Battle Plan

I wasn't in the best of moods when I walked into the overcrowded conference room at Halberdiers' Manor. It was literally packed with initiate and fledgling mutants who had been given sanctuary at the manor. Some of them had even joined our efforts to stop rogue mutants from spreading anarchy and harming humans. One of them was Longshadow, a well-built Irish teenager. Longshadow had the rare ability to magnify his physical form, this literally meant that he could rapidly generate and degenerate his growth spurt. According to what I had read till now, he could grow to about twenty five feet in height without exerting himself.

Longshadow was truly an asset. Young in age, Longshadow was still an amateur when it came to following a plan and keeping up with the team but it seemed that all recruits weren't like that. It so happened that two of our newest recruits played extremely well with the team. A brother-sister duo, codenamed, Sonic and Wave, while the former could emit sound waves in a varying spectrum of frequencies the latter was efficient in converting energy from any form into a wave of pure energy.

Looking around the oval shaped room, I walked through the rows of chairs and the assembled mutants to the front of the conference table. Taking my seat I nodded to the seated members, not meeting the eye of the person who sat at the head of the table, Alain Magnan, Leader of the Halberdiers. He and I hadn't spoken about my absence as yet and every time he looked at me it was with suspicion. As if I wasn't the same person that he knew. Sighing, I turned to look at Samson. He looked different, happier but his smile wasn't the same. It was genuine but not innocent.

I was about to ask him if he was all right but before I could ask him anything, I was brought to attention by Natasha.

Natasha, was a Russian mutant who had joined around the same time as I. She was our infiltration expert and intelligence broker. With long dark hair, flawless pale skin and almond shaped cerulean blue eyes; Natasha was the prime example for an intelligence agent. An agent the world's top intelligence agencies had refused to recruit based on the fact that she was a mutant and couldn't be trusted.

Sharing a glance with me, she began with her report, "According to recent report from my sources", she said emphasising on the last word, "It has come to my notice that the Rytsari have extended an alliance to the Lancers and Cavaliers." A collective gasp was heard around the conference room which broke into whispering, "Silence", Magnan said in a calm but fairly audible voice.

He then looked to Natasha to continue, "My sources suggest that a majority of the Lancers don't want to associate themselves with the Rytsari, especially the leaders. Reason being that the Rytsari have kept a condition that they first want to overtake Russia and once Russia is under their thumb they'll assist the Lancers to spread their influence across the European Union, something which the Lancers are apprehensive off. They aren't seeking world domination but an independent country for the mutants." Natasha said finishing her report and taking her seat.

Alain then opened the bench to questions, "What should be our P.O.A.?" Jose asked. Jose was in command of our defences. It was his responsibility to keep us safe and a P.O.A was indubitably necessary if he was to keep us alive.

"We don't have one." Natasha said, a little edgy.

"What about the Petrov siblings?" Markus asked. Markus was an Italian man in his mid-thirties with the ability to manipulate probability. Taking in view all the cases that might be available to us he devised the best plan but his best plans didn't always ensure the survival of our members only the success of the mission. That was one reason why only a few mutants signed up to become a part of our team. They felt that they'd stay alive for longer if they weren't a part of the team.

Natasha inhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring at the mention of the names.

Markus on the other hand remained indifferent and continued to stare at her, waiting for an answer.

Eyes narrowed, Natasha glared at Markus, "None whatsoever. If there had been anything to report I'd have." She said, seething.

Natasha looked visibly pissed and it was right of her to react like that, the Petrov Siblings were her siblings. Her full name was Natasha Petrov.

About five years ago Alain had brought Natasha to our manor in a heavily wounded state. He had told us that he had found her during the attack on the international convention of mutants in Geneva. The Rytsari had attacked the convention to prevent the several mutant factions to sign treaties of peace with various national governments. It was during the last hour that the Rytsari had attacked.

The attack didn't come as a surprise to anyone. The mutant factions had been expecting it and that's why they had setup security. However, the security wasn't enough to hold of the army of mutants, that the Rytsari had brought along with them. An army which consisted of over a hundred mutants, most of them Russian, brought in from Asia to fight a war not their own.

"Do we have any information on the Rytsari's current strength?" Markus asked, his question again pointed to Natasha.

Sighing, she took out a notepad, "Four years ago, after the attack on the Geneva convention their numbers rather the number of their army was highly reduced. From a hundred and eighty two mutants the strength of the army fell to seventy six. They lost over a hundred mutants. Since then they have been on a recruiting spree. My contact in Belarus, around six months ago informed me that they had recruited close to two hundred mutants from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. So I'm assuming that their current strength should be about a thousand mutants." She said, exhaling deeply.

"A thousand mutants" Isis asked, taken aback by the figure. Such a figure was considered astronomical when it came to mutants. If the Rytsari had an army that was thousand mutants strong, it meant they just needed that extra push to topple the Russian government and bring it under their control.

"That's why they need the Lancers to join them. Besides us, the Lancers are the only other mutant faction that has numbers over a hundred." Magnan supplied.

"Yes, but if they already have an army of about a thousand mutants then what's stopping them from taking over?" Alice piped in.

"Natasha based on your experience what class would most of the mutants fall in." Markus asked his eyebrow arched in question.

Natasha was prepared this time, "A great majority of the mutants are delta and epsilon class mutants. The next lot is made up by the Beta and Gamma Class mutants. Leaders as you can assume are Alpha Class mutants but there are very-very few of those. Most Alpha, Beta and Gamma mutants join the Rytsari. Only a few Beta and the remaining delta and epsilon mutants make up the army. " She said, without even batting an eye.

"So you mean to say that when you were with them, then there were about a hundred odd delta and epsilon level mutants." Markus asked, confirming the number.

"Close to it, I don't remember the exact figures but I'm sure there were less than forty beta and gamma class mutants. The Alpha class mutants were in single digits." Natasha said, reinstating her fact.

"That means we have a war not a battle up our alley" said Markus getting up from his chair and addressing the entire room full of mutants.

"Our duty is to protect what's left of us not to save countries from coups, especially coups that are led by mutants." Jose said, scribbling something on the notepad lying before him.

"How can you say that?" Alice asked, her voice echoed the shock of several in the room.

"Do you not care of what will become of the people of Russia if the Rytsari take over?" I said, for I was in full favour of Alice's concerns.

Jose sighed, "It's my job to protect and keep our kind safe from their kind. It's been so since the last eight years." He then turned his head to look both of us in the eye, his eyes were glowing a bright crimson, "Forgive me, if I don't want to protect humans. You can count me out of this mission." He spat, before he got off the table, knocked the chair he was sitting on out of the way and rushed out of the room followed by a few of the members on his team.

Silence followed Jose's rebuttal, a long and uncomfortable silence.

"We have to make sure that the Lancers don't make the deal with the Rytsari." Alain said, his voice slightly more than a whisper.

"How may we do that?" Markus asked, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.

Another round of silence fell upon the room before Natasha spoke up, "I think I might know what to do." She said, her eyes falling on the person sitting opposite me.

A wicked smile found its way on her lips. A smile the meaning of which everyone but I knew.

Markus smirked, a smile lighting his eyes, "It seems we have got ourselves a deal breaker." He said, patting Samson on the back.

My eyes met Samson and boy he didn't look happy with what Natasha and Markus were planning.

A/N: Those who want this story to continue please do leave a Review. I'd like to thank 13souls, this chapter is dedicated to you and your patience.

Looking forward to feedback.