Thank you for the review! A quick warning: I've been on holiday this past week, hence the frequency of the updates. I'm back at work next week so they might not appear as often but I promise I would never abandon a story.

CHAPTER FIVE

The group in Xavier's office constituted a council of war: Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Rogue, Iceman, Kitty, Archangel and Gambit. "So when do we hit them?"Wolverine asked.

Xavier raised an eyebrow as he stared at him. "Well, first we need to find out exactly who 'they' are."

"It's got to be linked to that guy Warren and I fought,"Kitty argued. "Madrox."

"Possibly."

"We have some reports on possible associates of Madrox,"Beast revealed.

"A colourful collection of individuals,"Xavier noted. "But there's nothing to suggest any of them would be involved with graverobbing."

Rogue swallowed slightly before answering the next question. The details hadn't been made clear the night it had happened and she hadn't felt like asking Logan. "What exactly did they..?"

"They didn't take the body,"Storm replied. "But they did…tamper with it."

Gambit noticed how Wolverine was starting to look like a coiled spring. "Perhaps this line of questioning is not helpful."

"I agree,"Xavier concurred.

"What about these associates of Madrox?"Warren asked.

"Yes,"Storm agreed, holding out her hand. "I'd like to see this information."

Beast made to hand the pad over but Xavier stopped him. "I think that information is a bit too sensitive to be made public at the moment."

Wolverine looked at him angrily. "So that's how it is now, is it? You're back calling the shots and the rest of us just have to fall in line?"

"I have my reasons for wanting to keep certain information secret, Logan. There are old friends that I owe debts to. You'll just have to trust me."

"Yeah? You ever hear the saying that trust is a two-way street?"

The promising argument developing between the two of them was interrupted by a noise from outside. A brief whining noise followed by an explosion that caused the building to shake slightly. "What was that?" Bobby asked.

Wolverine grinned. "The dinner gong."

Colossus, Jubilee and Siryn ran out of the mansion, after giving a quick signal to the other students to stay inside. They were confronted by a large figure striding across the lawn. The man looked as though he were somewhere in his early sixties, with grey hair, yet his body rippled with muscles. He was wearing a simple khaki outfit that made him look like a soldier. The weapon he was carrying resembled a compact rifle. He aimed it over the three teenagers' heads and fired. A large chunk of the mansion wall exploded at the impact.

The group from Xavier's office emerged as well and began fanning out across the edge of the lawn. Wolverine strode forward, matching the newcomer's posture, and walked right up to him. "You're on private property, bud. But then, I've a feeling you know about some intruders we had here a few days ago."

He extended his claws and made to strike a blow. The newcomer struck out with his right arm, backhanding Wolverine. Wolverine braced his body for impact with a blow of human strength but instead the force knocked him clean off his feet, causing him to hit the ground some way away from his opponent. He scrambled into a crouching position. "That guy's made of metal!"

"How interesting,"Xavier commented. "I had no idea I was such a trendsetter."

"Only one arm,"the newcomer corrected, the first time he had spoken. "The rest of me is human."

"That's a shame,"Colossus replied. "Because when I want, I can be all metal." He transformed his body into its metal form and rushed to battle the newcomer. Their arms met in a wrestling move, each of them trying to force the other backwards. At first, it seemed like Colossus was winning the battle. But then he began to be forced backwards himself.

"Unfortunately,"said the newcomer,"my powers are not restricted to having a metal arm."

The X-Men gaped. The newcomer was no longer even touching Colossus, yet he continued to be forced backwards, as if by some invisible force. Siryn opened her mouth and emitted a shrill scream. It didn't seem to cause their opponent any damage but it was enough to make him break his concentration, shaking his head to clear the noise and releasing his psychic grip on Colossus.

Gambit and Jubilee stepped forward, Gambit charging up a playing card and hurling it, Jubilee generating her plasma fireworks and hurling them at the same time. The newcomer swatted the projectiles aside without any obvious harm. Storm concentrated for a moment, then hit him with the force of a cyclone. It was enough to blast him off his feet and send him hurtling away from them. He struggled to one knee. "I didn't come here to fight."

"You're doing a good impression of someone who did." Storm made to blast him again but the newcomer fired a laser blast from one of his eyes that caught her on the arm, causing her to gasp in pain.

Wolverine came to her side, rubbing the damaged limb. "You okay?"

Storm was tempted to pull away but appreciated his concern, even if she didn't really need him getting protective on her. "Just a slight burn."

Xavier stepped to the front of the group, gesturing for everyone else to stand down. "Who are you?"he asked.

"I have been told you may call me…Cable."

"Why did you come here?"

"My instructions were to collect blood samples from members of the mutant group known as the X-Men." Cable's gaze went across the group assembled in front of him, picking out his targets. "Logan, AKA Wolverine. Ororo Munroe, AKA Storm. Henry McCoy, AKA Beast. Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit. Marie D'Ancanto, AKA Rogue. Robert Drake, AKA Iceman. Peter Rasputin, AKA Colossus. Warren Worthington III, AKA Archangel. Katherine Pryde…" He stopped, staring at Kitty for a moment. "No codename?"

Kitty shrugged. "I change my mind about what I like best every five minutes so I've never bothered."

Cable turned his attention back to the professor. "Charles Xavier. It is understood your new body is metallic and has no blood?"

"That is correct,"Xavier confirmed.

"Then no blood sample from you is required." Cable took a handful of syringes from a pocket and threw them at the group's feet.

Storm picked them up. "Why should we do as you ask?"

"Because if you do, I will depart in peace. Also, I have been instructed to provide you with a sample of my blood in exchange."

"No offence,"Wolverine interjected,"but why should we want your blood?"

"I don't know. But I've been told you may find the results very interesting."

Storm began handing out the syringes to those Cable had named. "Do as he says. It's the only way to resolve this."

Siryn nudged Jubilee. "Do you reckon we should feel insulted we weren't included?"

Cable collected the syringes once they were filled. As he took the one from Gambit, he paused. "Mister Sinister sends his regards." Gambit went suddenly pale and looked away. As he collected the last of the samples, Cable filled another syringe with his own blood and handed it to Storm. "Until we meet again."

"Do we follow him?"Wolverine asked quietly as Cable walked away from them.

Xavier shook his head. "I'll use Cerebro to track him. That should give us better results."

Jubilee was watching Gambit, whose face still wore an expression of shock. "Remy? Gambit? Are you all right?"

For a second, Gambit seemed to consider answering. Then he turned away and walked back into the mansion. Everyone watched him go for a moment. Then Kitty spoke. "Who's Mister Sinister?"

"Even though it's well-documented, a lot of people don't believe it." Beast turned the computer screen with the file on it round so Xavier, Wolverine, Rogue, Bobby, Kitty and Warren could see it. They stared at the photograph attached to the file. It appeared, even on a screen, yellowed with age. It depicted a handsome man wearing a top hat and fitted suit that looked even older than the photograph.

"I take it that's an old photo,"Bobby remarked.

"Yes,"Beast confirmed. "It's the last photo anyone's ever seen of him. Taken in London in 1897. That's Nathaniel Essex. Born 1861. Died, so far as anyone can gather…never."

"That would make him over a hundred years old,"Warren protested.

"One of the oldest mutants around,"Beast agreed.

"One of the oldest people around,"Rogue corrected.

"So what's he got to do with all this?"Wolverine asked.

"He was a geneticist,"Beast replied. "He was obsessed with building a better human. They say he experimented upon himself, perhaps accelerated his own mutation in the quest for perfection. Somewhere along the way he adopted the name Mister Sinister. I think he considers it a joke."

"A geneticist,"Xavier repeated. "Just the sort of person who might collect genetic samples from mutants."

"But what's he going to do with them?"Kitty asked.

"I think we might be able to answer that,"Storm told them as she entered the room with Colossus and Siryn. "We've been studying the blood sample we took from Cable. At first it seemed unremarkable. A high concentration of mutant genes, more than you'd normally get perhaps, but nothing outstanding. But then I thought to check his DNA. And I found a match with two other genetic profiles we had on file."

"Well don't keep us in suspense,"Rogue encouraged.

"As far as we can gather,"Siryn attempted.

"As far as we can gather,"Storm interrupted,"Cable is the child of Scott Summers and Jean Gray."