To avoid confusion, I changed to third-person narrative. Enjoy.

X-Faction 6

Chase dropped to the hard ground. Blood gushing from his mouth from the impact of the iron fist that shattered his collarbone.

“Chase!” Alyssa yelled.

“Don't lose focus.” Gray says diverting his attention to Alyssa.

He attempted a kick, but she quickly vanished. Alyssa then proceeded to aid Chase, leaving herself vulnerable. Just as Gray went in for an attack, he gets crushed by a large stone arm.

“Tank!” Alyssa yelled excitedly.

“Go.” He said as he entered the battle.

Alyssa picked Chase up and made her way into the broadcasting station along with Drake and Lily.

“Should we really be leaving him there alone?” Drake asked.

“Tank can handle himself. Chase said this was top priority, so we have to complete the mission.”

Using his ability to become intangible, Drake goes to the broadcasting room where he forces everyone to evacuate. Alyssa then teleports Chase and Lily to Drake.

“Okay, everyone get your masks, we only have a few minutes. I'll prepare the cameras a equipment.” Drake said.

Meanwhile, outside of the station.

“Your team left you. It appears as if they're just using you.” Gray said.

Tank smiles. “They know I don't need them to beat you.”

Their fists clash, causing the stone from Tank's fist to shatter.

“Your little trick is quite amusing, but this suit can break through anything.”

“Let's test that.” Tank says, releasing his stone armor. He then walks to a vehicle, using the metal to cloak himself. “Come at me now.”

Gray rushes Tank, blasting the metal off his shoulder. Unfazed, Tank strikes Gray, causing him to crash into a nearby building. Gray flies out of the rubble, revealing no signs of damage. In an instant, he flies straight into Tank, but his attack fails when Tank grabs him and slams him into the ground, punching him deeper and deeper. As his fist crashes onto Gray, he catches it and blasts the metal off of his arm.

“No matter what you do, nothing will ever damage this suit. This new model grants me the power of a high class hunter while giving me the flexibility and speed to make me unbeatable. I'm not even trying.” Gray says.

Tank charges him, attempting the punch him, but Gray quickly ducks and strikes Tank in the chest, releasing a large blast, finishing off him off.

“Good job, sir. Should we go and arrest the terrorists inside the broadcasting station?” A soldier asks.

“No.” Gray answers. “We should retreat for now.”

“but, sir.”

“That's an order.” Gray interrupts.

They make a hasty escape, leaving Tank unconscious.

“Everything's ready to go. You guys prepared?” Drake asks.

“Check.” Lily answers.

Alyssa approaches Chase. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“I'll be fine.” Chase answers.

“Lights. Camera. Action! We're live.” Drake says, pointing a camera at a masked Chase.

“This is a message for Ferrum. We are the X-Faction. The mutant genocide ends now. I hereby declare war on Ferrum and the iron army. I urge any mutant watching this, please listen to me. For too long now, Ferrum has hunted us, our families, and our friends. Because of them, our lives have become a living hell. Why they live a life of luxury, we struggle just to survive. It must stop now. Only together can we end this war. This goes out to anyone working under Ferrum. Leave now or face the wrath of the X-Faction. We will hunt down anyone associated with the death of a mutant. You may think we're small and weak, but our will is strong. Like our need for justice, we'll grow. As of this day. As of this hour. As of this very second, the war begins!”

Meanwhile at the Ferrum headquarters.

“Mr. Chairman, one of out broadcasting stations in New York has been...”

“I know.” He interrupts.

“What should we do, sir?”

The chairman rises from his seat. “They want a war? They'll get one. As of now, Operation: Phoenix is a go. This world will burn for its sins.”

Journal entry #5:

It’s been months since we last had contact with Exodus. After he teleported us to New York, we began traveling together. With him, Ferrum stood no chance. We effortlessly cut through everything they threw at us. He even helped us master our powers to a higher level. He taught me to be ruthless and use my rage to fuel my powers. In our travels together, problems occurred. His mental state began to deteriorate as he would have random outbursts and even talk to people who aren’t actually there. One day, he just snapped. He started killing everyone we came across. He even wiped out an entire assembly of soldiers. We didn’t like them, but we weren’t into the killing business. I tried talking to him, but it ended up turning into a full out brawl. Unfortunately for us, we stood no chance. He took us out as if we were flies. I didn’t know why he didn’t finish us off when he did, but I was grateful. We decided to continue our mission while searching for Exodus. We knew he was dangerous, but he was a mutant just like us.

“Still making that audio journal are we?” Drake asks.

“Yeah, I want to document our journey. Who knows, we might become famous.”

The thought of becoming famous excited me, but I knew we would have to strike Ferrum hard if we were going to make a difference.

“Famous, huh? I like the sound of that. So, we’ve been inactive for a few months now. Living here is kind of a nice break, but when is the X-Faction going to make its triumphant return? We going for a big fish, or just another factory again.” He said.

“I’ve been planning something big. We need to hit them back hard so they know we mean business.”

“So Chasey’s finally ready to smash some iron skulls?” Alyssa asked as she walked into the room, accompanied by Lily.

Drake quickly turned his point of interest away from me and on to them. “Hey, girls. Where’s Tank?”

“Tanks still at work. Not easy being a soldier with all these riots going on.” Alyssa said.

I diverted my attention to Lily. We knew her for a few months, but we didn’t know much about her. She was a quiet girl who usually kept to herself. Although she hasn’t been with us for a long time, we all got along very well. I still wondered why we found her in that tube. We assumed Ferrum was just performing tests, but it all seemed a bit shady.

“So, when are we going?” Lily asked as our eyes met.

“Well, we should probably go soon. Our best chance of attack is when Tank's on duty; that way he can take the soldiers by surprise. From there, we'll move on to the broadcasting station.”

“We're actually going through with this?” Drake asked.

“It seems like a suicide mission, I know, but Ferrum has to know who they're dealing with. They have to know mutants haven't given up yet. They have to fear us.”

We prepared our equipment and went over the plan one last time. When we were all ready, we left our apartment and headed for the center of the city. It felt weird using public transportation in our battle attires, but they were pretty normal, so no one paid any attention to us. When we reach the core of the city, the riots began. People were yelling and fighting. The soldiers were trying to keep order, but it looked like the riot would last a while. It was the perfect cover for our assault. We snuck past the soldiers and made our way to the broadcasting building. Before we could get near it, we were spotted.

“Don't make a move!” A soldier yelled.

“Let me do the talking” Drake said. “Is there a problem, my good sir?”

The second he opened his mouth, I knew we were done for.

“Are you authorized to be here? Please show your identification cards.”

“Bro, come on. You know me, I'm good.” Drake said.

“Identification card.”

“Fine, here.” He says as he hands the soldier his card.

“Okay, this is fine. You're still not authorized to be here. What's your purpose here?”

“Well, you see, me and my group here, we're actually performing a song for the music program. We're a band. We go by 'Viva la Drake'?” Drake blurted.

“Right, okay then. And what's in the bags?”

“Our instruments of course!”

“By instruments, you mean weapons” I muttered.

“Very well, you can go in.”

“Really? I mean, of course. Thank you, my good sir.” Drake said.

Just as we headed to the door, Drake mumbled, “Viva la Drake. What a starking moron.”

“So close.” Alyssa said.

“What did you say? Don't take another step.” The soldier yelled as he aimed his weapon at us.

I figured we should have made a run for it, but his reinforcements decided to show up. We immediately went for our weapons then jumped into battle. With our new abilities, we finished the job fairly easily. All went well until a mysterious man showed up. I could tell he was an iron soldier, but his armor was different. Instead a full suit, he only had armor up to his elbow on his arm, up to his knees on his legs, and a chest-plate.

“Greetings, I'm commander Gray. Are you guys by any chance, mutants?” The man asked.

“So what if we are?” I asked.

“Ah, I see. You guys seem so strong, it's a shame I'll have to kill you.”

“Kill us? Did you miss what we did to your soldiers?” Drake asked.

“Those guys? Yes, I ordered not to kill you guys. I feel selfish, but I saved that pleasure for myself.”

“Does he really think he can take all of us?” Alyssa asked.

“Who knows. He has a lot of weak points, so this shouldn't be too hard. I'm just wondering why he's wearing just compromising armor.” I said.

“You guys must be wondering about my armor. This is the new model. You see, it gives us the flexibility we need while also giving us the power that comes with the suits. It's for more skilled fighters like myself. I've been dying to test it on a real opponent for a while now. Now, will we get on with the fight? I'd hate to stand here all day.”

We didn't have any choice but to fight. I tried analyzing his armor as much as I could, but I couldn't figure out what made the weapons any different than the other soldiers.

“Here's the plan. Assuming he can fly, Lily, I need you to keep him down using your telekinesis. If gets up in the air, this will be difficult. Drake, you stay with Lily. Alyssa, you're with me. On the count of three, we rush him by surprise. One... two.... THREE!” I yelled as we jumped into action.

Drake and Lily took one side while me and Alyssa took the other. Gray didn't move an inch so far. I assumed he was waiting for us to attack first, which gave me the advantage since he doesn't know about our powers. I began charging a large amount of electricity while Alyssa grabbed me and teleported us right next to Gray. Just as I could make my first strike, a sudden pain shot up and down my arm.

“Did you really think that would work?” He asked.

In an instant, he shattered my collarbone.

Chapter: 4

Shortly after we woke up, Scott began our training. I knew we couldn’t stay long, so we made sure not to slack off. As hours turned to days, our activities became harsher. Scott’s ability to manipulate energy came in handy during my training since our powers were so similar. He taught me to not just control the electricity I project out of my body, but to concentrate it and create new forms of electricity. My powers were developing faster than I could have ever imagined. He also trained us in hand to hand combat; something we lacked. He revealed the hunters weak points and taught us how to defeat them with slight difficulty. During our training, my team and I got to know the red headed girl. Her name’s Lily and like us, she’s a mutant. She’s something utterly different however. Lily’s a telekinetic with some telepathic traits. She can create illusions that are unbelievably realistic. Her telekinetic powers are so strong, I witnessed her launch a car a mile away just by waving her hand. I didn’t know why, but I felt a strong attraction to her. She’s a very kind girl, but she made it obvious how oblivious she was of her ast. We were given new clothes and equipment. It’s been four months after we started our training and I feel great. My powers have become so strong; I’m considered one of the strongest mutants here, second only to Scott.

“We want to stay, but there are other things we have to do.” I said to Scott as we sat in the living room.

“That’s a shame; we enjoyed having you guys here. Where will you be going?” He asked.

“We’re thinking of heading to Chicago.”

“Chicago?” He asked. “That’s where the Ferrum headquarters is located. It’s way too dangerous.”

“We’re not accomplishing anything from here. Sure, we sabotage a few factories, but it’s not enough. We can lay low, then attack when we have a chance. But we need your help getting in.” I said.

Scott calmed down. I think he understood what I was proposing.

“I understand. I’ll get you guys what you need to get in, but don’t expect it to be easy. They have extremely high tech security systems. There’s no such thing as making a forged identification card. Luckily for you, I can get you real ones.” He said.

We walked to the courtyard where we met up with Razor, Scylla, Crank, and Izzy. I felt a bit bad, but I knew what he had to do.

“So you guys are actually going to Chicago, eh?” Razor asked.

“Yeah, we’ll wreck some Ferrum ass. Those damn hunters don’t stand a chance against us now.” Said Drake.

“Chase, Alyssa, Drake, Tank; you guys have developed your abilities to new heights. With your new abilities and knowledge, I’m confident you’ll be alright. Chase requested that you guys travel alone and I’ll respect his decision. When you reach Chicago, make sure to contact me and I’ll set you guys up with jobs and a place to stay.” Said Scott.

“Thank you Scott, for everything.”

I really did appreciate what Scott did for us. The only way to repay him would be to stop Ferrum and make a world that’s safe for mutants. We all said our goodbyes and left.

“Wait!” Lily yelled, running towards us. “Please take me with you.”

“It’s dangerous where we’re going, are you sure you want to come?”

“Yes. When you guys found me, my past was all too blurry. I can’t remember much. Maybe if I go to Chicago with you guys, I can find out why I was in that Ferrum facility.”

We all agreed to let her join us, although Alyssa was hesitant. I felt a bit relieved knowing she was coming with us. We traveled to the area surrounding the mansion. I liked it there because it was nice and clear of Ferrum. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. We tried to keep safe by staying on Ferrum territory, but we were still tracked down. A hunter.

“Please show your identification cards.”

I could make an excuse. I could tell him we simply lost our identification cards, even though we don’t own any, but I want to test my skills. We instantly charged the hunter. The battle was rough, but we made quick work of the hunter. Nonetheless, we were careless. We didn’t notice the other hunters in the area. Four arrived at our location in seconds. They witnessed us defeating that hunter, so there’s no way to talk our way out. We could take two, but four are too many. I needed a plan, quickly.

“Mutants, by order of the chairman of Ferrum and supreme commander of the iron army, it’s our duty to execute you.” One of the hunters said.

Running away from a fight isn’t my thing, but what other choice do we have? Just as I prepared a distraction, one of the hunters fell from the sky. Then another; Then the other two fell.

“What just happened?” Alyssa asked.

“I’m not sure, but this may be a good opportunity for us to get out of here.” I said.

We ran away, making sure we weren’t followed.

“What are we running from exactly?” Drake asked.

“Him.” Lily calmly said as she stopped.

A man stood before us. I didn’t know what to think, he just appeared out of nowhere. How did Lily know where he was before he was there?

“He’s a teleporter.” Said Alyssa.

“There’s no way a teleporter could do that to hunters. Who are you?” I asked.

“Who am I?” He asked. “My name’s Bennet du Paris. You can call me Exodus.”

Exodus? That name sounded familiar.

“What do you want from us?” Alyssa asked.

“You guys are mutants. As am I. I think we can both agree we have a common enemy.” Said Bennet.

“Telling by what you did to those hunters, you would be a powerful ally, but how can we trust you?” I asked.

“You can’t.” He answered.

“Fair enough. I’m Surge, the girl’s name is Zephyr, the blonde guy’s Ghost, the big guy’s Tank, and she’s Lily. If you’re an enemy of Ferrum, we would be honored to have you join us. We call ourselves the X-Faction.” I said.

“X-Faction? Reminds me of those useless X-Men.” He said.

“Why are you talking like you know them?” Drake asked.

“Because I do know them.”

“The X-men were wiped out before Ferrum took over. How could you know them?” Lily asked.

“I would prefer not to explain, but I’ve been a live a very long time.” He said.

I was surprised to find out how old he was. He was alive before this whole war started. He witnessed everything. I was too distracted to even care why Lily knew about them. I guess she wasn’t stuck in that tube for a very long time.

“I’ll help until you prove to be unusable.” Bennet said.

“Well he’s not very nice.” Drake said sarcastically.

“We should go, I sense more hunters coming our way. I’ve overused my powers today.” Bennet said.

Exodus grabbed us and we appeared in a new location. Normally this wouldn’t surprise me since Alyssa can teleport us, but we were in an entirely new place. I don’t even think we’re in the same city. How powerful is this guy?

Chapter 3

I could hear the rocks crumble under their feet and the wind blowing the dust off the battlefield. Blood and sweat dripped down my face. I became nervous, unaware of what was going to happen next. How could those people kill the hunter with such ease? We stood no chance against him, what kind of chance do we stand against them? They approached me, but they looked no older than we were. The first one that came into sight was an attractive girl with short black hair. To her left was a tall man wearing nothing but a ragged pair of pants and a lot of weapons. To his left was a guy around my height. He had a toothpick in his mouth. The last was a little boy. Looked no older than 12 years old.

“Hello, friend.” The man with the toothpick said.

I looked at them; the sun shining bright over their shoulders.

“Who are you guys?”

“You can call me Razor. The big guy next to me is Crank, the kids name is Izzy, and…”

“And I’m Scylla.” The girl said, followed by a wink.

Razor smirked and helped me up.

“So, who are you?” He asked.

“My name’s Surge. The big guy’s name is Tank, and the girl’s name is Zephyr.”

“Zephyr; beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Said Razor.

“Well, aren’t you a gentleman.” She replied.

I wasn’t comfortable with him flirting, but it wasn’t in my place to confront him. I was still a bit blurry of the whole situation, but I was sure they were mutants. What else could have instantly frozen that hunter?

“So, how did you guys beat that hunter?” I asked.

“Hunter’s aren’t that tough. You guys roughed him up nicely for us. Who are they?” Razor said, pointing at Drake and the red headed girl.

‘Red hair? I could have sworn her hair was blonde.’ I thought.

“That’s Ghost and the girl. Well, we actually found her here.”

Red hair. I wondered how it changed colors like that. She was stuck in a tube; the chemicals probably dyed her hair temporarily.

“We’d like you guys to come with us.” Said Razor.

He didn’t bother to explain, he just walked away. We decided to follow him. I didn’t know where he was leading us, but I couldn’t just stand there looking like an idiot. These people killed a hunter in seconds and I had to find out how they did it. We walked for about half an hour until we stopped. Izzy stepped forward and stuck out his hand. Suddenly a large black jet appeared, out of nowhere.

“Meet the Blackbird.” Said Razor.

I approached it and gently put my hand against it. I could feel the electricity running through it. It wasn’t an illusion.

“What is it?” I asked.

Scylla put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s our ride.”

I hesitated getting into the large metal aircraft. I couldn’t say the same about Drake and Alyssa. They just couldn’t help but run straight into it; how childish. I stared out the window as we made our way off the ground.

“Izzy, you mind cloaking us? Someone’s certain to come and investigate the facility that was just attacked.” Razor said getting into a seat at the front.

“So, what’s up with the jet?” Alyssa asked.

I felt like asking the same question, but I preferred to stay silent and cautious.

“It’s just a little something we have. All will be explained when we reach our destination.” Scylla replied.

I wondered what she meant by ”our destination”. If they wanted us dead, they would’ve done it already, but I still wanted to stay on my guard. We stayed in flight for about two hours until we stopped.

“Home, sweet home.” Scylla said as we landed by a large mansion.

The mansion looked so familiar. I’ve never been there, but I’m sure I’ve seen it before. The ground seemed to have shut closed right on top of us. We walked through a door that led us into the manor. There we were greeted by a man. He was medium build, brown hair, and looked as if he were in his early thirties.

“Welcome, I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Scott Summers.” The man said.

‘Scott Summers?’ I thought

Scott Summers was a mutant, but he died a long time ago. My mother used to tell me stories about the X-men, a group of mutants who fought against a rogue mutant named Magneto. It’s not likely they would be alive to this day.

“Scott Summers is dead.” I said.

“I’m a descendant of his. Come, we need to talk.”

He led us to a room upstairs. I’ve never seen such an exquisite house.

“I’m guessing you guys have a lot of questions.” Scott said.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m Scott Summers and I’m a mutant. As you may have guessed, so are Razor, Scylla, Crank, and Izzy.”

“How are you guys avoiding hunters? This isn’t the best hiding spot.”

“Because I’m their boss.”

“Their boss?” I asked. “How exactly is a mutant is their boss? That makes no sense.”

“You guys better sit; this will be a long story. After the attack on Jean Greys School for Higher Learning, mutants were deemed dangerous and out of control. It was so bad that they all went into hiding. From birth, my father was stuck underground. He knew it wasn’t how we should live. For my sake and mutants everywhere, he went after the chairman of Ferrum. I’m not sure if he planned on killing him or bargaining with him, but he ended up working for him. My father was a powerful mutant and the chairman probably thought he was better off as an ally than an enemy. I’m not proud to say it, but my father created the hunter program and designed their armour. A mutant put in charge of hunting other mutants. After a few years of ruthlessly hunting down his friends and people who needed him, my father fixed up the mansion that was formerly owned by Charles Xavier. He tracked down young mutants who couldn’t fully control their powers and helped them. We called ourselves The Society of Mutants, or The Society for short. He moved me and my mother in. To lower suspicion, he sent the hunters after certain mutants. Mutants who used their powers wrongfully and generally made us look worse. Things were going smoothly up until he died from who knows what. I knew I had to make a move, but I was only 26. I decided to reach the chairman myself, but it wasn’t easy. He wouldn’t let me replace my father unless I offered Ferrum something. I designed a new type of armor for the hunters. Armor that’s immune to anything any mutant can throw at it. The chairman loved it and gave me the job on the spot. I continued to run the school. I helped the ones who just wanted a normal life get into the cities run by Ferrum. This entire area is clear of iron soldiers of any kind. This is a safe haven for mutants. I’ve trained many mutants including the ones you met earlier. Razor has the power to know what someone’s going to do right before they actually do it. It’s not seeing the future or any form of telepathy though. Scylla can manipulate any type of liquid. Her powers could be limitless. Cranks skin is harder than metal. And Izzy can manipulate technology.”

‘So that’s who was piloting the aircraft.’ I thought.

“So, what do you want with us?” I asked.

“You’ve attracted Ferrums attention and they want you guys dead. I heard you guys were powerful, so I decided to bring you here and try to persuade you into letting me teach you how to use your powers.” He answered.

“What about the hunters? Will we be able to take them?” Drake asked.

“I designed them to be invincible. For that reason, I added a few flaws. There are weak spots in their armor and I’ll be glad to show you guys if you agree to stay.”

I was still a bit wary of the situation, but I had no choice, we needed to learn how to control our powers. After a small discussion with the team, we agreed to stay.

“We’ll stay.” I said.

“Good. It’s a bit late so you’ll need some rest. Scylla will show you to your rooms. We’ll begin your training tomorrow.” He said.

Chapter 2

‘How did it find us?’ I thought as I stared at the hunter who just remained in the air.

Hunters are specially made, specially trained iron soldiers whose sole purpose is to hunt and eliminate all mutants. The suits they wear are made for use in the air, on land, an even under water. For the most part, they’re like the usual iron soldier, but these were made to withstand mutant powers. They’re immune to high and low temperatures. They’re unaffected by telepaths and are immune to electricity; just my luck. I waited for it to make a move, but it just stayed in that exact position. Not even the drones were attacking us. That’s when I heard a voice coming from it.

“Who are you guys?” He asked.

“We’re just wanderers who wandered in the wrong place.” I replied.

I felt so stupid and pathetic, but there’s no way we could take that hunter with all these drones around. I could easily electrocute the drones, but I might hit Alyssa, Tank, and the blonde girl. I could also slice them all with my sword, but I doubt that hunter would just stay there and watch.

“You just happened to have wandered past a bunch of security drones and into a Ferrum research facility?” He asked.

“Well we knew it was abandoned, so we decided to take a look around.”

“You know there’s a group of mutant saboteurs matching your exact description. We have a kill on sight order.”

“Are you going to take us in?” I asked.

“No, I’m going to kill you.”

I knew I had to act quickly, but I needed an opportunity. Just as he prepared to fire, Drake threw a small bomb at his hand, causing him to misfire. That’s when I acted.

“Everybody get out quick!”

In an instant, Alyssa grabbed Tank and the girl and teleported away. I unleashed a barrage of electricity in every direction. The drones didn’t even have a chance to target me. I was so damned arrogant and irresponsible I didn’t even notice the hunter firing his hand blaster at me. Alyssa teleported me out just in time. I couldn’t believe how stupid I was to leave myself exposed like that. This isn’t the first time Alyssa had to endanger her own life just to save mine.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine; we have to focus on the hunter. Where’s Tank?”

She pointed behind me. I was glad to see he wasted no time to cover himself with the earth outside of the facility. Took him ten seconds to look like a big rock golem. What a power. He charged the hunter just as it flew close to the ground. Before he could hit the hunter, it blasted the rocks right off his shoulder. I didn’t even know where Drake was. He tends to lay low until he finds an opening. Alyssa waited, but I didn’t know what to say. She’s valuable on the battlefield, but we can’t just leave that blonde girl alone, she appeared paralyzed with fear.

“Drake, get your lazy ass over here!” I yelled.

I felt his hand tap my shoulder and nearly electrocuted him.

“Can you not sneak up on me like that?”

“Sorry, your face is too priceless.” He said.

“Drake, take the girl somewhere safe and protect her.” I said as I pulled out my sword.

While he went to the girl’s aid, I sent enough electricity into my sword to make it glow blue.

“Alyssa, I need you to give me cover fire.”

I hastily ran to back Tank up. The hunter was so fast I could barely keep my eyes on it. He and Tank kept exchanging hard blows on each other. When I got close up, I noticed the hunter hardly had any scratches. When I saw an opening, I attacked it. Not even my conductor sword could pierce the damn thing. With no idea what to do, I just began shooting electricity at it, but it had no effect. We fought it time and time again, but we just couldn’t do any damage. Then I came up with a plan.

“Tank, I need you to cover your arm with the metal gate!” I yelled.

Tank ran to the metal gate outside of the Ferrum facility. His stone covered arm became coated with metal.

‘What’s a better conductor of electricity than an electric gate?’ I thought.

Tank caught on fast and shortly ran for the hunter. The idiot didn’t realize why Tank was rushing actually rushing him, so I powered some electricity and zapped the metal around Tank’s arm. The devastating punch knocked the hunter to the ground. I knew that if I had any chance of defeating the hunter, this was it. Just as Tank smashed the downed hunter, I zapped him with everything I had. He couldn’t make a move. Or so I thought. While I was walking towards the hunter, it got back up. I can tell we damaged it, but I never imagined it would be so tough. These things are unbelievable.

“What now?” Alyssa asked me.

Stunned, I didn’t k now what to do. No matter what we threw at this thing, it kept getting back up. We punch it hard, it punches harder. I needed a plan, but my options were so limited. I felt so weak and helpless. The hunter stood up, glaring at me as if he were just playing around. Suddenly, with the blink an eye, four people arrived out of nowhere. I couldn’t get a good look at them, they were so quick. In seconds, the hunter was back on the ground, but covered in ice. He ferociously broke out. He even tried firing his central canon located on his chest. I was caught in crossfire and I didn’t even know what was happening. Before he was able to fully charge, one of the people smashed something into his power supply, causing him to burst. The suit became useless and the man inside even tried to flee. Damn hunters act all tough when they’re in their armor, but they’re cowards when it comes to fighting without them. I decided to let him go, but those four thought otherwise. I lay on the ground, confused. After they were done with the hunter, they quickly made their way to me. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

Iron-Age Prologue: The X-Faction

My name’s Chase Evans and I’m a mutant. For years the world was at war with an army of high-tech iron soldiers. I was born in one of the last remaining cities that weren’t under their control. When I turned five, I realized I wasn’t normal. I found that I had the ability to make contact with electricity without any harmful effects. As the years past, my powers began peaking. I was able to not only manipulate electricity, but project it using electric currents. When I turned 18, the Iron Army attacked. My father went to help hold them off while everyone else escaped. I wanted to fight, but my mother told me I had to flee. She told me that I was a person with an extraordinary power and that I should use it to help the world. I watched as my home and family burned to the ground. But I wasn’t alone. Another mutant named Alyssa Taylor made it out alive. She had the power to see teleport from one place to another in an instant. While we traveled, we met a young mutant named Drake Sullivan. He was like us, but he had to the ability to become intangible. He called himself Ghost. We also met another mutant who went by the name “Tank”. He had the ability to cover his body with any hard surface he came into contact with. Together we became the X-faction. Hunted like rats, we travel around the world helping survivors and sabotaging the Iron Army’s factories and military bases. The battle seems hopeless, but as long as we survive, we’ll fight.

Chapter 1: Blooming Lily

The wind picked up as the dark clouds covered the sky. The air became damp and soggy. I stood, staring at the long road. My dark brown hair blew with the harsh winds as the rain struck my black jacket.

“Guess it rained after all. Good call Chase.” Alyssa said as she walked to me.

I watched as she slowly approached me. Her perfectly slim figure and raven-black hair were an irresistible sight.

She looked at me and said, “We found a small place with two rooms. Wanna share one?”

The thought of sharing a room with her was appealing, but I don’t know if I can trust myself. We’ve been good friends for years, but the temptations never go away.

“Can’t you sleep by yourself?” I asked.

“Come on, don’t leave me all alone.”

I exhaled my frustration and decided to agree. I figured it would be better than leaving her alone. It started raining hard so we walked into the small abandoned house. When we stepped in, I saw Drake a young blonde man with an athletic build. He’s a flirtatious guy who likes joking a lot, but he can get serious when we need him to be. Sitting next to him was Tank. He’s a large muscular man, but he’s very quiet. In fact, we’re the only people he ever talks to. They sat by a fire which warmed me up.

“So what’s the plan?” Drake asked me.

“We’ll rest up for now. When the storm’s over, we’ll make a move on the Ferrum Tech research facility. Hopefully we can find some survivors. We’re in their territory, so someone needs to keep watch at all times.”

“I’ll go.” Tank said as he stood up.

“Okay. So Tank stays on guard duty first, then Drake, and then me.”

“What about Alyssa?” Drake asked.

“I’m the only girl here; you have to treat me nicely.”

“Enough complaining. Drake, Alyssa, get some sleep.”

The truth is, I’m very protective of Alyssa. We were both born in the same city and we only had each other after it was attacked. Up until we met Drake and Tank that is.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” She asked.

She gave me this really playful look.

“I’ll join you soon; I just want to keep Tank company for a bit.”

I watched as Alyssa and Drake went to their rooms, and then exited the house with Tank. Unlike Alyssa and Drake, Tank and I really understood each other. I void him more as a big brother than a teammate. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

“If you want, you can stay inside the house.” I said

“It’s fine.” He replied.

“Make sure you’re ready for tomorrow Tank, we’ll be facing some big dogs. Night.” Chase said as he walked back into the house.

Morning came and the rising sun illuminated the house.

“Everybody up, it’s time to go.” I said. “Make sure you guys have your equipment ready.”

Drake left his room, getting struck by the glare of the sun.

“Finally, we get to see some action! After two weeks of planning this damn assault, we get to get some Ferrum ass!” Drake said excitedly while placing his two metal blades in his belt.

Alyssa left her room, wearing tight black pants and a black top. She held two guns with “Stark Enterprise” written on them.

“Don’t go charging in like an elephant again, Drake.” She said.

I put on my black jacket and covered my head with a hood. I don’t carry guns or anything like that, my powers are enough. I do however carry a double bladed sword that I use to conduct electricity. It powers it like a laser, making it easy to cut through even the hardest metals.

“We’ll go in as planned. Tank goes in first. I’ll jump in right after him to take out the drones. Alyssa, you give me cover fire. Drake, you do your ghost thing and make it to the control room. You’ll be our eyes and ears. Are we clear? Good.”

We left the house and headed out. We continued down the empty road, surrounded by abandoned and wrecked houses. Once a largely populated part of Canada, now uninhibited. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a mechanical creature flew rapidly in the sky.

“Drone!” Alyssa yelled.

We immediately took cover behind a nearby car, nearly avoiding the drone. A few months ago, we sabotaged a Ferrum development factory. I found these goggles they were developing that can see far distances. It could also see in night and heat vision. I figured now would be a good time to use them. We continued on the road until we reached a large gate shelling the outer area of a building.

“Electric fence. Care to help us out, Chase?” Drake asked.

I approached the gate and clutched it with my bare hands, draining it of its electric charge. The current passing through my body and into the ground. One of the very many perks that come with manipulating electricity.

“Done. Drake, cut through the gate.” I said.

Drake grabbed one of the metal blades from his belt and clicked a button, projecting a laser from the hilt to the tip of the blade. The laser effortlessly slices through the metal gate. It’s tradition for mutants to create mutant names. We referred to each other by our births names when we’re around each other, but mutants aren’t welcome in this world. Since we fight for our freedom and salvation, so we go by our mutant aliases. I went by ‘Surge’, Drake went by ‘Ghost’, Alyssa went by ‘Essence’, and Tank went by… We, he went by Tank.

“Okay, so once we get passed this gate, we’ll need to keep low. The security is minimized during the day, so we just have to avoid the drones that are patrolling the area. Essence, I need you to teleport Tank to the back entrance. Ghost, you go through the walls and into the control room. I’ll cut the power so you guys can move without being noticed.”

An instant after Drake finished cutting the gate, I entered. I swiftly avoided getting caught by security cameras and made my way to the power generator.

I signalled that it was safe to go. Alyssa grabbed Tanks arm and vanished in to thin air. Drake changed from his normal human state, to a vaporous one, as if he were a ghost. That trick still amazes me. Just as I was finished draining the generator and redirecting the electric current into the ground, I fled. I sprinted past the security drones that were making their way to the generator. I entered the facility with Alyssa and Tank and hid in a small room.

“Ghost, did you find the control room?” I whispered into my earpiece.

“Yeah, I see you guys. Something’s off though.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“This place is small.”

“What about the underground section?”

Before we go on missions, we make sure we have a blueprint of the buildings. We usually get them from scouter drones or people who work for Ferrum. We found that almost every building had a large underground section. We usually take some fun toys, set a few bombs, and go.

“That’s the thing, there is no underground. From what I can tell, this is the entire building. All the security is stationed outside, it’s completely empty here. Must have been abandoned.”

“Shit, this is just a waste of time.” Said Chase.

After weeks of planning, hearing it abandoned was painful.

“Wait!” Drake voice rung into my ear. “There’s something in the center. I’m getting a huge energy reading. Be cautious though, there may be security there.”

“Okay, we’re going to move in to the center.” I said as we exited the room.

We walked down the dark hallway to a door with a bright light coming out of the bottom. Grasping my sword, I rushed in, only to find no one there. But then I saw something in the center of the room. A tube filled with liquid, containing a young blonde girl wearing a white dress.

“We’ve got a live one!” I yelled. “Drake, I need you to open the tube.”

The tube rose into the ceiling with liquid spilling out. Just before the girl fell, I jumped and caught her. Looking at her bright face, her shut eyes began to open. I couldn’t help but notice her angelic blue eyes.

“Chase?” Alyssa said.

“Chase, we’ve got an emergency!” Drake yelled into his headset. “Drones coming in your direction! And…”

I looked at the doorway, ignoring Drake’s last few words. As the room filled up with drones, we prepared for battle. Suddenly an explosion blew a hole through the roof. That’s when I saw it. A humanoid machine floated over us. A hunter.