Author's Note: This story is continued from Excalibur #22, Captain America #19 and Iron Man #25. If you've not read them, you might want to go and check them out first!

"Iron Man!" Maverick shouted as he saw the armoured Avenger in the grip of a sentinel. This was beginning to become a problem, he thought, as he fired his biokinetic blasts at the robotic hand.

"That didn't quite work..." Stark muttered from inside the armour. "They seem to be shielded against massive attacks." He could hear alarms flaring as systems began to short as the armour began to constrict around him and there was nothing he could do. The unibeam was lessening the grip certainly, but the sentinel still had him.

"Then let's take a clue from an old friend," North said and he rolled out of the way of a sentinel blast, but his hands together and fired a blast of scalpel precision and poured it on, severing the sentinel's hand and Iron Man was finally able to use the unibeam to free himself.

"Nice work," he said, landing next to the X-Force leader.

"We're not done yet," said Maverick. "I hate these things..." There were three wrecked sentinels and nine left, though one was without a hand. Captain America's shield was keeping him safe from the sentinels, as well as being a highly effective weapon, when he had chance to throw it. Lydia and Raven were doing what they could to keep them disorientated, Lydia's super strength allowing her to smash through them and keep one step ahead of their lasers, while Marcus used his psionic powers to do whatever damage he could, but they were well shielded.

"Forge is working on a way of shutting them down. We know they all work off the same frequency to be activated, and Doom has control of them that way," said Iron Man as he fired an energy blast, as Maverick also did so, standing back to back with the Avenger.

"That's it," said Maverick, suddenly. "Onslaught controlled these things with his mind, right?"

"Not sure," said Iron Man. "It could have been magnetics to reprogramme them as well, though his mind is probably the best idea."

"Forge was there when the sentinels were being stolen, and they operate of the same frequency. What if Marcus can duplicate it, his mind against Doom's mechanics?"

"Forge agrees," said Iron Man. The uplink to SHIELD was still in place. "It's a case of getting the frequency blocked."

"We need Siryn," Maverick said, inwardly cursing. "She could do that."

"Where is she?" asked Iron Man, but a blast threw them apart and drowned out North's reply.

"She's on a leave of absence, after her mutilation at the hands of Black Air," Forge said, on the internal link. "I can get her there."

"Okay," said Iron Man. "And hurry, we're running out of time." His armour wasn't responding too well after the crushing and the others were tiring. The sentinels were good and in this cramped environment they were managing to evade things, but it wasn't going to last.

"Here we are again," said Wisdom, as he looked from the roof across the street at the building opposite.

The Hellfire Club.

Last time he'd been here, he'd been taken by Black Air, who'd eventually paid after being hunted down by SHIELD, which was probably the only decent thing the group had ever done. Some of them had probably escaped, but that was natural and he would find them later, however the Hellfire Club had ensured that Romany had died. They had captured her, they had led her to Black Air, and they had ensured he couldn't save her. She was dead, he was alive and now it was payback time.

"Logan's in position," said Nate as he looked at the others. "Followed your scent, and got through the sewers to the upper levels. He's a little disappointed he didn't have to kill anyone though."

"Jessica's on the roof," said Shadowcat, giving Spider-Woman a thumbs up sign, to let her know they'd seen her. "Nate..."

"I know, I'm back up," said X-Man, shaking his head. He knew that he could go in there and take them all down without breaking a sweat, but Logan was the boss - the Shadow King said so, but he had also said he wouldn't be around for long, and then he would be in charge. Wolverine would be around long enough to ensure that Xavier's people were defeated fully, but today was a chance for payback.

"Okay," said Wisdom, "let's go." He fired a hot knife across the street, attaching it to on of the gargoyles on the roof and he kept the line there. The solid nature of the hot knives was something he liked and he looked at Shadowcat. "C'mon, Katie, let's do this." She put her arms around his neck, and he jumped from the roof, swinging down at the wall of the Hellfire Club, as Shadowcat bit his ear. "Mind on the work," he muttered and she phased them just as they were about to hit the wall and they passed through the stone as if it weren't there.

Kate let go and the two of them rolled forward, ending up facing forward, Shadowcat coiled, and ready to strike with her martial arts skills, and Pete's hot knives ready for action, but there wasn't anyone about.

"They're not here, are they?" said Pete, looking annoyed. ~GREY!~ he shouted.

~I don't know~ said Grey. ~I...~

~Nate?~ said Pete, no longer feeling X-Man in his head. "Something's wrong."

"So what do we do?" Kate asked

"Simple," said Wisdom. "Blow things up."

"I don't think so," said a voice and they turned to see Vortigen Walker and Samantha Destine."

"Oh goody," said Pete, cracking his knuckles. "Now things get interesting..."

"Payne!" Logan said, wondering how the man was here. 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?"

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

"Yeah," said Spider-Woman as she came through and fired a venom blast at her. "Excellent target practice." Chapman shook his head. The former heroine known as Shamrock could alter probability fields with ease, but she hadn't counted on Spider-Woman coming in through the window and shooting her.

"You'll need to do better against me," said Chapman, standing up to her and Spider-Woman smiled.

"Time to die, 'Union Jack'."

Meanwhile Payne and Logan were squaring off against each other. The last time they'd fought, Logan had come off worst. This time Wolverine promised it'd be different.

"Remembered me yet?" Payne was saying.

"Oh yeah," said Wolverine. "I know you, now. Rupert."

"So you do remember. Always said I'd make you take responsibility for yer actions."

"That was when we both worked at the L's," Wolverine said, slashing at Payne, who ducked out of the way, while trying to touch Logan and send the pain coursing through him as he had done before. "And I did what was needed."

"You were reckless, I never could get you trained properly," said Payne.

"That's because you saw me as an animal, Rupert," Wolverine said. "An animal you wanted to make in to a man. Thing is, I always was a man."

"You were vermin, Logan. I argued against them letting you loose after the Destroyer affair, but no, you were a hero. You've blazed a trail of pain and suffering wherever you go."

"The hell with this," Wolverine said. "Eat adamantium and die!" and he went for Payne, thinking to end it but then Payne fired a blast of energy, which glanced Logan's arm and it was all he could do not cry out in agony.

"Look's like we've both had an upgrade," Payne said as Logan cradled his arm. "The sentinels thought they'd killed me, but it was more than that. They overloaded my pain and I released it explosively. They thought I was dead, but I just hid under the bodies of my colleagues, but my mutation advanced."

"Yer a coward," Logan said. "And there ain't no pain I can't take. Not now."

"Bring it on, runt," Payne said and Logan went to work, avoiding blasts, his claws lashing out, and Payne realised this wasn't the same man he had faced months ago. This was more like the man he had known at Landau, Luckman, Lake and LeQuare and Payne suddenly realised the man was darker, wilder and Payne wasn't too sure he could win this one, unless he was lucky.

It would all depend on whether Shamrock would wake up in time.

"Darlin'," he said as he approached his daughter. "Sorry I'm late, I had a meeting that over-ran."

"It's okay, Da," said Theresa, as Sean Cassidy came over. "You okay, you look like you've got something on yuir mind." Her accent was stronger when she was talking with her father, because it was more natural. She usually made a more conscious effort when she was with the others who might not get what she was saying with the Irish brogue.

"Been to see Cyclops," he said. "He wants Emma Frost for the new X-Men line up he's puttin' together. We've got her imprisoned at the moment. I ain't sure what t'do."

"She killed people, she killed Paige, right?" said Siryn. "Mebee she should stand trial and then see what happens."

"It was a good job I had people in place if things went bad," Sean said. "Otherwise she might have gotten away. I was in no condition t'stop her."

"I know," Theresa said. "How y'feelin'?"

"I've been shot before," he said. "You kinda get used to it." He looked at his daughter, who'd visited him in the hospital after it'd happened, and he'd not been in any condition to say anything to her, but he knew she wasn't in a good way herself. He could still see her hands shaking. "Ah, luv," he said. "Enough about work. What about you?"

"I can't do it," she said, softly. "I can't go back. I've healed up, but I just can't put the uniform on, and go out there again. I'm scared, an' I can't stop my hands shakin'."

"Terry," he said, putting his hands on to hers. "What happened t'you was evil, an evil beyond anything I've ever heard of. Black Air an' I have crossed paths before. I've been down, when your mother died, when I lost my powers, I bounced back, because I knew what needed doing."

"I just don't know how to go on," Siryn whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek. "When Feral ripped my throat out I nearly killed myself, and I got over my injuries by going to Sinister."

"I know, céadsearc, but this time there are no quick fixes." Sean looked in to her eyes, and he could see she was afraid. He had failed his students, not done enough to help them, and he had done that as a way to make up for his failings as a father. He had to do something about it, before it was too late. "One step at a time."

"How do you go on?" she said, looking at him. "After everything you've done, everything you've been through, everything that's been lost?"

"Now that's an interestin' question," he said. "I'm almost fifty, an' I look back and see it all, I despair. I just think of those I've lost and I make a promise t'do better. It's all I can do. I can't just stop, because people have lived and died for me, an' I won't give up on them. I can't."

"I understand," Siryn said and then Sean's cell phone rang.

"Damn thing," he cursed as he pulled it from his pocket. "Work," he said, resignation in his voice at the most inopportune moment they'd called him. "Cassidy... yes..." Terry looked as he passed her the phone. "It's for you."

"Hello?" she said, taking it. "Forge?!"

"Sorry to call you," said the SHIELD director. "I know I said I wouldn't but I need you back at work. X-Force needs you."

"I..." Siryn said, a stammer in her voice.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Will you do it?" She looked at her father, who nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I'll do it."

"Could you pass me back to Banshee?" Forge said and she gave the phone to her father.

"Sean," he said.

"Yes," said Sean. "I'll go too."

"How did you know I was going to ask?" Forge asked his old friend.

"A feelin'," he said. "I'm guessin' you've cleared it with the Agency?"

"Something like that," Forge replied. It was hard for any agency to say no when the Director of SHIELD said something. "HERMES transport in two minutes. We'll catch up later."

"Aye, we will," he said and hung up, wondering how much Forge actually knew. "Two minutes," he said to Terry.

"One step at a time," she said, with a determined sigh.

"An' you're not alone," he said. "I'm comin' too. Moral support."

"But you don't do this anymore," Terry said.

"So Forge owes me one," he said, with a grin. "Unless you don't want me there?"

"I'd love it," she said, and smiled at him.

Her hands weren't shaking anymore.

Joseph Chapman smiled. Ever since his fight with Maverick he'd had his hands upgraded, using a design that had been acquired with some degree of trouble. The modifications had been made using robotics designs that had been used in Canda, as part of the so-called Weapon X programme. It had not been as secretive as the original programme and had been funded with Hellfire Club money and he had the enhancements used on a man named Garrison Kane.

His hands flew across the room, chasing Spider-Woman, who was trying to avoid the hands and the electrostatic shock that would come with them. At the same time Payne and Wolverine were fighting. Payne's body was a mass of cuts and wounds and his energy blasts were as strong as ever, but Wolverine had spent too many years with the X-Men and had been trained in avoiding such attacks from people like Cyclops and Havok and if he connected, it was a glancing blow and Wolverine was pushing past the pain.

How Logan was doing that was beyond Payne, but he also knew if he got his hands on the little animal he would not get away that easily. He'd already proven that he could take Logan that way and his touch was more potent than the blasts as it was a more concentrate thing, whereas his energy blasts were not. Then one of the robotic hands grabbed Spider-Woman and Jessica cried out in pain, as did Logan who was managed to be grabbed by Payne and both of them were down.

"Sorry it took so long, gentlemen," said Fitzgerald. She had stood up, knocking in to Drew, allowing her to be tagged by Chapman, which distracted Wolverine, allowing Payne to get in there. It was all down to luck, which Shamrock seemed to have in spades.

"When will the X-Men ever learn?" said Chapman. "What about the others?"

"I took out the telepath with a pain burst," said Payne. "He dropped easily enough, and that just leaves Wisdom and Pryde."

"You really need to get better members though," said Wisdom, standing there. His clothes were torn and he was bruised and beaten. "They were good for a fight, but not much more."

"Are they dead?" asked Chapman, holding his people back. Pryde and Wisdom would not be much of a fight.

"Not really," said Pete. "But they won't be of any use anytime soon." He smiled as eh though to the enhancements that had been made to Shadowcat. All of them had been given a bit more power. Grey was more stable than he'd ever been in his life, Drew had her venom blasts again, he had solid hot knives, Logan had his adamantium and Shadowcat had more control of her phasing, a more lasting effect than a local one.

She'd phased the King and Queen in to each other, causing intense amounts of pain and while it would normally destroy two objects, she'd left them in a state that was partially phased. They were trapped together until someone unphased them.

"And how do you propose to stop us?" said Payne. "Wolverine's down, Spider-Woman's down, the telepath's down. Where does that leave you and... where is she?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Pete. "Maybe doing something very bad with the gas mains. She can hold her breath a very long time. Kiss this place goodbye, pillocks."

SNICKT!

Payne fell to the floor, his eyes open.

"Guess you didn't feel that either, did ya Rupert?" Logan said, his claws tainted with blood and hovering over the severed ankles of Payne.

"Molly!" said Chapman, wondering what was going on.

"Molly can't come to the phone right now," she said, "but I'll pass a message on when I get around to it."

"Nate's feeling better," said Wisdom. "He's got her working for us, for now."

"Damn you," said Chapman, knowing he was in trouble.

"You already did that when you killed Romany," then he smiled. "Now it's my turn to damn you." Chapman stepped back but tripped over Spider-Woman who was on the floor. "What were the odds of that?" Chapman tried to get to his feet, but Jessica held him in her grip, and he was trapped like a fly in a web and Pete placed his hand on Chapman's chest.

"This is gonna hurt," he said and his hot knives flared to life from his finger tips.

Lydia caught the brunt of one of the blasts from the sentinels. She was tiring, and there wasn't a great deal she could do against these metallic monstrosities. X-Force was a great team at full strength, but with half of them out of action, they no longer had the strength in depth that she was used to working with.

Iron Man, Captain America and Agent 13 were excellent, but they weren't people she was used to working with.

"How are we doing?" Maverick asked as he rolled out of the way of a giant fist.

"We're not winning," she replied. "What's Cap got?"

"He's thinking of a strategy, but he's not worked with us before so it's taking him some time," he said. The Star Spangled Avenger was their best hope against them as Captain America always seemed to find a way to win. "With luck he'll think of something..." He paused. "You hear that?"

"Yeah," said Lydia. "It sounds like Siryn, but stronger..."

"Hey!" said Marcus. "We've got reinforcements. Siryn and Banshee!"

"Not Banshee, not any more," said Sean as he and Terry flew inside. "We heard you needed a hand."

"Oh yeah," said Maverick. "Good to see you, Sean."

"Just doin' my bit," he said, and turned to the sentinels. It was almost like being back in the X-Men and he couldn't help but smile. "Now let's finish this..."