38
On a hill in the Uzbek deserts, the Phoenix Force's new servants pitch camp. Dr. Doom has recruited the Phoenix Five. The Phoenix Force as augmented his sorcerer magic; so he uses this to conjure a cloaked estate for him and his five new deputies.
His five new deputies, besides Emma Frost, are Namor McKenzie, Piotr Rasputin, his sister Ilyana Rasputina, and James Proudstar. All are very settled in their new digs. Alas, some of them can't help but question their new stance...as right as the Phoenix Force makes it feel.
The area is patrolled by Latverian troops. The estate, as well, flies the flag of Latveria. Most of them are androids.
A blood pheasant, also, roams freely around the grounds. It's unclear as to why Dr. Doom allows this; the bird sure is bad at leaving whitewashes...
One by one, Dr. Doom loses contact with them. He doesn't know it, though...or at least, not right away.
Outside the fence, they've fallen. Robotic wolves drag their bodies into holes in the ground, and leave them there. They're Silver Sable's wolves, and they're of the Wild Pack.
Once the guards are down, the wolves hack into the android ones' software. With their own, they mimic the guards', and report this back to Dr. Doom at certain intervals. For a while after that, he buys it.
Now, they go in for the Phoenix Force. For this, Silvija's developed a very special wolf for the occasion. She's called the Scarlet Wolf. Her entire thorax is a containment device built specifically for the Phoenix Force.
And, she has a litter. It's five puppies strong. They, too, have Phoenix tanks in lieu of thoraxes.
Inside, Colossus pumps iron. Magik practices some spells. Namor chills in a saltwater hot tub. Warpath practices throwing vibranium Bowie knives. None of them know what's coming; not even Magik...or Emma, for that matter.
Through the ducts, the Scarlet Wolves creep. At last, they find the vent cover. Peering through, they acquire their targets. Each puppy gets one of the Five; otherwise, Dr. Doom is Mama Wolf's.
They break in. The puppies rush to their targets, and bite down. Before doing so, they all release bolas, which ensnare each member of the Five with power-dampening constraints. To do this, they shatter Namor's tank. They shoot more than the standard number of bolas at Warpath, to tackle him.
Once they're cuffed, the puppies have their way with the Five. They sink their teeth into their flesh, and start siphoning the Phoenix from them...
Scarlet Wolf hits Dr. Doom with a shrinking grenade. The grenade teleports him into a power-dampened prison inside Scarlet Wolf's jaws. Inside, the miniaturized Dr. Doom is drained of his Phoenix powers...
Outside, the rest of the Pack stands watch. One of them messages Ms. Sablinova, regarding their progress...
It's almost over. Silver Sable has just about beaten the Phoenix Force...
Alas, it turns out that the blood pheasant's whitewashes are loaded. All around the grounds, they start to glow. Spontaneously, they combust, turning into grounds mines.
These are just distractions, though, as well as a screen...as a Phoenix ace-in-the-hole emerges from the spirit of the blood pheasant. It sweeps around the grounds, turning most of the Wild Pack into scrap metal. Only three wolves are left a live, and are sent back to Symkaria to warn Silver Sable.
With that done, Dr. Doom resizes himself back to normal, and summons his staff. With it, he banishes the Phoenix ace-in-the-hole back into the blood pheasant, and undoes the Phoenix Five's power-dampening constraints. He also repairs Namor's fish tank.
Once free, Colossus, Warpath, and Namor all stretch and yawn. As they do, an apparition of a yawning Phoenix head surrounds them. Or rather, it's just as likely that these Phoenix heads are crowing, like roosters... They all sure seem to have very long plumes...that whip around everywhere like whips, for as long as they're apparent...
Warpath's plume whips right through Emma Frost, as she's coming downstairs to check on everyone. With her psionic powers, she manages to bend Warpath's plume back into shape.
Dr. Doom teleports around the grounds, recovering his Latverian guards. Warpath, Emma, and Magik all come out to help him.
Over Latveria, the sun soon sets. Today, a mission has been lost...and the Phoenix Force is, once again, left to endure.
This is the Winter Guard Mansion, near Irkutsk. It's the HQ and main barracks of the Winter Guard.
From the wood that surrounds it, a robotic wolf runs. It's as big as a horse...and bears Ms. Sablinova herself. She's ridden all the way from Symkaria. Her mount has used a combination of invisibility and teleportation to make the distance, via technology that her company has named the Porter Method.
The Porter Method's symbol, for some reason, is a golden sculpture of Achilles with a spear and shield raised...
In silver business attire, Ms. Sablinova must ascend many steps to get to the front gate of the Winter Guard Mansion. Once she's there, she finds a giant robotic console under a sheltered spot in the wall. There's a green panel on it. As she touches it, it shines with bright green light...so bright, to where Ms. Sablinova can see the carpals in her hand.
Via a speaker, the voice of ANATOLY, Vostok's AI, comes to life. "This facility is protected by private security," ANATOLY tells her. "Please state your name and your business."
"My name is Silvija Sablinova," she says loudly, "and I apply for a word with your team captain."
"Silvija Sablinova," ANATOLY repeats back in a different tone. "What mutant was the Red Guardian first stalking when Ms. Sablinova first met him?"
At this, Ms. Sablinova smiles, as she reminisces. "His alter ego slips my mind," she responds, "but he's known by the press as Nitro."
That does it; the gate opens. Ms. Sablinova scurries inside. Behind her, the gate seals shut in a flash, just as soon as she's past the threshold.