"So, like...what happened?" Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, asked as the Fantastic Four's hovercraft jetted through the air westward. It was currently over the Pacific.

"From what we've seen on dozens of channels, X-Corp was shot up and then they were led into that building," Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman, explained from the copilot seat.

"Probably some kind of military installation underneath. What did they say it was? Feng Tu?" Ben Grimm, the Thing, asked as he sat in a seat next to Johnny and behind Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic.

Reed nodded as he manned the controls, "It's probably where they took Xorn, as well."

"Xorn's a healer, though," Johnny said. He appeared to retreat into deep thought, only to reemerge a moment later, "Er...isn't he?"

"I've done an analysis of his x-gene," Reed said. "And he really doesn't heal others, his own energies from his star cluster revitalize and speed up healthy cells to start replicating. The catch is that he can't replenish those energies once he expels them...just like real stars in the cosmos or the sun."

"So...it could kill him?" Thing asked as he held a toothpick in-between his massive, orange rocky fingers.

"Not in an instant, but...eventually," Reed explained. "Stars live for billions of years. Xorn's are microscopic, so obviously, they'll burn out faster. He's still mortal."

"Reed, are you sure about this?" Sue asked. "I mean, they had the technology to zap the kids and I into the Negative Zone."

"And to manipulate time," Ben said as he chewed on his toothpick. "Crazy chutzpah."

"We're the only ones who can help based on our situation. Both Avengers teams seem a little...sick of X-Corp's media overexposure, while the other X-Men team is caught up in themselves and...whatever they're doing."

"What about SHIELD?" Johnny asked. "Aren't they the masters of international affairs?"

"I think it's best for everyone's sake they don't get involved," Reed said. "Ever since Fury turned heel, I'm not sure if any of us can trust the government."

"There's the coastline," Sue said as she peered out the window. "We'll be over the Feng Tu installation in five minutes."

"They better pray we don't find them experimenting on X-Corp," Thing said as he bashed his fists together.

Reed sighed, "As a scientist, I know that's what I would do if they attacked my building."

The ride became eerily silent after that...

"Again," Feng Tu said over the loudspeaker. "This time, four of you attack at once."

Below in a training pit was Psylocke, now with purple hair and dressed in a black leather uniform with the Chinese symbol for six on her chest. Four men dressed in ninja garb ran in for the attack.

Psylocke smiled as she gracefully spun around one punch and kicked another target in the face. The one she avoided the fist from, she threw to the ground and elbowed the top of his skull. The last two fell victim to a psychic blast, which knocked them out cold.

"Can I please get an opponent who won't hold back because I'm a girl?" Psylocke asked.

Feng Tu cleared his throat from the observation booth. He straightened his white collar on his all-white military fatigues, "They...aren't holding back, Psylocke."

Betsy Braddock smirked and laughed to herself, "I know. Just wanted to hear you say it, luv."

Feng rolled his eyes as the monitor fixated on another closed off portion of the pit. Gas was leaked into the confined area and was set ablaze. Feng pressed a button and the gas was turned off. The flames remained until the amorphic dance of heat and oxygen instantly vanished.

Pyro stood in the middle of the room in a similar leather outfit. He appeared to be unharmed. He cleared his throat as be began a coughing attack.

Feng Tu smiled, "And Pyro? I see you've demonstrated a significant control over your powers. Of course, we had to force you to realize it's not the fire you control, but the air molecules."

Pyro snorted through his nose and spit a wad of phlegm, mucus, and saliva on the floor, "Well, the only thing air really affects is fire, so what the hell do you want me to do? Fly?"

Feng Tu smiled, "You probably could. Who says you couldn't? Oxygen is a powerful weapon. It's the same element that causes organic material to decay and metal to rust. You don't realize how powerful you are, Mr. Allerdyce."

Pyro sighed, "Fire's quicker. Gets the job done. If I wanted to use oxygen...well...seems kinda pointless when the atmosphere is full of it, right?"

Tu shook his head and tisked, "Your potential was wasted under Mystique's guidance. All the Brotherhood wanted you for was to be the flame-thrower guy. You were older than most of the others, John...you let them push you around."

"How the hell'd you know about that?" Pyro asked.

"What doesn't the world know about you and your colleagues, Pyro?" Tu asked. "And in case you were wondering, I read about you and Mystique in Time."

"I don't let people push me around," Pyro responded.

"Either way, you're being forced to work for me, for China, now," Tu smiled. "No more living in the limelight of a fat country's spectacle."

Pyro rolled his eyes as he reached for his pack of cigarettes. He was discouraged to find it was empty. He looked up at Tu in the observation booth and flipped him the bird, "Well, check this lime out, eh? Pillock."

Tu regretfully sighed as the monitor switched again as he came upon Archangel as he flew throughout his confined training area at top speeds, shooting off handheld guns at various targets. Each bullet hit the bullseye everytime.

Archangel's ears perked up as he sighed and returned his guns to their holsters. His face clenched up when Tu expressed his pleasure in Archangel's progress, "I see you've become quite the marksman, Mr. Worthington. It's a wonder you haven't thought of it before. Why, in your hands, a gun is the perfect weapon. The flaming sword of the angel."

"I shoot skeet once in awhile," Archangel said as he flew to the ground. "It's a given for rich people."

"Or insecure Americans trying to compensate for...inadequacies," Tu replied. He folded his hands and shrugged, "So?"

Warren Worthington's eyes closed part way as he peered into Feng Tu's eyes from monitor. His sight was considerably more advanced than normal, possessing millions of cones and rods in his eyeballs just like the avian family.

"So...what?" Archangel replied.

"Are you...happy?" Tu asked. "I've found a talent for you, even in your natural state? An airborne sniper with incredible sight and accuracy? That's gold. You no longer have to be a close-proximity combatant."

"I wasn't under the impression that being a close-proximity combatant was bad," Archangel said as he crossed his arms.

"Funny thing is," Tu said as a compartment opened up in the training area. Warren walked up to it as two large plastic airtight bags fell onto the floor. Archangel's eyes widened as he vomited at the sight of what appeared to be rotting limbs. "Your old wings got in those bags because you were a close-proximity fighter. Any other dumb questions?"

Archangel wiped his mouth and tried to avoid gazing upon his amputated wings as a result of the Morlock Massacre, "You sick bastard! When I get out of here--"

Tu's laughter drowned out Warren's response, "No, my friend. You work for China now. If you call it work. You're just being put into slavery to defend a foreign nation. Damn cappies, think they're so high and mighty."

"Did you just call me a cappie?" Archangel inquired.

"A capitalist? Yes, how observant of you. I say, is there an echo?" Tu joked. Xorn suddenly walked up behind Tu.

Warren grit his teeth, "XORN! Put a stop to this, NOW! Don't make me sue and fire you! You're in breach of your contract with X-Corp!"

Xorn's head lowered, "I'm sorry, Warren. I cannot. I was contracted to be the defender of China before I signed up with X-Corp."

"You're being forced!" Archangel shouted. "You can walk away!"

"It is my patriotic duty, Warren, don't you see? Collective Man was killed and I was to be called up before the Church of Humanity captured me," Xorn explained. "The X-Men took me in, and for that, I'm grateful, but what you did was illegal. I belong to China...unfortunately."

Archangel sighed, "That doesn't mean the others do! China is a country with approval of mutant abortion clinics! Mutants are used in this country!"

"I'm a mutant, Worthington, cut the crap!" Feng Tu shouted. "I'm not being used. In fact, I'm not all that different from your Xavier."

"So you shaved your head, no big whoop," Archangel muttered. "Doesn't make you a mutant civil rights activist. You're a thin, transparent sliver of what Xavier was...if that!"

"I want the abortion clinics to go, you idiot. Why can't you see it my way?" Tu asked.

"Your way is corrupt and manipulative like a certain helmet-wearing tyrant," Archangel spat. "You're not Xavier!"

Suddenly, a large strobe light blared and caused Archangel's advanced eyes to sting horrifically. He fell to his knees at the strobe light stopped.

Archangel shouted as he swung at the air, "Tu! TU!!"

But the monitor had already shifted again to the next compartmental training pit. This time, Feng Tu and Xorn gazed upon Maggott.

Inside, Maggott laid on a bench as he pressed 1,600 pounds, exactly one ton. He was on his thirteenth rep. Elsewhere in the pit, Eany and Meany have managed to chomp through pure vibranium. Sweat beaded off of Maggott's forehead.

"It appears your strength increases depending on how many dense molecules your pets ingest," Tu observed. "Interesting."

"I coulda told ya that!" Maggott said as he raised and lowered the bar against his chest before exhaling in a huff as he immediately raised the weight.

"Keep it up," Tu said as the monitor opened up to another training area once more. Maggott held the weight above his chest as he glanced out the corner of his eye as Xorn stood docile behind Feng.

Tu smiled as he saw the final training room, designed for Diode. The strange this was, Diode hovered directly in front of the window as it clicked into place.

"I can fly," Diode responded, somewhat in shock (pun intended), as electricity crackled around her ankles and feet of her leather uniform.

"Nothing you couldn't do already," Feng Tu said. "Electricity and magnetism are related. Gravity isn't that much of an issue for someone like you."

"So what, are you going to reveal to me that I'm much more powerful than I think I am like that schpeel you gave Pyro?" Diode asked.

"You heard that?" Feng Tu asked with intrigue.

"You're on a loudspeaker. Your voice is being amplified by electricity...and I heard it." Diode suddenly became serious, something she rarely did. "What the hell did you do to me?" she asked.

"We injected you all with performance enhancers. It's all natural. It activates portions of your brain that controls your mutant powers to a finer degree," Feng Tu said. "All mutants are more powerful than they think they are. The problem is that they're too caught up in the notion that they're still basically human. They don't always accept they can go beyond excellence."

"My brother thought like that...," Diode said.

"And he turned out to be quite a powerful adversary, didn't he?" Tu asked.

Xorn placed his hand on Tu's shoulder, "Stop this. We're done with the test. I'm sorry, Veronica."

Diode looked up into the glowing orbs that are supposed to be Xorn's eyes, "I'm sorry, too, Shorn."

And the window shut as the monitor shut itself off.

"Betsy? Can you hear me? Psylocke?!" Diode shouted in her mind.

"This conversation is monitored," Psylocke responded.

"Yeah, I know," Diode said. "Can you set up a chat?"

"Hold on...okay," Psylocke said as the area suddenly melted away and resembled a blue tint of the board office. Everyone's astral form sat in their respective chairs. "Welcome, everyone."

"Okay," Diode began, "we've all be injected with performance enhancers. We're more powerful than ever...but why can't we break out?"

"We can't," Pyro grumbled. "Along with the performance chemicals, Feng Tu's reanimation of our dead bodies has us under his hypnotic spell. Everytime we get the urge to leave, our body freezes up and we think of something else."

"And whatever Feng commands, we obey like a bunch of zombies," Maggott observed. "I didn't think he was serious when he said bench a ton...but I ended up doing it."

"I hate this," Archangel said. "I've been under someone else's control before. But, for some reason...I can't help but enjoy this at the same time."

"I finally have my skills back," Psylocke said. "Er...and the purple hair."

"Does it bother any of you that we were all dead on arrival for a split second?" Diode asked. No one responded. Diode sighed, "I guess me neither. ERG! I'm turning into one of you mentally disturbed heroes; who art thou desensitized to everything! Damn it!"

Suddenly, the psi-web was dispersed as an alarm blared. The walls separating the five X-Corp members slid open and retracted into the floor. Xorn descended on a hovering disk to the floor. Feng Tu remained in his booth.

"The Fantastic Four are en route here," Feng Tu said. "The six of you must stop them. I am relaying relevant battle information into Psylocke's mind, who will distribute it mentally. Xorn already knows the plan. Take no prisoners. Dismissed."

"We're gonna fight the Fantastic Four, aren't we?" Diode asked.

Archangel nodded, "Yep."

"This is kinda like Monopoly and Risk had a love child raised by Marilyn Manson," Diode muttered in frustration. She cleared her throat, "Sorry. My jokes start to suck when I'm totally not into something...like fight the Fantastic Four. You know, those prototypes for modern superheroes? Yeah, them."

"We don't need to hurt them," Xorn said, "just subdue them."

"Cuz, y'know...Monopoly and Risk are games? And this game sucks?" No response is offered. "Aw, screw you guys!" Diode shouted.

A large noise coming from the far wall stopped any remaining chatter as cracks appeared. Another loud noise and a bright light were followed by loud, rocky footsteps belonging to the Thing. As he noticed Xorn alive and well, his eyes widened, "Hey, what the--?"

Maggott was the first to run up and deliver a punch to the gut of the Thing.

Ben Grimm smiled, "Nice to see you, too." The rest of the Four rushed in and experienced the same initial shock of Thing.

"Xorn...?" Reed wondered.

"What's...?" Torch mumbled.

"Oh God!" Sue shouted.

Thing looked down at his feet and saw two snarling, monstrous slugs. He looked back into Maggott's eyes as they glowed bright red. Maggott smiled.

"It's clobberin' time!" Diode shouted.

"That's my line--whump!" Thing huffed as he was tackled to the ground by Maggott.

"We should have seen this coming!" Torch shouted as he flamed on and flew into the air, only to revert to human form and crash on the floor a moment later. He looked up and saw Pyro standing in front of him.

"Yeah, you shoulda," Pyro sneered as he kicked Johnny in the mouth, spraying blood everywhere.

"Johnny!" Sue shouted as she threw her shield up, knocking Pyro against the wall.

Diode took a running start and flew through the air, generating a massive pulse of electricity as she fired it at Invisible Woman. Reed jumped in the way and using his elastic body, deflected the jolt.

Diode was shocked that her blast had no effect, but also the fact she didn't look where she was flying as she dove right into the stretched out body of Mr. Fantastic, only to be slingshotted directly into the body of Archangel.

Psylocke came in from behind and drove her psychic blade into Reed's head. He shouted in agony as his very soul was penetrated by a powerful telepathic pulse. Reed slipped onto the floor, unconscious. Sue retaliated by grabbing Psylocke with her invisible shield and pinning her to the ceiling.

"Sorry, Psylocke...but...hey, why's your hair purple?" Sue asked.

Psylocke found it hard to breathe, "Something to do with the performance enhancers...we're being...controlled..."

Sue Richards looked at the unconscious bodies. And then, she saw Xorn stand in the middle of the room, hovering in the lotus position.

Thing punched Maggott in the jaw with all of his might and sent him crashing into the opposite wall. Eany and Meany growled at Thing, chomping their jaws.

"Bah...little twerps," Thing muttered as he backhanded the two slugs, who let out high pitched yelps as they hit the wall and fell, curled up in little balls next to their master.

Sue shouted as she was subjected to a psi-blast. She let up her shield as Psylocke dropped to the ground, gasping for air. She regained her composure and prepared to kick Sue in the stomach, but was stopped by another invisible shield. Psylocke raised her eyebrow as she was suddenly on her back, pressure increasing on top of her body.

"Sorry," Sue said as she caused Psylocke to pass out.

Sue heard a pop as a bullet came for her temple, but it was stopped just short of her head. Thing ran over and drove his shoulder into Archangel, knocking the gun out of his hand and knocking him out.

Johnny awoke and held his mouth as blood gushed from his lip, "Ah, mah lihp!"

Pyro also recovered and saw what was happening. He looked at Xorn as he meditated in midair.

"Stop them!" Feng Tu shouted.

"Xorn...?" Pyro muttered.

"I will not fight..." Xorn said as he panted. He suddenly grabbed Pyro's forearm as a blue glow surrounded him.

"AH! What're you doing?!" Pyro shouted.

"I'm finishing the healing of your body...you are kept in a stasis between life and death by Feng Tu's will," Xorn explained. "I'm bringing you back...maybe that way...you'll have your control back!" Xorn concentrated further and expanded his healing field to the other X-Corp members, as well as the FF.

An exotic, beautiful cosmic blue filled the room as Xorn's own life-force drained so that he could save his friends.

Reed recovered and saw what was going on, "No! Xorn! Your energy is finite!"

"I...know, Dr. Richards...," Xorn said as his voice faltered.

As the five X-Men's bodies fully healed, as they were 'resurrected,' Feng Tu shouted as the backlash of his control being stripped away from them manifested itself with sheering pain.

"Xorn! XORN!!" Tu shouted.

Psylocke's eyes widened as a glimpse into the future flashed before her eyes, "Oh no...Sue! Get your shield around everyone but Pyro and the Human Torch!"

"Why?" Pyro and Johnny asked at the same time.

"It's the only way...," Psylocke said as the shield formed around her and her teammates.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Johnny shouted.

"I think I have an idea!" Pyro responded. "You have to flame up...or whatever the feck you do!"

"Huh?"

"Turn into the Flamer, Junior!" Pyro shouted. Johnny shot Pyro a questionable look as his body exploded into fire. Pyro concentrated as Human Torch's body appeared to grow. Pyro looked back at Psylocke from within the shield along with everyone else. She nodded as Pyro caused the Human Torch's source of fire to grow even hotter and larger.

"This...sorta hurts, man!" Johnny shouted amidst the firestorm.

"Hold out just a little longer, we gotta--oh shit..."

"What?"

"Gas vanes!"

"WHAT!?"

And soon the combustion was too wild for either man to contain...

*BOOM*

"Johnny!" Sue shouted as a mass of fire was all they could see in all directions outside of the invisible shield.

"Pyro!" Psylocke screamed.

"Sue, keep your shield up!" Reed yelled.

"I...can't...! Hold it!" Sue said as she began to strain under the extreme heat and pressure. The sound of fire crackling and the whoosh of air.

Suddenly, the fire died down and standing there outside the shield was a man, charred to the bone, holding up two unconscious blonde men. He let go as they fell to the ground with a thud. Feng Tu's eyes glowed brightly.

"Disappointed...VERY DISAPPOINTED!" Feng Tu shouted as literally thousands of corpses burst from the ground, clawing their way out of their earthly resting place. The corpses of Chinese soldiers, from the ancient times, up to contemporary times, began to converge around the small selection of heroes.

"Actually, this is more like chess and Super Mario Brothers had a love child raised by Martha Stewart...know what I mean?" Diode asked meekly.

To be continued...