Five years later. Muir Island. Living quarters.

The recreational facility, or what substituted for it in this hellhole, was a large and open square structure, surrounded from all sides by the white walls, fitted with shock and energy absorbing tech installed in it, while cameras and listening devices, along with a full squad of heavily armed men maintained a full watch over the occupants. The room almost looked sterile, but there were furniture, like chairs, sofa and tables, along with several TVs and game stations, with most modern games and all that one could ask for, along with a bookshelf filled with books and all that. If one were to forget that this was essentially a mix of boot camp, prison, torture and experimentation camp, but those who were currently inside that area never forgot it.

And they were the supposed "lucky ones", those in Weapon Plus's combat force who achieved best results during the missions, possessed the most wanted and desired qualities, and who were obedient. The best of the best of the Weapon Plus were allowed the privilege of being here, resting and actually allowing themselves to at least feel like human beings. At first it was the dream for all mutants and those who were part of the project to get in this "heaven", but those were smart enough, they knew that the membership in here was decided by the sadistic Wraith and his advisors, most of whom were the very doctors and professors who experimented on them. Initially, there were almost half a hundred of candidates who had wanted to get in here, but now… now there were none who wanted to get inside, but not because everyone had lost their interest in this place.

It was because everyone else was dead, killed because of the experiments gone wrong or right, killed during missions, or simply because Wraith and doctors have decided to see who was stronger, and pitted mutants in death matches. There were also cases of when subjects were killed just because the guards got bored, and that was when those said guards were merciful, which happened very rarely. Most of the time things done to the victims would've made them slit their own throats, or stab themselves in the gut, with only the bio-chips stopping them from doing it. There was even a pool among the guards and doctors, with the highest bidder getting exclusive right to a girl or a boy for some time. The only ones who were spared this fate were the favorites or those who were good at accomplishing their tasks, and over the five years, the worst and the weak were weeded out, and on the best and the strongest remained, all present in this very room.

Hadrian was also in that very room, sitting in the chair and reading a book, with headphones over his ears blasting music in his ears. Despite spending less time in this place than most, he was the one who was first allowed in here and the one who was never banned from it, because he was the very best at what he did. And over the five years since had killed Thunderbird, he was sent on many, many missions, to do things that were considered inhumane and atrocious by most conventions and in most societies, but this place wasn't like the rest of the world. This was where innocence died first, and where cruelty and atrocities ruled, and none of the victims of this ball could quit it, with most not even fully realizing the sheer scale of their actions, thanks to the bio-chips suppressing the worst effects of psyche. This, however, long since has stopped applying to Nephalem.

Hadrian knew and understood what he was doing, long since having gained a special awareness, sort of a neural backdoor that wasn't connected to the bio-chip and allowed him to process thoughts, feelings and sensations that he was receiving. It wasn't a complete freedom, since when it came down to orders from above, he was still an obedient slave, but at least now he had freedom in his own mind to a degree. This was the way in which his body and mind had adopted to that bio-chip, and more times than naught, this was the evolution that Nephalem cursed to possess, because he was well aware of what he had done.

Mass murders, terrorist attacks on civilian objects, kidnapping humans and mutants alike, sabotage of industrial and civilian places, political assassinations, theft and so much more- Wraith and Sinister have put Nephalem through more action than many of the other victims of this place combined. At first, it was easy for Nephalem to carry out the work without questioning himself or getting any moral dilemma, but after the first year his mutation worked and since then he had regained his internal freedom. And after that… Hadrian was perfectly aware, that if the governments or SHIELD were fully aware of who he is, he would be considered one of the most dangerous individuals on the planet, with the list of crimes and victims being miles long. Hell, the quality and the amount of his actions have long since surpassed even many super-villains, and that was saying something. All that pain, suffering, misery and inability to block it all off was Nephalem's punishment, one that he was forced to pay, enhanced by the fact that his telepathy allowed him to sense the victims' feeling and thoughts all the way.

Another "gift" that Hadrian had developed and one that he has done exceptionally well at hiding, even from Sinister, who was actually the one who had helped Hadrian gain it without even realizing it. His constant telepathic link to Nephalem had at first caused him to develop a psychic barrier, but then it prompted his mutation to actually develop a psychic power of its own. Though it took some time for Hadrian to actually discover and learn how to use it, it was one thing that he had complete and utter control over, and he used to help out other victims here, mutants who suffered at the hands of Wraith, doctors and soldiers here.

Though all were forced to have bio-chips in them, safe for one "special" case mutant, it didn't take the trauma and suffering that they endured, only made them unable to do anything against those who had inflicted all that pain. Hadrian used his telepathy to ease up the pain, help them get through what was done to them, or at least the very least, make the immediate pain go away. How many times Hadrian had to siphon out the suffering of others even he had lost count of, and it was always extremely painful for him, despite all of his superior attributes. He took whatever care he could of the mutants here, doing something good with what he was given, even always being there in mind of those who were being euthanized or straight up killed in death matches. He himself had to kill fellow mutants, those he worked, fought alongside of and helped, and he had to kill them at the orders of Wraith or other doctors.

But he never forgot the names, faces, memories and feelings of those who had died in this place. Nephalem, without even realizing it at first, has become the carrier of the anguish and agony, witness to all the death and suffering here, forced to remember and never forget it, because with every day, every hour, there grew a chance of mutation in him, one that would override the bio-chip and let him regain complete control. And when that happens, he will make every single one of the pay, for every death, every mission, every rape and torture, every experiment, every moment of years of hell.

Yet that day wasn't today, and for now he had to recline in his chair, reading a book, while others were doing what they wanted. Blink, a purple skinned elf-like teleporter, was playing a video game with X-23, a clone of Wolverine, while Gorgon and her sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were reading their own books. Unlike their older sister, whose mutant features were hidden by her, Euryale and Stheno were relatively late additions to the project, and unlike their sister, they didn't have the paralyzing gaze of their sister, nor scales, wings or monstrous power of Gorgon. Instead, they possessed powerful psychic and telepathic abilities, making these barely teen girls exceptionally valuable for Weapon Plus, even if it didn't stop a number of guards, even some doctors, from molesting and raping them. These two were among those whom Hadrian had helped in whatever way he could, and Gorgon was very thankful to him for that.

And closest to Hadrian sat a tall beautiful blonde woman, with long hair and blue eyes, dressed in black and red dress with a red cloth over her shoulders. She was the second best in this facility, often working as the second-in-command to Nephalem, and often served as a mother figure to those who were here. She was Eva and unlike most of the victims here, she was not a mutant that was brought here, but rather grown in here by her creator and doctor, John Sublime. From what Nephalem knew, Eva was a clone of a powerful telepath, whom Sublime created in here as a basis and an incubator of sorts for his future projects. Like her original, Eva possesses powerful telepathic and psychic abilities, along with being able to use telepathy and even having developed her own secondary mutation, powerful electric control, allowing her to generate or manipulate lightning, bolstered by her highly enhanced physical attributes, which made her faster, stronger and tougher than even some of the super humans. And in the fight she was second only to Hadrian, since she used a combination of her martial skills and telepathy in a great variety of ways. Along with the fact that she was the most compassionate, despite her cold exterior, person here, she was the one who Hadrian had most trust in. Though she too was not exempt from abuse, tortures and rape by guards and doctors alike, she was able to overcome the worst of it all, with the help of Nephalem, and is now someone whom the younger kids, like Gorgon's sisters and Blink, can look up to for help.

As he was musing about it all, the doors opened up, and in stepped Kevin MacTaggert, or Proteus, as he was known, the only mutant in this entire facility who was not given a biochip, due to him being actually comprised of psionic energy and forced to possess bodies of others to survive. Yet he was undoubtedly one of the very worst persons in this entire place, since not only has he willingly embraced the cruelty and suffering of this place and people, but also he revels in it. Unhinged, morally corrupt and without any remorse, this supposed "sick son of Dr. MacTaggert", was one of the things that almost everyone here, safe for Hadrian. The girls, especially the younger ones, were especially afraid Proteus, because they knew that like the guards, he had a taste for females and by now, it was already tradition to reward him with new victims for every successful mission. And now he was here after having done the dirty deed with another one of his victims, and his physical form was now looking predatorily at the girls here, most of whom shivered at his gaze, while he smiled gleefully.

"Oh, what's the matter, everyone? Aren't ya happy to see me?" Proteus asked gleefully, receiving only fearful gazes and glares directed to him. "Another day, another successful mission, and another well deserved reward… Though I wonder if after all that work I deserve a bonus?" He trailed off, as he eyed up Gorgon and her sisters, who moved closer to her.

"Want a bonus? Go talk to Wraith to get you another victim, you sicko." Gorgon hissed at him, her scales protruding out, indicating that she was willing to beat him.

"Oh, what's the matter, Gorgon? Afraid I'd break you and you little sisters here?" He asked with a false concern. "Don't you worry. With a body like this one and all the practice I've been getting lately, I'll be sure to treat them to a good time." He moved towards them, with Talon and Eva rising up and coming to Gorgon's side, who already fully transformed and was ready to tear him a new one.

"Back off, Proteus." Eva commanded him, but he didn't listen to her.

"Make one more move, you bastard, and I'll skewer you like a goddamn pig!" Gorgon promised him.

"Yeah, and what will that accomplish? I don't even need this particular body to give those two what they need." He smiled viciously. "You know Gorgon, I've always been curious about that tail of yours. I wonder, would it substitute for a cock if I…"

"Proteus." At that moment MacTaggert shut himself up, as Nephalem spoke up, as he calmly made his way to him. "Back off." He simply commanded to him, with Proteus not budging.

"Really, Nephalem? C'mon, bro, you should be on my side, not of their! I mean, it's what nature demands, that the boys take the girls and make them their bitches!" Proteus tried to reason with him. "Look, I know that you have your hots for Eva and Gorgon, so you can have them all you want, while I'll have the rest, starting with the cutie pie Stheno over…" Proteus tried to move, but was nearly slashed apart by the powerful tail of Gorgon.

"You are a dead man!" Gorgon screamed at him, preparing to launch herself at him, only for him to leave his host body and materialize as a mass of energy.

"Oh really? Let's see if you think the same way, once I've jammed your tail into Stheno's tight little…" Proteus already launched himself into Gorgon, but before he could reach and possess her, he was stopped.

Frozen in mid-flight, a dark blue field materialized all around him, signaling to Kevin that he has overstepped himself, before he was violently thrown towards the wall, smashing into it and denting it, while feeling the full force of the impact upon his molecules. Nephalem stepped towards him, his left hand glowing, as he held Proteus in the grip of his energy field. This was by far not the first time when Kevin MacTaggert has forgotten himself and where he was, or the fact that unlike him, Nephalem retained what made him human. And every time when Proteus forgotten his place down the food chain, it was up to Nephalem to remind him that while he was here, this sick bastard was not to show off his deranged side to anyone. Unfortunately, Proteus never seemed to learn his place, and Nephalem was in all honesty pissed and tired at all that sick shit he has pulled off, and he decided that it was time to teach him a lesson.

Intensifying the power and focusing a little more, Nephalem watched as Proteus' form started to become less and less stable, bits and small pieces of him floating away and disappearing. Proteus may not have a nervous system, but even he could feel how his entire being was being disintegrated at a very slow pace, and his bravado and fearlessness evaporated, as he began to visibly panic. Due to the nature of Proteus' existence and powers of Nephalem, he was always especially well-suited to deal with this rebellious and unreliable person. When your mutation is your entire existence and Nephalem's power allows him to nullify powers and even cancel them out, it should've made sense for most in Proteus' place to stay on Nephalem's good side. Unfortunately, unlike most, Proteus was not one to possess a sound mind to understand simple things, like not to play with fire, and the only way he usually learned, was by having said fire burn him, like it was metaphorically doing to him right now.

"W-wait! Y-you cannot just d-do this to me! Th-the chips, they sh-should…" Kevin panicked, as Nephalem proceeded to disintegrate him.

"The chips only work on those who also have them or who are included in the staff of the program. You, Kevin, are none of those things, making you a lucky exception for me." Nephalem stated to him with cold, ruthless tone, as he looked at Proteus trying desperately to hold his molecules together. "You think that just because you are one of Wraith's favorite toys you can threaten and rape others? Well, I have news for you, MacTaggert- you cannot and you will not, never again. I may not do anything to you about all those girls you've been given as a "reward", but those girls… This is your last warning, Proteus: stay away from them. Do that, you'll live, but if you don't…" At that moment, Nephalem increased the output of his power, instantly quickening the process of disintegration for Proteus.

"I will! I promise that I will never touch 'em again! J-just please stop it!" He begged, and after he almost reached the point of no return, Nephalem has allowed him to live, dissipating his energy field and leaving the mutant, walking back to his chair.

Proteus hissed as he felt his being reconstitute itself back to it's original capacity, hating every moment when he was forced to regain his powers. But more than that, he hated that there was someone who could so simply to this to him, when he held practically limitless power. Nephalem was the bane of his joyful existence, the single wrench that completely ruined the perfect mechanism of his happy life. He always wondered, if he could possess him and use all that mighty power of his, could he be able to sustain himself indefinitely in that body.

Feeling indignation and fury, Proteus decided to try it out right now, and so launched himself straight towards Nephalem, while his back was turned to him. He could almost feel the taste of victory and triumph, the lovely feeling of a mighty and powerful body being his… But his delusions weren't to come to pass, as Nephalem wasn't so easily fooled or taken by surprise. An ethereal demonic blue arm came out of Nephalem's back and held Proteus in place, while Nephalem simply turned and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You never learn." Nephalem simply stated with conceited tone, before preparing to squash him into literal nothingness, when suddenly the intercom sounded.

"That will be quite enough, Nephalem. I am sure that Proteus has learned his lesson." Nathaniel Essex spoke through the intercom, who had observed the entire thing from his control point. "Now, please be so kind as to return Proteus back into his assigned host, Nephalem." Hadrian complied and almost literally shoved Proteus into the body he was using before.

"Thanks, Doc." Proteus stated, feeling once again safe and sound, and without the need to listen to Nephalem or fear him. "Now, where were we…"

"We were at assigning you a suitable punishment for your crass and vulgar behavior, young man. You know how badly your mother takes to your misbehaving, and unless you learn what it means to act as a productive member of society, measures will have to be taken to correct your behavior." Sinister said in an intelligent like manner. "As a punishment, you are confined to your current body for the rest of the month, and you won't receive any commendation gifts upon completion of your tasks for the rest of the season, not to mention being banned from this establishment for the same among of time." Sinister smiled as he saw the look of shock on the boy's face.

"What?! But that is not fair! And how are you going to hold me in this body? Have you forgotten that it's expire in a week's time anyway?" Proteus asked with condescending tone.

"Of course not, young man, but as it was long established, cryogenic stasis prevents the body from degradation when inflicted with your condition." The mention of the cry stasis was enough to completely reverse Proteus' behavior towards Sinister, as the doors opened. "Gentlemen, please escort Mr. MacTaggert to the cryogenic station, to serve out his punishment."

"No! No no no no no! Please, anything but that freezer! I-I beg you, not the freezer!" Proteus begged and wailed, as the guards took him away, closing the doors behind him, with Eva coming close to Hadrian.

"I know that he is just like us, but I can't bring myself to feel any guilt or sympathy for him." Eva stated to Hadrian. "Does it make me hypocritical, to not feel a bad thing about him, yet hating every second of what is happening to someone like Blink or Euryale?"

"No, it is not hypocritical of you, because he is not like us, Eva." Nephalem stated to her. "He and his mother have chosen to be here, and he has chosen to be here and do what we do. If he had wanted, he would've left this place years ago, possessed someone and slipped away, maybe even found some way to free us, but he didn't. He always comes back, always does his job, despite not having the chip in him… He is not like us. He is a monster by choice, and he loves it."

"Yet we all did and do things that are amoral at the very least and absolutely inhumane at worst. Does that not make us just like him?" She asked of Nephalem, who shook his head.

"Would you do those things if you didn't have the chip?" He asked of her instead of answering.

"I… I don't really know." Eva answered truthfully. "All I know is how to ruin other people's lives and how to hurt those that I'm ordered to hurt. Unlike my progenitor, who I have heard, gets to live a life of luxury and decadent style. I bet she doesn't even know that I exist… What about you, Nephalem? I know your opinion about the missions, but what would you do if you weren't chipped? Would you try and go back to your family?"

"If I wasn't chipped, going back to my family would be the last thing I'd do. The first thing… It would to help everyone get out of here for good." Nephalem stated.

"Why not go back to your family?" Eva asked of him.

"Because they were the ones who gave me to Essex, willingly and without any second thought about what would happen to me." Hadrian stated to her. "The only family I have are the ones that are in this very room right now."

"I see, and I'm of the same mind with you." Eva agreed with him, as she looked at the rest of the girls with a small smile, before remembering what they've been through all these years. "How many of us there used to be in here, Nephalem? Just 5 years ago, and now… I can't even remember all of them now, even though I am a telepath."

"64, Eva, and I remember them all. I remember what their names were, their faces, powers, wishes and desires… None of them are forgotten, and nothing is forgiven." Nephalem reached to her through telepathy, giving her the answer, without revealing the truth to the Weapon Plus. "The night is long, and the path is dark. Look to the sky, for one day soon, the dawn will come…" Hadrian chanted a part of the song, something that still remained his and only his, with Eva looking at him with surprise.

"What is this? Doesn't sound like no music you usually listen to." Eva asked telepathically.

"It isn't one of them songs that they gave me, no. It is part of an old lullaby, something that my grandmother sang to me when I was two years old." Hadrian revealed to Eva, showing telepathically the face of his grandmother, Dorea Potter. "She always said, that no matter how dark the path is, the dawn will come, and show you the way."

"And you still believe that the dawn will come for us? After all this time, after everything that has happened to us?" Eva asked of him.

"I do, because that hope is something that still belongs to me and not to these bastards." Hadrian stated to Eva, who understood what he meant. "And someone still has to carry that hope, the hope of all those who were here, and who had been lost to this place. It is all that remains after them, their last will and wish- hope that one day, we will be set free. If I let go of that hope, if I dare to just abandon it… Then what was the point of me ever helping them, easing your and their pain?"

"Nephalem…" Eva stood stunned a little, overwhelmed a bit with the feelings that she sensed from Hadrian, feelings that were buried in his deepest depths of free will.

"Attention, Nephalem, Eva, Blink, Talon and Gorgon! You were selected for the new mission, immediately report to the briefing room to receive detains for your new mission." Automatic system spoke up, while the doors opened up with the guars waiting them.

"You are better than all of us here, Hadrian." Eva said telepathically to him, using his real name for a change instead of the moniker he was given, before she and everyone who were called went towards the door. "And I think I'd like to see that dawn come, one day…" She said while it was still safe for her, while the chips were active fully, but after that, it was no longer possible for her to be more open minded.

Immediately the biochips activated and took control of their actions, directing them forward and suppressing all that was unneeded. The link between Eva and Nephalem was lost nearly immediately as he dared not use his telepathy when he was about to go on a mission. There was always the risk that it would be discovered when the chips were especially active during such moments, and while there were loopholes that allowed them all to express their opinion like this, it was but an illusion of freedom. A false hope that goaded them into attempting to obtain the real freedom, despite knowing that it was useless in the end.

But not for Nephalem, as his secondary processing part of the brain still worked perfectly and was getting stronger and stronger with every moment that the bio-chip worked. For now, it meant that he was able to make more independent decisions that did not contradict with direct orders, find loopholes and exploit them, something that he couldn't do before. Every day, every minute, every mission- all of it lead to eventual freedom, and after that, it would be not the matter of time when he ends this project, but the matter of how many will he be able to kill before anyone flees away from him.

One day soon, the dead and the living will be avenged. The Dawn will come, and it will be a crimson one.

Several hours later. Eastern Norway.

In the depths of Norway forests, a skilled enough hunter could always find good game, one that had fed even the ancestors of Vikings before they sailed to England and Western Europe. And despite the industrialization and modernization, Norway's government has done a pretty good job at safeguarding their national treasures, their nature and it's inhabitants. This was something that Victor Creed, otherwise known as Sabretooth, was thankful to them for, but not because he was a firm believer in saving the environment, but because it allowed him to fully embrace that wild animal that always lurked in him, and go on a hunt, like he was doing right now.

As much as he enjoyed the civilization and it's many joys, like booze, nice food, good payment for dirty deed and other values of the modern world, there were times when he missed the simplicity of the older, less civilized and more straight forward times. Times when pure strength was the symbol of power, when raw animalistic instinct made you in the apex predator, and where just because of his strength and prowess as a hunter, he could claim whatever woman that had caught his fancy. Sabretooth really did miss the times when being an animal wasn't that was seen as weak or degrading, he missed when he was the apex predator and had this liberation to hunt who ever and whatever he wanted.

Hence why he was here in the wilds, hunting for his game, letting his animal instinct take over fully and allow himself to feel like a true man again, like a true apex predator. The smells of animal fear and forests, the sounds and sensations of the wild, untamed and uncorrupted nature, all of it was oh so intoxicating that Creed almost wished that there was a woman nearby, if only for him to take her without regard for anything. He really did miss this liberation, and now when he was finally allowed a reprieve from the incessant and irritating prattles of those idiots and fools he was forced to work with, the current Brotherhood of Mutants.

As much as Sabretooth hated to admit it, back when Magneto was running it, his cronies were at least tolerable, and he had more than enough fun, but now that he has turned traitor and is now with the X-Men, it fell to Mystique to lead them. Although she did a pretty good job, compared to the times with Magneto, Sabretooth felt like he was losing his touch with things, given the fact that the blue skinned shapeshifter like to keep things covert and full on black ops. Not that he didn't mind a bit of black ops action from time to time, but if he wanted to do them full time, he would've just stayed with the Weapon X instead of joining his current group of chumps.

Just as he was traversing the massive of the forest, his enhanced senses finally picked up the alluring sent of a young doe, ripe for hunting and being eaten. Grinning like an angry wolf that he was, Sabretooth quickly crossed the distance that separated him from his prey, and soon enough, he saw his target. It was every bit as tantalizing as it looked, and once he closed the distance, he leapt at it, landing right at her. Without letting it escape or even giving it a hope of it, Creed sank his claws and teeth, tearing apart and disemboweling the creature, relishing in it's blood and with it's meat…

…Until it had suddenly disappeared right, and before Sabretooth was nothing but a small forest clearing. The moment his confusion began to evaporate and give way to determined rage and realization, was also the moment when large disk shaped objects jumped around him, and then exploded. The timing and power of the explosion were enough to not allow Creed to escape the blast and he was caught right in the point where it would yield the most effect. Timed perfectly, placed with precision and having the most optimal amount yield and power, these anti-personnel mines, experimental models produced by SHIELD, would've been enough to wipe out half a company of the soldiers.

However, Nephalem knew, that even this wouldn't be enough to kill Sabretooth, as he knew from the experience of having faced him years ago during a mission to eliminate a minor dictator in Africa. The mission was a success, but there was complication in form of Victor Creed being there in form of the bodyguard to said dictator. The bestial mutant mercenary nearly tore Nephalem a new one back then, having disemboweled and nearly tore off his head, but a well-placed window, a strong enough kick, coupled with C4 did eliminate Sabretooth as variable during the mission. The reason why Nephalem didn't finish him off back then was because he wasn't part of the mission, and also because he was too weak and regeneration didn't fully repair him, so he was forced to retreat.

Now, three years later, Sabretooth was his part of his mission, and Nephalem was a much more deadly predator than he was back in Africa. Stepping from behind one of the trees, dressed in his full armored gear, and with a katana on his hip, Nephalem watched as the now naked, burned and severely wounded in many places Sabretooth stepped out of from the smoke. The mangled mess of his flesh and skin was already regenerating, hiding the adamantium that covered his skeleton. That said skeleton has actually served to protect some of his most vital organs, like brain, but the loss of others, couple with the rest of the damage will be enough to slow him down a little. Once Creed's eyes were repaired enough, he saw who it was who had struck at him, and he growled with anger, but also with a bit of glee.

"Well, well… Look who it is. Come to finish off what you've started back in Africa, chump?" Sabretooth asked with a raspy voice. "What, surprised that I'm still alive? Did ya really think that a lump of C4 would do me in?"

"No, I didn't. It was simply enough to remove you from the way to my target." Nephalem spoke up, as he walked towards the regenerating monster.

"Oh, so now I'm your target, is that it?!" Sabretooth asked with laugh. "Ya nearly died back there, and even if you can heal fast, I'll just tear off your head like I should've done back there! What makes you think you stand a chance against me now? Ten minutes, and I'll be back in top shape, and you'll be a slab of dead meat!"

"Then we will be done before five." Nephalem simply stated to him, before switching to the telepathic link through Eva. "Talon, go for the tendons. Gorgon, paralyze next second." He commanded, as he rushed towards Sabretooth, drawing his attention firmly towards Nephalem.

His hearing and sense of smell were severely damaged and before the explosion were suppressed by Eva in order to lure him, and now that they weren't fully back to full capacity, Sabretooth didn't know that he was already surrounded. The moment when he had made his first step, Talon already moved right towards him, diving between his legs, using her claws to sever his tendons in several places. The roar that came from Sabretooth's mouth was enough to deafen most, and given that his regeneration was already overtaxed as it was, they wouldn't be healed fast enough. He fell on his knees, unable to move and certainly losing most of his mobility, and it was at that moment when he was at his worst, when Gorgon flew into his vicinity and then used her paralyzing gaze on him.

Gorgon's mutant power allowed her to put the cells of a living organism into a state of stasis, metaphorically petrifying them. The longevity and strength of that paralysis varied, determined by the power of the one who was subjected, and if he had the ability to regain quickly use of his faculties, like regeneration. Had Gorgon used her gaze on Sabretooth when he was at full strength, it would last from 35 to 55 seconds, if Nephalem's estimations were right, but right now it would take him 3 to 5 minutes to get his ability to move back. It gave Nephalem plenty of time to move close enough to him, drawing out his red bladed katana, one of the most prize possessions of Weapon Plus.

Muramasa Blade, a one of a kind weapon, forged by an insane dead swordsmith from Japan, it possessed unique qualities that made it essentially a perfect weapon against beings like Wolverine and Sabretooth. Capable of cutting through adamantium and negating regeneration, it was a perfect weapon to finish Sabretooth off with, and this was what Nephalem was here to do. With a perfect precision, using his energy to charge the sword with the properties of his power, Nephalem thrust it into Creed's chest, right between his ribs and piercing his hearth inside and out. Then in a flash he removed the sword out of him, and then with a quick spin, he slashed Sabretooth's head with one move. Once the head hit the ground near him, Nephalem swung the blade again to wipe away the blood, before sheathing it.

"Center, target Gamma is neutralized. Alpha and Beta are still at large, but are suspected to be in within the vicinity of the town. The rest of the targets are located and accounted for. Recommend eliminating the lower priority targets first, possibly interrogating them for information on Alpha and Beta, before moving on to two top priority targets." Nephalem reported to Weapon Plus through a comm in his radio.

"Proceed with that plan, Nephalem. Also, damn you took that beast down! You made it look so fucking easy…" Wraith sounded shocked on his end as he said it. "Creed was once one of our best operatives, and you just went and made him look like a fucking chump…"

"Colonel, the mission is not yet over yet, sir…" Essex reminded the man, making him cough up a little in order to compose himself.

"Right, carry on, soldier. Center out." After that, the link broke off.

"Eva, were you able to extract the needed information from Sabretooth's mind?" Nephalem asked via telepathy.

"I did. The Brotherhood has a cottage cabin northeast of your current location, twenty two klicks. I've already transmitted the location to Blink's mind. However, he didn't know where Mystique and her friend are right now. He did know that Mystique was to meet, but he took off before she left." Eva stated. "The rest of the Brotherhood are at the cottage, waiting for her."

"Good." He said telepathically. "Blink, pick up Eva and bring her to us, and then teleport to close vicinity of their safe house. Talon, dispose of the corpse. Blink, after porting us to the place, pick up the prize and send it to the base."

"On it." Both Blink and Talon said, while Nephalem winced from slight pain in his hand, forcing him to look at it.

"What is it? Did he land a hit on you or something like that?" Gorgon asked of Nephalem, noticing him flinching and his hand shaking a little.

"No, he didn't hit me. It's the Muramasa Blade, he reacts badly to me and my power. Every time I use it, it almost feels like he is trying to destroy my arm with his own energy." Nephalem stated, sensing how his own healing began to take place and already repairing the phantom damage. "I'll be fine when we get to the safe house, don't worry."

"Alright, but why did you go to all this trouble with Sabretooth? Your powers alone should've been enough to deal with him, so why make such a plan?" Gorgon asked of him.

"Because he knew how I moved and what my powers were, and even though I've improved and grown much stronger since we last fought, he would still be able to predict my moves and how I would use my powers. Despite his appearance and attitude, Sabretooth was a cunning and clever beast, using his appearance to the advantage. That's how he nearly killed me back in Africa." Nephalem explained. "I did not want to take any chances with him, hence why all this planning and setting up a trap. Plus we also needed to give Eva time to fully scan his mind for information. Were you itching for a long, drawn out fight with the possibility of dying?" Nephalem asked of Gorgon, who simply chuckled.

"Nope." Gorgon said, before adding up. "Times like these, I do remember why you are our leader, and why it's always good working with you." At that moment, the sound of dissolving flesh and smell of acid filled the air, as the corpse of Sabretooth began to disintegrate, leaving on his adamantium skeleton, one of the mission objectives.

One mission priority was complete, now it was on to finding the rest of them.

Brotherhood of Mutants' hideout.

The members of the Brotherhood were all lounging around in the large cottage, bored and doing anything to get their boredom alleviated. Some were eating, others were surfing the internet, while some others were trying to watch the TV, though that proved to be not such a good idea, since none of them knew Norwegian. One of their members, Pyro, grew frustrated with trying to find anything good to see on the TV, and simply turned it off.

"Blimey, this fucking blows! Why the fuck do we have to sit here on our butts, while Mystique gets to go and have her little heart to heart with that girlfriend of hers? You know what, we should get out, and have some fun, just like in the good ol' days!" Pyro stated. "So, who's with me?"

"Yeah, and then have to deal with the X-Men, or worse, SHIELD and Avengers when they come after us?" Avalanche asked of him with contempt, while he drank his bear. "Did you already forget that we are at the top of their most wanted lists, especially after we've raided that SHIELD facility back in Iceland? I'm pretty good right here."

"Oh grow a pair, Avalanche. We are thousands of miles away from all of them, so before they get here, we'll all be gone and having had a prime good time." Pyro argued. "What do you say, Toad? Are you up for a good time?"

"Nah, I'm actually pretty good right here, Pyro. Plus I don't want Mystique to get mad at us again." Toad said, before he left for kitchen, with Pyro waving him off in frustration.

"Should've known that the fly catcher here wouldn't be a man." Pyro said in contempt, before he turned to the two remaining members in the living room who haven't talked yet. "So, what do ya say, Longshot, Riptide? Are ya up for a grand good time in the town?"

"Sorry, mate, but I'm gonna go with the rest of the guys here." Longshot said, as he surfed the net. "You know my powers ain't yet fully back since that run with Scarlet Witch, and I ain't taking any chances until they are back."

"What, Lady Luck has finally had enough of your sorry face and left?" Pyro said mockingly, while getting a glare from the man, before he turned to the last man in the room. "What about you, Riptide? Are you gonna chicken out as well? Just a couple of beers, maybe a bit of rough housing, nothing too major…"

"We've got beer here and I'm warm and safe, and that's enough for me. I don't want to give Sinister any more hints about the fact that I'm still alive." Riptide stated, as he shivered a little from the memory. "Maybe you should go and wake up Blob, ask if he is up for a little snack?"

"What, and have him eat all the food on me. No thanks, I'd sooner let that southern chick from the X-Men pummel me again, although I wouldn't mind if she gave me one of her infamous kisses…" Pyro chuckled, before he remembered something. "By the way, I've been meanin' to ask you for a while about something. What's the whole deal with you and Sinister? He's been gone for a long while now, so why are you so afraid of him?"

"That's 'cause I know that even if he is "gone", he ain't truly gone. He can go underground or into hiding for a year, five, ten, or even a hundred, but he'll always be back, and he'll always have his due. Just cause he's not been showing his pale mug around in the public doesn't mean he is dead." Riptide stated with a bit of fear in his voice. "Nah, he is alive alright. Probably working on another one of his projects, making a new super mutant or something like that."

"Really? And how come you know so much about him?" Avalanche asked of him.

"That's because I used to work on him, six or so years ago, back with my previous crew, the Marauders under that traitorous Cajun, Gambit." Riptide revealed to them all. "We all worked on him, got him the mutants he wanted and needed, he paid us well enough, but then all went to shit. He sent us after Morlocks, with the usual task of getting the most useful ones, and killing the rest. It was after that that Gambit suddenly grew a conscious, and then it all went to shit."

"Yeah, what happened?" Toad asked of him, after he returned with sandwich.

"He went straight to the X-Men, told everything that had happened, and then they went straight after us and Sinister. It was a fucking mess, the whole lab was gone, all the work and data, and Sinister… Oh, fuck, he was fucking livid with us." Riptide said while fighting a spasm of fear. "The guy didn't want to hear any excuses, simply said that we've compromised his entire work, and that we were now useless to us, and then… He just went on ahead and killed all the Marauders like we were nothing! I survived because I've managed to get out of the blast radius first and then get scarce. Ever since then I've been looking over my fucking shoulder, waiting for him to just pop up and finish me off!"

"Sheesh, you make it sound like he is worse than Magneto." Pyro noted.

"That's 'cause he is worse than your former boss! You were not there, you didn't see what we did, what he did to my friends… I'm telling you, that guy is a fucking monster and we don't even stand a chance against him!" Riptide began to panic.

"Oh can it, before you wet your pants. We took the X-Chumps and we beat 'em plenty of times. We can take on that Sinister of yours." Pyro dismissed it easily.

"Yeah? Maybe with Magneto you could, but now he'll just tear through all of you like hot knife through butter…" Riptide stated, before he smelled something. "Wait, are you guys smelling something funny?" Riptide said, with other Brotherhood mutants also now sensing the it… and then they heard the glass break and a body hit the floor.

"Fuck! Pyro is…" Toad screamed when he saw the dead body of his friend with a wound in his head, before a massive explosion engulfed the place, taking all of the inhabitants of the cabin with it.

Nephalem moved the bolt of his rifle and chambered out the empty cartridge, before handing back the rifle to Blink and then teleporting with her close to the house. Once he they were near it, Nephalem used his personal telepathy to scan the area, and noted that aside from him and his team, and the one person he expected to survive that explosion, they were the only ones here. It went exactly as planned, and he was thankful for ones for that small favor from the universe, letting out a small sigh. They had initially thought about simply storming the place, quickly taking them out and then using Eva to interrogate them, but after getting additional information about the targets and the situation, Nephalem has changed his plan.

He had Eva take short-term control of Toad and have him rig the gas pipes in the kitchen, before sending him back in the living room with a wiped memory. After that, she partially disabled their sense of smell so that they wouldn't notice the gas, before scanning their minds and probing their memories, looking for the information that they needed. Once it was acquired from the mind of Toad, of all the people, it was then that they moved in for the kill, with Eva removing herself from their minds, subsequently returning back their sense of smell. The moment that happened Nephalem took his shot, as he had the best eyesight, trigger control and accuracy of all, and he took out Pyro, the one mutant who could have saved them all, thanks to his powers. Longshot at first also presented a potential threat, given his power to affect the probability of things and create the best odds for himself, but when it was revealed that Scarlet Witch had actually affected his powers, he was removed as the threat, and Nephalem proceeded with his work.

And now it was almost completely over, safe for one person that had actually survived the massive explosion and now rose up from the rubble, standing right in front of Nephalem, though burned and scarred a little. Blob, the heavy hitter of the Brotherhood, and one that Nephalem had expected to survive this. The large obese man rose up with a roar and finally managed to focus up his eyes at the one who he believed to be responsible for it.

"What, you think you can just blow us all up?! I'm gonna turn you into a…" Blob was about to go on a tirade, but was never able to finish up what he had to say.

His hands came up to his large thick neck, feeling how blood flowed out of the large gash, and then his head tumbled back and then fell on the ground, separated from the rest of the body. The body itself fell forward with a loud thump, dispersing the flames a little, while a blue ethereal longsword dissipated from Nephalem's hand after it had finished what it was supposed to do. Blob never even saw Nephalem move or even create his weapon, only getting the idea of something being wrong when Nephalem had already severed his head from his body. The speed and reaction of Nephalem long since have surpassed that of normal human beings and even those that could considered not normal, and while Blob was a mutant, his abilities did not include enhanced reaction and reflexes. Hence Nephalem's energy constructed sword was able to easily cut his head, the energy literally severing the mutant gene from his DNA and rendering him weak at the point of impact.

Seeing how their job here was completed, Nephalem turned and prepared to leave when he heard the rubble move and shuffle a little, making him turn back and use his telepathy to find out who it was. As it turned out, it was actually Toad, who had managed to survive the blast, though he was badly injured and hurt. The reason why Nephalem didn't sense the first time was because he was knocked out and didn't have any brain activity, leading Hadrian to assume that Toad was dead. As it turned out, Nephalem had underestimated Toad's mutation and his durability, but he wasn't going to do that mistake again. Conjuring up an ethereal blade again, Nephalem moved to the spot where Toad was trying to get out from under the rubble, and just when he had managed to remove a piece of wood from his head, a quick slash at his neck ended his life, severing it and the connection his head to his body.

Once he made sure that everyone else were dead here, Nephalem contacted telepathically his teammates.

"Eva, have you retrieved the location of our targets?" He asked of her.

"I did, and I've already downloaded the information to Blink. Also, I believe I know who the Beta target is." Eva stated to Nephalem, before proceeding. "It is a mutant codenamed Destiny, also known as Irene Adler."

"A mutant capable of predicting possible future? Are you positive that it is her?" Nephalem asked of her, before he received the information that confirmed it all to him. "This complicates our job. It is highly possible that Destiny is already aware of our actions, and has informed Mystique about us."

"Then what are our orders? Do we scrap the operation and return home?" Eva asked of him, connecting him with everyone else, with Nephalem contacting Center.

"Center, this is Nephalem. We have the locations of Alpha and Beta targets, but we have new data that could potentially jeopardize the further progress of the operation." Nephalem spoke up.

"Clarify, Nephalem." It was Essex who asked of him this time, instead of Wraith.

"We have the information on who the Beta target really is. Her name is Irene Adler, also known as Destiny." Nephalem informed him about it. "Given the nature of her mutant abilities, it is highly probable that Mystique and she have already disappeared from the location we have. Recommend ending the operation and granting us permission to return back to the base."

"Out of the question, Nephalem. The Brotherhood of Mutants dies today, and you will make sure it does. Your orders are now to capture both Mystique and Destiny, alive, and bring them here." Wraith stated to him with a heated tone.

"And in case they are no longer in the vicinity of the area?" Nephalem decided to ask.

"They better be there, or you will be looking for them until you find them. Wraith out!" Wraith stated, before ending the contact, while Nephalem mentally cursed, and gave out orders.

Even with the bio-chip installed in his brain, it didn't take away the fact that Nephalem found Colonel John Wraith not just an intolerable person, but one that really deserved to die. Bigot, prejudiced, sadistic and completely morally bankrupt, the man dismissed whatever good advice was given to him, unless it was influenced by the telepathy. How in the hell did someone like that had managed to get a position in the STRIKE and get the Weapon Plus working again was honestly beyond Nephalem.

He was seriously wishing he could already break this damned control for good.

Destiny's house.

Just outside of the small Norwegian town stood a rather unassuming looking two story cottage, one that had been built back in the times of Nazi occupation, and has been renovated a couple of times. For most people that lived in this area, this cottage seemed as simply a resort spot for the rich people, a remote recreational spot for the rich and affluent. None of the realized that this was actually one of the many hideouts and safe houses of one of the oldest and one of the deadliest mutants, Mystique, only now it was being used by her closest confidant, friend and at multiple times, lover, Destiny, also known as Irene Adler.

To say that Mystique and Irene had a complicated history together would be one of the grossest understatement. The two have known each other for a very, very long time and have been through things that most can't even imagine. There were instances where they were as close as they could, or as far apart as possibly was, when they were lovers and simple friends, but they never completely and fully strayed away from one another. In one way or the other, fate always seemed to bring them together, and now was one such case, as Mystique sat at the table, while her blind partner was serving her hot chocolate. If she were a lesser person, she would make a joke about Irene's blindness, but Raven wasn't going to stoop that low of a level. She knew that her former lover was able to see more than many men and women could even comprehend, and she was quite capable to live on her own, without any assistance.

If she was to be quite honest with herself, it was very nice to see Irene again and to get away from the Brotherhood for a while, to finally put away her leadership role, at least for a little while. As much as she liked being in charge, Mystique knew that she wasn't fully cut out for being an inspiring and fully devoted leader of mutant movement, like Magneto is. She still silently cursed the fact that he had left her and them, after coming to realization that what he was doing wasn't what was best for the mutants. Mystique wasn't completely privy to the thoughts of Erik, but she suspected that it had something to do with her children, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, joining the Avengers and becoming heroes, or the fact that his youngest daughter, Lorna Dane or Polaris, was now part of X-Men, or one of their subsidiary teams. Whatever the reason Magneto had, now it didn't matter, since he had left the Brotherhood almost three years ago and has now become a member of the X-Men, the very team that had thwarted his many attempts at mutant domination.

Shacking off the thoughts about Magneto, Mystique turned to her good friend who sat down and took her cup in hand.

"You shouldn't have come here, Raven." Irene immediately told her, using her real name to make it clear that this was serious. "You and your associates' actions have drawn quite a lot of attention, and some of that attention can prove to be quite deadly even for you." Irene stated to her, as she took a sip of her drink.

"Not like I am not used to being the center of the attention. If you are talking about that raid in Iceland, then I've covered my tracks pretty well, even if the Avengers and Erik's kids have showed up there in the end to spoil the fun." Mystique stated, as she took a sip of her own drink. "We were careful, Destiny. No one is going to know that I was here, and those morons know better than to make me angry. Most of them at least know it."

"I spoke not of Avengers or SHIELD, Raven. I spoke of those who have had their eye on you for a very long time, ever since you have crossed him." Destiny accented the last word, getting the attention of Mystique. "Do you know why I've moved all the way in here? Why I made sure that it would be hard to track me down, even for you?"

"You have had another vision of the future?" Mystique asked of her.

"Not a single vision. Multiple visions, of many, many different persons, all of the mutants… And all of them had ended in such gruesome and tragic way, that even some of the Nazi scientists would feel sorry for them, and as for those who survived, they are forced to live a life that is not theirs, without the choice. And among all of that misery, there are two persons that I always saw, one of a boy made into an creature beyond Angel and Devil, and the other…" Destiny stopped with a sigh, as if recoiling from the memory.

"Irene, who are you referring to?" Mystique asked of her.

"An old aquintance of ours, one who had used us both for his own ends. Nathaniel Essex." She gave Mystique the name, shocking her.

"Impossible, that man should be dead. We've worked with him back in 1941, he should be ancient at this time." Mystique stated to her. "Destiny, are you sure it isn't some descendant of his?"

"No, it is him, and he is no mere man as he made himself to look like before us. He is a creature made into something beyond a simple man, one who now strives to create a master race of mutants, mutants of perfect genome and DNA… And he has made an ultimate weapon for his mission." Destiny stated. "Do you remember the time Sabretooth worked as a bodyguard for an African dictator, or how about the time when you infiltrated a Russian genetic research lab, only to find it in ruins? Or that failed Asian summit, which was closed because of terrorist attack?"

"Of course I do…" Mystique said, before her mind began to put all things together. "All of those times… Is this the job of one man?"

"Not a man, Raven. He is the hand of Essex, his enforcer and prime creation, but also the carrier of death, despair, pain and lost hopes, who holds the last moments of every single one of his friends and those who share his gruesome fate. He lives as a chained being, one who inflicts penance upon himself for deeds not his own, awaiting for when the crimson dawn will come." Destiny said, as she took another deep sip. "His will and actions are not his own, though his spirit is power and yearns for vengeance, but his power are enough to make even me shake. It is because of him you should not have come here, Raven."

"Irene, just give me the name of that chained mutant, and I'll make sure he and Essex are dead for sure." At that point, Irene smiled and laughed a little. "Why… Why are you laughing?"

"I am laughing because of the irony, Raven. A long time ago, I've actually prophesized his coming, telling his grandparents about him, and how he would need them, and that he will hold the power that the dark lords known naught… To think that this same savior of a Wizarding World now comes here after us." Destiny said with grim tone, before moving her head and seemingly looking with her blind eyes at Mystique. "You won't be able to stop him, Raven, because he has already outmaneuvered you. You coming here was you signing the deaths of your comrades, and my own." At that moment Mystique's eyes widened and she rose up, while Irene nearly fell down, with her drink spilling out.

"Irene, what have you done?! Irene!" Mystique already knew that her lover has spiked her cup with something, and she was now trying to figure out how to get whatever it was out of her.

"P-promise me, R-Raven… D-do not cling to the past. Move forward, m-my love." Irene spoke, as her chest expelled its last breath out, leaving Mystique holding the dead body of her once lover and the one who knew her better than anyone.

Shock, emptiness, desire to scream and rave, all that and more were overcoming Mystique, but those feelings were dashed away when the back door of the cottage was destroyed and inside came Talon, brandishing her claws out. Not even knowing who this intruder was how did she find them, Mystique none the less moved quickly and has managed to maneuver away from her first attacks, evading the slashes by this female version of Wolverine. Managing to kick the stool at the girl and distract her for a second, Mystique jumped out the window to get into the open space and prepare to flee via shapeshifting.

Unfortunately for her, she was already expected there, and a powerful scaly hand caught her by the throat, nearly choking her. Gorgon locked her eyes onto Mystique's yellow eyes and activated her power, using it to paralyze her. However, being the shapeshifter with unique to her properties, Mystique's entire cellular structure had managed to reform itself within seconds and shake off the paralysis, before she transformed her left arm into a large blade and used it to stab Gorgon. The scales had tanked that attack and she only slightly flinched, but not stopped choking Mystique, which prompted her to change the approach, and instead she transformed into a small mouse and slipped away from the grasp of Gorgon and into the grass.

Running as fast as she could, she tried to get away from them as fast as she could, but her luck ran out when she was suddenly blasted by the beam of blue energy. The beam somehow had managed to force Mystique out of her mouse form and back into her more traditional one, transforming right in front of the fully covered in military-style gear person, his left hand glowing with the energy that hit her. Mystique rose up with the hiss of pain, as this figure spoke up to her.

"Mystique, leader of the Brotherhood of the Mutants, the Weapon Plus program has need of you. Surrender, and it will be less painful than this has to be." Nephalem spoke to her.

"Weapon Plus?" Mystique asked, before it clicked in her mind what it meant. "So, the Weapon X is still active, only under a new brand. Do you think that you can simply attack me like this, without worrying about my associates?"

"Your associates are already dead, and all that remains of the Brotherhood is you." Nephalem informed her in a near official tone, shocking the shapeshifting woman. "Surrender, do not make it harder for yourself and your friend Destiny."

"She's dead." Talon called out, as she stepped out from the cottage. "Poisoned hot chocolate. She knew we were coming after them."

"It would appear Essex won't be getting his prize after all, and I'm not so easily caught, even by the likes of you." Mystique said, as she tried to transform, but the moment she tried to reform her cells, she screamed in pain and then fell on the ground, knocked out from the shock and pain.

"What just happened to her?" Gorgon asked of Nephalem as she came closer to him.

"She tried to shapeshift, and her cells tried to reform into the needed form. When I struck her with my energy beam, I've transferred that energy into her cells, and the moment she tried to transform again, that energy prevented the transformation." Nephalem informed Gorgon. "Instead, what she felt can best be called a bio-electrical discharge directed inwards. In short, she short-circuited herself out. She'll live, and that's what is important."

"Shame we couldn't get Destiny. Wraith will not be pleased." Talon said as a matter of a fact, as she and the rest came close to Nephalem, with him agreeing with her, as he called the Center.

"Center, this is Nephalem. Target Alpha is secure, but Beta has taken her own life via poison, after finding out that we were coming after her." Nephalem reported.

"Fuck! And here I was hoping… Ugh, never mind that! We have a much more pressing problem at hands, and you are going to fix it, Nephalem!" Wraith stated to him. "The good Doctor MacTaggert has suddenly decided to ditch us, and has given us a slip! She is at large, and has downloaded enough data onto her laptop to see us all put behind bars for eternity, or in an electric chair, if she reveals it to anyone important! I want you to find her and bring her back, alive or dead! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Crystal clear, sir. Do you have any zone of search where we could start the search?" Nephalem asked of him.

"Wait a minute… A face identity system has actually spotted her, but I can't figure out what the hell is this place." Wraith stated.

"Transmit the image of the place to my phone, sir." Nephalem requested, and had gotten his wish, and the moment Nephalem saw the place, he knew where it was. "I know where this is, sir. We are on it." After that he broke the link.

"So, what's the plan now?" Blink asked of him.

"Gorgon, Talon, you'll pick up Mystique and deliver her to the facility. Eva and I will deal with Dr. MacTaggert. Blink, open up a portal. Location: Godric's Hollow." Nephalem stated, having transferred the image of the place, it's details and location to the Blink for better navigation and precision through Eva.

He was coming home…

Godric's Hollow.

Moira MacTaggert walked down the emptied streets of the small town in which she has found herself, after she had managed to ditch the pursuers and her supposed guards. It was not easy, to give Weapon Plus guards and STRIKE agents a slip, but somehow she had managed to do this, and she was now waiting for her rescuers to finally arrive and take her out of UK and beyond the reach of her employers. There were so very few whom Moira could truly trust, and even fewer who wouldn't immediately ask questions upon her requests, but Charles Xavier was one such case and he has assured her that he has sent the very best of his X-Men to get her.

She didn't tell him the full truth about Muir Island, only made it clear that her life was in danger and that she needed to get out of Great Britain as soon as possible. The urgency that she gave to this situation has made it clear that asking more questions would waste precious time, and Charles didn't pry, but Moira knew that the moment she was in his care, he would learn the full truth. All about her work, the lie about her Mutant Research Center, about the death of one of his very own, and not to mention about the Weapon Plus… Along with all that she had done there.

For years she had justified her participation and work in this horrendous project as a way to help her son Kevin, to ease the sufferings of the mutants, or finding ways to help them, but she knew deep down that in many ways, she was lying. The horrendous experiments and researches, vivisections and autopsies of the living mutants, and much more- all of that Moira had done willingly, accumulating the valuable knowledge and information. The kind of headway in the mutant research she made in just five years she would not have made in twenty if she was running a simple research center. The discoveries that she has made were enough to ensure Moira MacTaggert would be remembered as one of the most brilliant scientists of her time, among the likes of Einstein and Darwin.

That is, if she wasn't put in prison after all of her crimes were exposed when the SHIELD had gotten it's hands on her, and she understood perfectly that none of her excuses about Kevin and wanting to help mutants would work with them. Nick Fury was not the kind of man who believed in cheap soap operas or had the luxury of believing in best in every man or woman. The moment he or his operatives saw the files of Weapon Plus, MacTaggert was sure to lose everything, including her license to operate and right to work on mutants. She had to find a way to convince Charles that she was not given much of a choice, that she did everything because there was simply no other alternative, even though she had dozens, if not hundreds of opportunities to expose this entire atrocity to all, yet she did not

In reality, MacTaggert didn't do it, simply because the value of the research and potential discoveries, glory and simple scientific curiosity outweighed her morality and she dove right into the immoral process of work. She has even allowed her son to become the very worst monster, an image of an internal monstrosity that MacTaggert now was, yet despite all the horror and terror she felt about her son, she couldn't bring herself to fully hate him, not when out of all of the mutants in that facility, he was the most powerful one. Greater than even Essex's Nephalem, and none even fully realized… Perhaps Charles and his X-Men would be able to change Kevin back to a good little boy he was, without removing his great powers…

"Doctor MacTaggert." The cold, distant voice of Nephalem stopped Moira's musings, and she looked forwards to see Nephalem and Eva blocking her path, all of them now standing in the clearing near the church and cemetery.

"Nephalem, Eva." She said with fear in her voice.

"You know why we are here, Doctor. Don't make this harder for yourself. Come with us." Eva asked of her.

"You do not have to do this, you two. I-I have called for help, and they will be able to help you too. And everyone else in the facility, all you need to is to wait and come with me." Moira tried to persuade them, hoping that the bio-chip wouldn't be as strong as she feared they were.

"You know best that we can't, Doctor." Nephalem stated to her coldly. "Last chance, Doctor: come with us, or face the consequences of your actions."

"How about we present our own alternative option?" A regal, powerful voice from above them chimed in, drawing the attention to them.

A stealth craft revealed itself, dropping the cloak and allowing it's passengers to leave it. A group eight famous and powerful mutants left the craft and landed, some through simple jump, while others by levitating here. They placed themselves between the two mutants and Moira MacTaggert, creating a protective barrier for MacTaggert. Both Nephalem and Eva knew extremely well who these mutants were, and they understood that the mission has now become much, much harder for them.

"Doctor MacTaggert, I hope we are not too late." Cyclops said, as he glanced back at her. "We've arrived as soon as Professor told us of your situation. Don't worry, we'll protect you from whoever they are."

"Would you quit playing the Boy Scout, Slim, and focus on these fellas, 'cause I've got a feeling they are gonna be real handful." Wolverine let out his claws, as he eyed the two, before sniffing them out. "Hm, smellin' a lot of blood on the masked one. Recent one and it belongs to Magneto's former gang. And I can also smell Weapon X all over them."

"What do you mean, Wolverine?" Jean asked, before trying to probe their minds, yet failing. "Ugh, I can't get into their minds. One of them has such a powerful block that it's almost agonizing to try and approach him."

"He means, Miss Grey, that our adversaries have tangled and managed to defeat my former compatriots, which is saying something about their abilities and skills." Magneto stated, as he eyed the male one.

"The Brotherhood is gone. Eradicated in it's complete entirety." Nephalem stated, surprising and shocking the X-Men.

"He is not lyin', he's even got the smell of Sabretooth on him. I'd recognize that stench anywhere." Wolverine confirmed, as he prepared for a really hard fight. "This is gonna be interesting."

"So, you've bested the Brotherhood of Mutants. Let us see how well you'll last against us." Magneto stated. "X-Men, take them down!" He commanded them, signaling the start of the fight.

I did promise to proceed the plot as fast as I could, and so far I am keeping my word. And for those who are going to type in reviews how Magneto is not an X-Men, allow me to state, that in the comic books, which I am actually taking the large basis of this story, he has LONG since moved on from his Brotherhood of Mutants ways. Since 2010s, he has been working with the X-Men and was a part of them, even leading teams before, and even back in the 70s-80s-90s ( I don't perfectly remember) he has actually stood trial for his crimes and was absolved of his crimes after he had REFORMED. And if anyone wishes to bring up the whole Xorn/Magneto situation from the New X-Men, let me give you a simple answer: that wasn't Magneto, and it has been confirmed by comic writers, plus I refuse to believe into that whole clusterfuck.

Anyway, the point is, I've decided that it was way past time that Magneto has shown that he has the makings of a real hero, or rather anti-hero, in him, and so here he is, as one of leaders of X-Men, and one who will play a pivotal role in the future.

Now, I believe I've made it pretty clear that Weapon Plus is absolutely horrid, and for anyone who is still wondering, the only remaining mutants in there are the ones who were in the first scene. Nephalem having his telepathy is actually a result of continuous telepathic control on him by Sinister and bio-chip's interference, forcing a mutation in him and making him telepathic. In short, he is capable of internally recognizing and resisting to a small extent the control, but the control is till very much there, at least for now.

Anyway, I would like to thank all of you for your immense support of this new story, and feeling inspired, I decided to get this chapter as soon as possible out, so you would enjoy it.

Please leave a comment, give me your opinion about the story, who should Nephalem end up with in a romantic way, what story arcs should I cover and what would you suggest. Ask questions about story, I'll answer as much as I can, and remember that your feedback is what helping me get better.

Next time: Black Matriarch finds her child; X-Men vs Weapon Plus; Overcoming the Sinister; The Dawn has come…