DISCLAIMER: All characters in this story are property of Marvel Inc., and
I'm
not making a profit from this, so don't sue me

X-Men: Yin Yang Part 1/?- All that glitters.....

Morpheus, oneill@cambus.u-net.com	

{{blahblahbla}} is thoughts
^^blahblahbla^^ is telepathy

==============

	In the centre of New York, a seemingly innocent red-stone wall mansion lay
dormant. As usual, first appearances can be very, very deceiving. Within
the
crumbling walls, a white-haired man strolled through the halls, reaching
two
exquisite pine doors, and using the huge brass knocker positioned in the
centre of the doors. The door-knock was moulded in the shape of a
spiralling flame,
symbolic of the contents within these hallowed halls. 

	The doors creaked open, and a small girl was waiting just below the
albino's
sight. "Welcome back, master. The others are waiting for you."

	The tall man looked down disdainfully at the innocent servant, and said,
"That will be all Paige. Leave now."

	"Yes, master." The girl scurried off into the maze of corridors, leaving
the
man to enter the room himself. He walked in, and a large, circular mahogany
table lay before him, three other men occupying various positions around
its
edge. 

	He nodded to each of them in turn, saying, "Charles, Sebastian, Ennur."
The
three men nodded accordingly, and the one called Sebastian said, "Welcome
back, Erik...... -ahem-. The door."

	"Of course, sorry." He waved his hand and a brief burst of blue light
sparkled in his hand, as the door swung shut smoothly. Sitting at his place
before the
table, he said, "Now gentlemen, what is on the agenda today?"

	The man named Charles Xavier said, "Our forces are due to expand to Iowa
any
day now. It is all merely a formality, of course, nothing more an exercise
to
put fear into the hearts of the flat-scans. Kill some of them, and it'll be
a
success."

	"Yes," Sebastian Shaw said, "Superficial at best. However, we have been
receiving reports of resistance forces for weeks now. They seem to be
centred
somewhere near that area, foolishly hoping to protect it."

	"Fools," Ennur Sabah said, "Don't they know that the Inner Circle just
about
rules this country now? What with Kelly in the palm of our hand too, we
have
influence that reaches all across the world. And now that I've gathered the
Externals, our forces are just about unstoppable. The humans don't have a
chance of surviving."

	Erik Lehnsherr smiled. Ennur was in his human form today, unusual for him.
The first time Erik had met Apocalypse, he was in his battle form, of a
sort of
demon god. The unholy alliance they formed to fight for mutant supremacy
was
soon joined by Sebastian Shaw, a rich and powerful businessman, and Charles
Xavier, a wealthy old acquaintance of Erik. The four had formed the
Hellfire
Club, an elite group for mutant philandropists dedicated to the cause of
homo-superior rule, and then the even-eliter cadre of four omega-class
mutants
known as the Inner Circle, that now surreptitiously controlled half of
America.

	"Is there any word on Essex yet?" Erik asked.

	"Sadly, no.",  Charles answered. "Essex remains dedicated to the cause of
humans. From the last reports we have, it's likely that he is located in
the
Midwest, but once our forces take over there, we shall capture him with
ease."

	At this, Ennur was gazing downwards shamefully, as he knew that his
creation,
Essex, had defied him and fled to protect humans from Apocalypse, after he
slaughtered his wife in an attempt to turn him to his dark cause. This had
only served to enrage him, and not corrupt his soul, and Essex had used his
new-found powers to attack his creator, then flee into the darkness. He lay
idle for decades, and after many suicide attempts, he found he could not
die,
so dedicated his life to the downfall of Apocalypse. The genius of Essex
was
unrivalled throughout the land, and the Inner Circle were desperate to
acquire
his services for their own purposes.

	Erik stood up, placing his hands flat on the desk. "Right. If that's all
for
today, then I have to be going."

	Ennur was shaken from his trance, and said, "No, Erik. I've...got
something
else to say."

 	"Yes?" Charles inquired, "You didn't mention this earlier." he said, one
eyebrow raised.

	"I only decided to inform you of it as of this moment. It's about Essex."

	Erik sat back down, hands clasped on the desk leisurely.
 
	"I....created him." Ennur said. "He was a human scientist in the 18th
century, who I gengineered to be my slave, as a head geneticist. To convert
his soul to
darkness, I slayed his wife, but he loved her deeply, and turned on me. It
is
my shame that he got away, and my fault that he is here to resist our
forces."

	The room lay silent for a few moments, and Shaw said, "Hmmp. Interesting.
However, it is of no real importance. He exists and we have to deal with
him.
The sins of the past are forgotten, since we will mould our
future...together!"

	"Yes," Ennur said, "You're right, of course. I will go and prepare the
Externals for their first mission in the morn." At that, he left the room,
stalking down the hall with his ancient mind deep in thought.

	{{Strange,}} Charles thought, {{That one so old, perhaps centuries old,
should be nearly commanded by one a mere fraction his age. A chink, perhaps
in hi--}}

	His thinking was interrupted abruptly by his best friend, Erik saying "Are
you staying here, or going back to Westchester?"

	"Mhh? Oh, I'm going to stay here, and watch the Marauders train. I think
the
younger Proudstar is in need of some....encouragement." he said with a
grin.

	Erik laughed ever-so-briefly, and said, "I'm sure your
"encouragement"...will
be helpful to the lad. We need everyone to be in peak condition if we are
to
succeed in gaining the Central districts."

	"Absolutely. I just hope the rumours about Essex are just that. Rumours."

	"Oh, what's that? I've heard no rumours."

	"Of course you wouldn't have," Charles muttered, "You were in Antarctica
after all. There are rumours that the rebellion is being organised by
Essex, and
that it consists of mutants and humans. He has supposedly been augmenting
mutants,
increasing some of them to phenomenal levels."

	"Hmmm. This could be unfortunate if true."

	"Yes, all our plans could crumble.....but for now, they remain rumours!
Let us go, my friend! I think we are all in need of a good time. I think we
could
take the time to peruse the services of the bar right now....."

====================

	In an old unused mine shaft far underground in Arkansas, plans were being
hatched. A small group of men and women stood around a large metal table,
with
several sheets of paper littered across the top of it.

	One blond-haired man was saying, "....can't take the risk. We are too few
at
the moment to confront the Marauders. Despite our powers, they will be more
powerful, and better trained."

	"Maybe," another said, "But Alex, we can't lose them again!."

	"David," an coloured girl with white hair said, "Surely you're not
suggesting
we risk the lives of the few people we've gathered for a piece of petty
vengeance?"

	"Petty?" David Nord screamed, "You call losing your wife and daughter
petty?
You have no idea!" he slammed a fist onto the desk, knocking it over and
turning away.

	Ororo Monroe heard his heavy, angered breathing, and put a hand on his
shoulder. "I'm sorry David, wrong choice of words. I just don't think this
is
the right time to make our move."

	"Huhn." David grunted, and walked out of the cavern.

	A few moments of silence passed before Wade Wilson said, "Jeez! Someone
didn't eat their Cheerios this morning! Anyhoo, Essex should be back soon,
an' he
said he might have a few more members for the team. If he does, then I
think we
could make our move soon."

	"I agree with the dope," Logan said, "If we can git some more 'cruits,
then we could move on the Marauders easily. We've got more power. Wacha
think 'Ro?"

	"I think that it all depends on Essex's return. We had best wait for him
before making any decisions."

	Suddenly, a deep, etching voice teared into the silence of the icy cold
cave,
saying "That would be wise, Ororo."

	"Essex!" 

	"Yes, child. I have returned." His pale white skin glowed luminescent in
the
dim light of the torches.

	"Didja find anyone ta join?", Logan asked.

	"Indeed. Our cause is more widespread than first appearances. I have
established an underground network of supporters that reaches all across
the
states."

	"That is all very well," Forge said, "But we need recruits. If we are
going to move on the Hellfire Club, then we need more people than what we
have just
now. Their forces far outnumber ours."

	"Yes. I did get more people to follow our cause, yet not as many as I had
hoped. Still, any addition is progress I suppose."

	"You said it Essex." Logan said, "If we've got a reasonable amount
a'people, I think we could move at dawn."

	"Be warned Logan, not all of them are fully trained, and are quite
inexperienced in the use of their powers. I will give them a crash course
on
how to control them, but I fear it may not be enough."

	"We can worry about that later," Ororo said, "Right now, we had best start
putting everyone into teams, so that we can be at least partially
organised."

===============

Back in New York, far beneath the Hellfire mansion....

	Charles Xavier watched as the mutants below trained for their horrific
mission. The room below him used to be simply an old sewage repository.
However, when the Hellfire Club started operating in the disused hotel,
they
had discovered a vast underground network of tunnels and caverns, that they
began to convert into technologically enhanced headquarters, with training
facilities and unmatched equipment ominously supplied by Ennur Sabah. There
had also been another intriguing aspect of the tunnels, one that the Inner
Circle
used to their full advantage...

	Inhabiting the tunnels were a race of sub-terrainean mutants, all
hideously
mutated beyond normal human recognition. Ennur had personally culled the
weak
among them, after recruiting the strong for the Marauders he would soon
gather, all dedicated to mutant supremacy. But, a select few mutants
escaped from the
clutches of Ennur Sabah, the living Apocalypse, something that he regretted
to
this day. 

	The squad below him was comprised of all mutants, a personal team of
terrorists, which had been gathered in the early days of the Hellfire Club.
One of Charles' biggest failures was that his own son refused to join him.
Charles
had killed his own wife, Gabrielle, when she objected to his new venture,
and
threatened to take David away from him, and David ran away there and then,
horrified by the thought that his father would be so heartless as to kill
his
mother in cold blood. Charles had even heard rumours that David had joined
up
with the Rebellion, and was planning the downfall of his father, along with
a
powerful team of both mutants and humans.

	He tried to lose himself in watching the Marauders train, ashamed at his
own
foolishness. But now was not the time for remorse, for it was the eve of
his
greatest victory. And if it was going to be a successful mission, then
everyone had to be at their peak condition, at the absolute height of their
capabilities. James Proudstar was not living up to Xavier's expectations of
him, so he decided to do something about it.

	^^Warpath! Come over here.^^

	{{Yes sir!}} he ran over to just underneath the observation window,
staring up at Xavier.

	^^You are not fulfilling your capabilities Proudstar. You need some
psychic
nurturing, to enhance your prowess. Leave your mind open....^^

	James Proudstar obeyed the man known as Mutant X, knowing better than to
disobey his superiors. Charles Xavier entered the boy's mind, and became
instantly privy to all the fears and desires of the young man. Xavier had
repeated this procedure with most of the Marauders, and used it for his own
purposes. He learned all their weak points, and as well as helping them
with
their powers, he reinforced their belief in mutant rule, by implanting
false
memories of incidents where plain homo-sapiens lynched a loved one for
being
linked with a mutant. This was only necessary with some of the recruits,
but it was still a barbaric procedure at best, engineering their thoughts
for
them. It didn't bother Xavier in the slightest, since he saw it as
necessary to achieve
his goals.

	After he had increased Warpath's control over his super-speed, he departed
from his mind, having made note of everything else learned within the boy's
psyche, for future reference. He had planned to exact a psionic torture on
the
lad, but he was not really in the mood, so he settled for maturing the
boy's
mind a few years on to the stage where he had mastered his mutant
abilities.
This was again a less than ethical process, but again, Xavier deemed it as
"necessary to the cause".

	The cause was also currently on the mind of one of the other members of
the
Inner Circle, Apocalypse, as he addressed his personal strike team, the
Externals. His voice was like stone grinding against metal as he said,
"Externals. The time has come for your first test. The Marauders will lead
the
assault on Iowa, for we are looking to conquer the Midwest by the week's
end.
Your job will be to provide back-up should any be needed. The line-up will
be
as follows. Mimic and Gideon are on point. Candra and Selene follow up
behind
them. Absalom and Crule, you take a flank each, and cover the others.
Nemesis
and Exodus bring up the rear, to protect against sneak attacks, and
Cannonball, you keep watch above. There may be some resistance from a few
mutants and
humans, and that is why you might be called in. The Marauders job is to
cull
the weak, but if there is much resistance, you will come in to help where
it is needed. Any questions?"

	Cannonball raised his hand and said, "Suh, will we be taking Ship?"

	"Yes, Guthrie. Everyone will be transported to the battle ground by Ship,
but
unlike the Marauders, you will all have your own personal quarters. We
leave in 8 hours. I suggest you pass the time between now and departure
honing your
battle skills. You may engage some of the Marauders in combat, and
Nemesis?"

	"Yes father?"

	"Try not to kill any of them this time, we need them for our mission."

	"Of course father."

================

	We turn again to Arkansas, once more deep underground...

	Essex stands as usual at the head of the table, with the other leaders
gathered around it. Havok, Storm, Deadpool, Wolverine, Maverick, Forge, and
Daredevil.

	Essex said, "Now that you are all familiar with the new recruits, my
children, we will need a plan of attack if we are going to be successful in
this
mission."

	Maverick answered him by saying, "Essex's right. We need to divide up into
teams, with sections for individual prowess tallied up. There's 30 of us
overall, so we can get six teams of five."

	"Very good, David. In my team shall be Iceman for raw power, Hawkeye for
stealth and skill, Banshee for his experience, Deadpool for an added edge,
and
of course myself. I trust this is satisfactory for you Wade?"

	"'Course Essex. Dunno why ya even asked."

	"Alex," Essex said, "You choose your team now. Remember to include one of
us,
for I want a good leadership for each team."

	"Right. I want Clear-Cut, Phoenix, Chrome, and Doom."

	"Excellent choices my son, now, Wolverine."

	"Hnnh, I dunno how I became a leader all o' sudden. Beats the crap outta
me.
I'll take Blink, M, Iron Man, and o'course Stormy."

	"Logan, I've warned you before not to call me that."

	"Well maybe I like livin' on the edge darlin', eh?"

	"Enough, Logan. Maverick?"

	"I want Shang Chi, Morph, Sunfire, and Callisto."

	"Very well. Forge?"
	
	"Speed Demon, Legion, Maggot, and Spiderman."

	"And Daredevil, that leaves for your team--?"

	"Chamber, Gambit, Marrow, and Abyss. They're fine. We should leave
Juggernaut
on his own. He's pretty much a one man team."

	"Yes. Now that everyone is divided into teams," Essex said, "We can
organise
them into strike forces. While I was away, I learned that the Hellfire
Club's
Marauders are much more powerful than we expected. There are roughly forty
of
them, but I think that we have enough power to defeat them. With Juggernaut
on
our side as well, and with the experience that you all possess, we enter
the
battle with a very good chance of success. However, if the Inner Circle
choose
to engage us in battle, then I suggest that you let me confront them first,
then only the leaders come from all angles. It will be treacherous, and be
warned, the Marauders will not hold back, so you should show no mercy
either."

	"But Essex," Ororo said, "That would make us as bad as them! Surely we
could
use less-than lethal force?"

	"Ah, my child. So much you know, yet so much you have yet to learn...."

	"The man's right 'Ro," Logan said, "We gotta match them every step o' the
way, or we lose the whole fight."

	"Forge," Essex said, letting Logan comfort Storm, "Is Juggernaut up to
battle
yet?"

	"Yes, but barely. I've managed to stabilise his heart after the attack
from
Sabretooth, but because his powers were failing, it's doubtful that he will
ever get back his full strength. He isn't totally invulnerable anymore, he
will bleed just like the rest of us. However, he is still our strongest
member, and
should be able to stand alone in combat."

	"Hmm. And about Sabretooth. Is he still loose?"

	"Yes, once he gave in to his feral side, we couldn't keep him here, and
his
powers somehow moved up a level, with his strength at colossal levels. I
think
it would be best if we left him wild, he's of no use to us now."

	"Pity. We could have used his skills....but no matter. We have to make do
with what we are given, so I suggest you all get some rest before the
morning. Oh,
and Logan?"

	"Yeah?"

	"Tell Blink that she had better conserve her energies, she will be
teleporting us up to Iowa."

	"Sure thing bub."

============

	The following morning, an enormous craft sped silently across the newly
breaking sky. Those who saw it didn't actually believe what they saw,
because
nothing so big could move without making a single noise, but that limit
would
only apply to our technology. In actual fact, the ship was composed of both
future and alien technologies. Right now around a hundred people occupied
the
vast halls of the ship, most mutants, and some a few humans to occupy the
Hellfire Club in moments of boredom.
	
	The ship arrived over Iowa in a matter of minutes, for a journey that
would
take hours usually. Inside the ship, the Inner Circle stood on a raised
podium, surveying each and every one of the marauders. Erik Lehnsherr, the
mutant
known as Magneto, spoke up in his majestic tone. "Marauders. Hear me! Today
is the
day of our greatest victory yet! By the day's end, the Hellfire Club will
rule
half of America! Your job today will simply be to cull the humans, and
knock
down any resistance they may muster. Today is a great day for
homo-superior! It is
the day that marks the beginning of a new era! With half of America in our
grasp, the entire world will bow to us! No-one will stand in our way! My
friends, go, and conquer a world for us."

	The crowd of Marauders cheered at this speech, designed solely to set
their
hearts racing with pride. Once the roar had settled down, Apocalypse, in
his
battle form stepped forward and, in a booming voice, said "Marauders!
Prepare
for the decension! Fight with honour, and ferocity!" He mentally triggered
the
Ship's teleportation portals, that transported the Marauders down to earth,
in
amongst the waiting humans.

	They had prepared with guns, knives, and any weapon they could lay their
hands on. The local government knew what was going to happen, but when they
called in the Army, President Kelly refused to deploy them. Their only hope
now was a
miracle. But it did not come.

	The forty odd Marauders slaughtered indiscriminately, massacring any and
all
humans in sight. The few that managed to escape their grasp momentarily
before
being killed saw their kin being destroyed by other Marauders.

	Every Marauder fought viciously, pushing their powers to the limits.
Polaris
smashed two men's' skulls together by gripping the iron in their blood.
Wildchild took out one toddler's internal organs before his eyes, before
slowly severing the connections to the heart. Moonstar's psychic arrows
made the
human's greatest fear reality in front of them, and while they cowered in a
corner, her lover, Warpath, shattered their collar bones with but a
glancing
blow.

	The massacre continued, and the Inner Circle and the rest of the Hellfire
Club watched, sipping champagne in the morning sun. Warren Worthington the
Third,
the winged Angel, said, "Truly magnificent. The Marauders are doing better
than I expected."

	"Indeed,"  Hank McCoy said, "But watch, the best is yet to come."

	The Marauders continued with the slaughtering, revelling in every broken
bone
and every spilled drop of blood. Only a small fraction of the population
was
slaughtered, and already reports were getting out to the far corners of the
globe, who now feared the wrath of the Hellfire Club.

	The people who remained, hid as best they could in dark allies, and miles
away, those who could were fleeing the area. They could hear the dying
screams
of innocent victims. They prayed for a miracle. And it came in a blinding
purple light, like angels of redemption dropping out of the sky.

	The Rebellion had arrived.

	The first to drop out of Blink's portal was Essex, followed by the rest of
his squad. Iceman rode out a shining wave of ice, on which stood Hawkeye
and
Deadpool. Essex dropped to the ground, taking in the immediate
surroundings,
surveying all the Marauders in sight. Banshee flew out of the portal, his
scream deafening everyone to the cries of the innocent.

	Soon, all the Rebellion had come through the portal, and Essex began
barking
out orders. "Forge! Take your team and help out the ones who are trapped!
Everyone else, take on the Marauders!"

	And the battle began. 

	Mutant against mutant. Human against mutant. All defending different
principles, all devoted to them with religious belief. Perhaps the most
viciously fought battle was between Wolverine and Omega Red. Omega Red
sprayed
his mutant death factor around like water, immediately afflicting everyone
in
the vicinity. Logan had fought against Arkady during the Second World War,
and
he knew the effects of his power. Logan's healing factor protected him from
it, and so he confronted Arkady as soon as he caught sight of him, and took
the
battle to higher ground, where they could fight uninterrupted. He told
Storm to take over command of his team, because he knew that he was the
only one
able to keep up with Arkady and his powers.

	The Rebellion fought well, each squad living up to their potential, but
the
Marauders fought well too. Essex's team took the most aggressive approach
to
battling the Marauders, with Deadpool taking on the two Fenris twins at
once.
His healing factor cancelled out any damage that their electric powers did
to
him, but they had no protection against the vast array of weapons he
carried on his back. Iceman went up against the mutant known only as Vessel
just as he
was about to absorb a dying child into his body mass. Tapping him on the
shoulder,
he said, "Freeze buddy."

	And he did. Every single drop of water in Vessel's body turned to solid
ice,
rendering him immobile. Bobby was so caught up in his achievement, that he
didn't hear Skin creep up behind him. He was about to punch a hole through
Bobby's chest when an arrow whistled through the air and shot into his arm.
"Arrrrgghhhh!!" 

	He dropped onto the ground, as Bobby whirled around to see his would-be
assailant lying bleeding on the ground. "...whoa....thanks for the save
Hawk
ol' buddy."

	"Yeah yeah yeah," Hawkeye said, plucking an arrow from his quiver and
firing
it at Nightcrawler, who had just teleported a man's arm off. "Ya owe me
one." 

	THAADDOOOPPP

	"Aaarrgggghhh!"

	"Wow, good shot Hawk."

	Elsewhere, Phoenix was battling Unuscionne, and she was slowly but surely
crushing her psionic skeleton in on her. Suddenly, Unuscionne's father,
Unus
the Untouchable, crept up on Jean, and knocked her out. Hearing Jean's
scream,
Havok whirled around, and let a burst of plasma waves scorch Unus and his
force field to a crisp. "Jeaaaannnnnnn!!!!! Nooooooooo!"

	He raced over to Jean, checking her pulse as soon as he reached his wife.
She
was alive, but Unus' force field enhanced punch had knocked her
unconscious.
Alex was so concerned for the welfare of his wife, that he didn't notice
Unus'
daughter get up and prepare to attack him. She extended her psionic
exo-skeleton around Alex's neck, nearly crushing his windpipe.
"You....killed...my f-f-father........"

	Alex started choking, but before Unuscionne could do any more damage, he
focused inward, and released a short blast of searing plasma from his body,
shocking the girl. Her hold on him relinquished, and he spun his fist into
her
face, knocking her out cold.

	Jean was coming round, and Havok stayed with her, but if he saw any
Marauders, he would unleash a wave of plasma energy at them, rendering them
useless in
battle, since they would either be dead or unconscious. 

	The battle raged all around them, with no mercy being shown by either
side.
Daredevil was doing brilliantly on his own, and he had already taken down
Caliban, Aurora and Pyro all by his lonesome.  Some of the other humans in
the
group were also doing brilliantly, and perhaps the most accomplished was
Victor von Doom, who had no powers at all, only his scientific genius that
he had
used to construct a set of weapons for himself, that he had used so far to
neutralise Spoor, Thunderbird, and Rictor. Probably the greatest weapons in
his arsenal are his gauntlets, which are adjustable to deal with any
threat, and
can be used for defense or offense.

	Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, the Hellfire Club watched with
dismay.
"This is going downhill quickly," Reed Richards, the genius who had
experimented on himself to mutate into a conductor of electricity, said.
"Perhaps we should intervene?"

	"That will not be necessary, Reed." They all turned round to see the
imposing
form of Apocalypse loom over them, and continue "I have a strike team that
are
ready to deploy. They are the Externals."

	"You don't mean..." Quicksilver said, near speechless, "The immortal
mutants?"

	"Indeed. I have gathered them all into one group, all dedicated to serving
me."

	The Hellfire Club stood silent for a few seconds, then Apocalypse said
"Ship.
Teleport the Externals to the battleground immediately."

	Down below, there was a shimmer of blue light, and the Externals
materialised
in the centre of the battle, standing still as statues momentarily, then
breaking into their attack formation, like Apocalypse had instructed them. 

	As the battle continued, Charles Xavier broadcast a telepathic message to
all
the Marauders. ^^Marauders! This is no longer your fight. Others will fight
where you have fallen. Prepare for ascension.^^
	
	The same blue light that had brought the Externals now took the Marauders,
engulfing them in an icy cold glow. The ones who had died in battle were
left,
deemed weak by the Inner Circle, so not fit for even a dignified burial.

	The battlefield was half-empty now, and only the Rebellion and the
Externals
remained. The leaders of each force, Essex and Gideon, stared at each other
across an endless gulf, for what seemed like Eternity. In that instant,
they
both realised that their ideals conflicted directly, and from now on, the
two
opposing forces would be bitter enemies. There was no turning back now, the
deal had been signed with the blood of innocents, and Essex knew that this
battle was going to be hard. 

	He didn't know some of the mutants before him, but he knew that the
Hellfire
Club wouldn't dare use so few combatants were they not formidable foes. As
he
stared at Gideon, he made his decision. "Listen up. I will confront these
directly. If I fall then only the leaders may follow. The rest of you need
not
involve yourselves, I need you to continue the mission should we fail."

	Before they could protest, he delved into Blink's mind, saying ^^I am
truly
sorry for this intrusion Clarence, but I fear you would not obey me had I
asked.^^ He activated her power from within her own mind, teleporting
everyone
else back to Arkansas, and switching her power off at the same time, so
they
could not return. The only ones left now were Essex, Wolverine, Maverick,
Forge, Deadpool, Daredevil, Storm, Havok, and Juggernaut.

	Essex stepped towards the Externals, who had been waiting for the old man
to
make his decision. They saw what had happened, and braced themselves for a
full attack. It did not come.

	Only Essex attacked, unleashing blast after blast of raw energy. The
assault
was so unexpected that the initial volley took out Crule and Selene. As
they
lay on the ground, the Externals returned the attack in kind. Exodus
unleashed
the same sort of blasts, but Essex erected shields to protect himself from
them. He knew Gideon, and knew that he would be trying to duplicate his
powers, but since he was not a mutant, that was impossible.

	Far behind Essex, his charges could only watch as Essex single-handedly
took
on them all, and they were helpless when they suddenly glimpsed Cannonball
sneak over Essex's shields far above in the sky, then descend like a rocket
into Essex, breaching his formidable shields with unstoppable kinetic
force.
That was their cue to get involved in the battle, and Maverick took charge
immediately, barking orders to the rest of the Rebellion who remained.
"Daredevil! You take Mimic. He can't mimic your powers if you've not got
any!
Juggernaut, you're on Gideon, for the same reasons as 'Devil. Everyone
else,
just pick your targets as you see them. Let's move!"

	They ran into battle, fearless. Knowing that they were probably less
powerful
than the Externals, but they continued on, propelled by Essex's failed
effort
to protect them. The Externals stood their ground, waiting for the
headstrong
fighters to reach them. Daredevil somersaulted towards the one called the
Mimic, who could replicate any mutant power in his vicinity. When he first
met
Apocalypse, Ennur Sabah exposed him to Gideon, and the Mimic absorbed the
Externals immortality permanently, but not his actual powers. Gideon's
similar
powers somehow blocked the Mimic from gaining mutant powers of his own.
Mimic
prepared to gain his attacker's powers as he neared him, but they did not
manifest. 

	"What the--?" he muttered, an instant before Daredevil whirled his
billy-club
into Mimic's face. Blood splashed onto it, as he pulled away, and spun a
roundhouse kick into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. 

	As the Mimic lay coughing blood on the ground, Daredevil said, "Can't
absorb
what isn't there, eh?"

	Nearby, Havok had challenged Exodus directly. Exodus stared down at him
from
his position high in the sky, and said, "You dare confront me boy? Hnnh!
This
should not take long." As he finished that last word, he swung his hands
forward, letting loose the full extent of his psycho-kinetic blasts at
Havok.
Reacting to the attack, Alex focused on creating a wide field of energy,
that
served to block the blasts from reaching their target. His plasma shield
held,
and Alex then attempted to push his field forward, to propel them back to
their owner. The energy build-up was incredible, and Havok's vast cosmic
supply of
energy was succeeding over Exodus' psychic powers. As the power Exodus
generated was fed back into him, along with Havok's energy too, the
backlash to his system proved too much, and he passed out, dropping to
ground like a
boulder.

	Nemesis, seeing his comrade fall, intensified his attack on Maverick, his
anger fuelling his microwave blasts. Maverick ducked and dodged the blasts,
while
simultaneously trying to calibrate his guns to counter the heat blasts
generated by the son of Apocalypse. He found what he hoped was the right
setting, and powered his gun up. Rolling away from another blast, he aimed
at
Nemesis and fired a blast of energy at his foe. Nemesis' heat blasts
cancelled
it out easily, and he fired yet another shock wave at David. He stood his
ground this time, waiting to the last instant to roll to the side. It was
too
late however, for him to escape the fallout of the blast, and he took the
brunt of the rubble that shot out when the blast connected. Nemesis walked
over to
his fallen adversary, and stood gloating as the dust settled. He was
distracted by a cry of pain momentarily, and as he glanced away, he felt a
sudden
burst of energy hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards. David
emerged from
the rubble, and swung a glowing fist into Nemesis' face. He fell to the
ground, and said "But how? You should've been as good as dead?"

	"Guess your masters didn't brief you enough then, did they? I absorb
kinetic
impact, and re-channel it into my own energy. Useful for, oh let's say,
surviving a ton of rock landing on me?"

	Before Nemesis could say anything, David swung his foot into his jaw, then
his stomach, knocking him out for the count. {{That was easier than I
thought.
Wonder what makes these guys so special?}}

	In the other battles, the Rebellion had triumphed, by using teamwork and
battle savvy, drilled into them by experience and by Essex's rigorous
training.. By
the time the fight was over, Essex had regained consciousness, and surveyed
the scene before him. For once using his telepathic powers, he called out
to them
^^You have done well this day children. This is a monumentous victory for
our
cause. Gather the fallen up and we will leave now. I think that the
Hellfire
Club know now that we shall not let the world be conquered without a fight.
They will not strike again for a while. With these mutants in our grasp, we
have an advantage over them, that--^^

	He stopped, as a familiar blue haze bathed the battlefield. "No!" Maverick
shouted, "They're getting away! Can't you stop them Essex?"

	"I am afraid not child, this power is far, far greater than mine, and it
would be futile trying to retrieve them."

	He stayed silent for a few moments, as the ship flew away into the
distance,
back to wherever they would hide, and regroup for another attack. "We have
won
this battle, but it will be the first of many. They were arrogant this day,
in
underestimating our power. They shall not err so again. Come children, let
us
go from this place of death. Deadpool?"

	"Sure thing boss." He pressed a few buttons on his wristband, and they all
dematerialised into nothingness, leaving only the stench of blood and
rotting
corpses to remain as a reminder of the brutality of war..

END

Well? Whaddya think? Do you want to read more of the Yin-Yang world? If so,
then write to me, cos I want to hear what people thought of this, a
different
thing for me. Also, since this is a big universe, if you want to write a
one-shot based in this universe, then tell me what you would want to do,
and
I'll get back to you.