Tyson lounged against the hard, cold wall of his cell, the bre of the ongoing arm starting to blend into the background. His fingers drummed idly on his leg, eyes darting around the cell. Without the distras of the blondes, it was all a bit b. If this was a fight, it was easily the dullest one he'd been i.

  Suddenly, the sound of the cell block droaning open caused him to sit up in anticipation. Maybe this was the moment things would get iing. Through the metal bars, he watched for who would appear .

  To his surprise, it was Scott Summers, Cyclops. The usually posed leader of the X-Men looked a tad off as he approached Tyson's cell.

  "Yo, Professor Summers!" Tyson called out, trying to i some levity into the tension. "How about doing a guy a favor ai of here?"

  Cyclops didn't respond. He just stood there, eyes hidden behind his signature ruby-quartz visor, watg Tyson with an iy that made him unfortable and revealed things were not as they appeared. Before Tyson could say more, a new figure strolled into view. Omega Red. But it was the man following him that made Tyson worry. William Stryker, the man behind all of this. Stryker was normally posed but for the first time, Tyson saw he was shaken, his brow sweaty and his suit disheveled. But what caused him pause was the vial clutched in Stryker’s hand. It was a small tainer filled with a mysterious liquid that gleamed menagly.

  Tyson's casual demeanor shifted, realizing that whatever was happening was bigger than just him, and whatever was in that vial was tral to it all.

  A moment of crity hit Tyson like a sledgehammer as the pieces clicked into pce. Scott's bnk stare, Omega Red's presence, and that vial in Stryker's hand. Scott had been maniputed, likely by that very serum Stryker held. The memory of the movie’s plotliarted to py in Tyson's mind, ag as a roadmap to the present predit.

  Tyson leaned against the cold bars of his cell, trying to keep his voice light, even though his mind raced with potential escape pns. "Hey, Stryker," he began, giving a fake grin, "You hiring? Gotta say, I'm appreciating the upgrade you gave me." He subtly took a step backward, pg some distaween him and the entrance. "About before, I was just kidding about those dental bes. Don't hem with the healing factor, you know?" He chuckled, hoping to buy some more time.

  Stryker’s lips curled in annoyance. "We don't have time for yames," he snapped. He shot a anding g Omega Red. "Red, grab him."

  Omega Red grinned, his tentacles uncoiling, ready for a. Tyson knew he o act fast, but with Scott being trolled and Red ready to pounce, his options were slim. Whatever move he made had to t.

  The chilling realization that he might be subjected to the mind-trol serum was enough to set Tyson on edge. He had been in tight spots before, and being ered with no apparent escape reminded him of how he’d felt within the fines of Mago’s metal prison. This fear was reinforced as Omega Red's tentacles shot toward him, resemblial serpents preparing to strike.

  Just like Mago.

  The carbonadium appendages were nearly as tough as his adamantium cws, but not quite. Tyson refused to bee another of Stryker’s mindless pawns. He refused to be trapped, helpless a for dead again.

  “e on, Red! Is that all you've got?” Tyson taunted angrily. Pulling on Sabertooth’s agility, he twisted, ducked, and leaped, barely avoiding the tentacles' relentless pursuit. One particurly close swipe from Omega Red made him grit his teeth. Swiftly retaliating, Tyson’s adamantium cws gleamed as they came into tact with the tentacles. Sparks flew, filling the air with a brief, electric-blue glow. Although the cuts he inflicted were shallow, the metallic sound of his cws g against the tentacles rang throughout the chamber. Every dent, every scratch he left on Omega Red's ons was a small victory, reinf that his defiance was not in vaie the odds, Tyson's spirit remained unbroken. He was a fighter, and he would not go down easily. Even as the tentacles tio sh out, seeking to ensnare him, he was determio resist until his st breath.

  Stryker's face torted in irritation. He had expected this to be swift, but Tyson roving to be more resilient than anticipated. "Enough of this," Stryker snapped, pointing a anding fi Scott. "Shoot him."

  Cyclops, uhe influence of the mind-trolling serum, showed atioouched his visor, and in an instant, a vibrant red beam shot out. Tyson, still dodging Omega Red, barely saw it ing. The force of the energy beam was like being hit by a sledgehammer; it smmed into his chest, catapulting him backward to collide with the cold, steel wall. The wind was knocked out of him, but he shook off the impad rolled to the side. Scott focused, letting out an even more potent and sustained optic bst. The energy beam seemed almost tangible, like a wall of pure force, pushing Tysolessly back. He struggled against it, his feet scraping against the floor, but it was too powerful. The force pinned him against the wall, his cws scraping desperately for any form of leverage.

  Omega Red took full advantage of the situation guiding his tentacles forward. One of them ed securely around Tyson, the etal squeezing tighter and tighter. Tyson growled in frustration and grunted iion as he tried to break free. The cold, strig grip of Omega Red surpassed his strength and stole his leverage. His muscles tensed and bulged, to no avail.

  Omega Red's steel-like grip hoisted Tyson effortlessly, pinning him against the cold, unyieldial bars of the cell. He un around, his ned the back of his head exposed and vulnerable, perfectly positioyson's eyes narrowed as Stryker approached, a small gss dropper filled with a menag liquid in his hand.

  Tyson's mind raced. He knew what that serum meant; if it touched him, Stryker would have trol over him, his mind, he would be a mere puppet. Desperation fueled his words. "Wait! Hail Hydra!" he blurted out.

  Stryker, initially advang with clear i, halted. A flicker of surprise crossed his usually impassive face. Tyson inwardly sighed at his gamble. He had pieced together fragments of information, a jigsaw puzzle with too many missing pieces. Stryker was the head of on X, an offshoot of the ons Plus program, the project that created Captain America. If Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD, it wasn't far-fetched they could have their tendrils in on X. Omega Red’s preseoo, iece that Tyson couldn’t make fit uhere was something else at py.

  “That’s very iing. Very, very iing,” Stryker mused, his voice steady yet tinged with a curiosity that didn't quite reach his cold eyes. He leaned closer to Tyson, his breath almost a whisper against Tyson’s ear. “Hydra doesn’t know about this little mission. This is personal. And I’d prefer they didn’t find out. So please five my improper professioiquette, but secrets must remai.” The words chilled Tyson more than the cool air of the cell.

  Tysohe weight of Stryker’s revetion crush the faint glimmer of hope he had mustered. There was no cheat code that would free him from this predit.

  He was right about Stryker… And it didn’t matter.

  As Stryker’s grip tightened on the dropper, Tyson struggled fiercely. He knew what was ing; the serum within that small vial had the power to strip him of his will, to make him a puppet to Stryker’s twisted designs. He braced himself, muscles tensing in futile resistance.

  Two droplets fell, their dest almost graceful, and nded on the vulnerable skin of Tyson’s neck. The serum burned upon tact, a searihat promised the doom of subservieyson gasped, the sensation g at his flesh. Stryker stepped back, a cruel smile pying upon his lips, an artist admiring his work. At that moment, Tyson uood that Stryker relished not just the trol but the act of taking it. The satisfa etched on Stryker’s face was not just cold, it was arctic, devoid of any sembnce of humanity.

  Time seemed to around them, each sed elongated into an agonizing stretch of reality. A ge began to overtake Tyson. The fierce struggle wilted away. The tension that fortified his muscles dissolved, and the fire that had bzed defiantly in his eyes dimmed into a flicker. His body sed, no longer resisting the steel grip of Omega Red. Tyson's expression gave way to a bnkness, proof of the serum’s efficacy. The fight had left him, not by choice, but by the imposition of a will that was not his own.

  Omega Red’s metallitacles now held a limp body. Any struggle that remained was only within Tyson's head. A battle of the mind and spirit against the chemical whose s now bound him. Stryker’s expression remained impassive, his satisfa not found in the spectacle of the struggle, but in the e. He turned his ba Tyson. Walking away from a quered, pliant foe.

  ~~ Rogue Rept ~~

  In the main security room, an array of monitors dispyed different corridors, chambers, or external parameters of the facility. Stryker entered with an air ency. The guard immediately straightened up, saluting out of habit. "We have a mutant on the loose," Stryker decred, his voice dripping with frustration. "A metamorph, she could be anyone."

  The guard’s eyes darted to the ss, then back to Stryker, a hint of realization dawning. "Anyone?" he echoed, the weight of the statemeling in.

  Before the guard could react, Stryker reached for the rifle that y o the guard. He used the butt of the rifle to strike the guard hard on the side of his head. The guard crumpled to the ground, unscious before he even knew what hit him.

  Stryker's form began to ge. His skin rippled and morphed, shifting colors aures. His stature and physique transformed until standing in Stryker's pce was the blue-skinned, yellow-eyed woman, Mystique.

  She looked around the room briefly, a sly smirk crossing her face. With a sense of purpose, she strode to the heavy door trols. Pushing a rge red button, the room was immediately filled with the loud, grinding noise of the bst doors closing. They slid into pce with a resounding thud, sealing Mystique inside.

  Ihe security room, Mystique's fingers danced over the terminal, her yellow eyes sing through lines of code and system schematics. The security system of the base was sophisticated, but her skills were up to the challenge. Glowing lines of data flowed down the s, eaand she entered bringing her oep closer to her objective. A triumphant smirk tugged at the er of her lips as she found the trols for the bst doors. With a final keystroke, the system beeped in pliance, signaling that the doors were now under her trol.

  At the entrance of the base, soldiers were taken off guard as warning lights fshed and kxons bred. The t, thick metal doors slowly began to grind open, revealing the world outside. The soldiers rushed funs at the ready, positioning themselves to repel the intrusion.

  But as they steadied their aim, a magic fripped their ons, wreng them from their grasp. The firearms floated in mid-air, defying gravity, before turning to face their former owners. From the opening, a figure stepped forward. It was Mago. "Run along," he ordered, his voice dripping with disdain, as the floating guns ominously poi the petrified soldiers.

  Not needing to be told a sed time, the soldiers scattered, their ce evaporating in the face of such raw power. As they fled, Storm, Logan, and Nightcrawler emerged from behind Mago, ready to recim their lost allies from Stryker's clutches.

  The corridors echoed with the sounds of arms and shouted orders. The group moved swiftly, using their unique abilities to overpower aahat dared to front them. Every er they turned or door they breached brought them closer to the security room where Mystique had set the stage for their invasion. They stood before the heavy doors of the security room. They slid open to reveal Mystique, still in her blue-skinned form, standio a bank of monitors dispying various parts of the facility.

  Magook a step forward, his eyes sing the ss. "Any idea where Charles is?"

  She nodded, pointing to a monitor that dispyed a familiar figure bound in a chair. "Stryker's got him in a twisted version of Cerebro. We o move fast."

  Storm asked, "And the students? The kids he kidnapped?"

  Nightcrawler, appearing uneasy, said, "They are being held in another se."

  Storm's eyes clouded over with worry. "We o split up. Time is of the essence."

  Mago nodded in agreement. "Mystique and I will retrieve Charles."

  Storm said, "I'll get the kids. Kurt, will you e with me?" Kurt nods. Storm looks around the room and realized… “Where’s Logan?”

  Mago answered, “Logan’s goer his own prize. There’s no time to wait for him.”

  ~~ Rogue Rept ~~

  Ihe Bckbird, tension brewed among the group. John threw a disapproving goward the ramp of the aircraft. "Why'd they have to leave us behind? We could've helped!"

  Bobby tried to offer some fort. "e on. The Professors and the others have their reasons. Maybe they just thought this mission was too dangerous. We aren’t trained, we’re just students."

  Jubilee piped up, her colorful, star-shaped earrings catg the dim lights of the cockpit. "Yeah, and you know Logan. He'd have our heads if anything happeo us. He's super protective like that. Especially of Tyson, he’s definitely going t him back."

  John huffed, "That's no excuse. We handle ourselves."

  Illyana chimed in, "I've faced down demons in Limbo. Some soldiers aren't going to scare me."

  Jubilee tirying to mediate the situation. She looked towards Jean, who was unusually silent, her eyes shut, possibly trying to focus oelepathy. "Jean, back me up here. We're doing the right thing by listening, right?"

  Jean sat with her eyes shut tight. Every muscle in her face was drawn taut emphasizing the lines of deep tration on her face. Jean was used to navigating the tumultuous sea of thoughts around her, but now she sensed something different. The moment Jubilee addressed her, Jean's eyes snapped open, revealing a troubled look. "Something’s ged," she said, her voice filled with . "I sensed Scott... Professor Summers. It was strange, his thoughts shifted abruptly, being almost... robotid I ’t sense Professor Xavier at all. He’s usually like a bea to me, but now there’s nothing. But there's aelepath there, ohat’s powerful, like Professor X almost. But it's se, it’s like there isn’t one focused point of psioniergy, but several with the same mental signature. I don’t uand..."

  Illyana leaned forward, her silver hair flowing over her shoulders. "Focus on what’s important, Jean! What about Tyson?" she demanded.

  Jean closed her eyes for a split sed, attempting to focus. "Tyson's mind is always difficult for me to pick up unless he's close. Right now, I'm not sure. I 't pinpoint him."

  Illyana’s pale blue eyes fshed with determination. "I’m done waiting." With a huff, she stood up, her boots thudding against the metal floor, and began to stride determinedly toward the back of the phe others exged gnces, knowing that when Illyana made up her mind, there was little that could stop her.

  Bobby stepped in front of Illyana, blog her path. "Hold on," he said, his voice firm but gentle, "If one of us goes, we all should go." John nodded in agreement.

  Illyana gred at him for a moment, "Well the's go."

  Jean rubbed her temples, a small frown on her face. "I just want everyoo be safe. But I have a feeling things are about to get a lot worse before they get better. If we're going in, we o be united and ready for anything."

  Jubilee took a deep breath. She looked at her friends. The determination and fear warred in her eyes. "You guys remember when Tyson faced Maght?" she began, her voice quivering ever so slightly. "After that fight, once he finally woke up, he told me something. He looked at me with those eyes, you know, and he said, 'Jubes, don’t ever go up against someone like Mago if you avoid it. You're strong, but you gotta know your limits.' He told me about how badly he'd been hurt. Holy, he wasn’t even sure how he'd made it, like he was almost broken. And the terrifying part? None of us would’ve survived half the injuries he had." Jubilee's eyes glistened as she tinued, "And now, once agaihe one in danger, and I... I just don't know what to do. I want to help, but...what if I 't? What if I’m not strong enough?"

  The room went quiet as Jubilee's words hung in the air. The weight of the situation pressed down on all of them. Her vulnerability and raw emotion gave everyone a momentary pause, grounding them in the reality of the dangers fag them inside.

  John raised an eyebrow stating, "But Mago is on our team now."

  Jubilee's gaze turned fiery as she shot back, "Is he? You've seen how he is. If he finds Tyson in there, who's to say he won't turn on him again? we trust him?"

  There was a tense silence. Everyone khe history and the weight behind Jubilee's words. Then Illyana stepped forward, her silver locks flowing and her blue eyes pierg with an iy only she possessed.

  "Then we o go," she decred. "Remember when Tyson faced Mago? He had Jean's power bag him up. Without it, he wouldn’t stand a ce. And Jubilee, you aren’t alone here. Orain, it was just you and Tyson, outnumbered. But together, we make a difference." Illyana looked at each of her cssmates. "So, we're all in agreement then?"

  When no one dissented, Bobby, with a slight smile, decred, "Looks like it. Let's go!"

  ~~ Rogue Rept ~~

  Stryker stood inside Cerebro. As he approached Mutant 143, Stryker's boots echoed in the cavernous space. The mutant was strapped down, eyes wide but with a vat look. The cables attached to his head pulsed with energy. Leaning down, Stryker whispered into Mutant 143's ear, "Find them. Every st mutant. Ahem."

  As he stood upright, Stryker's gaze softened. For a moment, he remembered his son Jason, and all the time they’d spent together. But then he remembered. This was not his son. This was the creature who, in Stryker's eyes, had taken his wife from him. A flicker of anger returned, darkening his features. With a final look at Mutant 143, Stryker strode out of Cerebro, the door closing behind him with a foreboding sm. The room grew silent, save for the pulsing of the mae and the soft breathing of the mutants within.

  Stryker emerged into the corridor outside of Cerebro which seemed cramped with his ente. He looked like a General surveying his army with cold and calg eyes.

  "Set the charges. Every entry a point, the dam supports, everything important you get a charge on." he barked at the soldiers, who immediately jumped to attention, nodding and dispersing quickly.

  He then turo face Cyclops. The visored mutant stood still, waiting for orders. Stryker leaned in close, his voice low enough that the others couldn’t hear. "Go to the mutant prisoners. And make sure they all die."

  Cyclops gave a faint nod, turning on his heel and marg away without hesitation.

  Stryker's gaze shifted to Tyson. Pointing at the entrao Cerebro, he said, "Guard this with your life. Attayone roaches you."

  Tyson grunted, positioning himself squarely in front of the entrance, his frame tense and ready.

  Stryker g the group of identical bloants standing by him. "You five stay with him. Make sure s through these doors."

  He then addressed the lethal pair by his side. "Yuriko, Red," he paused, log eyes with ea turn, "With me."

  With his orders delivered, Stryker fidently walked down the corridor, Yuriko and Omega Red trailing behind him.

  Behind the Ses

  - The idea of Stryker being a HYDRA member was inspired by the theory that Obediah in Iron Man 1 art of Hydra. I thought it would be a niod sihe events of Iron Man happeirely off-s in this story. Plus having HYDRA infiltrating other military anizations seemed in lih their activities.

  - In X-Men: Evolution, Omega Red is an ex-member of on X and works with Hydra, whispired his part in this Arc.

  - The ey of the remainder of this arc occurs during the same day.

  Tuesday, July 20, 2010.

  For overall reference:

  May 3rd - Iron Man escaped captivity.

  June 2nd - Tyson arrived and fought Logan.

  Tony Stark won’t test-fly the Mark 2 Iron Man armor until November. So we’re still in the middle of Iron Man in the MCU tinuity.