"Dammit!" I curse as I watch Wolverine disappear with Jessica and without my enhanced sense I've no idea if they've been teleported out, or what. I'm Logan, or some kind of copy of his memories and I'm in the body of Elektra, while the real me runs around on the orders of the Shadow King, doing whatever Farouk commands.

This isn't one of my better years, I'll give you that.

"FREEZE!" I hear the sound of guns being aimed at me and with all the dead SHIELD agents about, I know this doesn't look good and I turn to see several more SHIELD agents standing there. "I SAID FREEZE!"

SHIELD was looking after Jessica, keeping her safe and they blew it, but more than that all Elektra's warrants have been reactivated, and they know her rep as an assassin.

"Look, bub..." I start to say and then they open fire and I move. Elektra's fast, agile and these guys must be more than a little nervous because their friends have been torn apart and they're off target, but when they get it together, I'm dead. We're dead, and if that happens there's no chance of getting my mind back in my body, or at least restoring me to what I used to be.

Plus I need a telepath or two that I can trust to sort that out, because we gotta take out X-Man as well. Gotta find Rachel, and through her Cable. If anyone can help me they can but I've got to get off the streets.

The SHIELD agents keep firing and as I run I can feel Elektra in the back of my mind, wanting control back. Ain't gonna complain about that, because she's the one who's got more experience of being on the run than me. I'd just take 'em down, but I had that option. She doesn't.

"All your's, darlin'," I mutter as I focus and I feel myself drift away and her consciousness touches mine as we swap places.

I'm back in control again and I know what I need to do, where I need to go. This place is near the waterfront, near where Konrad Weiss used to have his dance theatre, before he was turned in to a woman by the Architect. I smile inwardly as I think how simple that is compared to my life now and in my memory, a bullet nicks my arm.

I've been wounded before, but this is different as I'm being hunted by the best marksmen around, and I'm running out of time. The fight with Wolverine's left my body tired, because he is still the best there is at what he does and I was lucky to escape the adamantium claws with my life. Jessica was taken, I was left and now I think my luck may be running out. The waterfront is close, if I can get there, take a dive in to the waters, I can lose them. Another bullet strikes my leg, and another hits my arm again and this is serious.

I'm running out of time, running out of places to go.

"Elektra!"

A voice, a male voice. I know the voice.

"Elektra! This way!"

"Stick?" I ask, but I'm answered with a laugh and I follow the voice. The shooting stops and I can hear them shouting, wondering where I've gone. I don't know myself.

"She's wounded," I here someone say, another voice female, one that I don't know. "Bring her over to the bedroom's. We'll help her. We owe her that at least."

"Everything's going to be okay, Elektra," the male voice says but I can't see the face and I surrender to the darkness.

"It's all about payback."

"You reckon?"

"I reckon."

Pete Wisdom looked at the other members of the Shadow X-Men. His lover Kate gave him a grin and he knew exactly what she was after when she flashed him a smile like that, but this was all about business. Jessica Drew, the Spider-Woman shook her head and looked towards the team leader.

"Are you seriously considering this mission?"

"I am," Wolverine replied. "Kid's right, it's about payback. Bastards killed his sister, and that means something. We've trained, we've hunted, we've taken down a load of our enemies, in preparation for the main event, but this is something that needs doin'. I know a bit about getting revenge. Besides, I need to know how you're doin' after the effort we had in getting' you back on the team." Jessica nodded. It had been a week or so since she had been freed from SHIELD captivity.

"Besides, it's not like it's going to take long," said Nate Grey from the shadows. "I mean the Hellfire Club have always been a joke."

"Not always," said Wolverine. "Of late, yeah, but not always. I'll let Farouk know what we're doin', see if there's anything else he wants us to look in to while we're in the UK."

"He wants you to find someone," said Viper, entering the briefing chamber and Logan kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Anyone we know?"

"Her name is Dallas Riordan."

"Citizen V," said Wisdom, as he lit a cigarette. "Unfinished business."

"He feels, and Fury agrees, that her getting away from us like that was not good for morale, and there have been some whisperings of rebellion. We all know that there are members of Hydra that are often more ambitious than they should be."

"We can sort them out here and now," said Shadowcat. "Phase a couple in to the floor, watch them explode, lesson learnt."

"We want them willing not terrified," said Logan. "Terror's no good in getting' an army to work for you. Instillin' it the opposition, now that's more interesting. Anything else, darlin'?"

"No," she said. "Have fun. Farouk feels you need to sort out the old business. You may even find something for yourself, my love."

"I like the sound of that," Wolverine said. "Get your kit together, people - we're heading to England."

"LOGAN!"

"She's awake," he said, turning to see the young woman, who was lying on the bed. "Finally."

"Welcome back to the land of the living," said the other voice and Elektra looked around, unsure of what had happened. "We were worried."

"King?" Elektra said, seeing her old friend. "Konnie?"

"Yes," said King Lau. "I'm glad to see you remember us."

"How could I forget?" Elektra said, as she sat up, feeling the strain on her body as she did so. Konnie was once Konrad, before the Architect came and he had adjusted to life as a woman well enough to marry King, who had been Mackinlay Stuart's partner at the dojo, before Mac had died. She hadn't seen either of them since before then, as they had been married and gone on a world cruise, and then things had gotten away from her and now here they were.

"Careful," said King. "It's been a week since you lost consciousness."

"A week!?" she said in shock. "But Logan..."

"Now him we have spoken with," King said. "And I thought our lives were bizarre."

"What was wrong?"

"You were shot several times, before we got to you," Konnie said. "We thought they were after us, but apparently not."

"It was lucky we saw you before we went underground," said King.

"I don't understand," Elektra said.

"You know I left Hong Kong at the peak of my prowess?" said King and Elektra nodded. She knew King of old but had never pried as to what had happened. It was one of the many 'what happened to' mysteries that were a part of life. "Well when we were in Paris, we found the reason."

"Or it found us," said Konnie. "Turns out King's been pursued for a long time by a crime lord."

"He wanted me to throw a match, I took his money and ran," King explained. "He was deposed from his seat of power by another crime lord and relocated, which is why he never found me in the States. He turned up in France, dealing in illegal immigration. He's been after me ever since."

"After us," Konnie reminded.

"Yes," said King, holding her hand. "And I will keep apologising."

"How much did you take?" Elektra asked.

"Three quarters of a million," said King. "Invested half in the dojo, the other half in a special fund, which I set up an underground base. Just in case the heat was turned up."

"Wonderful," said Elektra, as she tried to stand but she was shaky on her feet. "This isn't good. I have to find..."

"Telepaths, yes," said King. "Logan has explained what has gone on, about the Shadow King, about his mind being in your body and about you being partly cybernetic."

"Which is way cool, because you seem as light as ever," Konnie said and Elektra smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "I see you've adjusted..."

"Oh yes," Konnie said. "King explained how good it felt to have a man inside you, but I never considered it when I was a man. Now I'm a woman, it's the best of both worlds."

"Yes," said Elektra.

"I was sorry to hear about Mac," King said softly. "He was my friend."

"I know," she said. "All I ever seem to do to my friends is bring them pain and death."

"It is the way of things," said King. "It is not the same now though, you have become more settled?"

"Logan would disagree."

"Actually, Logan doesn't blame you for anything. He says without you he'd have been gone a long time ago." Konnie said. "He's got a lot on his mind, and you should have seen how frustrated he was when he realised he had to wait until you recovered before he could go anywhere. He's used to his healing factor."

"I know," said Elektra. "I'm going to need help getting around."

"We know," said King. "I've made a few calls and arranged some things for you, transport and such. I've even got some money for you. But be careful. Your wounds have healed, and you're able to go about, but you're still weak."

"I'll be fine," she said. "And once this is done with Logan and I will sort out your difficulties."

"You don't have to," said King.

"Yes, she does," said Konnie and King raised his hands in defeat.

"I'll leave it up to you," he said. "Let us know when you're ready." He gestured to the door with his head and he and Konnie left the room, leaving Elektra alone. It had been a week since she had fought with Wolverine. So much could have happened in that time; Jessica could now be one of the warriors the Shadow King coveted, this time falling under his power properly.

This was not good, and she knew she needed to rally help properly to sort this one. The Shadow King had gathered his forces and nobody seemed to be doing anything about it. Cyclops had ignored the warnings that he'd been given and if the X-Men couldn't help her, then she needed the next best thing. Finding Cable was not just a matter of survival for Logan, but for everyone, as Elektra couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time and the Shadow King was almost ready to strike.

"Elektra."

She turned in an instant to see someone she hadn't expected.

"Stick?"

"Ain't got long," he said. "Gateway sent me. There's a need for telepaths, someone has to get them ready. Gotta be you."

"It's on my list of things to do," said Elektra. "I'm going to find Rachel Summers, and through her find Cable. Not sure where to start, but there were rumours of a psionic cult on the streets a short while ago."

"I can tell you where she is," Stick said. "A hospital, comatose. Something happened, she's not woken up since."

"How'd you know?"

"Jean Grey left a message at Xavier's telling Scott about their 'daughter'."

"I'll run in to him as well?" Elektra said. The last meetings with Cyclops had not gone well and she was not relishing seeing him again.

"Nope," said Stick. "Somehow the message was erased. Gateway says it isn't time for them. Yet."

"Gateway's..." But Stick was gone, but Elektra knew where she had to go, as if somehow Stick had put the knowledge in her head. It had to be a Chaste thing, she knew it, but it had been a while since she had focused on that. Perhaps this was a reminder of her duty, as well as a way of getting things done. She would visit Rachel, she could sense Logan wanted to and speak with Jean. Jean was the last person to win a fight with the Shadow King, but even that had only been a temporary setback for Farouk.

With luck she would be able to get in touch with Cable and Elektra would be able to tell them where the Shadow King was. Cable had taken down Apocalypse, so surely the Shadow King would be easy enough for him, though in her head she could feel that Logan wasn't as confidant, for if Farouk had taken down X-Man who was supposedly more powerful than Cable, what chance would Cable have? Elektra still hoped, but there was also something else in her head, something that was not quite right and she didn't know what it was.

It would come to her and as she put on some clothes, provided by King and Konnie, she focused herself on the task ahead. No matter what happened she had one goal - getting back the man she loved, and doing whatever was necessary to make it happen.

Joseph Chapman was not happy. He had been finding a replacement for Lady Fugue difficult. He had thought she had escaped the Black Air attack, but they had found her corpse in the lower levels, a hole burned through her, the wound cauterised as it went, but enough to kill her and she was gone.

It was annoying, but it had happened and now he was dealing with it, a job that would have been much easier if Shinobi Shaw hadn't arrived. Shinobi had been reported dead, but Chapman had not believed it and now he had the proof. The man was downstairs now, looking in the old Hellfire Club records, the ones that had could not be transferred to the States because of their age and value and the fact that nobody was prepared to risk them being moved. Shinobi was upstairs in his study, reading the translations of the texts.

Chapman would have read the books himself, but he didn't care what they said. He had work to do and though having Shinobi here was bad enough, but listening to his taunts about how the CSA project had gotten away from him, that Gyrich was now in custody and the people they had captured, taken off the streets were now in the Vault and the base of operations was now being scoured over by hundreds of SHIELD agents? Now that was grating.

However there was one good thing they had gained from that incident and Chapman smiled, thinking how nice it was to have a new person in charge of security. Never again would Wisdom and his cronies compromise the London mansion as they had done so in the past. It was a shame about Romany, Chapman mused. She'd been an incredible lay, but her death was meant to haunt Wisdom. The fact he'd defected to Hydra was something he'd not expected and he knew that without any moral ties, Wisdom would soon be coming fro him. It was just a matter of time.

He turned to the young lady sitting in front of him, hoping she would be the way he solved at least one of his problems.

"Well, Miss Fitzgerald," he said. "Tell me why you want to join the Hellfire Club, and more importantly why I should let you?"

"Well," she said, her Irish brogue coming through as she spoke. "I want to join, because things have been happening in the world. My father was one of the more militant members of the IRA…"

"And you killed him, as I recall," Chapman said.

"Yes, it was an accident, but all the same I killed him. I have never used my powers the way he wanted but all the while I have seen the way things have changed and the peace process is slowing and in danger of collapse every other year and I do not want things as they were. The Hellfire Club has influence and I think I can make use of that to effect real change."

"And why will I accept you?"

"Because I'm lucky that way," she said, with a smile. "You could make your won mind up, or something could change. You never really know…"

"It's a bold young woman who threatens the one of the Lords Cardinal," said Chapman impressed. "However, I like you. Welcome to the Hellfire Club, Miss Fitzgerald."

"Call me Molly," she said and they shook hands.

"You chose a real bad time to join these clowns," said a voice and Chapman looked over to see a figure standing there, claws gleaming in the half-light.

"Wolverine!" he gasped, wondering how the X-Man had breached security, but then again he'd done it time and again in New York. However he had not heard of the X-Man joining either X-Corps or whatever it was that Cyclops was pulling together. "What are you doing here? Are the rest of the X-Men here as well?"

"Nope," said Logan, a cigar in his mouth and he stepped forward. His uniform was not one of the familiar yellow and blue, nor was it the brown one he had worn. It was a black and dark purple design, with no mask. "This is personal."

"You've come for him," Chapman said, almost in a whisper and Logan paused.

"No, I've come for you. We all have!"

"Oh, Wolverine, did you really think I'd let you get in here undetected? You or your new friends?" said a voice Logan knew and he turned around to see an old enemy.

"Payne!" he said, wondering how. Last he'd heard of him, he'd been killed when the Sentinels attacked the Brotherhood and pretty much wiped them out.

"Been a while Logan. Ready for round two?"

Chapman smiled and looked at Molly Fitzgerald. "I knew you'd come in handy…"