Elektra watched the Xavier Institute from the same vantage point the Hydra goons had used. The technology they had used she wasn't sure she fully understood, but she did know that this place was a blind spot in the defences of the mansion's security; a dead area that she was not sure that they knew existed. They would need to be told in the future, but for now she was able to sit here undetected and watch what was going on.

She had seen things happening, one of the team leave and she had not liked the look of him, but that was not her concern. Her concern was the Shadow King. His people were looking at the mansion, checking them out and she knew that it was not good. If Hydra had taken an interest in the X-Men, then he was about to make his move and she wondered if Cable had any chance of weakening Farouk, or was the Shadow King ready for him as well? Farouk had been planning things for a very long time and now he was ready to strike.

With any luck Jean was rallying the people around her, ensuring that the X-Men were ready for whatever was going to happen and be prepared to make one final stand against the Shadow King. It needed to happen, and maybe if she could get enough X-Men together they would be able to confront Cyclops and get him to relent his current isolationist policies.

She looked on as the dusk became night and she kept her vigil of the mansion. She did not need sleep just yet nor did she feel the cold, and she wondered how much of Pierce's alterations had ensured that. She had watched people and places before, because it was not that long ago since she had been an assassin and she knew the benefits of a reconnaissance before making a move. She watched the next day as things started to happen but as she watched she could feel a strangeness in the air, as if the world were waiting for something to happen.

It was something mystical in nature she could tell, and whatever it was it reverberated across the Path and from here she could see that Gateway was still sitting on the roof of the mansion, and if he was disturbed by what was going on she couldn't tell. Of Stick there was no sign and that puzzled her. Who or what could be more important than what was going on? Then suddenly a jet flew from the mansion heading out and she knew whatever was going on was happening now and she had the need to find out, but this was the perfect time for the Institute to be attacked by Hydra, when there was nobody about.

She was not about to let that happen and she readied herself.

The battle between them had been long and hard and Wolverine had given him a harder fight than he had anticipated but now the Askani'Son was tired of this and Cable held out his arm and telekinetically flung Wolverine against the wall. Then he lifted up the throne of the Shadow King and the sharp, jagged top of the chair was thrust through Wolverine's abdomen, pinning him there. "I was hoping you were better than that," Cable said, before a shout alerted him to the fact that his 'twin' was about to attack.

Logan tried to get the throne free but Cable had pushed it in tight and he started to hack at it with his claws, trying to thin down the wood so he could get himself lose. He was bleeding from the wound and his healing factor was trying to close the wounds around it, as it did when unsheathed his claws, but this wasn't a thin piece of metal or bone - it was a chair run through his gut.

He closed his eyes, trying to determine what had happened. Inside his head he could feel that the fight should have been won easily, but there was something holding him back and he tried to figure what that was. He had fought Cable many times in the past. Some battles he'd won, some he'd lost, but they'd always gone better. There was a part of him holding back and he wasn't sure why. He let his mind clear and he listened to the world, blocking out the normal voices, selecting what to focus on and he could hear a voice, a familiar one calling to him, but he didn't know who it had belonged to. He couldn't quite place it and it annoyed him.

It was a male voice for certain, but who was there here who could speak to him? It seemed to be telepathic in nature and only because he had heightened sense could he realise that there was something out there trying to influence him. He had felt it at it's strongest when Cable had stuck him with the knife and he had known the Shadow King had felt it too. It didn't make sense, none of this did and Logan opened his eyes in time to see Cable look paniced for a moment. He had been in confrontation with Farouk, Logan could tell that, and it had not gone the way Cable had hoped and Wolverine smiled. That would wipe the stupid grin of his face.

"My...powers!" Cable shouted and Logan knew the fight with the Shadow King had taken everything he'd had and he'd burnt himself out. It happened, and it couldn't have happened to anyone better. "Bodyslide us to Irene's apartment...now!" and then Prosh and Cable were gone in a burst of light.

Nate stood and he used his powers to remove the throne from Logan's gut and Wolverine dropped to the floor, his healing factor kicking in. He shook his head, wondering what had happened, where the voice had gone as Nate and the Shadow King spoke with each other.

"There now," Shadow King said as he erased all doubt from Grey's mind, "no worries, my son. Gather your fellow X-Men. We've five targets to exterminate."

"Farouk," said Logan. "What the hell happened there? A voice in my head?"

"I sensed it as well," Farouk replied. "There is much going on at present, and there was a weakness on the Astral Plane. There is a powerful entity out there that I must deal with before I deal with the voice in your head. How very, clever of you, my old adversary..."

Logan knew he wasn't talking to him anymore and he went to check on Viper.

"You okay?" he asked as he removed the bonds that Cable had secured around her and she nodded. "We're getting ready. I'm guessing that we're about to make our move."

"Yes," said Farouk's voice as the Shadow King coalesced above them. "Viper, get Fury and then we will meet and discuss things. It appears that our timing is fortuitous."

"I'm gonna go have a chat with our other X-Men," said Logan. "Nate's gathering them..."

"I've instructed him to wait," said Farouk. "There are things happening and I believe we can wait a little while longer before we strike."

They nodded and went to work, as Farouk watched the mental presence of the creature called Talyn. This was what the being that possessed the Secretary General of the United Nations had been waiting for, or one of them. It was time to ensure that effrontery was also met with and if he could ensure that... Kulan Gath, he felt the name echo in to his mind, was humbled, then today would be an even greater day.

"Wisdom!" Wolverine shouted as the Brit wandered down the corridor. "Where the hell were you?"

"I was doing other things. Farouk dismissed us, so we took him at his word. Loyal soliders an' all that crap. Though that's a nice stain on your clothes. Guess Cable was in a bad mood."

"Somethin' like that, bub," Logan said. "Shoulda stuck around, all o' you. Summers brought his pet robot with him and it made a mess of Grey's head for a bit. How the hell are we supposed to take down the X-Men if you ain't gonna be a team player?"

"This from you? The original loner? Just because Cable gave you a kicking doesn't mean you can be pissed off with me. Go find him, get a rematch or whatever. Assuming Farouk let him live."

"Cable could have done some serious damage to our plans..."

"Like hell he could," Pete said. "Farouk was always going to be able to take him because if he couldn't then there was no way in hell he was getting a shot at the world? Cable was anticipated, and you probably got in the way. Besides I was too busy shagging your daughter to care what was going on. I've said it before and I'll say it again - X-Women are the bikes of the superhero world because you can ride 'em again and again..."

Logan had heard enough and he shoved Wisdom against the wall, his claws extending around the man's throat and his middle claw just touching his Adam's apple, causing a little scratch to from as it moved.

"I'd kill you in a heartbeat if Farouk didn't need you and it upset Kate quite a bit. But keep pushing me, boy..."

"Whatever you say, boss," said Wisdom, staring him down and Logan retracted the claws and threw Wisdom to the floor before walking away.

The Shadow King closed his eyes as he watched the astral plane and he saw the three X-Men defeat the astral avatar of Talyn by bringing forth the creature's humanity in the guise of it's mother Jean Grey. Farouk was overjoyed to see this, because he knew that it was yet another opportunity to take on a child of the only woman to truly best him, though it had been a bluff on his part to see what the X-Men were like without Xavier.

He could see the goodness of Jean Grey contaminating the creature, weakening it. It developed a conscience about what it was doing, what it had done, when before it had been above those things. Grey was indeed a formidable opponent, and she was unknowingly tapping the same powers that she was destined to wield. The Phoenix force was enabling her to overpower the voice of Set. The X-Men fled and Talyn resorted to using the pain of the X-Man he was digesting and implanting it in their heads, but it was too little too late and the mutants destroyed it's physical body and Farouk knew how vulnerable that now left Talyn.

~NO!~ Talyn screamed realising what had happened

~Overconfidence is a human trait~ Jean said as she started to fade away, and then she was gone.

~I will find a host body!~ Talyn declared, knowing that was what he had to do. ~I will live on~

~Oh, I don't think so~ said Farouk, knowing he had to act now if he was to ensure the creature was stopped. ~There's only room for one of us in this reality, and I can't exactly have you roaming my kingdom...~ Talyn's consciousness was dissipated across the astral plane and that left one more thing to do.

~Charles!~ the Shadow King cried. ~I know you are out here. I command you to show yourself~

~It was only a matter of time~ the spirit of Charles Xavier said. ~I could not let Logan kill Cable, because that is what would have happened.~

~Death did not stop you did it?~ the Shadow King smiled. ~I should have known~

~I was dead~ Xavier replied. ~Gone, but when Lilandra placed my soul in another body, I was returned to the astral plane, a mere shade of what I was~

~And I did not sense you~

~Because my power was always greater than yours, Farouk. You could not detect me unless I wished it, but recent events have weakened my control~

~I bested the Onslaught entity~ Farouk boasted. ~I thought that was enough, but now you shall witness the death of your dream~

~Dreams do not die, as long as there are those who dream on~ Xavier said.

~But I will control the dreams~ the Shadow King answered. ~Logan is lost to you, I have corrupted his soul to a point where not even Jean Grey could restore it, and the rest of your X-Men will fall. You belong to me, now...~

~We shall see~ Xavier said and Farouk smiled. Now that was done, he had a meeting to attend to...

"We've got trouble," Stick said and Elektra turned.

"What's happened?" she asked. "I saw the jet come in..."

"There was a fight between the X-Men and a demi-god," said Stick. "But that's not the point. Logan and the others are on their way. I've got the mansions defences online, and we're waiting for..." Suddenly the mansions defences erupted. "Already?" he said.

"No," said Elektra, "it's her." Jean Grey had arrived and the mansions defences had attacked her and she ripped them apart with her powers. "Was that supposed to happen?"

"No," said Stick. "It wasn't... Look be ready, because something is going to happen and soon, and we need you in the area."

"We?" said Elektra.

"The only way to get Logan back is to get him outta your head and back in to his own. If we can reboot him, then we'll have him back, otherwise we'll never get him back. If the X-Men are forced to kill him, then the Shadow King'll win."

"How do you know this?" asked Elektra.

"Because Gateway told me," said Stick. "He's been in contact with someone who's been pulling strings to make sure the Shadow King goes down. He's been watching over the X-Men, making sure the team's ready."

"Xavier," said Elektra, using the memories Logan had of Xavier's relationship with Gateway. "Gateway means Charles Xavier."

"Yer a good kid, Elektra," Stick said. "It was Xavier that gave Elena the idea of putting a copy of Logan's soul inside you." He looked back at the mansion. "I gotta go back," he said. "Jubilee needs my help."

"Jubilee?" asked Elektra.

"I'll explain everything later," Stick said, and faded away.

"Fer my money, we strike now." Fury looked at the council of Viper, Farouk and Logan. "The world's in chaos, SHIELD's spread out across the board, the heroes have fought hard and are still recovering from what's gone on. If we make out move now, then we'll have little to no resistance."

"He's right," said Wolverine as he lit a cigar of his own. "The Dawn's in place along with enough of our agents to make a consolidated attack. We strike now, we seize control."

"There's the X-Men to consider," said Viper. "They have not been as involved as the other main heroes and they have been a thorn in our side for a long time."

"Yes," said the Shadow King as he looked over his people, seeing himself cradled in the arms of Viper as she nursed baby Jacob. "However the X-Men are fragmented. The new team are children and will pose no threat. X-Corps are powerful but they are not focused enough. They have their squabbles. X-Force is weakened. There are no others, unless you count the so-called Exiles."

"Exodus?" said Logan.

"Nobody take's him seriously. He's only a player at the minute because he's screwin' Crystal of the Avengers."

"Exactly," said Farouk. "However the X-Men themselves... Cable's out of the way, and Jean Grey-Summers or whatever she calls herself these days is formidable. I think that once she learns of what has happened to Nathan she will not confront me directly but gather the others, the original students of Charles Xavier."

"The first X-Men?" said Viper. "Why?"

"Because Jean'll see it as a chance to reunite the X-Men, to bring everyone back to the same page," Logan answered. "The best way to do that, is to get the original five back, and the others will follow their lead, one way or another."

"And I've also been in her mind," said Farouk, thinking back to the conflict they'd had before he had gone after Viper and decided to end the X-Men once and for all. "I know how she thinks, how she sees herself. She will gather the originals, but that is something we are ready for."

"Yup," said Logan as he extended his claws. "The others are ready. Cable got lucky before, but I'll know better next time and none of the original X-Men are in his league."

"Exactly why I gathered my Shadow X-Men," Farouk answered. "You will face the original X-Men and ensure they are defeated. I will also send some of the Dawn and some Hydra agents to the Institute to ensure there is no outside interference from other interested parties."

"Elektra is mine," Viper said.

"Not necessarily," said the Shadow King. "Personal vendettas need to be put aside now."

"Isn't the decision to crush the X-Men a personal decision?" Viper said, momentarily forgetting whom she addressed and the fear at the reaction of the Shadow King was more than enough to sate him. He knew she knew who was in charge.

"Once it was," he answered her. "Now it is business. I cannot rule a world where there is dissent from the house of Xavier. Xavier is gone, and once the original X-Men are defeated, the house of Xavier will collapse and we will bring the children of the atom under Hydra."

"I'll send word," said Fury. "The time to strike is now." He left the room

"The Institute's defences are down," said the Shadow King, his eyes opening.

"We're on our way," Wolverine replied, and he went to gather the other X-Men.

"That leaves just one thing," said Viper. "You know I'm right."

"When I give you leave..." the Shadow King said. "Not before."

"Come on Logan..." Elektra said. She had seen X-Force leave very quickly, and watched as Hank McCoy and Warren Worthington had arrived. Iceman was also about, arriving around the same time as Stick had disappeared. "Where are you?"

"He's already in place," replied a voice and Elektra turned to see Viper standing there and she heard the closing of a teleportation device. "We knew Jean would go back to Xavier's and she would ensure their defences were disabled."

"They teleported right inside..." muttered Elektra.

"And now they're waiting for the right moment," said Viper and then the mansion went dark. "Which has arrived, but we can't have you spoiling the fun..."