ISSUE #102

X-Factor Investigations, Manhattan New York.

After the attack, Ian was left injured. Thankfully X-factor, led by Jamie Madrox, A.K.A The Multiple man, arrived just before the New Avengers, led by shield, could make their presence known. They were now back in the team's only base in Manhattan.

" Yeah.... Yeah Scott. Yeah, we'll handle it. I'll contact you again when-

*CRASH!

" What was that?"

" I'll call you back, Scott. Looks like our guest woke up." Jamie told the man. He hung up the radio call and sighed. " Why is everything so complicated right now?"

Jamie was having a hard time, especially since the mutant population had dramatically decreased. His problems ranged from daily reports of former mutants nearly killing themselves or being killed by humans, to the cases that were dropped on his desk, and now a maniac had attacked his headquarters. And now this.

" What is going on in here?" Jamie shouted as he burst into the guest room. Their new guest had broken loose of his restraints and was bleeding from his head. While the rest of his team, Monet, Siryn, and Guido had the young man surrounded.

" That's what I want to know. Where am I? Who are you people?" Ian asked. Blood leaking down his head.

" And I keep trying to tell you, you need to calm down kid." Guido yelled.

Ian had woken up, strapped to a bed, with the big guy leaning over him. When he broke loose, he struck the big man in his chest as hard as he could, and then as quickly as he had hit him, the big guy punched him back, harder than he expected.

" I'm not calming down, until I get out of here. Even if I have to tear little invulnerable girl's head off to do it." Ian told the man.

" I'd like to see you try it, punk." Guido didn't take to kindly to people threatening his own, so when Ian threatened to harm Monet, of all people, Guido began to take things a little too personally. " Don't forget who it was that nearly knocked your head off just now." He spoke as he cracked his knuckles.

" Yeah, you're tough. But in the mood I'm in right now, tough ain't gonna cut it. You better be ready to die." Ian told the man.

" Kid, you need tae calm down. We're tyin tae help ye." Siryn told the boy.

" Help me? I'm not the one who needs help. My mother and girlfriend were taken! They're the ones who need help and you people trying to keep me here is only putting them more and more at risk. So, if you want to help? Then get the hell out of my way!" Ian yelled.

" Ian, ye need tae calm down and trust us."

The world froze around Ian. He turned slowly, with eyes of shock and awe, to face the new voice in the room. Except the voice wasn't new, not to him. No, he'd recognize it anywhere.

Her skin was still as snow white as the last time he had felt it on his own. Her eyes that shining emerald-green, sparkling just like he remembered. Her voice soothing, and soft, he could still hear it whispering sweet nothings into his ear. But there was difference. A change. That beautiful long, flowing, scarlet-red hair of hers, which he used to love to run his fingers through, had been cut. Shaved down to the scalp.

The sight of her brought so many different emotions, but none of them more powerful than anger.

Yes, he knew this woman, well. She was his first love, Rahne Sinclair.

" Rahne? What are you doing here?" Ian asked the woman. His voice bitter and the glare in his eyes strong.

" I work here, Ian." Rahne replied. " I have for a while now. This is my home."

Jamie, sensing that things were beginning to cool down decided now to step back in and get things back on track.

" Ahem! As much as I love awkward reunions, we have much work to do and little time to do it. Just for a quick run-down, this is X-Factor. I'm sure you must have heard of us." Jamie spoke up.

" Yeah, the guys who run the " Detective" Agency in Manhattan. You guys were mostly operating out of mutant town." Ian replied.

" Right, my name is Jamie Madrox, the multiple man. The big guy's name is Guido, he goes by strong guy in the field. The brown-haired woman is Monet st Croix. The lady in the black and green suit is Theresa Cassidy." Jamie explained.

" Cassidy? As in Banshee?" Ian asked.

" Yep, the one and only. I'm his daughter." Siryn spoke up proudly.

" You're already acquainted with Rahne apparently. And the last of our little rag-tag group isn't here right now, his name's Rictor. He's out gathering information on the ones who attacked us." Jamie explained.

" Wait? Plural. You were attacked by that bastard too?" Ian asked the man.

" Aye, he showed up here, out of the blue and tried to nab, Rahne." Siryn explained.

" Aye, he tried tae get me, and he would have if it weren't for Guido here. I'm not sure what he wanted. I've never seen the guy a day in ma life." Rahne spoke up.

Ian looked at the woman and grunted.

" Isn't it obvious?" Ian asked.

" Well, it wasn't at first. But after yesterday's little events, now it is a little bit clearer." Jamie explained.

" Wait a minute? You said yesterday?" Ian asked.

" Yeah, you were out cold for a whole night punk. We had to patch up those bleeding wounds of yours twice over the night, and ya wake up thrashing around and trying to trash our place. What kind of thanks is that for saving your life?" Guido asked. " I have half a mind to kick your ass again."

" A whole day. Damn it!" Ian cursed. He was kicking himself. He should have been able to easily stop Bastion. But for whatever reason, he just couldn't get a grip on his powers. He couldn't control whatever energy it was that Bastion was using.

" Aye, a whole day. Which leads me tae ask, why are you still hurt? Shouldn't ye have healed by now? A wound like that should have long since closed. What's going on?" Rahne asked,

" Well, if you had been around for the past, oh I don't know, year? Maybe you'd know. But no, you were busy playing detective, and I was busy nearly getting killed!" Ian snapped.

" HEY! I'm getting tired of you punk!" Guido yelled. Guido reached out and grabbed Ian's shoulder.

Ian's head snapped back to Guido and strong right landed right in the middle of the man's chest.

" Guh!!!" Guido gasped sharply. " You don't know my powers, do you? See I absorb kinetic energy and then-" Guido returned a punch that landed right on Ian's face, the entire front of Ian's head was engulfed by the man's large fist. " I return it!" Guido yelled as his fist smashed against Ian's skull. Ian's head snapped back with more blood coming out of his mouth and his eyes visibly turning misty white.

' Kinetic energy? I should have been able to stop all of it. What did that damn robot do to me?' Ian asked himself.

Ian snapped back at Guido, with more blood on his face, and prepared to strike the man again, but this time, Rahne stepped in.

" Will ye two knock it off, you great thumping pillocks?!" Rahne scolded the two of them, making them both stop and take a step back.

" Fine, let the kid clean himself up." Guido taunted.

" This?" Ian scoffed. He ran his hand across his face and shook the blood away, cleaning his face once more. " This is nothing."

" Look, you two do as Rahne says and knock it off. We got a job to do." Jamie told the two men.

" We? There's no we in this. There's only me and that damn robotic bastard." Ian told Jamie. " Thank you for keeping the police off my back, but that's as far as your help in this goes. Now, of you don't mind, I'm leaving." Ian told the group.

The boy shoved past Guido and began to leave, only to be stopped by Rahne once more.

" And where are ye going tae go?" Rahne asked. " How do ye plan on finding this guy?"

" Simple, I'm gonna go back to where we first met, he wanted me specifically to find him. I'm sure I'll find something there." Ian told the woman.

" Or, how about you let us do our job? We're the ones who find people, remember? This is our area of specialty. And he attacked us too. We have just as much a stake in this as ye do, so stop being stubborn and let us help." Rahne told the boy.

Jamie walked up behind Ian and placed his hand on the man's back.

" And besides, we already have an operative out getting info, remember? Rictor will be back any moment and then we can get to work on finding this guy. All I'm asking is that you at least give us a chance to help." Jamie told Ian.

Ian looked from Rahne to Jamie, and then started thinking to himself. He didn't want their help. But they did make a compelling case. X-Factor was good at finding people. And Rahne's senses were just as strong as Logan's and Laura's if only a little weaker.

" Perhaps it would be for the best, for me to ask for your help. Okay, then. I'll wait to see what Rictor has to offer. But if he hasn't turned up anything or it seems like none of you can give me anything that can get this bastard then I'm leaving." Ian told the man.

" That's just fine." Jamie replied.

" But this doesn't change anything, and it definitely does not make us friends." Ian clarified. " Especially not you big guy." Ian told the man. He gave him a glare that spoke more than words could.

" Anytime, punk." Guido spoke up confidently, though on the inside he knew he was hurting. Those punches had done their damage.

" Okay, Rahne, how about giving our guest a tour of the place. Show him around." Jamie told the woman.

" Sure thing, Jamie." Rahne replied.

" Just a heads up, our place isn't as extravagant as Xaviers. Not really much here, other than the essentials." Jamie told the man.

" It's fine. I don't need to a tour or anything else. And I certainly don't want her anywhere near me." Ian grunted. He stepped back over to the bed and plopped down on it. " Now get out." He demanded.

The members of X-Factor looked at one another before quickly dispersing from the room, someone of them whispering words better left unheard. While Rahne merely sulked away. Clearly hurting.

......

" What the hell is his problem? All we've done is help him." Monet asked the others as they all gathered in their main office.

" He's going through a lot, Monet. His loved ones were just taken. He probably feels like it's his fault. We just need to be patient. He'll come around." Jamie told the woman.

Monet sighed frustratingly; she was under a lot of pressure as well.

" Well, that's no excuse. We're all under a lot of pressure, Jamie. We're all going through it. And the way he was treating Rahne and Guido. I don't know how you can say that's all right." Monet replied.

" I'm not saying it was. But right now, making enemies isn't what we should be doing. Innocent people are in danger, and it is our job to help find them and bring them to safety." Jamie told the woman.

" Aye, Jamie's right Monet. Besides, once this is over what are the chances, we'll need to work with him again? It'll be just fine." Siryn spoke up. " Just put up with it for a little while longer."

" Sure, whatever. All of this is giving me a headache." Monet complained. " Hey, where's Rahne?"

" Huh? I thought she was right behind us." Jamie stated.

Back in Ian's room, the young man was sitting on the bed staring at the ceiling, when a knock came at his door.

" I thought I told you- What are you doing here?" It was Rahne who had walked through the door.

" How are ye, doing?" Rahne asked the boy.

Ian didn't respond, instead he simply leaned back down and continued looking up at the ceiling.

" I'm sorry about what happened, in the city. I know you must be feeling pretty frustrated. Do ye wanna talk about it?"

......

" How's everything at the school? Dani and I haven't spoken in a while. Is everything okay?"

........

" What about Xi'an?"

.........

" Ian..."

.......

" Ian will you talk tae me?" Rahne finally asked.

Ian snapped back up to his feet and walked up to Rahne, firmly trapping her between himself and the wall. He leaned down, looming over the woman, glaring down at her.

For a moment, Rahne's heart began to pound. She had never seen him glare like that before. She was afraid.

Ian, thankfully, began to back away, slowly.

" What do you want?" He finally spoke.

" I want you tae talk to me." Rahne replied. The lump in her throat finally disappearing and allowing her to breathe once more.

" Why would I do that? Why would I want to do that? Why do YOU want to do that?" Ian asked the woman. " I'm confused here, weren't you the one who didn't want to speak to me?"

" A lot has happened, since then. I just wanted to know if you were okay." Rahne told the man.

" No, I'm not okay." He replied. " I finally have the chance to fix the relationship with my mother, something that I 've wanted to do for so long, and now some homicidal maniac has her and my girlfriend. And the only thing I can do right now is sit on my ass, while I wait for one of your errand boys to come back, hopefully, with some information." Ian explained. " My powers are acting weird for some reason that I can't explain. And to top it all off, my Ex suddenly shows up in my life again, after I tried so hard just to get her to talk to me just for a few fucking seconds, acting like nothing is wrong. Like she didn't rip my heart out and crush it. So, no Rahne, no I'm not okay right now. I can't catch fucking break. Every god damned time I begin to think that I can finally be happy something or someone does something to remind me that that's not possible." Ian shouted. " Now, I'm done talking to you, so unless you have anything of substance to say to me, any kind of information regarding my current situation, then I have to ask that you please, kindly, get the hell away from me." Ian said to the woman's face.

Rahne took the message loud and clear.

But before she could reply, Jamie came up and walked in on the two of them staring at each other's faces.

" Uhm, I don't mean to interrupt whatever.... This is. But Rictor's back and he's found something." Jamie stated.

" That was fast. Come on." Ian told the man.

He walked past Rahne without giving her so much as another glance and walked with Jamie to join the others.