A Case of Mistaken Identity.... Ch 3 Disclaimer: The X-Men belong to Marvel, the Coda to Wildstorm, and the story to me. Tokyo, Japan One of the largest cities in the world... one of the most over populated cities in the world.... Inside the penthouse apartment of a new player in the burgeoning Asian industrial field, the only child of the late business tycoon, and Black King of the American branch of the Hellfire Club: Sebastian Shaw... He smiles and silently toasts the smartest move he ever made in his young life: killing his own father... He sits, clad in little more than his questionable dignity surrounded by other young, disillusioned Asian playboys and girls--sampling more of the decadence that money like this can by... The butler hid his disapproval of the wanton and lustful decadence that his employer displayed so frequently, and bowed as was expected of a loyal servant, -:Master Shinobi, the Lady Artemis is here to see you....:- Shinobi's dark blue eyes were slightly glazed, due to the effects of alcohol and other recreational chemicals that had been part of the featured entertainment at the party. And in part due to the 'services' of a young 'lady' of the evening who had been resting her head in his lap... A groan of pleasure escaped his lips.... -:Show the Lady in, Ashikaru...:- The glittering beads parted to reveal a lovely Greek woman, attired in the height of Milan fashion, elegant but alluring, revealing. She invited admiration, but her stance discouraged familiarity.... Her dark grey eyes flashed in the dim light, and a tendril of smoke swirled up from her clove cigarette in its long, slim French holder. A ruby triangle, point downward in the centre of her forehead marked her as a high ranking Sister of the Coda... "I would assume there is an important reason you wanted to see me at this time of night, Shaw?" she asked, her face stone and revealing that she wasn't really in the mood to be civil. The young dilettante arose from the leather couch to receive the robe that a 'geisha' proffered. He swayed, nearly spilling his drink and shrugged on the garment. His long blue-black hair fell into his eyes, which most of the women present found utterly charming, but Artemis' eyes narrowed disdainfully at his unkempt appearance... "Ooohh, yeesh, indeed. Honourable Artemis-san." he said, his voice slurred to the point of imperceptibility, "I belige we are in a poshishun to _consumate_ a mutually beneficially business arrangement..." Artemis took a long drag off her fragrant cigarette, and prayed to Hecate that the youngster would come to the point soon, "You are barely in a position to balance _yourself_, young lord; much less "consumate" any thing...." He smoothed his unruly bangs out of those gaijun eyes, as his hazed brain imagined what it would be like to peel those clothes off of the Coda assassin and have her at his complete mercy... -:'Cause I'm a little _tipsy_? Eh? Good one, Artemis!:- he muttered. -:There is a meeting planned, of the Jigoku underworld heads for tomorrow--:- she replied curtly, -:could this not have waited until then??:- Artemis fingered a small dagger that fit into her gold bracelet, wondering if it would do any good to deflate the ego of this young Upstart... A servant proffered her a goblet of Corbel, as Shaw continued, -:No...Thish has to do with my wantsh and *your* needsh... You need to regain control of your elite ashashin, Kwannon--and I want the X-Forces killed: any or all--hellsh, the more the merriet!:- She took a delicate sip, raising her glass as if to toast what he proposed, -:And, if I can use Kwannon's troubles to accomplish your goals, what do I get in return?? What does the Coda get?:- -:At the meeting tomorrow, I will shecond your petition to reinstate Clan Yashida--which has been sho unshteady since Lady Mariko's death--under your 'guidance' of course...:- he slurred, as he took another heady draught from a bottle of gin. Artemis considered the idea of having a Jigoku clan under Coda control... That would give them unlimited access to the Oriental underworld... A slow, feral smile spread over her face. She like this young man, for his guile matched her own, even if he were a drunken sot. -:Very good, Lord Shaw, very good indeed. We have a deal, my unsubtle young friend...:- Artemis purred as she took another drag from her cigarette, wetting her ruby lips as she felt the warmth of her favourite vintage rush through her veins. She laid her cigarette holder and the empty glass on the sliver tray proffered by the butler. Her grey eyes settled on the Amer-Asian. Yes, he might be unsubtle, but there were times that she was, also... -:And now, Shinobi, we celebrate...:- she whispered, her heels tapping a staccato rhythm on the marble floor. The young dilettante gasped as she dropped the trench coat she had been wearing... For a moment, it looked like his fantasies were going to come true, but he realised how wrong he was when she seized a handful of his shoulder length hair and pulled him toward her... Artemis was quite will informed as to his little games, and for once and for all, she intended to teach him that *no one* ruled a Coda assassin... Elsewhere: Greece As the moon becomes obscured by clouds over an ancient palace that dates back to the Byzantine period, in the Macedonian region, four members of the X-Forces make their way through the grounds, tense and uncertain in their mission... Inevitably, what lies inside this ancient home will prove one of the women in their company a liar... How odd, that two women, with naturally purple hair, with telepathic abilities, and the memories of an English noblewoman could cause so easily shatter the complacence of the X-Forces... But no one ever bothered to ask the questions before now, and it's doubtful that they will find the answers to their liking... Gambit was muttering to himself, he didn't particularly *want* to be here, but he'd been chosen--and he knew his duty... "Still s'prised Wolverine didn' come wit' us..." Henry McCoy's sharp senses picked up the handsome Cajun's discontent, as he offered the reasoning behind that decision, "The Coda brings him too many bitter memories right now, Remy. And for someone whose mind has been as fractured and twisted as that of our diminutive Canuck... Exacerbating his troubled soul is the last thing we should be doing...." Even Beast's soft spoken voice set Psylocke on edge. She wanted to be here even less than Gambit, but the issue was forced upon her by the presence of the tall Otherworld hybrid who'd picked the wrong time to show her face... As for Psykeye*, she wasn't in the mood for light banter. It grated on her nerves as well, for she knew just what the Coda assassins were capable of... They'd retrained her in their ways, but as a warrior in Sister Zannah's tradition. The pale slivers of moonlight reflected softly off her pewter armour, and danced on her amethyst braids. Her psiber-eyes allowed her to see in nearly complete darkness, as she picked up two heat signatures ahead of them... <> she 'pathed, her mind-voice dripping with sarcasm and a pair of stern violet eyes shot daggers at the two men. she thought to herself. Beast shushed his quiet voice and shrank into the shadows which blended with his indigo fur. "But of course, dear Elisabeth... so sorry!" <> she snapped, telepathically nudging him to keep to the mind link she'd established. She raised a hand for them to stop, <> Two women of indeterminate nationality stood watch, one with an Uzi, the other with a pair of katanas. They were dressed in a semblance of Classical Greek clothing, though it was more for show than anything... it managed to leave little to Gambit's rather active imagination... Lovely ladies, they might be, but he hated assassins of any sort--with a passion! His ruby eyes flared for a moment, as two aces of spades slipped down his sleeve, "Hmmm... two guards, two cards!" There was a faint spark of energy, and the cards began to glow... "Two down...this is too easy..." he muttered as the cards left his deft fingers, sailing toward the two guards. Moments later, they impacted with a muffled blast echoing eerily through out the seemingly empty palace. They hurried over the open garden and through the sliding screens that lead into the palace proper. The men had the uncanny feeling they were being watched, Psylocke and Psykeye were certain of it... <> she 'pathed, <> Psylocke muttered along the mental links, As she lead they way into the bowels of the Coda strong hold, she sensed the mental presence of her unwanted Sisters. <> Beast thought, his patience wearing a bit thin at the barbed repartee they tossed back and forth. Psylocke was continually baiting the Otherworlder, as if she knew something... Remy shook his head, this was getting weirder by the moment, Psykeye raised a pale amethyst eyebrow, and shot a challenging look in his direction, <> A faint ghost of a smile glimmered on her lips as she winked at the handsome rogue, and then she sensed something... Looking up, several women in varying shades of red dropped down from above them... Beast's ears layed back, "I guess we must all be..." Six Coda assassins against four of the X-Forces...One of which was ninja and Coda trained, one who was trained by SHIELD and the X-Forces, only then to be retrained by the Coda after some pretty strange events.... A Cajun thief who'd spent his youth dodging the New Orleans Assassins Guild, and the hyper-agile blue furred fellow.... it was not a fair fight by any means. <> the Otherworlder muttered in disgust as her psi-sword cleaved through their armour, leaving the women's brains as thoroughly useless as though they'd suddenly suffered a major stroke. As he bashed two heads together, Beast noticed the elegant simplicity of her moves, and their clean efficiency, "Which is a polite way of saying they are no match for you, eh, Psykeye??" Among the ringing of steel and sound of breaking bone, Gambit's broad staff strokes quickly took out his share of opponents, when he, too was struck by the similar way the two purple haired telepaths fought, "See the way dey both fight, Henri??" Beast thoughtfully stroked his chin, as he watched the ladies clean up what was left of the defense cadre. Both were too beautiful for words, yet the were like opposite sides of the same coin... One regal and reserved, the other aggressive and mercurial, he thought. "Yeeesss... Quite skilful, aren't they?" Remy ran his fingers through his hair, struggling to get it under some semblance of control, trying not to focus too closely on the two who claimed to be Elisabeth Braddock..... He wet his lips, and let out a sigh of appreciation. What he wouldn't give to live out a few of the fantasies that playfully taunted him in the back of his head... For a brief moment, he imagined the Oriental in nothing more than studded leather out of one of New Orleans finest erotic shoppes, with garters and stockings replacing the strange boots she customarily wore with her costume. Definitely stiletto heels, and a little body suit with the spikes in all the right spots... Of course, the gloves would stay, and maybe a nice collar with more studs and a gold chain just so he could keep her near by.... in case she needed another lesson in etiquette. Remy'd been wondering what it was like to make love to a telepath... and that's where the English one came in... He doubted she'd mind a handsome, sweet-talking rogue visiting her bed in the middle of the night.... He could see her now, in a Victorian boudoir, with lots of roses and violets... Wearing something pretty in lavender silk... He'd have to be gentle, and seduce that lady with sweet words and fine wine... Just like one of those crazy romance novels of Bella Donna's. Reading that had given a younger Remy a fair number of ideas. He could see why somebody like Rogue'd read them, too. It was as close as she'd ever get.... Henry shook the Cajun by the shoulder, "Remy, are you alright...." "Oui, Henri..." he replied, a lecherous grin spreading over his darkly handsome face, "Dey are too, too fine... Mirror images o' each other... This shoo is gettin' _really_ interestin' now, though, huh?" He shook his auburn hair out of his eyes and shot an appreciative glance over his shoulder at the twins... The hallway was open on one side, to the garden, and nearer the end, they found the old, stone sections of the original stronghold... In one side of those formidable stone walls were set a pair of exquisitely carved double doors, highlighted with gold leaf and odd almost Art Deco bas relief... A look of familiarity crossed Psykeye's face as she examined them. <> she informed them, still sticking to mindspeech, <> As Remy set about picking the locks, with Beast holding the light; Psylocke took advantage of the opportunity to further aggravate Psykeye. She had to do everything in her power to keep the X-Forces from learning too much about her muddled memories and her uncertain past... She had too much to loose... <> Psylocke pathed, which was unusual for her... Psykeye's eyes flashed, as the bio-electric energies slid through out her body, <> A shimmering violet light surrounded her left hand as the psi blade sprang to life, <> Meanwhile, Remy was still struggling with that lock... Which was proving to be more complex than he'd originally anticipated.... Beast looked concerned, glancing around for any thing that might be another interloper.... "How you coming along there, Remy?" he whispered. The Cajun thief's ruby eyes were intent on his task, and his brow furrowed in concentration, "Li'l rusty, y'know...still...like ridin' a bike..." Neither of them noticed that peculiar glowing blade now resting at Psylocke's throat, and they couldn't hear the telepathic exchange between the women... <>, the reluctant Coda Sister stated, <> Her eyes brooked no compromise as she gestured for the ninja to enter the now opened door first. Gambit held it, like the gentleman he was raised as... "Now, now...mignonnes, if you'll just see what's behind door number one...?" he jested, trying to make light of a potentially volatile situation. A roguish smile crossed his darkly handsome face... Beast followed, searching for a light switch or some means of illumination, and when he did, "Perhaps now we cam shed some illumination on our current duality dilemma?" As he clicked on the lights in the study, they were assailed with a view of priceless objet'd'art and a spectacularly rendered portrait.... "Oh, my stars and garters!" he whispered, followed by a gasp of disbelief. His face was a comic study in shock and sudden revelation....as was Psylocke's, though Remy LeBeau noticed that hers came a little late... Psykeye continued to mindspeak, <> Her face was cold and emotionless, though her dark violet eyes revealed warring emotions within her....She kept her pride and dignity wrapped securely about herself like a comforting old cloak... Henry scratched his head, and translated the old formal Latin inscription above the frame which was highlighted by a single spot light... It showed an Oriental woman, holding two ninja-to over her shoulders, her arms crossed over her chest, gazing intently at the viewer.... She was standing in the garden of the very palace they'd entered.... "The piece--translated from the Latin--is called Kwannon in Repose..." he offered, gazing lovingly at the huge canvas, "Quite a masterful piece of art. The technique is *quite* impressive... A master. A da Vinci or a Michelangelo I do beleive" Remy looked at him in askance, his soft rich accent dripping with sarcasm, "Oui, what a pretty picture... Can I leave now??" Henry raised an eyebrow and replied quietly, "Stay and deal with the inevitable show down like a man--unless, of course, you mind if I leave with you?" Tokyo... The penthouse of the young industrialist has received a most unwelcome guest.... in the person of a young ninja jonin, whose striking good looks rival those of the penthouse's owner, Shinobi Shaw... -:You claimed *what*??:- Shaw exclaimed, his outrage echoing through out his intoxicated guest's dreams. Matsu'o Tsurayaba stood calmly, though the young mutant had just reached a phased hand into his chest. He was above showing any reaction, and he was going to deny Shaw any such pleasure... -:I spoke with the Gamesmaster, Shaw...:- he revealed, -:Although I am not part of you little upstart competition, I have been granted the right of continuing my plans in regards to Psylocke...:- Shaw's face was pale as death, and there was a wild, crazed look about him as he contemplated killing the young jonin right then and there, -: I _could_ solidify my hand in your heart, and kill you now, Matasu'o!:- The serene face of the shadow warrior before him only served to infuriate Shaw further, the ninja was unfazed, and merely shrugged, -: And you would still not gain any points for eliminating Psylocke....:- Shaw sighed, finally realising that he wasn't going to get any reaction from his rival, -: You're right...:- He pulled his phased hand out of the ninja lord's chest, and solidified himself, a calmer, but still wild expression lighting his eyes, -:....If this is the Gamesmaster's choice, I cannot argue with it:- The jonin calmly took a seat, straightening his tie as if nothing untoward had happened, -:Now, Shinobi, don't pout... There are still plenty of other mutants available to you. You are not the artist I am, my boy. Murder is deed most foul....:- He took a sip of saki, and let that sink in, his dark eyes hardening as he scrutinized the youngster before him, -: ...but, if crafted just so, it can also be a thing of exquisite beauty. And make no mistake about it, Psylocke is a thing of beauty...and her death shall be a work of art!:- Artemis' study, Greece Psylocke was faced by an angry Gambit, who held two of his charged cards near enough to her face that she could feel the static surging along them, "So, how about a li'l talkin', chere?" She swiftly struck the cards out of his hand, outraged that he would question her, "Of all the X-Forces, *you* are the last one I should be explaining anything to! I am tired of being threatened and branded a liar by my so called friends!!" He was surprised at her sudden defensiveness, but he'd seen it before...an assassin was an assassin, no matter *what* country they came from, or who trained them... Gambit was onto her, but he couldn't prove it... Beast, once again played the cooler head, "I can understand your frustration, Psylocke --but you must admit--this looks rather incriminating! Then again, isn't it rather convenient that we are in this very spot...." Again, he scratched his head, a sign that he was very uncomfortable with his thoughts and surroundings... "Hmmmm..." he thought, unaware of the furtive figure and the glowing blade it carried... An odd humming sound reverberated throughout their ears...as Henry McCoy cried out in agony as his assailant revealed himself, "The only thing of convenience I can see here, gaijun--is how nice it is for all of you to align yourselves so neatly, for as ingle sweep of my cutting blade! X-Forces.... I have been given the opportunity to regain the place of honour lost to Clan Yashida....unfortunately, in order to accomplish that, the Silver Samurai must kill you all.... Even you, dear sister...." Remy unfurled his bo staff, his eyes glowing brightly in the dim light, "Uh-oh... looks like the shit's goin' to hit the fan now...." Psykeye's psi-sword was immediately raised into a defensive posture, as they both gazed at Psylocke's dumbfounded expression of recognition....