Eugene Judd, Puck of Alpha Flight, made his way down to the hangar bay of the Alpha Complex, getting ready to do some maintenance work on the Omnijet, and then he noticed something.

The Omnijet was missing.

"Mac's not gonna like this," he said. He didn't even want to think what Gentry was going to say…

I enter the room and I look at the people waiting for me. People I've picked to help me rescue my kid and take down the Shadow King once and for all, people I've worked with, fought with, loved with. They're all here because I asked them for their help and one way or another they all owe me something. Maybe I owe them as well, but this is important to me. I already lost one kid to the darker side of humanity, I ain't gonna lose another.

Tyger Tiger's there, ready for me. She's here because of the L's, because she's my friend and because it's easy for her to work with me than it is to work with them. Known her a long time, an' we've been through a lot. If there's one person I can depend on totally, it's her.

Elena Ivanova. A Russian telepath, powerful but carryin' a lot of pain and hatred in her over the death of her mother at the claws of Creed. He almost killed her the last time they faced, but she got better and she got on with her life. She used to be involved with my ol' buddy Maverick, but that's over as well.

Roughouse. Another face from my Madripoor days, old foe, old friend, somewhere in between is more like it. He's big, strong, pretty much invulnerable and he claims he can't be killed by mortal steel. His former partner Bloodscream makes the same claim and it's pretty much true. At least I ain't killed him yet.

Yuriko Oyama. Lady Deathstrike as she was, but our last fight has meant she's given that name up. She's seen what she's become, what's happened to her and what she gave up to gain a revenge that was aimed at the wrong people. All these years we've fought, all this time we've wasted. Human nature's a wonderful thing.

Then there's me. The best there is at what I do, an' of late I've been able to say it without word of a lie. When I remembered my past, my full past away from the implants and everything else, I remembered everything I've learnt. I'm complete again, for the first time in decades and there were things I didn't even know I'd forgotten. I've gone by so many names but for this gig, I'm Wolverine and there's hell to pay.

"Okay, ladies and gent," I say as I light a cigar. "I ain't much of a team leader, but that's okay because the mission is simple. We go in, we take out as many of them as we can and we get my son from the Shadow King."

"The Shadow King is an impressive psionic talent," Elena says. "Can I hope to defeat him?"

"Yeah," I answer. "Thing with Farouk is he's got a lot to do these days, and his control isn't supreme. Spread too thinly, he's vulnerable and let's face it there's a lot going on out there he's tryin' to control."

"What if he masters it all?" asks Yuriko. "What then?"

I look at her, because there is only one thing to say. "Then we're dead." It's not the answer they want, but it's what they get.

"Where is the Shadow King?" asks Roughouse. "If he's in charge of Hydra and even SHIELD can't find him that easy, what chance do we have?"

"Landau, Luckman, Lake and LeQuare have means beyond the ones used by the other Earth based organisations," answers Tyger. "This is more than an interdimensional holding company, we're a specialist agency that keeps the balance. The Shadow King is one of the premier psionics on Earth. What we need to do is this..." She presses a button and a map of the planet comes up. "These are all the telepaths with a power level close to his." Lights flickered on to the map. "He has spread his power out so he cannot be easily detected, but we know certain things about him."

Three red lights appear.

"What are they?" asks Elena.

"People. Peter Wisdom, Nick Fury and Jessica Drew. They've all been worked on by the Shadow King and he has a specific lock on them as he has plans for them." I can't help but shiver when she says that, because I know I'm a part of those plans and if we fail I'll find out first-hand what that means. "Now, we cross-reference those, with the telepaths and follow the connections to the source..." The three red lights all send a red line from their location to one of the yellow lights that shows the telepaths and they all converge on the same point.

"Almagordo," I mutter, thinking that the Shadow King's been in America all the time.

"Where?" asked Yuriko.

"Almagordo Nuclear Research Facility, which was supposedly an area for government studies in genetic mutation," Tyger answers as I take it in. "The main complex was destroyed by Carter Ryking, however there is an underground bunker that my Ryking was unaware of, beneath the layer he discovered."

"What's in there?" Roughouse asks, and everyone's wondering what info the L's have on Almagordo.

"A testing area," said Tyger. "For prototype enhancements on mutants."

"Let's just say there are things related to the Weapon X project in that place," I say. "Guess, we're facing my past in more ways than one."

"I'll contact Wraith," says Tyger, "and set up a warp chamber to Almagordo. There's one right inside the complex, as I recall." The L's involvement in the project is still hazy, an' at some point I'll get the full story from them but right now, they're a way in and I'll take whatever I can get.

"Logan," Yuriko says, putting her hand on my shoulder and I look at her. Lord Darkwind was her father, the man responsible for creating the process that bonded the adamantium to my skeleton. She knows I wasn't part of that, but neither of us know how or where the process was developed after her father died. Almagordo is a part of it.

"I know, Yuriko," I answer her, speaking softly. Things are coming full circle for both of us, maybe for all of us in this room.

"Incredible" Viper said as she wandered through the subterranean complex that was Almagordo, now the main base of operations for Hydra. New Mexico was as good as any place for their operation and there were plenty of things here that could be used for their purposes - one in particular. "Can you feel that?"

"Yes," replied the child at her breast, speaking directly in to her mind. "I can feel it. Something has been activated in the complex… something that was not here before, or we were not aware of before."

"No," said Viper. "Not that. I meant the feeling of change. I sense that things are beginning to come to a head."

"Oh that. Yes, the plans are in place," said Farouk. "It is almost time to pull the strings tight. We are expecting visitors, Viper. Remove the child somewhere safe and ready the guard."

"Do you want the Dawn?" If there was company coming then it made sense to her to use the resources they had available.

"Not yet," replied the Shadow King, thoughtfully. "They are my last resort - I want to see how our normal troops fare against them. If they prove ineffective, then we will send in the Dawn and our special project. It will be interesting to pit him against who is coming."

"Who is coming?" Viper asked, curiosity in her mind.

"Your husband, my dear, your husband." Viper nodded and Farouk, through baby Jacob, feasted on the milk from her teat.

Scott Summers looked at the various files in front of him. It hadn't been too long since he had fired the X-Men Alpha. Jean still hadn't come back and the mansion felt… he didn't know what the mansion felt like, but he knew it was right. There was much to do and he was almost ready.

He'd seen the reports from Australia on the death of Sabretooth at the hands of the Omega team and he was unimpressed. It was getting out of hand and maybe they shouldn't be using the name X-Men to conduct their affairs. He would have to think about that and see what could be done when suddenly the alarms sounded. An unauthorised aircraft had entered the airspace around the mansion and he went to see who it was.

Ever since the Sins had been driven off, he'd been expecting something but this looked like Alpha Flight.

"What the hell do they want?" he muttered and went out to see what was going on as the Omnijet touched down. The ramp opened and Cyclops stood out there, his arms folded and his eyes burning with energy. "It's courtesy to call before you visit," he announced.

"That'd have given me away," said a voice and Cyclops could see the young woman come down.

"Elektra," he said, shaking his head. "I thought you were dead."

"I was, and that doesn't mean you can be anything less than courteous, Mr Summers."

"You arrived unannounced and unwanted, Miss Natchios. I was well within my rights to blow you out of the sky."

"I'm looking for Wolverine," said Elektra, ignoring his comment. "Do you know where he is?"

"No," said Cyclops, abruptly. "He doesn't live here anymore. Hasn't done for a long time, in all honesty. I accepted it as his resignation from the X-Men."

"Do any of the other X-Men know where he is?" said Elektra figuring that Logan really needed to get back here and sort Cyclops out, or she'd do it for him.

"The only X-Man here is me," said Cyclops. "The former X-Men were fired a short while ago. Now you can leave."

"You can apologise," said Elektra, angrily. "How dare you talk to me like that. I'm not one of your X-Men and I'm not your wife."

Cyclops gritted his teeth and she could see the X-Man's hand clench and she knew he was on the verge of snapping and she could see his visor start to open and he was about to fire an optic blast and before he could do anything she moved and struck him in the jaw and Cyclops fell to the floor unconscious.

It was only a minor break in his jaw caused by a nerve strike and it would heal, but he'd annoyed her.

"Nice one," said a voice and she turned to see Stick standing there. "Real Chaste like."

"He asked for it," she said as she looked at him sparked out on the floor. "Didn't know if I'd see you again."

"I did, just thought you'd be like me. Things have a weird way of working out," said Stick.

"I guess," she said, uncertain as to what he meant but it wasn't important to her. There was only one thing on her mind right now. "I need to find Logan."

"I figured as much," he replied. "I can get you there, or rather a friend can." He looked up to the roof and she could see a small figure sat on the roof of the mansion. The aboriginal former member of the Chaste, a man who had done much to aid Logan and herself, but there was a price for those who needed a favour.

"Gateway."

"Yeah. Been here after he ditched me during the battle with the Destroyer by all accounts. Damned if I know what he sees, but he's in a trance, hidden to all but the Chaste and… higher beings."

"You don't know what he's doing here?"

"Nope. Wish I did. He keeps coming around, looking around the Xavier Estate and goin' back again. Ask him, he'll send you to Logan."

"What will I owe?"

"Nothing," said Stick. "Not this time." Elektra nodded. It was time for her to reunite with the man she loved.

"Get ready," and my people nod as we step through and a load of familiar scents hit me. Almagordo's triggering a lot of memories, things I knew I remembered but bein' here's a whole different matter. That said, there's a load of scents that aren't that familiar. "Here we go," I say and then we're swamped by about a dozen Hydra shock troops, with more on the way.

Elena's doin' what she can to keep the Shadow King from keeping them in order and anticipatin' what we're gonna do and how we're gonna fight so that leaves us as the muscle, with Tyger using firepower to clear the way. Roughouse just picks people up and throws 'em out of the way as Yuriko an' me go to claw city, ripping and hacking as we go, cuttin' a path through the troops and allowing us to get further and further in to the complex.

"Impressive," she says. "You are more skilled than I remember."

"Thanks, darlin'," I reply. "Doin' pretty good yourself…" Then there's a waft of more familiar scents. "The Dawn's comin'. We're gonna get it good now…"

Then they come. Energy wielders, powerhouses… It's a goddamn war zone, but we knew it was going to be difficult and we go to town this time and we're takin' hits, but Yuriko's got an inbuilt repair system, I've my healin' factor and Roughouse is Roughouse, and there's no heat on Tyger and Elena as we go. Yuriko may not like the name Deathstrike anymore, but that's not what's she's showin' and Roughouse is getting his licks in as well.

Then there's one of 'em standing in front of me and he comes at me with claws and I got at him as well and we pass each other. I'm still standing. He isn't and he falls clutching his chest and then they start to pull back, and I know we have them on the run.

"We go after them?" asks Yuriko.

"You and Roughouse go," I answer as I taste the air, and there's a scent out there I recognise. "I've a date with my wife. Keep 'em busy and be careful."

"You as well," she says and the two of them disappear after the Dawn.

"Elena, I need you with me - if you can, keep Farouk busy. I'm goin this way. Tyger, keep the door open. We'll need to leave in a hurry." They nod and I'm on my way, seeing areas that remind me of things. There's the smell of Shiva all around here, as if the giant robot were nearby. There's also the smell of pain and suffering in here, but the scent's old and it's been here a long time and ground in to the very place itself.

It reminds me a hell of a lot of Project X, at the compound in Alberta, but I know exactly what to do and I push the memories to one side. It's the past, and I'm interested in the future.

"I'll bet you are," says a voice and Viper's there. "Hello, Logan. Been a long time."

"Not long enough, darlin'," I answer. "I'm here for the kid."

"So you know about Jacob," she says. "Interesting. X-Force…"

"Yup," I say. "You really think I wouldn't find out, or what you've done to him?"

"I've done nothing," she replies. "Ahmal uses him as a host. If effect, the child was never born. The Shadow King was reborn."

"Don't believe that for a moment, an' I know enough telepaths to get my son back."

"You'll never get him back," says a voice and I know Farouk's finally shown his face. Or lack of face. "And I have to thank you for delivering yourself back in to my hands. I've missed you, Logan. Or should I call you Father?"

"You'll not get a hold of me again, Farouk," I answer. "I'm not the same man I was."

"You're not a man, Logan. You're an evolved animal. Wolverine by name, wolverine by nature. A feral creature that… that… that…"

"Problem getting' a hold on my thoughts? That'll be intense mental disciplines, from Xavier's to the Chaste. You'll not get a hold of me unless you give it all you've got - so am I worth the effort?"

"Well played, Wolverine, well played," the Shadow King laughs and I start to get worried. "I knew you wouldn't come here unless you were ready for me. Miss Ivanova is causing me a great problem and I will deal with her in a moment."

"Not before I make myself a widower," I answer, and my claws are ready. "Time to die, Viper. Shoulda done this a long time ago." My claws strike at her but suddenly stop and I push, trying to get to her, but something is blocking my path. It's not Farouk, he has no telekinetics and there's nobody else around that I can sense… "What the?"

"Oh, little man," Viper laughs. "Did you really think that you were going to get to me that easily?" She comes close to me and I can feel myself floating in the air. "Or that I was really Viper?" The person before me changes and becomes someone else, someone I've not seen in a long time and I realise I'm in real trouble.

"You…" I mutter. I know he can bend the light telekinetically to look like other people but he has to be using his telepathy to make me think it's someone else.

"Remember when we first met? You said 'later, kid'."

"An' you said 'count on it, old man'."

"Let's see what you've got, Wolverine." I burst free in a feral roar, shattering the telekinetic hold.

"Just thinkin' the same, X-Man…"