Okay, okay, chapter four is here. Yes, four chapters up… yikes, and I'm only just now touching the main plot and bringing in one of the central villains. We're almost to the good chapters, just hang on. Oh, and excuse the grammar.

Chapter Four - The Gulag

Somewhere in the frozen wastelands of northern Russia, a long-abandoned former Soviet base was seeing use once more. The exterior was covered with piles of snow that showed that it had not been used for years, but the interior was thriving. Guards paced the poorly-lit concrete corridors with their rifles aimed at chest-level. They could not take chances with the prisoners they guarded, and a split-second too long could cost them their lives; however, when an important superior officer walked by, they were forced to plant their backs against the nearest all and stand at attention, saluting their superior until they were out of sight.

The guards did just this as Viper, their highest-ranking officer, walked past them, flanked by two special green-garbed higher guards. Viper's outfit was very different from the standard military uniform worn by the other officers in that her uniform was low-cut and made of a tighter-fitting green material. She wore black boots and gloves and a dark green coat, and her hair was jet black and hung down almost to her shoulders, parted so that her right eye was covered from view. Viper was once a member of the terrorist organization Hydra; in fact, she had been Madame Hydra until she betrayed the organization and used her command to destroy it from within. Rather than completely destroy Hydra, she re-organized it, making this new organization even more secret, and only the highest-ranking officers even knew the full reach of this new group. The guards saluting Viper had no knowledge of anything outside of the base they patrolled, or the prisoners they kept.

Viper reached the end of the corridor and stopped at a large, stained metal door. A small robotic arm appeared from the wall with a tiny scanner and moved itself level with Viper's right eye. She brushed aside the hair and let the scanner do its job, though neither of her guards could see the right side of her face. There were rumors as to why she covered it, though nobody knew the real reason, if there was a true reason at all. With the retinal scan confirming her identity, the door slid open, and she stepped inside with her green-clad guards.

"Good evening, Mr. Wyngarde," Viper said with a thick Eastern European accent. Jason Wyngarde, the mutant Mastermind, was strapped to a chair in the middle of the poorly-lit, damp cell, wearing a dusty brown prison uniform. His hair was messy and filthy and he hadn't been allowed to shave in weeks. His eyes were bloodshot and there were heavy bags under his eyes. He looked up at Viper with a look of contempt... no, hate.

"What do you want?" he asked. His weak appearance was nothing compared to his weak voice, reduced almost to a croaky whisper.

"I want many things, Jason. Among them, your assistance."

"I'll do nothing for you."

"You will, if you want to leave this place. We will grant you your freedom, in exchange for your services."

"I know what you want me to do, Viper. I won't. Kill me. I won't do it." Then, Mastermind said, before he could stop himself, "Why don't you make the carnival man do it?"

"Mesmero has his hands tied with another task. He was most cooperative after we... persuaded him," Viper told him with a grin. Mastermind gulped loudly. "But we have studied your brain, and we cannot identify which portion controls your powers... it appears your brain follows a different design than most, we are forced to use other methods of persuasion. I'm afraid you'll have to remain here until our plan is fleshed out."

"Ran into an obstacle, did you?" Mastermind asked with a weak smile.

"You could say that," Viper told him with a scowl. "But we are confident that it will be overcome. Hungry? Here." One of her green soldiers threw a piece of bread on the damp floor, a good foot away from Mastermind's chair. "There's your dinner. I'll see you tomorrow, Jason." Viper blew him a kiss and left the room. Mastermind regarded the bread and started to figure out a way of getting it, but quickly decided against it.

On her way to another cell in the wing, Viper was approached by the hooded X-Cutioner. He bowed his head in respect, and when she nodded to him, he spoke.

"It is done."

"Then we will keep him alive long enough for them to find him." Viper entered the cell with the X-Cutioner. A middle-aged, black haired man was seated at a table, and behind him stood a bald man, holding his hands against the black-haired man's head. This was Forge, a mutant gifted with the ability to conceive and build new technology, effectively making him a master inventor, and behind him was Mesmero, a carnival mentalist who had been captured by Viper's forces. Forge's hair was long, but clean, and his face was hidden behind a thin beard. There was a tranced look in his eyes, the work of Mesmero's hypnotic abilities. Mesmero had a large horizontal scar on his forehead and a droopy, distant look in his eyes, his face clear of any markings and his body clothed in a brown prisoner's uniform. Forge was using pieces of an old rifle and a television to build something, using his right arm, which could transform into a sort of all-purpose tool set. "But it would be such a shame to kill him, his machinery could still be useful... no, we will keep him. The carnival man as well."

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"No, no... hey, I told him! That's so like him!" Wanda spoke to Scott over the phone. Pyro was with her, waiting outside the Cerebro chamber for news. Beast wandered was looking after the surviving trainees in the cafeteria.

"Swell conversation," Pyro said to himself. "I'd be nice if I was involved somehow."

"Huh? Oh, okay. Okay... no, you're the sweetest! No, you! Okay, okay! Bye!" Wanda turned her phone off.

"Over so quickly?" Pyro asked sarcastically.

"Mystique needed to make some calls. It looks like Jean will be in there a while. The last time she used it, it took her hours to find anyone."

"I'd go hang out with Hank, but Danielle's been giving me weird looks. I'm afraid she might try to shut my brain down, too." There was a moment of silence between them. "You and Darkholme are getting along fine. I never thought he'd go for a girl like you. So uh... you two do it yet?"

"That's none of your business."

"C'mon, Darkholme's my mate, you're my team leader, I don't think you can both hide it from me forever, and what's the harm if you are? I'm not gonna run off and tell daddy, hell no, not me... he seems awfully okay with all this, though..."

"I can take care of myself. He has bigger things to worry about... and yes."

"Oh? Aw, hahaha! When? Where? Anyone hear you?"

"Look, I told you that much, don't bug me for more." Wanda idly looked through the settings on her phone. "I know we're opposites, but come on, nobody bugs Jean and Freddy."

"That's 'cuz Freddy's a walking bulldozer and Jean's got a temper the size of Africa." The legs of Pyro's chairs bent outward and could no longer support his weight. "Right, point taken." Pyro quickly took another chair. "But you're the nice-nice team leader, daddy's girl, can't do a thing wrong. It's good gossip, don't you think?"

"Not if you keep your mouth shut, no. We'll tell everyone else when we're ready."

"Hmph. I bet Kurt and Todd already know." Danielle Moonstar walked into the waiting room with a note. "Oh, hi there. What brings you up here?"

"Amara wanted me to give this to you," Danielle said reluctantly.

"Thought you and her didn't get along too well."

"After what happened, I guess I could do her a favor every now and then."

"Well, thanks for the delivery, what do I owe you?"

"Uh... nothing, I-"

"Just jokin' is all!" Pyro said with a smile. "Now let's see what we got here... 'Dear Pyro,' always a good way to start a letter... 'I want to thank you for helping me in the foyer, without...' blah blah blah, mushy thank you note... 'luv, Amara.' Cute, she spelled it wrong. Eh... tell Amara to think nothing of it... actually, let me write her back." Pyro took a notebook often used for mission notes from a nearby metal compartment and started to write. "'Dear Amara... think nothing of it... just glad you're okay, don't know what I'd do if you hadn't made it... hope your day is fine... luv, Pyro.' That oughta do it. Mind taking this back to Amara, luv?"

"No problem," Danielle dryly said. "...That'll be fifty-five cents."

"Huh? I... uh..."

"Just joking." Danielle smile slightly. "I'll take it to her."

"Just oughta curiosity, what were you two fighting about?" Pyro asked.

"Oh, a boy. I know it's stupid. It won't happen again." Danielle turned towards the door, carrying the letter Pyro had given her.

"Must be some guy if he's worth all that," Wanda said. Neither of them noticed that Danielle had stopped and looked back at Pyro before she disappeared. "I wonder if Mystique's done with the phone..."

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"I can't look for some guy I've seen maybe once in my life!" Jean protested as she sat at the Cerebro console, wearing a helmet hooked up to the computer. Cerebro was an invention created by Professor Xavier, though he never lived to see it built. Magneto had built the machine according to his old friend's designs, but Jean Grey was the only telepath at the school after its completion, and so she was the first to really use it. Magneto stood behind her, and next to him were Pietro Lehnsherr and Freddy Dukes. "Look, I've just started using this piece of junk, you can't expect me to find some guy who could be ANYWHERE in the world! I can barely see anything with this stupid machine as it is!"

"It's real easy, Jean," Freddy said. "Magneto's given you his picture, and if he's using his powers, then he's making machines, so just look for that."

"I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything." Jean took a deep breath and focused her mind on finding Forge. White flashes entered her mind as Cerebro scanned the world for mutants. She could see people, but their faces were blurred, and somehow, she could tell what they could do. She sensed two faceless people directly behind her, one with the enhanced speed, and one with superhuman strength and endurance. "I'm doing better this time... there's Freddy... and Pietro... now I'm picking up Magneto..." Due to his enhancements, Magneto was more difficult to pick up. Cerebro's range widened. "Dorian... Pyro... Scott, his mother... Mr. Worthington..."

"See that? She's improving! I've never seen her work this machine so well!" Freddy said.

"Yes, but we have no time for celebration. This is important work."

"Right."

"I... wait... I'm not sense... wait... oh my God... I found him, Freddy! I FOUND HIM!" Jean threw off the helmet and rushed to Freddy, still screaming "I FOUND HIM!" Freddy couldn't remember when he had seen her so happy. Why would finding Forge mean so much to her?

"So you found Forge?" Pietro asked. "Good! Where is he?"

"Forge? No... I couldn't find Forge... but I found my dad! He's in Russia!"

"Your... dad? I thought he was dead!"

"He's not, he's alive! He..." Jean's momentary excitement had passed. "Yeah... he..."

"There must be some mistake Jean, resume your efforts on Forge," Magneto said. "We don't have time for this." Freddy took a step back when he saw the look on Jean's face. She set the helmet down and stood up. Waving both hands forwards she threw Magneto against the door. Pietro rushed to stop her, but he was lifted into the air.

"You told me he was dead!" she screamed.

"He is! I saw him die!" Magneto told her.

"Jean, please..." Freddy put his hands on Jean's shoulders. "Look into his mind. Magneto saw what he saw, and if that's not what happened, then you've both fooled. But it's not his fault." After staring at Magneto for a few moments, Jean calmed down. Magneto fixed his cape and lifted the Cerebro helmet with his power. Jean plucked it from the air and slipped it back on.

"We will see what has happened to your father later. Right now, our target is Forge."

"Wait... I'm..."

"Forge is here," a voice said in Jean's mind. "Forge is here... they are using him... Forge is here... why are they keeping me here? Forge and I are here... is Mystique here? Magneto? It's been so long... where exactly am I? I'm so hungry... that bread on the floor... no, that's no good, I won't lose my dignity over food... so hungry... I wonder if Forge is having this much trouble...?"

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Warren was at home that night, but his locked-in students felt he might as well not have been. He had locked himself in his office, making various phonecalls to lawyers and their clients. He had volunteered to handle some of the details of the legal action many of the parents were taking, partly to make up for his failure to kill Stryker, though Magneto had not pressured him in either case. He was fortunate that Roberto Da Costa hadn't been hurt, or he would have to face Mr. Da Costa's team of lawyers, a dream team few would dare go against.

In the meantime, Lance Alvers, Kate Pryde, and Robert Drake kept themselves busy watching game shows. His hair was cut in a very military style, but otherwise, he was dressed just like Lance.

"Gulf of Tonkin, Gulf of Tonkin!" Robert screamed at the television.

"I'm sorry, it was Bay of Pigs..."

"How could you miss that one?" Lance asked.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Kate said. She got up and left the living room. Lance took a sip from his can of soda.

"So Lance," Robert said, "You and Kate... are you...?"

"Maybe," Lance said defensively. Robert hadn't met them until they all were joined together by Warren. He knew they had been friends for years. Warren had originally only met with Kate, but she only agreed to go if Lance was allowed to come with her. The way she clung to him said much about their relationship, but neither had really said anything... official. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. She's really cute, you know."

"I'm aware of that."

"I was just thinking you're a little old for her."

"...What?"

"Come on, I'm her age, you're like thirty..."

"I happen to be eighteen."

"Well then it's not even legal."

"I'm not going to listen to this." Lance changed the channel. One of the Fox News anchors was arguing with a liberal political expert about Father Stryker.

"...He has a point, we haven't seen any mutants actually help people, we-"

"What about the X-Men?"

"Shut up!"

"They-"

"Shut up!"

"Mutant-"

"Shut up! Father Stryker is right about them too, they're doing all these good deeds to put up a good front! How come they only let mutants into that school?"

"...Because it's a school for mut-"

"That is segregation! THAT IS SEGREGATION!"

"So you want to order a pizza?" Robert asked. Lance shrugged. "Okay. Pepperoni and pineapple sound good?"

"No. I'm gonna go see what Kate wants on it." Lance walked out of the living room and knocked on the bathroom door down the hall. "Kate, we're getting pizza, what do you want on it?"

"Uh... hold on a minute..." Lance heard her shuffling around, and then something hit the floor.

"Hey, you okay in there?"

"I'm fine..." Kate grunted. "Don't come in!"

"Something's going on in there..." Lance opened the door. Kate was sitting on the floor with a belt tied around her arm, and in her hand, a syringe filled with a blue-gray fluid. "Kate, what are you doing?!"

"I need it Lance..." Lance took the needle away from her. "Please, Lance..."

"What is this?"

"It's legacy..."

"What does it do?"

"It makes me strong..." Lance pulled the needle off the syringe and let the legacy drip into the sink. He turned on the faucet and cleaned out the sink, then threw the broken syringe into the garbage can. The needle itself was dropped into the toilet and flushed. "Lance, why did you do that? I need it. Why?"

"Look, just promise me you won't do this again, and we won't tell Warren and Rob."

"...Okay..." Kate reluctantly said. "Mushrooms."

"Huh?"

"On the pizza. I want mushrooms."

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"I will lead this mission," Magneto told Wanda and Pietro as they walked down the hall to the Institute's hangar. "You two will stay here to protect the students that survived. We can't risk this executioner returning for them."

"Father, please," Wanda said to him. "This is a dangerous mission, you'll need me there."

"I would rather you join us, Wanda, but at the moment, your priority is to stay here. You will provide the safest defense in the event that he returns. As for you, Pietro, I want you to keep the Institute's defense systems up just in case."

"Sounds like overkill to me," he complained. Pietro remembered that he had to hide his emotional weakness, especially when his father was speaking in official terms.

"I'm not taking any risks! Given the circumstances, their parents may arrive to pull them out. If they do, keep them here until I return, I will talk to them myself."

"Are you kidding? I'm surprised the combined parents of the kids that didn't make it aren't suing you!"

"They are being dealt with as we speak."

"Anyone else staying?"

"No, I am taking Beast, Stalwart, Converse and Pyro with me. Wanda, I understand your frustration." Wanda looked at her father with a look of confusion. "I have called Mystique, and Scott is on his way over to help you."

"But..."

"Don't worry, Wanda. I trust Mystique as I trust her children." Magneto forced the elevator doors open and stepped inside. "One more thing. If Warren calls, tell him where I've gone. If Ororo calls, tell her I'm out on a training exercise. I'll see to her later." The doors closed and the elevator descended.

"Phhp, letting Scott come over, he spoils you."

"Not now, Pietro. I need to get back to the dorms to keep an eye on them." Pietro nodded and started to walk away. "Oh, and when Scott gets here... don't get nosy." Pietro allowed himself a grin before he sped off.

"You mean we're not taking the jet?" Pyro asked. He stood with Beast, Freddy and Jean in the massive underground hangar. Several vehicles, both working and non-working, were stationed there, among them the Blackbird jet Pyro was referring to. Pyro wore a black uniform with silver armor like the others, but he also had a pair of insulated gloves and attached to them were hoses that ran into a specially armored flamethrower pack. To finish the look, he wore a pair of welding goggles.

Magneto hovered towards them and raised his hands. The jet was moved away and a panel beneath it opened, and a massive metal sphere floated out, followed by four others identical to it, all highly polished like spherical mirrors. They floated together in a straight line before Magneto set them down. "...You're kidding, right?"

"When have you known me to joke, Pyro?" Seeing the confused looks on the faces of the others, he explained. "These spheres are designed to carry individuals across great distances, under my power. I have chosen to use these for this mission because our standard aircraft would be known to our enemies. These spheres will likely be a complete surprise to them, and they will not have any prepared defense against them."

"But that means you have to carry us around," Jean said. "Well what if you don't make it back? How are we supposed to get back here?"

"If it comes to that, return to the sphere, and you will be brought back." Circular iris-doors appeared on the front of each sphere and a blue light flowed out from the interior. Beast was the first to enter, having previous experience with the spheres. Shrugging, Pyro stepped inside the next one.

"Now you're sure we won't need you to get back?" Jean asked.

"You don't have to worry about that." Jean remained reluctant to enter. Seeing this, Freddy stepped into one of the spheres. She paused before slowly stepping into another one. Magneto floated into the last one and the spheres were sealed. A doorway just large enough for each sphere opened in the hangar ceiling and they slid out. Outside, Scott Darkholme stopped his motorcycle a few yards from the Institute to watch the spheres as they ascended into the sky and disappeared in the distance.

"Hmph. Weird people living here..."

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"Madame, the trackers are in place," Storm's insectoid servant told her. Storm pulled the hood of her black raincoat forward to make sure her face was concealed. She sat in the backseat of a limousine with her insect servant, who carried a small device that looked like a portable television. Though her windows were tinted, Storm was taking a risk being where she was, and if by some chance there was a mutant nearby that could see through tinted windows, she wanted to make sure they didn't see her.

"He must have gone out with his team," Storm said, watching the signal. "Evan, is your... new team ready?" Evan Daniels sat across from her, likewise dressed in a gray raincoat with his sunglasses still firmly attached to his head.

"Well... they're the best I could get on short notice," Evan replied. "They won't be as good as my last team, but they're ready."

"I understand that, Evan. They were good men, but I'd rather have them dead than captured. Make sure the same is true for your new team, Evan."

"Transportation?" Evan asked, hoping to get to work as soon as possible.

"I can't risk having my private jet tracked... I've arranged for you to... borrow one from the airport." Storm's servant opened the car door to let Evan out, keeping his wings stretched out to hide Storm from view. The rain was thick and the clouds kept any light from shining down, so Evan had the advantage of darkness, but he had to act quickly. His aunt didn't like using her powers so openly for too long. Evan signaled to another car, and his team, all dressed in the same gray raincoats, began.

The airport fence was quickly blown apart by the first team member. He stepped aside as the others quickly moved through, staying behind to make sure nobody saw them, then followed.

The second member of the team stopped at the door of one of the outlying hangars, and motioned for the others to stand back. He ran right through the hangar door with little effort, creating a hole large enough for the others to pass through.

"Hey, you can't be here!" a technician yelled. The third member of Evan's team smashed the technician's face with his hand and then threw his foot against the second one, and then flew onto the shoulders over a third technician and squeezed his head with his ankles and flipped over, throwing the hapless technician against the wall.

The fourth member of the team rushed into the hangar work area and noticing a chain around a gated storage shelf, she rubbed her hands together. Moments later, the chain was missing a link and she pulled out a box with a small metal key. She threw it to Evan, who opened the jet's door and headed to the cabin. His fourth member joined him as the other three took their seats.

Storm watched as the jet moved out of the hangar and the storm clouds disappeared. With the sky cleared, the jet took off. Storm smiled to herself, impressed by the quick work of Evan's new team.

"We'd better get back," she said to the driver, who nodded and took the limo back on the road.

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"You seen Toad anywhere?" Kurt asked Rogue and Mystique, who were reading in the living room. They all knew where Scott was, but Toad was usually at home at that hour, and it wasn't until later that he and Kurt would hit the town to cause trouble.

"No," Mystique said. "I didn't know he was gone. Well, no need to worry, he shouldn't be gone long."

"You don't suppose he went with Scott, do you?"

"Ha!" Rogue yelled. "That's a good one. You know Toad hates those X-kids."

"I know, I was thinking maybe he went to go pick on them, but that'd be kinda mean after what happened." Kurt shrugged and teleported up the stairs.

"So who's this Forge guy Magneto's after?" Rogue asked, reminded of what Mystique had told them earlier while reading another article about outraged parents filing suit against the Xavier Institute.

"Oh, Forge," Mystique said, looking up from her book, "He was an instructor at the Institute a while ago, back when the first class was there. He was an inventor, so he was the one who designed the Institute and its defenses. He built Cerebro based on Charles Xavier's plans, but he was smart. He saw the evil potential of such a machine. He implanted some chip in his own head as a test, to make sure that he couldn't be tracked. He left the Institute when the original class graduated, and he's been in seclusion since then. I have no idea how Magneto managed to find him."

"Sounds like you knew him well."

"Well, the faculty, we had to get along. Me, Forge, Mr. Wyngarde, it was just us three and a bunch of immature kids. Magneto never had the patience to teach them himself, but he still had enough honor in him not to abandon the Institute. Forge was a good man. You know, he and I, we almost..." Mystique noticed the disgusted look on Rogue's face. "No, it wasn't like that!"

"I still don't want to hear it."

"Suit yourself, but we were close for a while. I hope Magneto finds him well."

"You never did tell us what happened to Mr. Wyngarde," Rogue said. The Darkholmes all knew about Jason Wyngarde, but only Mystique and one of Rogue's brothers had ever met him.

"It's... a long story, really. I don't have time for it right now. All I will tell you is that he asked me to watch after one of his children, and so I did. I never knew him as well as Forge, but Jason was a good man. Had his adopted daughter not ran away, I would have taken her in as welll."

"Ugh. I'm glad you didn't."

"Okay, where the hell is Toad?!" Kurt asked once again, appearing between mother and daughter. "Not in the rooms, not outside, not at the store, not at Greg's house, not at Lindsay's house, not with Scott... argh. I need to show him something!" Kurt teleported once again. He appeared in his room and jumped on his bed. "Hmph. More for me then."

Kurt took a syringe from under his bed.

Hmmm?! What does Viper have planned? Why is this drug called legacy? Could it be... THE LEGACY VIRUS?!?!?!

I'll tell you right now that it's not EXACTLY the Legacy virus, but it does have its origins there.

Anyway, you may notice that we have our villains (Stryker, Viper, X-Cutioner), yet... no Apocalypse. HMMMMM...