Onslaught Island

Shadowcat had hacked into the Cabal's computer systems easily and had extracted the necessary information with no trouble. There were several front organisations to go through. The Genesis Corporation. The Levitical Group. King's Oil Company.

"All biblical references," Kitty noted with interest, as she talked to Logan in their quarters. "The King's Oil goes back to a mysterious financier in Akkaba, Egypt, near the Red Sea. That's where the dummy businesses end, and begin. We go to Akkaba, we find the people who gave the Cabal enough funds to betray us."

"So what d'we got here?" Logan grumbled. "A religious freak?"

"Seems like it. Someone who wants the High Lord dead apparently."

"So someone with a death-wish too?"

"Yep. Definitely."

Logan stood up and walked to the door. "I'll go talk to whoever's in charge, an' get us permission t' go t' Akkaba, so meet me at Mainframe's chambers within an hour."

"Got it."

Shadowcat wandered to the lower levels of the citadel. It was here that they left tortured prisoners to die. There was one here that had survived six months, longer than any other ever. He was of particular interest to Kitty. After all, she'd been the one to torture him all those months ago.

She pounded on the door of his cell. "Wake up Pym!"

"I was already awake," Hank Pym mumbled through his disfigured lips. "What do you want Pryde? To taunt me more?"

"Pretty much," Kitty laughed. "Although I've never seen a flatscan with this much will to live."

"It's not will to live-" He strode to the window in the cell's door. "-it's the will for vengeance."

He was horrible. His skin had been shredded when his own Pym Particles had been used on the interior of his body, but not his skin. They hadn't bothered to reduce his size back to normal, so the skin had just recently knitted completely. His face was a mass of scar tissue, as was the rest of his body. Kitty stared directly into his eyes and laughed. She leaned her back against the wall next to the door.

"Vengence?" She laughed again. "I'm sorry, but it won't happen Pym. You see, I have the control for the Pym Particles in your body-" She hit a key on her arm mounted computer, increasing his size just enough to rip small holes in his skin. "-and I can use them to kill you."

"Do it then," he grunted through gritted teeth. "Kill me. And never learn the secret of Pym Particles."

"You've been promising them to us for months," Shadowcat spat. "Why should I ever believe you'll give us the formula?"

"Don't then."

"Moron," she muttered, no longer enjoying the conversation. She kicked away from the wall and strode away. Pym's laughter followed her.

"What's the matter, Shadowcat?" he called. "Outsmarted by a flatscan?!"

"Jerk."

(Events which took place in Age of Onslaught: Alpha - Benn)

Murmur kicked the corpse of Dane Whitman. She had been ordered to head a team of 'sweepers' to take care of what Wolverine and Shadowcat didn't. Specifically, they were here to dispose of the bodies. There was six of them in the building. So far they had found the corpses of most of the Cabal. Murmur had personally seen to the damage caused by Dwayne Turner's death. The explosion had been huge. She wondered if Kitty had ever used that trick before. It was good.

Her comm squawked. "Murmur, this is Flex, and we have a problem..."

"Oui?"

"We've found the body of Flint Marko, or whatever constitutes it."

"So, what is zee problem?"

"Well, Logan reported that he killed another member of the Cabal within feet of him. Cain Marko to be precise. His corpse isn't here."

"What?!"

"Cain Marko is unaccounted for. He may just be immorta- WHU?! GAAAA!!!" Flex's scream filled the comm, then silence.

Murmur cursed and keyed the frequency for the citadel. "This ees Murmur. My sweeper team ees in need of reinforcements! I repeat, we need reinforcements!" She turned to her companion, Ouija. "Come on. 'Zis may turn to something 'uge."

The two rushed to Flex's last reported position, meeting Post and Kath, the other two sweepers, en route. They arrived to find a pile of bloody sand and two corpses; their skulls both crushed. The floor behind the bodies had been broken through.

"Eet ees Flex, and one of zee mutates...Vertigo, I t'ink." Murmur said, hanging her head. "Eet looks like Marko ees gone." She keyed her comm. "Murmur 'ere again. Cancel reinforcements. He ees untraceable."

Juggernaut was loose on Onslaught Island. And it seemed he was out for blood.

Kitty waited outside the chambers that the teleporter Mainframe used, shifting the small pack on her hip. Logan rushed up to her, looking over her shoulder. Kitty raised her eyebrow.

"It's just us?"

"Um, yeah darlin'," Logan said distractedly.

"They won't send any of the other assassins?"

"Yeah, they think we can handle th' situation ourselves."

"Really?"

"Enough questions. Let's get outta here." Logan opened the door to Mainframe's chamber. "Hey, teleporter! Me an' Kitty need t' go t' Egypt!"

"Hello Logan." Mainframe was an odd mutant with the brain of a supercomputer and many talents, and the first and foremost was teleportation. "I'm guessing that you wish to go to Akkaba?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You're not the first Prelate sent there in the past week. It seems that I am unable to send anyone directly to Akkaba. Will the area around it suffice?"

"Yeah, as far away from th' other Prelates as possible. We're on a Black ops mission."

"Understood. Opening portal."

Logan crossed the room to the portal, Kitty close behind. They passed through to the harsh winds of the Egyptian desert.

Akkaba

It was nearing midnight locally, but neither Wolverine nor Shadowcat cared. Wolverine was determined to fulfil his mission. Shadowcat was determined to find out what that mission was.

"Don't send us near the other Prelates because this is Black ops?" Kitty asked Wolverine angrily. "What kind of line is that?! We've worked with as other Prelates if we are offered the opportunity whenever we can. This mission isn't approved, is it?"

"Nope," Wolverine growled. "They'll be findin' out we're here in a couple o' hours, and by then, we'll be gone."

"Why should we be? Damn it Logan, Jean'll have our hides for this!"

"My hide," Logan corrected. "An' I'll enjoy it."

"Great. Do you even have any idea what we're up against?"

"His name's Apocalypse. He's the High Lord's greatest threat. An' we're goin' t' take care o' him."

"Great," Kitty muttered. "Just great."

They didn't hear the trio of Sentinels roar overhead until the machines were upon them. Logan's curses were enough to wake Shadowcat from her fitful nap. She took a moment to comprehend what she was seeing, but leapt up once she did.

"Prelate Wolverine and Prelate Shadowcat," one Sentinel boomed, "you are ordered to come with us at once."

"Fat chance," Logan growled. "We can take 'em," he muttered to Kitty.

"Logan, these are Onslaught's Prime models!" she whispered harshly. "We don't stand a chance."

"Come on. They're just nanite enhanced flatscans. We can take them."

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Kitty muttered. Logan leapt at the nearest Prime, and Kitty followed suit. Wolverine tore through his target, leaving the Sentinel in two halves on the ground. Kitty phased through her target, destroying the complicated circuitry of the nanites in an instant.

"Modifications made to compensate for effects of target mutant's powers," the third Prime said. "Initiating programs."

"Initiate this!" Wolverine slammed his adamantium-laced claws through the Prime, stunning it.

"F-fatal damage made to th-]cli[-this unit. Initiating self-destruct." Logan leapt clear as the Prime exploded. Kitty phased through the energy released, turning to watch Logan stand.

"Are you stupid?!" she cried. "We're as good as dead now! Directly disobeying an order! Logan, this is insane!"

"Darlin', we're the High Lord's assassins. We answer only t' Onslaught or Jean."

"How do you know it wasn't one of Onslaught's orders?!?"

"I don't."

Murmur stood before the High Lord himself, the first time she had ever had the opportunity to do so. She was an ambitious young Prelate, and had worked her way up the ranks on the battlefields of Northern Africa. Now, she is blessed with a meeting with the High Lord himself. She is both terrified, and in awe of the psiconic being seated before her.

{You may rise.} Onslaught said, to the kneeling Prelate before him {One of the Cabal survived?} he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"From what we've assessed, Cain Marko possesses the Ruby of Cytorakk," Murmur explained, trying to mask the fear behind her voice. "It is said to grant him numerous abilities, one of which seems to be immortality. He calls himself the Juggernaut."

{Interesting. How many Prelates has he killed?}

"Two so far, Lord Onslaught." Murmur answered. "Flex and Vertigo."

{Vertigo was merely a mutate. No large sacrifice. But you said so far...}

"We fear that Marko may have a vendetta against you and our Prelate army, my lord."

{Let him come,} Onslaught laughed. {Then he shall learn the meaning of unstoppable.}

Wolverine and Shadowcat set out for Apocalypse's fortress before dawn. Kitty guessed it was at least two day's travel there. She was glad that she had thought to bring rations with her. The desert sun pounded on them mercilessly.

"This was really dumb Logan," Kitty said. "Didn't you think Mainframe would dump us this far away if the other Prelates were as close as he could get them?"

"Yeah, so?"

Kitty didn't speak again until the next day. She was angry at Logan. She was glad she had actually made some preparations before leaving. Even though her suit was skin-tight, it held a powerful cooling mechanism. The cold felt good against her bare skin underneath.

"That's it," Logan pointed. "We can be to the wall by nightfall."

"Goody." They trekked on, sneaking past the other Prelates posted at the force-field around Apocalypse's fortress. Kitty phased them through, anxious to get in, kill Apocalypse, and get out. They neared the wall, and heard a lot of commotion inside.

"Phase through the wall and find out what that is," Logan growled. Kitty mockingly saluted him then phased through.

She was greeted by the sight of countless mutants inside. Each of the mutants bore facial tattoos, in dark blue, crimson, and yellow tints. Kitty looked around and saw a man at the head of the army, flanked by two women, three other men and a small child. Kitty recognised the stature of the centre man and peered closer. She gasped as she recognised him. She phased back through the wall to Wolverine, her face grim.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You're not going to like it," Kitty said.

"What?"

"It's Scott Summers. He's the head of Apocalypse's army."

In Wolverine & Shadowcat #04: This is it! In the senses shattering conclusion of Wolverine & Shadowcat Scott Summers and Logan meet for the first time since Age of Onslaught: Alpha! The two men duke it out in a battle with results that will spill directly into Age of Onslaught: Omega!