(Ten)

Later that same day, Wolverine stood with Nick Fury, his face oddly happy. They were inside a large semi-trailer parked near an open manhole in the street. The trailer was loaded with SHIELD agents and X-men. This gathering had been hastily arranged just this afternoon, an ad hoc entry and demolition team. They were here to bust Jael if they could and were trying to consolidate their forces without tipping the terrorist off. No one was so foolish as to believe the guy didn't have anyone watching his back doors.

It was clear Logan had missed this kind of military gathering. He had a wide grin on his face and was joking around and laughing with Fury about old times. Everyone around them was decked out in military gear and fierce looking. This was sport, a hunt.

Charles had sent the Blue squad to back up SHIELD on this, not fooling around. Jael was in command of an army of powerful mutants, SHIELD would need the help. Logan was here with Jean, Scott, Bobby, Rogue and Angel. They were part of the same crew that ran the tunnels when the Morlock Massacre happened and had some experience in the tunnels. Other X-men from the large team were outside, mingling with some of the SHIELD agents and getting ready.

Max was here as well, but only as an observer and backup if necessary. He was much too young and untrained to go down into the tunnels. He would stay here in the truck and learn all he could about co-ordinating teams like this. He would watch their progress on the video monitors with Fury's men. He sat comfortably on a small swivel chair, looking up at everyone with rapt attention.

Angel wasn't so casual. He stood nervously, flexing his wings in an uneasy fidgety way. He did not relish the idea of going back in the tunnels, but this was too important. He remembered his promise to Gambit about working the tunnels, but couldn't dismiss his relief that Remy wasn't here. Now that it had come down to it, he didn't want the thief anywhere near here and was glad that no call had been placed to bring him back up for this. Henry had decided the thief was going to have his vacation and kept Remy out of this.

Warren recalled all too vividly his horrific experience here in the tunnels when he lost his real wings. The X-men had come down here, alerted by some Morlocks who had escaped early and warned them that the murderous band of Mauraders were doing the whole place to death. Angel had come along with the group, quite young and a little green. He got separated from the team during the skirmish and got lost. Unfortunately it was a Maurader that found him. He got tagged by a powerful telekinetic who used his power to wrench pipes from the walls. He used the pipes to tack the poor avian mutant to the wall, crushing most of the small bones in his wings. It was a while before he was found, long enough for the damage to be more than his body could bear. It was amputation or death.

The choice was made by his parents and without his consent. They had figured it was a blessing in disguise. Now he would be normal. Little did they know that his wings meant more to him than his own life. Flying was the only thing that truly made him happy. He was devastated and suicidal. Charles came to the rescue, researching the Shi'ar technology he had been given. There he found hope in a complicated prosthetic. Henry McCoy used the designs to create the wings and restore flight capability to his teammate. It saved his life, Warren would have surely killed himself without them. It didn't mean he was free from ghosts. He was shaking with fear and trembling, still determined not to let this place get the best of him.

Nick Fury gave the signal and they all made ready to depart. The back of the truck flew open and the team of mutants and SHIELD agents streamed out and down into the large sewer opening. Meer was in the lead, held in place with a leash attached to a heavy canvas torso halter made for large dogs. Her new Master, Bob Kenna, was straining his large arm muscles to hold her. He had been invited along to control her and keep her steady. Once Jael's lair was exposed, he would be sent back up with his pilot, their job done.

Wolverine was right behind her, using all of his enhanced senses to sniff out the area and confirm that they were headed in the right direction. This was the place all right, the nose never lies. Like Warren, he was soon lost in a stream of memories. In his mind, he saw these tunnel walls splashed in blood and echoing with the screams of the freshly murdered. The stench had been awful. There had been a pyrokinetic along with the Mauraders and everywhere was the smell of burnt flesh. It hadn't taken the X-men long to catch up with the Mauraders and a huge bloody battle soon followed.

Remy LeBeau was nowhere in sight in Logan's memories, he had been slashed by Sabretooth almost as soon as the door to the Morlock's realm had been opened and he was now running away, lost in a crowd of fleeing Morlocks. He had wrapped the body of the small child he had grabbed around him and she clung to him in terror, her tiny body the only thing keeping his guts from spilling out over his boots. Not a single X-man ever saw him.

As Wolverine had feared, Creed was right there in the thick of the slaughter, claws out and his face bloody from snacking from his various kills. Of course that sick fuck had be in on this, why wouldn't he be? The two howled in savage challenge as soon as their eyes met and they went to it. It was one of their bloodiest battles. Both didn't hold back and their clothes were in tatters and the water at their feet ran red with blood. It's possible Logan himself might have fallen that day, but he wasn't fighting alone and Creed was soon bested along with his murderous teammates. More than half of them were slain before they fled to areas the X-men couldn't follow.

The Massacre had been one of the worst things Logan had ever seen in his long life. Hundred of helpless Morlocks had been butchered and the mess beyond the ability for a sane person to imagine. Worse than that, Warren had gone missing in the fray. They had gone looking and Wolverine would never forget the sight of poor Angel tacked to the wall like some bizarre, horrible sacrifice. It was more than Jean could bear. She had released him from the wall, weeping freely without being aware of it, and cradled him in her arms, a poor broken bird. She flew away with him, speeding him to safety and the hospital that almost killed his very soul when they amputated his wings.

Wolverine shook his head, trying to force himself back into the here and now. They had to be getting closer, Meer was chirping excitedly and it was growing harder and harder for Bob to control her. Logan and Remy had both gone over this area repeatedly in their previous searches, but never found anything, so it was with some surprise that the line halted rather suddenly, causing a traffic jam in the tunnel behind him and no small amount of cursing and jostling.

Meer had stopped at what appeared to be a solid wall with no opening. She pawed up at it and barked.

Logan grumbled softly when he was gently pushed aside as Fallen squeezed past him to get to Meer. She went up to the tiny pilot and ruffed her head. "What's going on, Meer? What is this?"

"Big Master here."

"How?"

Meer clawed up at the wall and Fallen's fingers traced the cracks there. She found the tiny switch, one no other creature would be able to open - except perhaps a Master thief had he known what he was looking for and what to do with it once he had found it. Fallen gave the switch a tiny pop of Ristle, an organic key, and the door began to open.

"Get back!" Wolverine snarled, already smelling five or six people lying in wait behind the opening as the rush of air from the other side came through like a vacuum seal being opened. The scent of gun oil and plastic explosives came along as well. So much for not being expected.

"Fire in the hole!" Fallen shouted, still in front and their best defense. She threw up a shield just as a bright glowing bomb came at them. The explosion was horrible and loud, but the worst of the blast came back at the ones who had sent it through. Her shield had returned the plasma grenade like a boomerang.

All Wolverine could remember next was the screaming of their enemies and the smell of burnt flesh and he was back in the Massacre again. He howled and ran forward, popping his claws with a loud metallic snickt! He charged through the opening, leaping over Fallen who now crouched down below him, fearful of his sudden wrath. He found the enemy and slew those that hadn't been killed outright in the blast itself. They clearly hadn't been prepared for Fallen's powerful shield and they had been badly wounded, Logan's claws were a mercy.

He traveled quickly, having only one target in mind. Jael. He could hear the rest of the gang behind him, Fallen flying swiftly to keep up with his pace and back him up. They quickly left the others behind and it was just the two of them now, racing through tunnels with no clue where they were going. He had no fear for Fallen, he recalled the stories of how she had performed bravely on the battlefield. Her response to the immediate threat behind the first door had been extraordinary and he felt a small surge of pride that she was here and working with him as part of this team, even if it wasn't official.

Wolverine ran swiftly, making good progress through long hallways. Here was the place he'd been taken to after his kidnapping, maddening that he had been so close before. He and Remy had paced by that wall so many times it was almost sickening. He saw many rooms as he traveled through the underground lair, most notably the lab where he had been taken. The pile of black hologram cubes were still stacked neatly there, he'd seen them in the corner of his eye when he passed by. The halls and rooms were oddly empty, it seemed Jael knew they were coming and had bugged out, hoping the poor saps by the door would buy him enough time to get away. Already, Logan could feel a strange humming through the floor at his feet.

They came abruptly to a huge open space and Logan was shocked to find himself in a large hanger bay, impossible that such a large room could exist under a city without anyone noticing. Off to one side was a large transport, a Dognan transport. Wolverine had no time to wonder why such a large ship would be parked in a room with no exit, there was an all too familiar lion faced man waiting on the ramp. Beside him were two large Siskans, their bright Marks blazing. Both held swords and turned to face him at his uninvited entry.

(break)

Logan and Fallen weren't the only ones having adventures. The incoming parties had broken up into small groups, spreading out throughout the lair. The place was a warren of tunnels with no easy way to navigate around. Jean, Scott and Angel crept down one such hallway, uncertain. Scott sniffed and made a face. "What's that smell?"

Warren grimaced. "Don't know. Don't want to know."

"It's coming from that door," Scott said. Ahead of them was an opening in the rock face. A wooden door had been fitted there. Remains of a large chain and padlock hung from the front of it. It was open, slightly ajar. Scrawled on the door in old, dried blood was the word GROG.

"Grog? Do I want to know?" Warren sneered, trying to cover his fear. He knew that smell well enough. It was the smell of death.

"Anyone in there, Jean?" Cyclops wanted to know. He had one hand at his visor, ready to fire at any time.

Jean concentrated, using her telepathy to safely probe the room. "I can sense someone there, but I can't tell where. His mental shields are formidable. Be careful."

Scott advanced slowly until he came to the door. The smell was strong now, enough to almost make him gag. He toed the door open and took a step back, letting Warren shine the light from his flashlight inside.

"Jeezus!" Warren gasped, unable to stop himself.

The floor of the room was littered with bones, most of them human judging from the skulls laying about. The smell was overpowering now that the door was open. Flies and other insects buzzed about, creating a small busy cloud.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not going in there, no freakin' way!" Warren complained, retreating further. "If someone's in there, let's just block the door and shut them in."

"I agree," Scott said. He didn't want to go in there either. "Jean?"

Jean came up to the door intending to block it telekinetically and refasten the lock, but as she did so, there came a small plaintive wail from inside. "Helps me, please!"

"Oh, man! That sounded like a little kid!" Warren said, coming forward. No, he didn't want to go in, but the hero in him would get over it.

"It might be a trap," Scott cautioned. "Jean, tell me there's still only one guy in there."

Jean frowned. "No, now there's two."

"Damnit!" Scott hissed, low and under his breath. He wasn't prone to swearing, but this looked like a no win situation. He took a breath and called out. "Hey, kid! Come on out, no one will hurt you."

"The bad man gots me!"

Scott grit his teeth. "Let the kid go, Grog."

"Sheehee...come make me, bright eyes," came a low guttural growl. It was death incarnate, pure evil and malice.

"What do you want? Free passage out of here? You got it, just let the kid go."

"Sheee...I want...I want your flesh in my mouth. Come, bright eyes. Come be my dinner."

"I don't think so, pal!"

"Heesheee...then the squeak will do."

"Eeek! Help me!" the kid screamed, a very real sound. "Eee!" The sound of shredding clothing was also very real.

"Go!" Scott barked and they all rushed forward. Jean was in the front, using a telekinetic pulse to shove whoever was inside back. They came in a hurry, too engrossed in the coming battle to fully realize what they had walked into. The floor was slimy and slick with blood and excrement. Scott lost his footing almost immediately and went for a nice slide, slipping down onto his back and traveling deeper in without being able to really see where he was going. He hadn't gone three feet when he was grabbed in the dark. Sharp claws slashed out at him, ripping him down the side. Fortunately he was a cautious guy and had been wearing body armor. The claws cut through just the same, they just didn't penetrate him down to the bone. He screamed, he couldn't help it. The pain was enormous.

"Scott!" Jean shrieked and came for him. She was grabbed and viciously tossed, but not before she grabbed a hold of her assailant, bringing them both out tumbling into the hallway and into the light. There was no possible way to describe the freakshow she brought out with her. He was a small human man, possibly a teenager. His hair was blonde or light brown, it was tough to tell. It was waist length and hopelessly tangled, bones and rotting debris clung in it, bringing the horrible smell along with him. His face was bearded, but that long hair was crusted with grime and dried blood. He was completely naked and his skin was slimed with blood and excrement, making him hard to grasp. As if that wasn't bizarre enough, he was wearing a thick leather collar, this was someone's idea of a pet. His hands were bony and small, but there was no mistaking the long jagged claws there. They were shiny now, wet with the blood of Jean's husband. She snarled and tossed him, using some telekinesis to add to his velocity.

Grog hit the wall with a bone crunching thud, but rolled and pounced back to his feet, nimble and quick. He turned and hissed at her, a small bristling bundle of naked feral madness.

"Get back!" Jean shouted, Warren had come out to assist. She raised a shield, safely blocking Grog on the other side.

"What the hell is it!" Angel said, his eyes wide with horror and disgust.

"Trouble! He got up way too fast! He must be a healer!"

"Give it up, furbag! You're toast!" Angel challenged, raising his fists in a useless attempt to intimidate.

Grog had other ideas. "Sheehee...don't think so, much. Heh, heh. Behind ya."

Warren glanced behind him just in time for a foot to connect with his face. Bird met bird in an uneven match. The winged, telekinetic Marcus was here, Shakra right behind. Angel hit the deck hard, out cold.

Shakra advanced on Jean, meeting her eyes. "Back it up, bitch. C'mon, Grog. Time to go."

"Sheehee...lunch still inside."

"Snack later. Let's bail."

"I don't think so," Jean challenged, still holding her ground. She had no idea who the newcomers were, but didn't like the look of Shakra at all. Her body was human, yet purplish and covered in tiny needle like darts. They didn't look too inviting.

"This trash belong to someone?" Marcus cackled, raising Angel's body. He was his usual dapper self, dressed in a dark cavalry shirt cut for his brown feathered wings and his Mohawk haircut was still in place. "Amazing what a person will throw away."

"Tit for tat, Red. What's it gonna be?" Shakra asked, her eyes all confidence and fearlessness. She could take out Jean any time with her poison body darts, but was more interested in rubbing this in her face.

Razel came up from down the hall, huffing from his fast trot. "What's the hold up? Oh! Oh, please!" he snorted. "Grog's still here? I ain't touchin' that sick fuck!"

"He's Jael's toy, got no choice," Shakra said.

The fact that these guys were talking like this was some kind of tea party and not a confrontation did not bode well for Jean. She had to get her team out of this, Angel was down and Scott was bleeding in the filth of the next room.

"Can't we, like, hose him off first?" Razel continued to whine. He walked up to Marcus who was still holding Warren's limp body. "Put that piece of shit down. Time to go."

"Drop your shield," Shakra continued to insist to Jean. "Drop your shield or flyboy comes with us. Razel's a teleporter. If we have to go around, we're not going alone."

Jean was outclassed and outnumbered here on her own. She dropped her shield, but not her guard. Grog trotted by, a grin showing surprisingly healthy teeth considering how filthy the rest of him was. It confirmed his healing factor and Jean couldn't help but wonder if this was some demonspawn of Sabretooth's. He certainly had all of the qualifications. "Later, tasty," he hissed at her as he passed. "Munch, munch."

"Let's go, stinkball," Razel griped. He touched Grog with a fingertip as his passengers gathered around him, not wanting to get any closer. It was his disadvantage that he had to touch those he teleported. He cocked his head at Jean. "Merry Christmas, late."

There was a flash of light and then a ball came flying at her. Jean barely had time to recognize it as a grenade, but her training did not fail her. She caught it in a telekinetic bubble, letting it explode harmlessly if not noiselessly. Angel woke at the noise and groaned on the ground, gripping his face.

A low groan came from inside Grog's former living quarters and the sound of crunching bones.

"Scott!" Jean cried and made for the door.

"I'm okay," he said weakly, stepping out. He was in serious pain, but held the body of a small child against him. Her clothes had been ripped up, but she was otherwise unharmed. She was Grog's lunch, turned into bait, nothing more. Cyclops had kept inside Grog's room, not out of cowardice, but to keep her safe. Jael's people didn't seem to care she was there apparently and he wasn't about to change that. He had wrapped her tiny body in scraps from the floor. As he stepped into the light to better look at her, he scowled when he recognized the Xavier school logo on the cloth. He unwrapped it to see it properly and realized it was pair of hospital pants like the ones Henry used for patients in his infirmary. "Do I want to know?"

Jean looked at it and frowned. "Joseph. Logan said Jael claimed to have killed him."

Scott looked back at the room he just came from. "What kind of sicko keeps a guy like Grog around?" His voice was shaking a little, he didn't want to imagine the little girl he was holding being in there.

"Dognan terrorists, I guess," Jean said, reaching out to take the child from him. The girl was in shock, her eyes wide, but she was calm and quiet. "Let's get out of here."

Angel had risen now, his eyes glassy and unfocused. One whole side of his face was bruised and swelling rapidly. He swayed drunkenly and slurred, "Am I late for class? Ma, shut the oven off, will ya? I can't hear the TV."

"Great," Scott griped, reaching out for him. "Come on, Warren. Looks like you have no luck down here. Hope the others are doing better than us."

They paused as there was a puff of black smoke and then Nightcrawler was there, his eyes gleaming. "Guten tag, you seen Wolvie anywhere? Ve lost ze trail."

Cyclops cocked his head and listened. "Don't hear any screaming. He can't be too close," he joked, Wolverine's reputation for mayhem making that not exactly funny.

"I'm sure he's okay," Jean said, shifting the weight of the child in her arms. "He can take care of himself. In the meantime, how about you give us a lift? Warren's had a nasty knock and Scott's hurt as well."

Kurt grinned at them happily and swished his long pointed tail. "But of course, Fraulein. Four to beam up, Scotty!" he joked and then bamfed them away up to the surface.

(break)

"Jael! You sick fuck!" Wolverine howled and charged.

"Herash! Kirstan! Delay them!" Jael shouted to his Guardians.

The two Siskans came forward, swords blazing. Both were men and had large Marks, one brown, the other red. Logan couldn't handle the two swordsmen at once but didn't care. No way was he going to back down and let Jael leave here, not when he was this close.

Logan was met head on by one of the Guardians. His Mark was brown not green and he didn't power up the sword as Zander had, it was merely metal, nothing more. The man swung at him. He was met with claws and there was a loud metal clang in the air. They fought quickly and Logan was cursing. There was no time. He could already hear the rumble of engines as the ship prepared to leave.

Fallen had taken on the other swordsman, trying to use her power to fling him into a wall. Problem was, he was just as telekinetic as she was. She decided another tactic was in order. She let fly with a huge burst of Ristle. The Siskan screamed in agony and exploded, splattering hot gel in all directions. Fallen shrieked in surprise, that she hadn't expected. She didn't think she had let go with that much power, but the poor guy clearly hadn't been able to handle it.

Jael was horrified. He had no idea she was that powerful either and wasn't about to risk losing another precious Siskan. "Herash! Come!"

"Go, Master! I will cover you!" the Siskan replied gallantly, grunting with the effort of fighting and concentrating. Logan was very fast and he had to rush to keep up.

"Fool! I need you with me!"

Herash continued to fight. He was very fast and very skilled, more than a match for Wolverine as long as he maintained his concentration. His Master was ignored. They were stymied in an unwinnable stalemate and Fallen was moving in.

Jael cursed and took out a Dognan energy gun. He muttered under his breath, "Never give a Builder a sword!" before shooting Herash with it, not willing to leave the Guardian behind for someone else to use. Herash screamed and exploded in a burst of red hot gel as his former teammate had done.

Logan was too close. He howled as he was coated with the red hot gel and burned. It was like tar, sticking to him. It was molten lava, melting his flesh.

"Oh, God!" Fallen gasped from nearby and he felt her touch him.

His body was on fire, he was drowning in it. The gel was all over him, it was in his mouth, down his throat and up his nose. He was one huge agony. He couldn't scream, but shuddered violently and passed out.

Fallen's head turned as a small group of people suddenly winked into view. Razel had arrived with his charges. They shouted impatient curses and bolted up the ramp, not even looking back at her.

Jael watched them scamper up the ramp of the Dognan ship, his face in a furious scowl. He had lost two Siskans this day and he was enraged. "You will pay for this intrusion, pilot!" he shouted at Fallen.

"Bite me, fuck face!" she replied and fired off a blast of Ristle at him.

He ducked, but barely. Fallen was a powerful pilot, well above average in her ability to produce bio-kinetic energy. Her blasts hit the ship, leaving a long black and burnt dent down the side. She had known right where to fire, she had damaged the engine ports, a serious blow. One more hit and the ship was toast. Jael cursed and fired his gun at her, forcing her to block the blast while he ran away, his eyes wide with fear.

Fallen rose to give chase, but there was a loud rumbling and she looked up just in time to be blinded by a huge pulse of light. Jael had spared no expense and possessed the greatest of teleporters. In a flash he and his big ship were gone, leaving Fallen and Logan alone in the great big empty hanger. Fallen didn't waste time on surprise, she grabbed Logan and flew off, looking for anything to help him.

(break)

Wolverine woke a short time later. He was shaking and trembling, still badly burned. This was worse than when Sabretooth had set him on fire. That time he had been near water and had been able to douse himself quickly. Not so this time. Fallen had carried him off, but had to travel a while before she had found some water. Even then, he hadn't actually been on fire, he was covered in thick molten liquid. She had to scrape the gel from him, burning herself in the process. She was next to him now in the SHIELD ambulance, her hands bandaged. In spite of her wounding, she held one of his hands in her own, her face tight with worry.

"Hey, kiddo," he managed, sending an ache all down his throat. He was eerily reminded of that time she had come to him after he had been so badly stabbed on the Lucky Dragon. It had been nice to feel her touch then and it was nice to feel it now.

"Hey, tough guy," she whispered, grateful to hear his voice. It meant he was okay.

Logan was sitting up on a gurney, stripped down and a blanket placed over his lap for the sake of modesty. The attendants had been told that he was a mutant and to simply let him lie comfortable until his skin had a chance to heal up some. Logan was lucky, his jacket and leather pants kept the worst of the gel off of him. He had been burned mainly on his face and torso. His face was red and peeling, but ten times better than when he had been brought out here just a short time ago.

"He awake yet?" Nick grumbled pleasantly, coming inside the ambulance. The back doors had been left open and he'd been waiting just outside.

"Yes," Fallen said and moved over so the Head of SHIELD could sit next to her.

Nick looked over Logan with his one good eye. "You look like shit. Gotta stop making a habit out of this. What is it with you and these Siskan guys anyway?"

Logan grunted a laugh and rasped. "You get him?"

"Jael? Nah. That would be too lucky. Rounded up a bunch of his guys, though. Took in a large store of weapons, explosives. Got about six million in gold and jewels. Food for the anti-terrorist fund."

"The guy who fought me...the Guardian?"

Fallen shook her head. "There was no time to try and salvage him. You were lucky I got you out on time. Looks like Jael doesn't want to share."

"Kimble?"

Fallen gave his hand another squeeze. "There was no sign, Sabretooth must still have him."

"Won't let Jael get him," Logan promised. "Gonna find Creed b'fore he gets bored and turns him over. You can count on it."

"You guys looking for Creed? Why didn't you say so? He's up in Maine somewhere with Mary Green," Nick said. "That's our last intel anyway. He's been moving around a lot. Really, you guys should have come to us sooner with this."

"You know us, always doin' things the hard way," Logan answered, his smile giving nothing away. They had known this already thanks to Seth, but he wasn't about to let Nick know that the X-men had their heads that far into the SHIELD's computer system.

"Well, we don't expect Creed to stay up there long. Word is, he took contract on the Friends of Humanity Rally that's coming up in a couple of weeks."

"What Rally?" Cyclops asked from the open door of the ambulance. Jean was standing next to him and both were dirty from the tunnels and fighting. Scott had been bandaged up and was standing easy. He really needed stitches but was going to wait and let Henry do it later, he had no desire to go to a hospital. They asked too many questions and mutants were not always well received, even if they were injured for a good cause.

"You guys slay me," Nick joked humorlessly at him. "There's a big Friends of Humanity Rally that will take place in Yankee stadium, about three weeks from now. Word is that Sabretooth is going to crash the party but no one has a clue how he's going to do it. We gave the Humanity the warning but they don't care. They say any violence only furthers their cause, the dumb fucks."

"We gotta do something," Scott said, prompting Nick to roll his eyes.

"Can't stop what you can't foresee. We have no idea what he's got planned."

"Can't see, huh?" Fallen said, a small smile on her lips.

"What?" Logan grunted.

"Me and Seth can whip up some cloaks. We fan out in the crowd, in and outside of the stadium. Set up some telekinetics up high on lookout. The Humanity guys don't have to know we're there."

Logan grinned in spite of his pain. "Yer thinkin' like an X-man more an' more every day." He gave Scott a nod. "Best git a hold of the Cajun. We're gonna need him fer this."

To be continued in Checkmate.