A/N: So sorry for the long delays! It's just really hard finding the time and energy to write. You'd be surprised how much poorer you work without a desk! Sigh!

"You bitch!" Amira shrieked at Yvonne as she leapt to her feet. "You evil, heartless—aaah!" She winced as a spasm of pain shot up her leg from the burn.

"Don't stand!" Lina ordered as she helped Amira back into her seat. "You're leg needs time to heal, remember?"

"At least its only my leg that got burned." Amira muttered. Lina couldn't help but giggle.

Everyone else looked at them as if they suspected that they were missing something. But Amira's fury at Yvonne's explanation over what had been done to Vlad—and why—had not abated.

"How could she? We were her students!" Amira demanded in bewilderment. Lina bit her lip and laid her hand on Amira's shoulder.

"It wasn't her idea." Yvonne said again.

"Why didn't she do it you and the real Hellions then?" Amira demanded. Yvonne looked away. "That's right: because she couldn't bear to do it to her prize students, especially if it would weaken her position. But Vlad, Phelan, me…" Amira choked off a sob. "We were expendable. That's what we were!"

"I'm sorry." Althea told her, feeling a surge of sympathy for her one-time enemy. No one liked being used, especially by one they trusted.

"Well isn't this a cheery day." Lance groaned.

"And I don't expect it'll get any better by the days' end." Scott agreed.

"I better go inform General Hawk of the situation." Xavier said.

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"That doesn't sound good." General Hawk said as he spoke on the phone with Xavier from his office at the Pit.

"No." Xavier agreed. "It doesn't. If we don't act soon, we run the risk of—KRRSKH!" The phone line screeched and then went dead. Even the dial tone was gone.

"That's not good." Hawk said as he hung the phone up. "What's going on?"

"Sir!" Beach Head exclaimed as he flung the door open. "The Pit is under attack!"

"Who—" Hawk started to say as he caught a flash of red energy streaking past the window. "Red Nova." He said answering the question he never got the chance to ask.

"Can GI Joe come out to play?" Vladimir sneered in an inhuman voice as he sent blast after blast of energy into Joe vehicles and equipment. He casually raised one hand at a building and fired. The upper story of the building then ceased to exist, replaced by flaming rubble that rained down from the sky.

Vladimir's red eyes flashed proudly.

"Kid, you don't want to do this!" Roadblock shouted as he and several other Joes appeared, guns trained on Vladimir. He just grinned insanely.

"But I do!" He shouted as he raised his fist. "As your president once said: Bring it on!"

"Take him down!" One Joe shouted. Vlad snorted in bemusement as Roadblock and Shipwreck tried to tackle him. He used his energy to blast them out of his way. Spirit fared little better.

Vladimir nearly burst out laughing as his newly enhanced senses detected the Blind Master approaching him. His senses seemed to be working overtime. The ninja was in the middle of delivering a flying kick to the back of Vladimir's head when Vlad mused to himself.

"You ninjas think you're all that." He drawled as he spun around in anticipation of the Blind Master's 'surprise' attack. "But—" He continued as he deftly caught the ninja's foot in his hands. "You're—" Vlad spun on his heel and flung the Blind Master aside. "NOT!" He finished as the Joe's back slammed into the wall. Vlad wondered if the snap he heard was the wall or the Joe's spine.

It didn't matter. He wasn't the reason why he was here anyway.

Vladimir smiled as he went back to work.

"I love what I do." He crooned to himself. "And what I do isn't very nice, is it?" He laughed as he set another building ablaze.

General Hawk had attempted to head outside but was blocked by Beach Head and Duke.

"We can't afford to lose you!" Duke snapped. "Wait here and let us handle it!"

"And what makes you think you can 'handle' me?" Red Nova grinned as he knocked the door in. Beach Head aimed to shoot but Vladimir proved to be the quicker draw. Beach Head found his weapon melted into slag and Beach Head himself was tossed into the wall.

Duke charged at Vladimir, trying to overpower him. Unfortunately in his empowered state, Vladimir was far stronger than normal. "Pathetic." Vladimir sneered as he slugged Duke in the face.

He then turned his attention to General Hawk.

"…Who are you?" Hawk asked, temporarily taken aback at the raw fury in Red Nova's eyes. Vlad grinned. He then quoted one of his favorite movie lines as he prepared another energy blast. He raised his glowing fists at the General and said:

"Hello. My name is Vladimir Sergeyevich Tubarov. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Then Vladimir shot him.