"Let's see what you've got, Wolverine."

"Just thinkin' the same, X-Man..."

Nate Grey stared down the man standing before him, well aware that he was one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet, however Grey was one of the most powerful psions on the planet and what he lacked in physicality, he made up for in sheer power. He had been created to be the ultimate weapon against Apocalypse and destroy the High Lord, but he had never quite managed to live up to the potential. It was something that annoyed him, that Apocalypse had done so much and he had used him to a certain degree to achieve his goals

Yet that was all past and now he was in training, being schooled in his powers by Ahmal Farouk and he was learning the control over his powers that had been denied him most of his life. He had never trusted Xavier, and his twin Cable wasn't exactly the role model he would have liked. Cable had denied his powers for so long and had been using them for less time than Nate. That left Jean, but she had her own problems and he had been turned to by Farouk, the self styled Shadow King. He had taken on Onslaught, opposed Apocalypse and though Nate was suspect about his philosophy, Farouk had done a great deal of good and Nate knew a world order under him would be a good one.

Now Farouk had requested that he take down Logan, the feral X-Men known as Wolverine and though Wolverine had broken free of his telekinetic grip, it had seemed to take a lot out of him, so Nate was not worried by his opponent. The only thing that plagued Nate was that he could not directly grab hold of Logan's thoughts and predict what he was going to do. Thought and action were as one to him, and though Logan seemed to be little more than a vicious animal he was a cunning warrior and Nate was cautious. While he knew he would win, he knew that Logan could do some serious damage if he needed to.

Wolverine moved quickly and Nate instinctively threw up a telekinetic shield to stop Logan's claws and he had to admire the precision of the strike, thinking they would have gouged a hole in chest with barely a second thought. Then he expanded the telekinetic shield, pushing out and Logan was thrown back as if a truck had hit him. At first he seemed dazed but as he hurtled though the air he shook it off, twisted and landed on his feet.

"Nice shot, bub," he said and Nate smiled. There was no way he could get past his telekinetics and he decided that it was time to play with Logan. He could make Wolverine dance all night and when the X-Man got tired he would finish him and deliver him to Farouk, who seemed to prize him. Whatever Wolverine had, it was nothing that Nate couldn't give him and he would show him by taking Logan down.

He started out small, throwing things at Wolverine, causing the X-Man to jump and prance to avoid the oncoming objects - scraps of metal, pieces of rubble, weaponry and such. While he avoided the larger objects he pushed forwards, taking the hits from the smaller ones and letting his healing factor take care of the damage. Nate had to admit that it was impressive to see the never give up attitude that was on display and that in a straight fight he'd be finished, but this was not straight fight, and Nate grabbed Logan and slammed him up against the ceiling, then against the floor and then off the walls and then he dropped him.

"You'll not win this, Wolverine," said Nate and was surprised to feel something swipe at him, and he looked down at his chest to see three streaks cut through his clothing and blood leaking from three minor wounds. Logan was hardly able to stand, but somehow he'd managed to strike at Nate and Nate hadn't been aware it was happening until it was too late. The shock of the wound threw his concentration for a moment and Logan pushed past the pain and the damage and struck at Nate again.

Adrenaline flooded his system and he reacted by instinct as he quickly threw up another protective shield as the claws struck and they held as the hit home and Nate wrenched them upwards, that snapped the bones as if they were twigs. Nate could feel the pain radiating form Logan, but then Wolverine raised his knee and slammed it in to Nate's crotch and Grey's eyes went wide as intense pain shot through him. Not only did that hurt under normal circumstance, but Wolverine had also placed it in a certain position and Nate's legs suddenly wouldn't respond and he couldn't even stand up and he fell to the floor.

The pain made it hard for him to concentrate but instead of Wolverine finishing him like he expected, Logan just drifted away in to the darkness and Nate knew that he must have hurt him quite badly for him not to continue the fight. Nate pushed past the pain as the image of Cable entered his head and he knew if Nathan could fight off the techno-organic virus that threatened to consume him, he could fit off a paralysis of the legs. With a groan, he lifted himself in to the air, hovering more than flying and focusing his powers, using the pain to fuel his determination to hunt Wolverine down.

He had a better respect for Logan's skills now and he knew that as soon as the shot he had just taken wore off, he would find and finish Wolverine quickly. He shouldn't have toyed with him, he should have ended it quickly. Next time he'd know better and as he got used to holding himself in the air and controlling his legs at the same time, he pushed himself forward.

The battle wasn't over yet.

Elena Ivanova focused her powers, and did what she could to create as much interference between the Shadow King and anyone else. Her psychometric telepathic abilities affected psionic mental processes and she had been able to remove a lot of psionic blocks in Wolverine's mind, particularly those set up the Aldus Ferro, the Psi-Borg. What he had done to Logan and the others at Project X had been in-depth and powerful and while most of the subjects had been able to shake free the processing, Logan had needed that extra push considering what they had done to him.

Now she was using the abilities to undo the blocks in minds that allowed the Shadow King to control and manipulate people and she could feel him scrambling on the astral plane to keep his forces in check. His Hydra agents were easy enough as they fought against the intruders at the behest of Viper but the Apocalypse Dawn were not as easy to control. They had been conditioned by Apocalypse' people and his word was absolute, not that of this pretender. She could feel the anger and ire of the Shadow King as she kept him from focusing on Wolverine, though he had taken a moment to try and had been rebuffed, but Elena could feel another psionic presence, a powerful one and she knew his role was to take down Wolverine.

Logan needed her help and she wondered what she could do. If she broke off to help him, the Shadow King would be able to rally his people and strike back at the small strike-force that had infiltrated his complex. Elena knew from her association with Maverick that a small tactical force was better than an army and he knew what he was talking about. Yes, things were still difficult between them, however she still cared for him a great deal and maybe one day he would realise that what he had felt for her was love after all, but she was not prepared to wait.

He had taken the news of Isabel's death hard, but that was the nature of the job and he was gratified that both she and Logan had taken the Tsar down. Then X-Force had been shipped out to their next assignment and she was here. Then she felt Logan's mind on the move and she knew that whatever he had done to escape the other psion, it was not down to her. Wolverine could still handle himself and she went back to confounding the Shadow King.

The lady formerly known as Jessan Hoan stood guarding the doorway that would get Logan's people from Almagordo to the office of the Expediter and it was not as easy as it sounded, but then again the L's provided certain benefits to it's agents and the technological advancements were good enough to keep the Hydra agents away.

As Tyger Tiger she had ruled Madripoor's underworld with an iron fist and she was not adverse to getting her hands dirty and she knew how to fight. The gun she fired, knocked the Hydra goons to the floor, getting past their armour and felling them with ease. The real question was what happened when the weapon ran out of charges, but by that time if Logan wasn't back it was all over anyway.

What she hadn't told him though was she was under instructions from Wraith that if it got to that stage then she would use the Lepton Imploder that she had placed in the warp chamber and seal it off forever so that Hydra didn't gain access to the corridors. It wouldn't do for them to be able to travel across the planet, or to other dimensions. It was something she had promised to do, and she also knew that once she'd done that she would only have one goal left - to find Viper and kill her, to ensure the bitch paid for the humiliations she had put on her when she'd been under her control and Viper had ruled Madripoor, before the coming of the Shadow King.

She had done things that she would never have considered doing, things that still made her physically sick and she knew that if Logan had been able to do something about it, he would have done but Madripoor had stopped being the place he had known when Baran had killed everyone he called friend. Since then he had rarely gone back to the island, and whenever he did, he was in the middle of something that did not allow for his personal feelings to get in the way.

So Viper had to die, it was that simple and she would watch as the life drained from her eyes and then she would spit on her corpse. Then she would take her own life because she would be dead anyway. She just hoped she would get to see Logan once last time before she died. The two of them were friends, lovers and she knew she cared about him more than anyone else on the planet. He had been her conscience and they had saved each other's lives on several occasions. She had always believed that one day they would become more than that, especially after the death of Mariko, but she was unsure of how Logan saw her, particularly in those terms.

Then Elektra had come in to his life and she knew she had lost him to her and she had grieved for it because as good a team as Tyger Tiger and Wolverine made, Logan and Elektra made a much better one. She wondered how Daredevil felt about it, as Elektra and Daredevil had been linked on several occasions. Even dead, Elektra came between Logan and herself, but Logan was happier now than she had ever seen him, and having her in his life did so much for him. Tyger Tiger knew that if she and Logan had been destined to get together, that moment had long passed.

Then she felt a pain in her neck and breathing became much more difficult and she put her hand to her throat and felt something wet and she looked at her hand. It was covered in blood and she started to panic as something was wrong, but before she could do anything to find out what had happened, she fell to the floor and she knew she her throat had been slit and that death would soon come for her.

She only had moments left, but she knew her duty and as she closed her eyes for the last time she pressed the button on her belt and inside the WC there was a muffled explosion and Jessica Hoan died hoping that Wolverine would forgive her for damning them all.

Elena cried out in horror as she felt the death of Tyger Tiger in her mind. It had been so sudden, so unexpected and it broke her concentration and the she heard a cry of triumph from the Shadow King as he regained his control over the mutants in his army.

Elena cursed, thinking she'd made a mistake and suddenly the Shadow King was in control again and his people were taking the advantage and as hard as Elena tried she could not undo his control this time. The Shadow King was focused and his eyes were upon her and she felt herself being ripped from her body and on to the astral plane. She had dreamt of such moments, but not like this and Farouk stood before her.

"Elena Ivanova," he said to her. "You have led me quite a merry dance, little telepath."

"Good," she said, wondering how on Earth she'd escape this.

"Oh you won't escape," Farouk said, appearing behind her and he place a dark hand on her shoulder and she went cold at his touch. "However before I destroy you, let me show you something..."

The astral plane cleared and an image appeared. The X-Men were there working with Sabretooth in Australia and then she watched as he turned on them and they responded in kind. She had waited years to see this moment and she watched. She watched as someone who looked like Magneto lifted Creed in to the air, controlling the mutant by his adamantium and she watched as the metal was ripped from him as it had been done to Logan so long ago. She knew Creed would be weak and helpless and that anyone would be able to finish him and she would be the one to do it, as she forgot the position she was currently in.

She could feel the pain coming from Creed, and revelled in it and then she watched as he began to die and she realised what she was seeing. She was being denied her chance for vengeance, she was having her reason for existing taken away from her. After Creed was dead there was nothing left for her and the Shadow King gave a low chuckle.

"Oh it get's better," he said. "The X-Men were actually making him a better person. Listen to this..."

"You had no real desire to rebel against the X-Men. You were on your way to rehabilitation, Victor. This entire debacle, taking Rogue and Blink to the brink of death, it was all because I mentally forced you to rebel. And now, here is where you're going to die. Alone. Just like you have spent your entire life. Logan survived having his adamantium torn out, but that was because Xavier and Grey were there to help him through it. You have no one. By the way, you made a perfect patsy."

Psylocke's voice echoed about the astral plane and Elena knew she had been cheated of her revenge, and her mother's soul would not rest.

"Damn you!" she cried and the Shadow King laughed, knowing full well Creed was not truly dead and that he would recover. Psylocke was wrong about Logan.

Xavier had failed.

Grey had failed.

He returned because Grey needed him, he returned because without him Jean would have died. Logan survived because he found a reason to live. Creed had a reason to live now. Psylocke had given him the impetus to survive. He did not have the access to the advanced facilities the X-Men had to help Wolverine, but he was his father's son and he would survive. It would take a while but Elena did not need to know that and he laughed all the more then he realised something. Elena was not grief stricken - she was angry and she slammed a psionic bolt of energy in to the Shadow King.

"So you want to fight?" Farouk said. "My pleasure..."

Forge was at his desk aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier, working on the latest reports to come to him and wondering how in the world he took this job on, but he was doing well enough and he seemed to have a better grasp on things than people would have liked.

SHIELD was just too damned vast to have full control over and while he relied on people like GW Bridge, Timothy Dugan and Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine to keep him informed, he still liked to keep himself up to date with what was going on. Though having the UN breathing down his neck all the time was always an annoyance, but it was part of the deal when he signed up for the job.

He poured himself another cup of coffee and flexed his bionic hand and gave a sigh. He was nearly done with these reports and then he could get some rest, but before he could do anything his phone range and he answered it, the video image of Agent Russ Anderson appeared.

"Mr Anderson," said Forge, looking at the former New York police detective, now the head of the field office in the Seychelles. "What can I do for you?"

"Sorry to disturb you on the direct line, Director," said Anderson with urgency in his voice, "but we have a situation."

"A situation?" said Forge and he sat up. The Seychelles was the last known location of the main Hydra headquarters, and after they had been more or less routed by X-Force it seemed as if the Seychelles was back to being a peaceful place once more.

"There's been a break in," Anderson explained. "My people are trying to contain the terrorists, but we need back up."

"On their way," said Forge, looking at the board. X-Force were in England, and he couldn't send in Excalibur, so it'd have be a team of regular agents and he hoped it would be enough.

"We'll do what we can to prevent it from falling..." He stopped and turned away. "Christ no!" he shouted then there was an explosion and the screen went blank. Forge stood up. Whatever was going on in the Seychelles just got considerably worse, and considering what they were storing there he was more than a little concerned. This was something he would have to look at for himself.

I ain't doing so good here.

Didn't count on facin' Nate Grey, though we wondered where he disappeared to after the whole Apocalypse deal. Now we know, and that's another one we owe the Shadow King. If I'd known he was here, then I'd have got the X-Men in one this, because Nate's a powerhouse I ain't ready to contain yet. Don't have it planned, don't have a strategy and he's gotten stronger than he was.

I'm lucky he got cocky and figured he could toy with me. Cable wouldn't have made that error, but then again Cable's not the same man I once knew as well. Still, I ain't dead yet, an' Nate's gonna be hurtin' after that little bout. That's the thing with telekinetics - they need a lot of concentration to make things happen. Jean, Cable, Stryfe, Exodus - all of 'em needed to focus and it's that one moment when they slip that's the opening. It's just surviving until they slip that's the thing.

Gotta figure this out, think of a way to get to him. I'm down a set o' claws, my healin' factor's working on overtime and I'm tryin' to ward of the Shadow King. I should have got more people in to help me, but there just wasn't time. My best plan is an ambush, set Grey up an' jump him when he walks in to it. Yeah, that's the best plan and hope that the rookie's not recovered from the nerve shot I gave him earlier, otherwise this'll be the night of the Dark Pheonix all over again, and we got the hell beaten out of us that night as well.

Though I ain't got a love for Grey so takin' him out of the game will be easier than it was takin' down Jean. Wonder how the others are getting' on? I ain't eaxctly been messed with by Hydra which means they're either leavin' me to Grey or my people are doin'...

An explosion. Muffled, but my hearing's better than most. Sounded like it came from where we came in. Tyger's alone, there. Dammit, I thought she'd just go through the WC if she had to run. Gotta get to her, got to see how she's doin'. I just hope I'm in time, and I don't run in to Grey in the meantime.

I hate these corridors, they give me a shiver but I run hard and then I see her, lyin' in a pool of her own blood. Her body's still warm, but she's gone. Someone slashed her throat open. Got in behind her, ran the blade over her neck and...

"Oh, darlin'." I ain't got a lot of friends left, and now I've one less. "I'm sorry, Tyger. Wasn't meant to go like this." Looking at the WC, there are traces of scorching and behind the door I can taste a scent I know, and I know she had to seal the WC. Without a guard, Hydra could have used it.

"You did what was needed," I tell her. Gettin' out of here may be next to impossible now, but no way could Farouk be given access to the Warp Chambers. I hold her close, and kiss her forehead, the only way I have left of sayin' goodbye and as I do, I get a scent from her body. A scent I know and I know who killed her. They didn't do it because of Tyger, they did it to get at me, they killed her to send me a message. Well I got it, bub, got it loud and clear.

I may only have one set of claws left, but it'll be enough and God help anyone who get's in my way...

Roughouse fought and was happy.

He was doing something worthwhile and at the same time he was proving his skills and fighting prowess. These people were tough, but he was tougher, and he knew that no mortal metal could kill him, so anything that happened to him would only be a temporary measure and that he would recover. Even Wolverine in his adamantium days had been unable to stop him and that was something that very few could speak of.

These shock troops of the Shadow King were well trained though. Whoever was schooling them in the use of their powers knew what they were doing, but Roughouse had the experience where as they did not. He'd been an enforcer for the mob, an assassin and hired muscle for anyone who needed him. He'd been training the forces for the Black Tarantula before Wolverine had stepped in and he had released him from the Tarantula at a probable cost later on, but that was later.

Right now he was knocking over Hydra agents, sending them sprawling across the floor and ensuring the heat was kept of Elena who was trying to confound the Shadow King's control. To keep an eye on his people and to try and convert Wolverine to the darker side of his soul would require effort, as this time Logan was ready for the fight. His mental training as an X-Man had been developed by the teachings of the Chaste, but the Shadow King was a powerful enemy. If the people at Landau, Luckman, Lake and LeQuare (Retired) were right he'd fought the psionic shade of Onslaught and had defeated him, so Logan needed all the help he could get.

He could see that Elena was trying to keep the Shadow King off of Logan by diverting his attentions elsewhere and she knew she would not be able to do this forever. It was simply that she needed to buy him the time to find his son and get him out. Then, from the relative safety of the L's extra-dimensional headquarters they would be able to exorcise the spirit of Farouk and contain him. They all knew it wasn't going to be that simple, but so far so good. Deathstrike was clearing up the Apocalypse Dawn stragglers and he was being used against Hydra. He'd been used all his life and he knew that was his purpose, but this time he was choosing to be used and that made all the difference. He was doing something that was worthwhile, and he hoped that wherever his mother was, she was looking down on him and was happy. He remembered living with her in the mountains, until one day she had disappeared. They said the frost giants had taken her, but he had never found out if it were true or not, but it left just himself and his father, who moved them from the mountains to an everglade.

His father was a vicious bastard, someone who thought because the kid was better than he was that he had to beat in to him some respect, to show him who was boss. Roughouse knew now that what his father should have done is shown him love. That was all he wanted and if helping Sister Salvation had taught him nothing else, it was that his demons were conquerable by love. He'd been back to see his father's grave, the place were he had buried him after he'd killed him when he'd fought back, his powers coming to the fore.

He remembered the first blow he'd struck back and the look in his father's eyes, the silent 'why?' being asked of him but he'd not done anything to answer and he'd struck him again and again and again. Then something made him stop and he realised his father wasn't moving, wasn't breathing and he knew he'd killed him, murdered him, and while it gave him a sense of relief, it didn't give him a sense of satisfaction.

He had been a little man, easily broken and he knew there were people out there who would pay for those kind of services. He went out in to the world and became good at what he was being paid for, and he found that he was almost indestructible. He could be wounded, but not killed and that was an added bonus. He'd met with Bloodsport, who knew much and he had told him of who and what he was, a man with the blood of an Asgardian flowing through his veins, and he knew who and what he was and he revelled in it. Times had changed though, his anger and hatred had been cured and now he was here, working for and with Wolverine, then suddenly the Hydra agents dispersed and Roughouse looked about.

Something was wrong here and then before him stood one man, dressed in Hydra colours but not in the traditional Hydra garb.

"Little man," he said with a smile.

"My name is Jack," he said as he drew closer. "I have been instructed to kill you."

"You can try," said Roughouse, looking at the man. He didn't appear to be on the Apocalypse Dawn, and there was nothing immediately apparent about him so he thre a punch, which Jack caught and stopped dead. Then he turned, lifted Roughouse and threw him, something that hadn't happened in a long time and Roughhouse hit the floor with a thud, but for a large man he was quickly on his feet. "Good one he said but Jack was moving and he threw a punch at Roughouse, who rolled with it and he turned to look back at him. "Nice left."

"Not done," said Jack and suddenly Roughouse fell to his knees, unable to stand, but he swore he would fall no further and sweat started to form on his brow as he rebelled against his body's natural urges.

"What did you do to me?" he said, looking at him.

"Gave you something to slow you down, courtesy of the Viper," Jack said and Roughouse realised he'd been drugged, and that Jack must have had something done to him.

"Won't stop me," Roughouse said.

"Long enough," said Viper, stepping from the shadows. "I know much about you, Roughouse," she said as she ran her hands through his hair. "Madripoor taught me much. As I understand it you can't be slain by mortal steel, but this..." she let go and produced a blood stained sword from her belt "...this is not mortal steel. Forged by the Celestials, as far as I can tell it was used by Apocalypse to kill Stryfe, or maybe even Cable, who in turn tried to use it to kill the High Lord, but Apocalypse survived. It was seen in Clan Brahagha, in 1050AD, and we know Apocalypse was there at the time, so at some point in the future, one of the Summers will go back in to the past and be defeated by Apocalypse." She laughed at the irony. "Who in turn will die at the hand of Cable. There is a symmetry to it."

She placed the weapon at Roughouse's chest, the tip of it pressing in to his flesh. "Let's see if it can claim another victim..."

Yuriko Oyama stood about the corpses of the Apocalypse Dawn warriors who had challenged her. Her syntho-flesh hung from the cybernetics, but the gaps were refilling thanks to the enhancements given to her by Donald Pierce. She returned her hands to their normal states and swabbed the blood and dust from off herself and wandered about the corridors, looking for someone else. When the Dawn had realised they were facing someone they were seemingly unable to take they had retreated, and Yuriko meant to find them and ensure they did not interfere in what was going on.

As she wandered she found a room that made her pause and she looked inside. This was something she had heard of but never seen. It was a prototype to be certain but she knew exactly what it was a prototype of. The chambers were empty of course, as was the tank in the centre of the room, but she could imagine what it had once been like in here and she wondered if her father had actually stood in this room, or if this was the place that the notes that had been stolen from him had been first used.

In either case this place was an affront to her and she extended her claws and slashed at the tanks, only to find she couldn't damage them. They too were made of adamantium and there was nothing she could do to damage them in the slightest. It was confounded luck, but then again there were things in here that were not made of adamantium and she hacked and sliced at the computers and control panels and ensured they were ruined beyond any normal repair. They could be fixed, but not without getting some very specialised technology and that would highlight the activities of Hydra, should they attempt to use the equipment for bonding adamantium to bone.

"You must be the daughter," said a voice and she turned to see that Arnim Zola was standing there. She knew of him by reputation only, but it was a reputation that was deserved. He was a master geneticist and as a man of science he could well appreciate the equipment in this room. "I knew your father, Yuriko."

"I don't believe you," said Yuriko as she stared at him, but on some level she wan't sure. Lord Darkwind had been a genius, but there were some aspects of the adamantium bonding process that she was unsure of how he discovered them.

"I was there when Kenji Oyama perfected the bonding process," and Yuriko suddenly wondered if there was some truth in his words, as there were very few people who knew the true name of her father. "Such a shame you killed him. Kiro did not appreciate it did he?"

"Don't mention his name," said Yuriko, thinking back and closing her eyes as the memory of what had been done, what she had done, came to her.

"I was there when he first used the process, I was witness to the first subject to have adamantium bonded to their bones. Not Wolverine, not Bullseye but a man called Akrio Kursaswa."

"Akrio," said Yuriko, thinking that he was the son of a rival crime lord that her father had captured long ago. She had wondered what had happened to him after he the ransom had been denied, and now she knew. Her father

"The process was a success," said Zola, wandering over to loom at the ruined panels, "however he died shortly after, due to adamantium poisoning. It was a side-effect we worked hard to rectify and managed to do so when it came to the assassin Bullseye."

"What about the adamantium?" asked Yuriko, "where did it come from?"

"Myron MacLain invented the process for creating it, but it was too expensive to generate in major amounts," Zola said. "Or at least true adamantium is. True adamantium is the stuff that was bonded to Wolverine and is for all practical purposes indestructible. The secrets to making it were shared by the American's back in the sixties and your father managed to get a hold of this, knowing of the metal since it's creation back in the second world war for the shield of Captain America."

"And with the ability to create the metal, the process was completed," Yuriko said. She remembered when her father had brought home a dossier, he was excited and more than that he demanded that he not be disturbed for any reason. Now she knew why.

"Exactly," Zola continued, "and the process has been refined in recent years, with modern methods making it a little easier to manufacture. A cheaper version is the secondary adamantium that is thought but not as indestructible as pure. It's used by most villainous types as it is easier to get hold of than the pure. There's also the third kind of adamantium, adamantium X, which somehow makes the pure stronger. It's most famous example was Wolverine, where his DNA somehow altered it during the bonding process, making it more endurable than it previously was."

"How did the equipment for bonding the metal to bone come to be here? Who betrayed my father?" asked Yuriko, entranced by Zola's words. He knew too much for it to be a lie, and there were things she still needed to know.

"Landau, Luckman and Lake decided it was too much for one person to use and confiscated the technology, thinking it would be too costly for your father to replace if it were possible, however he raised the money and managed to recreate the process. However one of their people took the plans and founded Project X for the American government, in an effort to create a new wave of super-soldiers."

"Who was he?" asked Yuriko, and Zola paused a second and then she began to get suspicious.

"I do not know," said Zola and Yuriko realised she was being played, that the box on his head gave him psionic powers and he had been inside her head, getting what he needed to weave a story.

"You tricked me!" she cried and leapt at him, claws extended but Zola fired something at her and her cybernetics all froze and she fell to the floor like a stone, unable to move.

"Long enough to find the override codes placed within you," said Zola. "Pierce was a fool, but not a complete fool." He clicked his fingers and several Hydra guards entered the room. "I'm going to enjoy dissecting you, Miss Oyama."

"I'll kill you," she hissed as she was carried away.

"That's what they all say," Zola said as he looked around the room. There was much to be done.

"Let's see if it can claim another victim..."

"I'll see you in Niffelheim," Roughhouse said and readied himself for the thrust. Death was staring him in the face and for the first time he was unsure if he was able to escape her gaze.

"VIPER!"

Viper turned to see Logan standing there, fury in his eyes and she knew he had found the corpse of Tyger Tiger.

"I knew Grey would be unable to deal with you, despite what Farouk thought," she said.

"Yer dead, you witch!" he said and he ran towards her, but Jack stood his path.

"You'll have to go through me," he said and Logan's grabbed hold of his throat, twisted his hand and snapped his neck and Jack fell dead to the floor before he'd even had time to realised that Wolverine was upon him.

"I guess the potion needs more work," said Viper as she faced Logan with the sword in her hand. "Husband..."

She was met by a savage roar and she struck at the father of her child, but Logan was ready for it and as the sword struck, he grabbed it and pulled it from her hand. Viper gasped as his other hand thudded against, palm open, her chest and she could feel ribs break under the punch and suddenly she had difficulty breathing and she knew he'd punctured one of her lungs. She fell back, only to be caught by Logan's other arm and she looked up to see his claws extend from his hand above her, as his fist clenched as it pulled back from the strike on her chest.

"Logan," she gasped in fear, not ever considering eh would actually do it, but Wolverine said nothing and brought the claws down towards her and she cried out in terror but nothing happened and she opened her eyes to see the set of claws were millimetres away from her chest. His strike had been stayed but she knew how close she had come to being killed. He let go of her and she fell to the floor, but hovered before she could hit the ground and she knew what was happening.

Nate Grey had arrived and he had saved her life.

"That's no way to treat a lady," he said, psionic energy flaring from his eye as he hovered in the air.

"If she were a lady I'd be bothered," said Logan. "Yer out o' control, boy."

"Just thinking the same about you," said X-Man and Logan was lifted up in to the air. "Farouk wants you alive, and you are deadly, old man, but you're out of your league - you and your friends."

"You can't even stand," said Logan, struggling against the telekinetic grip, wondering if he could break free from this one as he had done the last. Nate was stronger then, and he could see the boy was using a lot of power to keep himself afloat, but then again he had a lot of power to spare. "I'll get loose and then I'll finish you."

"Like you did Tyler?" said Nate and an image flashed in to Logan's mind of Tyler Dayspring, Genesis. The son of Cable who had tried to make him in to a horseman of Apocalypse and rebond the adamantium to his bones but Logan had fought back and killed the Dark Riders and slaughtered Genesis who for all his bluster about being the heir of Apocalypse had no power to stop Logan's claws from killing him. Logan's memory of the event was hazy because he was ninety per cent feral at that point, with the rejection of the adamantium almost killing him, however he was ashamed of it. He could barely look Cable in the face after it had happened. "You seem to have this thing about killing off the Summers line, or at least inflicting as much pain on the family as you can."

"Get... out... of my head..." Logan growled and pushed back, using all the techniques he'd been learning and Nate's head shot back and he dropped almost to the floor, but he recovered and returned to his position.

"Neat trick," he said. "But let's show you something else." Viper was standing and Nate turned Logan so he was looking at Roughouse and Viper held the sword at his throat. Logan knew what was coming next, and he couldn't close his eyes with Nate keeping them open.

"I'm sorry," he said and Viper brought the sword down and Roughouse's head came away from is shoulders and rolled across the floor.

"His blood is on your hands, Logan," she said. "As is Tyger Tiger's. This was our fight - you shouldn't have brought in strangers."

"I'll kill you," Logan growled. "I'll kill you all."

"Not today," she said and Logan was lowered to her level and she kissed him. "I'll see you later, my husband..." She smiled and she walked away, leaving Logan and Nate alone.

"Payback time," said Nate, thinking to the shot that had paralysed him. "Farouk wants you alive, but then again your healing factors supposed to be pretty good." Logan felt his wrist shatter as Nate increased the psionic pressure. Around it, squeezing it like a vice. For a second he paused looking at Logan yet, thinking of Cable and how he had become Vice when he had unleashed the darkness within him, and how every telepath had the darkness waiting to be unleashed and for a moment he knew that what he was doing was wrong. "Wolverine?" he said, confused for a moment.

"Fight it, kid," said Logan, seeing the hold that the Shadow King had on him was weakening and he figured that Elena had a hand in it somehow, but the moment passed and X-Man was the Shadow King's agent once more.

"Nice try," he said but then he felt something strike him in the back and he let Wolverine go, before falling to the floor himself, his telekinetic powers failing him.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes," a voice said and Logan looked up, a lump entering his throat and in an instant his world stopped as he looked on the woman who had just saved him.

"Elektra?"

"DIE!" cried Elena as she pounded the Shadow king with psionic bolt after psionic bolt and Farouk was impressed with her tenacity. She knew it was a lost cause and that she had no hope of winning against him, but she would do as much as she could. He could see the reasoning behind it as well, to try and buy Wolverine more time to find his son and it would appear to be working as well, and that was something he was not happy with.

He was even less happy when he lost control of Grey for a moment because of the woman's incessant attacks and the Shadow King was angry and the bolts that flew at him suddenly stopped.

"I have allowed you your moment," he said. "Now it is my turn." He lifted up his hand and drew upon the psionic power at his disposal and cast it at her. Elena tried to avoid it but it struck her and her astral form faded out for a moment before coming back again. As it did so, her real body stopped functioning just for a moment and she felt it and she knew the Shadow King meant business. She tried to fight back, but there was no energy to her astral form and it was all she could do to survive the attack.

"Finish it," she said, thinking she would soon join Tyger Tiger and Roughouse.

"No," said the Shadow King. "I've a much better idea." Walls appeared around Elena, encasing her astral form and she pounded on the walls, trying to break through but she couldn't do it and she did not have the skill to descend from the astral plane. "I will keep you here for all time," his voice said, echoing in the small space. "Or at least until your body dies of thirst and starvation. It will be a slow, lingering death and there will be nothing you can do but accept it and watch as your body slowly rots and though you will beg for death, it will be slow in coming and there will be noboy to help you, nobody to even mourn your passing."

"Please," Elena said. "Finish me off."

"Goodbye, Miss Ivanova," said Farouk. "I've got to see a man about a Wolverine..." He laughed and left her with his laughter ringing in her ears.

"ELEKTRA!"

I ain't seen her in ages. At least alive and we embrace. It feels so good to have her in my arms again... it's just right and I know I can finish this now she's by my side.

"God I've missed you."

"Me too," she says and she kisses me, and I kiss her back. It's not really the time or place for it, but then again I don't know when I'll get another chance.

"How'd you find me?" I ask as she pulls her sai from Grey's back. He's not dead, but he's in a world of hurt.

"Gateway. I went to Xavier's to find you, and I found him instead."

"Great," I answer, knowing I have a way out of here now. Gateway will be able to help with that. "Darlin', I've got to find my son. Viper's got him, and they're usin' him. I can't let that happen."

"Of course," she says as we move through the corridors. A couple of Hydra goons get in our way and we've got them down in a moment, acting as one with our strikes echoing each other exactly with the same moves, and I realise not just how much I've missed her, but how much I need her in my life. She's not like anyone else I've ever fallen in love with - she completes me.

"You gonna be okay bein' 'Mommy'?" I ask her as we run.

"Yes," she says and she looks at me, knowin' full well what I mean. "Though inviting Cyclops may be a bad idea..."

"Why?" I ask. If he's hurt her, I'll take him down - Jean's husband or not.

"I broke his jaw with a nerve strike," she says and I have to shake my head. That's gonna cause problems later on, but Scott's been of with people for a while. It may have knocked some sense back in to him, who knows.

Then we come across Elena. She ain't movin' and something's definitely wrong.

"Hello, Logan," a voice says and I turn to see Viper holding a child. My son. But the eyes... "I see you know who I am, Father," Jacob says directly in to my mind, and Elektra gasps as well.

"Get outta my kid, Farouk."

"Or you'll what, Wolverine? Bear your claws and growl? You've lost."

"Not yet," I answer. "You haven't got a hold of my head yet."

"That's because I haven't been trying..." Farouk says and I'm bombarded with psionoc energy, as is Elektra, but she's able to take it where as I'm on my knees, fighting him.

"Your Chaste techniques are no match for me!" Farouks says, as I reach out to Elektra, unable to speak, unable to do anything as the Shadow King's assault continues.

"I'm not using a technique," she says. "I seem yo be immune..."

"Pierce," Viper hisses. "Whatever he did to bring her back..."

"If he wasn't dead I'd kill him," Farouk says. "However, Miss Natchios, you'll not escape death a third time.."

"You cannot stop me, she cannot stop me," I hear her say. "Who is going to stop me from taking Jacob from you both."

"That'd be me, darlin'." She turns to look at me, horror in her eyes and my claws shoot out from my wrist. "Step away from my wife."

"Logan, no." I can see the look of dismay in her eyes. "Fight him."

"Fight who?" I ask.

"The Shadow King!"

"Nothin' to fight, 'Lektra. I ain't gonna tell you again. Get away from my family..."

Forge arrived in the Seychelles, to find the SHIELD base almost totally destroyed and his agents lying dead or wounded about the complex. It hadn't taken long for the reinforcements to get here, but it had been too late and it was all over.

"Anderson," he said as he found the head of the office lying there. He was badly burnt and his eyes were damaged. "It's Forge. Can you hear me, Russ?"

"Yes... sir," Anderson whispered and Forge looked at the medic who shook his head. Anderson was not going to survive for much longer. "I'm sorry... couldn't stop them..."

"Who?" asked Forge.

"It was the Colonel..." Forge closed his eyes. Fury. The man was becoming a confounded nuisance and this time he had caused the deaths of people he had known and worked alongside for years, some of whom he'd have trained and hand picked for SHIELD. Hydra had struck again.

"There was nothing you could have done, Anderson," he said. "Nothing at all."

"He knew," Anderson said. "He knew where it was, sir. They took it. They took it all..." Then Anderson's head turned to one side and he spoke no more. The medic checked him and then pulled the sheet over him and Forge turned away, sending a silent prayer for the man to whichever gods were listening. Then he went back to business and went to check on what was gone. Here was where they had put some of the stores from the Godzilla affair. 'Had' being the operative word for now it was gone.

All of it.

"Damn," Forge breathed as he looked at the ruined room. It had been one of the best secrets in SHIELD, yet Hydra had managed to find it out again. Whoever was helping them from within the organisation was doing nearly as much harm as Fury had done when he was the Hydra mole. He walked outside to where one of the senior agents was.

"Send a general alert," Forge said, his tone sombre. "Alert all the field offices that Hydra has obtained a large quantity of adamantium. We have a serious problem."

Elektra looked at the man she loved and she could see that he had gone, that she had found him again too late. Yet again they had been thwarted and now she was greatly outnumbered, but she also remembered the conversation they'd had when they had been on the mountain of the Chaste.

"If he takes me again, I won't get free," Logan had said, and she had head the fear in his voice. "You know what you'll have to do."

"You can't ask that of me," she said.

"In the desert, when you looked in my eyes and saw me asking for help, you knew what to do."

"I knew you'd heal," she said. "But I let you down, Logan."

"No you didn't."

"I failed."

Then they'd done the ritual to restore him and Logan had regained his memories. It was different now though. Before the Shadow King had unleashed the darkness in his soul, this time he had perverted what he was and there was nothing in his eyes asking for help. The man she loved was gone, or buried deep within the person standing before person.

"I'm sorry," she said and in a single move she threw one sai at Logan and the other at the baby. Logan deflected the one weapon, but there was no way he could save the child and Viper turned herself in to the path of the blade. It struck her in the left shoulder blade and she fell to the floor, protecting Jacob as she fell, and in a moment Logan was on top of Elektra and she spun to avoid his strike, but the claws still slashed her upper arm, but not too deeply.

The pain was nothing compared to what she'd experienced of late and with a cry she turned and kicked up, catching the claws and snapping them off as she connected and Logan snarled as the beast within him begged for release, but the man denied it and they fought. He struck blows and she avoided them, matching his moves with her own, and she realised she was