(Two)

Logan stood outside the small cave, a scowl on his face. It hadn't taken him long to smell the blood and he had to steel his resolve before entering, he knew what probably waited for him inside wasn't going to be pretty.

The party Jennah had traveled with had put this as her last known location. She had been missing for over an hour and he and his crew had been dispatched to find her. Three steps from the entrance of the small cave and poor Jennah's fate was no longer in doubt. Wolverine hadn't come alone, a small party of others had come along for protection since he was so far out of the protective grid of the Complex. This area was rural and barren, lots of places to hide without being noticed. If Jael had spies out here, it would be too easy to be ambushed. Rogue had flown him up here with Max and Jerry. All three were telekinetic and powerful enough to fight off just about anybody.

Rogue saw Wolverine's hesitation and crept a little closer. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just keep back 'til I sniff this all out."

She retreated and he took a deep breath, moving forward and entering the cave. This was no simple accident or murder, he could see and smell that the blood loss here was far too significant. Another step and he had to swallow hard to keep his breakfast down. There was a body in here alright, but it wasn't anywhere near complete. At least half of it was gone.

Jennah's remains were spread out over the cave floor, her body lay supine, spread out all the easier for the butchery that had been done to it. The heaviest parts of her were gone, her thighs, upper arms, buttocks, and easily half of her internal organs. Her skull had been carefully cut open from the top, neatly as if in an autopsy, revealing that her brain had also been removed. Her hair and scalp lay in a tangled mess off to one side, whomever had done this had been callus, not seeing her as a person. Only as something to be used. There was no sensitivity here, it was the way an animal would hunt.

Logan automatically shifted into the gears of a predator, looking about for animal tracks. He was only covering all bases, it was near impossible that an animal did this, there wasn't anything large enough out here for this kind of destruction. There were some scattered coyote packs in the area, but they had never been bold enough to attack humans. Besides that, Jennah was a telekinetic and more than capable of defending herself.

Maybe she had been incapacitated somehow, but another sniff told him she had not been drugged. There was no chemical smell, no strange affects in the blood. No animals, no drugs. What the hell was this? He could smell no other presence here besides what was left of Jennah.

Check that. He cocked his head when he saw one small smudged footprint in the dust of the cave floor. It was human and unshod, he could see the toe prints clearly, yet he had noticed that Jennah still had her boots on. They didn't appear to have been removed and replaced, either. Someone else had been here. Someone human.

Logan rose and looked over the scene once more. Her pack was gone, but he could see a small pile of her things - a brush, a bottle of water, her lunch. The blood pattern from the remains was also telling. He could see the arterial gush against one wall from where her throat had been cut. But beyond that, the blood was pooled in a strange circle as though something had controlled the flow of it, keeping it neat, or as neat as could be done from such a slaughter. The parts of her that were gone were such as he would take from a kill himself had she been a deer. She had been murdered yes, but also harvested.

If he hadn't known Creed was locked up, he would of thought Sabretooth had done this.

"What do ya think, boss?" Rogue asked from the cave's edge, her Mississippi drawl masking some of her fear. "Is it Jael?"

Wolverine shook his head. "Not unless he's got an appetite fer human flesh."

Rogue swallowed. She was a tough girl and was doing all right so far, but the thought of this girl having been eaten teetered her towards the edge. "Is her stuff still here?"

"No. Her pack is gone. Whoever cut her up took it, probably used it to haul the meat away. I can see some of her things there where he dumped it out."

Rogue dared to take another step. "What about her badge?"

Logan pawed through the pile. "No. It's gone."

"So it is Jael? Ah mean, he would need a badge to get inside."

Wolverine frowned. "I suppose it's possible he coulda sent out some scouts 're somethin', but there just ain't no tracks. I got one footprint here, that's it. No other scents. Whoever was here had no scent or could mask it somehow."

"Maybe he did it to throw you off. Made this look like animals so we wouldn't know they was around."

Logan considered that, but then shook his head. "Look at the way her head was cut open, like a surgeon would do it. No animal cuts open a head, they would smash it. That wasn't covered up, it was like who done it just didn't care if we knew she was murdered or not."

"Either way, we have to report this and quickly."

Wolverine nodded, rising. He reached for his radio and started to call it in.

(break)

Charles Xavier sat at his desk, drinking his morning coffee while he quickly scanned the report Logan had filed on Jennah's murder. Wolverine was fast, he had typed this up only minutes after his return to the Complex and faxed it right up. Of course the report was only preliminary, the investigation had only just begun. Charles couldn't help but scowl in irritation. This was something unexpected, something that didn't quite fit into the scheme of things. What did it mean?

Of course there were many explanations, not the least of which could be that a serial killer existed within the walls of the Complex itself. They had taken in so many refugees and it was unlikely that Sabertooth was the only criminal they had let slip inside. Another topic of discussion for that morning's meeting, only a few minutes away.

He was about to reach for his cup again when the alarms went off, Code Orange.

Charles had upgraded the security and alarm systems of the Complex after the schools had been attacked, wanting some kind of warning system in place. A Code Red would mean a direct attack on this facility, an Orange meant some kind of outside attack or event had taken place offsite, one warranting caution here.

Charles buzzed Warren on the intercom. "What's going on, Angel?"

"Jael has attacked the White House, sir! And the SHIELD Headquarters building as well!"

"The fool!" Charles snapped and rang off, heading for the nearby conference room as was expected of him in any Code alarm. He wasn't alone, his senior staff was moving along with him, all gathering to hear more bad news.

(break)

Remy had the door to the stairwell open, counting folks as they streamed by him down into the lower level. The moment the alarm sounded, it became his responsibility to see to it that the Dragon2 construction site was evacuated. He was praying fervently that this was just a drill, only one of many the Professor had promised in the days to come. Irritating that it had come only a couple of hours since they had begun work on the site.

He touched the people as they passed, watching and counting at the same time. Kimble and Aiden had been the first ones down, he had seen to it personally, shoving his charges almost rudely down the stairs. He knew they lingered in the hallway below, not quite sure what was expected of them even though they had been told where to go. The last man was finally down and Gambit followed, moving Kimble and Aiden along down the corridor now. "Let's go, kids. No time!"

"What's goin' on?" Kimble protested. He had been instructed like everyone else and knew that the Code Orange meant his Angel was safe, no one was coming here, at least not just yet.

"No idea, cher. Maybe jus' a drill. Gotta get you guys 'ome first, den I'll find out. I'll let you guys know as soon as I do, d'accorde?"

The two Siskans could only nod and be moved along. They stopped outside of Aiden's door, meeting Babette's door guard there. It was John, one of Logan's guys. He saw Remy coming and shouted, "Jael's taken out the White House!" He had heard the news over his tiny radio and was agitated and nervous, quick to talk about it.

So much for a drill, but better de President dan us. Anyt'ing dat keeps Jael away, Remy thought to himself before he could stop himself. It wasn't very nice or politically correct, but he couldn't help it. Nothing had frightened him more than when that alarm had gone off. It was only a matter of time before Jael came for real and anytime that stupid alarm went off, it was going to rattle him.

Gambit said nothing aloud, he had to go. "Keep an eye on dese guys," he ordered to John, shoving Kimble and Aiden inside the door.

"Wait!" Kimble protested, snatching at him with trembling white hands. "Stay with us!"

"I gotta go, gotta go to de meeting," Remy protested. He shivered off a vibration of comfort and gave Kimble a quick kiss on the cheek. "Look after Aiden, eh? Keep 'im safe," he charged, knowing it was more likely to be the other way around. Kimble released him and he took off at a jog, heading for the conference room.

The meeting was already underway when he arrived. Again the large viewing screen was on, showing muted television coverage of the event. Both the White House and SHIELD Headquarters had been hit, both buildings demolished. It wasn't without cost, there was also footage of what looked like one of Jael's great ships being shot down by SHIELD aircraft and forced to crash in a fiery explosion that was loud and destructive. Remy couldn't help an internal, Serves you right, you bastard, though it was obvious that some of Jael's men had to have perished. The footage was running nonstop, but the meeting was progressing without it.

"We have to go get our own people!" someone was shouting. "SHIELD has them! It's not safe!"

Gambit took up a space in the back, the only room left available to him. He understood the protest was in regard to those Nick Fury had taken from Henry's crew in Westchester, the X-men being held hostage against those SHIELD prisoners Fury had felt Charles had absconded with.

"The SHIELD jail itself wasn't damaged," Warren countered to the challenger. "It's deep underground where Jael can never reach. Our people are safe. We have to keep everyone here, we don't know where Jael is going next."

"Is this place strong enough to defend against that? He destroyed the White House for Pete's sake!" another man cried out. It was Jacob Primer, a weaker mutant, one who had every right to be scared.

"Jacob, please!" Charles complained, trying to keep order. "I suspect that Jael took offense to our dear President's last address to the nation. He wanted to make a point. The shield generators we have are far more powerful than anything the White House may have had. As sad as it is, we have better defenses than most diplomats and dignitaries in this country. Jael cannot do to us what was done there, I promise. Plus we also have the advantage of knowing that he's heading this way eventually, the President had no such warning."

"And why hasn't he come here yet if that is his plan?"

Charles frowned. "According to the news footage, Jael's strike cost him. One of his ships was shot down, another badly damaged. We know he has at least two of these craft because of the strikes against us, perhaps half his fleet is now gone. Either way, it will take him time to recover. In the meantime, our government will be tracking him as best they can and giving him trouble. Any delay for Jael will be to our advantage."

"Are they going to set up the Registration Act?" someone threw out.

"What about the camps?' another man asked. The hysteria was rising.

Charles raised his hand. "People, please. That Registration Act will never affect you, not so long as you are under my protection, of that you can be assured. Our concern is not the government or SHIELD, it's Jael. He must be dealt with."

"Why does he want us? He attacked the schools and he kept coming after us all the time."

"Some of that is classified -" the Professor raised his hand against a flurry of protests. "So I will let you know this much. We have something he wants, something he needs to complete his plan of world domination."

Kimble's personal information had been kept quiet from the majority of Xavier's teams and students, only Kimble's direct circle of friends knew that he was the target of Jael's plans. On the other hand, Charles wanted to keep everyone informed of the danger so he was trying to put all of this into a context they could all understand. Today's actions were part of the Game and yet beyond it, Jael wanted more than just Kimble. He wanted the whole planet for himself.

"Is it a weapon?"

Charles considered his answer. "It's a person and weapon both, someone who must be protected at all costs, the same as you would defend anyone here with your very life. I won't reveal this person's identity, it simply isn't safe. Just be assured we are doing whatever we have to make sure Jael never gets this person. Jael's goal is world domination and that cannot be allowed."

"Can he really do it if he has this weapon?"

"We honestly don't know. It is best that he is never given the chance. Understand that most of the work the X-men do is done this way, protecting the world's interests, not for glory, but for our own survival."

"But we don't know where Jael is. How can we fight him?"

"No, we don't know where he is exactly, but we know where he will be. In the meantime, while Jael is content to play his foolish games, we have to prepare for his arrival here. We must win this, we must! It is the only way to finish him once and for all."

Logan growled. "So you intend to finish this? To take it all the way?"

The Professor hesitated. "You know I have never sanctioned murder for any reason. What is imperative is that Jael be captured, by any means necessary."

Wolverine grinned his wolfish toothy smile, happy to interpret that any way he wished. "Fine by me, Chuck. I'll see that done."

There was a shuffle as someone came forward. It was Julian, a telekinetic and the leader of the Hellions team, a newly assembled group of young go getters. "We've been training for weeks and we're ready, Charles. Send us out, just give us the word."

Logan shook his head and raised his hand, ready to answer this before Charles could. He was very concerned about Jennah's murder, it was troubling and hadn't been explained. He had an idea there was more going on out just outside the Complex there than they knew. "It's too big a risk, spreading ourselves too thin. Jael'll pick us off one by one if he gets the chance."

"Oh, please!" Julian snorted. He was powerful, but still quite young himself. His reply had all the arrogance and inexperience of his youth. "Just because you 'old guys' on the Senior team aren't as on the ball as you used to be, doesn't mean the rest of us can't hold our own. Jael can't touch us."

There was some scattered laughter at that, but Logan wasn't budging. His skin was as thick as it comes, he merely let that remark slide off. He crossed his arms with the smug smile of real authority and said, "Yer stayin' put. On the other hand, since yer such an eager beaver an' all, your group can pull double duty on Security outside."

There was a complaint and someone gave Julian a shove in protest. No one was real eager to spend their whole day outside in the heat with the rocks.

"Does this mean we're not going to send out assistance to the White House and SHIELD?" someone else asked, not exactly changing the subject, but moving on to something more sensible.

Charles shook his head. "I think this time, no. It pains me deeply, but I will have no more of my people offered up as hostages. Though the buildings were demolished, the President and Nick Fury are safe. I think the people outside can handle this one on their own for now. I want everyone here. It is imperative that we stock up on supplies and get as many people trained as possible. That is all for now," the Professor concluded, dismissing the crowd.

The gathering dispersed and filtered out the exists, but some remained behind. Logan and Warren lingered, watching Remy as he came closer from the back of the room. Charles was speaking, having a few last things to say to Logan and Warren in private, away from the general public. "I want all available resources placed on Seth's project. I feel we will have need of any and all craft he has the will to construct. I'm giving Kimble and Aiden unlimited access to the site, they can work all night if needs be to see this done."

"Professor!" Wolverine protested, clenching his fists.

Charles was firm on this. "No. This will be done. They do not need sleep as we do, they are up all night anyway. Let them work with Seth and Fallen. Guards will be in place."

"Gambit will take care of dem," Remy promised happily, his voice firm. "Dere ain't gonna be nuthin' to worry about."

Logan just glared at him and did not believe. He snorted in frustration and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

(break)

Butch Madison had hardly settled into his hotel suite when the news about Jael's strike came over the television.

The leader of the Outkasts and his prerequisite entourage had taken their time in arriving here in Newton, a small yet classy suburb not far from the Industrial park where Charles had purchased his Complex. They had taken rooms in the top executive suite of the nearby Hilton, had booked the whole floor for privacy. This was only temporary of course, already he was looking into leasing a building for his own use.

Cheeree was along, of course, dressed in fine clothes and well cared for. This suite had a full kitchen and he sent her along, asking for coffee, fresh and lots of it. She had rushed to comply, always eager to please.

Cheeree had fared well under Butch's care. She had been taken out shopping and had more clothes than she could ever want. He lavished jewelry and toys on her, anything she wished. She was easy to entertain, something that made her care easy for him. Like Babette, Cheeree had her gaming console to occupy her while Butch was busy and other toys. She was happy and thriving, something she was happy to reciprocate to her new Master, spoiling him rotten and serving his every whim. They were both happy, both enjoying themselves very much.

Back in their hotel room, Butch had switched on the television, always a news junkie, and was shocked to see the news reports. The events in Washington D.C. had just happened and the details were still sketchy, but he was patient. So Jael had responded to the President's threat. Of course Butch himself had thought to take action, but had decided to wait until he was settled in here. The wheels of Washington grind slowly and the Registration Act had not yet been ratified. Well, if Jael was going to act, fine. Let the fool blunder about. It would only give Butch more time to set up and investigate what Charles had going on.

Butch had sent out a crew to Arizona long before he himself had arrived and they were setting up shop in a large warehouse close to the Industrial Park where the Xavier Complex was located. Unlike Jael, Butch knew exactly where Charles was located, his spies were that good. Butch wasn't so stupid as to enter the park proper, he was aware that Charles had purchased most of the buildings there and was working on acquiring the rest. Butch had no problem with Xavier and though things looked like they might be coming to a head, it was Jael Butch wanted, not the X-men.

Butch was also aware of course that Jael was camping out nearby, only out in the desert. The idiot clearly had no clue where Charles was precisely and that was just fine with Butch for now. The fool could stumble about in the sand for all he cared.

Butch favored energy producers in his crew, but had his share of psychics and seers so he was kept up to date on what was going on in this area fairly easily. Jael was close, building up his ranks. Of course those ranks had been somewhat depleted by that last attack, Butch was pleased to note. Dumb bastard, sacrificing one of his ships like that. Stupid. Incredibly stupid.

Well, Butch would take it, it bought him more time to prepare. Given enough time, he figured he might even be able to taunt the man into exposing himself. Jael had a weakness - he was simply in love with himself and his own press coverage. How did Butch know this? Well, if he could get one spy into Jael's camp, he could get another. Terrel had not been alone, not by a long shot. Butch was wise and careful. His spies were independent, none knowing the other. This way they couldn't give each other up. Butch was no fool. It was the best way to keep tabs on his elusive prey.

Butch was planning to drop in on Jael's little party, you see. Yeah, he was going to make sure that fool got the surprise of his life. Not that that would be hard, not with Jael being so reckless and stupid. Butch was consolidating his forces, calling in all of his teleporters and mules to this area. This was going to be one fine ride if he did say so himself. Jael was going to pay dearly for what he had done to Cheeree's kin.

Actually, Butch's plans for revenge involved more than simple retribution for the Siskans, all of this ruckus was very disruptive. Already some of Butch's favorite stocks were falling and that simply wouldn't do. The chaos was growing in the outside world. There were reports trickling in of sporadic violence on both sides of the human/mutant debate and that was sure to escalate. There were riots and murders, people burning churches and homes, hospitals that supported mutant care were being attacked. SHIELD was quite busy, scrambling to keep the peace. This was fine with Butch, he wanted to keep SHIELD out of this. The busier they were, the better.

Butch jumped when his cell phone went off. This was a special phone he'd had one of his techno junkies modify. Though not a land line, it was secure enough that he could speak freely. By the ring alone he could tell he was getting a message from his spy in Xavier's camp. What spectacular timing.

"Speak," he grunted in greeting.

"You've seen the news?" came the voice of his spy. It was silky and soft, female.

"Yeah, just turned it on. What's happening there?"

"They're beefing up security and gathering more arms. There are more drills and training sessions planned. Meetings all day long. There is little else Charles can do, he is already well prepared for Jael."

"But he is still outnumbered."

"Yes, unfortunately. All we can hope for is that Jael was hurt by losing one of his ships and that Charles can use the time to make up for his weakness in power and defense. He is also building some kind of transport craft outside. No one is certain what it is for, only that he insisted it be finished quickly. Maybe it will have weapons."

Butch nodded. "Good. Keep me informed if anything changes."

"Later."

"Bye." Butch closed his phone and returned to the news.

"Everything okay, Master?" Cheeree asked, her voice silky in his ear.

Butch couldn't help but smile at the sound of it. "Yes, my love. Just fine."

(break)

Razel paced in his fury, hardly able to keep silent. His Master sat in a large chair, his cat's eyes gleaming as he watched the news coverage on a large screen monitor. There was a smile there, one that bordered on greed. Razel almost groaned out loud at the sight of it.

Jael had weaknesses, the same as any great leader, and his was vanity. Nothing excited the man more than watching the news and hearing his name spoken over and over again. Everyone knew he had done this, he had called several news agencies only moments after, claiming responsibility. Now all the world could see what he had done. It was the same after New York and again after he had destroyed the Xavier schools. Jael simply loved being on the news, it was an addiction, one powerful enough to lure him away from his duties. One Razel didn't quite know how to fight.

It had caused them misery in the past. Jael would blow up something spectacular and then be so engrossed in the coverage, he missed the retaliation and was less than effective in defending himself. They had suffered losses because of it but the man never seemed fazed by it. He would send his recruiters out to find more alphas for his army and simply move on. It was a disastrous way to run an army and Razel knew it. He couldn't leave his nails alone, he couldn't stop pacing in his agitation.

Jael's gaze flickered at his Second as the teleporter moved about so restlessly. The terrorist leader was sitting comfortably in his chair, the Shalayesk armor gleaming against his furry skin. The armor could no longer be removed but he didn't mind in the least, it made him feel safe. Confident. It almost seemed to whisper to him, telling him of his greatness and superiority. He never felt more confident and invulnerable than he did now. Of course it was a bit harder to feel so grand with his Second pacing behind him like a caged beast. Jael grunted at him, "Fine, then. Spit it out if you cannot restrain yourself."

Razel was quick to answer, speaking as boldly as he could. The Master had listened to him in the past, he must listen to him now. "Why did you have to strike the President himself, Master? Can't you see what it's cost us? If only you had waited until we dealt with Xavier. You'd have all the Siskans and we would have been invincible. Now the Crusader is lost and the Hellion damaged. We needed those ships to take Xavier. What will we do now?"

Jael was indulgent, being very fond of Razel in spite of the man's impatience. As much as he fancied the idea of completing the Game, he was arrogant enough to think he could defeat Xavier on his own without the Shalayesk machine. The machine would just make the victory that much sweeter. "There is all the time in the world to go after the X-men, Razel. They are pathetic and weak. They have no chance. It matters not if we go tomorrow or next year. We will prevail."

"I do not agree and further, how can you be so certain? Every moment we delay makes them stronger. Every time you divert your attention, they grow more powerful. Let's finish this, Master, while we still can!" Razel insisted, beating one hand into the other, upset beyond words.

Jael watched this, nonplused. "The Hellion will be here by tomorrow, limping along as she is. There is no way she can be tracked. We have the means to repair her. There is no reason for you to fear. We will strike, but not until I am ready, understood?"

"But, sir?"

Jael turned and looked at him. "What is it you do not understand, my friend? Do you really think we need Xavier's pets to finish this? Oh, no. We are powerful enough on our own. Besides, Charles will send out his peacekeepers to aid the White House and SHIELD and be all the weaker. You'll see. This is only the beginning."

Razel knew that tone. It meant there would be no further discussion of this. "As you wish, my Lord," he replied in submission and left. Like everyone else he would have to simply wait and see what was going to happen next. All he could do was pray that Jael knew what he was doing.