Chapter Sixteen

Sinister stepped out into the hot desert air, with his latest protégé behind him. He regretted having to destroy the entire facility, as there was much to be learned from the humans that worked here, but he wanted to cover his tracks completely. He turned to the West, stepping around all the debris that now littered the ground. Small fires burnt lazily all around him, and smoke billowed out of cracks that appeared everywhere on the ground.

Weapon X sniffed the air. "We have company. Six or seven of them, over that ridge." He pointed to where the scents came from.

Sinister nodded. "Shall we welcome our guests?"

Weapon X grinned. "After you."

The two walked in the direction that Jason had indicated. The smoke from the explosion billowed around them, giving the scene a ghastly look.

On the other side of the ridge, the X-Men were snapping into action.

"Is everyone OK?" Scott shouted amidst the confusion. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "We are sitting ducks here for whatever caused that explosion. My guess is that it was not accidental. We need to regroup and flank whatever it is that we are facing."

<SCHLUT>

Wolverine's bone claws ripped through the skin between his knuckles, extending fully. The small rivulets of blood were quickly quelled by his formidable healing factor.

"Not gonna skulk around, bub'. I'm going to introduce myself proper."

"Wolverine! Don't!" Scott's dire warning was to late as he watched the diminutive warrior sprint off in the direction of the ever-increasing cloud of smoke.

Storm turned to Cyclops. "Don't let him go alone. I will take to the air and see what happened. I will be in contact shortly."

Scott shrugged, and even though he was wearing his visor, Storm could see the anger boiling inside.

John tapped Cyclops on the shoulder. "We won't be much good in battle. I will be here ready to remove the wounded."

"Hopefully we ain't going to have too many of those..."

Wraith did not look as convinced.

Storm took to the air and watched as Jubilee, Cyclops, and Fury ran after the sprinting figure of Wolverine. Looking further ahead, she could see what was left of the military base. What few buildings were above ground here were completely leveled. And from the damage done to the concrete below, it was apparent that the destruction extended far underground. Storm tapped her comm badge once.

"Cyclops, it appears that the entire base has been destroyed. Since most of the structures are housed underground, I cannot confirm the total damage."

"Understood." Cyclops replied. "Storm?"

"Yes Scott?"

"Jean just informed me that there are no longer any life readings coming from the base."

Storm gasped. Who would wreak such destruction? Just then, her attention was diverted from her sadness of the loss, as two figures emerged from the smoky haze.

"Scott. I see them. It definitely is Sinister, and he has someone with him." She replied into her communicator.

Back on the ground, Scott turned to Jean. "There is two of them. See what you pick up."

Jean glanced at Scott, and then at the still running Wolverine and Jubilee. "I will, just don't let them get too far ahead."

Jean stopped running, as Scott forged on ahead. She closed her eyes and searched mentally for the mutant signature she felt before. Her outstretched mind felt his presence, and suddenly she felt her mental shields under attack.

She quickly slapped at the comm badge on her chest. Wincing under the pressure, she croaked into the communicator, "Scott, I am under psychic attack!"

Scott paused in his tracks, and spun around in time to watch the love of his life fall to the ground holding her head and shrieking. Behind her, the figure of Nick Fury also fell to the ground.

"JEAN!" Scott bellowed. He watched in amazement as the gaunt figure of John Wraith materialized beside his wife, and both figures vanish into thin air.

Quickly Scott jabbed his comm badge. "Jean?!? Jean?!?"

Only static returned his queries.

Scott turned back toward the ridge, determined to have revenge on whatever was up there. Whoever that had hurt his wife.

Wraith reappeared beside the crumpled form of Nick Fury. "Didn't think you knew what you were getting yourself into, old friend." he muttered over the body before teleporting once again.

Up ahead, Wolverine was cresting the ridge, and spotted the two towering figures emerging from the rubble. Jubilee was right behind him, trying to keep up with the sprinting man.

Sinister spotted the duo on top of the ridge. He smiled as he recognized one of the figures as Wolverine. Many a time, the pesky mutant had destroyed what he sought to create. This time, Sinister was ready. He would fight fire with fire.

"Sic him, my boy."

Weapon X smiled, and fixed his blue eyes on the man on top of the ridge. With a great leap, the mutant of mass destruction took to the air.

Storm saw the second figure, as he became airborne. She shouted into her communicator, "Logan, look out, he is a flyer!"

Logan eyed his prey coldly. They ran down the embankment towards what once was a landing strip for aircraft. He watched, as the dark figure loomed closer, approaching with great speed. He raised his clawed hands over his head and roared into the sky, a deafening primal scream that to the startled Jubilee sounded more animal than human.

Weapon X dropped to the ground in front of the two. His razor sharp claws emerged from his hands as he settled into a fighting stance.

"So yer the new Weapon X creation. Guess what, bub. I am still the best at what I do." Logan snarled at the approaching figure.

"I don't know who you are little man, but I assure you that this will not be a pleasant introduction."

Before Jubilee could even react, Weapon X lunged at Wolverine. Years of training allowed Logan to see the attack coming. He sidestepped just as the dark figure made his lunge.

But Weapon X was quick, very quick. As Logan stepped aside, his admantium claws grazed his forearm.

"First blood to you. Now my turn." Wolverine snarled.

Logan swirled around, delivering a powerful roundhouse to Jason's midsection. The mutant hardly seemed fazed.

"You will have to do better than that, little man."

"I will." Logan snarled, and jammed his left fist into Weapon X's chest. Jubilee screamed as she watched Logan's claws snap off like matchsticks.

Logan looked down in surprise at the bloody stumps that once were his claws. Recovering his momentum, he swiped his remaining claws across Jason's face.

Weapon X stumbled back as Wolverine's good set of claws slashed open his face. Jubilee saw the opening that she was waiting for and fired twin jets of plasma from her outstretched fingers. The sheer force of the blast threw Weapon X back.

Jason stood once again to face his attackers. Wolverine and Jubilee watched as the tall man struggled to his feet. They noticed that although most of the clothing covering Weapon X's upper section was burned away from Jubilee's attack, he only now suffered minor blistering on his chest. The gashes that Wolverine inflicted were nothing but angry red scratches on his face.

Jubilee sucked in her breath. "Jeez Wolvie, this guy heals faster than you!"

As Weapon X stood, Jubilee fired off another attack. Searing plasma bolted towards Jason's face. This time, Weapon X was prepared. He dodged the plasma attack and darted in Jubilee's direction. Wolverine caught his intention, and moved to intercept the attack. Jubilee raised her hands to attack again at the rushing figure, but her counterattack was too late. Weapon X slammed into her small frame, driving his claws into her chest. Wolverine caught Weapon X by the throat as he made contact with Jubilee, but was unable to stop his momentum. He watched in horror as Weapon X impaled Jubilee, heard her scream as his metal claws pierced her chest, and struggled fiercely to get the beast away from her. With a roar, he threw Jason by the neck away from his victim.

Logan turned to see Jubilee slump to her knees. Fireworks danced around her hands, now hanging limply by her sides. The form of John Wraith appeared by her side.

"John, get her to safety. Get her back to Hank. She lives, and all is forgotten between you and me."

Wraith nodded grimily, and the two figures disappeared in a flash.

Cyclops crested the hill in time to see the attack on Jubilee. This monster had now taken down two of his teammates, one of which was his wife. This guy was going to pay, Cyclops was sure of that. He continued to sprint in the direction of the battle, placing his sights on the man in front of Logan. As he neared, he opened his ruby-coated visor, allowing his optic blast to escape full force.

Logan felt the heat of the blast as it flew beside him. He watched as Weapon X took the blast full force in the chest. The impact of the blast knocked Jason off of his feet, his chest torn open. Wolverine leaped after the flying form, rage consuming his mind.

For Logan, this was a battle that he had to win. He was fighting now for supremacy, pitting him against a new and improved version. He was still the best at what he did, and he was going to prove it. He was also fighting for revenge, to avenge the woman he loved. Weapon X had attacked Jubilee, and now he was going to pay.

Weapon X reeled from Cyclops' attack. The blast had done quite a bit of tissue damage, and his healing factor was doing double time to compensate. He struggled to rise as he saw the short Canadian launching a new attack. Jason leaped to his feet to meet the attack head on, but there was no stopping the freight train bearing down on him. The two warriors hit the asphalt, rolling in a death embrace. Logan had only one good set of claws, but he used what he had masterfully. Logan was no longer thinking like a man, but he was reacting as an animal. His feral side was in full control, his attacks a mix of martial arts mastery, and jungle cat savagery.

The two battled in close quarters, each inflicting horrible wounds on the other. Blood pooled on the ground beneath the two combatants. For every wound that healed, three more opened up on each. It did not seem that either was making ground, but it was apparent to Cyclops and Storm that Weapon X was healing faster.

Wolverine felt himself getting sluggish. The loss of blood was too much for his healing factor to compensate with. He could see also that the man he was fighting was healing quicker than he was.

'Gotta end this, but how?' Wolverine thought.

Wolverine lunged again at the face of Weapon X, with the intention to bury his claws in his eye sockets. However, in his weakened state, his attack lacked any force, and was executed clumsily. Weapon X blocked the attack, and used the opening to make his own killing drive. Using Wolverine's own momentum, Jason shoved Wolverine to the side slightly, and as Wolverine struggled to keep his balance, Weapon X snapped his arm straight out, his claws burying themselves in the throat of the surprised Logan.

Logan dropped to the ground, sliding off those horrible metal claws. He saw lights dancing in front of his blurred vision and tried to stand again. His legs would not cooperate, his healing factor, already overtaxed, and could not compensate for this mortal wound. He dropped to his side, blood gurgling in his throat. He lay back in the pool of blood forming around him, closed his eyes, and all went black.

Cyclops stood horrified as he watched another of his teammates drop to the ground. This time, however, there was no John Wraith standing by his side. Scott knew of the fractured relationship between the two, and thought to himself that it would not surprise him if Wraith left Logan there to die.

With Logan down, Cyclops now had a clear shot of Weapon X, and was sure that he was going to take full advantage of that. Again he snapped open his visor, unleashing the full fury of his optic blast. His blasts rivaled the sun in heat and intensity, and had been known to take down entire buildings. He hoped that they would have the same effect on the man they were directed at.

Weapon X stood over the prostrate body of Logan, reveling in his latest kill. The small-framed man has been his match in battle, and he was enjoying the victory. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the bright red glow just before he was knocked across the airstrip on which he was standing.

Cyclops watched warily as Weapon X was blasted sixty feet across the scene of rubble. He knew that he had hit this guy full force. He hoped that it was enough to end this, but feared the consequences if it wasn't.

Storm landed a little distance behind Cyclops. She too was hoping that this battle had come to an end. She had seen the fight from the air, and had seen her teammates fall. They didn't have long to wonder, however, as they saw Weapon X lumber to his feet.

Storm's blood went cold as she saw him stand. In the distance, she could see the laughing figure of Sinister. ‘With him in the picture, there was the chance of other unforeseen consequences', she thought to herself. Storm remembered the destruction she had witnessed to the base as she approached, and also remembered the fact that much of the base was underground.

She ran up alongside of Scott. "Sinister is still a variable in this battle, Scott. I think that we should remove him from the equation. Hold on to something."

Scott looked back at the white haired beauty. "Hold on to what?" he said as he looked around at the scene of destruction.

The ground began to rumble violently beneath the X-Men. Scott suddenly realized what Storm had planned. He threw himself prone to the ground.

The airstrip where the three stood was relatively stable, as it was built on solid Nevada ground. However, where Sinister stood was another matter. The roofing covering the underground base gave way in the face of the quake and tumbled down into the lower sections of the compound, swallowing Sinister with it.

"It will take him awhile to crawl out of that. Let us hope that it will be enough time for us to finish this." Storm shouted over the din of the sound of the base collapsing upon itself.

Scott stood and brushed himself off. He nodded in agreement at Storm, and turned to face Weapon X again.

Jason watched as the ground gave way underneath Sinister, and knew he had underestimated his opponents. He was tired, and the last attack not wanting to make any further mistakes, Weapon X decided to end the battle now.

He closed his eyes, and mentally searched the area for the minds of his two targets. He probed forth, and found the signatures of two very heavily shielded minds.

Scott, from his years of being married to a psychic, felt the presence of a psychic attack. Remembering what had happened to his wife, he knew that Weapon X was trying to invade his psychic shielding. Shouting a warning to Storm, Cyclops focused in keeping the intruder out of his mind.

Storm too felt the mental presence. She could feel psychic fingers probing her shielding, trying to find a way into her mind. Knowing what would happen if the intruder gained entry, she fought to keep her shields up.

Weapon X could feel them struggle against his psychic onslaught. He worked his way through each layer of shielding, feeling them buckle under his mental probe.

Cyclops dropped to his knees as he felt his shields give. His eyes clenched shut as he felt the presence of Weapon X in his mind. Scott struggled to repel the attack, but he knew there was little he could do to stop the psychic barbs that flooded his mind.

Storm turned as she heard Scott scream in agony, and she saw him crumple to the ground. She felt Weapon X smash down each of her shields faster than she could put them up. She knew it was only a matter of time...

"NOOOOOO..." Storm screamed as she felt him enter her mind. "NOT LIKE THIS, NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT!" Storm howled at the stoic figure in the distance.

Her eyes flashed from a deep blue to turn completely white. She focused her energy on the standing form of Weapon X, unleashing the fury that had been building in her.

The sky above exploded as if in response to her cries of pain. Jagged bolts of lightning streaked from the heavens, striking anything that contained metal. The air was heavy with the smell of ozone, and the sky was alive with electricity.

Bolt after bolt of lightning descended from the clouds above to strike Weapon X. He staggered back as each blast sent him reeling.

Storm felt the mental presence retreat from her mind. She quickly rebuilt her shields as she watched the scene before her.

She watched as the lightning hit its intended target. Electricity danced about the ground at his feet, as wave upon wave of electric fire blasted him again and again.

Jason dropped to the ground, his flesh burned and crackled, sparks flying from his exposed admantium skeleton. He looked in the direction of Storm, his eyes registering the look of confusion and defeat, and he tumbled face forward.

Storm prayed that he would not rise again, and dashed over to the lying form of Cyclops. She felt his pulse, and felt that it was steady. She turned her attention to the still form of Wolverine. Running over to his side, she realized that many of his wounds were healed, and the others were healing. She felt a wave of relief, and reached out to take his pulse as well.

Suddenly, Logan's eyes popped open. Storm realized quickly that there was no recognition in his gaze. The only emotions that were contained in his look were of fear and confusion.

Wolverine jumped to his feet, and faced the startled Storm. He bared his teeth menacingly, and exposed his good set of claws.

"Logan, no, I am a friend." Storm knew that his injuries were severe, and for him to survive such an attack, he had to let go of his human side. She was unsure, however, if he would be able to get it back.

Logan roared at Storm, and turned his back to her. He ran off toward the rubble that once was a top-secret military base.

"Logan, wait!" Storm started to follow, but knew that it would be dangerous to confront him in this state. The immediate concern was to find out the status of the rest of the team, and to make sure that Weapon X was not getting back up.

She walked over to the smoldering body, and turned her head at the smell of burning flesh. She could not detect any vital signs, and turned her attention back to Cyclops. Helping the leader of the X-Men to his feet, she asked him how he felt.

"I am OK, Storm. Let's get to the Blackbird and find out the status of the rest of the team." Looking across the battlefield, Scott saw the form of someone running in the direction of the desert.

"Is that who I think it is?" He asked Storm.

"Yes. Logan is alive. However, he did not recognize me. It would seem that he has reverted back to his feral state. But at least he is alive."

"During the battle, did you see where that S.H.I.E.L.D guy got off to?"

"Wraith? He seemed to be picking up our fellow X-Men when they were hurt. He has yet to return after teleporting out with Jubilee."

"What about Fury? I never saw him land a blow."

"Nick was taken out the same time Jean was, when she was under psychic attack. The ravages of the legacy virus has taken its toll on him over the years, it appears that he made an easy target." Storm replied.

The battered pair walked toward the awaiting Blackbird, as Logan warily eyed the two from the cover of some rubble.