The world is constantly changing. Nonetheless, that means Charles Xavier, Tony Stark, and their X-men must attempt at fighting for peace and understanding. However, this proves to be a challenge day by day as more people continue to hate and fear mutants.

One of these challenges includes dealing with those who are so unhappy with the political climates of where they live, they are willing to attack high ranking government officials and other influencers. One example of this was the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants kidnapping Matthew Risman, the man who helped financially fund Cameron Hodge and Obadiah Stane in their venture to exterminate mutant children and experiment on them.

Another unfortunate example is Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner, who recently attacked President Norman Osborne, against his will. In their moments of confronting Kurt on his actions, Scott Summers and Jean Grey have gotten kidnapped by an ominous group of mutants working under a man of one name: Sinister.

Issue 43: Sinister Intent Part 1

Unknown Location

"Hnn," groaned Scott as he began to come to consciousness slowly. His limbs felt as though they were made from lead; as if someone had put one-hundred-pound weights on them. Every muscle in his body ached, and his head pounded with a horrible migraine that not even his optic blasts could cause. His ears were ringing loudly, only adding to his discomfort.

Slowly opening his eyes, his red-hazed vision was blurry, the light blinding his eyes. He clenched them shut again in the attempt to clear his vision. Weakly shaking his head, Scott groaned again in pain. Taking stock of his body and his surroundings, he noticed his arms and legs were bound with thick, metal restraints. He felt a headset attached to his head, monitoring what must be his cerebral waves. Looking above him, he noticed something that appeared to be technology that looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, which instantly startled him. Whatever that was, he most definitely didn't want that near him.

"What the hell?" he asked himself as he took notice of the fact that he appeared to be in some sort of lab. Looking to his right, he noticed Jean lying beside him on what appeared to be a medical table in a similar, unconscious state. That was when he noticed that they both had oxygen tubing up their noses.

'What the hell is happening right now?' he thought, beginning to struggle against the metal restraints.

"I wouldn't vouch for that," said an eerie, ominous, calculated voice nearby. It was a voice that sent chills up Scott's spine. "That might bring some . . . discomfort."

Scott looked straight ahead to notice that he and Jean were not alone in the room. He saw a man standing over his exam table; white-faced with lips painted a deep shade of black, long dark hair braided in two pigtails, and deep red eyes that seemed to be glowing, as well as a red, ruby-type detail on his forehead. The man appeared flamboyant in a sense, based on the way he carried himself. Scott narrowed his eyes at the man; he didn't know who he was or what he wanted, but, Scott knew he didn't want to find out.

"Who are you? What do you want with the two of us?" he asked.

"I am glad that you asked. My name is Doctor Nathaniel Essex. But you may call me Sinister . . . Mr. Sinister," the man said in that same calm voice, a voice that the vet would use to tell you that you had to put your dog down. It was a tone that sent shivers down Scott's spine, but, he was determined to hide it. "I am a geneticist, scientist and researcher with five PhD's in medicine and science, and I in particular am very interested in both you and Ms. Grey here . . . that's why you are here."

Scott struggled harder against his restraints, grunting painfully as he felt them tighten around his wrists and ankles. He then turned his head to look at Jean, who was slowly starting to come to as well.

"Hnnn," groaned Jean, moving her head to the side.

"Jean," Scott breathed out as Sinister moved to stroke the side of Jean's face. Scott glared at the man. "Get away from her! Touch me, leave her out of this! Please!" he begged. "I don't know what you want, but, please, leave Jean alone!"

"Sorry, Mr. Summers. Not today," Sinister said. "You see both you and Ms. Grey here have genetics that are rather . . . desirable."

"So that's what you want? Our DNA?" Scott spat, suddenly in a deeper fear, as well as a state of anger. But he hid his fear. He didn't want to give this sick man the satisfaction.

"Certainly. You both have no clue just how capable you both happen to be in terms of your abilities. You both have more power than you could ever imagine. Don't worry. Collecting genetic material is painless . . . well, mostly," Sinister said. That was the moment Scott felt something that felt like needles attaching themselves to his neck, and he could feel a surging discomfort flowing through his whole body.

"Hnnn . . . Scott," groaned Jean; the needles had plunged themselves into her neck as well.

"Jean . . . Jean, keep your eyes closed! It'll be over soon!" Scott told her, the desperation in his voice evident.

"Oh, how sweet," Sinister said in a taunting tone of voice. "I didn't know you two cared for each other that deeply . . ."

"Scott . . . Scott where are you?" Jean moaned, opening her eyes slowly and blinking. That was the moment she noticed how her body was restrained, and she started struggling.

"Now, now, now, Ms. Grey, I wouldn't attempt that," Sinister said calmly to her.

Jean groaned again as she noticed Sinister standing above her medical table. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, her head pounding with a terrible headache. The last time she'd felt a headache that bad, it had been when her powers had been haywire in the mental hospital. She felt an overwhelming nausea in her stomach. It was enough to make her nearly want to vomit.

"Dr. Nathaniel Essex, but if you favor, you may call me Mr. Sinister," the geneticist said calmly as he continued to collect DNA from Scott and Jean.

"Why? What do you want with us?" Jean asked.

"Just a few DNA samples, here and there. The both of you have more promise and power than you can ever imagine. The question is, would you two control that power, or allow it to control you?" Sinister asked in that same chilling tone.

St. Peter's Cathedral – Berlin, Germany

"Hnnn . . . my aching head," groaned Ororo as she came to consciousness. Awakening, she noticed the collapsed floor above her and Kurt Wagner as Kurt awoke. "I can use a bath in a tub filled with aspirin."

"I'll second zhat. Vhat happened?" Kurt asked, blinking his eyes.

"I honestly do not know, but, I don't see Scott and Jean anywhere," Ororo said, rising to her feet and brushing dirt and dust off her uniform.

"Vell, ve better find zthem both," Kurt breathed shakily, grabbing Ororo by the hand and teleporting them up and outside of the cathedral.

"I'll have to see if I can reach them on the communications link," said the weather goddess as she led them to the Blackbird.

"I wouldn't attempt that," said a voice behind them. Turning around, Storm and Nightcrawler noticed Mystique – the Brotherhood's blue, shape-shifting member standing there before them.

"Mystique," whispered Ororo, her guard instantly up as she took a defensive stance.

"Relax, Storm, believe it or not, I am not here to fight you," Raven Darkholm said. "In fact, I can help you find the missing members of your team. I know who took them."

"God to hell," Ororo spat, keeping her guard up.

"Fine then, but, if you wish to know what happened to your teammates . . ." Mystique's voice sounded sincere.

"Who took Scott and Jean?" Ororo asked, still skeptical of Mystique as they made their way to the Blackbird. She knew not to trust her. Mystique could so easily screw them over in that moment.

"He goes by the name of Sinister – real name, Dr. Nathaniel Essex. He's a geneticist who is obsessed with bloodlines, and apparently, the Summers and Grey families have genetics that are rather desirable, especially for him," Raven said calmly.

Essex Laboratories – World War II

Raven Darkholm walked along the halls of Essex Laboratories in Poznan, Poland, her gun holstered to her hip as she sauntered through the facility. Having been working with Essex for a good year, Raven "Mystique" Darkholm knew what this man was capable of.

'Dr. Essex, I swear to God. All of this work that he already has got me doing. I do not know per say what his ultimate goal is. But whatever it happens to be, it must be pretty Goddamn important if he needs someone of my talents working for him,' Raven thought, passing the various doctors scrambling around with samples of blood. Finally, she made her way to Essex's office.

"Dr. Essex? I'm back from Berlin," she said.

Nathaniel Essex smiled his sinister smile at Raven. "My dear Raven; I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon."

"Well, you know what I am capable of, Dr. Essex. Besides, you told me that you wanted me back here urgently. What is it?" asked Raven as she followed Essex out of his office and to a medical lab. Upon walking in, Raven couldn't help but notice the various, alien-like technology and advanced medical equipment. But she also noticed two people laying on medical tables, seemingly comatose with oxygen tubing up their noses. It was a woman and a man. The man had dark blonde hair and a square-like jaw. The woman had long, auburn hair and a rosy complexion to her features. They were both breathing in sedatives that were keeping them knocked out as IVs were attached to them, seeming to collect blood samples.

"Who are these people?" she asked. "With all this technology, Howard Stark would be envious," she added.

"Well, I found these two unfortunate souls on the frontlines fighting on America's side of the war. Apparently, these two had been using their mutant abilities to aid America in winning the war. They could give that man Steve Rogers – Captain America – a run for his money," Essex said, running his fingers along the jawline of the auburn-haired woman. "These two are quite . . . exceptional. Let's just put it that way, and I believe that there's even more potential with their offspring as well. Too bad they're not together romantically. They'd make a rather exquisite couple . . ."

"Their names and their abilities?" asked Raven as she came further into the room for a closer look. She could see that the pair was being prepped for what she could assume to be some kind of surgery.

"Daniel Summers – ability to release concussive solar energy through his chest in the form of a blast, and Jennifer Campbell – telekinetic and telepathic and ability of healing any illness. However, Ms. Campbell has got much more power and potential than you'd think. Same with Mr. Summers here. I ran some tests on the both of them – both have been going underneath the codenames of Havok and Anodyne – at least that's what the people in their units have been calling them. The more tests I ran, the more I learned of these two. There's potential with them. It's a potential for the greatest mutant to ever be born," Essex said with an eerie smile on his lips. He went over and stroked the side of the woman, Jennifer's, face. "This one is especially extraordinary. I must get as much genetic material as possible from both of them. Bone marrow, blood samples, skin tissue, muscle tissue . . . everything," he added softly.

The Blackbird – Present Day

'Mind controlling shape-shifters taking over my mind, a land with dinosaurs, and now, crazy mad scientists. I really wish I can remember when I had something a little normal in life.'

Ororo and Kurt sat on the Blackbird, Storm piloting the aircraft while Mystique of how she'd used to work for Nathaniel Essex during World War II on her lips. The unsettling story of how Essex had experimented on Scott and Jean's ancestors was enough to make Ororo's stomach churn with sickness. If Essex had obsessed with Scott and Jean's great-grandparents as deeply as he did, then God only knew what he'd do to Scott and Jean.

"So, when did you exactly leave his side?" asked Ororo.

"I'd left after I learned he was doing a lot more than just . . . I . . . that's a story for another time. In fact, working with Essex had been a mistake for me, a huge one. I know perfectly well what that bastard is capable of doing; he has an intelligence so sophisticated, he could make Tony Stark's father look like an amateur in comparison. He's obsessed with bloodlines and mutants. He thinks that mutants are the next step towards evolution and humanity evolving.

"However, Scott Summers' family bloodline is one he is even more interested in, because he'd learned upon experimenting on Cyclops' great-grandfather that the Summers family mutation is unique. But how it's unique, I am not quite sure. All I know is that this man is old by at least thousands of years. For all I know, he was probably born all the way back in the nineteenth century," Mystique said bitterly.

"Working with him back in the Second World War is one of the many things that I regret having done in my past, and the fact that I had stuck around afterward . . . another compunction that I've got to live with for the rest of my life. He was interested in me being at his side because I do not only have a shape-shifting power. I've also got a healing factor that allows me to age slower than the average mutant. It was Sinister experimenting on me that gave me this appearance of having blue skin; he wanted me to be the perfect soldier for him. Before I actually used to look somewhat normal before he did what he'd done to me. After running from him, I was found by Magneto and he offered me a place in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants," she added in.

"Well, do you know where Sinister is now?" asked Ororo.

"Believe me . . . I know exactly where that bastard is located. He'll be in his laboratory down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; quite the location he'd chosen, especially for experimenting on his mutate soldiers whom he's got working for him. Believe me, if I can help the X-men take him down, I will be nothing short of satisfied," Raven said. "And Mr. Wagner, I believe he was the one who made you attack the president. He must have drugged you to lead Cyclops and Marvel Girl into his trap."

"But, I doubt zhat you have got no others reasons zhan just zhat," Kurt pointed out to the blue shape-shifter.

Raven grew quiet. Kurt almost thought he saw sadness cross over her features. But, he brushed it aside as Ororo continued to pilot the jet back to X-Corporation Tower. That was the moment a call came over the communications link.

"Storm, where are you? Where are Scott and Red? Is everything alright?" Tony Stark asked over the comm link.

"Tony, I've got the mutant who attacked the president; I've also got Mystique with me. She believes that a man by the name of Nathaniel Essex drugged Kurt Wagner into attacking President Osborn so that he could kidnap Scott and Jean," Ororo said. "Pull up anything that you can possibly find on him. We're on our way."

"Are you sure about working with Mystique, Ororo? She has been known to screw people over, many times. Look at how she manipulated Rogue," Tony said in a warning tone.

"She hates Essex with a passion, Mr. Stark; she's willing to help us for the time being," Storm said as she piloted the jet.

"Alright, but, Mystique, you better not try anything stupid," Tony said in a warning tone as he hung up the line.

Essex Laboratories – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

For nearly an hour, Scott Summers and Jean grey found themselves being weakened by the sedatives that Nathaniel Essex was forcing them to breathe in as he continued to take samples of their DNA. Blood, tissue samples, teeth swabs, dirt underneath fingernails; everything he could possibly think of to gather, he was collecting. Jean hated the feeling of being weak as she laid there at somebody else's mercy. It reminded her too much of how she had been helpless in the mental institution she'd been living in before the professor came and got her.

"Sinister . . . why the hell are you so . . . so insistent on this? What is the point of this?" groaned Jean as her body continued to ache with pains that were overwhelming her whole body as well as her mind. Her limbs felt like jelly. Her muscles were tense with pain as sweat beaded down her face. The sedatives seemed to be adding to the physical pain that she was in.

"You see, Ms. Grey, you have got something that is rather desirable to someone like me. Both you and Mr. Summers here have so much potential to be so much more powerful than you already are. I knew it for years, even before you two children were born," Sinister explained in a sick tone of voice, a cold, chilling smile on his lips.

"Sinister . . . shut up!" groaned Scott behind a clenched jaw. "You're not crazy! You're fucking eccentric! Stalking us for God only knows how many years? How do you know who we are? How long have you known about us? You need a new hobby, immediately!"

"What you call eccentric, I call brilliance, Mr. Summers," Sinister said to them. "The two of you are exceptional; that's a given. But, your powers make you all the more distinctive from any other mutants on this planet. You both are truly one of a kind."

"Well, I would be flattered if you were not planning on using me for your own perverted game!" shouted Jean, her voice laced with anger. "Quit it with the compliments and let us go, Goddammit!" She glared at Sinister with so much anger radiating off of her, that she could make Bobby's organic ice form melt. She looked as though she'd burst into flames in that moment. Her anger was overwhelming her fear of being in a strange laboratory with this mad geneticist who seemed to be highly obsessed with her and Scott.

"Now, now, now, Ms. Grey . . . I would be careful with that temper of yours. It will get you into trouble one day," Sinister taunted, watching as the genetic samples continued to be collected from Scott and Jean as the two young X-men struggled against their bonds.

Up next: Sinister Intent Part 2

A/N

Also, if any of you are up for reading something sexy, yet sweet, you can head over to my Archive of Our Own where I will post some sexy specials for Peace in Our Time of our characters having their "first times" with lovers. Warren's first time with Candy is up on there now, along with Angelica Jones and Johnny Storm.