GI Joe/Marvel universe crossover.

I don't own Marvel or Hasbro.

Silence

Chapter 6: Assassins

Time: 23:27 Zulu, Saturday; 09:27 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

"The notion that mutants aren't human is preposterous," Dr. Moira MacTaggert stated. "Genetically, they are the same as any other human, save for one gene." The Scotswoman watched as a member of the Italian delegation raised her hand up.

"Yes?" Moira asked.

"Dr. MacTaggert," the delegate asked in accented English. "Isn't it true that chimpanzees share ninety-six percent of the human genome? One could argue then that even the difference of one gene could constitute a separate species, correct?" the woman asked. Moira gritted her teeth, but managed to keep her temper under control. Mostly.

"Don't be daft," the geneticist replied, her Scottish brogue thickening slightly. "One wee gene doesn't make mutants into a separate species."

"What Dr. MacTaggert is trying to say," Hank McCoy cut in smoothly, "Is that the presence of a single gene, quite extraordinary really, is the cause of mutations. In fact, according to our research, the X-gene is not necessarily passed on through families. Non-mutant parents can give birth to both non-mutant and mutant children. Conversely, the same holds true for mutant parents." Henry McCoy paused a moment to allow the audience to consider his words before continuing.

"The great Leo Tolstoy once said, 'Even in the shadow of death, two and two do not make six,'" Beast continued. "It should perhaps be evident then that mutants are no less human than anyone else."

Despite the angry mutters in the conference room, Moira couldn't help but smile slightly. Only Henry McCoy would find a way to fit a Tolstoy quote into an international discussion on mutant genetics. Knowing Beast, making a reference to 'the shadow of death' was probably his own discreet way of condemning anti-mutant prejudice.

Actually, now that she thought of it, Hank had provided the perfect opening for an even more important topic.

"The shadow of death is correct," Moira suddenly said. "Even now, while the governments of the world turn their heads, the Legacy virus continues to kill and infect thousands of mutants. Innocent people are suffering and will continue to suffer unless we work together on this issue."

"I concur," her furry, blue companion added. "If this assembly would be so kind, there would be much merit turning our attention to this epidemic."

Moira held her breath as the G8 representatives briefly discussed the matter before the United States delegate motioned for them to continue. She slowly let it out and tried to calm her nerves. So far, the conference was going more smoothly than she had expected.

So far.

Time: 23:52 Zulu, Saturday; 09:52 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

Wolverine sniffed his nose as he prowled around the tall government building. It was very faint, but he picked up the by now familiar smell. Whoever was tailing them was good, no question about that. Their unknown shadow seemed to be trying to keep a distance and mask his scent.

Logan sniffed again. Male, it was definitely the scent of a man.

"Anything Logan?" Jean Grey asked telepathically.

"Someone's definitely followin' us," the mutant answered. "Right now I can't say fer sure whether he's alone or not darlin'."

"It's odd," the woman answered back. "Neither the professor nor I are picking up any suspicious presences."

"Someone could be blocking you," Scott Summers said. The X-Men were currently operating under a telepathic link. Wolverine nodded absentmindedly.

"Cyclops is right. I know we've got a tail," Logan answered. He leaned against a wall and considered their next move. After a moment, he had it.

"Send Kitty my way and tell her to stay hidden. We're going to go do a bit of hunting."

Time: 00:13 Zulu, Sunday; 20:13 local time, Saturday
Location: GI Joe PIT

Alison Hart-Burnett poured two cups of chamomile tea. Although she and her husband were both avid coffee drinkers, both liked to relax at night with something that wasn't pumped full of caffeine. She added honey to hers and a touch of brandy to Dashiell's, who preferred it that way.

Flint was lying on the couch in the private room they both shared. Lady Jaye wryly remembered the original PIT, which hadn't been built to accommodate the size that GI Joe eventually grew to be. Everyone had had to either sleep in barracks, or bunk with a roommate. Now, most active duty Joes had the luxury of a small, private room, with the exception of the Greenshirts and other personnel.

Dashiell Faireborn sat up to make room for his wife on the couch. He gratefully sipped his tea as he brooded on his argument with Duke and the North Korean mission.

"Everyone is making it home safely, and we have Bludd," Lady Jaye pointed out, knowing what was on his mind.

"I know, but Deadpool concerns me. He's a loose cannon," Flint replied. Not to mention a very dangerous loose cannon. They were lucky that everyone was coming home alive.

He was silent as he thought back to his earlier conversation with Duke. Flint regretted losing his temper, as the two men were close friends. He didn't really think that Conrad was anti-mutant and he did have some valid points. However, forcing mutants to register with the government was walking a fine line that could easily end badly.

Lady Jaye didn't say a word as she leaned into her husband's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled gratefully into him. Flint had already told her about what happened at lunch, after he'd calmed down enough to stop ranting.

The Faireborn family had two members that were mutants, so it wasn't surprising that her husband took mutant issues personally. His younger cousin and one of his nieces both had physical mutations, which made life very difficult for the two. His cousin, Marissa Faireborn, was finding almost impossible to find an employer who would hire a mutant. Their six-year old niece, like her older relative had been, was the target of bullying at school. Her parents had begun to home school the little girl.

"I still can't believe he supports mutant registration," Flint muttered. Lady Jaye patted his leg.

"Duke never does something without a reason," she pointed out. Flint grumbled, but didn't disagree with her. Alison twisted around and wrapped both arms around him. She kissed him tenderly before looking into his eyes.

"He's your friend," she said. "I don't agree with him either, but you should at least listen to his point of view. Maybe you can change his mind."

Flint wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in for another deep kiss. He honestly didn't know what he'd do without the remarkable woman in his arms.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Flint finally promised her. "I won't promise that I'll agree with him, but I won't lose my temper again."

"That's all a good friend can do," she told him. He smiled down at her and bent down to kiss her neck.

"How about we stop talking about how to be a good friend and let me be a good husband?" he asked huskily. She pulled him in for another passionate kiss.

Time: 00:30 Zulu, Sunday; 10:30 local time, Sunday
Location: the National Arts Center; Tokyo, Japan

Firefly softly hummed the opening bars of Richard Strauss's Opus 30 as he lounged in a hidden corner on top of Tokyo's most prominent art museum. The mercenary felt no need to keep an eye on events at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, as Storm Shadow had agreed to it.

Besides, Moira MacTaggert was scheduled to give an interview at the arts center in an hour. The Cobra mercenary figured that a few minutes of brief respite wouldn't hurt. Or would it?

A small flash of motion across the rooftop attracted his attention. If he'd been an amateur, he would have missed it.

Firefly fingered the holographic projector on his belt, making certain it was still on. To any observer, he was simply part of the scenery. He watched as a rather attractive woman with short auburn hair and a skintight black bodysuit silently made her way across the rooftop.

The mercenary didn't move and kept his breathing to a minimum. Whoever the woman was, she appeared to only be checking the area. As far as she knew, no one else was on the rooftop.

He rather enjoyed watching her shapely legs as she stealthily made her way across the rooftop, until she was within ten meters of him. Her eyes scanned over him as she silently padded past him.

Tear gas pellets rolled silently towards his feet.

Shit…

Firefly held his breath and allowed his ninja training to kick in. His heartbeat slowed, temporarily reducing the amount of oxygen he needed. The woman was obviously a professional. If he moved, she'd know for certain he was there. Since his objective was killing Moira MacTaggert, revealing himself would make the task infinitely more difficult.

The woman continued to study Firefly's location. The mercenary suddenly recognized her face, which had been irritatingly familiar.

Natalia Alianovna Romanova, the Black Widow.

His day had just become more interesting.

The former Soviet spy fired her Beretta in his direction and Firefly had no choice but to move. He reached into his belt and pulled out a couple of shuriken, which he flung at her. The sharp projectiles bounced harmlessly off of the woman's costume, making the mercenary wonder just what kind of material it was made out of.

Realizing that his cover was completely blown, Firefly swore silently and unsheathed a katana. He'd thought that the woman had simply been doing a routine check of the perimeter before MacTaggert arrived. Firefly suddenly had a suspicion that the Russian had somehow managed to track him. There was no doubt then. The Black Widow definitely lived up to her reputation.

Well then, there was only one thing to do if he was going to avoid the possibility of fighting more than one Avenger.

The mercenary had hidden plastic explosives in the art museum the previous day as a precaution. Now seemed a good time to utilize them as a distraction. Firefly hit the detonator just as the Black Widow fired several energy blasts at him. One managed to catch him in the chest, temporarily dazing the mercenary.

Meanwhile, the rooftop buckled under their feet as explosions began to rip through the four story building. The woman swore violently in Russian. Firefly ignored the pain as he raced off of the roof, leaving the Black Widow to fend for herself.

Time: 00:48 Zulu, Sunday; 10:48 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

Wolverine instantly knew something had happened when the distant sound of a loud explosion hit his sensitive ears, followed by police and ambulance sirens.

"Professor," he thought, relaying the information. Moments later, Professor Charles Xavier replied grimly.

"Someone blew up the National Arts Center. I'll try to find out more information."

Logan looked over at the young woman at his side, who was equally grim. Kitty Pryde was currently using her abilities to keep them invisible while Wolverine continued to search out their mysterious foe. Unfortunately, his senses were deadened while in an intangible state and they had to frequently stop to check the trail.

If not for the fact that their tail was somehow blocking telepathic scans, he'd have Chuck or Jean telepathically hide him instead.

"Shit's about to hit the fan," he told her, grateful yet again for Jean's mental link. The last thing they needed to do was to give away their position by speaking.

"About to?" Kitty asked dryly. "I'd say it just did."

The two X-Men continued on as Logan stopped them every so often to sniff and scan the area. After a few minutes, the Canadian halted them again as he stared up at the ceiling. The scent stopped at his feet, but disappeared into the tiled paneling above him.

"We're either dealing with a mutant or a ninja," he finally told her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt Cyclops swear through the telepathic link.

"Swell," Kitty muttered.

"Welcome to Japan, Kid," he smirked.

"Logan," Professor Xavier suddenly said telepathically. "We just received word that Black Widow fought someone on the roof of the National Arts Center before it exploded. Unless this was a separate operation, your 'friend' isn't working alone."

"Got it Chuck," he answered. "How are Moira n' Hank?"

"They finished their part of the conference," Charles Xavier answered. "The world leaders have moved on to environmental issues. Jean, Cyclops, and I will keep them protected."

"Security's also starting to clamp down," Jean added suddenly. "The authorities here found out about the bombing. They've just now postponed the rest of the conference until they're sure the delegates will be safe."

Logan frowned as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. The scent was fairly fresh, which meant that they were close.

"Logan," the professor said again. "Whoever these people are, they're using some sort of telepathic blocker." As if that wasn't obvious.

"You want me to capture this guy alive, don't you?" Logan grunted. It made sense. Gutting the unknown man, while potentially satisfying, wasn't going to get them any information. That didn't mean, however, that Wolverine had to capture him in pristine condition.

"Yes, I would like him alive," Dr. Charles Xavier replied dryly. "Preferably with all his internal organs still intact."

"I'm not making any promises on what condition he'll be in Chuck," Wolverine answered. "But you know I never kill without a reason."

Time: 01:23 Zulu, Sunday; 11:23 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

Storm Shadow uneasily made his way through the government building, knowing that he was drawing further away from his target. His instincts were screaming danger at him, but the ninja was seeing and hearing nothing out of the ordinary.

Not good, not good at all. Something was definitely wrong.

The ninja slipped through a window and dropped down two levels. With incredible ease he pried open another window and took out three security guards before they even noticed him. Like a ghost, he silently exited the room.

Thomas Arashikage had a hunch that he was being followed. If that was the case, he either had to escape or complete his mission immediately. The ninja had heard the explosion in the distance and the sudden tightening of security was immediately noticeable. If he didn't get McCoy now, he'd have to scrub the mission.

Storm Shadow didn't much like failure.

Time: 01:38 Zulu, Sunday; 11:38 local time, Sunday
Location: Norwegian embassy, Azabu district; Tokyo, Japan

Firefly scowled from his hiding place in the Norwegian embassy. It had been rather easy to slip inside. The security around the Chinese, Russian, and South Korean embassies had been much tighter. The mercenary had spotted several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents near the now devastated art museum, as well as a strange blur that had suddenly appeared. It disappeared again before he got a good look at the figure, but it had obviously been a mutant.

The mission was turning into a disaster.

Still, he wasn't ready to give up yet. Failing in his mission meant not being paid, as well as the wrath of Cobra Commander. Firefly wasn't leaving Tokyo until MacTaggert was dead.

The mercenary touched the communication link in his ear.

"Storm Shadow, give me an update."

No response.

He tried again, but the ninja failed to respond a second time. The mercenary swore as he contacted Cobra Command.

"I need Storm Shadow's position, ASAP."

Time: 01:43 Zulu, Sunday; 11:43 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

In real life, it happened in a mere few seconds. For Storm Shadow, however, time seemed to slow down after he heard a metallic sounding 'Snikt!' behind him. The ninja pivoted around and withdrew his katana just in time to try to block six metal claws. To his horror, the claws sliced through his swords like butter. Tommy ducked and twisted to avoid them, but one set of claws pierced through the muscles in his left shoulder.

A pair of feral, blue eyes glared at him from within a craggy, hairy face.

"Nice day for a walk, Bub," the other man grunted. His claws were still sticking through the ninja's body, preventing him from escaping. Tommy shoved the broken blade of his right katana into the other man's side. The mutant pulled his claws out to deal the piece of steel piercing his lower abdomen.

However, Wolverine continued to press the attack while one hand pulled out the broken blade. Storm Shadow belatedly remembered that the man had healing factor.

Unfortunately, Tommy didn't have any. Blood dripped down from the deep wound in his shoulder. His left arm had become unusable. The ninja ignored the pain spreading from it.

As fast as the ninja was, he missed the lightning quick hand that slipped past his defense and struck a pressure point in his neck. Storm Shadow leapt back, twisting in an aerial somersault as he attempted to put some distance between himself and the mutant. The ninja was rather stunned at the other man's speed.

No, not just the speed, he corrected himself. The ninja had never faced an opponent quite like this. The other man's skill was leaps and bounds beyond anyone he had ever faced, with the possible exception of his deceased uncle. There was no question about who had the greater experience.

"Son of a…" he heard Wolverine swear. "You're an Arashikage."

Tommy saw an opening and went for it. However, the man seemed to not only have anticipated it, but planned it. All skilled martial artists planned their moves ahead, but the man seemed to know just exactly how Storm Shadow was going to fight. The ninja couldn't help but wonder just how far ahead the mutant planned his attacks.

The ninja had the sudden sensation of something wrapping around him and forcing his body to a halt. His body floated up into the air while his opponent looked up at him before looking at something behind him. Wolverine smirked as he looked back up at Storm Shadow.

"Guess what Junior? Jeannie's telekinesis works just fine on you."

Storm Shadow struggled against the invisible bonds holding him up in the air. Blood continued to drip down his injured shoulder and fell in splatters onto the floor.

"We need to find how he is blocking my mind," he heard a woman say.

"Well he ain't a mutant, so either he's got a device or some sort of mental implant," Wolverine answered. Storm Shadow stopped struggling, knowing now that it was useless. He warily eyed the Canadian now glaring at him. The mutant held up a pair of claws in front of Storm Shadow's face.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he growled. Storm Shadow stared back at him silently.

"There may be an easier way," another female voice said. Tommy was unable to see the other woman, though judging from her voice, she was only a few feet away from him.

"My phasing disrupts electrical energy," the voice continued. "If he's got a device on him, I can destroy it."

"Do it," Wolverine replied gruffly. Storm Shadow was trying to figure out what phasing was, when something passed through his body. Tommy hissed both from the sudden numbness, as well as in surprise when a woman floated out from his chest.

He felt a pop and a burst of pain in his right ear.

"I'm in," he heard. After a moment, Storm Shadow realized that he'd heard the voice in his head.

………………………………………..

Time: 02:01 Zulu, Sunday; 12:01 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

"Is this a good idea, professor?" Scott Summers asked. He, Charles Xavier, Hank McCoy, and Moira MacTaggert made their way quickly towards Jean's location.

"It is better if we are together," the professor answered. "According to Jean, this Storm Shadow is working with another man known as Firefly, who is also wearing a telepathic blocker."

"Yeah, and they're after Hank and Moira," Scott pointed out. "We should get them to the Blackbird immediately."

"Yes, the professor answered. "I've contacted Quicksilver. He's currently searching the wreckage of the art museum for survivors and will be here shortly."

The small group quickly made their way down the corridor. Cyclops uneasily eyed their surroundings. He was very concerned over how vulnerable they were at the moment.

"Professor," Jean suddenly said. "This man has been brainwashed."

Charles Xavier frowned as he too touched the man's mind. The telepath was shocked by the mental implants and suggestions he found. The ninja had been manipulated and his mind twisted to such as extent that he clearly had no free will or even any indication that he lacked it.

It rather reminded him of the brainwashing evident in Logan's own mind from Weapon X and Hydra.

"This man isn't an enemy," Charles stated telepathically. "He's a victim."

………………………………………..

Time: 02:15 Zulu, Sunday; 12:15 local time, Sunday
Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1; Tokyo, Japan

Firefly hummed softly to himself as he dumped tear gas into one of the ventilation pipes. Cobra Command had tracked Storm Shadow's signal to the east end of the fifth floor. Something had happened to destroy the communication link in the ninja's ear, but from what headquarters could tell, Arashikage had been captured.

The mercenary had no intention of making the same mistakes. He twirled the bottle of pepper spray in his left hand, which he had snagged off of an unfortunate Japanese woman. It should work nicely if he had to face a certain feral Canadian. The mercenary had heard that Wolverine had rather keen senses.

He placed a small gas mask under his normal mask as the tear gas began to spread through the building. Firefly continued on towards where Storm Shadow's signal had disappeared. Panicked men and women fled past him, coughing and choking from the gas.

A sudden explosion shook the building, startling the mercenary. He increased his already considerable speed as he ran towards the source of it. Firefly halted at the sight of a large, gaping hole that had been blasted through the outer wall. The tear gas was leaking out of the new source of ventilation.

Just up ahead, Firefly spotted a blue and yellow figure bending over a man in a wheelchair. A red haired woman and a furry, blue mutant stood next them, still coughing.

"This is my lucky day," Firefly smirked. Some bloodthirsty deity had to be looking out for him. He quickly assembled his sniper rifle, aimed at the woman, and fired.

Moira MacTaggert slumped to the ground, dead before she even hit it. Firefly abandoned the rifle, not bothering to disassemble it. He sprinted towards the gaping hole in the wall and threw himself out of it.

He barely missed being disintegrated by a blazing hot beam of red energy.

…………………………………………

Author's note: Sorry, no Beach Head again, as well as no Lifeline. No worries though, they'll reappear next chapter. After all, Beach is one of the main characters of the story. I really needed to focus on Stormy, Firefly, and the X-Men this chapter.

As for Flint's cousin, I'd already planned to name her Marissa before I found out that in a Transformers episode, a character named Marissa Faireborn had appeared. She is apparently supposed to be his future daughter in the TV series.

As for Wolverine v. Storm Shadow, I didn't see any possible way that Tommy could win, especially with the other X-Men around. Logan is far older than Stormy, so his experience far surpasses him. The character Forge also once referred to him as the "equivalent of an Olympic-level gymnast performing a gold medal routine while simultaneously beating four chess computers in his head."