The XM-Velocity dropped down in the area Professor X had indicated, in Russia. Thought it was summer, thick clouds obscured the sky, and it felt decidedly cold. Still, didn't matter much to the X-Men who climbed out of the helicopter. Their uniforms kept them well insulated against most temperature variations.
They'd landed just outside the Rasputin farm, where Piotr and his sister Ilyana had lived after their parents had passed away. Now abandoned and for sale, the old place had a decidedly neglected air about it.
Wolverine sniffed the air, growling darkly. "I smell trouble," he stated. Beside him, Beast and Storm readied themselves, as did Mystique behind them.
"Good to know that old age has not dulled your wits, Weapon X," remarked a thickly-accent Russian voice, as out of the farmstead stepped an all-too familiar figure. A figure armored in red with blonde locks and metallic tentacles extending from his arms. Omega Red.
"Glad I am to see the Circle was successful in bringing you to me. Or should I say us," he added meaningfully. Too meaningfully.
Wolverine ducked down, knocking Storm aside as a rocket sliced through the air from a nearby hilltop, narrowly missing his head as it slammed into the jet, sending the X-Men flying. Beast rolled with the impact, managing to regain his feet just as Mystique gracefully landed in a crouch. Wolverine grunted, giving Storm a hand up, even as he noticed where the attack had come from. There was a lone figure on the nearby hill, artfully camouflaged until he'd chosen to attack. But now, even at this distance, his identity was clear.
Gauntlet.
"Take him out!" shouted Wolverine, popping all six of his claws and charging towards Omega Red. The big dumb Russian obliged him, giving a similar shout of rage as he lashed out with his iron tentacles. Wolverine gracefully flipped over them, landing foot first in Omega Red's stomach and giving him a mighty kick, landing hard on his feet as the big Russian went flying through the air and slammed into the side of the building.
A low and disturbingly familiar roar caught Wolverine's attention, and he barely had time to turn as another giant of a man slammed into his gut, barreling him into the ground. He lashed out wildly, throwing the aggressor off, and wasn't terribly surprised to see Sabertooth.
"Nice company you're keeping these days Creed!" shouted Wolverine, regaining his feet.
"No better than yours runt!" roared Sabertooth, uprooting a nearby tree and swinging it. Wolverine sliced clear through the branches, ripping it to pieces and then heading for its wielder, drawing back his claws and giving Sabertooth a vicious uppercut that sent the bigger mutant reeling backwards in pain.
Suddenly a tentacle coiled around Wolverine's legs, and he suddenly found himself helpless as Creed took a vicious backhand to his face, sending him reeling and off balance. The two great enemies were going to rip him apart, and rather gleefully, in all likelihood.
A sudden crackle of thunder filled the air.
All combat paused, everyone looking skyward, even Beast and Mystique as they made their way to try and take out Gauntlet. Above them, a storm was brewing. In a rather literal sense. The white-haired Windrider floated above the combatants by the Rasputin farm and regarded them darkly.
"Leave him alone," she said, her voice scarcely a whisper, yet filled with all the power of nature. A brilliant bolt of energy shot from her hand, slamming full force into Sabertooth's chest and sending him flying through the air to slam into the barn, ripping down the washed-red paint walls.
Gauntlet discarded his used missile launcher. It'd be useless in such close quarters. Thus, he shrugged back his cloak and grabbed the double energy pistols at his side, laying waste to anything that moved or was blue.
Unlike Sabertooth or Omega Red, mercenaries hired by the Circle, Gauntlet was here out of loyalty. When Hydra had collapsed, he hadn't held any illusions about its restoration. Even the Hydra of legend couldn't come back after its neck was burnt. Thus, he had to move on, to find greener pastures and a better organization. And as he'd searched for it, it was he who was found.
The White Queen had approached him and decided to use him as a Hellion. Used was as polite a term as it got, but at least he got paid and he got to do what he liked best. Kill people, basically.
Gauntlet opened fire, blasting clear through an overturned tractor where the big blue Beast had just ducked for cover. He lost sight of Mystique, and that worried him. Well, marginally. If anyone approached, regardless of who they looked like, he'd just shoot them too. Gauntlet was only mildly startled when Beast lifted up the over-turned tractor and hurled it at him. He rolled aside, landing in a crouch, and opened fire again. The idiot had just deprived himself of cover, after all. Easy enough. His cybernetic eye took aim, locked Beast in the cross-hairs, and his finger started to close on the trigger...
... and then suddenly dropped both his guns, grabbing at his throat as a thick metallic tentacle wrapped around his throat.
"Don't fret, Dr. McCoy," came the sly voice of Mystique. "I have this one. He won't be any further trouble."
"Please don't kill him," replied Beast, making his way over towards them to grab up Gauntlet's guns. Cursing, the mercenary grunted as his air was cut off by the tightening tentacle, and he collapsed unconscious. Mystique stepped over him, slamming her boot into his stomach as she reverted to her proper form, slipping out of the Omega Red disguise she'd adopted. Not for espionage, for the use of his physical abilities. Like Wolverine's claws, his tentacles weren't natural. They were added hardware.
"Seems I owe you a debt of gratitude," stated Beast carefully.
"Save it," she grunted, grabbing a blasted out of his hands and clicking it to make sure it was charged. It was. "Let's go finish off the other two."
Sabertooth gave a low grunt as he lifted himself up, peering out the whole he'd just made by the force of his body. He still smelt like burnt fur, but he ignored it. He was healing. But he was going to regret making this deal with Omega Red for the rest of his life, likely. Gauntlet he didn't give a damn about. Let the Circle watch, all he wanted was Wolverine.
Which obliged him as a dark-haired man came barreling through the hole and slammed into Sabertooth's gut, knocking him back into a support post of the barn.
"Working with Omega Red? That's low... even for you," grunted Wolverine.
"Least I'll be coming out of this alive," grunted Sabertooth, leaping at Wolverine with a characteristic roar, slashing with his claws. Wolverine ducked underneath and rolled, turning around, lashing out with a adamantium blade. Sabertooth blocked the arm, barely avoiding losing it to the blades, and grabbed on. He swung Wolverine around and flung him up into the rafters of the barn. Then he leapt up after him.
"You can't win!" roared Sabertooth. "It's over!"
"Yeah, for you maybe," replied Wolverine, lashing out with his claws... right at the supports. Then he gracefully leapt up and slammed his fist into the ceiling to hold himself up, even as the supports underneath Sabertooth gave and collapsed, taking the great mutant down with them. His support weakening, Wolverine leapt down as quickly and safely as he could, rolling out of the open barn window and out onto the ground. It wasn't a smooth landing by any means, but he was out. And thankfully too, because the barn had just collapsed on top of Sabertooth, crushing him. If he wasn't dead, he was certainly going to have on hell of a headache when he woke up.
"Catch you later," he said with a mock-salute. Then he rushed off to help Storm and their last opponent. Which was, unfortunately, the toughest.
Omega Red.
Against the living embodiment of nature's wrath, the Soviet Union's answer to Weapon X wasn't having much luck. Mostly because she was up in the sky, and he was a land-bound opponent. Still, that didn't stop him from grabbing up large rocks with his tentacles and hurling them up at her, while still managing to dodge her lightning bolts. However, in focusing on her, he'd lost sight of his true objective... that is until it barreled across his vision and sliced clear through both of his tentacles, sending shockwaves throughout his system. They did allow him to feel pain, after all.
Grimacing, he lashed out what remained of his left tentacle, smashing the ground as his quarry leapt gracefully out of the way.
"You cannot win this time, Weapon X," he taunted. "This time I will crush you and your worthless allies."
"Not damn likely!" shouted Wolverine, as Beast snuck up behind Omega Red and grabbed his arms, pinning them at his sides. Wolverine rushed in, slashing his claws at the blonde's armor, but to his astonishment he barely left a mark. Grinning, Omega Red grabbed Beast and flung him off of him, slamming him straight into Wolverine and letting them both to the ground.
"You are not the only one to benefit from science in a battle," grinned Omega Red, flexing his hand. "My entire body is covered in carbondanium. Like adamantium it is virtually impenetrable. Do you see now, Weapon X? I am invincible!"
"But not unstoppable," muttered Wolverine. Then, an idea came to him. "Storm! Ice Sculpture!" he shouted up at her.
Storm blinked her eyes, at first confused... then she knew exactly what Wolverine meant. The air whirled around her, swirling down in a controlled cyclone that knocked Omega Red off his feet. Cold, icy air the likes of which were generally only seen in Siberia in the dead of winter. And then, far cold. Freezing. Omega Red did not feel the cold... but the as the air around him began to freeze, he felt its effects. He gasped. No. Not again!
"NO!" he roared, his scream frozen in his throat as he was encased in solid ice. A living weapon, frozen in a chunk of ice like a Neanderthal. Wolverine grimaced, even as Beast helped him to his feet. Storm dropped down beside them, letting weather functions return to normal.
"Good work," said Wolverine. "Thanks 'Ro."
"Anytime," she replied with a smile.
"Well this is all fine and dandy," remarked Mystique. "But I hope you're not suggesting we lug this frozen bastard all the way back to the United States with us."
"Of course not... we'll drop him off somewhere in the Antarctic. Somewhere nice and deep and cold where he won't ever be back," remarked Wolverine with a grin. Mystique laughed at that. It would indeed be a fitting fate. Pity. And she wanted to practice her ice-sculpting.
Great piles of wood shifted, and a great form came visible as he shrugged off one particular beam covering his body. Grunting, Victor Creed sat up, panting like a dog. His entire body felt like... well... like a damn barn had fallen on top of him.
"When I get my hands on..." he started to curse, but stopped.
Beast, Wolverine, Storm and Mystique all stood over him, in combat stances or with weapons pointed right at his black heart.
"Run," suggested Wolverine with a smirk.
"This ain't over!" shouted Sabertooth, taking the opening and doing just that, running like a scared animal with his tail tucked between his legs. Better than a jail cell, at least. But not by much. He added a couple more hours to his death list, next to Wolverine's name. The number of hours he'd suffer before Creed finally put him out of his misery. And he already had quite a few to his name.
But another day.
Author's Notes:
And we're introduced to the Hellions, White Queen's mutant hit squad. Not quite you expected, right? But come on, most of that group have been mercenaries or reluctant conscripts at one point or another. And Omega Red would jump at the chance for revenge. Omega Red's carbondanium armor is from the comics of course. Its slightly flexible, slightly weaker form of adamantium. In the comics his tentacles were the same, but that's obviously changed in Evo since Wolvie and X23 both cut them. Omega Red's fate is also, of course, what happened to him in TAS. Poor bastard. Always being given the cold shoulder by 'Ro.
Todd fan: I figured you'd like that, 'Todd' fan! The only way I could possibly get you more involved would be using lovable Forge. Hmmm… perhaps I'll rig some slow terrible and overly elaborate death for him. That aught to get your attention.
Star-of-Chaos: Of course its good. Even his old uniform was fine, as long as he ditched the helmet (as we saw in Ascension). But the goggles look works for him too. And yeah, possibly, but could they really trust Arcade not to get carried away with his games? I doubt it.
ViciousAssassin: My oh my, that's a mouthful. Okay, where to start. It doesn't really matter, a phone call can be faked any number of ways, but no it wasn't Mystique or Magneto (obviously). Obviously I was implying could be. Unless she does something after this chapter to betray everybody. Never know with Mystique. Wyngarde passed files along to Arcade, a few chapters back, yes it was foreshadowing. Two weeks notice is a common business term for you're leaving, but you need time to find a new job and they need time to find a replacement. Arcade was joking. And yeah, I'm definitely inserting more and more Todd/Wanda into my stories. I just can't help it, they both need someone.
Comet-hime: And plenty more violence on its way, believe you me. Less plot, more smashing. Well they are called the "BROTHER" hood for a reason, ya know Comet. As for why, the Circle is eliminating all large mutant groups in Bayville to keep safe, not just the X-Men. Plus, they felt like betraying Magneto 'cause they're mean.
Sandoz: Actually he's made a lot of progress, considering where he started. Now they're mostly going through the motions of a love-hate relationship, when they're really good friends. And I thought you'd like Lance's moral stand and leadership. He's definitely better at the job than Pietro ever has been.
Rogue14: Well clearly not any longer, since they took out Arcade. But yes they're not popular with the evil Circle either. Gee, I wonder why.
Oceanbang: Ah, well if you enjoy seeing more Evo characters used you'll love the next chapter, as well as those upcoming. Everyone gets at least a cameo appearance. That fights not for a little while, but its coming, fret ye not.
Lyranfan: Yes I do feel my plot is starting to slack off as I rush to end Graduation and move on, but I'll try and fix that for the last few chapters. Still, I am glad you enjoy the action that I have inserted into that and the next few chapters. And yeah, I try to give Pyro a bit more personality than "insane" and "likes fire" and "Australian."
Reddfire: Well I'm glad to hear your opinion about my story has changed (though a lot of people were concerned when Emma showed up) and I hope I continue to entertain you. Although you may know about the Phoenix (as do I), don't necessarily think you know what'll happen. I enjoy nothing more than putting a twist on comic storylines. If you want proof, check out 'Infection.'
SperryDee: Well thank you, I'm glad I could find time for the little geek, and glad his following wasn't disappointed by his portrayal as a still-can't-quite-grasp-reality-game-geek.
Nessie6: Okay wow, I can tell you really hate the Brotherhood. And Magneto. Poor Arcade. 'fraid I have to disappoint you, but my story is leading towards a Wanda/Todd in the near future. I'd bring in Vision but I wanna keep it strictly Evo characters. So sorry.
UniversalAnimeGirl: That, plus they didn't want to keep their bargain with Magneto from the beginning of the story, and what better way than to eliminate their business partner? Starting with his employees, of course. Rogue's experience from 'Annihilation,' plus her own genuine regret for what she did to statue-Mystique, is why she saved her now. Rogue can breath in space? Or Ms. Marvel can, rather? I didn't know that at all… though now doubtlessly I'll consider it for future development. See, this is why I love reviews! Ah, the mysteries of clothing in a world of super beings. All so confusing. Catch you on the flip side, hope you'll enjoy where this ultimately leads. Bring tissues.
X00001: Well I'm bringing them out as fast as I can, given my current living restraints. Don't fret, that generally means a new chapter every three/four days or so. A week at most.