "Am I to assume that I cured your malady?" "No. It cured itself. But you did take credit for it." "That hardly seems honest of me." "Ah, well, it wasn't. But it saved my life. My mutant power kicked in when I was under your care. My body started pumping out a powerful chemical that gave me the energy that I was lacking. You explained it all to me some years latter. Lets see, what was it now? Oh yea, that's it. My body lacked the energy to pump blood around my body, as well as lacking certain stimulants. Overall, that meant I was about as active as a sack of potatoes. After my mutant power activated, everything changed.
"It was my mutant powers that saved me. But I would have been killed if anyone thought I was a mutant. You claimed you had cured me so that no one would know I was a mutant. You never even told me. It wasn't until after I joined with the Knights that I came back and you admitted to me you knew. You told me how my powers worked, too. "I wrote the details down, it was all in fancy jargon, and Ebony could probably recite it for you, but I basically know how it works. This new chemical that replaces my missing adrenaline (among other things) keeps me active. It gives me a level of energy that most people only get after a bucket of coffee. I can increase it at will, but the more I pump through me the hotter I get. However, the more I pump the stronger I get, and the more resistant to pain. My powers actually react to pain; if you hammered a nail into my hand it wouldn't hurt me one bit. Unfortunately, at a certain level it overloads my brain or something and I go berserk. You saw it back up in Canada. I start frothing at the mouth and basically lose control." "Intriguing," Beast said, struggling to keep up with Kyle's fast-paced, loose method of speech. "Was it that that allowed you to survive the drop to such a low pulse caused by Shadow earlier?" "What? Oh, that. No, Shadow didn't do that. That's a side affect of my powers. All he did was slow me down to normal. See, I've got a huge weakness. My body can only produce a certain amount of the chemical, but I can kinda 'borrow' more, if you see what I mean. After that my body basically shuts down until it starts building up again. If it's not to bad I just sit there humming to myself. Nothing can reach me then. I've been hit with a truck and not even noticed. If it's too bad, like after I go berserk, I fall back to how I was before my power. That's why my pulse was too low. Luckily my body's built to withstand that for long enough that I wont die. Or, I haven't yet. I still don't know how much I can push myself." "An interesting power," Beast admitted. "Oh, there's more. My, um, 'bio-physical chemistry,' or some similar rubbish, is unique. It makes me immune to plenty of things; addictions, drugs, poisons, diseases. Anything that messes around with your chemistry gets hammered by my powers." He grinned evilly. "I've been hit by enough tranquilliser darts to stop a herd of elephants and not even slowed, I've given up smoking in less then a minute, swallowed a whole jar of cyanide without breaking a sweat and I've never caught so much as a cold in my life. Of course, then there's the pher. phere. phero.." "Pheromones?" Beast guessed. "That's the one. My body produces powerful pheromones that drives most women wild with desire." He winks slyly. "It sure helps when looking for a date." "You use your powers to seduce women?" Beast accused darkly. "Hey, it's not like that." The X-Knight looked a bit hurt. "I don't break hearts or anything; I always make sure they know it's just for fun. After all, I should be in university right now. I'm just looking for a good time. I've never slept with another man's wife, and I've never, never made a women do what she doesn't want to do." "But does your power not insure that they want to do whatever you wish?" "No. I was taught the difference real early. Before I realised I was a mutant, when I was still in school, all the girls would go weak as soon as they looked at me. All but one, that is. She was the hottest, smartest, coolest girl I have ever met. And she wanted nothing to do with me. Eventually I broke down and asked her why she didn't like me. After all, I had to be attractive if everyone else wanted me. "She told me that she was attracted to me. Very much so. But she found me an arrogant, selfish lout and didn't want anything to do with me. See, my power makes women lust after me, but it doesn't change their feelings towards me. Any woman will desire to sleep with me, but not all of them will want to. See?" "I think I do," Beast replied dubiously. He wondered about this young hero. Something in him guessed that he was helping the others more to have something to occupy his apparently endless supply of energy rather than any sense of duty. All ready Berzerker was pacing up and down the ship, casting sly glances at Jean whenever he caught her looking at him. Beast would defiantly have to inform his friends of this. This young man's passions for life and pleasure could prove to be a problem. Henry McCoy shook his head sadly. "'Fie on sinful fantasy! Fie on lust and luxury! Lust is but a bloody fie, Kindled with unchaste desire,'" he said softly to himself. "Shakespeare."
Scott was deep in conversation with Ebony, discussing the possibilities of any threats from her world they might face, and Beast and Berzerker were likewise talking, leaving Jean with only the enigmatic Druid to speak to. "Druid," she said after a moment. The robed man turned an impassive face to her. "Why are you working with Ebony?" Druid raised his eyebrows slightly, but remained silent. "I understand why Rebel and Berzerker are helping Ebony, and I think I can guess at Shadow's reasons, but you I just don't understand." "Why don't you just take a look and see?" "I tried," the woman known as Phoenix admitted. "But your mind is full of chaos." She shook her head in wonder. "You mind is as full as Shadow's is empty. I'm surprised you can think." "A draw back to my power, yes. But I survive." "What is it?" Druid scratched his beard thoughtfully. "The noise? It is just that - noise; Sound without meaning, thought without cause, feelings without reason." "I don't think I understand." Druid just smiled. "Don't think you're supposed to." Jean turned to see Berzerker standing just behind her. "Ol' Druid enjoys making people guess." He winked at Jean. "Try getting him to order diner at a restaurant. He really pulls out all the stops then." The tall teen chuckled. "I swear some waitress quit 'cause of him." "We're here," Ebony said, walking from the front. "Get ready."
They found the flyer crashed amongst the trees in the rainforest. As the team stepped out of the Blackbird, Druid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Such heaven," he said, his voiced quiet with reverence. Ebony was also awe-struck by the scene around them, gazing wondrously into the surroundings, though she took the time to cover herself in her armour to protect herself from the swarms of bugs around her. Berzerker noticed the puzzled looks of the X-Men as they studded his companions. "There's nothing like this back home," he replied in answer to their unasked question. "There's no rainforests?" Jean asked, shocked. "Nope. Destroyed during the war. Don't remember why, or by who. Probably all three sides over a certain amount of time." He shrugged. "Not much survived that time, I guess." "Cyclops?" A voice came from the undergrowth near by. A tall man with an M tattooed over one eye and a wealth of weapons walked forward. "Bishop," Cyclops replied. "Where are the others?" "Back here," he turned and led them to a large ice-igloo, slowly melting in the warm air. "The others were bothered by the insects." The insects all buzzed in unison suddenly, then zipped off into the distance. "Strange." "Your welcome," Druid replied, bowing slightly. The others were exiting the igloo by now. They stared at the three X- Knights. "Who are they?" Iceman asked. "Our new friends," Cyclops answered. "They call themselves the X-Knights. This is Berzerker, Druid, and Ebony, their leader." Cyclops turned to Ebony. "This is Bishop, Rogue, Gambit and Iceman." The X-Men nodded to the X-Knights. "Mon chere," Gambit said, taking Ebony's hand and kissing it. Ebony rolled her eyes and chuckled wryly. Beast noticed the look Rogue was giving Berzerker, and his returning gaze. For a moment Beast had an image of Berzerker kissing the southern belle, and it struck him as a certain amount of poetic justice. Still, it might kill the teen, and that was a bit harsh. He turned to Jean. "I'd like to have a word with you and Rogue for a moment." Jean and Rogue nodded, both a bit puzzled. He looked to Ebony. "I would also appreciate it if you joined us." "Of course," Ebony replied replied, a bit concerned. Berzerker guessed at Beasts plan, and shot him a dark look. "Traitor," he mouthed. Beast could only shrug in reply. "I am afraid that the device Beast gave us was damaged in the crash," Bishop continued Beast and the ladies walked off. "So we were unable to track the disturbance." "What caused the crash?" Cyclops asked, staring at the charred husk that was once a flyer. "I don't know. We approached the area and suddenly all the systems cut out." "I have found them," Druid interrupted, snapping his eyes open. The others looked blankly at him. "I believe that it was the Hunters who arrived near here, and I know where they are." "The Hunters?" Bobby asked. "More 'new friends'?" "Only if you like people who want to kill you," Berzerker replied, cracking his knuckles. Cyclops mentally asked Phoenix as she returned with the others. I she replied, looking darkly at Berzerker. Rogue, pointedly ignoring the blond teen, walked over the Gambit and wrapped her arm around his. The surprised Cajun smiled. "What is dis?" "Shut up, swamp rat," she replied. Gambit chuckled. Ebony walked up to Berzerker, who was staring at the ground and shuffling his feet. She raised a finger as if to reprimand him, then lowered it and sighed helplessly. "We'll talk latter," she warned him. Cyclops, still puzzled, turned to the others. "Ebony has told me about the Hunters. They're dangerous, so be careful." He paused, as if struggling how to say something. "One of them looks a lot like Logan," he said after a moment. Don't let that stop you. He's just as dangerous as the others." "Maybe even more," Ebony added. "They'll know your powers, so don't expect to surprise them, and they've worked together for a while now, so they'll have good team work. They've been hunting mutants all their life, and they've gotten good at it. They've got high-tech weaponry, and their tough. I've been facing them for as long as they've been working together, and I don't know everything they can do. So be careful." "Sounds dangerous," Bishop stated flatly. "'Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow,'" Druid stated calmly. "'If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.'" "Oscar Wilde?" Beast asked. "Correct," Druid replied, impressed. "Two of them," Iceman and Berzerker said together in mock horror. They glared at each other. The others all chuckled slightly.
Archangel and Psylocke were waiting for them when they arrived at the island. The two looked quiet irritated at missing their vacation. The blue-skinned billionaire flew over to bring himself face to face with Storm. "All right," he said, "Exactly what is going on?" "We don't have time to explain," Storm told him. "These are Rebel and Shadow, our new allies and." She paused, glancing around. "Where is Shadow?" "Gone to hunt for the Necromancer," Rebel replied. "He'll be back when he's killed him. Remember, if you see him, don't go anywhere near the Necromancer. He'll kill you without so much as a second thought." "That I will, my dear," a raspy, dry voice told them. Stepping from shadows was a tall, emaciate figure. He was gaunt and pale, which was accentuated by his tattered, dusty black robe. Red blood stained it. His eyes shone with a dark, evil hatred. His long, bony fingers ended in claw- like nails, and his teeth were yellow and rotting. His white hair was thin and scraggly, plastered over his skull. "Ah, my dear, dear Miss Walsh. So nice to see you again." "Necromancer," Rebel hissed. "What a wonderful new world this is. So full of life," the balding man spat. "Still, it has promise." "Give it up. There's no one for miles. Your all alone, and when Shadow catches up to you." "What? He'll kill me? My dear, he has killed me many times all ready. I don't see how one more will make a difference." He grinned cruelly. "And as for the lack of people. did you know that this island once had a cemetery? And that you are standing on it?" Suddenly, the ground erupted. Two dozen pairs skeletal, bare hands burst from the ground. Archangel and Storm launched themselves into the air, avoiding the grasping hands, and Rebel danced out of reach, but Wolverine and Psylocke both found themselves pulled to the ground as dead arms and hands pinned them down. Storm launched a lightning bolt at the Necromancer, but he ignored it, his dead flesh only charring slightly. With a wave of his hand a swarm of skeletal birds, some still with bloodied flesh hanging off them, flew from the trees and attacked her. Archangel flew at the emaciated figure, his hands before him clenched into fists. The villain merely stood, smiling, his arms outreached as if to welcome the winged mutant. A dark figure leapt from the trees, barrelling into Archangel and knocking him from the air. Rolling on the ground, his dagger drawn, Shadow faced his opponent. "Shadow," the Necromancer growled with hatred. The silent man stalked forward. In the distance, Wolverine had freed himself, cutting the bones of the skeletons that attacked him to pieces, but these pieces merely re- assembled and continued their assault. Psylocke was struggling, her psi- knife useless against her dead opponents, and Warren, unconscious, had a skeleton holding each of his limbs, and one holding each wing. Storm had destroyed the skeletal birds with a whirlwind, but more were attacking her, keeping her occupied. "How many times must you kill me," the Necromancer continued. "Before you learn that I cannot die?" "As many as it takes." "Tsk tsk tsk," the Necromancer waggled a finger at him. "You always seem to be getting yourself in this situation. If you come one step closer, I shall have my minions rip this winged man limb from limb." Shadow shrugged. "See if I care." He leapt forward, stabbing at the Necromancer. The dagger bit deep, rending his flesh. "Warren!" Psylocke, who had heard the whole conversation, screamed as the skeletons began pulling Archangel apart. A golden disc landed beneath him. For a second it sat there, then exploded, sending Archangel and the skeletons flying in different directions. The stunned X-Man landed hard against the ground, moaning in pain. Rebel jumped over his recumbent form, golden discs in hand, ready to defend his fallen body. A handful of skeletons charged her. She held a golden disc between each of her fingers, their razor sharp edges glinting. She slashed out with them, and the cut through brittle bone with ease. She lashed out with a foot, catching one skeleton in its chest and knocking it backwards. She ducked under one wild blow, slicing upwards with one hand and severing the arm just bellow the elbow. She sensed the next attack before it occurred and easily avoided the blow to her back, separating the skeleton's head from its shoulders. Shadow and the Necromancer were locked in a deadly dance, the Necromancer trying to dodge Shadow's razor-sharp dagger, his hands, claw-like, swiping harmlessly through Shadow's insubstantial body. Each time the dagger struck a skeleton crumbled to the ground. Eventually the X-Men had gathered around to watch, Rebel keeping them at a distance. "This won't be the last time," the Necromancer warned Shadow as the dagger sunk up to the hilt in his chest. Wordlessly Shadow withdrew the dagger and, with one smooth, swift motion, severed the Necromancer's head from his shoulders. As his body toppled to the ground it crumbled into dust, blowing away in the wind. "We're safe," Rebel said after a moment. "For now. It usually takes him a few months to come back." "He can come back from that?" Archangel asked, rubbing his bruised chest tenderly. "Just who are you people?" Shadow turned and glared at the handsome winged mutant. He stalked over and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him up to his face. Red eyes glinted in anger. "The people who saved your life." Warren stared back unimpressed, and Shadow sensed Psylocke moving behind him. He tossed the X-Man away, turning and walking right through Psylocke towards the jet. The purple-clad X-Man shivered with a dark chill as he passed though her. Rebel walked up to the pair. "I'm sorry," she said, only half sincerely. "He's like that sometimes." She glared at Archangel. "But if you had gotten near the Necromancer, he'd have killed you. Next time, pay attention when someone tells you not to do something. It may save your life."
They had given up any hope of sneaking up on the Hunters. Due to the sensors plugged into his brain, Hunter had already identified them and told all his companions all their mutant powers. Still, they knew as much about their opponents as possible. They were facing each other across a small clearing. They had just seemed to gravitate there, as though it were the best place for the fight. Ebony was standing a little ahead of the others, facing a tall, handsome man with a cruel face and dark eyes. A scar ran across his left cheek. He was carrying a gun that made Bishop's look like a kid's toy and was covered in more weird-looking devices than Beast's lab. "Captain," he growled in a voice thick with hatred. "Devon," she replied, scowling. She had covered herself in her armour apart from her head. There was a slight pause where the X-Men took the chance to study their opponents. Standing opposite Berzerker was an even more massive figure. Whereas the young Kyle was merely tall and muscular, this man was abnormally so. Over eight feet tall and almost as wide, he was hunched over in a perpetual stoop. His long arms ended in huge, glove-like hands that could easily envelope someone's head. Bits of metal, obviously cybernetic implants, were dotted around his body. His brown hair was short and revealed a large, protruding forehead. His gaze was filled with slack- jawed stupidity. Hissing and growling, Drake was snorting small bursts of fire. Instead of skin he had metallic-green scales, and his face had been elongated to resemble a reptiles. His pupil-less eyes darted this way and that. Occasionally he let forth a large burst of flame at some insect or small animal that scuttled near him. He grabbed at the charred carcase of a bird that had gotten to close and began chewing absently on it. The fourth figure was the only one who seemed to be studying the X-Men as intently as they were studying him. By his metallic arms and legs, as well as a metallic mask that covered most of his face, the guessed him to be Prime Suspect. He stood stalk still, only his glinting, robotic eyes moving. Jean winced back from his mind. It was cold, calculating and deadly. She knew that as he studied them he was picking out their weaknesses, both physical and emotional, and choosing the best way to kill them, painfully and slowly. But it was the last one that held their attention the most. Pawing at the ground like a cadged animal, he threw his shaved head about wildly and made various guttural, primal noises. He only wore a loincloth, and the X-Men got the opinion that if he were free he wouldn't even wear that. Jagged, metallic claws protruded from his hand. When he opened his mouth sharp, metallic teeth glinted in the dim light. "Logan?" Jean gasped in shock. Though she had known, she hadn't been prepared for this. The Logan before her didn't deserve the name Wild Man, for it implied that the poor creature was a man. What stood before them could only be called an animal through lack of better comparison. The thought that someone had deliberately done this to him made it somehow much worse. "New friends?" Hunter was saying to Ebony. "Yes." "Doesn't matter. One of you or a hundred of you, we'll kill every damn stinkin' one of you." "Then why are you hesitating?" Without another word, she encased her head in armour and launched forward, black shards flying forward. Hunter, brining his gun around and firing at her, dodged the crystals with effortless ease. His shot slammed through the trees as it narrowly missed Ebony, severing several trunks as it disappeared into the distance. The Hunters and the X-Knights reacted marginally quicker than the X-Men. Berzerker and Thug both bellowed, Berzerker already frothing at the mouth, and charged, slamming into each other with a solid slap of flesh against flesh. Berzerker lifted Thug above his head, but the larger man slammed a huge elbow into his opponent's face, knocking him to the ground. Berzerker growled, hurling Thug away. Druid raised his hands above his head and the trees seemed to spring to life, trying to entwine Drake as he leaped high into the air. A burst of flames charred one tree but the damp would did not catch alight. Drake landed, whipping an arm back and catching a root in his hand, severing it. He rolled away as a branch nearly severed his head from his shoulders. With a yell of "kill" to Wild Man, pointing at the still shocked Phoenix, Prime Suspect walked slowly forward towards the X-Men. He typed something into his arm, and Wild Man became frenzied, charging forward at full speed. The X-Men split up to help their new companions. Beast, leaping from tree to tree, landed atop Thug's shoulder. The huge man threw the blue-furred scientist away, but Beast quickly recovered and leapt back into the attack. Iceman hurled a blast of ice at the dodging Drake, momentarily encasing him. Beaming at Druid, he didn't notice the ice prison shatter and a burst of fire hurl towards him. Only a tree limb sparred him an early grave, spinning him to the dirt under the blast, knocking him out. Rogue flew up into the air, trying to see where she would be most usefull. Beast and Berzerker were taking care of Thug, and Druid was keeping Drake off Iceman, as well as keeping the strange man occupied. Bishop and Gambit stalked towards Prime Suspect, while Cyclops was trying to blast Wild Man as he charged forward. Only Ebony seemed in dire need of air, Hunter having hit her with a paralytics bolt from one of his guns. Mustering all her strength she flew down, fists held ready. She was surprised when Hunter spun round, hurling a strange device at her. To close to change course and too fast to stop, Rogue couldn't dodge the glowing orb that struck her. It detonated, releasing a strange energy, and Rogue felt her entire body become much heavier. She fell to the ground, momentum carrying her forward, skidding through the dirt. When she stopped, she tried to lift herself from the ground, but she lacked the strength to even raise her arm. Jean had been taken back by Wild Man's sudden charge, and had barely managed to get up a telekinetic shield before he reached her. His ferocious attack kept her on her back feet, her shield straining against the frenzied assault. Only an optic blast from Cyclops dislodged him, and he turned, howling, to attack the leader of the X-Men. Prime Suspect lifted his hands and fired a bolt of pure energy at Bishop. The mutant absorbed the attack, turning it into his own bolt that he shot back at the curiously still Hunter. The bolt slammed into his chest, ripping his shirt and revealing the left side of his body as metal, but didn't seem to harm him. In fact, his metallic body parts seemed to glow with extra energy. "This should be interesting," Prime Suspect stated blandly. A pair of playing cards slammed into his back, exploding, but the result was no more effective. He turned to his second assailant in time to receive Gambit's boot in his face. Sprawling to the ground, he flipped back up, facing both the X-Men. He launched a barrage of darts at them from his chest. Gambit dodged them adroitly, but one hit Bishop. He felt the poison leaking through his body, and his vision grew blurry. Struggling with his suddenly weighty gun, he fired once at Prime Suspect before collapsing to the floor. Cyclops blasted the charging Wild Man, but the agile mutant dodged aside and leapt forward with astounding speed. Cyclops fell to the ground with Wild Man perched on top of him. He screamed in pain as a set of sharp, metallic teeth sunk into his shoulder and ripped a chunk of his flesh away. Wild Man slurped down the flesh, blood smearing his face. A telekinetic punch hurled Wild Man off Cyclops's body, and Phoenix rushed to his side. "Scott!" she cried, bending over him and covering them both with a telekinetic shield. Cyclops stirred, but didn't respond. Prime Suspect noticed this exchange while fighting off Gambit. He had trouble against the agile Cajun, who's swift blows kept him from activating one of his weapons, but a swift punch that he landed on Gambit's chin gave him enough time to type a command into the key-pad on his arm. Ignoring Cyclops and Phoenix, Wild Man launched himself at Gambit. His claw cut deep into the startled X-Man's side, pulling him away from the wild creature's master. Gambit spun away, a single blow knocking Logan from him. Prime Suspect walked slowly to were Jean held the fallen leader of the X- Men. "Ah, love," he said, gently caressing the telekinetic shield that held him back. "How feeble. How delectable." Phoenix glared darkly at him, gathering the strength to strike. She struck him with a powerful bolt of telekinetic energy, but he merely twitched in annoyance as a shield he had generated deflected it. "Dear lady," he said. "Why fight? I wish you no harm." He placed a hand on the shield. A bolt of electricity flowed through it and shot strait at Jean's mind. Shrieking, she fell backwards, pain exploding through her mind. "No harm at all." "Jean," Scott groaned, struggling to rise. The telekinetic shield had dropped, and Prime Suspect casually strolled forward. An optic blast was promptly absorbed. He reached down and effortlessly whipped Cyclops's visor from his face. "Don't bother opening you eyes, dear boy," he said. He placed his hand on Scott's wounded shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. "Such a nasty cut," he continued, increasing the pressure. Meticulously he began inserting his fingers deeper into the wound. "You must learn to be more careful." He found the nerve he was looking for. "Ah, there it is." A small blade flicked from his finger and he severed the nerve. Cyclops screamed in pain, his eyes bursting open and his optic blast shooting into the sky, ripping through the treetops. "Much better." Rogue's attack had provided just enough of a distraction for Ebony to break free of the paralysis. She hurled a shard at Hunter's back, piercing his side. The obsessive man screamed in anger and shock, spinning and pulling out a grenade. He tossed it at Ebony's feet, but she jumped away, rolling back on the offensive. Another shower of bolts made Hunter duck, brining his head into the path of Ebony's foot. He staggered backwards, his eyes watering, but none-the-less managed to pull out a small pistol. Aim, fire, and duck. A powerful explosion knocked Ebony from her feet, her armour cracking under the strain. Rogue couldn't see much of the battle from where she lay. The strange device still held her. She tried to discover what was going on, but couldn't even muster the strength to bat an eyelash much less than mover her head. Suddenly, though, a bolt of movement dashed across her vision. Gambit had danced backwards, trying desperately to avoid Wild Man's claws. Rogue watched as his cards exploded at the mutant hunter's feet, but the mindless creature continued unaffected. She saw him sink his claws into Gambit, red blood spilling onto the ground. "Remy!" she called. Struggling, she managed to shift her hands under her. The device crackled as she strained against it. She managed to push herself up to her knees, struggling all the way. Her body felt as though it weighed the world. The device gave another crackle and she nearly fell back down as the field increased. But she caught sight of Wild Man sinking his teeth into Gambit. With a primal scream she thrust upwards with strength born of desperation. The device fell from her, its power exhausted by her strength. She flew through the air, slamming into Wild Man and ripping him from Gambit's fallen form. Iceman woke to see a mass of tree branches and roots weaved around him. He could see Drake and Druid through the gaps in the weave, Druid with his staff around Drake's neck, his knee jabbed in Drake's spine. Drake was spitting fire and swinging wildly, but couldn't shake the powerful mutant. The charred remains of various snakes and other animals littered the floor. A slightly burnt jaguar was stalking them, staying carefully out of the way of any bursts of flame. Iceman burst from the cover with a shower of ice. A large lance of ice shattered against Drake, failing to penetrate his scaly armour. Drake finally got a hand around Druid, lifting him from his back and hurling him away. The jaguar jumped up, knocking Drake to the ground, but Drake opened his mouth and a burst of flame engulfed the poor cat's head. A series of roots, branches and vines entwined Drake, holding him down and wrapping his mouth shut. He struggled against his bonds, but a sheet of ice soon covered him, trapping him completely. Prime Suspect flew through the air as Phoenix's telekinetic punch slammed into his back. Cyclops snapped his eyes closed and struggled to rise. His visor was telekinetically lifted from the ground where it fell and placed on him. He turned, firing a bolt at the ground beneath Prime Suspect's feet, sending a shower of dust and dirt flying. Berzerker grunted as Thug slammed his fist into his face, then grabbed his arm. With a powerful push, he pushed Berzerker's arm up and through his shoulder, the bone bursting through his flesh into the air. Unconcerned, he replied with a solid punch to the stomach, causing Thug to double over. He hit the hulking man in the back of his head, and he fell to the ground with an audible grunt. A solid kick sent him spinning through the air, where Beast caught him with his feat, spinning him around and throwing him back. Berzerker leaned back and, at just the right moment, launched a punch that smashed a number of Thug's ribs and sent him flying. Hunter fell backwards, glowering as his opponent stood above him. He stuck a sharp dart in her foot, its sharp blade cutting through her armour with ease. He tapped the top of the dart, and it began beeping. Rolling away, he watched it explode, shattering Ebony's armour and knocking her to the ground, unconscious. He grinned evilly and walked over to her, but a bolt of ice knocked him back and a vine wrapped around his leg. He glowered at Druid and Iceman as the walked towards him. He glanced around and saw Prime Suspect fall. He noticed where Drake was captured and where Thug was gasping on the ground. He saw Wild Man pinned to a tree under a hail of blows from an extremely mad Rogue. He noticed Prime Suspect signalling to him, and reluctantly nodded. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a small box. Pressing a button, the box gave out a bright light, stunning everyone. When they could finally see, the mutants saw that their opponents had vanished. Cyclops gave one last gasp of pain and dropped, unconscious, Jean catching him as he fell. Rogue rushed over to where Gambit lay, unconscious but alive. Berzerker looked around for someone else to fight, but his feet gave out underneath him and his eyes rolled back into his head. Druid carefully checked Bishop's pulse. He pulled a leaf from a plant that had suddenly sprouted next to him and fed it to the fallen mutant. "He's alive," he said to the others. "But he'll be out for a few hours." They gently brought the fallen together. Fully half their number lay incapacitated, and their enemies had escaped. The mood was glum. They would all survive, but things hadn't gone very well. A strange chitterling was coming from the trees. Druid closed his eyes briefly, sniffing the air, then widened them in shock. "Look ou." he managed to say before the hail of darts erupted from the surroundings. Gambit, Rogue, Iceman and Beast were stuck with the darts. They struggled but the insidious venom soon had them asleep on the floor. Phoenix had managed to shield herself in time, and Druid's powers made him immune to the natural poison that coated the darts. Druid tried to discern the location of their attackers, but a net dropped from above pinned him to the ground. Before he could bring his powers to bear a scuttling figure ran up to him and knocked him out with a blow to the back of his head. Phoenix tried to levitate upwards, but a net was dropped on her as well. She lifted it up using her telekinesis, throwing it off her. She tried to figure out who was attacking her, and from where, but she couldn't pierce the minds of any of her attackers. Suddenly a strange, metallic claw burst from the ground, gabbing her telekinetic sphere and squeezing it. She struggled against the force, but it proved too much for her and, after a brief moment, she collapsed unconscious. The metallic claw released her, placing her gently on the ground beside her companions. Shadowy, scuttling figures darted from shadow to shadow, wrapping crude vine ropes around the fallen mutants. Soon, as the moon rose into the sky above, they were dragged away to meet their fate.