Vlad and Xavier gasped for air as they carried the wounded Magneto to land.

Now that they had reached dry land, Xavier took a look at his surroundings. "Wherever we are and whoever brought us here, we're not going to be able to leave the way we came."

"It appears so." Vlad said.

A pterodactyl shrieked as it flew across the sky.

Magneto, now conscious, Vlad, and Xavier were walking through a path of geysers. When Magneto decided to speak about what was on his mind. "I shall never understand you, Charles."

"In what way?" Xavier replied.

"Your life would be infinitely easier if mine were to end, yet you saved me." Magneto pointed out, wondering why Xavier would risk his life to help an enemy.

Vlad whistled at the new information. "Deciding to help out an enemy despite it making things harder for you." He said to Xavier. "I can see why Daniel joined your group."

"Human, don't interrupt our conversation." Magneto spoke down to Vlad as if he were an inferior being.

"Magneto, please." Xavier tried to calm his old friend's hostility toward their third member. "He is an ally to mutantkind. He gave his summer home to a group of mutants that had no where else to go."

"Truly?" Magneto asked Vlad, looking at him with a hint of respect. He thought that Vlad was nothing more than some rich human socialite too caught up in his own money and selfishness to care about the hard times mutants all around the world were going through.

Vlad nodded, not at all frightened by Magneto. "I will admit it wasn't out of the goodness of my heart. I only did it because Daniel requested it, and I only agreed when I got something in return."

Magneto sneered. "Typical selfish Homo sapien."

Vlad chuckled at Magneto's ignorance. "Trust me, my dear friend. There's nothing ordinary about me at all. If it weren't for our powers being disabled, I might show you."

"Then you are a mutant?" Magneto asked.

"Are you?" Xavier also asked; he wasn't aware of Vlad's hybrid status.

"No." Vlad answered. "I am something more."

"What are you?" Magneto was curious. If he wasn't a mutant, then exactly what was he?

"It doesn't matter what he is, Magneto." Xavier said. "He has helped me rescue you from drowning. We are all powerless and must rely on each other if we hope to survive the hurdles that come our way."

A glance at Magneto's face showed that he wasn't dropping the subject, so Xavier continued. "Just because he's not a mutant doesn't mean he can't help. Need I remind you of my student, Daniel? He was no mutant, yet he still puts his life on the line to bring peace, just like my other X-Men."

Magneto's mood soured at the mention of Danny and how he humiliated him back at the plant. "What is he, then? That power. I've never seen anything like it."

Xavier hesitated. He had no right to share Danny's secret, plus he didn't want to know what Magneto would do with the knowledge of ghosts and their existence. "It is not my secret to share."

Magneto sighed. "Very well, Charles. You keep your secrets, and I'll keep mine. But my original question is still unanswered. Why did you save me?"

That was a question that Xavier could answer. "I do not yearn for an easy life, Magneto, only a just one. I would take little satisfaction in your death."

"Yep." Vlad commented. "Daniel truly belongs with you and your group."

The conversation would have continued if the sound of a giant stomp had rung through their ears.

Out of the trees came an unbelievable sight. A living, breathing Tyrannosaurus rex. It roared at the trio as it chased them, hoping to treat itself to some nice snacks.

The three men ended up being chased around a geyser.

"Get to the other side of the geyser!" Magneto ordered as they dodged a tail swipe from their pursuer. "Keep the geyser between us!"

They kept circling around the geyser, with the T-Rex following. Magneto saw a couple rocks and threw them at the dinosaur.

"What are you doing?" Xavier scolded. "Isn't he angry enough already?"

"I don't want him to leave." Magneto stated.

"What?" Xavier was dumbfounded.

"Your friend seems to be short a couple of brain cells." Vlad said to Xavier. He then muttered under his breath. "Even Daniel wasn't this foolhardy."

Out of rocks, Magneto joined the two in running away. "Patience, Charles." Magneto said. "All things come to those who wait."

"A fellow chess player?" Vlad said. "If we survive this, I might want to take you up on a game of it."

Magneto threw another rock. "Come and get us, you overgrown lizard!"

The T-Rex snarled as the geyser went off. Sadly for the T-Rex, its head was right above it, causing the steam to knock it out.

Magneto glared down at the unconscious predator. "I may not have my mutant powers, Charles, but I shall not die easily."

"Bravo." Vlad said. "A truly ingenious tactic, I might learn a thing or two from you about strategy."

In the country of Russia. A secret underground lab was entered by two men. One of them went to the controls and spoke in his native tongue. "The program is activated."

Two metal doors opened, unearthing the secret that was kept hidden in this compound. Several cryogenic tubes were connected to a capsule that opened, revealing a figure inside.

"Full power in five minutes." The man said.

As they were waiting for the power to charge, the city that they were located in was being invaded by tanks. They fired on the buildings as citizens ran in terror. Not only that, but robotic soldiers were also opening fire on the people. One boy was almost crushed by the debris of a falling building if it weren't for the timely intervention of one man.

Back in the chamber, the tubes were disconnecting from the capsule as the figure inside was being defrosted from his hibernation. Gaining consciousness, the frozen man burst out of his icy prison.

He had snow-white skin and red eyes with no pupils. He had blonde hair that was wrapped in a ponytail. He was wearing some sort of red titanium armor on his body. From his wrists came two tentacle-like appendages that served as his weapons. On his head was a headband that showed the omega symbol.

"The leaders were weak." He spoke in a menacing Russian accent. He made his way outside, where he stared at the burning city. "They restrained me once and lost the empire. Now they have brought me back, a living weapon they once had grown to fear. The empire shall live. They shall not."

A general was looking out the window in worry, expecting a guest who was late. "Where is she? Something has gone wrong!"

The doors opened allowing a blonde woman to enter the room. "Nothing has gone wrong, General."

"Darkstar?" The general inquired.

"Omega Red has been released from his bondage." Darkstar informed him. "The first stage of the takeover is complete. The republic's capital has fallen."

"So it begins, comrades!" The general boasted. "Soon these pathetic sovereign nations will be returned where they belong, to Mother Russia. We shall restore our beloved Soviet Union!"

Darkstar wasn't as excited as the general. "You say this is for the good of the people. For this, you risk using a living weapon, one you could not control before. For the sake of my countrymen, I hope you are right."

Danny and Jubilee were leaving the institute grounds on his motorcycle as they headed to the grocery store.

"It's bad enough being left behind, but they never leave anything to eat!" Jubilee complained about being left behind again.

"Oh, come on, Jubilee." Danny tried to cheer her up. "I'm sure you would have been bored senseless if you went with the others to Congress. I knew I would; that's why I didn't go. I'm not really one for listening to those boring speeches and proposals."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one who stayed behind." Jubilee said. "I just wish you guys would let me go on more missions."

Danny tried to calm her down. "Jubilee, we're just..."

"Worried for my safety." She replied blandly. The young X-Woman had heard this a thousand times. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

"All I'm saying is that when you're older and constantly on missions, you'll look back on these times and realize how fun and relaxing they were." Danny told her. "I mean, back at Amity Park, fighting ghosts wasn't all fun and games. I had to fight as late as three in the morning and still had to get good grades in school. It got tiring after a while."

Jubilee didn't respond, as her attention was drawn to some graffiti. "What the heck?" She read what it said. "Destroy all mutants?" Under it was the signature of the Friends of Humanity. "With the Friends of Humanity, who needs enemies?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Ah, who cares about those losers? They got nothing better to do than vandalize some grocery store. Get a life."

They got off the motorcycle, where Danny turned the wall intangible, causing the paint to fade away. They then heard someone pleading for help from inside the store.

"No! Don't! Please!" A man begged.

Inside the store, a group of F.O.H. members were harassing a cashier. "We don't want mutant lovers in our town, so we're moving you out!"

The cashier left the counter to flee when one of them grabbed him by his shirt. "Get out!"

"Try picking on someone your own size!" Jubilee challenged the group.

One of them laughed. "Ha! Like you?"

"No." Danny got in front of Jubilee. "Like me!" He threw a punch at the man, while Jubilee threw a firework at another.

The leader of the group pointed at Jubilee. "She's a mutant! Get her!"

Jubilee jumped on the counter and threw two more fireworks at them. Danny went into ultra-protective big brother mode. He grabbed one goon and threw him into another, knocking them into one of the aisles.

Another tried to swing his bat at Danny, but the hybrid snatched it and tore it in half. Danny sent a roundhouse kick to his head. One of them glared at Danny, figuring he was also a mutant. "We're gonna see you beg, mutant!"

"Did I hear you desire to see mutant?" Colossus entered the store and turned his skin into metal. The crooks threw items at Colossus, but they bounced off of him. "We are to play catch?"

He chased after the group, which fled in terror.

"Get me out of here!"

"Let's get out of here!"

Colossus turned to the three people in the store. "You two are alright?"

"Thanks to Danny and my old pal, Colossus!" Jubilee jumped into his arms for a hug. "Lucky you happened to be passing by."

"Thanks for the help, buddy." Danny appreciated his assistance. "But how do you know Jubilee?"

"Oh, we met back when Juggernaut invaded the mansion." Jubilee said.

"It is good to see you." Colossus said to Jubilee. "Are you a mutant as well?"

Danny didn't really want to go into the whole ghost explanation. "Kinda."

"We're just glad you stopped by for a visit." Jubilee said.

Colossus turned serious. "Not visit. I was on my way to your mansion. I need the X-Men's help."

The three were in the mansion's kitchen.

"No one's home." Jubilee said.

"Where is Xavier?" Colossus asked.

"We don't know." Danny answered. "Cyclops is in charge now. He's in Washington with Jean and Beast, testifying before Congress on the mutant question."

"Terrible things are happening in my newly freed homeland." Colossus stated with apprehension. "My people are being driven from their homes by armies led by an evil monster, someone called Omega Red!"

"Sounds ominous." Danny joked.

Jubilee tried to reassure Colossus. "I know the X-Men will help you as soon as they return."

This didn't satisfy Colossus. "I cannot wait. My family, all my world is in danger. I must go now, alone."

"Not alone." Danny said confidently as he turned into his ghost form.

Colossus recognized him. "It is you! The one who stopped the Juggernaut at the bank."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he recalled the time his human and ghost halves were separated. "Yeah, you caught me at a bad time." He turned to Jubilee. "I'd say for you to stay home, but we know somehow you would find a way to tag along. So, do you want to come along?"

Jubilee jumped with excitement. "Of course. Just let me write a note for the others." She got out a piece of paper and a pen. "Hi! Gone to Black Sea with Colossus to stop some guy named Omega Red. Dinner's in the freezer. Have a nice day. Jubilee." She placed it on the fridge. "There! Let's go kick some butt!"

They went to the hanger and took one of the spare jets. Jubilee jumped into the pilot's seat. "Sit back and leave the driving to us!"

Danny rolled his eyes as he pulled her out of the pilot's seat and placed her in the passenger's seat. "In your dreams, sis."

"Hey!" Jubilee protested. "I've logged over three hundred hours in the simulator. The professor keeps telling me I have great reflexes."

"Still not happening." Danny said as he prepared the jet for takeoff.

The three heroes overlooked the city covered in smoke.

Colossus had a look of sorrow on his face. "This was the capital of my country, so recently freed."

"This is awful!" Jubilee was disgusted by all the damage caused. "All the people are gone!"

"So what do we do first, Colossus?" Danny asked the Russian mutant.

Colossus led them down a street. "I must find my family!"

Elsewhere, tanks were approaching the parliament as people ran for cover.

Inside the parliament, one man stood at the podium as he tried to boost morale. "We must resist! Help must be on the way."

"There will be no help!" They all turned to see Omega Red step into the room.

"You..." The man stammered as Omega Red came closer to him. "You can't come in here. This parliament is..."

"Officially dissolved." Omega Red finished for him. He used one of his tentacles to knock the stand away and another to wrap around the politician. "Your country no longer exists, so it has no need for leaders." The tentacle glowed as the man felt his energy being drained.

"Stop!" Darkstar flew in to stop any blood from being spilled. "We were instructed only to exile the parliament."

"Instructed!" Omega Red was furious. "The people instruct me! In this chaos of disunion, the people are frightened." He threw the politician to the floor. "They demand a return to the iron hand of a true ruler! My iron hand!"

Danny and Jubilee had followed Colossus to a devastated barn.

Jubilee was alarmed at the damage. "Oh, no!"

"Mother!" Colossus fell to his knees in despair. "Illyana!"

"This was your farm?" Danny asked, feeling sympathy for Colossus.

"It was my home." Colossus said. "Life was hard, but we were a family. In those days, the government was suspicious of any damage to their equipment. Many were branded wreckers or disloyal. I, a mutant, took the blame. I left my home, my country, rather than bring the wrath of the government upon my family. Now look at this."

"Piotr!" A voice called.

Colossus saw a blonde girl about Jubilee's age crawl out of the wreckage and run to him with her arms outstretched.

"Illyana!" He brought his sister in for a hug. "Illyana, you are safe!"

"I hid when the soldiers came." She replied. "Why do they do this?"

"Do not fear, little sister." Colossus comforted her. "I will free our friends and our family!"

"I hope the guys got my note." Jubilee hoped.

"I hope they can read your handwriting." Danny remarked.

The Blackbird returned to the institute, and Wolverine made his way to the kitchen. As he was about to open the fridge, he noticed the note and read it.

Wolverine growled. "Omega Red." He crumbled the note in his hand and threw it to the ground as he left the kitchen. The feral mutant got into one of the spare jets and homed in on the tracking beam attached to the jet that Danny and Jubilee took.

He took off to confront Omega Red.

Danny, Jubilee, Colossus, and Illyana were hiding behind a boulder as they looked at a gate that had two guards posted there.

"The soldiers brought our people here." Illyana said.

"I will free them now!" Colossus charged straight towards the gate while Illyana tried to stop him.

"Piotr! Wait!"

Danny shook his head. "Idiot."

Colossus didn't listen as he ran toward the robotic soldiers. "Give me back my family!" He knocked the guards away and bent the gate open. A tank immediately opened fire on him, but Colossus leaped over to it and flipped it over.

Back outside the gate, Danny turned to Illyana. "Stay here and don't move." He then went off with Jubilee to assist Colossus.

Colossus was being fired upon by some guards from a tower.

Jubilee blasted the tower, causing it to collapse. "I thought you might need some help."

"Mutant." They saw Omega Red walking toward them with Illyana wrapped in one of his tentacles.

"When I said don't move, I didn't mean don't run if someone spots you." Danny said.

"Surrender, or this one is finished." Omega Red threatened.

"Illyana!" Colossus was helpless to see his sister at the mercy of this monster. He saw that her energy was being drained away. "No!"

Colossus was about to tackle Omega Red when one of his tentacles tripped him.

"Fool! You cannot stop me!"

"I can, you stinking octopus." Wolverine said from behind Omega Red. "Just like last time!"

Omega Red let go of Illyana as he examined his old foe. "Wolverine."

Wolverine narrowed his eyes. "I heard some fools thawed you out, so I'm here to put you back on ice!"

Omega Red tried to take a swing at his enemy with a tentacle, but Wolverine avoided it. He slashed Omega Red's face, only to be grabbed by another tentacle.

"Let me reintroduce you to my coils!" Omega Red tried to strangle Wolverine.

Colossus went to check on his sister. "Illyana? Are you alright?"

"Yes, Piotr." She pointed at Wolverine. "But you must help the one who saved me."

Wolverine managed to cut off one of Omega Red's tentacles. This angered him, making him throw Wolverine into a wall.

"You are weaker than ever, Wolverine." Omega Red taunted. "You are too old for fighting. Goodbye, little man."

Danny blasted Omega Red and addressed Jubilee and Illyana. "Get everyone out of here. Now!"

As the prisoners were escaping, a couple embraced Illyana. "Illyana!"

"Mama! Papa! You are safe!" Illyana cried in happiness.

Jubilee hated to break up the tearful scene, but she had to get everyone to safety. "Let's save the reunion for later. Come on."

Danny and Colossus went over to the injured Wolverine.

Wolverine brushed off their attempts to help him. "I don't need your help."

"Well, too bad you're getting it." Danny shot back.

"And you are guest in my country." Colossus added. "It is good manners."

"You can't argue with good manners." Danny said to Wolverine.

Omega Red watched with fury as they all left the prison. "They cannot prevent my nation's destiny."

Unknown to him, Darkstar was floating above him, watching him.

The injured prisoners were being tended to by their rescuers.

Jubilee was rubbing some gauze on Wolverine's wounds.

"Thanks, kid." He thanked. "I'm okay now."

Danny then approached Wolverine with questions. "So now that you're better, can you explain your history with that guy? Because you both acted like you had met before."

"I tangled with Omega Red before either of you were born." Wolverine confided. "The Soviets created him. Red's got his own plans for this country, and worst of all, nothing hurts him."

"You defeated him!" Colossus reminded him.

"Slowed him down." Wolverine clarified. "And I got lucky."

Colossus remained hopeful about the situation. "Then we will get lucky again!"

"I don't know." Danny said. "Our luck has been kind of shitty lately."

They then heard the sound of a plane and looked up to see a familiar jet.

"The Blackbird!" Jubilee said ecstatically.

The Blackbird landed as Storm, Gambit, and Rogue exited the aircraft.

Jubilee ran up to them. "What kept you guys?"

Rogue pulled out her note. "We'd have been here sooner, but someone," She glanced at Wolverine, "trashed your note."

"You left without permission, Jubilee." Storm was angry with Jubilee for leaving. "You have endangered yourself and others. And you, Danny. How could you bring Jubilee along on this dangerous adventure?"

"In my defense." Danny held his hands up to placate Storm. "She actually didn't get into any trouble and held her own. The only problem we had was when Ivan Drago," He pointed at Colossus, "decided to be an idiot and break into the prison without a plan."

Jubilee returned the topic back to the important issue. "Colossus and his people need our help!"

"The kid's right." Wolverine agreed. "Omega Red's trying to grab back all the countries the Soviet Union let go. If we don't stop him here, we might not get another chance."

Omega Red stood in the abandoned building that he attacked earlier. "It begins. The rebirth of the greatest empire on Earth."

"This is not what was promised!" Darkstar entered through a hole in the roof. "The towns are in ruins. The inhabitants who survive have fled. The general's victory is hollow."

Omega Red snarled. "I fight for the empire they gave away! The people cry out for order!"

Darkstar saw there was no chance of reasoning with Omega Red, so she left. "What have we let loose upon the world?"

"Follow me!" Colossus urged the citizens. "With the help of the X-Men, we will take back our country!"

"Colossus! Look out!" Jubilee pointed to the tanks that had arrived.

Everyone scattered from the enemy's fire. A group of people would have been blown away if a purple shield hadn't protected them.

Colossus looked up to see that the shield was made by Darkstar.

Darkstar fired a purple beam from her hand at a tank, igniting it in an explosion.

Colossus climbed up onto one of the tanks. "Get out of my country!" He tore the cannon off as the driver ran off.

Rogue held one up in the air. "Come on, fellas. Come out and be sociable." They fell out of the hatch and landed on the cold ground. "Well, that's more like it."

Gambit threw three cards at another tank, blowing it to smithereens.

Danny blasted another one with his ghost ray. Storm decimated another with her lighting.

Darkstar got rid of the shield that was protecting the people.

"Who are you?" Jubilee asked.

Colossus glared at her. "Darkstar. A pawn of the old general's!"

"No longer." Darkstar's face betrayed the regret that she was feeling. "I have seen what their ultimate weapon has done to our people. Omega Red must be stopped."

"Then let's do it!" Jubilee encouraged.

The X-Men were leading the people across the bridge to the city, while the flying X-Men, Storm, Danny, and Rogue, were dealing with any tanks that were on standby.

"Whirlwind, deliver them!" Storm summoned a whirlwind, which destroyed the armored vehicle.

Omega Red walked out to see the X-Men beating his forces.

Storm ended up getting hit, but was caught by Darkstar.

Gambit threw a card in the cannon of a tank, making it blow up from within.

"Wolverine has brought allies." Omega Red observed. He used a tentacle to grab Gambit.

"Let him go!" Jubilee demanded as she blasted Omega Red, but it did no damage to him. He then used another tentacle to grab her.

Rogue and Danny saw their friends being held captive.

Omega Red started to drain them. "One mutant or a hundred, they shall all bow before the great Soviet Empire."

Rogue and Danny both sent punches at Omega Red, forcing him to let go of his captives as he was knocked through a wall.

A tentacle then wrapped around Rogue. "Where'd you come from, you tin squid?" She cried.

Danny phased her out of Omega Red's grip.

Omega Red appraised Danny. "You are the strongest of Wolverine's mutant friends. I want you all to see that none are safe from my tentacles."

Danny grimaced. "That just sounds wrong out of context."

Before Omega Red could reply, Wolverine jumped onto his back.

"You're mine, Red!" He tried to stab him, but the armor protected Omega Red.

"Forgot about my Carbonadium armor, didn't you?" Omega Red seized Wolverine with one of his appendages. "Well, you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

Danny phased Wolverine out. "Trust me, Wolverine isn't the one to ask for assistance. I know, I tried."

Colossus pushed Omega Red from behind. "Our country is through with empires, Omega Red."

Omega Red grabbed Colossus, only for him to be rescued by Danny.

He gave a look of bewilderment to Omega Red, amazed at his inability to learn. "Seriously, when are you going to figure out that as long as I'm here, you can't touch my friends?"

Omega Red ignored the jab. "For twenty-five years, they imprisoned me."

"And now he's monologuing." Danny deadpanned.

Omega Red kept going. "They were right to fear me."

"Buddy, you know we're going to stop you, right?" Danny asked him, like a parent explaining something to a child.

"I cannot be. I shall not be." Omega Red proclaimed.

"It's like talking to a brick wall." Danny muttered.

Darkstar acknowledged Storm. "Mutant! You command the winds. Do you also command the cold?"

"Yes." Storm answered.

"The deepest cold held Omega Red prisoner." Darkstar said. "Perhaps it can still stop him."

Storm flew into the sky. "Forces of nature's cold, freeze!"

Omega Red noticed the snow that Storm brought. "What? No!" He knocked Storm out of the sky. "Witch!" He insulted her. "Fools! When will you..."

Colossus had grabbed him from behind. "Storm! Your cold hurt him! Now! With all your strength!"

"If you think her cold is painful, wait until you try mine." Danny then blasted Omega Red with his cryokinesis.

"Ice, winds, storms!"

"No, not again." Omega Red raged as he was slowly frozen.

Illyana hugged her brother. "Piotr! He's been stopped!"

Colossus grinned. "Yes, Illyana. We are free." He gave one more glance at Omega Red. "For now."

The general was speaking to his subordinates. "Soon it will be as it was!"

The wall of the room exploded as Darkstar stepped through. "It will never again be as it was. Your army has been defeated, and your monster has been returned to the ice from which he came." She captured them in a purple bubble she made as she dragged them along. "A new day has dawned. Your night of terror is over."

As the people were working on rebuilding their homes. Colossus was saying his goodbyes to the X-Men.

"With Omega Red back on ice, why don't you come back with us?" Wolverine offered.

Colossus politely refused. "Thank you, my friend, but this is my home. We must rebuild what Omega Red destroyed."

Jubilee kissed him on the cheek. "At least come and visit. I can fly you over."

Colossus considered it. "Well, perhaps."

After exchanging farewells, Illyana and Colossus watched as the Blackbird returned home.

"Piotr, is the terror really over?" Illyana asked him.

"Yes." Colossus confirmed. "Thanks to such friends as the X-Men."

They waved to the retreating Blackbird.