The shade known only as Stick stood on the ramparts of the fortress of the Chaste.

The Master of the Chaste watched as Logan and his companions battled against the might of the Hand. The fallen ninja had combined their essences and become a giant warrior, trying to smash the heroes where they stood, but Stick was rooting for Logan on this one. The man had just gotten back everything he'd ever lost in himself, and that made him powerful. Then he felt a presence in the back of his head and he knew that Gateway was behind him, watching as well

It is time.

I know.

The debt will be paid.

So damned unfair.

The scales must be balanced.

I know, but it's still wrong.

You knew this would come.

I made the bargain on her behalf, because of this.

The bargain was still hers, therefore she must pay the price.

I should be with her, it should be me who pays.

Why debate something as immutable as this?

Because it gives me something to do.

The giant falls.

The first sign.

The second sign will soon be delivered.

He'll be ready.

He had been prepared for this for many years.

We should have told him then.

They are not destined to be together.

I don't believe that either.

Destiny has brought them to this point.

They won't accept it.

They have no choice.

Nor do we.

No, we do not.

The X-Men have sacrificed their fair share of time an' of life to save not just the world but sometimes the universe as well. In the end though it comes down to one thing - people. To do what's got to be done, you have to give up people. Now it's my turn to sacrifice something.

I ain't an X-Man, not anymore.

This doesn't concern the team, my family, because if it did they'd get hurt, maybe even killed. They don't have the first clue as to the horror's I've seen, I've known. Magneto, Apocalypse, Onslaught, even Dark Phoenix were all lightweights compared to the power of the Destroyer. In each battle we've given up something to the enemy. Magneto got Joseph and Genosha. Apocalypse has taken that many of us and made them in to his own, makin' people in to monsters who are dark shades of people they were. Onslaught cost us nearly every hero on the planet.

Dark Phoenix cost us Jean.

I ain't gonna let them suffer again. Hell, I'd prefer to deal with this without Elektra, but that ain't gonna happen. She's part of this whether I like it or not, not just because she's the woman I love, but because of the Hand.

Plus there's the cost of working with Matsuo Tsuryaba, Revanche and ultimately their boss Mephisto, plus whoever else is working with them. Kwannon's been quiet on that front and I got a feelin' I ain't gonna like it.

I don't like this, period, but it's gotta be done.

"Ready?" I ask Kwannon, looking in to her eyes. She's still the same woman I knew a few years back, except she doesn't have her soul anymore.

"Mephisto wants us to wait," she replies, and I turn to Wraith.

"We're gonna need the Sword."

"The L's have got Zoë working on it," admits Wraith. "It's kind of missing."

"Figures," I say, as I light my cigar. The last person who'd have known where it was would be Chang, and he died a long time ago. "Tell her to start in Madripoor. Who's the contact there now?"

"An agent of SHIELD, name of Fallon. We hired him after your last encounter with Ogun, and it was decided he'd fit in at the Madripoor office."

"Good kid," I answer, remembering him. "Could do with Kitty Pryde to help him, though."

"She's in Greece," said Wraith.

"Greece?" asks Elektra, obviously thinking of home.

"Yeah, there's something going down with terrorists," said Wraith. "Not our concern."

"Fine," I say and look at Kwannon. There's a far away look in her eyes, as if she's seeing somewhere else. It's not telepathy like I know it, but then again who knows what telepathy is like when you're dead? What if Xavier still looks over us and just can't interfere. Damn, I hate metaphysics. If it wasn't for all this stuff I'd seen I'd be just as happy to think that when you're dead, you're dead.

He knew enough of the various organisations on the planet to know that the Reavers were supposed to be dead, then again so was Matsuo Tsurayaba. Perhaps they had been rebuilt, by their creator, the man called Donald Pierce. There was a swathe of undead involved here and that implied that there were darker forces at work here than anything his sorcerers could command, and that also disturbed him. It was no coincidence the attack happened at around the birth of the child.

Somebody powerful obviously did not want the Ens Entium to be born.

"Protect the Genesis," said Kuroyama. "No matter what happens, the child must be born."

"And after the coming?" asked once of his warriors.

"Protect the Ens Entium above all others." There was also the problem of Elektra. She should have been here by now, but Logan had seemingly rescued her. One handed, and Kuroyama had to give his respect to that. He had sent his best people after him, including the prize he had been working on since their last encounter. Surgeons and mystics had done their work well, and now he suspected that the false Elektra was lost to them as well.

Elektra's blood was to be the catalyst of the Ens Entium. The rituals were specific and the prophecies had been checked. Elektra should have been the Genesis in place of Nina McCabe, however the deeper readings had produced something else - the Origin. The Origin was the one whom fate had cast to the side, in favour of another and the fresh blood of the Origin would be used to bathe and feed the Ens Entium and the dark power would be released, turning the Hand in to it's loyal and worthy foot soldiers in the new order.

Without Elektra, the Ens Entium would not be the child of prophecy, it would be an aberration and bring about the end of the Hand.

"Kuroyama - Black Mountain of the Hand."

The voice echoed throughout the corridor and Kuroyama stopped in his tracks.

"Matsuo Tsuryaba," breathed the Black Mountain. "At last you reveal yourself. How did you get past my people?"

"I know this place as well as you do," said Matsuo, his voice even and tempered. "The ancestral home of the order was my home before it was yours."

"You preferred the nightlife of Japan," said Kuroyama. "Your blood littered it's streets there as it will do the corridors here."

"You are no peer of mine," said Matsuo, and from behind his back he pulled the Black Blade. "Nor shall you ever be."

"You are not possessed by it's power..." whispered Kuroyama.

"I sever a higher power," said Matsuo and the two warriors charged at each other, sword meeting sickle in a shower of sparks.

Pierce had wanted life and Mephisto had given him it, however the cost had been dear and everything that he had worked for in the last few years had been destroyed. Weapon X was gone, he had no funding and there was very little left in the way of allies.

All Pierce wanted to do now was to thwart Mephisto. He had heard tell of what was coming and he had learnt from Pretty Boy exactly what Mephisto had planned and while they would stop Destroyer from destroying everything, Pierce planned to get the powers of the Destroyer for himself and then he would enact vengeance on everyone of his enemies, starting with Mephisto, then the Hellfire Club, then the X-Men and finally all mutants.

The plan was already being worked on because Pierce had improved the Reavers so that they were at the optimum level and Mephisto was occupied elsewhere. The plan was dependant on one thing - the death of Wolverine. If he was dead then it would be up to Pierce to stop the Destroyer and he would do it.

The time was coming.

Kwannon's tellin' us to go and suddenly Gateway's there with a portal. This day just gets more and more interestin'.

"Okay, let's ride," I say and all of us - Wraith included, step through the portal and out of the other side to where there's a battle being fought and there's more familiar scents out here than I thought there would be. I see the fear in Elektra's eyes as she looks around

"Darlin'," I say to her, making sure she's up to this.

"When I was returned to life, I had dreams. Dreams of this place. This Ganna Nia, the ancestral home of the Hand. The first magics were discovered in this place."

"Great," I reply. Not only is this the ninja capital of the world, there's dark magic here as well. Only one person who can tell us what happens now. "Revanche, what do you want us to do."

"We've got to stop the birth of the child," she answers. "Matsuo is fighting with Kuroyama and Mephisto's army is keeping the Hand occupied. The way to stop the birth…"

"Is to kill the mother," I answer. It's a grim call to make but the fate of the world depends on this. If I'd known how Sabretooth was going to turn out, I'd have drowned him at birth.

"Nina," says Elektra.

"Yeah," I answer. "Can you deal with this?"

"It was always going to come down to this," she said. "In the end." Suddenly the place goes dark as the sun starts to get covered by the moon. An eclipse, as if things aren't tense enough. "The second sign."

"'Lektra?" Ain't sure what she means, an' I don't think she does either.

"I don't know… It just entered my head that it was the second sign."

"Suits me either way, I like the dark. Let's go, darlin'."

Kwannon and Wraith let us go as we head towards the fortress walls and start to climb them. It ain't easy for me to do with one hand but I do okay, though Elektra moves faster than I do and then I feel it. Something against the back of my neck, almost imperceptible and I move just as a shot is fired.

"What the flamin'?"

"Logan?" calls Elektra

"Go, I'll sort this." I can see below me. Three figures - Cole, Macon and Reese. The Reavers are down there. Mephisto must have gone nuts to bring those losers back, but from what I can see they've undergone some serious upgrades. Then again, so have I.

"Been a while, fellas," I call as I leap down, claws coming out from my wrists, and one set go through the slits in my metal hand. "Let's see if I remember how to do this…"

They were prepared for that to happen, but what they weren't prepared for were the areas in which to strike. In the old days I'd have aimed for something exposed and tried to do as much damage as possible, enjoyin' the fight and lookin' to do some serious damage. This time, I've got the skill to go for the vital stuff and as I drop I spin, kicking Cole in the face and retracting the claws on my good hand so I can grip Macon's hand while striking at the arm on Reese.

Cole goes down, not expectin' to be kicked while Reese comes off bad as he thought I'd go for his head and moved so when I slashed his arm it hurt worse and the cybernetics that give him use of his arms have shorted. That just Macon who to his credit uses my grip against me and slams me in to the wall. I felt something break, but it doesn't matter because I've my healin' factor.

I ain't gonna replay Australia.

"Bring it on, mutie," says Macon, who's been backed up by Cole at this point.

"Ready when you are bub," I say and start to run forwards as they do as well and I leap, going low, keeping the claws out of the game for now and the adamantium hand clangs against Cole's crotch as I grab Macon's crotch and pull as they try and leap over me.

Problem with these assholes is they try and keep a hold of their humanity and as products of the Hellfire Club they enjoy decadence. Can't please the ladies with just a piece of metal. They're out of the fight for the moment and I seize on it, driving my claws through their necks as I stand up an' this time they'd damn well better stay dead.

I turn and look for Reese who should have rebooted his systems by now, but I see that I don't have to deal with him. Wraith's got that one well in hand.

"Thought you needed a hand," he says and I scowl. "Hey, I forgot, sue me."

"What's up, Wraith?"

"Zoe needs me. She's got a line on the sword and I can get it here faster than she can."

"Go," I answer but he's already done his fade act. Wonder where Zoe found the sword. Elektra's long gone, but I gotta sort somethin' before I catch up with her and I follow the scents on the battlefield, lookin' for Kwannon, guttin' ninja as I go an' keepin' an eye out for the other Reavers. I know Pierce is about, an' it's even money he sent them after me.

I wanna know why.

"Kwannon!" I call as I see her. She's back to back with Tarrant, the goon who runs the Sons of the Shield group who wanted a piece of me a few months back.

"Logan?" she says in surprise. "What happened?"

"Pierce figured it was a good time to take me out. Three of his Reaver's ain't gonna be movin' this side of paradise."

"We warned Mephisto he couldn't be trusted," snarled Tarrant. "Min is with the other three. I'll have her fry them to slag."

"No," I say. "Keep 'em around, we could do with their help. How are we doin'?"

"We're keeping them busy," Kwannon answers. "The darkness is hindering them somewhat, but we knew this was coming. My telepathy allows me to see and Tarrant's group has specialist tools."

"Fine…" I start to say but she screams.

"Matsuo!" Then she looks at me. "He's in trouble. He thought he could tame Kuroyama with the Black Blade…"

"Damn fool," I snarl. "He's gonna get himself killed. I ain't got time to deal with another mystic threat."

"He bears the rune of Mephisto," remarks Tarrant. "It protects him from the curse."

"Help him," Kwannon pleads an' I know I have to. He loses then Kuroyama defends the Destroyer and Elektra's gonna die. I don't answer as I turn and start to run.

"Die, gaij…" I snap the neck of the ninja who confronts me before he knows I'm there, an' I work my way through the Hand in my way an' they barely even see me comin'. I follow the scents in the air, tracin' Tsuryaba's path and I go through some kind of passageway an' come up in a trophy room.

There's a lot of weird stuff in here… includin' my hand. I'm comin' to get that once this is done and with a little luck, the Shi'ar medical stuff might be able to fit it back. Regrowin' a replacement is takin' longer than I'd like, but there's something here I can use.

The Honour Sword of the Clan Yashida.

It's almost as if Mariko is using it to call to me and I get a chill down my spine as I touch it. I'll kill Kuroyama with this if it's the last thing I do an' I start to run.

I get to the corridor in time to see Matsuo trade blows with Kuroyama for the final time. He's wounded bad, his left arm is just about hanging off, but he's still fighting, but his move is off and Kuroyama literally disarms him and Matsuo falls to his knees. He knows the fight is over.

"This time, you die," says Kuroyama and the sickle comes down with lightning speed, but as fast as he is, I'm faster and as he spoke I threw the Honour Sword and it deflected the sickle and speared the shoulder of Black Mountain at the same time.

"Said you wouldn't see me comin'."

"And I said I would kill you with your own sword."

He pulls the Honour Sword from his shoulder.

"No, you said it'd be a pleasure. An I ain't about to let you have that pleasure, bub." The claws come out. "Let's finish this, right here, right now."

"Figures. She was the last player left," answers Wraith, showing his ID to the guard who stands to alert as they come close. "I will never get used to how much pull I have with this ID."

"There are matters of state in which we outrank the normal law enforcement agencies, and if they get in our way we close them down," said Zoë. "One day I'll tell you of the time I was in Glasgow." The gates opened and they went through to the small room, where the young woman sat waiting for them.

"You know my terms."

"We're working on it," said Zoë. "Right now I need to know where the Sword is."

"I remember you now. You're Logan's friend. Is this something to do with him?"

"Yes, does that make a difference?"

"Perhaps. I want to help him."

"Then give us the Sword," said Wraith.

"I'll take you to it. I want to personally make sure Logan gets the sword."

"You don't trust us?" says Zoë, with a smile. "I could have people come down here and tear the secrets from your mind, just like that."

"You would have done earlier, however I suspect time is a factor in this. I know your colleague as well. John Wraith, formerly of Project X, worked with Logan on Team X. Has the power to teleport. Logan and I have discussed you and your colleagues at the project. Bring your people, I will fight and I will lose but so will you."

Zoe and Wraith looked at each other. There was only one way that they could get her what she wanted and that was to put her out of the reach of the law.

"No choice, boss. You're Overboss, so you have that authority."

"I'll arrange it now," said Zoë and looked at the woman. "It won't be a pardon as such, but it'll get you out of here. Welcome to Landau, Luckman, Lake and Lequare (Retired), Miss Hoan."

"Please, call me Tyger."