Wolverine stood in his uniform, waiting for the rest of the X-Men. Scott had just told then about Gambit and Kavik,
and they had to decide what to do. Quickly, he grabbed the phone and dialled a number. It was a full minute before it
was answered.

"This better be good," came the slurred voice of someone who had obviously just woken up.

"This David Mitchell?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," came the reply.

"My name's Logan. Ya don't know me, but Kavik told me ta ring ya if anythin' happened ta her."

"What's wrong?" The voice that asked the question was infinitely more alert than it had been.

"She's been kidnapped."

"What's wrong, love?" Michael Halliwell looked over at his lover.

"Kavik's been kidnapped," David replied, hunting through his jacket pockets for his address book.

"What? Who by? We can check the database to find out who their Watcher is and find out where they're holding her."

"It wasn't an Immortal."

"Then who?"

"A group of mutants calling themselves the 'Marauders'.

Apparently they work for a guy named 'Mr Sinister', of all things." David found the address book and walked over to
the bed. "He's meant to be bad news, Mike. I'm worried."

Michael climbed to his knees behind David and started massaging his shoulders. "She'll be fine. Kavik's been taking
care of herself for 500 years." Michael wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure his husband or himself.

"Who are you ringing?" He asked, as David reached for the phone and began dialling a number.

"Who do you think?" David replied softly, as the call connected and a male voice answered the ringing. "Adam,
something's happened."

Kavik gasped as awareness flooded back into her; doubling up in pain as her body reacted to the last memory
she had. "Gods, that hurt!" She winced as she sat up. She stood
up, feeling a phantom pain in her stomach where Sabretooth's claws had ripped her open. Kavik was looking
around her cell, when the door opened and and a man walked in. She recognised him instantly. "Mr Sinister."

"Ms MacLeod. Or do you prefer Mrs?" Sinister's voicewas light.

"Ms will do."

"As you wish." Sinister nodded and motioned towards the door. "Please."

Kavik looked at the door and then at Sinister. she thought, before walking out into the corridor.

"I must apologise about the circumstances that brought you here," Sinister said politely.

"You mean the kidnapping, or the fact that I was gutted during it?" one of the X-Men greatest enemies. I'm covered in blood and my shirt is shredded. I have *got* to switch to de-caff.>

"Both, I'm afraid that Sabretooth got a bit... carried away."

Sinister looked at Kavik. "But I really *had* to meet you."

"Most people just invite me to dinner, or send flowers, but I guess kidnap and eviseration at least ensures a girl'll
remember you."

Sinister laughed. "Dinner and flowers, I'll bear that in mind in the future."

They reached a door, which Sinister opened. He waited until Kavik walked into the room, and walked in behind her.
Kavik looked over at the sumptuous bed and back at Sinister. "You have *got* to be kidding me."
Sinister looked momentarily confused, then he realised what Kavik was talking about.

"Oh no, you misunderstand me. I merely assumed you would want to clean up. The bathroom is through there," he pointed to a second door, "and there are some new clothes next to the bed."

Kavik looked over at the bed and noticed the bag leaning against it.

"When you have showered and changed, just press the button next to the door and someone will arrive to bring you
to me." Sinister walked out of the room and left Kavik alone.

Kavik stared at the door for a few seconds before walking over to it and turning the handle. there.> Looking over to the bathroom, she sighed. "Oh well," she murmured, "if you can't beat 'em, take their advice." Going over to the bag lying on the floor, she tipped out the new clothes onto the bed. "And whadda ya know, they're my size." Taking off her ruined and blood covered clothes, she placed them in the empty bag, then headed into the bathroom.

Kavik looked in the mirror, feeling more human after her shower. "Okay," she said to her reflection, "time to find out
exactly what our 'host' wants." Using her powers to pull the water off her hair and body, she walked out of the
bathroom. She dressed in the new clothes, then picked up her watch from where she had placed it on the bed. Wiping
some of the dried blood off it, she noticed the time. "Gods," she grimaced, "why can't the bad guys keep normal working
hours?" She laughed softly as she imagined taking out an ad in one of the newspapers - 'Kavik MacLeod would like to
request that people refrain from kidnapping or attempting to kill her between the hours of eight at night to eight in the
morning. Thank you.' "Like, *that* would go down well," she muttered as she pressed the button next to the door and
waited.

Remy LeBeau hissed in pain as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding and he felt sick to his stomach.

"So, you're awake. It's about time."

Remy sat up quickly, turning to face the voice, and instantly regretted it. Putting his head between his legs, he
took several deep breaths until the room stopped spinning. He could hear Arclight snorting, and saw a couple of green
pills thrust into his line of vision.

"They'll negate the residual effects of Vertigo's power," said Arclight.

"How can I be sure of dat?"

"Because if we'd wanted to kill you, we would have done it already."

The pounding in his head was getting worse and so he took the pills from Arclight and swallowed them. Almost
immediately, the thumping in his head stopped and the nausea abated.

"Come on, Sinister's waiting." Arclight keyed a number into a pad next to the door and it slid open.

Remy thought about using his powers to take Arclight down, but he didn't know where Kavik was. don' even know where *I* am.>

"Well?" Arclight looked at Remy impatiently.

Sighing, Remy stood up and followed Arclight into the corridor.

"We have ta go after them." Wolverine glared at Cyclops.

"We don't know where they are!" Cyclops replied. "Kavik can't be found by telepathy, and you know how hard
Gambit is to read telepathically. And if Sinister has got them, then they're probably somewhere that has a telepathic
block."

"What about Cerebro?" Cannonball asked.

"Cerebro is already searching for them, Sam," Ororo said softly. She could sense how worried Sam was. He and
Kavik had become very close in the short time she had been with the X-Men.

"The problem is," added Professor Xavier, "that Cerebro won't be able to pinpoint their location until one of them uses
their powers."

"So, what ya sayin', Chuck, is that we can't do a damn thing," Wolverine growled.

"Not until we find out where they are," Xavier sighed. "We also have Cerebro searching for the power signatures of the
Marauders. The moment one of them triggers their abilities, we'll know about it."

"But what happens if that's too late?" Wolverine walked out of the War Room, leaving the rest to think about what he
said.

Kavik was pacing the room when the door opened. A well built blond in jeans and a checked shirt walked in.

"Sabretooth."

"They said ya had some sorta healin' factor. I just wanted ta come an' see for myself," he grinned.

"You got the drop on me once, Creed, you won't do it again," warned Kavik.

"I wasn't even thinkin' of it. I came ta take ya ta see Sinister. After you." Sabretooth motioned towards the door
with a flourish.

Kavik eyed him warily, then walked into the corridor.

"I hear ya a friend of the runt," Creed said, almost conversationally.

"I take it you mean Logan," replied Kavik. "Yes, I am."

"What's someone like you see in that?"

"What do you mean?"

Creed stopped walking and leant against the wall, regarding Kavik. "Ya different," he said. "When my claws
went inta ya, I didn't smell fear. That's what I smell from people I'm with - fear. But you, what I smelled was more
like... irritation. Ya were annoyed, not scared. The thing is, ya weren't healin' in the back o' that van, ya were dead. So
what are ya?"

Kavik looked at Creed and smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think ya do."

"Listen to me, Creed, you know nothing about me, so let's just leave it that way, okay?"

"Whatever ya say, darlin'." Creed pushed himself off the wall and started walking. "Come on, Sinister doesn't like ta
be kept waitin'."

Arclight stopped at a door and pressed the button next to it. The door slid open and Arclight motioned Remy inside.
Remy stepped through the open door, spinning around when he heard it close behind him.

"Remy, I'm so glad you could join me," a smooth voice drifted out from one of the corners of the room.
Remy turned and saw a man sitting in a chair, smiling at him.

"Sinister, why de hell am I here?"

"I think we should wait until Ms MacLeod joins us before we get into that. Please, have a seat. Would you like a
coffee?"

Remy's sarcastic reply was cut off by the door sliding open and Kavik walking in. "Are y' all right, chere?" Remy
asked softly, walking over to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Kavik.

"Now we're all here, I'd like to talk about the reason I had you brought to me." Sinister looked over at the two X-Men
and smiled.

Vertigo stood in the training room at Sinister's base. She couldn't sleep and decided to test some more aspects of her
newly enhanced powers. Vertigo knew she had been one of the weakest Marauders. privilage has to ge to Prism.> However, when Sinister has developed his plan to get LeBeau and MacLeod, he had
genetically enhanced her abilities. They hadn't been sure how well they would work, which was why all of the Marauders
had been there to that night. But Vertigo found that her powers worked even better than she had hoped. Vertigo's
train of thought was interrupted as the door opened and someone was pushed into the room. It was one of Sinister's
old experiments, which he had said she could use to test the new extent of her powers. Grinning, Vertigo triggered her
abilities and watched as the man before her crumpled to the ground.

Cerebro let out a high pitched wail, startling everyone on the room. Cyclops walked over to the computer screen.
Turning to the rest of the X-Men, he smiled. "We've got them."

"Where are they?" Sam asked quickly.

"Arizona," replied Scott.

"Well," said Logan, heading for the door, "whadda we waitin' for?"

Sinister smiled, stood up and walked over to a table along the wall. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a coffee?" He
asked as he poured himself one.

"Damn it, Sinister, will y' jus' tell us wha' de hell is goin' on here?" Remy shouted.

"Please, Remy, calm down, shouting isn't good for the blood pressure," Sinister said innocently.

Kavik sighed. come through that door and start singing Barry Manilow songs.> "Mr Sinister," she said softly, "you had us attacked,
kidnapped and brought here. Why?"

Sinister nodded in supplication. "As you are aware, my primary research is in genetics. My aim is to produce the
perfect mutant."

"There's no such thing as perfection," replied Kavik. "There never has been."

"Not yet, but with your help, I believe I can come close."� Sinister looked at Kavik and Remy. "I want your gametes."

"Gametes?" Kavik repeated the word Sinister had just said.

"They're reproductive cells-"

"I *know* what they are," Kavik cut off Sinister's explanation. "What I want to know, is why you want them?"

"May I be honest with you?" Sinister asked politely.

Kavik smiled falsely. "Oh, please do."

"We all know that you, Ms MacLeod, are from a... *long lived* sub species of humanity. Or to use the colloquial term
that has been coined by you and your peers, you are an Immortal."

"How do you know about Immortals?" Kavik whispered.

"How isn't important, merely that the fact that I do. I believe that the offspring of the two of you will combine the
best aspects of the parents. Namely," he nodded at Kavik, "your longevity, and your," a nod to Remy, "unique power
base."

"Unique power base?" Kavik looked from Sinister to

Gambit and back again. "I don't understand."

"Remy is one of the first of a new breed of mutants. He has at least two totally separate and unrelated mutant
abilities. For a first generation mutant, he is unique."

"What about Jean? She has two abilities," pointed out Kavik.

"My research has shown that telepathy and telekinesis are extremely closely related. In fact, all telepaths have the
potential to become telekinetics, and vice versa, it is merely a case of unlocking the abilities."

"Oh."

"Add Remy's natural affinity for unrelated powers to an Immortal's ability to accept powers with the 'quickening', I
believe it's called, and you, or rather, I, have the template for near perfection - a mutant with the ability to survive *any*
injury and a multitude of powers."

"Wha' makes y' t'ink dat we'll jus' let y' take wha' y' need?" Remy questioned.

"Because you owe me," answered Sinister.

"Wha' de hell do I owe *you*?" Remy clenched his fists.

"You owe me for not revealing just what you are to your precious X-Men," sneered Sinister.

"What do you mean by that?" Kavik asked Sinister as she walked over to Gambit and laid a hand on his arm.

"Remy has his secrets, don't you, Remy?" Sinister noticed Gambit's hands had begun to glow slightly. "And don't
bother trying to fight your way out of here, you'd both be dead in an instant. Except, Kavik would revive, of course.
You know, ever since I found out about Immortals, I've wondered how much pain one could handle before going
insane."

Remy reabsorbed the power back into his body, glaring at Sinister.

Sinister laughed. "Tell me, Kavik, do you know what it's like to have a secret so dark, so terrible, that you would kill
to keep it from being discovered?"

Kavik closed her eyes as Sinister's words washed over her.

"That you would destroy all who knew about your past in order to protect your present, to safeguard your future.� Remy does."

Kavik forced herself to open her eyes and look at Remy. He was standing perfectly still and his skin felt clammy under
her touch.

"But enough reminiscing." Sinister's voice lost it's menacing tone and took on a lighter quality. "Now, about those
gametes. What do you say?"

"Fine," answered Kavik.

"What?" Gambit's and Sinister's voices overlapped.

"Sinister, if you can find a gamete in my body, then you're welcome to it."

Sinister's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"For all your claims of knowing about us, you don't know much. Immortals are sterile. We have no reproductive
capabilities. Even if I *wanted* to litter the world with miniature versions of myself, I couldn't. And, I'm willing to
bet, neither can you."

"There are other ways-" Sinister's words were cut off by a loud wailing.

The door opened and Prism burst in, "the X-Men are here; they're past the perimeter defences."

Kavik smiled. "I dare say there are other ways, but it appears we're not gonna be here long enough for you to find
them."

Gambit grabbed a card out of his pocket and charged it, throwing at the table against the wall. The resulting explosion covered the room in smoke as Kavik and Remy ran into the corridor.