X-Posse

#02
4th JAN 2001

Shinobi Shaw: Shinobi Shaw is the leader of X-Posse, the group of mutant rebels that once belonged to Bishop's X-Men. When Shinobi was only a boy, he was left in the care of Bishop and the mutant telepath named Tessa. Shinobi remain with the X-Men until he, and his team, chose to strike out on their own, leaving for San Francisco.

Tessa: The mind behind the team, Tessa is the advisor of X-Posse, and co-leads the team with Shinobi. After Sebastian Shaw died at the hands of Black Air, she had taken it upon herself to become Shinobi's advisor, to keep him from making the same mistakes his father made. She is a low-level telepath, and a former member of Sebastian's Inner Circle.

Wildchild: Wildchild is the fiercely loyal bodyguard of Shinobi, and follows his "master" everywhere. Formerly known as Kyle Gibney, Wildchild has let himself succumb to his feral nature and is now no more than a savage beast.

Siryn: The daughter of the X-Men's Banshee, Theresa has almost identical powers to that of her father. She was originally brought into the life of the X-Men, unknowing about her mutant powers. When she discovered them she was initially in shock, but soon learned to master them. She has decided to take a more pro-active stance in the battle between man and mutant, and that is what led to her joining up with Shinobi's X-Posse.

Shatterstar: The enigma of the team, Shatterstar joined the ranks of X-Posse only a short while before they left for San Francisco. Not much is known about him, save that he is an expert swordsman, and has the ability to rechannel energy through his blades.

Reaper: Reaper is the wildcard of the team. He takes an almost perverse pleasure in killing, and is more than willing to go to almost any lengths to achieve what he wants. In Reaper's case, the ends justify the means.

Guido: Guido is one half of the team's 'Bash Brothers'. He's a fun-lovin' guy, and is always wearing a smile. His mutant powers allow him to store kinetic energy, causing the rapid growth of muscle around his body. He's the 'Strong Guy' of the team, and is always dependable in a fight.

Warpath: The other half of the 'Bash Brothers', James Proudstar is the strong, silent type. His family were hunted down and killed by Selene during the height of the war between man and mutant, with only himself and his brother surviving the massacre. Both eventually broke free from the Prelate's grasp, and joined forces with Bishop and the X-Men. Now Warpath is a member of the X-Posse, making it his personal mission to hunt down those responsible for the death of his family.

Rictor: The Hispanic mutant was another late addition to the team, but seems to have clicked with the rest of the crew. He has a close relationship with Guido and James, making them the 'Three Stooges' of the group. Rictor has the ability to control vibratory waves, enabling him to cause small earthquakes and avalanches.

Rusty: After losing everything he had, Rusty Collins was found by Bishop in one of the many 'Mutant Camps' of the Human Resistance Movement. Rusty became a member of Bishop's next generation of X-Men, and soon found love in the form of Meltdown. The two later joined their comrades, and left for San Francisco as a part of X-Posse.

Meltdown: Tabitha Smith is another result of the Human Resistance Movement's 'Mutant Camps', where she was horribly used and abused. When the X-Men rescued her she instantly pledged herself to their cause, and soon fell in love with Rusty Collins. They have both now left the X-Men but still fight against Onslaught's evil as members of the X-Posse.

Milan: Another telepath, Milan has helped bring X-Posse to the shores of San Francisco, the city which has suffered much triumphant. While his powers are of a low-level, he is seen as the spiritual centre of the group, and is always there for guidance.

Harry Leland: A former member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, and the best friend of Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland departed from the exclusive club to join the ranks of Onslaught's Prelates, being promised more power than he had ever been given before. He was soon appointed as the leader of Onslaught's Hounds, using his formidable powers to control the oceans and shores of Onslaught's empire.

Selene: Once a member of the of Hellfire Club, Selene quickly sided with Onslaught, realising where the true power lies. Like Leland, she was offered a position of power, and she was given it as the second in command of Onslaught's Hounds, under Harry Leland. Selene now has her own agenda's, knowing that Leland has yet a soft spot, she will try all her hardest to exploit Leland for who he is, and seize the power bestowed upon him.

Pierce: Donald Pierce, a former member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle is now on a mission of revenge. After being unceremoniously kicked out of the Club's Inner Circle, Pierce and his cyborg Reavers vowed revenge on Shaw and his ilk. Unfortunately they were beat to the punch by the HRM's Black Air. Pierce has now made it his duty to eliminate all surviving members of the Clan Hellfire, starting off with the son of the Black King, Shinobi Shaw.

"Now Way Out pt.2"

by R.J..

with scripting assist by Benn Vallely

San Francisco, California
In the depths of San Francisco, Chinatown was once a peaceful place. Now look at it. There stands an injured Syrin and Rusty Collins, standing beside Milan and Tessa. The two telepaths of X-Posse. There, standing against them, is Selene, Pierce, Stonewall, Gauntlet, and Hardrive, as they slowly move towards the four X-Posse members. Syrin, with a tear running down her eye turns to her three team-mates.
"Forgive me." Syrin mutters under her breath.
Syrin let's out a sonic scream sending Tessa, Rusty, and Milan flying two blocks from where they stand. Tessa and Rusty landed intact, however Milan smashed his knee on concrete breaking it in two different places.
Syrin screams, "Get outta here. Or we'll all be deed!"
Syrin lets out another sonic scream, knocking down all of the Hounds with the exception of Selene. Selene grabs Syrin by the throat, draining the life out of her victim. With a look of disgust on her face, Selene peered into Syrin's eyes until there was nothing left to look in to. Selene has sucked out everything that Syrin had. Selene loosens her grip around Syrin's throat, as the girl falls dead.
"Foolish girl." Selene

There, in the grasp of Omega Red, lies Rictor. Rictor, trying to stay conscious, struggles as Omega Red lifts him into the air with his tendrils. Guido and Warpath break through the tree that Omega Red was perched on. Omega Red jumps down, dropping Rictor with a horrid thud.
Guido kneels down besides Rictor. Rictor's out cold. "You'll regret that." Warpath shouts as he charges at Omega.
The Russian mutant dodges out of harms way, using his tendrils to trip Warpath in doing so. "You X-Men never learn."
"We're X-Posse, don't forget it." Warpath warns as he brings himself back up to his feet.
Warpath perpares to charge again, but Guido attacks first. Omega Red leaps over the giant man, but is caught in mid-air and sent reeling to the ground. Warpath joins the fray, and the two begin beating on Omega Red as though they were mugs in an alley.
"Seems like we arrived just in time." comes a sinister voice.
Guido and Warpath quickly turn around to be greeted by the remaining group of Hellions. Rictor struggles to get on his feet, but gets knocked down once again by Beef. Guido leaps to square off against Beef, as the rest of the Hellions now become involved.
As the fray continues, Tarot, using her mutant powers to see the future, picks a card from her deck to help steer the direction of the fight in the Hellions favour. Instead, she is greeted by an altogether different vision. "My cards say that...this can't be. The death of the Hellions."
She then looks up to see the trio of Shatterstar, Spiral, and Longshot. Just like her cards predicted. Tears run down her face as she begins to tremble, "We're gonna die today!"
She turns to run, but then stops as she sees the man that's going to conceal her fate. The man with little remorse when it comes to battle, Shatterstar.
Shatterstar, with a grin upon his face looks down at Tarot, with his two swords shining, thinking of the innocent men and women she and the Hellions have butchered. He readies his sword for the killing stroke...

Chinatown, San Francisco
Milan, with an arm over Rusty and an arm over Tessa, begins to rush to help. Selene uses her telekinetic powers to enable the Hounds to chase after the trio. The land only a few feet infront of the fleeing X-Posse.
Milan, realising the situation, pushes Tessa and Rusty away from him, and screams "Go...go without me! If they're to kill both of us Tessa, X-Posse won't have a prayer. Guide the team, and God be with you." He says before charging in the direction of the Hounds.
"NO!!! I won't leave you." Tessa screams.
Rusty grabs Tessa and continues running, "We have no choice, Milan's right. They're not here to take prisoners Tessa."
Milan reaches Gauntlet first, as he falls on his broken knee. Gauntlet does nothing but smile, and point the gun at Milan
"Sweet dreams, loser."
Suddenly a small blade is heard whistling as it sliced through the wind. Gauntlet's happy face turns to confusion, as he falls to his knees, and breaths his last breath.
"Happy to see me?" a voice calls to Milan.
The wounded mutant looks up, already knowing who is there, and let's out a loud sigh. "Reaper, thank god."

Tessa and Rusty continues to run, heading for Pacific Heights, where Shinobi is. Tessa breaks through Shinobi's mind. {Shinobi?} she calls out in her mind.
{Tessa. I'm with Leland. Scalphunter and Spoor are with him. But don't worry, I have a plan. Just get here as soon as you can.}
Tessa stops running, and then opens her mind to the rest of the team. She contacts Guido at Golden Gate Park...Then Milan, to see if he's still alive..."Milan was saved Rusty, we're heading back."

"Where's Rusty?" Meltdown screams at Milan.
"They're heading for Pacific heights. We didn't think you'd make it in time. Theresa's already dead." Milan weeps.
"Tab! Tessa's just contacted me telepathically. I just got done talking to Tessa, she and Rusty's on their way back." Reaper informs her.
"It's a shame you won't be seeing him alive." A dark voice interjects. The three spin around to see Gauntlet's leader standing menacingly before them. Donald Pierce, leader of the Reavers.
"Oh God, who is this guy? Robo-Prelate?" Reaper replies, a smile on his face as he sheathes in sword.

Meanwhile, back at Pacific Heights.
"I didn't expect we would get to meet so soon." Leland laughs as he pours himself a cherry. "Did I tell you you're the spitting image of your father?"
"Yes. Twice."
"You know you can't win this war, Shinobi. Mutants are destined to rule the world. You do know that, don't you?" Leland asks as he puts his hand on Shionbi's shoulder. "Why not give up this foolish conflict, and join us. Fight with me and my crew. What do you say to that?"
"Yes." Shinobi answers.

In X-Posse #03: Shinobi a traitor? Say it ain't so! The Hellions gonna die? What, again!? Reaper and Meltdown gonna take on Pierce, Tessa, Stonewall, and Hardrive? Cooool! X-Posse comes back in thirty days!

Story © 2000 R.J., and may not be reproduced without permission.

X-Posse logo created by R.J., and may not be reproduced without permission.

	Shinobi Shaw: Shinobi Shaw is the leader of X-Posse, the group of mutant rebels that once belonged to Bishop's X-Men. When Shinobi was only a boy, he was left in the care of Bishop and the mutant telepath named Tessa. Shinobi remain with the X-Men until he, and his team, chose to strike out on their own, leaving for San Francisco.

	Tessa: The mind behind the team, Tessa is the advisor of X-Posse, and co-leads the team with Shinobi. After Sebastian Shaw died at the hands of Black Air, she had taken it upon herself to become Shinobi's advisor, to keep him from making the same mistakes his father made. She is a low-level telepath, and a former member of Sebastian's Inner Circle.

	Wildchild: Wildchild is the fiercely loyal bodyguard of Shinobi, and follows his "master" everywhere. Formerly known as Kyle Gibney, Wildchild has let himself succumb to his feral nature and is now no more than a savage beast.

	Siryn: The daughter of the X-Men's Banshee, Theresa has almost identical powers to that of her father. She was originally brought into the life of the X-Men, unknowing about her mutant powers. When she discovered them she was initially in shock, but soon learned to master them. She has decided to take a more pro-active stance in the battle between man and mutant, and that is what led to her joining up with Shinobi's X-Posse.

	Shatterstar: The enigma of the team, Shatterstar joined the ranks of X-Posse only a short while before they left for San Francisco. Not much is known about him, save that he is an expert swordsman, and has the ability to rechannel energy through his blades.

	Reaper: Reaper is the wildcard of the team. He takes an almost perverse pleasure in killing, and is more than willing to go to almost any lengths to achieve what he wants. In Reaper's case, the ends justify the means.

	Guido: Guido is one half of the team's 'Bash Brothers'. He's a fun-lovin' guy, and is always wearing a smile. His mutant powers allow him to store kinetic energy, causing the rapid growth of muscle around his body. He's the 'Strong Guy' of the team, and is always dependable in a fight.

	Warpath: The other half of the 'Bash Brothers', James Proudstar is the strong, silent type. His family were hunted down and killed by Selene during the height of the war between man and mutant, with only himself and his brother surviving the massacre. Both eventually broke free from the Prelate's grasp, and joined forces with Bishop and the X-Men. Now Warpath is a member of the X-Posse, making it his personal mission to hunt down those responsible for the death of his family.

	Rictor: The Hispanic mutant was another late addition to the team, but seems to have clicked with the rest of the crew. He has a close relationship with Guido and James, making them the 'Three Stooges' of the group. Rictor has the ability to control vibratory waves, enabling him to cause small earthquakes and avalanches.

	Rusty: After losing everything he had, Rusty Collins was found by Bishop in one of the many 'Mutant Camps' of the Human Resistance Movement. Rusty became a member of Bishop's next generation of X-Men, and soon found love in the form of Meltdown. The two later joined their comrades, and left for San Francisco as a part of X-Posse.

	Meltdown: Tabitha Smith is another result of the Human Resistance Movement's 'Mutant Camps', where she was horribly used and abused. When the X-Men rescued her she instantly pledged herself to their cause, and soon fell in love with Rusty Collins. They have both now left the X-Men but still fight against Onslaught's evil as members of the X-Posse.

	Milan: Another telepath, Milan has helped bring X-Posse to the shores of San Francisco, the city which has suffered much triumphant. While his powers are of a low-level, he is seen as the spiritual centre of the group, and is always there for guidance.


	Harry Leland: A former member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, and the best friend of Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland departed from the exclusive club to join the ranks of Onslaught's Prelates, being promised more power than he had ever been given before. He was soon appointed as the leader of Onslaught's Hounds, using his formidable powers to control the oceans and shores of Onslaught's empire.


	Selene: Once a member of the of Hellfire Club, Selene quickly sided with Onslaught, realising where the true power lies. Like Leland, she was offered a position of power, and she was given it as the second in command of Onslaught's Hounds, under Harry Leland. Selene now has her own agenda's, knowing that Leland has yet a soft spot, she will try all her hardest to exploit Leland for who he is, and seize the power bestowed upon him.


	Pierce: Donald Pierce, a former member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle is now on a mission of revenge. After being unceremoniously kicked out of the Club's Inner Circle, Pierce and his cyborg Reavers vowed revenge on Shaw and his ilk. Unfortunately they were beat to the punch by the HRM's Black Air. Pierce has now made it his duty to eliminate all surviving members of the Clan Hellfire, starting off with the son of the Black King, Shinobi Shaw.