Whisper:

My name is Lance Wilkins, for those of you who weren't already aware, and right now, I'm in a really bad mood. I just caught the girls I work with, Kelly LeStraude, and Maria Villanueva in a twenty one and over club near South Beach in San Diego California. What's the problem you ask? Well, the girls aren't twenty one, Kelly's not that young, but for god sake, Maria's only what, 16 or 17?

I personally shouldn't be in this place either, because I'm also under age, but being the friend I am, I came in here to get the girls out of a spot. You see I've presently got three pistols bearing down on me, held by none other then a group of gang bangers who thought they were gonna harass my friends. That was the thing that had really pissed me off, especially seeing these guys groping at Maria.

Now it was time to do something about it, and it seemed like I had help, as standing only two feet behind me was a woman in a leather and Kevlar motorcycle rider's jumpsuit. She was wearing a trench coat over the open midriff jumper, and had pulled a pair of short metal rods, maybe two feet long each, from straps on her left hip. She seemed to have been helping the girls when I first arrived, and didn't seem like she was done yet.

Looking from one of the gun-toting jerks in front of me, to the attractive Asian woman behind me, I rose an eye brow.

"Shall we?" I asked, looking the woman over once to take in her height and build, she appeared to be athletic considering she had a semi muscular abdomen, and her skin tight jumper was accentuating powerful calves. The coat however wasn't giving away her arm musculature, but I wasn't too worried, because by what I just saw her do to their "leader" she wasn't going to have any problems.

"I think we can save the intro.'s for later, let's dance," the exotic beauty behind me said, springing off of the ground with a swift push of her legs, arms extended to either side like wings. As she landed in front of me, I took a few steps back, giving her room to do her thing, with a few swift movements she had disarmed all three of the gun-toaters, and the others were shaking in their boots. The gunman closest to her had his arm clasped between he sticks, one the elbow, and the other upon the inner bicep.

"What are you doing you crazy bitch," the Latino screamed, his elbow suddenly fractured as she torqued it between the two leverage enhancing staves. Next, she went air borne again, and landed atop the head of another gunner, this one a white guy, who couldn't have been more then nineteen by the look of him, so maybe they'd used fake id. too. As the heal of her foot collided with his temple he was out cold, and his gun went sliding across the floor, coming to cease its movement at my fight.

"GET THAT HOE!" the tall Latino who'd had his elbow snapped said, holding the wounded arm as he leaned back upon the bar. The bartender had managed to writhe his way along the floor to the phone and appeared to be calling the police, when I saw the third gun man go for him.

*CRACK!* came the noise of the man's head hitting face first on the bar, as the woman who had come to Maria and Kelly's aide brought her hand into a swift hammering blow to his back, her foot tripping him up at the shin to guide his fall. I could see that his nose was broken, a trail of blood falling along the front of his hooded sweater from the flattened bridge of his nose as he fell.

The situation didn't seem to be getting better though, as the remaining two thugs, both black, had retrieved the fire arms from the ground, and let loose a pay load of bullets toward the Asian woman. Before she could leap away from the bullets however, each of them exploded in to thin air, disintegrating right before my eyes, causing me to blink in disbelief. I looked to the door behind me, and saw that there was another figure standing there, he was wearing all black, a sweat outfit actually, from the HMRD Compound.

"I suggest you boys pick up the riff raff and leave, I don't know who started what here, but the guy there," said a voice I recognized from usual fits of screaming, as he gestured my way, lifting his face and pushing back his hood. "I'm with him, and I don't take kindly to people shooting at him, or attractive young women, like this lady here."

As I saw the blonde haired man's face my own eyes flickered momentarily with blue energy, as I rose a hand in the direction of Bourne, and the two thugs with the guns who were attempting to run.

"YOU TWO STAY! And you, why shouldn't I drop you like a ton of bricks like I did the last time?" I asked, even though I wasn't quite sure that I could manage to create the gravitational well of force that I'd used to defeat William only a week ago with out Captain Pryor's help.

"Because, you couldn't do that again if you tried, this time I'm ready for you. But be cool, we're all friends here, for now, " Bourne said as his eyes flickered red with his own energy manipulation abilities. Again the two standing street punks tried to run away, only this time to be hammered in to the ground by a blast of concussive force from William's hands. Looking over my shoulder at the two's bodies that were smoking on the floor, I wondered if maybe he'd killed them, before noticing that the burns were only superficial, and had simply charred their clothes.

"Lance, would you like to explain what happened hear?" I heard, as from the door, five very distant figures waltzed through my only exit, barring my path. These were the five people who could tell me how Bourne got here, but they were also the five people who controlled every aspect of my life, and with them there that meant I was going to get some serious heat.

"Don't worry Lance, we are aware that this wasn't your fault," Director-H said, stepping forward, his face protected as usual by a black mask, I'd met him twice before, once at Sacramento airport, and once at my home.

"Maria made sure to inform us of that," Madelyne informed me, as Tenku, Harris, and Papavich went about handcuffing the thugs who lay about the room in disarray. As I looked around in an attempt to find the woman who'd assisted the girls, and done most of the work handling the gang of punks in the bar, I found nothing but empty space, to my surprise.

"Wait, there was a woman here..." I said, and to my surprise, forgetting for a moment that she was a telepath, I saw Madelyne nod.

"Yes, her name was Melisel Black, we are well aware that she was here with you Lance, now, what we don't know is why," Madelyne said, her eyes darting from side to side for a moment, causing me to go blank momentarily.

"Excuse my bluntness, but Captain, shouldn't you have been able to read her mind and find out why she helped me?" I asked, rather dumb struck as to what could have stopped her from discovering this Melisel Black's reasons on her own.

"I am not aware how, Mr. Wilkins, however, she seems to have blocked my telepathy from discovering anything more then her name," Madelyne said with a look of quite some concern spread upon her face. As far as I could tell Madelyne was an incredibly powerful telepath, as she'd been able to almost take control of my powers in my first encounter with Bourne, the mutant before me, who had just saved the mysterious woman's life.

"Do you think she's with..." William began to ask, before Tenku interrupted in his subtle Japanese accent, that he had probably gained from being raised in a traditional Japanese family, though I didn't know enough about him to be sure.

"I think Bourne's got the picture, she's Illuminati," Tenku said, tossing one of the short staffs the woman had used to break one of the gunner's arms with toward Director-H, who extended a hand to take a firm grip upon the weapon. As he took a look over the stave weapon I noticed the engraving of a torch and a very ornate letter I upon the surface of the weapon in various places, forming a band around the staff at every two or so inches.

"So the rabbit hole gets deeper," Madelyne said, looking to the Director, who's mechanically modified voice shook momentarily as he too spoke.

"And the foxes have lost the scent."

Fifteen Minutes ago, the island, Director-H:

I'm not quite sure why, but Madelyne asked that I teleport here using the jump technology that we had been given for Soldier-X program use by special government mandate. While most branches of the NSA didn't use such advanced technology, we here at the Human Mutant Relations Department needed the advanced technology to insure that we kept the world, or at least the Nation's populace of mutants and humans safe, as efficiently as possible. If that meant we might at times need to teleport from one coast to another, then that's what would happen.

"What is it Captain?" I asked, noticing that she and two of the team's mutant agents were standing in front of the Jump Gate in full uniform, with Tenku, Harris, and Papavich directly behind them.

"We have an emergency sir, three of the children have gone in to the city, and are presently in danger. Although I'm sure Whisper can handle the situation with the extent of his powers, I'm afraid he might create a bigger problem if he unleashes too much of his power accidentally," Captain Pryor said, giving me very little time to take in what she was explaining, and then I looked down the hall to see the door marked prisoner observation, and rose an eyebrow.

"Why am I needed for a recovery mission?" I asked, looking back to Pryor, and then to Papavich, the commanding officer amongst my NSA agents who were present to insure that Pryor didn't go rogue. I trusted the woman with the lives of these children, as she seemed to truly have a desire to reform, and I could relate to that desire, as it was what drove me to create the Human Mutant Resources Department to begin with.

"Sir, I called you here to request the release of Bourne," Madelyne said, stunning me momentarily, and causing Papavich to nod his agreement.

"The kid has agreed to help us investigate the lead on the Illuminati, and work with the team at least until we can prove their involvement in this situation. Based upon the leads we found in our research on his God Father and family's history," Papavich explained, which caused me to nod in response myself, absorbing all this information at one time was starting to give me a slight pang of pain in the temples.

"Before I become overloaded, you have my approval to release the young man, now, let's go stop our Mr. Wilkins from creating a media night mare shall we?" I asked, which gave rise to a stifled laugh from Kevin Malik, the mutant operative who called himself Velocity. As Vector, the team leader stepped forward to greet me with a salute he lead me toward the transport bay, followed close behind by Velocity, and Madelyne, as Tenku, Harris, and Papavich turned the other way.

"Gentleman?" I called down the hall after them, to which I received a response of a snap hiss, so they were retrieving Bourne from his cell, good, maybe if he could experience what the operation was about he'd feel more comfortable with us, which would be a step in the right direction.

As the others came round the corner, Harris in the lead, followed by Bourne, who was wearing a black sweat suit, and taking in everything that Papavich said to him, and behind him Tenku and the mid-briefing Papavich marched on. As we reached the X-Traction the loading bay doors of the vessel opened to allow us entry and inside I located one of the swat uniform chest plates used by Papavich and the others, quickly sliding it on over my black suit.

"So we're going to bail one of your agents out of a bad way huh? As long as you're not playing me for some sorta brainless moron I'm down," Bourne responded, seemingly using slang and imperfect English simply to annoy Harris and the others, each of whom were very professional, and didn't like to be spoken to in such a manner. So, this William caught on to people's personality traits quick, that would come in to our favor one day, if things managed to turn out right.

Back in San Diego, the present, William Bourne:

I'm watching this entire situation with skepticism, not quite sure what's going to happen next, and not quite sure if anything that's going on is for real. I stand here contemplating the odd events that are shaping my life, all seemingly revolving around the Illuminati and my family's murders, and I think of a song that explains my present views regarding life.

"I'm a Soldier," I whisper to myself, thinking of how that song describes the literal sense, and figurative sense of my life right now.

So it appears that the woman who was helping out this Whisper cat was with the Illuminati, but if she was helping him did that really make them trustworthy? I was going to have to be calm and not jump to any conclusions, unless I wanted Gravity-Boy over there knocking me out again, I was being cocky when I said I was ready for him.

I mean really, who could be ready for a few hundred tons of force being focused in to their temple in a fist's size area, now that's serious pressure, even for a super durable body. For now I'd just have to wait, I knew I could find a way to take the kid out, as long as I kept my wits about me and stayed alive long enough, and who knows, maybe in the end these Soldier-X people would be on my side, you never know. I'd jumped to too many conclusions too fast after I'd found Wufei dead, now I would have to be mature, and act my age, and not throw a tantrum and attack the first thing I saw with an X on its clothes, otherwise I may never avenge my family.

"So the rabbit hole gets deeper," the telepathic leader of the Soldier-X operation spoke up, causing me to give a nod in response, that was a perfect way of describing this situation. While she was captivatingly beautiful there was something about the red haired woman who commanded more then just awe at her looks, she commanded presence, maybe it was her powers allowing her to influence other's thoughts, but at the same time, maybe it wasn't.

"And the foxes have lost their scent."

So this was the big cheese of Soldier-X, I'd heard them call him Director-H on the transport and he too had that sort of aura about him, and as I'd been informed that he was a normal human, I was sure that was all him. No powers influencing my mind when I looked at this man, I respected him because he stood there in his black suit and tie, with a FLAK jacket on, a man who was dressed for business, but wasn't afraid to get his hand's dirty. It would be a shame if this man really was one of the people responsible for my parent's and god father's death, killing him would bring little enjoyment.

As Whisper, the mutant who'd knocked me out with a gravity well last week stepped forward to me with his hand extended, I put mine out as well. I had to give this guy the benefit of the doubt, after all, I was the one who fired the first salvo in our last encounter, so I guess it was time to try again.

"Lance Wilkins, Whisper or Lance will do fine though," he said with his firmly gripping mine, you can always tell something about a man from his hand shake, and Lance's was firm, and sturdy, I liked that.

"William Bourne, though considering I've been locked up in your home for a week you probably knew that already," I said, as we finished the hand shake, causing him to smile for a moment, before we each burst in to a momentary laugh. "Will would suit me just fine though." I replied, as Captain Pryor's voice speaking my name called my attention back to the situation at hand.

"William I'm going to have to read your mind, mentally probe your thoughts as deep as I can to find out as much as possible of what you know about your parent's death. If it can lead us to some information on the Illuminati and help us figure out what this situation's all about, then maybe we can find some lead that will take us to Melisel Black, or your parent's killers."

The red haired commanding officer responded, which caused me to nod in turn, As I sat down on one of the barstools that was left standing after the apparent brawl that had taken place earlier, Madelyne stepped forward. Her green eyes flashed momentarily and in seconds, I was unconscious, my eyes no longer seeing the outside world, through it was as if I was still awake, in side my own brain, seeing my surroundings as if it were the real world.

"What in God's name is going on here?" I asked, looking all around at the ethereal plane that surrounded me, as an image of Madeline appeared next to me, she seemed to be glowing white, and I seemed to be dulled gray, contrasting her angelic image with a shadowy one.

"This is the astral plane William, I've brought you here to probe your mind, so that you can see what I see, and maybe we can find the truth... ...together."

Same time, The free way, Melisel Black:

That blonde mutant sure does have a kick to his powers doesn't he? I'm not sure why the Illuminati haven't whiped out the Soldier-X program yet, as the government operation could be the downfall of the cartel, but I was being well paid, so right now, that's all that mattered. As my neon green and white motorcycle cruised down the paved road in the dark night skies I zig zagged through traffic watching my surroundings in the rear view mirrors and with an occasional look to either side.

Ever since I'd been sent to stop Manning in New Orleans, I'd been questioning the methods of my employers, first they'd had me kill another assassin for the Illuminati, and then they'd had me come to San Diego to keep an eye on the Xavier's Island compound. But so far nothing big had happened until this little brawl tonight, and all that had shown me was how dangerous two of the Soldier-X operatives could be... Galatea, and Whisper, now those were some mutants to reckon with.

I'd just got off my cell phone with my employers in fact. I'd spoken directly to the Mandarin in his home language of the same name, making it easier for him in the situation, and what he'd said was disturbing me.

~Translated from the Mandarin~

~"Good morning to you sir, I have to think of the time difference."~

~"So, you have an update regarding the Soldier-X operation, Foxfire?"~ asked the Chinese aristocrat who was known only by the name of Mandarin.

~"Yes, two of the mutants demonstrated highly dangerous levels of power sir, I believe you should allow me to end this charade now. I do not believe it in the organization's best interests to assist these mutants."~ I responded with as little disrespect in my tone as I could, not wishing to anger a man who's hands were strong enough to break steal unaided.

~"It is not your place to think agent Foxfire, just do, and you will be rewarded,"~ the man responded, and then, I was cut off, his phone connection having been ended, assumingly by his own whim.

"This is all going to come crumbling down on them, and my parent's murders by the U.S. Government will never be avenged, and I'll be just another victim," I said, as the tires of my bike made a squealing noise as I took my exit toward the coastal hotel district.

Russia, same time, The Tsar:

As I stand in the freezing temperatures that most men of my home land are accustomed, I spread my limbs to the wind. My brothers in the "Council of Light" have stripped of me the title which I was given by Sebastian, and I have been abandoned by all those who wished me freedom when I was amongst the denizens of the vault only weeks ago. Now I am alone, in the harsh cold of my home land, but I know something my "brothers" have looked past as an oversight. I possess the nano-technology that can give me the power I need to avenge myself against them for their treachery, and to destroy the Soldier-X.

"We do not need to manipulate others to do our bidding, I will destroy them all, and show you that we do not need the agents of another government to do our fighting for us. You will suffer for taking my throne away from me, and for calling me a failure, that boy who you all call king, your Council-head, your Rex Illuminus will fall at my hands..." I screamed in to the hush of the chilled skies. Out here in this mountainous region, alone, with nothing but the Black trousers I wear upon my legs... I mock them with laughter.

The elements of this earth do me no harm, as the snow covering my body attempting to bury me does nothing but strengthen me. I climb toward the peak of this mountain, where I will use my Nanotechnology enhanced powers to crush mother Russia, and then this god forsaken planet.

"Do you hear me, no man will ever challenge me again!" I scream in to the howling winds as I pull myself higher, the nanites which I had injected in their liquid metal like form in to my blood stream swirling through my body giving me strength beyond anything I'd ever felt. I was a man who had survived murder by claw to the chest, and by repeated fire arm shots to various parts of my body as well. With my powers over the earth I could heal myself of the earth, sealing any wound, so to kill me, one must truly destroy my mind.

"Sebastian was right, you are all fools, taking in that brat just because he claimed the power left in Shaw's wake, he deserves it not," I say to myself yet again, speaking as though Monolith, or Mandarin, or Graviton, or one of the others was here.

I claw my way through the snow as I reach higher and higher up the mountain, and eventually reaching the peak in a storm of hail and sleet, I look on. My body is hammered by the elements, but they do me no harm, for they are mine to control, and it is here in this moment of my life that my powers will truly reach their peak. Enhanced beyond all reckoning I reach outward for the skies, creating to gigantic swirling clouds of air, which snap with tendrils of electricity, and contort with swirling blades of fire. Gravity raises me from the earth as I rip the sky apart, these two great funnels of the elements falling downward upon the earth and tearing to great rows through the snows far below.

Spraying dirt and snow in all directions as my clenched fists guide the paths of the mighty pillars of elemental power I begin to laugh harmoniously, creating an odd rhythm with the winds and the fire. I begin to raise my self higher, and higher in to the air, my short black hair wind worn and tossed up as if electricity ran through it. My entire frame shook violently as if in seizure do to the amount of pure power that I produced from myself.

As my eyes fell down upon St. Petersburg which became ever closer to my now godly frame, I smiled viciously. The elements were mine to command, and my body was now the most powerful conduit of those powers on earth, nothing would stand in my way... and no one would stop my reign.

The Illuminati's Headquarters in Paris, Same time, The Council chamber:

"Ten of our guards were found slain near the gates, it seems that he escaped death again," said the Living Monolith, who towered over his companions. Next to him stood Count Nefaria, who was brushing a hand through his hair and shaking some what violently in his place, he seemed to be afraid of something.

"If the Rex were to find out," Nefaria said, although not a man to fear many, the Count was well with in his rights to be scared of the Rex Illuminus.

"He would kill us all with out remorse. Cold blooded, brilliant yes, but he is a cold blooded man who does not tolerate failure. We should have stopped him before he became so strong, he has even forced us to spend so much time and energy in regards to this Soldier-X operation, and yet, what do we have to show for it? A dead assassin, and a rogue Rex who might seek revenge in our sleep," Nefaria continued, causing the Mandarin to laugh aloud.

"If we die we do so knowing that the seeds our new Rex has set in motion within the Soldier-X Program will lead to our rebirth stronger then ever. For that is the way of the light," the Mandarin said, looking toward the others each in turn, until his eyes fell on Graviton, who had suddenly jolted from his calm seated position to look to the doors of the chamber.

"He's gone mad, he's injected himself with the nanites... his powers are affecting the equilibrium of earth's entire gravitational field... he's tearing apart Russia with the elements..." Graviton began describing the power that had just jolted him during his commune with the gravitational fields of the planet, when the doors were suddenly jolted open by the push of two strong hands.

Standing in the entry, a dark haired man with his hood thrown back and face wrought with what seemed like late realization, the Rex Illuminus stepped forward. Having just been using the mutant tracking technology available to he and his brethren amongst the council, the head of the world's oldest Cartel was shivering. A powerful man himself, he had many agents in this world, and controlled two of the, if not the most powerful cartels in existence, but based upon the information he'd just read from the stolen mutagenic energy tracking system in his chambers, he'd made a terrible oversight.

"The Tsar has become a god. We must stop him before he lays waste to all that we have been planning for these last months since my father's death," spoke Shinobi Shaw, the Black King of the Hellfire Club, and the King of Light. As the other five councilman all stood, and aimed their attentions to Shinobi, it became quickly clear that they were ready, either through fear, or belief in the resurrecting light, to follow him until the end. The end it very well may be, if The Tsar was not stopped, with extreme prejudice.

Next Issue: With the Soldier-X investigation in to the Illuminati, and Madelyne running around inside William's mind, will the team find the Illuminati in time to discover their plot to take control of the world government's through the use of the Soldier-X, and other such government organizations around the world that they have corrupted? Or will the Tsar, driven mad by the nanotechnology he has imbued himself with destroy the Illuminati and Soldier-X before the truth is ever discovered? Find out in the next chapter, issue 5 of M2K's Soldier-X, next week! ~Frank!