Evolution by BJ Jones

Stage Seven – Artificial Life

~ Raccoon City: Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical Company ~


It was a city within a city.

The main entrance to it was a wide Front Gate, which had a single Guard Shack in the center of the in and out lanes.

Along the left side wall lay storage and fuel tanks.

To the right, the road directed employees and visitors to a parking garage.

From there, assorted walkways led to a variety of different buildings, the largest of which was in the center of the compound. It was ten stories high, with at least four floors underground.

There were two buildings attached to that main office, one on each side, set slightly further back. They were smaller in stature at only three stories high, but had seven levels underground, and were linked by a subterranean tunnel that connected them.

A second entrance to the compound, was much further behind those buildings, and leading directly to a loading dock for the smaller building on the right of the main offices.

It was heavily guarded, and the gate was both massively re-enforced and armor plated.

Gen-Cris employed about a quarter of the townsfolk, for their office and admin positions, as drivers, janitorial staff, cooks, and maintenance crews.

The guards and the scientists themselves, came from somewhere else entirely.

Each researcher, laboratory technician, and assistant, had been handpicked by Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Rowan, and were the only ones to have clearance for the two side buildings, where the labs and detention cells were located.

The guards had been contracted out to Black Moon Security, an organization both funded and controlled by Don Jon.

Dexter had made his way into the city and easily found himself a room to rent. As far as anyone knew, he was a perfectly nice, quietly spoken man looking for work and hoping to get a job at the Pharmaceutical Company – which explained why he'd been wandering around outside the Gen-Cris compound. Locals thought he was getting the nerve up to go in and apply, given how their HR Department could be a bit intimidating, but in truth he was searching access points, noting security details, and looking for weak areas that could be exploited.

Dexter was slightly impressed by that.

Just slightly, because the main access point was their weakest, and that made it far too easy.

He wasn't shocked when Remy came to the same conclusion.

Instead, he gave the other man his notes on guard placement then proceeded to head into the facility.

"Where are you going?" Remy asked, as Dexter just walked away.

"To work." He held up an ID badge that had once belonged to a Janitor who currently lay dead under a pile of trash at the local landfill. It hadn't been his cleanest work, but there were time constraints. "Do not give me that look. He was an abusive asshole who liked molesting his nieces. I only did us all a favor."

Remy just gave him a nod. After all, who in their right mind would argue? "What are you planning?"

"Find my Mate and son," he said simply before heading jauntily to the gate.

He gave the guard a smile, commented on the weather, and moved through into the compound, like any normal human being toddling off to a day's boredom.

Remy took all the information they'd collected, and made his way out of town.

The sooner Nicolaus got it all, the better he'd feel.

As he drove out of town, a woman stepped into the middle of the road from apparently nowhere, forcing him to slam his brakes on so hard, his truck skidded to a stop barely half an inch from where she stood.

She never even flinched.

Looking to her left to distract him, he was startled for a second time, as a moment later the passenger side door opened and a big, burly man climbed in next to him.

"James Harrison." The newcomer held out his hand.

Remy knew who he was, and new he was a Vampire.

He knew all those who were close to Nicolaus and his family.

He took the hand he was offered, and shook it firmly. "Need a ride back to New York, James?"

"Yes," he answered simply, not at all shocked that the driver hadn't yelled or panicked, or started flailing. "You're not a Vampire."

"No, cher. No, I am not." Remy sighed, but as he turned back to what was happening on the road, he realized the woman was gone.

***

It really didn't take long for Dexter to figure out where the highest level of security was located.

So he figured he would accidentally start cleaning outside of his assigned area, and then just wait to see how many guards showed up.

It wasn't much of a plan, as plans went, but when he found himself surrounded at gunpoint, he knew he'd found the right place.

He'd thrown up his hands in horror, feigned all knowledge of the error he'd made, and scuttled away like the severely reprimanded fool he was pretending to be.

After that, it wasn't long until he received a message from Billy that help was inbound, and there would be a coordinated attack at midnight.

Dexter had put away his cart in its pre-assigned closet, grabbed his gear, and slowly made his way towards the high security zone.

All he had to do was wait for the loud explosions to start.


~ Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical: Detention Cell ~


Logan snarled as more Doctors approached him.

It made him chuckle when one got startled and jumped, crashing into a cart full of medical supplies.

They had captured him a week ago.

And been experimenting on him since.

He'd destroyed one of their labs the first day, scared off three Doctors by the second, and by the third they had him strapped to a table.

He felt a certain sense of accomplishment in that.

Scott may have called him uncouth, unsavory, and a few other choice names, but he had learned some things over the years spent working with Charles. And as such, he took in as much information as he possibly could, using the time to stay calm and composed, noting the layout of the labs, where the guard patrols, the numbers of men they used, the different Doctors and technicians who came and went, and more importantly where they were keeping the kid and his mother.

Then everything changed.

He had been strapped down on the table when he smelt the bitch.

He growled, low and deep, and before anyone could blink, snapped the thick leather straps that constrained him as though they weren't even there.

Claws out, he attacked Mystique with a fury and got one good hit in, before he flew bodily across the room, slamming hard into the far wall.

He bit back a snarl, as he was pinned there like a fly under a swatter.

"Logan. Good to see you again."

"Magneto. Can’t say the same," he muttered, jaw clenched, unable to talk much.

He didn't even try to move.

There was no way he could so much as twitch with that son of a bitch in the room.

"I met your Mate." Magneto reached up and patted him on the cheek almost fondly.

Logan's eyebrows said everything he couldn’t muster up verbally.

He knew Magneto had no clue about Vampires or the concept of Mates.

That Logan knew he didn't have one, seemed to have bypassed Magneto's desk somewhere along the way.

"You don't remember that alluring creature?" He stepped back, head tilting slightly, watching his subject carefully. "No, you actually don't."

"I think I would remember if I had gotten married," Logan retorted, barely able to get the words out.

"How do you not know? She is your perfect Beta." Magneto beckoned for the Doctors. "What studies have you run on his memory?"

"Well, er… None. Yet," the first guy stammered, clutching his clipboard in self-defense. "We've conducted experiments on his re-growth and healing rates so far. It's remarkable. Really."

"Really? Really!? We know this already! I want a full psychological evaluation immediately! Concentrate on past history and memory formation. Do you understand?"

As he turned and left, stalking away in disgust, so Logan was allowed to slither helplessly to the floor.

But as he slowly stood up, a vicious smirk crossed his face, and the Doctors all yelled as one for the guards, who rushed the room and unleashed enough Taser energy to take down an elephant.

Logan just laughed at them.

Consequently, they'd spent the last few days trying to get more detail on him than just X-Rays, which showed in starkly brilliant white, the density of metal that coated his bones.

Getting him into a CAT Scan, solved nothing. He'd smashed the machine with two swipes of his claws.

They had ridiculously tried an MRI only to have him fry that particular machine without needing to move a muscle.

Needles couldn't penetrate his skin without breaking, as the tiny puncture wound closed over almost instantaneously and snapped them in two.

And so it had gotten to the point were they finally brought in a psychologist, to sit with him and discuss his mental issues.

Logan had laughed again, and then just sat there, chained to a chair, staring silently at the poor guy, until he fidgeted, winced, and ran away.

Intimidation didn't always require words after all.

And so it was, that once more he found himself trapped against the detention cell wall, his back flexing marginally on the cold steel plate he was stuck to.

It was a little humiliating, the frequency with which that kept happening.

Given that there wasn't really much else he could do by then, he watched Magneto carefully read over a slim manila file, tutting like a Doctor about to give a terminal diagnosis.

"So you escaped the facility up in Canada?" he asked. "Back in the Sixties?"

"Work hard to get that tiny scrap of nothing outta people, did ya?" he snarled.

"But you have no memories of your life before that it seems."

Really? That was it? Charles had told him that already.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Are we starting an episode of This is My Life?" he snarked, only to get his jaw clamped even more tightly shut, with no more than a flicker of Magneto's eyes in his direction.

It was agonizing, but he wasn't about to give the prick the pleasure of letting him know that.

Magneto slowly raised his hand, and focused all his attention on a single piece of metal that had been embedded into Logan's skull.

White on white, it had been barely visible on the X-Rays, but it was there.

Logan grunted as he felt something pull against his brain.

His every muscle contracted.

He was panting through his nose.

Sweat slid down his skin.

His body shook.

He wanted to scream as Magneto ripped through his skull.

But all that came out, torn from his Soul, was a long, anguished groan.

Images poured into his mind. Slowly at first.

A forest.

A man. No, his Pack.

A Lab.

New Pack Members.

Alarms. Defend. Protect.

A circle.

Blue. Liquid. Like Water.

Cold.

Ice.

Survival.

Then the images became scenes.

Memories.

Hunting with his Pack.

Watching and protecting the Man from a distance.

Standing. Walking. Learning.

The cry of a baby.

Years became Decades.

Decades became Centuries.

Centuries turned into Millennia.

Traveling the world.

Living within Civilization.

The hunter being hunted.

His Mate.

His Lyca.

His Alyc.

Ripped from his arms.

The sound of metal striking metal, pinged around the room as an Adamantium bullet bounced onto the floor.

Logan's eyes snapped open.

"My name is Lycan and I remember everything. And you stole my Mate."

He snarled as he launched himself from the wall, his claws extending as he swiped at Magneto's head, slicing through his helmet and across his chest.

Mystique moved to defend him only to get three blades through the chest, before she was sent flying across the room into the opposite wall.

Magneto had no idea how he'd found strength enough to break away from him.

He should never have been able to do that.

Never.

But Logan was beyond caring.

Fired by hate and rage in equal measure, he could do anything.

Standing over the older Mutant, his eyes flashing, he felt nothing but power. "Thank you for giving back my memories. But now I will kill you for taking Alyc from me."

"No!" Magneto scrambled away too shocked and horrified by what was happening, to fully understand it. "I tried to save her! She is your Beta. Our Eve!"

Logan snorted. "You haven't met her, obviously. She's an Alpha, just as me. Don't let the small stature fool you."

"Don't you see?!" Magneto tried to reason, worming his way out of danger as he wriggled along the floor. "I can let you be who you are. All Mutants, everywhere, will follow the two of you." His rattled wits wouldn't let him focus on the one skill he had to be able to evade what was coming.

"You don't get to let us be who we are! We don't need your permission or anyone else's to be able to live." Logan raised his arm for the killing blow, when a scent caught his attention.

He lifted his head, and sniffed the air. "She's here."

The building shook suddenly.

Lights dimmed as emergency alarms began screeching through the complex.

'Security Breech. Security Breech. All security personnel report to the main entrance. This is not a drill. Repeat – Security Breech. Security Breech. All security personnel report to the main entrance.'

Lycan didn't give Magneto a second glance as he ran for the door.

Ripping it off its hinges he tossed it into the room.

He had a Mate to find.

And nothing was going to stop him.


~ Raccoon City: Midnight ~


Warrick and Storm brought the jet in easily enough, onto the small airfield just outside the city.

He taxied to the end of one of the runways, leaving it in position in case they had to get out of there in a hurry.

Which seemed highly likely.

Nicolaus unhooked his seatbelt and moved to the back of the plane, having been astonished at just what Charles was keeping in his basement, under the basketball court, no less.

The X-Men were becoming a reality, and as such they needed transportation.

The Professor had merely smiled, content to see his son's jaw drop open in shock as the low-profile, black painted, radar invisible aircraft was revealed in all its glory, sitting on a hydraulic launch pad, awaiting its first mission.

Everyone gathered in the rear of the plane, the moment it touched down, preparing to raid the Pharmaceutical Company.

He watched for a few moments, as his people strapped on weapons and mentally calmed themselves for what was to come.

"Everyone listen up!" he cried, snagging their attention. "Horatio and Jethro are already in town. Once they blow the gates we will have our opportunity to get in and get Conner and his Mother. Our secondary mission is to free as many Mutants as we can find, who are currently being held captive. There is no exact number, but Charles is putting the figure at around twenty. Be aware, you will not know what these individuals are capable of, and they may be in no mood, or condition to want to cooperate with you. Set them free. Let them do the rest as they need to. Also remember that Conner is capable of dampening Mutation. No one's imagining that's going to be easy for anyone of our Mutant colleagues to deal with, so have your wits about you. All of you. Hickok take Billy and Scott, and find as many of them as you can. They will feel safer with a fellow Mutant near you." He glanced from Scott to Storm. "I would like you to stay close to the airfield. We're going in and out on foot. It's not far, but when Mutants come running up those roads they are going to need a focal point to encourage them, and you're it."

She nodded in understanding, not liking the idea of being left behind, but seeing the importance of Nico's instructions.

He was a General. And he was planning like one.

She respected that.

"I could give you a good thick fog and some wind and rain to help cover our tracks."

Nicolaus grinned as he nodded. "Do it. Brisco, I need you to take Hickok's US Marshal Badge and go play Federal Agent. The moment Horatio sets off those explosions the local cops will be getting called out in a hurry, even in bad weather. Just turn on the charm."

Brisco gave him a smart salute. "I'll let them know that good ol' Uncle Sam is on the case."

"Isn't he your Grandfather?" Jimmy asked with a smile, handing over his badge, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Grandpappy would convince them it was War of the Worlds going down. Aliens 'n' all." Brisco clipped the badge on his belt and he looked down at it for a few moments. "Been a while since I wore one of these."

"Looks good on you." Storm squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"Don't lose it," Jimmy muttered.

"Speed? Tony? I know you have a serious beef with Mystique, but I want you to find Magneto and see what you can get out of him."

They had discussed it before leaving the school. Both men wanted revenge against the 'shifty blue bitch' as Speed so succinctly put it, but they were also the strongest in hand to hand combat.

Tony was resilient and had been certainly been learning from his Assassin kid and their various encounters over the years. While Speed had always been able to use his surroundings to his best advantage. Knowing they could use no metal, or metal-edged weapons, they needed to think ahead.

"I'm sending Noah with you for back up."

Hearing his name, Jimmy's Mate slid in next to the two siblings, taking point.

"How are we supposed to find him?" Tony asked, honestly curious. "He's not going to be wearing a sign that says 'Mutant Bad Guy This Way'."

"Look for flying metal," Speed commented dryly, "aiming for that space between your ears."

Tony slapped him on the back of the head.

Speed slapped him back.

Noah broke it up.

Nicolaus rolled his eyes.

"Lucien? You and I will be heading for the server rooms." Sylum's Clan Leader glanced over at him. "We need to get as much information out of there as we can lay our hands on."

La Croix's eyebrows shot up exceptionally fast. "And how do you suppose we hack into high security servers? You got skills I don't know about?"

Warrick chuckled, low and dirty.

It was LaCroix's turn to roll his eyes.

Nicolaus sighed, and just held up his phone. "Stark's taking care of that."

"What about Sarah and John?" Their safety was the only reason Lucien had even agreed to set foot on the jet.

No one, not even him, wanted to see what Dexter would do, if Magneto killed Sarah Conner.

"Just follow the bodies," Billy commented with a shrug. "Dexter should lead you right to them."

"Eliot is going to make sure Dexter doesn't do too much damage." Nicolaus knew his Hitter was one of the few Vampires capable of subduing Dexter should the need arise, and he wouldn't be affected by John's Mutation while he did it.

"I'm supposed to be guarding you!" Spencer pointed out.

"I can take care of myself."

Warrick scoffed openly, then coughed with great innocence. "What?" he asked, when everyone turned to stare at him.

Nico signaled for him to open the rear doors. He knew his Mate was pissed as hell that he'd gotten stuck yet again watching the plane, but they needed someone to keep eyes on comms and get everyone out of the area quickly, and he relied on his Pirate to always be there for such things.

"Why does everyone forget that I'm a Roman General and have fought more wars than some of you can count?" he growled.

"Because they also forget I'm a badass Pirate who can kick your sorry butt from here to next Tuesday if you don't come back in one piece?" Warrick replied sweetly.

"Preaching to the choir, dudes!" Tony gave his Dad a broad grin.

And Speed also nodded in agreement.

Both of them had Mates who seemed to forget they had centuries of experience in dealing with dangerous situations.

"I will keep an eye on 'im, mon Capitaine," Remy murmured, bowing slightly to Warrick.

Nicolaus didn't even bother to hide his disgruntled eyeroll.

"If this all goes to plan, we'll be back here in an hour." He looked around at his team, filing out into the night. "You know the rules. Only use excessive force as a last resort. I do not want the next tagline on Fox News to be 'Mutants Openly Attack and Kill Innocent God-Fearing Townsfolk'."

Billy chuckled softly.

"Timing's good. Horatio and Jethro should be in position." Nico glanced down at his watch, making sure. "Let's go say hello."

***

Horatio rigged a few blocks of C4, holding a small flashlight in his mouth as he twisted the wires together for the trigger mechanism.

When he had retired from the Miami PD Bomb Squad, he had thought his days working with explosives were over.

Little did he know that he would be using his skills one day to blow the gate off a Pharmaceutical Company that was holding Mutants as hostages in the basement.

He handed the charge to Jethro, before removing the flashlight from his mouth. "So when you thought about retirement, this is totally what you had in mind, right?"

Jethro chuckled low, handing him his bomb back. "It was right there on my Bucket List, between finishing my boat and taking over a small country."

"You still have time for that," H commented, as they moved through the shadows to the gate post.

Jethro wasn't sure if he meant the boat, or planning an invasion…

There were only two guards on duty.

One walked along the gate way itself, while, the other stayed in the booth keeping an eye on the security cameras. They changed roles every thirty minutes.

Highly predictable.

Very boring.

Jethro looked down at the devastatingly simple device he was carrying. It appeared to be an Epipen, but according to Hardison, if he got close enough to the main junction for the security cameras, it would knock out at least the ones around the perimeter.

Jethro eased around the corner and aimed the Pen at the guard shack.

The man in the booth sat up in his chair suddenly, and started typing furiously on his keyboard. He even hit the monitors a few times, before he stood up and leaned out of the shack, calling for the other guard.

"That's our cue."

Jethro and Horatio moved fast and quiet, securing the charge at the base of the gate, safely in the shadows.

They were back down the street behind a wall, before either guard even noticed there was something amiss.

Horatio flipped open his phone and hit speed dial. "We ready?" he asked.

'Ready,' Nicolaus answered.

Horatio slipped the phone back into his pocket and took a quick look around. The two guards were still focused on the faulty equipment.

With an evil little grin and a certain dramatic flare, he pushed the button on the detonator he'd rigged.

The gate exploded inward, twisting the metal off its hinges.

It landed a few yards inside the facility.

Alarms began blaring across the quiet evening.

"I'll never, not enjoy that!" H chuckled, as he pulled his gun.

And with ease the two Vampires ran into the compound, dodging through the chaos, taking point as the rest of their team moved up the road to join them.

They had their own assignment.

Find Mystique.

Nico had simply requested that she pay for what she'd done to his son.

***

Hickok, Billy and Cyclops were through the gate in moments, moving quickly down the front path into the main building.

Billy grabbed the first guard who was brave enough and stupid enough to show himself, and slammed him into the receptionist desk, knocking him out as his forehead cracked against the edge. He then grabbed the guy's keycard.

Hickok took care of the rest easily, and both Hunters turned to look at Cyclops, who seemed even more like his nickname, given the sleek, hi-tech, one-eye paneled visor system he was currently wearing. He had his head down for a few moments, but then snapped to attention, turning on his heel and barreling toward the rear doors, slamming through them without stopping.

He turned left, and ran down the path that would take them to the holding facility.

Without stopping he bent down and used his shoulder to take out one of the guards who was too slow to stop it, flipping him up and over, before kicking the gun out of his hand. He blocked the second guard's attack easily enough after that, reaching out to grab the guy's wrist. He snapped it without so much as a pause.

The guard screamed in pain as his gun clattered to the ground, but a moment later he was silenced by a fist to the nose, that left him unconscious on the floor.

Satisfied with his work, Cyclops glanced up to see three guards moving in on him, coming fast.

He heard three shots come from somewhere.

All three men went down.

Cyclops was actually frowning when Jimmy appeared, gun in hand, but there was no way to really see Scott's expression behind his mask.

Hickok shrugged and holstered his weapon. "Didn't kill them," he assured his friend, patting him on the shoulder. "Just stopped 'em for a while."

Billy slapped Wild Bill on the heartily on the back. "Damn fine shootin'!" He stepped over the guards and slid the keycard into its slow, smiling when it beeped and the tiny access light showed green.

***

There was a crack followed by a scream.

One of the guards gripped his hand in stunned surprise, as his gun skidded across the floor away from him.

Noah kicked it back further, before swinging his whip around again, snagging the second guard around his neck and pulling him off his feet.

The third guard took aim, only to scramble and lash out with his feet, when an arm closed tightly around his neck. Some wild gyrations ensued as he struggled to fight off his attacker, but in the end he succumbed and passed out from lack of oxygen.

Tony let go, dropping the guy to the ground with a satisfied smirk.

He then grabbed the poor sap's security ID, and picked up his weapon, along with a second one from the guy who'd been slammed out of his seat when Noah's whip lashed around his windpipe.

He tossed the gun to his brother. "We'll ditch them when we find Magneto."

Speed nodded. "Nice move. Your kid teach you that?"

"No, you did." Tony snickered. "Well, Antonio did. We were fighting like mad, you stole my necklace, I stole your book and it was out right war. I thought Papa was going to let Momma kill us. He forced you to give me my necklace but I wouldn't give you the book. You came out of nowhere, next thing I knew I woke up and Momma was screaming at you and Papa was half impressed and half horrified."

"I remember that!" Speed chuckled. "I had seen Razi and Papa wrestling…"

"Is that what they called it?" Noah asked with leer.

He enjoyed hearing the two of them talk about their lives back in Rome, and how much it still connected them in the present time.

Timothy shook his head. "They were working through some maneuvers and Razi talked about the right pressure…" He frowned. "Hey, it worked!"

"Papa was ready to skin you alive," Tony snorted as they moved down the corridor, heading for the laboratories. They'd figured that if Magneto was going to be anywhere, it would be where they were keeping Logan, and that was probably in a room for testing.

"You never stole my book again after that," Speed commented, quietly.


~ Raccoon City: Sheriff's Department ~


"Gentlemen!" Brisco strode purposefully into the main office, badge in hand and serious expression firmly in place. "I need to speak to your Captain. Right now, please."

"Who the hell are you?" one of the cops asked as he strapped on his gear. "You may have noticed there's an emergency going on at Gen-Cris."

"Not an emergency," he countered easily. "It's a raid."

"What!?" An older officer stepped out from the back area of the small Precinct House. He too had been checking his gear to head out.

"FDA," Brisco informed him. "There's been some serious question about the drugs and vaccines that Gen-Cris have been putting out. Side effects that we've been receiving calls about do not match the testing parameters that were issued with their drugs. And I'm talking serious side-effects here, like y'know, death. After testing a few of the samples in our own facilities, we've discovered considerable inconsistencies and requested permission to view their labs and distribution operations, to ensure they're making approved substances, and that have been fully licensed, and not some unauthorized variant. We're attempting to stop a potentially gigantic epidemic of death here, gentlemen. But Gen-Cris refused us, and our legal teams have had no choice but to go in."

A few of the other cops who'd been in the process of prepping an armed response to the Gen-Cris alarm call, looked a little dazed by his explanation.

"You can call our offices and they will verify the situation. We do apologize for not letting you know sooner, but well, as you know, this is a delicate situation due to media coverage of the allegations against Gen-Cris and we absolutely do not want to start a mass panic here in your lovely little city." Brisco smiled most benevolently, and used as many vaguely legal sounding words as he could, to run circles around anyone questioning what was really going on at the Facility.

"But we heard an explosion!" The Captain looked rightly concerned for his town and the people he had sworn to protect.

Brisco shook his head. "The FDA does not go around blowing up buildings and hurting innocent people. I've already been in contact with our teams running this raid and they mentioned that one of the Facility's own guards set off an explosion in the transportation depot."

"Fucking Black Moon Security." One of the slightly older cops shook his head. "Nothing but hot heads with guns. Been saying it for years."

"There is something you can do for us, Captain." Brisco reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Help me keep your town safe." He leaned in toward him, voice dropping, eyes deadly serious. "I'm not supposed to tell you any of this, but Homeland Security is involved in this raid. Some very difficult allegations have been made about Black Moon Security and it's Mercenary Forces. I need you and your men to make sure that no civilians are hurt in all this."

The Captain shook his head, not really shocked by that particular bit of news. He'd regularly been covering for the guys at Black Moon, when they got a little rowdy on their time off and decided to tear up some of the local bars. "I'll order a secure perimeter. We'll keep civilians away from the area." He nodded briskly.

"Don't get too close. Just be safe. Thank you, Captain." Brisco patted him heftily on the arm. "You and your men are a credit to your uniforms. Focus on your people, and this will all be over soon." He headed out as smartly as he'd come in. "God Bless you this night. And God Bless the United States of America."

He stepped out of the Precinct House, grabbing his phone and as he trotted down the front steps. "Local cops are secured."

'Good. Get back to the plane,' Nico ordered.

"Already on my way, General," he reported, whistling softly as turned once more to the airfield.

***

"Locals?" La Croix asked.

"Covered. Brisco's done." Nicolaus slipped his cell back into his pocket.

"That's good." Knight's Clan Leader rolled his eyes, realizing pretty quickly that Gen-Cris had very little in the way of helpful signage for guiding its visitors around. "Do you even know where you're going?"

"Hardison hacked into the system and downloaded the blueprints," Nico informed him as they entered the main building. "The servers are four floors below us."

Remy stepped over the bodies they'd already felled, as he moved to the door leading to the stairwell.

He flicked his wrist, an Ace of Hearts appearing between his fingers.

Energy with a strange purple tinge to it, sizzled in the light, before he swiped the card through the ID reader, frying the system and unlocking the door.

"Nice!" Nico commented, as they made their way down to Basement Level Four.

No one stopped them, though they moved stealthily enough.

Utilizing the same trick he'd pulled in the lobby, Remy easily opened the next door, leading them into a blankly walled hallway, where four guards stood protecting the Server Room.

Naturally, Black Moon's operatives went straight for their weapons.

Remy flicked his wrist again, and playing cards spun straight and true through the air, taking out two of the guards in quick succession, shoving them so hard, they flew backward through the walls on either side of the door.

That was when the walking pole he'd been carrying, came into play.

He spun it through his fingers like a Bo Staff, charging it's kinetic energy before slamming it into the floor, sending a powerful, purple edged shock wave toward the last two goons.

They never had time to react.

And there was nowhere they could run.

They joined their friends in the room at the far end of the hall, having made their own holes in the wall as they got blown backward off their feet.

"Well let's hope you didn't just fry the servers doing that." Lucien rolled his eyes as they made their way forward. "Show off."

Remy shrugged at Nicolaus, who just shrugged back in a 'what can you do?' kind of way.

But La Croix came to a sudden stop when the door at the opposite end of the hallway opened.

Or rather, it got swiped off it's hinges.

Apparently the occupant of the room into which four guards had just been so elegantly thrown, wasn't happy at being disturbed.

"What the hell is that?" he demanded, facing a large, heavily jowled, and seriously hairy object, with vicious looking claws, hands like bear paws, and a set of nasty, positively feral canine teeth.

"That would be Sabertooth," Nicolaus growled, instantly ready to do battle.

"Nico!"

Sabertooth's smile was not exactly the most heartwarming he'd ever seen in his life.

"I've been thinking about you."

"You've also been on my mind lately." The General watched his opponent carefully, but held up a warning hand when he saw Remy move to step in front of him. "Stay out of this, cher."

"I cannot do, General. I promised Warrick." He slid another playing card into his palm.

"Oh, this is purely personal." General Meridius stepped past Remy, stopping only a few feet from Sabertooth's considerable reach. "You killed a friend of mine."

Sabertooth blinked, his head tilting.

"Catherine and her baby are under my protection," Sylum's Clan Leader continued. "Stella was also a friend."

"Her death was not my intent." Sabertooth bowed his head respectfully. "I meant her no harm. She protected the child fiercely and her death was the honor of a warrior."

"Her death was unnecessary," he snarled, his eyes flashing as he bared his fangs.

Sabertooth eyed him cautiously, sniffing the air, his own eyes narrowing. "What are you?"

"Not human," the General growled, and in the blink of an eye, he attacked.

***

Horatio and Jethro made their way down to the labs with remarkable ease, their instincts screaming that it was a trap, the moment they realized there was no resistance.

"Last time we moved down hallways with the lights flickering and bodies on the floor," Horatio murmured, as they made their way down the corridor, "I half expected zombies."

"Is it sad that I wouldn't be shocked if we ran into some?" Jethro replied, deadpan.

Horatio snorted softly.

"Do you think we need to worry about Lycan and Lyca?"

Sylum's Head of Security worried about everything. "Well, if anything this Doctor said was true, not only is Magneto going to be interested in them, but Frankenstein too."

They both gripped their guns a little more keenly when a low and vicious growl reached them, and a body flew across an intersection in the hallway.

Logan came around the corner shortly afterward.

He gave them both a brisk nod, before continuing after the hapless guard he'd just tossed ahead of him.

"Then again, they'll probably be just fine," Horatio chortled.

And Jethro could only agree with that assessment.

***

Eliot swiped the ID card that he'd taken off one of the bodies left lying in the lobby.

So far he hadn't been that impressed with Black Moon Security.

Any good security team would've had the place on lockdown within seconds, but the fact that there were teams of men roaming around with apparent ease, could mean only one of two things.

Either Black Moon was incredibly incompetent.

Or they wanted them roaming around.

And he was inclined to go with the latter.

He had been following Dexter's trail into the lower depths of the building on the left-hand side of the main structure, but then again, the prostrate bodies he was running into, could also explain why there had been no lockdown activated.

Dexter was efficient in his killing.

Eliot was impressed and horrified all at the same time.

Yelling from the end of the hallway he was in, had him swiftly making his way to the last open door.

When he stepped into what proved to be a remarkably large office, he knew why there was no lockdown.

Dexter had the Head of Black Moon Security's operational activities a Gen-Cris, firmly in a headlock, a scalpel to his throat.

Several other guards were watching warily, trying to assess their best approach, not really wanting to kill their boss if they could help it.

"I'll make this simple," Dexter said, with typical calm. "Release my wife and child, or I'll kill him slowly."

Eliot held up his hands up in surrender when the guards turned to, what was in their eyes, a brand new threat.

"Dexter?" he coughed. "Threatening to kill your hostage doesn't give them much motivation to actually do what you're asking."

"Killing him doesn't matter, one way or the other." The sociopath didn't so much as blink in front of the guards. "A scalpel isn't enough to take his head."

The guards naturally looked confused.

They re-adjusted their aim, each man trying to figure out he what could do for the best.

That was Eliot's cue.

And he moved in for the attack.

The first guard fell to a stunning left hook, as he grabbed the second by his wrist and yanked him forward, tossing him around behind him. Pivoting on the ball of one foot, he took out the third guy with his other foot. Ducking smoothly, he slammed his elbow backward into the second guy's ribs, then shoved his shoulder up and back, knocking him out. He swept the fourth guy's feet from under him, while taking the fifth guy out with a right hook, followed fast by a left. With a half turn, he leaned back, just missing a wild hit from the first guy, only to grab him by the neck and slam him face first into the wall.

He paused, looking significantly at the sixth guard, who gave him an evil smile before rushing him.

Spencer dropped him with a blow to the forehead that had him keeling over like he'd been pole axed.

Sighing, he brushed his hair out of his face, and finally got a better look at Dexter's hostage.

"Well, if it isn't Colonel Stryker," he muttered sourly.

"Spencer!" the Colonel snarled.

"And here, I thought I got rid of you back in Germany." He nodded to Dexter who pushed the Colonel away from him, none too gently. "Go get your wife and son. There are more cells down to the end there, across the hall."

Dexter moved silently for the door, as Stryker pulled a gun.

Eliot was across the room in less than a second, grasping Stryker's wrist, pushing it down as the gun went off.

He slammed his elbow into the Colonel's face, dislocating his jaw, before twisting around, and wrapping and arm about his neck.

Dexter only looked back when he heard vertebrae snap. "He's working with Frankenstein."

"I know." Eliot nodded, lowering the Colonel to the floor, patting him down and tossing Dexter a gold tabbed key card. "This might help." Grunting, he rolled Stryker over and slipped a small, nondescript looking disc under his clothing, poking it into a jacket seam. "After he hears about the extent of the raid, he'll drop all contact with Magneto and disappear."

Dexter nodded and the two of them made for the last cells just across from Stryker's office.

The keycard was a Master, capable of opening every door in the Compound.

As the door opened, John Conner looked up from where'd been trying to hide himself in the corner, and cried out in relief, jumping to his feet and running into Dexter's arms.

Eliot watched as the coldly indifferent sociopath held his teenage son close to his chest.

He didn't give him any platitudes or pat him softly, or do any of the things that other fathers would doubtless have done under such circumstances. In fact, there was no emotion on whatever on Dexter's face, but Eliot could see the tension drop suddenly from the Vampire's shoulders at knowing John was alright.

"Mom's next door." The kid stood back, wiping the tears from his face, scrubbing at his eyes with his palms. "Those fuckers thought she was a Mutant from her healing abilities, except she healed even next to me. Confused the shit out of them."

He tugged Dexter out along the corridor to the next cell.

Dexter swiped the card, and frowned when it didn't work.

Eliot tried to tell him he had it upside down, but in the end he tossed it aside, and Spencer thankfully caught it, slipping it into his pants pocket, even as Dexter grasped the door handle and pulled, putting every ounce of strength he had into the moment, ripping the last obstacle off its hinges, the shriek of metal on metal sounding like Souls being tortured in hell.

Sarah Conner was sitting on her cot looking calmly collected. "Took you long enough," she muttered.

Dexter chuckled, a rare emotion shown in a moment of rare emotion. "We still need to get out of here."

Sarah strode from the room, pausing suspiciously when she saw Eliot.

He flipped the weapon he had in his hand, offering her Stryker's gun. "Don't look at me lady, I'm just the back up."

She didn't flinch, but knew a welcome gift when she saw one.

Snagging the semi-automatic, she checked the clip before slipping it in the back of her pants. "Alright then. Let's get the hell out of here shall we?"

***

Finding the strange array of other captive Mutants they'd been sent to locate, really hadn't been that hard.

There were only a few guards on duty, and as such, they were easily taken care of by the Vampire Hunters who were having great fun practicing the kind of wounding that was actually way harder than it looked.

Billy swiped the keycard again, frowning when it didn't work.

It had been fine earlier on.

He glanced over at Hickok, who pulled his gun to try and hit the locking mechanism, only to be stopped by Cyclops.

The Mutant opened his visor just enough to fry the electronics, and melt the covering, but it was sufficient to snap the door open with a bang.

"Now that was cool," Billy smirked.

But what they found inside, wiped the grin off his face in an instant.

Rows of cages, some no bigger than the kind of space a Battery Hen might call home, held children of all ages, from about five years old and upward to late teens.

He looked back at Hickok, as shocked and disgusted as his colleagues.

Everyone knew how Jimmy felt about abused children, and given that Billy was himself no older than some of the prisoners when he'd been Turned, he too felt a cold, and bitter rage at what he was seeing.

"We get them all out." Jimmy's tone would not be argued with. "No one gets left behind. No one." Vampire strength coursing through his body, he walked the central aisle between the cages, tearing them open with brute force and anger.

Billy moved to the next aisle and started doing the same.

Some of the kids already knew Scott Summers, and they flocked to him once they were free, urging their new found friends, who themselves had no idea they were being rescued, that all would be well.

The X-Men had come.

Jimmy paused at the last cell in the back, where a young girl lay curled up on the floor, pressing herself into the furthest corner she could find. He tore the door open, and knelt down on one knee. "Hey, there?"

She blinked up at him, eyes bright and fearful, still hugging herself defensively.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he murmured. "We're here to get you out. It's all going to be good." He offered her his hand. "Name's Jimmy."

She hesitated before standing up, but when he gave her a beaming grin, she took his offer of friendship, and with ease he swooped her up in his arms, holding her close. "What's your name?"

"Jubilation Lee," she answered, her accent familiar to Hickok's ears, though she said it so fast it sounded more like Jubilee.

"You from New Orleans?" he asked, as Billy and Cyclops herded the rest of their charges to the door.

She shook her head. "Maybe. Don't know. Momma didn't want me. Men came and gave her money. She let them take me away."

Hickok needed a few calming breaths after that.

Cyclops reached over to her, thinking she was actually quite pretty under all that shaggy black hair that kept getting in her face. "Hey! So what's your special skill?"

She stared at him, alarmed by his eyewear, but Jimmy muttered in her ear, "It's okay, Jubilee, he's like you."

"Yeah, he does this laser thing with his eyes, it's really cool," Billy added, trying to ease the tensions of the kids around him.

She squirmed in Jimmy's arms, and put her hands out.

In a brilliant flash of light, she emitted from her palms, what Cyclops could see was a high energy plasma, that materialized in the air like a burst of fireworks.

The other kids all gasped and giggled, just like kids the world over whenever shiny colors exploded over their heads.

"I can do it bigger too!" she beamed.

"Now that's way better than me," Cyclops grinned encouragingly. "Let's get out of here and I'll take you all some place safe. But you all have to trust us, okay? We can do this."

She looked at Jimmy, seeming very seriously for her age suddenly. "You coming too?"

"Sure I am, little lady," he muttered, tipping his hat at her, making her laugh. "Okay, everyone out! Stick close together. We have transportation waiting just outside town."

"Will Charles take all the other kids, Scott?" one of the older Mutants asked.

He was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and built quite literally, like a tank.

Scott nodded. "Don't worry, Colossus. No one will be turned away."

Billy paused.

Colossus was a good name for a boy that size.

"I doubt they've got anywhere else to go," the Gunfighter muttered. "So Cyclops, why don't you lead the way?"

"Cyclops?" the boy asked, chuckling. "Perfect name for you man. Cyclops!"

Behind his mask, Scott rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Billy the Kid," he retorted.

They ended up freeing fourteen prisoners in all, five adults, six teenagers and four children.

Jimmy carried the youngest of them, who refused to let get of his coat.

"Listen up. We have five flights a stairs, and a few miles until we get to safety. We may run into guards. Okay? If we do, you just feel free to do whatever you need to do to stay safe." Billy checked his guns, and then slid them back into his shoulder holsters. "Any questions?"

"Are you really Billy the Kid?" Colossus asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

"Yep." He nodded courteously. "And that one back there is Wild Bill Hickok," Billy smirked. "We're not Mutants like you guys, but we're friends, and allies."

"Cool." The kid shrugged his massive shoulders.

"What's your name?" Cyclops asked the boy beside him, who had snorted in disbelief.

Jimmy thought he looked Cheyenne, at least in part.

"They call me Forge," he answered. "Now are we going to stand around asking a bunch more stupid questions, or get the fuck out of here?"

"Language!" Jimmy snapped. "Cyclops take point. Take two more who can handle themselves in a fight."

He watched as Scott quickly chose two of the adults.

"Forge? Since you seem to know how to handle yourself, get the rest of your group together with Colossus. Protect the children. The rest of the adults come with me. We keep the youngsters in the middle and make sure our rear is covered."

"Okay, let's do it." Billy moved in with Forge, who for some reason reminded him of Chavez with all that long, dark hair.

Watching them all, trying to assess who would need the most protection, he figured the week he'd spent at the Professor's school had taught him one decent thing in the middle of all that mess.

Never judge the Mutant by the package.

***

Lucien slipped into a soft leather chair at the main computer terminal, grabbing Nico's phone and hitting speed dial #00 as instructed.

'You only just reached the server room?' Stark asked. 'You're slowing down Nicolaus.'

"It's Lucien," he answered, setting the cell next to the terminal, on what was actually a sterile, chrome and smoked glass table. "Nico's currently fighting the big ruffian with claws, so I'm doing the Ethan Hunt section of this little adventure."

'Are you hanging from the ceiling inside a secure vault in CIA Headquarters?'

"You know, I should ask Vachon if he actually did that." Lucien plugged the device into the terminal, wondering if such a phone model might ever be available on the open market. Somehow he doubted it. "Okay, do your thing."

'My thing?'

La Croix could hear the eyerolling going on.

'Wait! There's a real Ethan Hunt?'

"Sanctuary Clan," he answered. "We don't have all day here Mister Genius. Nick's still playing with the kitty critter, so at the moment we're free of distractions. But that's probably not going to last."

'Why is Nicolaus fighting a cat?' Tony asked, the download sequence have already begun at link-up. 'Jarvis run full diagnostics. I want nothing sneaky getting through.'

'On it, sir.'

'Aren't there Hunters to fight off the local wildlife?'

In truth, Stark was already bored.

Curious.

But bored.

"Apparently it's personal," Lucien answered.

He wasn't exactly sure what had happened in Las Vegas, but he knew Nicolaus was pissed.

The General had been pissed for the past few weeks actually, so taking it out on the big uncouth Neanderthal was probably a good thing for everybody.

Except the Neanderthal.

He had been sporting a very smart overcoat though…

'Sir there are files referring to a project from CERN,' Jarvis said quietly.

'In relation to?'

'Doctors Bentigvolio and Vetra. It would appear to be details of their antimatter research.'

Suddenly Tony wasn't quite so bored any more.

La Croix just leaned back in the chair and let Tony Stark do whatever needed doing. He hadn't been a part of the situation that went down in Rome with the Vatican, but he was sure as hell part of the big ass meeting that took place after they dug Nico up in Egypt.

One of their big topics of discussions had been the laboratories at CERN in Geneva, and the problem of antimatter – namely how to get it the fuck off the planet before someone did something really stupid with it and wiped out an entire Continent.

He turned in his chair when he heard a loud crash.

Remy was standing between him and the door, and he could clearly see the energy flickering through his fingers as he played with an Ace of Spades. Mr. New Orleans was itching to get in the fight yet still seemed to be respecting Nico's orders.

That took some considerable discipline, but then again he reasoned that living with a Mutation probably took some guts too.

Sabertooth had hit the glass viewing wall, that allowed people outside to observe activity inside, without having to actually enter the room and disturb the server technicians in the cooled and somewhat slightly darkened interior.

A visible crack moved across the panel as the big, hairy monstrosity stood up and staggered back into the middle of the hallway.

La Croix was impressed.

Though Nicolaus didn't exactly look much better himself.

They'd been flailing around for some considerable time by then, back and forth, each seeking the other's weakness and trying to exploit it.

In a way it was like watching a Greco-Roman Wrestling Bare Knuckle Grudge Match Fusion.

He should've charged for tickets…

'We're done.' Stark's voice startled him slightly. 'Tell Nico the information is secured, and that I sent a virus back into their system. In about 45 seconds, all those servers are going to be wiped clean and will promptly self-destruct. I would leave if I were you.'

"Don't have to be told twice," Lucien muttered, standing up and grabbing the phone, disconnecting from wherever Stark was located, and unplugging from the server terminal as he moved to the door. "We need to get out of here."

Remy nodded.

The noises from outside had apparently reached a momentary pause.

He stuck his head out into the corridor, looking left to find Sabertooth bent over, panting harshly, blood dripped onto the floor from what seemed to be a considerable gash to his right cheek and lip. He then looked to the right to find Nicolaus with his hand against the wall, steadying himself. There were long slashes to his arm, running all the way up past his elbow to his shoulder, Sabertooth's claws having sliced through his coat and the shirt beneath it as well as several layers of skin.

Blood was dripping from his fingertips.

"You are a worthy opponent, for a creature neither Human nor Mutant," Sabertooth declared, standing up straight, and nodding at Nico. "But now is not the time to finish this."

"Oh, we will finish this," Sylum's Clan Leader didn't move from where he'd stopped. "Be assured of that."

"Then I will look forward to such a day. For a Vampire, you are so much more than I'd imagined." He smiled knowingly, and with that, he simply walked away.

Nicolaus was not surprised by the revelation that Sabertooth knew of Vampires.

That he'd been keeping such information from Magneto, however, was the real moment of astonishment.

Remy shook his head, and slipped his right arm around his friend's waist. "Warrick is going to be pissed at me for this."

"Not nearly as pissed as Eliot." He groaned in pain as he leaned against Remy, as grateful for those arms as he'd been back in Rome. "Did you get the information?"

"Stark did it, just as he said. He has it secured. He'll likely call you later when he's done analyzing it." Lucien moved to Nico's other side. "You look like shit."

"Thank you, Lucien." He was too tired to roll his eyes, though he was grateful for proffered assistance. "I didn't know you cared."

***

Noah stuck with Tony and Speed, watching in morbid fascination as Logan worked his way down the hall, taking out the guards as he went, tossing them aside like they were nothing but a minor inconvenience along his path.

They were just about ready to step in, when a team of guards, clearly under orders from somewhere, swarmed him from a doorway, and had him surrounded, guns drawn.

It was probably the best move any of them had seen Black Moon make all night.

Tony and Speed ducked back, dragging Noah with them.

Something was coming. They all sensed it, but they weren't exactly sure what.

A high-pitched yip that emanated from the other end of the hallway, had everyone except Logan leaning slightly to the left, or looking over their shoulder, to see who, or maybe what, was standing there.

For some it was their last mistake.

Logan snarled.

The fight was short, sharp and deadly.

Those few guards, who somehow managed to live through it, ran for their lives.

Straight into Speed and Tony, who knocked the poor fools unconscious as they barreled down the hall in a panic.

Tony grinned at his brother. "Should go bowling more," he muttered. "Was that a strike?"

Logan turned around, a lecherous smirk on his face. "Honey!"

"Don't you honey me, you asshole!" Alyc smacked him on the arm then shook her hand in surprise from the pain that shot up it. That was when she saw the metal blades where his claws once were. "What the fuck, Lycan? What is this?"

"Stryker," he answered quickly. "Memory of it… All of it. Of you… It was gone. Just gone until now."

"Mine too." She ran her fingers down the blades, and then looked at her Mate. "They will pay for taking you from me."

Logan nodded, cupping her cheek. "They took you from me too."

Tony and Speed coughed politely, not really wanting to break into a precious moment, but eager to get done and get the hell out, providing the wolves in front of them didn't shred them into tiny pieces first.

Alyc blinked at them.

Logan growled, but it was not with anger. "We'll take care of the labs, you take care of Magneto. I was able to break free of his control once. I doubt I could do it again."

Tony waved as he ran off with his sibling. "Have fun raiding the castle!"

Speed just snorted.

"What?" he chuckled. "You going to tell me it wasn't appropriate?"

"Remind me never to piss either of those two off," Noah commented, keeping up with them easily. "I'm not sure which one scares me more."

"Alyc," they both replied at the same time.

***

Horatio turned a corner, gun drawn, only to have his arm seized with enough force to lift him up and fling him down the hallway.

He fell heavily, but scrabbled to his feet fast enough, having barely missed a door handle on the way down, that might well have stove his head in. He looked over just in time to see Jethro get slammed into the wall.

Way too much strength for a security guard, who also had a heartbeat.

It was the smell that gave it away.

"Really think that will fool us?" he asked casually, as he walked towards the Mutant who'd attacked them.

The guard lifted his head, and with a blur of blue scales, transformed into another person entirely. "Dear Horatio," she drawled, simpering perfectly as she flipped her long black hair back. "You wouldn't hit your wife, now would you?"

The redhead didn't even hesitate.

The right hook felt way too good.

And a swift kick to the stomach just added to his pleasure.

Mystique picked herself up off the floor, then cracked her neck as she let go her disguise. "Issues in the marriage?" she purred.

"That bitch wasn't my wife," he shrugged.

The Mutant paused for a second, but it was at least enough for Jethro to get sufficiently close, he could put his gun to her temple.

"The question is," he said flatly, and with absolutely no emotion whatsoever, "can you survive a bullet to the head?"

She bent backward, taking her weight on her hands as she flipped over.

The sole of her foot caught Jethro's wrist, sending the gun flying.

As she landed on her feet she reached over, and snagged the gun out the air, turning it on him.

Jethro tried to dodge the shot, cringing as the bullet meant for her, sliced across his shoulder.

She turned the gun on the redhead behind her.

But the hallway was empty.

Mystique stiffened then turned on her heel.

She tried to bring to weapon to bear a third time, but Horatio blocked her movement with an elbow to the face, knocking the gun to the floor.

Using her own momentum, he flipped her over his shoulder, kicking the discarded gun away from her and toward Jethro.

"Not bad for an old man." She wiped the blood from her lips as she stood up. "I would love to continue this, but I have other plans."

Horatio spotted more blood than would come from such a cut, and realized there were three identical, vertical slices in her chest, right in the center.

They'd been healing, but the struggle had torn them open.

She backed up a few paces, gave the two of them a cheeky wave, and ran down the hall.

Jethro got a few shots off before she disappeared around the corner.

"So how exactly do we kill this bitch?"

"Beheading seems to work pretty well." Horatio helped his friend back onto his feet. "Tony's going to be pissed."

"Yeah, well don't tell him I said this, but we may want to get some training in with Gabriel." Jethro slipped his gun into his holster and checked his shoulder.

There was some blood, but he was a fit and healthy Vampire and the wound was healing.

Horatio chuckled. "I was thinking more of calling Mac."

"Then Danny would tell Speed, who would tell Tony…" He sighed.

"Good point. Gabriel it is."

***

"Was that Mystique who just ran by?" Tony asked. "And more to the point, are we going in circles?"

"Yes, and no," Speed answered, as they jogged down the corridor, turning at the hallway where they'd seen the blue shape.

They tracked her into a stairwell, and up a several flights of stairs, then slammed through the door at the top to finding themselves on the dock at the back of the main building.

There were several SUVs waiting, with Black Moon Security guards keeping restless watch.

Both Vampires dove back into the stairwell, knocking Noah down with them as the guards opened fired.

Thankfully the door slid slowly shut again behind them.

"Well now we know where she was going," Tony commented, as they ducked down, away from the hail of bullets that pinged off the door and the handrail, and took lumps out of the wall.

"If she's nearby, then so is Magneto." Speed pulled up the weapon he was carrying, and checked the clip.

He took a deep breath, and with a nod to signal he was ready, the three of them moved as one.

Tony ripped open the door, while Speed laid down a spray of bullets. He wasn't aiming to hit anyone, just provide some cover, but if anyone got in the way, he wasn't going to claim it was his fault.

Tony and Noah scooted in behind him, covering each side as they made their way across the docks to a section full of stacked crates.

They'd barely gotten to it when Tony yelled in surprise, seeing his gun suddenly pulled from his hands.

In seconds Speed and Noah were also unarmed.

"Well if it isn't the non-mutant," Magneto scoffed, from next to one of the SUVs. "How does it feel to be cured?"

"Not a Mutant." Timothy shook his head. "I've told you this a few times now. Not my fault you can't comprehend small sentences while you're wearing that bowling ball on your head. By the way, did you get into a fight with a cat? Mighty big scratch you got there." He waved his hand, indicating the damage Logan had done earlier.

Tony choked back a snort.

"This will not end in your favor," he cautioned, eyes narrowing, "whoever you are. Progress cannot be stopped, least of all by you."

"True," Speed replied. "But we can top terrorism."

Magneto reached out, tugging at the metal support beams holding up the loading bay.

Tony was grabbed and pulled away, while Noah tackled Speed into an open door just to the left, as the roof collapsed behind them.

Tony coughed from the dust in the air, rolling over to see Eliot looking down at him. "You're just as bad as your father."

"Thank you?" Tony sat up, cringing at the aches and pains.

He had a least a few ribs cracked, but nothing was screaming at him in agony.

"That wasn't a compliment." Spencer pointed a finger at both him and Speed, before he started down the hallway, muttering about idiots who got into trouble without even trying.

Noah chuckled as his friends stood up. He too was covered in dust. "We're not mentioning this to any Mates, right?"

"Not one word," Tony agreed, but as he looked up from brushing off Noah's shirt, he realized Jethro and Horatio were stood at the other end of the hall, watching them. "Shit," he muttered, pausing just long enough to try and make it seem like he hadn't just been saved from getting squashed. "Is that blood? Have you been shot?!"

Every good intention he'd had about faking his own innocence, went straight back out the door as he stalked toward his Mate, poking at the material of Jethro's shirt, checking the gunshot wound.

Jethro's hand slipped into Tony's hair, and he pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Let's compare battle scars later," he murmured.

Speed checked out his own Mate, making sure the redhead didn't have any obvious wounds.

"I'm fine." Horatio smiled at him, took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Where's Dexter?" Tony asked, having expected to see him lurking around somewhere nearby.

"He and the family are finding their own way home. John doesn't want to jeopardize any of our Mutant friends, and Sarah isn't really very trusting of anyone but Dexter. Which if you ask me is not right at all," Eliot informed them all. "But that woman knows how to kick ass. I'll give her credit for that. Never, ever piss her off."

Speed snickered.

"Everyone secured?" Noah asked, as they made their way out of the facility, passing back the way they'd come in order to try and make for the front of the Complex.

"And back on the plane," he replied. "The facility looks to be completely evacuated. Several SUVs fled out the rear exit."

Horatio paused as they exited the facility, carefully pulling a small device from his pocket.

With a devious grin, he flicked the switch.

Behind them, a series of explosions rocked the Gen-Cris Facility, blowing out windows, and turning the night a glorious shade of orange.

"What? You thought we were just wandering the halls for fun?" He grinned as he slipped the trigger device back into his jacket. "That will absolutely never stop being awesome."

"Remind me not to introduce you to Sherman," Speed commented, as they trotted quickly through the streets to the airfield.

Households were suddenly awake, doors were starting to open, red and white lights were flashing at major intersections, and local cops were coming out in force to secure their neighborhoods.

"Already met him," H chuckled, finding his Mate's terrified expression most hilarious. "Who do you think sent me the C4?"


~ Airport Outside of Town ~


Brisco cringed at the sight of them coming through the gates. "Well at least you don't look as bad as Nico!"

"What happened to Nico?" Eliot demanded with an ugly growl.

Brisco pointed into the airplane gesturing vaguely. "He had a fight."

"WHAT?!" Spencer snarled, and stalked inside, muttering about 'Goddamn stupid stubborn ass Meridii'.

"Do we want to know?" Jethro asked.

"He got into it with Sabertooth," Brisco informed them. "Warrick's already yelling and making him feed. House is on standby for when we get back to the school, though it looks like he'll have more than one patient. Now if everyone will get on board, so we can get the hell out of here, please?"

Warrick acknowledged them all as they boarded the plane. "What the hell happened to you?" he demanded, glaring at Jethro.

"Mystique," he answered, sitting down carefully. "I'm fine."

"This was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab," the Pirate grumbled, as he tossed their emergency medical bag at Brisco. "Take care of the idiot's children. I'm sure they're wounded somewhere too. Probably in the head…"

"I hope Sabertooth looks worse," Timothy commented as he sat down and reached for his seatbelt, cringing at the sore muscles and bruised bones he was sporting.

"He too was bleeding," Remy replied with pride, from his seat behind Nicolaus.

"Damn!" Cyclops couldn't help but whistle in admiration of the General's efforts. "If anyone goes against him it's usually Logan. Speaking of, where is he? Knew we should always keep that boy on a leash."

"He found Lyca," Tony explained. "They'll show up when they're good a ready."

"Does he have his memories back?" Storm asked curiously.

"Yeah. Let's just say the two need some time to reconnect," Timothy smirked. "Might take a while though."

She nodded, happy for her friend to have finally found what he'd been searching for so long. "Then now we're all here, let's go home."

Warrick stood up from where he'd been tending his Mate, and looked down at him fiercely. "Sit! Stay! If you move, I'm calling Ernesto."

And with that, he stalked into cockpit with Storm.

"Whoa! Dad!" Nico's children chuckled at their father's horrified expression.

"I really need to meet this Ernesto guy." Eliot took Warrick's seat. "So what possessed you to go against Sabertooth?"

"He killed one of mine." Nicolaus shrugged, or rather he tried too as his dislocated shoulder muscles shrieked like hell.

His bones had been returned to their proper place in his body, and that alone had been painful enough, but the rest of him still ached.

"Feed," Eliot muttered. "It'll mend."

"Your sympathy is appreciated," Sylum's Clan Leader groaned.

"You walked away in one piece didn't you? What more d'you want?"

Noah sat down next to his Mate, smiling at the sight of Jimmy holding a small child in his arms.

He returned the smile, shifting slightly so Noah could lean against him.

Neither said anything. Just the fact they were together and relatively fine was enough.

The plane taxied down the runway, and in minutes they were airborne, making their way back to the school.

As they flew over the forest, so two long, contented howls were bayed to the rising moon.


~ Next Morning – White House: Press Briefing Room ~


CJ bit back a yawn and drank down more of her coffee.

She had been woken up by a phone call from Josh in the early hours, informing her that the main facility for Gen-Cris Pharmaceuticals had gone up in smoke.

A few harsh words had left her mouth, but nevertheless she'd got up, and set about prepping for the statement that the press was inevitably going to demand.

On her way to the White House she'd contacted Toby and demanded answers.

He informed her that he had no idea what was going on, and she knew about as much as he did.

The moment she hit her office she yelled for updates and analysis of the situation before closing the door and leaning against it trying to catch her breath. She really, really missed the days when all she had to answer questions about were Healthcare, Education, the War in Afghanistan, and the sexual exploits of Vice President Hoyt.

Toby stepped into her office after a few moments, having given her at least enough time to get her coat off, giving her a run down on what the media were already saying about the situation.

Fox – stated that this was proof of Stillson's allegations that Mutants were a massive threat to the population, effective immediately.

ABC – stated that Gen-Cris was under investigation by the FDA and had destroyed their labs to hide the evidence of a dangerous drug being produced, that was pending a recall with several potential lawsuits on their hands over undocumented patient deaths.

CNN – stated that it was an environmentalist group that committed a terrorist attack in the name of freedom loving American Vegans.

WNN – stated that there had been an accident on the set of an upcoming Wayne Studios movie about genetically enhanced humans created by an evil cooperation, and though thankfully no one was hurt, there had been some damage that would delay filming.

"Movie?" She stared incredulously at Toby. "Movie? Are they kidding me with this now?"

Toby shrugged. "I have no idea. It's coming from their top news network. They won all those awards for their work on the Vatican two years ago. Why would they lie?"

She blinked a few times, wondering if he was winding her up. "Isn't Mr. Wayne you know…?" She waved her hand at him, and Toby just nodded. "You don't think this is how…?" He shrugged vaguely. "Really?"

"At this exact moment we have no idea what happened in Raccoon City," he answered honestly. "So let's go with an update on Leo's health, take a few questions, and then focus on the President's Education Program."

"I miss the days of normal scandal. My life would be so much easier if we were dealing with the President's view on abortion, or the death penalty. Mutants should not be in my morning press notes." She shoved said notes into her folio, and threw open her door with great purpose and haste, only to stop for a second so Josh could catch up and give her what she hoped would be sensible information.

It wasn't.

Not really.

Carol handed her a mirror to touch up her make-up, and she ran a hand through her hair, trying not to fuss with it too much.

She then shoved everything she'd been carrying into her assistant's outstretched hands, making sure to snag her folio back, and with a calming breath, stepped out into the Briefing Room and up onto the small podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Good morning! We have a few things to discuss this early in the day, so let's get the pleasantries over with and focus on the real issues."

Hands were raised and questions thrown instantaneously.

She ignored them.

"For those who are actually interested, Leo McGarry has been released from the hospital and will be continuing recovering at his townhome." She looked around the room, searching for a few reporters who might actually be concerned for the real news and not the rumor mill. "He is expected to make what his Doctors have described as a full and satisfactory return to health, and from what I've heard is already chomping at the bit to get back to work."

"Well he return as Chief of Staff?"

Hallelujah for a real concern!

"Thank you Kate, but no. Leo will be serving as a Consultant to the President, in keeping with his years of experience and his desire to maintain working status with this Administration," CJ answered easily. "Joshua Lyman has stepped into the role with ease, working with the President on the variety of issues that his predecessor has handed over."

"What does the White House have to say about the attack on Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical?"

And thank you Fox-fucking-News. Again…

"At this moment the President has nothing to say about Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical." She glanced around the room, pointing to one of the reporters in the back. "Simon?"

"It has been stated that President Bartlet has evidence against Gen-Cris and their dealings with Presidential Candidate Gregory Stillson."

"Is that a question?" CJ asked with a smirk.

The reporter frowned. "Does he have evidence?"

"There would be a formal announcement at a later date, should there prove to be investigation into Gregory Stillson and his financial connections to Gen-Cris and Crimson International," she replied simply.

"What about the fact that secret labs and cells have been found at the destroyed Gen-Cris facility? Isn't that enough proof that there are Mutants?"

Really? Was Fox News deliberately trying to sound like the Sci-Fi Channel?

"Gen-Cris were likely conducting Research and Development," CJ answered, "at least that's what one would imagine they were doing."

It was going to be a long morning.


~ Morning: New York City ~


Nathan Petrelli made his way through the streets of New York City, after slipping his Secret Service Detail.

Ever since his official nomination as Republican Vice Presidential Candidate, he had been working to get rid of his tail. They were annoying, but he'd managed it a couple of times.

Needless to say, they weren't happy about it.

At that particular moment however, he really didn't care.

He just needed time alone to think.

So he had gone out for a coffee and a newspaper, and figured that once he got back to the Penthouse, he needed to sit down with Peter and discuss their next step, in dealing with Stillson's loss of all reality.

His lawyer, Harvey Specter, had requested that he come in to their office later that day and go over what his meeting with President Bartlet would entail. After all, he couldn't sell it to the Administration if he didn't know what the hell it really was. Which seemed more than fair, given that Harvey had also agreed to help him step down from the Candidacy and back out of the Election as well as resign from the GOP.

It was going to explode, all over the place, and Pearson Hardman were going to be right in the middle.

It would probably net them more clients on their books than even Ms. Pearson ever imagined.

And hopefully strike a blow for emboldening pissed off politicians everywhere.

Nathan paused at the corner, watching the footage from Raccoon City being shown on a TV in the window of an electronics store. A second TV showed live coverage of a Press Conference from the White House. Petrelli wondered if he should personally apologize to CJ Cregg for the entire nightmare.

He couldn't help speculating whether in the long run it would actually hurt or help Stillson's reputation and vote-pulling power. If rumors started flying around about secret installations, people might start believing they were actually experimenting on Mutants instead of white mice and tiny monkeys.

He stepped off the curb to cross the street when the light turned green.

Not really paying attention to what was going on, he focused instead on the newspaper in his hand, skimming articles to see if anything jumped out at him that he might need to talk to Harvey about.

He frowned when someone else crossing in the same place from the opposite side, bumped shoulders with him, and he looked back at an apparently inconsiderate asshole in a dark suit and felt hat, who never even bothered to acknowledge him, and just kept walking away.

"Thanks pal!" Nathan rolled his eyes as he continued onward, not really planning a route but heading vaguely back home.

He was a block from his goal, when he heard a phone ring.

Repeatedly.

Close by.

He stopped and listened for a few moments, but the ringing continued.

Petrelli set his coffee cup down on a newsstand, and dug around his pockets, realizing the ringing was coming from his coat.

But he'd deliberately left his own cell back at the Penthouse so no one could find him.

Finding the source of the very annoying, electronic warbling that wouldn't quit, he gave it a cautious once-over before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

He felt vaguely like some ridiculous character in a spy film.

'Mr. Petrelli.'

"Who is this?" he demanded.

'A friend. One who is going to help you get out of the mess you're in.'

"Look pal, I'm not sure what you think is going on…"

'This afternoon you have a meeting with Harvey Specter, Senior Partner at Pearson Hardman, where you will be discussing plans to meet in private with the President of the United States, as well as arrangements for resigning from both the Candidacy and the GOP without too much backlash.'

Petrelli stood perfectly still, ice water running through his veins as the bottom dropped entirely out of his world.

It made his head spin. "You have my full attention," he said simply, hoping not to pass out.

'Good. This is what you're going to do…'


~ Next Day – Xavier's School for the Gifted: Conference Room ~


"Is there some particular reason why you wanted to speak to me?" Speed asked, sitting down on the main table. "Specifically without my Mate?"

Everyone at the school had been working around the clock from the moment they'd landed the jet and gotten it safely back under the basketball court.

Teachers and support staff had ushered the kids away quickly, wanting to get them examined, fed, cleaned and settled into rooms to rest. Jubilee hadn't wanted to leave Jimmy's side, so the Hunter had gotten her put in his and Noah's room for the time being.

Other staff members were calling the kids' parents, at least in cases where parents could be identified, trying to determine which were taken and which were given away. Much to the relief of everyone there were more parents crying with joy that their children had been found, than the opposite.

But there were always those who refused to talk about anything, let alone give their names and identities to strangers.

That was okay though. No one hassled them for anything.

And given time, it was hoped they'd find only love, respect and mutual understanding along the road to recovery. Maybe then, they'd be able to talk.

Charles had spoken with all the parents who came, setting up meetings to discuss educational options and training, and of course, acceptance. Sometimes it was easy.

Sometimes not so much.

Jean had already begun arrangements to take in the kids whose parents wanted nothing to do with any of it.

No one was turned away.

Warrick had locked Nicolaus in their room, making him rest after what happened with Sabertooth. Much irate Italian had been heard, issuing forth from behind their door.

Booth, Billy and Brisco had started upping security patrols around the school and it's outlying premises, as there was absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that Magneto would come for a visit, sooner rather than later. And Cyclops had set about working with Ray Kowalski and James Harrison to organize and train the children on appropriate evacuation routes that would get them out to safe transportation away from the site in the event of emergency.

Eliot had taken Remy to follow the tracker he'd placed on Stryker, only to find his coat outside a burned down office building. The small note attached to it read, 'better luck next time'.

The data that Stark had downloaded, was still being analyzed by both Clan and Mutant Scientists alike, with some extra added Specialist input from the Council.

A conference meeting had been set up for the morning with Clan Leaders, Imenand, and Lamont to discuss over all findings.

"I have a proposition to put, and didn't need the redhead to get all fatherly on it," Eddie Blake answered easily.

Timothy's instinct told him he wasn't going to like this conversation. "What're you suggesting?"

"We both know you have a spy in Sylum. Though why you haven't killed the piss ant is beyond me." The Hunter chewed on his cigar thoughtfully.

Speed bit back a growl. "There an important little thing called evidence."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he continued. "You and I both know there's one way to get rid of Jack the Ripper."

Speed shook his head. "No way in fucking hell."

"You think that cute little baby girl is going to grow up innocent to the fact that a psychopath is after her?" Eddie pulled the cigar from his mouth and licked his lips as he looked at Sylum's Clan Advisor. "Why not pull him out of the wood work now?"

"I'm not putting my two year old in harm's way, that's why. There are too many variables. Something like that could go sideways in seconds." Speed stood up, glaring at the screen, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "What happens if it fails and he gets her? A two year old? A baby we can't locate ever again? He raises her? Does God knows what…"

"Then you have thought about it!" Eddie countered smugly.

"Drop it."

"So it's better idea to sit and wait for the sick fuck to come knockin'? We can set up surveillance, and get him before he gets her. She wouldn't even know what was going on."

"No!" Speed shook his head. "And the fact you're suggesting this without Horatio…"

"Of course not! He's her father." Eddie gave him a 'duh' expression.

"I'm also her father!" he snapped back. "I failed Ellis. I will not do it again."

Eddie held up his hands to placate the bitterly irate Irishman. He knew how fiery such blood could run. His own Sire was a Quinn after all. "And what happens when she starts to remember? You know she will. You can't lock down memories like that."

"Then we'll deal with it." He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to calm himself before Horatio came in looking for him. "I get it Eddie, I do. And in a logical, and totally insane way it makes sense. But she's my daughter, not bait for a serial killer, and I won't do it."

Blake nodded. "I respect that decision. But…" He gave Speed a knowing look. "When the time comes, and you know it will, call me."

He knew it.

He hadn't lived to be as old as he was by being stupid and naïve. The Meridii had adopted a family motto long ago that translated as 'He who desires Peace, prepares for War', so he knew damn well that one day Jack the Ripper would come searching for what was his, and it probably wouldn't hurt to have one of the most dangerous Council Hunters on their side when it happened.

"Why are you so concerned about Lizzie?" he asked curiously.

Eddie shrugged. "She's a good kid. Now about that piss ant."

Speed gave him a warning glared. "Nico's taking care of it."

"Well, once he's done playing with the freaks, have him give me a call. I have something he needs."

He put the cigar back in his mouth and gave him a brisk nod before signing off.

Timothy stood there for a few moments trying to collect his thoughts, as a hand fell on his shoulder.

It startled him slightly, but he smiled when he realized it was Tony and not H. "You heard all that?"

He nodded. "There's a reason they call him The Comedian."

Speed snorted. "He has a point."

"He does, but the difference between us and him - besides personal hygiene and better taste in clothes - is the fact that we understand how the ends don't justify the means." Tony leaned against the conference table, right there beside him. "He's right though, about the piss ant."

"When this is over with, we need to deal with that." Speed glanced at his brother, an unspoken question in his eyes.

"Every step of the way bro." Tony didn't have to hear what was being asked, to know what his little brother wanted. He wasn't leaving his side, his Papa's side, or any other member of family again.

Not ever.


~ Next Morning: Conference Room ~


"Well you look a lot better than the last time I saw you." Lucien smiled at Nico, who was leaning back in his chair drinking a cup of coffee.

"Thanks for your help, Lucien." He shifted to look at Imenand and Lamont on the video screen. "Albus! How are you this morning?"

"I'm good. Dinner will be ready in a few hours. Minerva is trying a new desert." He grinned as he grabbed a lemon drop from the dish on his desk. "Just so you know, the two are back at the Castle."

"Thanks." Nico nodded. "You've seen all the info Stark sent?"

"Ay!" The Vampire Council's Leader turned deadly serious in the blink of an eye. "I'm worried that Frankenstein has information on the antimatter."

"You and everyone else on the planet," Mal grunted. "Is there any way to find out if he has any actual antimatter?"

"Considering you need a Large Hadron Collider to manufacture it, and CERN is the only place to have ever built one, getting your hands on the stuff by accident is a fairly limited prospect. Hector now sits on their Board, and has curtailed their ability to create more than is required for experimentation. He's also overseen fully renewed Security there too. I'm assured the antimatter project is safe," Imenand informed them. "And it's nowhere near ready to be used as an energy source either. So there are no worries there yet."

"Any reports of theft?" Josiah asked.

They all had seen the footage of the explosion at the Vatican, and no one wanted to see what might entail if detonated on land or sea, or in greater quantities.

"Hector has done a full security sweep and inventory. So far everything has been accounted for. He was ordering it done before we hung up last night."

There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Stark wiped the servers, including those operating remotely at other sites," Lucien added. "Just while we're discussing security measures."

"Still, as long as CERN is making it, in whatever quantities, there will always the chance of someone else wanting it," Benton cautioned. "There is no safe place…"

"On Earth." Nicolaus glanced at his friend with a sly grin.

"Send it onto another world where it could destroy another civilization?" Benton was outraged that Nico would even suggest such a thing.

But Sylum's Clan Leader shook his head. "O'Neill has mentioned they've found many planets that are utterly dead; destroyed either by the Gou'ld or the Wraith. It can be moved there. It won't be cheap, but it'll be doable. Building an LHC alone would cost more money than I can calculate."

"The government owns the Stargate," Mal pointed out. "Yeah, we've got an in with the President at the moment, but what about four or eight years from now?"

"We're not in the business of buying Presidents," Imenand assured him. "Until we can truly deal with this in a safe and orderly fashion, we'll keep our eyes on CERN at all times, and make sure that this material never gets in the wrong hands. One step at a time, gentlemen."

"Back to the most immediate threat then." Lucien looked around the room. "Magneto. I'm utterly sick of hearing his damn name!"

"Information has reached me, that Frankenstein seems likely to have left Magneto high and dry." Lamont entered the conversation, trying not to roll his eyes too dramatically. "Eliot's tracker on Stryker failed to lead anywhere, and the ones he put on Magneto's getaway vehicles, were fried the moment they left the Compound. Locations on both individuals are currently unknown, but resources are in play."

"So any last ditch effort Magneto is going to pull to keep his crazy scheme alive, is all of his own making." Benton glanced significantly at Nicolaus. "He's unlikely to have Rogues."

"I think you're right on that. I don't think he's caught onto that part of the story. Vampires are a question mark for him right now. But from what Speed said, he knows they're not Mutants." He frowned slightly, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. "He's going to have Mutants who will, at least in essence, be fighting for their lives, along with whatever mercenaries Stryker left behind."

"Any chance Stryker will show up?" Josiah asked. "Eliot said he was a Vampire, so he could be the one to bring Rogues into the fight."

"We'll need to prepare for anything." Tallikut's Clan Leader pulled up a map and stuck it on the screen next to Imenand and Lamont. "While everyone was out I went exploring in the woods. If we can move the fight into these areas," he said simply, highlighting them with luminous green circles where the natural lay of the land was to their advantage, "it will keep them away from the school and the children."

He didn't like the sensation of not being useful, and had put his time and expertise into an entirely different form of Hunting.

The science behind Mutation, hearing where Mutants came from and why, as well as their concept of the 'Cure' and all that it involved, had been seriously over his head, but tracking, and the skills required to assess a hitherto unknown land, were things he could do very well indeed.

The forest behind the school led into a ravine.

There was a mountain range to one side, and a fast flow watercourse on the other.

The trees were dense, and got darker further in.

If they could get the Mutants into that area, they would have them boxed, short of them diving off the cliff edge, swimming, flying or otherwise being able to levitate out of there. Either way, a strategy of that kind would allow for handling the situation without endangering the children.

"If we can back them to this river, we should stand a chance," he continued, laying out his idea. "But I'm not sure what we're going to do with them once we got them. It's not like we can throw them in jail, or just wipe them out."

"Charles is working on some options for a little re-education." Nicolaus looked over the map, liking Benton's plan.

A lot.

"What about the kids?" Josiah asked concerned. "Can the school handle that?"

"Not here. But someplace that would be more designed for adults." He nodded at Border's Clan Leader. "Get me?"

"He needs a location?" Mal asked, his mind racing with ideas. "I have plenty of space, further inland, close enough to civilization to get supplies there, but private and well hidden."

"Talk to Charles." Nico chuckled. "And thanks. All of you. I knew you'd come up with something."

"Well he's your Papa so…" Benton rolled his eyes at the General's shocked expression. "I'm not an idiot. None of us are. We wouldn't be running other Clans if we were."

"Well I don't know, they give the role to just about anyone these days," Lucien sighed, pouting dramatically.

"Yeah I know." Benton stared squarely at La Croix.

"Wow! Man! Dissed by the Mountie!" Mal held out his fist and bumped it with Josiah.

Imenand watched from the screen, chuckling softly, grinning at their antics, but impressed by their teamwork. Since Egypt all his Clan Leaders had taken more of an initiative to talk to one another, and discuss the ongoing situations they were facing. Even Lucien had started working more with his neighboring Clan Leaders, which was purely shocking all by itself.

"It seems the five of you have it under control," he commented. "Nico? When you have time, I need to talk to you about the other situation."

Nicolaus just nodded.

"Gentlemen, may the Gods smile upon you this day, and be with you in battle, as and when it comes."

"Mal? Josiah? I need to talk to Boone and Nate, but neither of them are getting back to me," Lamont said quietly. "I have already contacted Vecchio, and Alec is already working on something."

"I take it Bruce is up to speed?" Nicolaus asked.

"He's also working on something at the moment."

The Spy Master signed off from their conference without a goodbye.

Josiah frowned as he grabbed his phone, and headed quickly from the room; Mal close behind with his own phone up to his ear.

It was never a good idea when those assigned to Lamont's cause were out of contact.

Their Clan Leaders might not always know what they were doing exactly, but they sure as hell were meant to know they were alright while they were doing it.

"Should we be worried about what Alec's up to?" Lucien asked, glancing at Nicolaus with some concern. "He has quite the reputation."

"Unlike yours?"

Lucien rolled his eyes. "Really? You want to bring that up now?"

"Not really, no," Nico replied.


~ Evening: Small Airport ~


Dean leaned against his precious baby, waiting for the plane that had just come in, to taxi up the runway and park.

Sam was back at the school, having been kidnapped by Charles to talk about his 'gift'.

Dean hadn't wanted to leave his brother, but that whole touchy-feely thing was something he couldn't really help him with, though he trusted Charles not to hurt him, which wasn't something he could say about very many people.

As far as he was concerned, it was also good that Sam was getting to know his 'Meridius' family.

Nicolaus had admitted that Charles had the Soul of his Father, making him Sam's grandfather. Considering Dean knew he was out numbering Sam in the past-parents department, he was glad his brother could find family with the older man.

"Lennox!" Dean called out to him, as the small Ranger Unit trotted down onto the tarmac. "How's my girl?"

"Deanna is running around getting into trouble, and seems to have a love affair with AC/DC." Lennox held out his hand, a welcome smile on his face.

Dean brushed past his outstretched arm and just embraced the soldier warmly. "She is totally my namesake!" He stepped back with a chuckle. "Good to see you, man."

On returning from Egypt, Nicolaus had sat them down to explain that they had family, still alive, on their Mother's side of the line.

Mary Ann Lennox was their Mother's second cousin.

They'd been hesitant at first about a meeting, given that they were still in hiding from John Winchester back then, but Nico had been very convincing, and had gotten them to spend time with her in the safety of the Manor.

It had been a very emotional moment for Dean. Mary Ann had looked so much like his mother it was as though he had chance to see her again, just as he always remembered her. Poor Sam hadn't been sure what to do with his brother, when he'd simply walked up to her and held her and cried his eyes out. He'd just stood back with Will, and waited for him to compose himself.

Dean had obviously apologized, and she'd just wiped his tears and taken hold of his hand, and started to talk about everything and nothing, helping him return to some sense of normality.

Since then they'd taken to stopping by and checking in on Mary Ann and little Deanna whenever they were in the area, making sure she was alright and not in need of something doing around the house. They knew it was hard on her with William stationed overseas, so they tried to help out if they could.

"When exactly did Nick call you?" Dean asked, as he leaned back against the Impala.

"After Grand Central Station." He moved to the trunk of the car and dumped his bags inside, admiring a few of the weapons and them around for some space. "So what happens if you get pulled over?"

"Flash my badge." He grinned cockily, still not used to the idea that he had a legitimate US Marshal's ID. "I see you brought the gang."

Epps also dropped his bag in the trunk. "Tell me I get to go in the cool car."

"Nope." Lennox leaned against the Impala, mimicking Dean's stance. "Your bag can, but the rest of you gets to ride with the others in the SUV."

He flipped his friend off, made a deliberate show of grabbing his gear again and slammed the lid down. "Nice to see you Dean. Sweet ride."

"Robert!" He waved over at Witwicky and Bay. "You bring explosives?"

Bay gave him a cheerful thumbs-up.

Dean turned to look at Will. "Did he tell you what we're up against this time?"

"As long as it's not Special OP Doggies again, I'm good," he said decisively, as he opened the passenger door and sliding inside.

Dean moved behind the wheel, slipping on his sunglasses. "How d'you feel about Toads?" he asked.


~ Evening: Three Days after Raccoon City ~


Charles maneuvered his chair into the silence of Cerebro, took a deep breath as the door slid shut, and put the helmet on.

Jean stood behind him, giving freely of her own strength as he needed it.

What he was wanted to do was tricky, and if either Scott or Nicolaus knew what he'd planned that day, both men would have been in there dragging him out.

The whole idea was try and give those Mutants who were siding with Magneto, a glimpse of what their lives could be like without fear, no longer living in hiding. He just needed them to stop fighting, and understand that they weren't in a war between Mutants and Humans, but one that was being manipulated by an angry and embittered man for his own gains.

And so he implanted that concept in their minds as they approached.

Flashes.

Sensations.

Thoughts and ideas.

Charles also reached out to Erik, for despite the helmet he wore, which he swore could keep his mind purely his own, there were always paths around even the strangest of barriers, and with Jean's assistance, he could touch Magneto's consciousness in ways that affected the Soul itself. He should have told him the truth so many years ago, about who he once was, and why he mattered so very, very much. But it was too late for that. And what once was, played like a shadow in the back of his mind.

For his wife had been his reason, his foundation, his joy and his light.

And she had been taken from him by Barbarians.

Brutalized and murdered and left to rot in Hadrian's Tomb…

Such pains.

He understood such pains as wrought such anger in Magneto.

Yes, there were so many things he should have said. So much he should have taken time to explain, to tell him how he was building a place that could help people like them. A place where they could truly live, and be at peace.

But that was his mistake, and his biggest regret. Magneto had chosen his own path, and as such was responsible for his own actions, yet that never stopped Charles from feeling that he should bear at least some of the guilt.

Old Souls, were never truly lost, no matter how much might fall between to separate them.

Warrick and Mal stood outside, having had a brief glimpse of what lay within.

He understood that Nicolaus was suspicious of his actions, so he'd asked them to make sure he was safe, tucked away in that strange room in the lower half of the basement area, behind a peculiar, blast proof door.

Warrick was simply armed with his 9mm, and had his sword slung on his hip.

They weren't sure if Vampires would be amidst Magneto's so-called Brotherhood of Mutants, but a sword could do as much damage as a gun in some instances.

Mal was actually sitting down, leaning against the door, typing furiously away on his laptop. When inspiration struck, one just had to go with it apparently. But there was a shotgun lying next to him, he was wearing shoulders holsters, with two 9mms safely loaded inside, and had a handgun that Jayne had shoved down the back of his pants. He also carried a Taser in his coat pocket.

Though all those who were defending the school were armed, and most of them had worked to make sure there was no metal on their clothing that could potentially be used against them.

Guns could be discarded and tossed aside when they were empty, but things like belt buckles and bits of jewelry could be do some serious personal damage when dealing with someone who could manipulate metals. No one wanted to think about knives and swords being used against them though.

Warrick glanced over at Mal and chuckled at the concentration on his face. "Are you really going to kill off Derek Storm?"

"Yep." He just kept typing away without looking up. "Jayne and Simon should be happy. It'll mean I can now retire from writing."

"Famous last words," Warrick commented dryly, as he focused on the empty hallway.

He hated being away from Nico, but he knew how important Charles was, not just to his Mate, but to all Mutants.

Josiah and Chavez were just up the next hallway at the intersection by the elevators.

If anyone was going to get to Charles, they would have to get through four Vampires first.

And then there was Jean.

But nobody seemed to want to talk about what she was capable of.

Josiah was wearing his holsters from his Regulator days, just carrying more modern weapons. The rifle he held casually in his hands, was the one he had used back in the day too, but it was comfortable, trustworthy, and he never missed a shot with it.

Chavez leaned a shoulder against the wall, knife in hand. He also had a pair of modern guns in his shoulder holsters, and carried plenty of spare clips inside his coat. With his long hair pulled tightly back, he was watching everything like a hawk, even the tiniest shadow that fell in that bare, and imposing looking corridor.

He glanced back at his Mate and smiled thinly.

All Josiah needed was the hat he'd once worn, and it would be as though they were fighting back in New Mexico.

Having Billy running around too, also didn't help with the weird sense of déjà vu.

The sound of a helicopter flying low over the school, reached keenly attuned Vampire ears.

A loud crash came next.

Doc cocked his rifle, nodded at his Mate, and grinned.

***


Jayne stood guard by the door where the Scientists had set up shop.

Jack Carter was inside, making sure none of them did anything stupid, like try to fight off what was coming.

No one had declared that the coming attack would be scheduled for that day.

It just seemed like everyone knew.

He turned, gun raised, when the door opened suddenly.

"Dr. Banner? You should stay inside."

"Let me pass." He stared directly at the Vampire Hunter, refusing to back down.

"It's not safe out here." Jayne holstered his weapon, hoping it might make him a little more persuasive.

"It's not safe with me here." Banner looked back at Neville, and his other friends. "Everyone has been kind and helpful, but I will not stay here and endanger lives."

The Hunter studied him for a few moments.

He was sweating, breathing harshly, and his skin had a sickly tinge of green to it like he was about to barf. Hickok had told most of the rest of them, exactly what he'd seen when they'd first met the shyly unimposing Dr. Banner, and as much as he was skeptical about the little nerd turning into a giant green rage monster, he also knew it was unlikely to be in his best interest if he argued with him.

Carter gave him a nod from inside, and waved him away, so he stepped back.

"We'll be here afterwards," he muttered.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Bruce shook his head, only to pause when Jayne laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I will send out Sam and Dean to go find you." The Hunter thought it best to make sure he understood how they'd accepted him, all of him.

"The Hunters?" Bruce asked, confused, having only met the brothers recently.

"No the dog and cat," Neville snorted from behind him. "Then the Hunters."

Banner smiled, and handed Robert his glasses. "Thanks. If worst case scenario happens, someone bring me some pants when you come looking."

And with that, he ran, heading straight into the forest.

He wasn't sure what would happen, but he knew that being locked away would just send his heart rate up, and that was never a good idea.

He glanced back at the school building.

They had taken him in and chosen not to fear him, though they had no idea what damage he could do. And as he ran into the trees he swore he'd protect them all, in any way he could.


***


Ray smiled at the kids. "Okay you guys! Remember that game of Sneak and Hide we played yesterday?"

The younger ones nodded quickly, while some of the older ones rolled their eyes. He gave them a pointed look, making sure they all played along whether they really wanted to or not, and it was gratifying to find the bigger kids move in closer to the smaller ones.

"We're going to play that game tonight, okay? Team A?"

The appropriate children all raised their hands.

"Yes! You're going to be with James, while Team B is with me," he continued, making sure to stay calm and evenly voiced.

While the others had all planned for War, spied on the enemy, and set up security, he had stayed close to the children.

He had helped with their classes, learned the layout of the school, and gone with Benny to assess the surrounding areas, helping him scout out the wooded zone behind the sculpted lawns. Then later he and James had discussed with Scott, which routes would be best for the kids to escape.

He had made sure to have a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up plan of the back-up plan.

Those children were all getting out alive.

There was no question in his mind about that.

James Harrison, once he'd returned from wherever it was he'd disappeared to, had been a great help, and once Ray had shown him what they intended, the two of them had worked hard, building up a game so the smaller children wouldn't be scared.

"The goal is to get through the obstacle course without being seen by anyone." Ray glanced over at one of the older boys. "Going invisible, is totally legal." The boy smirked, while a few of the other kids groaned. "Okay, remember the rules?"

"No sound," one of the girls said, smiling shyly at Ray, and he found it highly ironic, as her name was Banshee.

"Stay with your team," Colossus answered.

"Always listen to you or Mr. James." Forge glanced warily at all the kids, then at the two adults.

"Most importantly," James said, encouraging them all as he spoke, "if Mr. Ray or I say run. You run. Okay? You make a mad dash for that finish line as fast as you can. Do I make myself clear?"

They all nodded eagerly.

Even Forge.

"Now who's got Mr. Dean?" James looked over at Claire, who had a backpack with the cat tucked safe inside. "And Ms. Sam?" The dog barked softly from her spot between two of the smaller kids. Both animals had coded GPS embedded in their collars, so if they and the kids got separated from the adults, they could be tracked anywhere.

James looked at the two animals sternly. "Take care of them."

"Is something bad going to happen, Mr. James?" Banshee asked, her voice quivering.

"Bad men come." Jubilee spoke up for the first time. She didn't like being away from her rescuer, but he had told her she needed to go help him keep the kids safe, and do her fireworks trick if she was told to, as big as she could.

"Yes. Bad men come." Ray wasn't going to lie to the children, not when most of them had already seen the best and worst of mankind in their short lives. "That's why we're going to play Sneak and Hide. And we'll be out of here before they even know it."

The sound of a helicopter alerted the adults to the pending raid.

James and Ray looked at the group of twenty or so youngsters. "Everyone? On your marks…"


***


Sam and Dean, the non-animal variety, moved parallel with Captain Lennox and his team.

The forest was quiet, even the normal insect noises stilled by anticipation.

Will held up his hand, then went down on one knee.

The rest of his men followed suit, along with the two Hunters.

Benton had given them maps of the area, indicating where the Mutants were likely to come through on the attack.

Their job was to block that path, and divert them toward the ravine.

Bay had brought enough C4 to knock down a line of trees and make them turn left to the river.

"Sergeant?" Lennox pointed out the best strategic position, and his explosives expert nodded, grabbing his gear.

William stared hard into the tree line, reaching out with his all of his senses to see if he could locate the Mutants approaching.

He wasn't used to working in such dense terrain, having spent most of his military career in the desert, and he was having a difficult time distinguishing the natural sounds of a forest environment from those that were manmade, or rather Mutant made. It was something he would talk to Hugh and Cadfael about later, so he could get some better training in a variety of climates and landscapes.

He hadn't realized he needed it until that moment.

Holding up his hand, he signaled everyone to freeze.

Footsteps.

He gestured in the direction they should cover, and pulled up his gun, prepared for an attack.

But none of them could ever have been ready for what emerged from the trees.


***


Scott stood at the edge of the school grounds, between James 'Wild Bill' Hickok and William 'Billy the Kid' Bonney, and for the child in him who'd always enjoyed Westerns, that fact alone was never going to get old.

He watched Storm turn and smile at Brisco, who had once more taken a protective stance next to her.

He wasn't sure what was going on between those two, but when everything was done, he planned on finding out. If Brisco was making a move romantically, he'd totally picked a lousy time to start dating.

He didn't like leaving Jean, but she was needed with Charles. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was thankful that she'd been tucked safely underground in the equivalent of a bomb proof bunker.

Though the concept of Cerebro was something that scared him to death all by itself.

"What are the rules of engagement here?" Billy asked, wanting to be sure he got it straight.

"We try not to kill them." Noah sighed. "Remember?"

"And if they try and kill us?" he pushed.

"Try not to kill them back." Jimmy checked his weapons before holstering them with a flourish. It wasn't strictly necessary, but it made him feel better. "If the life of someone else is in jeopardy, take the necessary action."

"You know I'm not a cold-blooded psycho," Billy pointed out. "But when Tunstall was killed, his murderers had to pay."

"Which is how we know you'll protect the children by any means necessary." Hickok gave him a sideways wink. "And protect the Mutants from themselves."

"Damn! I'm going to have to work on my image some more." William Bonney chuckled, as he too performed a few fancy tricks with his gun before holstering it. "The kids'll be protected."

"Have you seen what those boys and girls can do? Oh, they can protect themselves alright," Booth assured them, as he reached their position. "We got inbound."

They all looked up at the rotor beat of three helicopters moving in fast toward the school.

Jimmy's eyes narrowed when he saw the logo on the side of each craft. "It's Black Moon."

"Stryker." Storm stepped away from them, holding her hands out and throwing her head back.

Her eyes grew white, opaque, almost ghostly, as she focused and channeled her concentration on gathering the elements.

The weather began to change, as the wind picked up around them.

Jimmy ducked his head, one hand flying up to try and keep his hat on. Scott though, stood perfectly still, letting the wind whip around him, seeming almost to enjoy the moment.

Brisco was in awe and admiration; a lot less terrified than he'd been the first time he saw her using her skills in such in a way. In fact, he thought she was magnificent.

Hickok squinted into the sky at the sound of metal ripping violently through metal.

One of the choppers had lost control, it's skin seeming to pop and buckle with the stress, before it slipped into a tail spin, banking hard to the left, and crashing into the forest, setting off an explosion and the school's alarms.

"They know, we know, they're here," Noah grunted, as the second and third helicopters landed on school grounds between them and the main building.

"Billy!" Jimmy yelled, as he pulled his weapons. "Them you can shoot."

"Reap the Whirlwind!" he bellowed, and reaching for his guns, opened fired.


***


"Black Moon! We have Black Moon on the premises!" Claudio suddenly realized he was quite astonishingly calm, as he watched from the Security Room. "Two choppers on the back lawn," he reported. "Hunters have engaged them in a gunfight."

"Mutants?" Shep asked, glancing over the monitors.

He wasn't happy to be grounded in the fight, stuck with La Croix's Mate of all the Vampires, and the kids Eliot had been raising.

"Not with Black Moon." He peered intently at the gun battle playing out. "They're shooting at soldiers for sure. Wait. Wait! Flyboy…"

Shep glared at him, as he flailed at one of the other images.

"Pull that up closer! That one! See? There's some moving figures. No heat signature. Black Moon's raid team, getting out, heading this way."

"Stryker brought Vampires." Shep cursed as he grabbed the intercom mic. "We have Rogues in the building. Repeat, there are Rogues in the building."

"Now what?" Wade asked.

Shep grabbed his weapons. "Stay here. Help Claudio. I'm going to take out some Rogues."


***


Jimmy dumped his empty clips as he dove behind a low garden wall.

Noah was a few seconds behind him.

The two of them leaned back against their momentary shelter, accessing the situation while reloading their weapons.

"They've got us pinned." Booth yelled, from a few feet down the lawn. "We have to reach the damn school!"

"That's not the only problem!" Billy shouted, ducking low over a spray of automatic gunfire that spat up clods of grass and soil. "Vampires. They got Rogues!"

"Storm?" Brisco grinned at his future Mate. "Honey, can you strike them with lightning?"

She gave him a strangely disconcerting look. "Do I look like the God of Thunder?"

"Much prettier, honey," County smirked lecherously.

"Flattery will get you further than you think, Brisco." She stood up from the flowerbed they'd both dived face first into, and turned toward the looming school building.

"I didn't mean for you to become a target!" he yelled, scrambling to his own feet, giving her cover.

Hickok moved just as quickly, laying down fire to keep the Rogues and Mercenaries away from her as she did her thing.

Billy watched the clouds roll in, boiling with the sudden build of electricity in the air. It made the ends of his hair stand out. He shook his head, amazed at the raw power that woman controlled in her hands. In other areas of the world, she might be considered a Goddess for that.

The sky sizzled, as lightning slammed down; a double arc of brilliant white, taking out another of the helicopters.

Brisco grabbed her, breaking her concentration, throwing her to the ground as a huge chunk of spinning rotor flew over their heads.

He was going to have to Turn her soon, his heart couldn't take much more of the stress.


***


"What are our orders, sir?" one of the Black Moon Security Officers asked.

They were all clad in body armor, their faces covered, leaving only their eyes showing.

"Distract as many of the X-Men away from the forest as you can, Captain. Magneto wants to recapture his Adam and Eve," Stryker yelled, leaning toward him over the noise.

The Captain nodded, and issued orders to his men accordingly.

Five from the first helicopter, focused on the attack coming from the edge of school grounds.

Five others spread out, making their way into the school itself.

"And what is your plan, sir?" the Captain asked, knowing full well Stryker had his own agenda.

"Magneto's boss wants some of the kids. We're going to grab a few." He motioned with his head, moving towards the patio doors. "Take out as many of their protectors as we can. It'll make our job easier with these freaks."

"The X-men as you call them?" the soldier asked.

"Vampires." Stryker stopped, and looked directly at him. "Is that going to be a problem, Captain?"

"No, sir."


***


The first wave of Mutants passed right over Lennox and his team.

Without the use of lethal force, there was simply no way to stop them.

Instead, Will ordered that they concentrate on diverting them, as planned.

With help from Sam, Bay planted his charges, and the two of them ran back to makeshift cover behind a huge tree trunk and an outcropping of rock, before steadying themselves, and setting them off.

The shockwave that ensued, slammed through the forest, knocking down trees and Mutants alike.

Witwicky looked up from his spot, flicking clots of shrubbery from his hair. He whistled, "Nice work Bay."

"After I leave the Army, I'm thinking of going into special effects," he said, beaming wide as he pulled another trigger from the pouch at his waist, and set off a second string of explosives that sent dirt, bushes and a fountain of debris up into the air. "Made us a few ditches too."

"Good work, Sergeant." Lennox admired such handiwork.

"If they climb the tree trunks, they're just going over into a hole in the ground. And they're not getting out of that in a hurry unless they've got wings. Which," he frowned, "I guess some might have."

It had been an interesting briefing, but following on from events in Egypt, not really that shocking for the men of Will Lennox's unit.

"That should get them moving toward the ravine," he nodded.

"What are our orders on engaging?" Witwicky asked, gripping his weapon. "These are technically all civilians."

"Keep them moving. Only engage if necessary. No casualties unless your own life is threatened," Will answered. "Let's go."

The small Ranger team, with their Hunters as backup, moved stealthily along the tree line, keeping the Mutants to their left, not interacting with the enemy.

They stopped short on approaching a clearing, where Mutants could be seen on the far side, apparently waiting for them quite calmly.

Dean moved in front of Lennox, Sam quickly at his side.

"Get your guys out of here, Will. Keep with the plan, and we'll deal with these guys."

"You sure?" Will asked, eyeing the strange band of creatures they were facing, though he suddenly understood Dean's earlier comment about Toads.

He wasn't worried about the older man, the teenager, or the woman – though he'd never actually seen a woman quite that color before.

No, it was the huge animal-looking creature behind them, that seemed most troubling.

"Your weapons will be useless." Dean motioned with his head, nodding backward at the forest. "Go. Now."

Lennox signaled his men, and they moved back into the trees.

Orders were orders.

Magneto watched in vague amusement, but let the soldiers go. They weren't much of a threat to his people.

His attention was on the two men in front of him. "This is your last chance."

"Look, helmet dude," Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. "So not Mutants. Not sure what Frankie baby told ya, but we are absolutely not Mutants. Well, Sammy here?" He tossed a thumb at his brother. "He's a bit odd, but then I've always known that."

"Thanks Dean," Sam huffed.

"Dude, I call it like I see it." He focused on Mystique. "Now, the bitch? Her we do have a beef with."

"You want a replay?" she smirked, moving a few steps closer, seemingly with great nonchalance.

"Mystique, not now." Magneto reached out to hold her back. "Why, if you claim not to be Mutants, do you fight for Charles?"

"Because we hate bullies," Sam answered, pulling up his shotgun. "And you're just a bully."

The gun was ripped casually out of his hands, and it flew end over end into the ferns behind them.

Dean pulled two 9mms from behind his back. "You know, we've been really nice about all this."

Magneto flicked his hand, but the guns didn't move.

Dean looked down at the weapons he was carrying, then back at the Mutant. "Oh, I'm sorry, these aren't metal. I learned my lesson the first time."

On returning from Portland, Dean had contacted Stark about Magneto's ability to manipulate metal. The two had discussed, along with Radek, a variety of different weaponry options, tossing out everything with even so much as a speck of metal in it anywhere.

Three days later, Dean had received an Express package from Stark Industries.

Porcelain guns, utilizing gas instead of gun powder.

They were test models.

But Dean had no qualms about using them on Magneto and his lackeys.

He took a few shots, missing as they dove for cover.

Growling in frustration, he slid down behind one of the larger tree trunks. "Aim sucks!"

"Weight and recoil too different?" Sam asked, as he ducked behind his own tree across from Dean.

"Lighter. Didn't counter for it." He took a moment to better assess how they felt in his hands, not having had time to test fire them before they'd set out into the forest. "Not bad though. They could've come in handy to sneak past metal detectors!"

"We can plan illegal activities later," Sam retorted, just as he was grabbed from the side and thrown into the clearing.

"Sam!" Dean yelled for his brother, moving from behind the tree, guns raised and ready.

He didn't have time to duck or even shoot, as a paw slammed hard into his chest.


***


Somewhat slightly to the side of the clearing, but still safely in the undergrowth, Tony and Speed watched the battle between the Hunters and the Mutants, as Sabertooth slammed Dean into a tree, and then tossed his weapons into the forest.

Both cringed, finding themselves with a whole new level of respect for their Father, who'd already faced off with the big hairy beast.

Not one, but twice.

Just behind them, Jethro, dressed in full camouflage gear, was carrying a modified sniper rifle, while Horatio was going through materials in his infamous 'never ending' bag. He had sat down with Sergeant Bay before the battle, fixing an array of different charges and homemade grenades that could be used against the Mutants. None were large enough to kill anyone, but just enough to distract, deflect and persuade.

"When this is over, I'm going to really admire you in that outfit." Tony winked at his Mate before focusing back on the situation at hand.

"And we're having a discussion about your little bomb making friends." Speed gave his own Mate a pointed glare.

"What are we doing about Magneto?" Horatio asked, ignoring the comment.

"Dad's got plans for him," he answered, keeping eye on what Mystique was doing. "We have one goal."

"Dean is doing a damn good job distracting Sabertooth." Tony winced at the sound of his body impacting against another one of the trees. "We just need to get the other three away from Magneto."

"I have an idea."

"I'm not going to like this…" Horatio shuddered when Speed just stood straight up and let out a long, piercing whistle, instantly attracting all the wrong attention.

"Yo, bitch! Remember me!" he smirked at her, wiggling his ass for good measure.

Mystique turned toward him, one eyebrow rising coolly. "Well, if it isn't my favorite play thing," she purred.

"Now is not the time, Mystique," Magneto warned her, again.

He still wasn't sure what exactly was going on with the Mutant he had tested the Cure on, but he certainly had an uncanny knack for simply showing up at the worst possible moment. That there certainly was something going on, seemed an inevitable conclusion, but it was likely to be deeper than anything he had been privy to. But given that Frankenstein had left him the moment things got a little too awkward with his plans, they needed to focus on their own kind, and the future, not engage in useless battles like deluded children.

Tony stood up next to his brother. "We'll discuss this later," he mumbled. "Pagan. Why didn't your paint your butt cheeks blue and flash your skirt at them?"

Speed laughed out loud. "It's a Kilt you ignorant Frog. Do I look like some Scottish Heathen?"

Tony blew a long and disgusting raspberry.

"You complained for weeks that Dad didn't take you to the Vatican, so admit it, now you're having fun!"

"We will for sure be discussing this later," H growled.

The two boys looked over their shoulders to see Jethro and Horatio glaring in unison.

Speed chuckled, but focused his attention back on Mystique. "So, is your Papa going to let you come out to play with the big boys?"

That was enough to get her moving.

Followed closely by Pyro and Toad.

Tony snorted. "Big boys?" he scoffed.

Speed ducked back into the undergrowth, pulling him down too. "We'll get her further into the forest. Jethro, you get two shots only. Not a time to miss here. The moment it's clear, take them."

Jethro gripped his weapon, moving back and into the shadows, and melding with the forest.

Speed grabbed his Mate and kissed him hard. "Go have fun blowing things up. Don't go losing valuable body parts though, kay?"

Horatio snorted, grabbed his bag and took off into the trees.

The three Mutants broke through into the small area where the Vampires had been hiding.

Pryo kept running, chasing after Horatio, while the other two stood at the edge.

Tony pulled out a Taser and smirked at Toad.


***


Shep knocked the first soldier off his feet, grabbed his weapon and slammed the butt into his face, knocking him out.

He dropped the automatic rifle, not wanting to use such a high powered weapon in so confined an area, where children might still be present.

Tracked the other three soldiers up the stairs, into the residential wings of the school proved easy enough.

He grabbed one from behind, slamming him into the wall, and tossing his ass back down into the lobby.

The second soldier pulled up his weapon and began firing.

Shep ducked into the nearest room slamming the door shut, scrambling away as the guy was joined by a heavy handed companion, and the two of them shot the hell out of the doorway and framework.

He gritted his teeth and made a run for the room's inner wall, using his Vampire strength to slam bodily through it, tripping slightly, and landing heavily on the nicely carpeted floor next door.

Taking a quick breath to bite back the pain, he got up and ripped open the door that would lead him back into the hallway. Stepping out, he pulled his Glock, and dropped both of his would-be assailants instantly.

With a sigh he moved back down the hall again and up the stairs.

His head snapped round when he heard a yell, followed by a short burst of gunfire.

He was back down the stairs and heading for the Security Room in seconds.


***


"How many got into the school?" Cyclops asked, as they took out the remaining guards surrounding the last chopper.

"Looked to be about seven or eight," Jimmy answered. "Do we know how many Mutants are in the forest, heading this way?"

"No." Storm moved to get in the chopper. "Scott? Leave the Black Moon guys to them. We're going to be needed out there against Magneto's Brotherhood."

Cyclops nodded, following close behind her. "Hey! Hickok! Take care of my home here, would ya?"

"On it!" The Hunter gave him a brisk salute, touching the brim of his hat with two fingers before heading onward into the building.

Just as the chopper lifted off, Brisco slid in the back. "What?" he asked innocently, as Storm turned in the pilot's seat to give him a filthy glare. "Thought you were going to leave without me?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end just smiled at him as she set about piloting the helicopter over toward the Ravine.

If the Rangers had done their job, most of the Magneto's forces were probably being diverted there at that very moment.

Cyclops had been assessing the chopper's instruments and radar, but as his eyes were drawn to further downward, to where the trees were moving.

"There is something very large, moving very fast," he cautioned.


***


Lennox slid to a stop when a really, really big tree went flying clear overhead.

Epps ran into his back, and the two struggled to stay on their feet. "What the fuck is that?" He took an involuntary step back, pulling his friend with him. "Is it a Mutant?"

"I have no idea," Lennox grimaced, "but we're not engaging it." He turned to his team. "The river is just through there." He gestured clearly so they could see their heading.

"What happens when we get there and there are all these Mutants?" Witwicky asked curiously.

"We talk to them, nicely." Epps smirked at his teammate. "And tell them to go home."

"Or we can shoot them," Bay suggested. "'cause I'm not sure they want to listen to reason here."

"We'll figure that out when we get there then. Now move!" He yelled at his team to get their asses in gear, just as another tree went flying.


***


Sam helped his brother up, pulling him in close, shielding him from further injury.

They had no weapons to counter the beast they were facing.

At that moment their best option was to get the hell out of there and hope to God their distraction had been enough.

He had seen Mystique and the other Mutants take off after Speed and Tony.

So he could only hope that Nick was in the area to deal with Magneto, because he and his brother were officially done.

"We're going to have to up our training." Dean leaned slightly against Sam, trying not to move too much and aggravate his broken ribs. "We got our asses kicked lately, by a girl and a cat."

"Well to be fair, the girl is psychotic." Sabertooth gave them a cheeky grin, baring his fangs for good measure.

"Done playing with your cat toys, asshole?"

"The small one squeaks in the middle." Sabertooth took a few steps toward his old friend, who emerged from the trees with hardly a footfall. "Got your memories back, Lycan."

It wasn't couched as question.

"The only reason I'm not killing you right now, is our centuries of friendship," Logan countered. "That, and you're the Godfather to my kids."

"How did I get stuck with that job!? Your kids are a menace!" Sabertooth growled lightly, stepping back, putting his hands up defensively when Alyc stepped into the clearing from the opposite side. "Lyca!" He grinned. "Sweetie, I had nothing to do with Stryker. I even tried looking for you, my friends."

Magneto watched the interaction between them, finding it suddenly so obvious that his alleged cohort had been keeping information from him.

"Sabertooth!" His tone demanded answers.

The Mutant rolled his eyes, but only where Lyca and Lycan could see him. "I will have no part in this, Magneto. You want these two? You catch them."

And with that, he was gone.

"He moves really fast for a gigantic furball," Dean grumbled.

"Go!" Logan looked at the two Hunters, his Adamantium claws extending with a nasty snapping sound.

"Don't need to tell us twice," Sam muttered, grabbing his brother around the waist, and fleeing into the forest.

Less than a hundred yards away, they ran straight into another hairy monstrosity.

A blue one.

Which had them immediately fearful of Mystique playing tricks on them.

It too was huge, swinging through the trees like an enormous gorilla, from long and muscular arms.

Sam and Dean dropped back into the undergrowth, but it had already seen them, and swung mightily in one final leap, to drop right there, just two feet from where they were trying to hide.

What made it even more strange, as though giant hairy blue ape things weren't strange enough, was that it wore a very nicely tailored pair of suit pants.

"Boys?"

It also spoke English apparently.

Sam looked at Dean.

Dean looked at Sam.

"I just got here. Name's Hank McCoy. You can call me Beast."

Hank grinned mischievously at their expressions.

"Friend or foe?" Sam asked.

"What is this? Dungeons and Dragons?" Dean snarked, his ribs hurting like fuck.

"I'd say Mutants and Vampires," Hank chuckled.

He'd arrived just moments after the first helicopter crash, seeing the fireball rise, and a swath of oily black smoke curl into the sky.

It made him drive that much faster, pulling up at the gate only to tussle with Black Moon the moment he leapt out of his car.

"Damn Rogues tore clear through a handmade suit coat, and my shirt!" he grumbled. "And a five hundred dollar silk tie! Shredded." He shook his heavy looking head. "Animals. All of them."

Realizing this was definitely a friend, Sam helped Dean get up again.

"You're hurt," Hank muttered.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Dean wasn't in the mood for long explanations. "We're looking for a Ranger strike team, out by the ravine."

"Rangers?" Hank frowned. "I'd hardly come prepared for War. I left my shoes in the car!"

Sam snickered. "Come help us. Shoes are optional in your case."


***


Tony stopped and looked up at the sound of a helicopter beating over head.

He tried to focus his vision to see who was piloting, but the darkened sky and the sheer density of the canopy, made it difficult to focus that well.

Toad had fled the moment the Taser came out.

Not that Tony blamed him for wanting no part of that. The poor thing had apparently already been fried twice recently anyway.

Another shock and there could be very big frog legs on the menu.

Speed glanced upward then over to his brother. "How long we planning on doing this?"

They had been giving Mystique quite a merry chase through the forest, pulling her further away from Magneto and from any other support by her fellow Mutants.

"Now is good." Tony bent over, looking for all the world like he was trying to catch his breath.

"Too much exercise?" Mystique asked as she sauntered closer to them. "I can take fifteen seconds if you need to recoup."

Tony straightened up, turning to stand next to his brother. "Oh we could do this all day."

"But it ends. Now." Speed gave the signal.

Two loaded darts came whirring from the dense foliage, one hitting her in the neck the other in the shoulder.

She pulled one of them out and looked down at it, eyes widening in fear and shock as she focused back on to her prey.

"What did you do!?" she yelled, moving toward them, only to collapse to her knees as a wave of dizziness swamped her.

"Pay back is a bitch, huh?" Speed snarled. "You almost killed me and my Mate. Oh, I thought of killing you, but this is so much worse. Welcome to humanity."

"No! No!! I'll do anything! Don't make me human," she begged, shaking her head.

"It's the least we can do." Tony knelt down next to her as she started to shake, curling into a ball there in the long grasses. "Maybe now you'll understand that it doesn't matter whether you're Human or Mutant, we're all the same."

"No!!! Mutants are better than you pathetic Humans!" she roared, her face contorting in pain.

"That's the crux of this whole thing." He leaned in just a bit closer. "We're not Human."

She stared up at him, confusion and anger mingled in her eyes.

"We're Vampires." And with that, Antonio Crisafi stood up gave her a final salute, before walking away.

No one looked back.


***


Shep turned a corner to see Wade on the floor, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Cas stood over him, wings spread wide, protecting his friend.

In front of them, more men from Black Moon were ranging themselves for a further assault on the Security Room.

At that moment though, Castiel's wings blocked him nicely, preventing the soldiers from seeing him, and he used that cover to his best advantage, searching for a location to take his next shot.

Easing to his left, he came up stop short at the sight of James Harrison with a half a dozen kids behind him.

Shep followed the other Vampire's gaze to the door, which lead into the kitchen and out the side of the school.

He understood what had been planned, and holding up his hand, he jabbed a finger at the next step on their escape route.

James nodded, quickly and discreetly.

Shep took a few calming breaths, gripped his gun, and slowly crept to the door in question, keeping low.

He was barely a few feet away, when one of the Black Moon Officers looked directly at him.

The two of them froze.

It took a moment, before John realized the guy was a Vampire.

Claudio had stated that there were Rogues running around, but he'd not seen any until then.

Shep shifted his gun in his hand, cursing under his breath.

Castiel was calmly threatening anyone who came near Wade or himself.

Wade was trying to tell him to shut up, but Cas told him to be quiet.

He wasn't sure where Claudio was, and James and the kids were too close for him to take the chance at a shootout.

The Captain gave a small motion with his hand, and then shifted enough to block anyone else's view of what was going on in the hallway, effectively shielding the kids.

Johnathon D'Artagnian sent a quick prayer up to the heavens for whoever the Vampire might prove to be, before he motioned for James and the last of the children to move as fast as they could out of harm's way.

Once the door was closed behind them, Shep quickly put himself between Cas and Black Moon.

Then he raised his gun, aiming at the one who was obviously in charge.

"Step away," he ordered.

"And why would I do that?" Stryker replied.

"Because we'll make you." Scurlock's voice came from behind the Security Force.

Apparently Claudio had gotten word to them, that there was a man down, and they needed back up.

Stryker turned to see two other Vampires with guns, blocking his exit. "Doesn't matter," he answered casually. "I know your rules. You can't kill me."

A gunshot went off.

Everyone stared in shock as Stryker fell to the ground with a heavy thud, bleeding from a head wound that had removed a considerable part of his skull.

All eyes and guns focused on the Captain.

He laid down his automatic weapon, slipping into the floor, before pulling a second 9mm from his belt and setting it next to the first. He then unsheathed two knives, one from his boot and the other from his sleeve, adding them with the growing pile.

When he was done, he straightened up and yanked off his mask, tossing that to the floor too, before holding up his hands and surrendering himself.

"Ardeth…?" Josiah muttered quietly.


***


Magneto effectively subdued his Adam.

The Adamantium in his body meant he was easily manipulated and quickly controlled, which meant he also in turn had power over Eve as she would do nothing to jeopardize her Mate.

"Logan." He took a few steps forward, having pinned his prize to wide and imposing tree, but he jumped back again when Eve moved in front of him, her claws out and ready for battle. "Now Eve, is that really any way to treat the one who brought you two back together? Who saved you from the Humans?"

"Listen Bub, it wasn't Humans who did all this. And if you think Humanity is your biggest threat you got another thing coming," Logan snarled.

Alyc growled. "Step away from him."

"Or you'll kill me?" Magneto gave her an incredulous look. "Do you know what I can do? I can manipulate the metal fused to his bones." He closed his fist, watching her reaction to Logan's distress as he struggled to contain the pain he was enduring. "I can rip it from his body, bone by bone, one piece at a time. With his Mutation he might survive."

"Baby…" Logan bit back a groan as Magneto stretched the metal on his claws, pulling apart the bones, tendons and ligaments up his arms. "You're faster than him."

"Is she? Truly? Stake your life on it?"

Lycan's scream of pain, rang through the forest.

Alyc shook her head. She couldn't bear it.

But her making a move on Magneto came to a skidding halt when something landed in front of her.

Her Mate fell to the forest floor, suddenly free of control, and she ran back to him, soothing a hand over his face.

His claws had retracted and the wounds were already healing, but it was the sound of metal, gears and joints shifting that got her attention.

For there, between her and Magneto, stood a man in a hi-tech suit of metal.


***


It wasn't that difficult, keeping out of the way of the Mutants in the area.

Horatio had kept to a simple path that led him directly to the ravine.

He just hoped Lennox and his team were waiting for him.

Getting the Mutants into that designated area was one thing, keeping them there was another entirely.

He had no idea what Charles was planning exactly. They couldn't arrest any of the Mutants, and killing them was just as wrong as anything Magneto and Frankenstein might contemplate.

But he couldn't be distracted in trying to figure it all out, not when he needed to focus on the task on hand.

And hope Speed hadn't gotten into any more trouble.

He hadn't felt any pain or worry from his Mate, so he figured Mystique was under control, and probably not kicking his or Tony's asses again.

The redhead slowed down as he got closer to his target, staying hidden in the dense foliage. Opening his senses to examine what was around him, he concentrated on searching out familiar sounds and scents, and could hear Pyro coming up from behind.

He had to give the kid some credit for keeping up.

A familiar whistle caught his ear.

Horatio jerked his head, his eyes scanning the forest to his left.

The same whistle came again, and he saw the pre-arranged signal.

Grabbing his bag, he made his way over to where Lennox and his team were safely camouflaged.

"I got a kid behind me. Pyromaniac. If we're not careful he'll burn down the whole forest," he whispered. "There are at least a dozen or so Mutants at the far end."

"Another half a dozen are heading this way too," Lennox answered. "We ran into something big and green. It seems to have scared off a good portion of the Mutants."

"Dr. Banner?" H looked up from his bag.

"Who?" Epps asked, frowning. "You're saying that wasn't a Mutant?"

"No he's not. But when he's pissed, he's really pissed." Horatio pulled out a few C4 charges, and tossed one to Bay. "How many do you have left?"

"One, plus the smaller detonations," he answered, looking over the little bomb in his hand. "What are you thinking?"

"Charles wants to try and talk to these guys. Or at least that's what I think he wants to do."

"Really?" Witwicky shook his head, and gripped his weapon a bit tighter. "These types don't take well to talking."

"We can't kill them," Lennox pointed out. "They're just being used. So talking is going to have to work."

"Fine." Epps shrugged. "What's the big plan?"

"Block them in." Horatio motioned toward two different areas of the ground where they were hiding. "Either side. See?"

"Captive audience," Epps nodded. "Okay, I get it."

"Or they get really pissed and rip things apart." Lennox sighed. "Okay then, Witwicky, Epps, and Bay take the left flank. Caine you're with me…"

There was a loud and venous sounding roar.

The team all glanced behind them, to see one scary ass looking Mutant charging in their direction.


***


Tony Stark stood up, assessing his immediate area on the screens inside the helmet of his suit.

He turned his head slightly, taking in all the information that Jarvis was feeding him about Magneto.

The Mark III had just gotten it's new red and gold facelift a few hours before, and he had been tracking the Mutant situation sufficiently to figure that such was as good a testing ground as any.

For his part, Magneto stared quite openly at the beautiful red and gold work of art that stood in front of him. Its lines were clean and sleek, very regal and sophisticated, demonstrative of power held in tight control, but as much as he admired the workmanship behind it, it stood between him and his prize.

"Who would you be?" he demanded.

Tony answered through the helmet. "You can call me Iron Man."

"Well Iron Man I suggest you take your little toy and go away." He really hated to damage what was quite clearly a very elaborate and highly developed construct of some considerable sophistication , but he had more important things to do.

Flicked his wrist, he intending to send the man in the metal suit sailing off into the forest.

Except nothing happened.

Magneto held out his hands, focused all his attention onto the metal suit, gathered his strength and with a grunt, threw his hands to the side, tossing the annoyance out of his way.

Except nothing happened.

Tony Stark shifted from one foot to another. "Third time's a charm?" he asked politely.

Magneto glared, and with all his anger and frustration called the metal to him, and then banished it from his sight.

Except nothing happened.

"Ack! Y'know what? It's okay. I hear these things happen to men of your age. They have little blue pills for that now a days." Tony turned around and focused on the two Mutants behind him. "Jarvis? Scan Mr. Big Bad Wolf over there."

'His skeleton structure appears to be entirely covered with Adamantium, sir.'

"Fascinating. That must've hurt like a bitch."

'Perhaps polarizing the metal coating, would also make him unacceptable to Mr. Magneto? Running potential scenarios now.'

"Shouldn’t be that hard." Stark looked at Logan, reading the equations and scans Jarvis was conducting. He could see how Magneto was easily manipulating him. "You know, I can fix that for you," he said out loud.

'His own internal structures are healing themselves, at a rate far beyond normal.'

"I'm fine." Logan staggered to his feet, making sure he stood behind the newcomer.

"Sure you are." Tony shifted his focus back onto Magneto. "Now as much fun it would be to stay and watch you helplessly keep trying to move me, I'm only here to bring the puppies back to their rightful owner. There is someone who's a hell of a lot more interested in talking with you than I am though."

Alyc looked around the clearing, a familiar scent filling her nostrils.

Pulled away from her Mate, she felt a new desperation. "Logan…?"

"I know," he replied. "I smell him too." Lycan took her hand, pulling her back toward him. "He's here. We'll find him when this is over."

"What if…?" she argued, as he picked her up and moved away from the clearing. "Lycan!" She struggled. "I have to make sure he's okay!"

"Trust him!" he growled, putting her back down and gently cupping her cheek. "Hell! We raised him. He knows what he's doing."

Instinct was screaming for her to go back, but she nodded. She understood. He was a survivor, just like them.

Side by side, staying close, they ran on into the trees.

Stark smirked when he saw the man of the hour arrive on the edge of the clearing.

One bodyguard to the left, and one to the right.

Perfect planning, all things considered.

"He's all yours." Tony waved, shifting just enough to let Magneto see what was happening.

"Get to the school," Nico ordered. "Check the kids are safe."

He stepped fully into the clearing, unblinking, fixed on his enemy.

Stark was ready to argue about not being a babysitter, but figured the General had it covered.

Positioning himself just-so, he fired up the Repulsors, the volume of that much energy in a single confined space, making the ground shake was well as the trees.

Shooting upwards out of the forest canopy, he changed course for what was really just a very tiny hop.

"And who would you be now?" Magneto asked, curious to find someone so calm standing in front of him.

"Nicolaus," he answered easily, as the Phoenix Meridius was ripped from his hand.

It buried itself in a nearby tree, vibrating with the force at which it had been thrown across the clearing.

But Nico's focus didn't waver.

The plan had been really very simple.

Use Benton's maps to set up a perimeter, pushing Magneto's army to the ravine, far enough away from the school to cause little real damage, then trap them there, and hopefully talk some sense into a few of them.

Lennox and the Rangers – check!

Remove any and all guards from around Magneto.

Tony and Timothy – check!

What they did with Mystique was entirely up to them, he just wanted details later.

Sam and Dean were their distraction and backup – check!

All Hunters protect the school by any means necessary – check!

James and Ray protect the children – check!

Josiah, Chavez, Mal and Warrick protect Charles…

He knew Charles would be weakened from the strain of trying to talk sense into Magneto's so-called 'Brotherhood of Mutants', though he could only hoped his father succeeded.

It was bold and ambitious.

But it would make the X-Men's job easier in years to come.

Magneto however, was entirely Nico's.

His family had endured enough pain at the Mutant's hands.

Magneto almost killed his son.

And almost destroyed his father.

He had seen the pain and regret in the Professor's eyes whenever they talked about Erik.

He knew what Erik was to him, and knew that Charles could never tell him; could never confess such a thing to anyone.

Instead he would watch as he destroyed himself, and pray to the Gods that when that particular Soul returned, as it doubtless would, it might finally be healed.

"Is that little trick supposed to scare me?" Nicolaus asked easily, moving steadily closer to Magneto. "I've seen things much scarier than that."

"Who are you?" Erik demanded.


***


When Sam, Dean and Beast cleared the forest and reached the ravine, the sight before them was utter chaos.

Witwicky was down.

Propped up against a tree to keep himself from sliding over, he focused intently on loaded his weapons rather than let the pain of what had happened eat away at his consciousness.

Epps and Bay stood in front and to the side, protecting their wounded friend.

"What the hell is going on?!" Dean demanded.

"That!" Epps yelled, keeping his weapon trained on the thing.

Whatever the fuck it was…

Dean watched as a lanky, smelly, grayish creature, that stood well over eight foot tall, loped around like some crazed refugee from Woodstock.

It had facial hair to rival the members of ZZ Top, and its body was all hard lines and tight angles. Long sharp nails on claw like hands, were vicious as hell, but it's eyes were glazed, like it had been living in a cave all it's life.

"Ohhh, nasty," Beast murmured. "I can take it."

The creature threw Lennox into another tree without even seeming to break a sweat.

"Why haven't you shot it?" Dean asked.

"I did!" he snapped back. "Twice! I just pissed it off is all, and then it tossed Ron here into a tree. Breaking his leg." He struggled to stand, shaking off the stunning impact his head had made on the bark.

"It's called a Wendigo," Sam commented, as he knelt down next to Witwicky, wondering if he could be helpful.

There was a lot of blood, and the white end of bone piercing through the Ranger's calf.

"Okay, this is gonna suck," he said quietly, grabbing the man's ankle and yanking it hard enough to at least pop the shattered Tibia back where it belonged.

Ish…

Witicky screamed louder than the Wendigo. "SONOFAFUCKINGBITCH!!!! I am SO retiring after this is done! Screw you all!! Judy will be happy. We can get married. Settle down. Raise a family. I want a son. And he's going to go to college, and he's staying away from weird ass shit, and having nothing to do with guns, Mutants, Alien Space Dogs, Vampires and… and…" He knew he was panting and sweating through the pain. "I may be delirious," he said firmly, nodding his head.

Sam patted him on the helmet as Bay tossed him a dressing kit. "Delirious is good. I can get with delirious."

"How the hell d'you know that?" Epps asked, keeping one eyes focused on his Captain and the other on what Horatio was up to.

Once the creature had attacked, so the redhead had taken the charges, and dashed away to go set them, letting them distract the Mutant while he worked.

"Read about it," Sam murmured, as he stood back up.

Bay looked to Dean for confirmation.

"Don't look at me, dude!" The older Winchester shrugged. "Do I look like a walking encyclopedia of all things Mutant, weird shit and supernatural?"

"Well the flannel ensemble there kinda gives you that weird Hunter vibe," Epps replied, one eyebrow rising as he grinned. "I'm jus' sayin'."


***


Horatio set the last two charges, and grabbed the remote detonator.

A sudden shift in the air alerted him to the threat coming fast from behind.

Without thought, he rolled to his right, moving quickly back onto his feet.

And there stood Pyro, right in front of him, a lighter in his hand.

For a moment the only sound around was the repetitive clicking of its lid as the boy flicked it open and closed.

"You really don't want to start a forest fire." Horatio tried to reason with him, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Why not?" he asked, flicking the lighter again, igniting the flame.

They both watched that tiny spark dance on the breeze.

"You're a kid, playing in an adult game, and you're only going to get yourself hurt." Horatio took a deliberate step toward him. "Now give me the lighter."

"Ah! So you're just gonna give me a lecture on how I have daddy issues? That you understand what it's like to be thrown out because you're a freak?" Pyro flicked the lighter again. "Been there, done that. Heard it before. Can't tell me nothin' new."

"I can tell you my father was an abusive asshole who murdered my mother in front of me." H took another step closer. "I can tell you my idiotic little brother decided to use that as an excuse and start dealing, while he was a cop. I can tell you that he walked away from his wife and son, because he was too much of a coward to man up to his problems."

"And you did what then?" he challenged.

"I hid behind a pair of shiny sunglasses and a fancy suit, saving the world from criminals." Horatio moved fast, grabbing Pyro's hand and closing it around the lighter, gripping it tight. "Then I met Speed."

Pyro struggled but couldn't pull his hand away from the redhead. "So you did drugs too?"

Horatio chuckled darkly. "He's addictive alright, but Speed is just a nickname. He's my Mate." His eyes glowed and he felt his fangs drop. "There is so much more to this world than Mutants. More than Magneto's violent thirst for power. More than the losers we both had as fathers. More than you could ever imagine…"

And in a moment of utter honesty, Pyro stopped fighting long enough to pay attention.


***


Lennox groaned as he stood back up.

He was going to have to call Noah and thank him for the sparring sessions with the psychos lovingly known as the MacManus brothers.

Their lessons were the only reason he could still get to his feet and brush off the pain.

He stopped and stood perfectly still, clearing his mind, knowing he had to fight smarter.

Brute strength and ignorance wasn't going to win against a Mutant like the one in front of him.

Everything he had learned so far, from Cadfael, Hugh, Noah and even Patrick, all rushed back to him.

He opened his eyes, but didn't move.

Instead he watched as the creature ran for him, screaming out its rage for the whole world to hear.

With devastating calm, William reached down to his boots, and pulled out two silver knitting needles.

They spun through his fingers.

A gleaming, shiny distraction.

The moment the Mutant was on him, he flipped them around, and slammed them upward into the creature's chest.

Followed the momentum, he braced himself with his legs and tapped into his Vampire strength, tossing the creature over his head and into the tree.

His grip held firm on the knitting needles, he panted as he turned lightly on his heels, waiting for a second attack.

The Mutant slumped through the branches that couldn't hold it's weight, and they snapped like gunshots going off.

Everyone flinched.

But the Wendigo hit the ground.

Stone cold dead.

Will looked down at the knitting needles, only to find the thing's heart was stuck on the end of one.

"Eurgh!" He flicked it off fast, scurrying away from the scene.

"Well, damn!" Beast was rightly in admiration, and gave he gave the Vampire a heft thump on the shoulder.

Lennox eyed him. "Ow!"

But Beast just grinned. "Nice work! He was always an angry one."

"You will be cleaning those before you knit Judy a scarf right?" Ron asked, impressed and disgusted all at once.

The other Rangers were staring in awe.

"You knit?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"Don't even start with me." Lennox pointed the needles at him, chunks of flesh flying off the end. "Eeew! Gross!"


***


"Who are you?" Josiah demanded, stepping closer to the Black Moon operative who'd just effectively surrendered to them.

At first he had thought it to be Ardeth, but on second glance he could see there were some subtle differences in him; the newcomer being a few inches taller, with a short-haired military look, a neatly clipped goatee, and no visible tattoos.

"Who the hell are you?" Border's Clan Leader growled. "Answer the damn question!"

"I will only speak to Charles Xavier or Nicolaus Valerius Meridius," he said easily, his accent giving them no clue where he was from.

With a curiously blank expression he watched as the Mutant with the wings, the soldier, and the man who appeared to have stepped from somewhere in Eighteenth Century France, moved the wounded man out of the hallway.

The shot the poor man had taken was mortal. He had seen it all too often in his many years of fighting experience.

There was only one way they were saving him.

He just hoped it was wanted and not imposed.

His men had surrendered the moment he did, laying down their weapons and standing back, hands raised.

From out of nowhere, other Mutants appeared, taking them away.

He didn't ask what would become of them.

And he wasn't really sure he wanted to know either way.

"I am Charles Xavier." The Professor rolled his chair straight into the situation without hesitation, Jean at his side and Warrick and Mal just behind him.

He had been tinkering, influencing, opening the minds of those like Pyro whom he knew in his own way he had failed once before.

He had been moving the pieces around, like he was playing chess, pushing Rangers here, and Mutants there, and Hunters to specific areas. Oh, they had no idea, not when his suggestions were so very subtle, but it had proven enough, as through Jean, he gave Scott instructions, and tracked Magneto for his son.

Despite all attempts at his boy trying to hide it, he knew what Nicolaus was planning. Their minds had touched in deeper ways than anyone else knew, during that terrible week in Egypt, buried in the dark, removed from the world, frozen in time.

It had shocked him that in turn, Nicolaus opened up to him so very far, and been so willing.

But it meant there was little could be hidden for long.

And like the skilled strategist he was, like the canny and cunning player he could be, Charles knew the plan was working. At least until an unforeseen element arrived on the board.

And the mind of the man before him, was unforeseen enough to be chaotic and fearful, until it was gently urged to take the one sure path laid out for him.

"How can I help you?" he asked. "Do not be afraid."

The Captain glanced significantly around the room.

"You are among friends," Charles assured him, continuing to encourage him with a knowing nod.

"Am I?" he asked. "I know nothing of your ways."

"Who is your Sire?" Warrick asked.

He was going to have to contact Rick, and find out where Ardeth's bloodline was located. They hadn't seen any of his family show up since Donovan.

"I take it, it wasn't consensual." Mal frowned, noticing how the guy stared long and hard at the man on the floor.

"No." He lowered his hands and sighed. "My name is Carlos Oliveira. I was sent undercover into Black Moon for Interpol. I work for Inspector Javert."

Charles reached out, finding nothing but sincerity, and a considerable degree of confusion.

"Black Moon has a record that's a good few filing cabinets deep by now, with accusations of murder, kidnapping, theft. You name it, they've done it, or they know someone else who has." Carlos explained his situation as best as he could, just hoping at the end of it they could help him. "I have a unique family history that made it easy to work up a dossier they would like. Getting me in was simple enough."

"Family history?" Mal asked, wondering if the man actually knew about his family line clearly connecting to Ardeth somewhere along the way.

Carlos smiled softly and Charles was amazed at how much such a simple expression could change the man.

"My mother is Irish, my father from Israel. Both Diplomats. It is how they met," he answered. "Such mixed heritage was useful to Black Moon. But I knew something was wrong when a few weeks into my assignment, they called me into the lab. Most of the soldiers didn't go into the labs. Such areas were reserved for the scientists exclusively. They took more blood work, started questioning me about my family, and the next thing I know Stryker has me pinned down on one of the tables, his fangs down."

"What was in your blood work?" Jean asked, horrified yet curious.

He hesitated, already telling more than he intended. "I have to contact Inspector Javert."

"It's alright." Warrick moved from behind Charles. "We will do everything in our power to protect you."

"I don't know you."

"But we are like you. And so is Javert. My name is Warrick, I am Mate to Nicolaus."

"Javert? Is…" Carlos shook his head. "That explains a lot actually. Wait, what's a Mate?" he asked.

"One who completes the Vampire Soul," Warrick answered simply.

"Well, that doesn't sound like a bad thing." Carlos took a deep breath, as hands on his hips, he finished his story. "They turned me into this Vampire. All I remember of it is pain. When I woke up I was stuck in the lab, and they were constantly running tests. I have a gene, they said. Something they wanted. When I first infiltrated Black Moon it didn't take long to figure there was more going on than a bunch of mercenaries running around being assholes. But I knew I was in over my head when I was introduced to Victor Frankenstein."


***


The last surviving Black Moon helicopter, landed at the edge of the Ravine.

Storm and Cyclops got out and walked across to where most of Magneto's army had been herded.

There was only about half of what they were expecting, yet more than twenty stood their ground.

Scott could see Lennox and his team to his right.

Tony, Speed and their respective Mates were to his left.

"Listen up." He called out to them, climbing on a fallen tree trunk to get their attention. "I'm sure Magneto has offered you the world. But that isn't going to happen."

"What do you care? You live in a shiny mansion protected from the evils of Humanity!" someone yelled out from the back of the crowd.

"I didn't always," Scott answered. "We're offering you a life."

"A life hidden away!" another yelled.

"Yes." He refused to lie to them. "Humans are not going to accept Mutants. A few will, a few have. We have allies and friends from various Human communities and governments, but the mass is still persuaded by their emotion rather than their reason. We saw how they were manipulated by Stillson."

There were some murmurs, but thankfully most were listening.

"Working with others, Charles Xavier is establishing a location in the wilds of Alaska where Mutants like you, who don't want to be in society, or can't be in society, can live a life free of society." Scott continued, hoping what the Professor had told him to say, was actually getting through.

"And if we refuse?" a young girl asked from the front of the pack.

She had long dark hair, and tattoos across her face. And she sounded like someone permanently angry with the world.

"You can walk out of this ravine," Scott informed them all.

"After we remove some trees," Brisco added with a smile.

"The land you would live on is protected. No one can come in and out of there except Park Rangers and Mounties." A new voice spoke up from the sidelines, and everyone turned to see a RCMP Officer standing on top of one of the downed trees, across from Scott. "I have talked to those who protect the border and they understand the situation. They will protect all that is in this land."

Benton stepped down and walked over to Scott, tipping his hat at the Mutant, before turning back to the crowd, his red Serge standing out against the darkened sky.

"No one will find you there. If you choose to live wild, or build your own culture and society, you will be helped in that goal. But know that if you intend to harm Charles or anyone at his school, the wrath that will be brought down on you will be swift." He informed them of the details in a most business-like manner, not trying to sugarcoat anything. "Charles is working with a friend of mine, to set up living arrangement for you in Alaska. Life will be hard, but it will have a purpose. Those lands are as well protected as anything you can imagine, and the closest town doesn't ask questions. They will accept what they see, and treat you as equals. You can live, work, have a life. You can be respected."

"If you want to walk away, then go. Give up on yourselves." Storm added her own voice to the moment, waving her hand toward the trees. "If you want to see what life can be like working with Charles? Stay. Amaze yourselves. Live."

Only a few shook their heads and turned to leave.


***


"My name is Nicolaus Valerius Meridius," he answered calmly.

"How very Roman," Magneto drawled. "What is it that you want?"

Nico smirked slightly at so flippant and yet so very accurate a comment. "I want you to walk away."

Magneto looked shocked at such audacity, then seemed blatantly confused by it. "Just walk away?"

"There will be no Mutant War. Your funding has dried up. At this moment your army is being dismantled. You have nothing, Erik."

"I have truth on my side." Magneto stepped toward the man in front of him, but stopped when two others emerged from the shadowy undergrowth.

He recognized Remy instantly; the card twirling through his fingers, crackling with visible energy.

And it didn't take him long to realize the long-haired ruffian he had confronted in Portland, was right there too.

"Do you?" Nicolaus asked. "Do you even know what the truth is?" He didn't move from his spot.

He didn't have to.

"The world must know about Mutants," Magneto blustered, puffing his chest with righteous indignation.

"That's not the truth you are trying to preach. As a matter of fact, you don't care about the Mutants you have recruited." Countering so old an argument was not hard, at least for one who had faced it many, many times. "You want power. You want Humanity to pay for what they did to you and your family. You want revenge. And that makes you no different than any other criminal, terrorist, sociopath, or dictator the world over. Everyone must pay for the atrocities committed against you."

"Humans must pay for what they have done to Mutants!" Magneto snapped back. "You have no idea what I we through in the camps…"

"No." Nicolaus shook his head. "No, I don't. I can't comprehend what you, your family, and millions of others went through. No one can. But you are not the only one to have ever seen such horrors. Mutants were not the only ones imprisoned by the Nazis. Yet instead of helping, educating, fighting for all of us to make the world a place where it can never happen again, you want to rule over Humanity. You want to show them you're better than they are. You want them to taste your fear. And in the end, that goal makes you no different than those who filled the camps to start with."

"And who are you to judge me?" He stepped closer, his face clouding, daring and provoking a response.

"I am no one special. And I am surely not judging you. My job here is to give you some advice. And so I'm asking you to leave. The war is over. Go home Erik." Nico held his gaze, not looking away, searching for a spark there that might be familiar, but there was only anger. "The man you sought help from is dangerous and will kill you without thought. You played this game with the wrong organization, and if you want to survive it, you will walk away now."

"Or you're going to kill me?" Magneto asked glancing at Nico's two guards.

"I'm not going to kill you. It would be a terrible waste of effort. I've said what needed to be said, nothing more. If you don't want to take such advice, that is your decision to make, but know that if you go after Charles or his school again, the wrath I shall bring down on your head will be fast and hard. It won't matter who you once were…"

'Nicolaus, let me talk to her.'

He could hear Charles as clearly as though he were standing at his Father's side.

"I will not cower in the dark corners of the world, like some filthy animal, so society can live with its delusions that all is well! We will always be here!" Magneto shook his head.

'Nicolaus? Let me talk to she who was once my wife.'

Sylum's Clan Leader took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his control was freely attuned to the will of Charles Xavier. It made the Vampire within him burn fiercely behind his eyes, but his emotions were well contained once he could see his mother again, standing there, her Soul a brilliant glowing warmth.

"Are we so different Erik? Even now?" Charles asked, his words filling Nico's mouth. "Are we so fallen from Grace? What once was pure, has turned to hate. What once was love, has torn itself to shreds. Search your Soul, my old friend. Search it well. We are more than Mutants, you and I. We are more than the sum of this one life lived so long."

Magneto leapt back as though he'd been electrocuted. "How?" he demanded, his jaw clenched.

"Because we are, Erik. We simply are. Three Souls, entwined. Three lives lived vast, innumerable years, drawn now to this moment. We can still live, Erik. No more need die. A place can be built. A home. A new beginning. Trust me. As once you did in Rome so long ago, just trust me again. We can be free in ways you've yet to imagine. I will wait for you. Always."

Nicolaus blinked.

And the moment was gone.

Glancing to his left and right, he walked to where his sword was planted in a tree, and pulled it free of the wood in a single gesture.

He had not expected to bring so famous a blade, but since there were rumors that Rogues still worked with the Mutant Brotherhood, everyone had felt it a good idea for him to carry a formidable weapon while searching for Magneto, even it stood no chance against so powerful a Mutant.

Sometimes, it was the thought that counted more than the act.

He dusted off the splintered debris, then slid the Pheonix Meridius into the scabbard he carried across his shoulders.

When he nodded once more at Magneto, his eyes were again as they normally were, and his voice when he spoke, was entirely his own.

"The choice is yours," he murmured softly.

And with that he turned his back, and walked away.


~ Xavier's School for the Gifted ~


The moment James and Ray had gotten the all clear, they'd begun herding the kids back up to the school.

Most of them ran around smiling and playing. But a few were quiet.

Jubilee had stayed close to James, and at one point he leaned down and picked her up.

Sam the dog, would run after one of the kids if they veered off the path, and push them back to where they belonged.

Dean had escaped his backpack and was trotting next to Sam.

James shook his head at the cat.

He was still neutering the bastard.

They were met by the Hunters, Jubilee struggling to get down and run to her hero the moment she saw Jimmy, who was gawping at Colossus.

The boy had a body that looked like some kind of organic steel compound, silvery, tough as nails, impenetrable to quite literally everything.

"What?" the kid shrugged. "Kept bullets off the little 'uns here."

Jimmy nodded. "Now I get the name thing."

Colossus grinned broadly. "Saw the fancy gun play. I'm totally with you on that, Wild Bill."

Billy the Kid thumped his knuckles on the boy's shoulder and grimaced at the heavy metallic thudding noise, and the pain in his hand that ensued from doing such a thing.

"Damn it kid! Good thing you're on our side."

Colossus shook his huge head and morphed back into more human seeming skin. "This freak you out a bit less?" he asked cheekily.

"Little bit," Billy nodded. "Yeah!"

Harrison couldn't help but chuckle, when Jimmy bent down to sweep Jubilee into his arms.

"All okay ma'am?" he asked politely.

And she nodded. "You?"

"Oh I'm good now, little lady…"

A few of the other kids ran off toward the house only to be chased down by the teenagers.

They needed to keep the kids outside just a while longer, until they could check the premises were entirely safe.

Thankfully though, that didn't take too long, and Shep came out of the destroyed French doors, with his Mate trailing behind him, heading purposefully over to Ray and James, giving them a small smile as one of the kids zipped between them at a terrifying rate of knots.

"There's been some damage to a few of the rooms, but mostly it was the adult wing. The kid's area is secure. Once they come down off their adrenalin rush we can see about getting them to bed."

"Benton?" Ray asked, concerned.

"He's with Scott and Storm. Seems he was making deals with the RCMP," Shep assured him.

"Ohhhhh," he purred. "That means he's got the Serge on…" Ray's grin was sly and lascivious.

"Yeah there is something about that uniform that just…" John yelped slightly then turned to look at his Mate. "What?"

"No fantasizing about anyone but me." Rodney gave him a pointedly stern look. "And I'm not wearing that uniform."

"Really? I can put on my Musketeer one on," he smirked.

Rodney paused, blinking a few times as that sank in. "You have it?"

They were pulled out of their conversation at the sound of a loud bang, that accompanied a sudden shaking jolt to the ground beneath their feet.

There were a few startled shrieks.

Leaping back a pace, they found themselves confronted by a man in an iron suit, who had landed a few yards away, bent down on one knee in the school's back yard.

With a whirr of actuators, it stood, looked around, then calmly walked towards the school.

Its footfalls were so heavy, the lawn seemed to quake.

The Hunters began scrambling.

Ray yelled for the kids to come to him.

The man stopped and turned.

The faceplate flipped open with a pop, and the sight of Tony Stark made those who recognized his features all gape at him even more.

"What the hell is that?" Billy demanded, realizing the gun in his hand was about as much use against such a thing, as a sling shot to a T-Rex.

"Too complicated to explain right now. I'm here to make sure everything's still standing. Which is pretty much is." He smiled as benevolently as he knew how. "So where's the Professor?"


***


It was Speed who piloted the Black Moon chopper back to the school, putting it down almost exactly where it had taken off from, beside the ruins of one of it's companions.

He shut down the controls, then with a tired sigh eased out of the cockpit.

House and Wilson had been waiting at the front doors for a while, waiting to receive those injured in the battle.

It was Horatio and Jethro who eased Ron Witwicky out of the chopper and carried him up the stairs on a makeshift stretcher.

House shook his head, and tutted loudly. "You Rangers are as bad as Vampires."

Ron grinned, finally feeling the drugs that had been administered in the field. "Suck my blood Vampire dude! I am totally good to go! Grade A shit in my system right now! Share the love, man!"

"Oh, God help me some days." House rolled his eyes.

Speed and Tony were about to follow their Mates, and go find a quiet location for some much needed rest, when they heard a commotion from the other side of the school.

The ground started shaking.

Not much, but enough to be alarming.

Speed glanced at his sibling, and with a simple nod the two brothers ran around the building, reaching once more for their weapons, only to come to a screeching halt when they saw Tony Stark standing on the patio, several kids attached to his arms and legs, all of them trying to climb his metal clad body.

Crisafi promptly did what any good, decent, family oriented type person would do.

He grabbed his phone, snapped a picture and emailed it to Scott Tracy.

"I will personally fillet you for that." Tony glared at Sylum's Second-in-Command. "Look, kids! I'm not a multi-billion dollar jungle gym! If you need one I'll buy you one. Two even."

"Can you fly?" one of them asked.

"Are those weapons?" Another pulled on Tony's gloves, attracted to the shiny dot in the middle of his palm.

"I think you need stickers!"

"I have pony stickers!"

"Metallics! So cool!"

He wasn't going to live it down.

It was way worse than any of the tabloid photos currently gracing the Internet.

Except for that one thing, in the place with the dude…

He sighed. "Jarvis get them off me."

'And how exactly would you like me to do that, sir?'

"Get creative! I can't really shoot them here!"

'I could send an electric current through the suit, sir. Would that be acceptable?'

"Could you get on with it already?"

Two of the kids jumped back, a third fell away and bounced off the patio onto the grass like a beach ball, laughing hysterically.

The last one just giggled. "That tickled!"

"Children, please let go of Mr. Stark. Jean is going to take you inside." Charles spoke from the doorway. "I think there's been enough shooting for one day."

"Come on everyone!" Jean clapped her hands together. "Buddy system. Good. You know how we do this. Okay. Now we're going to have a quick checkup then get some dinner."

The kids lined up and passed by the Professor's chair, some giving him a nod, others a wave, and some a quick hug, just because they could, and they knew he wouldn't mind.

Ray and James stayed behind the kids, shepherding them along.

And they were in turn followed closely by Jimmy, who still carried Jubilee.

She smiled at Tony and clapped her hands, small red and gold fireworks going off over their heads.

"Pretty colors!" she said firmly.

"Now that one I like." Tony waved at her, giving her his most charming grin.

"My apologies for inconveniencing you, Mr. Stark." Charles looked up at the billionaire. "But you have my thanks for coming to check on us."

"Nicolaus asked me to make sure everything was still standing. Which it is. So, I'll be leaving now." He nodded. "It's been a real education."

He turned to head home, about to settle himself and close his mask, only to pause when Charles leaned forward and touched his metal clad hand.

Brushing across the infamous billionaire's mind had him reeling in shock.

It was vast, chaotic, high speed, running at levels even he couldn't follow with all his intellect and experience.

Just like someone else he knew.

But what was even more fascinating, was feeling a third presence.

It wasn't hard for him to find Stark's Bond with his Mate, given that it was the one true constancy running through all that potential, but there was something else.

Illusive.

"Mr. Stark I sense another with you…" He usually didn't ask about such things, preferring instead to interpret them in his own unique way, but it was so unusual it seemed his mind had no way to even begin processing it.

It wasn't associated with Stark's Bond. Scott Tracy was a strong and determined individual in his own right, as seemed only fitting to Mate with a person of Tony's nature and temperament. Nor was it indicative of a third Mate still to be discovered.

No, it had a distinct presence of its own, yet not.

There seemed no other way to describe it.

Tony looked down at the Professor for a few moments. "I'm… er… I'm not entirely sure what you're asking."

"With your suit. I can feel another presence, another mind so to speak." He found it a struggle trying to clarify what he was sensing. "You are an Iron Man, Mr. Stark. And yet there is another…"

"Ah! Okay! That's Jarvis." Tony smiled, nodding firmly. He hated being confused, and the Professor was an enigma, even for a telepath. "He helps me run things, don't ya, buddy?"

"What exactly is that piece of shit you're wearing?" A new voice added to the conversation, barely concealing amusement under disgust under astonishment.

Stark turned to spy Bruce Banner approaching the school.

Naked, except for a pair of pants he was clinging onto for dear life, looking very much the worse for wear, yet very much alive, his old friend was still managing to grin, albeit a little weakly.

"Bruce! Nice pants, Doc. The extra-large looks good on you. No! You lost some weight, that's what it is. Few extra pounds around the midriff there." He patted his own middle, the metal on his breastplate, clanging loudly.

"You're giving me fashion advice? Red and gold was so last year's car show."

Tony smirked and was just about to snap back a witty retort when Charles interrupted him.

"Who is Jarvis?" he asked, frowning.

Stark hesitated slightly, knowing better than to talk about it where others could hear, but figuring that if he were to finally say it out loud in such a place, he could deny it later and no one would mind. "He's a fully integrated, independently functional Artificial Intelligence."

A very loud squeak made everyone flinch.

"Well if it isn't Mr. 'I Totally Hacked Into Crimson International And Got Caught'." Tony raised a faintly amused eyebrow over the Professor's head, to where Hardison was trying really, really hard not to geek out at the sight before him. "Breathe. You can do it. It's not that hard."

"For real, man? A real AI? As in Artificial Intelligence? Has it been tested? Does it meet the Turing Test? What can it do? Does it write its own code? What are its base parameters?"

'If Mr. Hardison doesn't take a breath soon it's likely he'll pass out, sir. Or possibly vomit.'

"I need to sit." Hardison crashed onto one of the tipped over loungers, put his head between his legs and took a few deep gulps of air.

"Jarvis is Jarvis. Let's just leave it that." Tony glanced over at Bruce. "We need to talk. Come on out to Tracy Island. I have cool toys you can play with."

Banner nodded. "I'm not flying in that thing."

"It doesn't come in weed-size."

Charles watched them interacting.

Anthony Stark had a reputation for being fun to be around, if you didn't mind the brush off at a moment's notice. After returning from Afghanistan, all that had changed – dramatically, according to the press interviews and the news conferences he held for Stark Industries. Such a thing wasn't unheard of as a result of severe trauma, and given that he'd confessed to spending three months in a cave at the hands of terrorists, no one seemed shocked by it. Yet the man before him, smiled easily and openly now and then, and was honestly free with Dr. Banner to a point that indicated genuine friendship and concern.

Apparently there was more to the man than just the genius, billionaire, ex-playboy philanthropist the world saw on a regular basis, and he wondered if he could talk with him more about his experiences as a Vampire.

There was a very definite connection to the other one who was so very like him.

And that was certainly worth exploring too.

The Professor felt a familiar presence moving towards to him, and smiled generously as Nicolaus turned the corner and approached their small gathering.

He stopped next to Tony and Speed, his hands resting on their shoulders.

Both turned and embraced their Father.

If they held on to one another for a few extra seconds, none were criticizing them for it.

Remy stayed in the shadows, taking in the damage.

Eliot moved across the lawn, stopping in front of Hardison. "What is your problem?"

"Dude!" He flailed at Stark. "Man, it's every geek's wet dream standing there!"

"Did not need to know that," Tony commented. "Yes, I'm adorable. I'm a genius. The world already gets that. Just, you? Long haired lout?" He gestured at Eliot, who stared back at him blankly. "Get your pal here laid some time soon. National Emergency."

'Sir? I have an incoming call from Colonel Tracy.'

"I'll take it," he replied, walking away even as Eliot glared at him. "Hey honey!" he teased.

'This picture is too adorable! It's my new wallpaper on my phone.' Scott teased his Mate right back.

"And we're all five years old today. Antonio will pay for this. Jarvis? Let's start with his financials and work our way down from there…"

'I sent it on to our friends and family list.'

Tony could hear the affection in his tone. "Wait, I have a friends and family list?"

'Well you might remember my four brothers, and then there's Pepper and Happy. The staff here all adore you when you're not shouting at the technicians and pissing off the housekeepers. Plus there's your little Facebook and Hacker buddy 'The Count', which by the way he tried to hack in again. Got to level four this time. I think Jarvis is totally having too much fun with him. And then there's The Count's Mates.' Scott chuckled softly. 'And of course, let's not forget the Winchesters you just adopted. You can't take one on his own. They're a Mated Pair. Shall I go on or do you get it now?'

Tony stood there on the once magnificent lawn, surrounded by burned areas that stank like something from the sewer, the smoldering wreck of a stealth chopper, and enough bullet clods in the soil to keep a team of metal detectors busy for months. Staring out at the dark forest beyond the lights from the school, he watched the smoke still rise from the first chopper crash, and realized that for the first time in a very long time, he wasn't sure what to say.

There were no witty one-liners.

No jokes.

No snarky comment.

He just had no idea how so many people snuck into his life.

'Tony…?' Scott called out to his Mate in some concern. 'This is a good thing. Our Bond tells me this is a very good thing.'

"We buried your Father two days ago because of me. How is any of this a good thing?" He felt a riot of emotion start eating away at him again, and that was absolutely never a good thing.

'Come home. Now. Obviously you haven't been listening. I've never lied to you. Not even when we were kids. So why would I do that now? You are not to blame for what happened to Dad. It was combat.' His tone grew more firm, the Colonel slipping in where the Mate had been.

"Gordon made it quite clear."

'Gordon is a whiny teenager who has no idea what's really going on here yet.' Scott growled, low and fierce. 'He'll find out, when he's grown up some more. Come home now. That's an order Tony.'

'I've calculated the fastest route back to Tracy Island, sir.' Jarvis spoke up after Scott ended the call. 'All systems fully functional. Power at one hundred percent. Flight mode at your disposal, as are the banking accounts and routing numbers of Mr. Crisafi's personal financial records.'

Tony snorted. "I was joking, Jarvis."

'So was I, sir.'

He smiled, trying not laugh at the total incongruity of it.

But Jarvis was family too.

Never forget Jarvis.

"I should say goodbye." He turned to where Nicolaus stood quietly by, not too far off.

And his thoughts went back to when he'd first met the Leader of Sylum Clan's Vampire Community.

Caesar's Palace, 2006.

They'd sat and talked all night, laughed, swapped stories, drunk the best Scotch, played some devilish Poker, and all the time the General had been so incredibly unassuming.

So very Human.

He'd sworn his loyalty that night, with little more than a nod.

"Thank you." Nico gave him an easy smile, and he knew it was heartfelt.

He slid his faceplate down with another nod.

They understood each other.

And that was a true rarity in the life of any Stark.

Nicolaus watched in awe as the Iron Man took off, hands spread out, harnessing the power of the miniaturized Arc Reactor. The scientist in him marveled openly at the technological knowledge it took to get something like that to actually work, let alone fly. It was a modern miracle. And he had no doubt in mind he'd be seeing it again.

Probably sooner rather than later, the way things were going.

He waited a few more moments, as the con trail dissipated, before turning back around to see only Charles left sitting on the patio.

"Eliot went to see Wade," his Papa informed him. "Their young man is resting peacefully after his Turning."

"Good." He nodded. "Casualties?"

"A few scrapes and bumps. One of the Rangers has a compound fracture. Scott checked in. They're bringing back twenty members of the Brotherhood, to work out what's next." He gazed past Nico, out to the trees. "Malcolm already has Zoe and Nate working on permits and land grants and all the paperwork for the new land. Lucien, along with Garret, are on their way back from some meetings he arranged with local government officials. It seems he's more highly efficient than he likes others to believe."

"The Mutant secret is out among Vampires." Nicolaus spoke softly, not really sure yet where that information was likely to lead in the greater scheme of things.

"It's out to the world, but many won't believe it," Charles countered at last.

He nodded slowly. "Some will. Some won't. It will remain one of those Urban Myths that no one can quite pin down a source for. It's Erik though. He's the problem. He won't leave it alone."

"I know." He sighed, suddenly feeling every year of his age. "I will deal with him when the time comes. The offer has been made. He can come freely and talk to me whenever he wants to. I will not turn him away."

"We'll deal with him." Nico stood up, leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Do not stay out here too late, or I'll sic House on you."

Charles chuckled dryly. "There is much tidying, repairing and cleaning to do. And there will be much to organize in the morning. Go be with your Mate while you have chance." He waited a few moments, needing the right words. "Nicolaus?"

He turned and looked back at his Father.

"I need to meet him, Nico. Soon."

"Prep what you said you'd need. Once all of this is cleared up, I'll bring him here to meet you."


~ The Forest ~


Magneto made his way through the forest, heading back to his waiting vehicle, left in preparation for an emergency escape.

He seemed to using such things with great regularity just lately.

His plans however, were far from ended. He just needed to regroup, find Mystique and start again.

A weak cry caught his attention.

Moving through the foliage, he came to a tiny clearing, and was surprised to see a naked woman with long, jet black hair, lying face down in the grass.

"Magneto?" She called out to him, reaching for his help, blinking up at him from dark, knowing eyes filled with pain and fear.

He gasped when he realized who he was looking at.

"What have they done to you?" He knelt down next to her, staring in horror at her all too obvious weakness.

"Help me?" She reached out to him again, desperate and tearful, only to startle when he pulled away from her. "Magneto! Please!"

"My dear Mystique, you were so beautiful once. But now you are merely Human." He stood up and without looking back, just walked away, ignoring her cries, pleads and screams for vengeance.

His first order of business was to find a new right hand Mutant.

After that he had to hunt down Sabertooth and discover what else that traitor cur had failed to tell him.

Then not to be outdone by Charles and his simpering children, he had to find out exactly who Victor Frankenstein really was, and where he was hiding.

After that, he would seek vengeance for himself.


Stage Six | Stage Eight

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