The rendezvous point was deep in an abandoned warehouse district, shadowed and silent. Jean and Kitty walked a few paces ahead, sing the area, while Logan, Scott, and Psylocke brought up the rear. Psylocke's purple hair glowed faintly uhe moonlight, her katana sheathed but ready, her psychises on high alert.

  They had received intel on a mutant smuggler operation in this location.

  "Anyone else getting a bad vibe here?" Logan growled, his eyes narrowed as he g the empty windows around them.

  "Yeah," Kitty replied as she g Jean. "I was just thinking the same thing."

  Jean stopped, pg a hand oemple as she reached out with her telepathy, searg for any hidden minds. Her expression grew dark as she lowered her hand. "It's too quiet. I'm not sensing anyone… but I 't shake the feeling that we're being watched."

  Scott, alrepared, adjusted his visor. "Let's stay sharp. They are probably using telepathy-blog tech. Besides, if this is a trap, they won't keep us waiting for long."

  [k!] Just then, a loud metallig echoed through the warehouse, causing everyoo tense up.

  Out of the shadows, several figures emerged. Standing at the forefront, a familiar faeered at them with feral excitement: Sabretooth. His t figure was intimidating as ever, his cws extended, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Behind him, Lady Deathstrike's fingers stretched into razor-sharp bdes, while Pyro lit up his palms with bright fmes, illuminating a few other hostile mutants in the background, eae itg for a fight.

  "Well, well, looks like the X-Force decided to join us for a little midnight fun," Sabretooth growled, baring his teeth.

  Logan's eyes narrowed, reizing his old nemesis. "Sabretooth," he spat. "Figured you'd be lurking in the shadows, coward."

  "Oh, don't worry," Sabretooth replied with a grin. "I'm here for more than lurking." He sigo his team with a jerk of his head. "Take them down!"

  Before anyone could react, Pyro shot a burst of fme toward them, f the team to scatter. Kitty grabbed Jean, phasing them both to avoid the bzing inferno, while Logan and Psylocke dodged in the opposite dire. Scott lifted his visor slightly, firing a bst at Pyro, who deftly ducked behind a staetal crates, cag as he fired back.

  Psylocke was the first to make a move. With her katana fshing in the dim light, she charged at Lady Deathstrike, who met her attack with a swipe of her elongated adamantium cws. The two cshed in a flurry of sparks and steel, each blow deflected by the other's skill. Psylocke dashed around her oppo, her movements fluid and graceful, striking from all angles, but Deathstrike's speed kept her on the defehen she pluhe sword into Deathstrike's stomach, but she used her cws to break Psylocke's sword. Her regeion kicked him after she pulled out the sword.

  "Well," Psylocke smirked as she made a psionic bde, ready to tihe fight. "That annoying healing... I wonder what will happen if I were to destroy your brain nerves?"

  "Why don't ya e and find out?" Deathstrike said before crag her ned rushing in.

  Kitty, meanwhile, had her own challenge. One of the mutants—a brawler with thick, armored skin—came charging toward her. She phased just in time, letting him pass through her before solidifying and delivering a quick punch to his side. "Oouch!" She flinched. 'That was a bad move.' Her strike did little to his armored hide, but it was enough to catch his attention.

  "Heh!" The brawler grinned before rushing at her.

  Kitty darted away, using her agility to stay out of his reach, looking for an opening.

  Scott and Jean worked in tandem. Scott aimed his optic bsts at Sabretooth, trying to keep him at a distance, but Sabretooth was relentless, dodging with surprising agility and lunging at him with a roar. Jean focused, usielekinesis to hurl nearby debris at Sabretooth, giving Scott enough time to reposition a a better shot.

  "eamwork, Summers," Sabretooth taunted, even as he dodged another bst. "But it won't save you."

  "You talk too much," Scott replied, firing another bst that hit Sabretooth square in the chest, sending him skidding back.

  Jean moved quickly, using her powers to lift a piece of heavy maery, throwing it toward Sabretooth with a flick of her wrist. He mao slice through it, but the force threw him off bance, allowing Scott to fire a trated bst at him, whided with a resounding impact.

  "Stay down," Scott ordered.

  But Sabretooth only ughed, getting ba his feet with an unnerving grin. "Oh, I'm just getting started."

  Meanwhile, Logan and Pyro were locked in a dangerous dane and cws. Logan lu Pyro, who shot a n of fire directly at him, f Logan to dodge. He rolled out of the way, growling with frustration as the fmes followed him.

  "e on, old man!" Pyro taunted, waving his hands and sending fmes twisting through the air. "Too hot for you?"

  Logan grinned, leaping to a metal beam above and ung himself down onto Pyro with terrifying speed. Pyro stumbled, momentarily stunned, as Logan's cws sank into his shoulder. "ARGGGG!! FUCK!" Pyro screamed, but Logan was relentless, nding punch after puntil Pyro mao break free, staggering back with burns of his own.

  "Not so coow, are ya?" Logan growled, advang on the wounded Pyro.

  Pyro grabbed his right shoulder and staggered, trying to stand up. "Shit... Damn you!" He gritted his teeth before unleashing a torrent of fire from both hands.

  "Bad move, Bub," Logan said before charging in. As Pyro's fmes engulfed him. His healing famediately kicked in, healing his burnt skin. He jumped forward at a blinding speed, pung Pyro's stomach, and knog the air out of him. Pyro flew in the air before smming hard into a pile of wooden crates.

  "Arrrgghhh!"

  As Pyro fell to the ground, Logan picked him up by the colr of his e, staring him down. "Coward and traitor, that's what ya are!"

  "Fuck you, old man!" Pyro coughed before spitting blood onto Logan's face.

  Logan just wiped it off with his sleeve and headbutted Pyro. The younger man grunted as his nose was broken and he was knocked unscious. Logan threw him to the ground and turo the other enemies.

  Amidst the chaos, Jean's eyes narrowed as a powerful telepathic signal suddenly bombarded her mind. She gritted her teeth, trying to shield herself from the invasive prese was then she realized—someone was dampening her powers, weakenielekinesis and telepathy.

  "Scott!" she called, barely managing to send him a mental warning before the dampening force surged again. "They're using a power suppressor. I 't… I 't hold them off."

  Scott turo her, worry fshing in his eyes. "Jean, focus on staying safe. We'll get through this."

  But before she could reply, Sabretooth charged her, taking advantage of her weakeate. He knocked her down, pinnio the ground with a wicked grin.

  "Looks like the redhead's out of her league," he sneered, cws raised.

  Just as he was about to strike, Scott aimed his visor directly at Sabretooth's face, bsting him off of her. Jean scrambled to her feet, clutg her side where Sabretooth's cws had grazed her.

  "You okay?" Scott asked, steadying her.

  Jean nodded, grimag in pain. "I'll manage."

  Meanwhile, Psylocke was in a fierce struggle with Lady Deathstrike. With her telepathic abilities partially suppressed, she relied on her martial skills and instincts. She dodged a swipe from Deathstrike, flipping backward before ung a psychiife toward her oppo's mind. Deathstrike barely flinched, her own resilience defleg much of the mental attack.

  "That's all you got?" Deathstrike taunted, striking back with her cws.

  Psylocke ducked and sshed with her psionic bde, managing to graze Deathstrike's arm. "I don't need much to take you down."

  Before Deathstrike could retaliate, Kitty joined in, phasing through the ground and grabbing hold of Deathstrike's legs. She phased them partially, disruptihstrike's bance, giving Psylocke the opening she needed. With a quick ssh, she mao nd a solid hit ohstrike, causio stumble.

  Kitty smirked, tightening her grip. "Not so tough when you 't touch me."

  Deathstrike shrashing in frustration as she struggled to break free.

  As Psylocke advanced on Lady Deathstrike, a sharp crack echoed through the air—barely noticeable amidst the cmor of battle, but unmistakable to those who had heard it before. In an instant, Psylocke's body jerked backward, a sniper's bullet pierg her shoulder. She staggered, clutg her wound as crimson blossomed across her uniform.

  "Psylocke!" Kitty cried, darting forward to catch her as she colpsed to one khe wound was severe, blood seeping through Psylocke's fingers as she pressed them tightly over it.

  But the danger was far from over. Another sh out, then another, each bullet aimed with deadly precision. Jean, sensing the growing threat, reached out with her mind, straining against the telepathic suppression to detect the hidden assaints.

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  [13 advance chapters] [No double billing]

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