Logan and the X-Men waited impatiently outside of the X-Jet. It had landed in a dry lake bed somewhere in Nevada on orders from the Professor. They had no idea why they had landed there or what to expect. Logan paced around the jet while the others tried to relieve themselves from the heat. Kitty was phased half into the ground to keep at least half her body cool and Storm kept up a nice breeze. A warning klaxon blared on board the jet and Logan went to investigate. He came back out of the jet a few seconds later to explain it to the others.

"We’ve got some incoming choppers about two clicks out. One-eye, you take point. Jean, see if you can make them out. The rest of you, come with me." Logan led the rest back into the jet and studied the monitors. A radio transmission came in over the jet’s transponder.

"X One, this is Red Dog. We are friendly units approaching your position with clearance authorized by the Pentagon and Professor Xavier. Stand by." The transmission cut out to static. Logan was as shocked by this as the others were. All the X-Men waited outside as the military helicopters landed. A woman dressed in fatigues approached Logan.

"Are you in charge here?" she asked him.

"Yeah, that’s me. My name is Logan." He held out his hand to her and she just stared into his face. She turned back to the choppers.

"Cut it, these are the guys." The chopper blades stopped turning and the whine of the rotors dropped down to nothing. Two squads of four men each exited the choppers and headed toward the X-Men. The Nevada heat beat down on all of them.

"What is this?" said Logan.

"Government jurisdiction," she said. Her blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, blew in the hot wind. "My name is Captain Ariana McBride, leader of SOCOM team one. We have orders straight from the top to assist you in the destruction of a government facility in New Mexico. I will be in charge and you will be taking orders from me." Logan didn’t like the sound of these words.

"Listen here, bub, I-" his voice was cut short when the fair-haired woman grabbed his arm and twisted in around his back. He winced in pain and was effectively immobilized. He grunted in frustration as she spoke.

"I’m in charge here. And don’t you ever call me bub." She dropped him to the ground. The rest of the X-Men were impressed at her cunning and quickness. Logan was embarrassed but also a bit awed by her. McBride turned to the two squads.

"Let’s get to work," she said.

The X-Jet’s interior was crammed with the members of McBride’s squad and the X-Men. She was sweating heavily from the heat as she turned back to the hologram projector.

"Let’s go over it once more," she said. The hologram shifted to show a large black pyramid. "This is the main facility building as seen from about one kilometer away. Starting at this outside perimeter is the first line of defense. Anti-aircraft and laser turrets begin here." Red dots appeared in a circle around the pyramid. "The second line of defense consists of these gun turrets." Blue dots appeared, forming a second line around the pyramid. "The last line of defense is, of course, the army. We have no information on their mutant powers or the size of the army. It’s all hit or miss from here on in. Any questions?" Logan grimaced through the sweat on his face. He began to speak above the jet’s air conditioner system.

"Yeah, here’s one. What does this have to do with Rogue and the Professor?" McBride gave him an expression of frustration.

"She’s in there and Dr. Smith is planning something. That’s all we know. Now do you want to help her or what? I think we all have got the plan down here. Squads, prep for drop in one hour. The rest of you, do the same. We are leaving right now." She walked to the far end of the jet and began speaking with the leaders of the assault teams. The X-Men couldn’t believe anything they had just heard, it didn’t make sense. Logan took charge.

"You heard the woman, chumps, let’s get going." They followed his command and soon the X-Jet was a on course straight for Black Mesa.

*****

"Rise, my children. It is the dawn of a new day." The mighty voice echoed throughout the halls and reached Toby’s ears. His head still pounded and his face still burned with every movement. He tried to move his hands and felt them bound by the restraints. His power was still being blocked and he fought against his restraints in an effort to free himself. He struggled for many minutes before falling back in exhaustion. Toby lifted his aching head and saw Rogue’s body limp in shackles just like his. He tried to call to her but his mouth was bleeding and swollen. His lips could scarcely allow air through for him to breathe. A tear rolled off his cheek and splashed on the floor amidst his dried blood. A door to his right opened and in stepped Dr. Smith.

"Good morning, children. Did you sleep well? Your father has some good news for you. Today you will each make me very happy." He slapped Rogue across the face and she stirred. Her face rose slowly, revealing scars and bruises like Toby’s. The two victims stared at one another and tried to communicate through bleeding mouths and swollen faces. Dr. Smith began speaking again.

"Come along, Eve, let’s leave Adam to rest for a moment. You have a big day ahead of you," he said as two of his soldiers unlatched Rogue’s shackles. She collapsed into Smith’s arms and he carried her out of the door. The three swordsmen stood and stared at Toby with cold, lifeless eyes. They never blinked for what seemed like hours. Toby searched throughout his soul for strength and gathered up as much as he could. He readied himself for another attempt to break free.

The X-Jet neared the first line of perimeter defense, screaming hard and fast at almost Mach 4. The huge black pyramid stretched into the sky like an imposing giant waiting to be toppled. From inside the jet Logan readied the missile system.

"Here goes nothing," he said. He flipped the master arm switch and punched the ignition for two of the jet’s guided missiles. They streaked by on plumes of white smoke just as the anti-aircraft turrets opened fire on the jet.

Toby lunged against his restraints as the X-Jet’s missiles impacted the side of the pyramid. The monolith lurched under the explosions and Toby toppled out of his shackles. The three swordsmen in the room were knocked flat on the ground from flying shrapnel. Toby crawled slowly to his feet and stared in shock as the bodies of the soldiers liquidated into green fluid and seeped into a drain in the floor. Toby shivered from the cold, dressed only in small black shorts. His battered body ached all over but he gathered enough strength to shift into a shadow and pass under the door. The building shook again with another salvo of missiles. The lights in the hall flickered and then shut off. He could hear shouts all around him and he melted into a shadow on the wall just a group of clones, each looking just like Rogue, ran by. He phased out of the wall and continued down the hallway. In the distance he could hear gunfire and the familiar sound of Scott’s optic blasts. Toby stopped and erupted with a violent coughing fit. He spit up blood all over the floor and had to steady himself from falling. His body ached immensely but he kept on pushing himself farther and faster. He had to find Rogue.

McBride led first squad along the outside wall. The first few salvos of missiles from the X-Jet had, fortunately, knocked out all lines of defense. All they had to contend with now were the army of mutants Smith kept behind these dark walls. She glanced up just as a mutant, garbed in a small black jumpsuit, emerged from a door in front of her. The mutant turned to McBride and raised her hands, burning with flames. McBride pulled the trigger of her submachine gun, letting five rounds fly toward the target. The bullets impacted the mutant’s body and she fell backward. Almost instantly the body dissolved into green fluid and soaked into the caked dirt. McBride was startled at this sight and she was almost tackled by another mutant. The figure leapt through the air and was almost on top of her when Logan tackled it. The mutant was a young boy with hair like Rogue’s. Logan bashed his head into the ground and it, too, dissolved into the same green liquid. Logan looked up at McBride and smiled.

"Thought you might need some help, lady." He stuck his claws out and sliced a clean circle in the wall, large enough for the squad to pass through.

"With friends like you," she said, "who needs enemies?" She smiled back at him and followed the hulking Canuck through the improvised door. She covered his back when he turned left. McBride spotted a figure running along the hall and almost fired at it. Logan stopped her just in time.

"Wait!" he yelled. The figure neared, clothed in small black shorts and covered in blood and bruises. Tobias Maxwell collapsed at Logan’s feet and the Canuck picked him up. "Toby, how did you get here? Where’s Roguey?" Toby struggled to speak but couldn’t. McBride led first squad down the hallway and left the two mutants behind. Logan carried Toby through the darkened hallways until he came to a huge door, followed by the second squad of commandos. He squeezed his claws out and sliced the big door to bits, revealing an immense room that was easily bigger than a small town. The second squad of special forces troops followed the mutants into the room. They fanned out to secure the area as a booming voice broke the silence.

"You are in my house! Come to me, my children, and protect your father!" Logan looked around to find the voice and clenched his jaw in anger. The doors all throughout the room opened and out stepped hundreds of mutants, each dressed in black jumpsuits and wearing their hair like Rogue’s. Each turned to face the intruders. The second squad opened fire on the mass of mutants, the bullets echoing throughout the room. The chatter of rounds easily overrode the sound of the voice’s laughter that was still resounding in the expanse. Mutants exploded like water balloons and burst into green fluid as the bullets impacted their bodies. Logan laid Toby against a row of lockers and rushed a few mutants who were getting close to the second squad. His blades sliced them into liquid as he flew among them, his arms swinging wildly.

One of the mutants raised his arms and Logan felt his body lock up. He couldn’t move and could hardly breathe. The second squad experienced the same phenomena. Mutants rushed from all sides and began to pummel the paralyzed bodies of the intruders. Toby looked in horror and tried to move, tried to do something to stop it. His body was shutting down but he had to do something. He rolled onto his back and licked his swollen, bloody lips.

"ROGUE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. His breath left his lungs and he collapsed from exhaustion. The mutants turned to face him. He lay back and awaited his fate as they closed in around him. He could no longer feel any pain.

Behind the dark glass Dr. Smith watched his creations in action. He chuckled softly to himself. All those years he had spent secretly in the lab, working on his Genesis gene manipulation technique. It had finally paid off seven years ago when he used it on a lonely orphan he found while driving through Mississippi. Eve, he had named her, was his finest creation. She had began as a modest human child but had become the most powerful mutant he had ever produced. Her genetic manipulation was a turning point in his career, from serving as a government scientist to striving to create his own perfect world. Adam was his second best, created near the same time. Each had shown early mutations, but he had the catalyst to turn them into his perfect warriors. They both had seemed to just appear in front of him and he took them in from the cold. Inside Black Mesa he had made them, inside Black Mesa he had made a new world order. He released Eve to test his work; it had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Adam was different. He had escaped about seven years ago during a shutdown operation initiated by the DoD. He had lost track of him after that, but when he had found Eve three days ago he seemed to appear as well. All that was left to do was turn Eve into the ultimate mutant killing machine. He just needed Adam now to complete the process. Smith’s mind focused back on the moment as a group of his warriors carried in Toby’s battered body to the command station. Smith turned to greet the battered boy.

"You have caused me great pain, Adam. Now, you are going to help me create a new world, a world where I, your father, will rule over all my children. Won’t you help me?" his voice pleaded with Toby. The madman’s gaze focused on Toby’s soul as he stared back. Behind Smith was the block where Rogue was tied. A channeling helmet was placed on her head linked to the computer where Smith stood. "Just sit down, Adam," said Smith, pointing to a metal chair lined with electrodes and with another helmet on top of its seat. Toby realized what he had to do, what he needed to do. He turned coldly to Smith.

"My name’s not Adam!" Toby leaped past the warriors and grabbed Rogue’s limp body. He pressed his lips against hers and felt his energy being sucked away. Her eyes opened as his began to close, his blood mixing with hers as he slid down onto the cold floor.

"NO!" shouted Smith. "This is all wrong! You stupid boy! You cannot touch her!" Rogue had energy now; her eyes began to blaze red. She lifted her head and stared straight at Smith.

"No one evah messes with tha Rogue and gets away with it!" She snapped the restraints easily and slammed a fist into each of the warrior’s faces. They melted into green puddles and she turned to Smith. His face was twisted in horror. This wasn’t supposed to happen, Adam was just supposed to have sat down and allowed the genetic manipulation to become complete, turning Eve into his soldier. Now everything had gone wrong. There was no more hope. Rogue grabbed him around the neck and his memories began to drain away. With a flick of her wrist he was catapulted through the dark glass. He plummeted like a stone, falling amongst the glass shards toward the ever-nearing ground.

"Goodbye, my daughter," he said, just before his body snapped against the cold surface.

*****

Toby’s eyes jumped opened and his mind stung with a sharp pain. His back arched and he let out a long, low moan of pain. Kitty and Beast reached out to hold him down as he moaned. Logan, lying on the bed next to Toby’s, pulled the curtain that separated the infirmary beds for privacy. Toby’s arms swung uncontrollably and his head threshed back and forth. Beast was finally able to hold him down and the pain eventually receded in Toby’s mind. He sank, panting, onto his sweat-soaked sheets. Kitty took his head in her arms and slowly caressed his forehead. He shook like a frightened animal and whimpered in her arms. Coming out of a month-long coma will do that to you. Rogue ran into the room when she heard his screams. Her face was drawn long with fear and concern, but she saw he was all right. What little color she had returned to her face and she laid her gloved hand over Toby’s mouth. His eyes were pressed shut and his breathing slowly returned to normal, his cries getting softer every second she was close to him. Kitty and Beast left the room when they saw Rogue had everything under control. His eyes, blurred with tears, opened to look into her face. Her steel gray eyes spoke to his in a language that transcends touch. She removed her hand and he was able to control his breathing. His mind was blank, his last memory being of the day he had punched the wall in rage. Her smile was warm despite her icy blue lipstick. He gurgled and coughed when he tried to speak, but she was able to understand him.

"Rogue. . ." he began softly, "what happened?" His voice was distant and weak, broken intermittently by a soft quiver that still stuck on his tongue. She placed a gloved finger over his lips to close it.

"Shhh. . .yah just need tah rest, Toby." He forced a weak smile at her words. She turned her head away to hide her blush as she spoke again. "Yah saved mah life, yah know. Ah don’t know how tah ever repay yah. . ." She raised her hand to her mouth and tried to hide her red-flushed face. Toby’s eyes blinked slowly and his mouth twisted into a weak smile.

"Shhh. . ." he said softly. "I think we’ve stepped in enough minefields for now." She rested her head on the sheet that covered his chest and their breathing synchronized. Together they slipped into unconsciousness.