Logan slipped into the house like a shadow, but as soon as the door shut behind him he dropped all effort at stealth and sprinted toward the rooms.

He pounded violently on the first door he came to. "Jeannie! Get the troops rallied!" he yelled. "I'll be outside taking care of our guest, but don't you let 'em catch us unawares if they flank me."

"I'm on it," Jean yelled back through the door then muttered, "Why couldn't they attack at a decent hour?"

While Jean telepathically roused her teammates, Wolverine confronted the first of the invaders outside.

"Ya owe me a date girlie," he said finding Arclight approaching the mansion.

"I was hoping you'd be around," Arclight replied turning to face him. "I hate leaving an opponent standing."

With that she lashed out with a brutal kick that sent Wolverine flying.

He rolled to his feet grinning. "Feeling's mutual darling," he told her dodging her next blow to land one of his own.

Elsewhere Beast exited the mansion through his window. Balancing nimbly on the ledge, he scanned the grounds looking for the threat. He spotted Vertigo only a moment before the green and white haired woman noticed him.

Beast leapt into action only to find up and down had become purely theoretical concepts. He landed in a heap and didn't rise.

"Push over," Vertigo smirked, strolling past the downed X-man.

Jean beat futilely against the shields protecting the invaders' minds when she felt Xavier's presence in her mind.

"They were expecting a psionic attack," he projected. "But if we join our strength we may succeed in breaching their defenses."

"Lets target Scrambler," Jean suggested. "I've got plans for that sleaze."

"Agreed, but you will refrain from vengeance on Remy's behalf," Xavier responded.

On the front lawn Colossus shifted to his metallic form in time to ward off Scalphunter's shots. The Marauder quickly traded his gun for another; larger, model from the arsenal he wore. Before he could fire the Russian X-Man charged him.

Just outside the kitchen door Scott dove for the lawn as one of Harpooner's projectiles passed through the space he'd just been occupying. Looking up from where he lay, Scott touched the side of his visor and the force of his concussive blast smashed Harpooner into a near by tree.

"Remy, come on!" Storm urged. "I'm supposed to get you to safety."

The younger boy stood, back pressed to the wall, peering into the shadows. "He's comin' Remy's voice was choked with fear. "Can feel de evil of him in de air. He's comin' for me hisself dis time."

"I'm trying to protect you," Storm pled, tugging at the boy's hand. Remy quickly pulled free. "Scott has the danger room programmed to defend you. We don't want you to get hurt, not like Bobby did. Please Remy!"

"S' no use," Remy said. "Not 'gainst him."

"Then it doesn't matter, so come on!" Storm exclaimed in frustration. "You can't give up without a fight!"

"Gonna fight," Remy protested. "Will loose, mais..."

"Then give yourself the best chance you've got," Storm insisted. "Don't defeat yourself for him."

Remy's eyes blazed as the fear in his expression shifted to determination, "D'accord."

Arclight fell to the ground, hamstrung by Wolverine's claws. Even as she watched the damage she had inflicted on the shorter mutant faded.

"Yield girl," he told her. "Ya lost, don't make me kill you, it upset the others when I do things like that."

"Haven't lost yet," Arclight replied, pressing her hands to the ground. Under her ministrations the solid turf shook itself into dust. Several feet down a water line broke, rapidly turning the lawn into a quagmire.

Logan sank in to his thighs, the weight of his adamantium-laced skeleton dragging him down. "I've fought in worse," he warned Arclight, undaunted.

"Odds are even again," She replied with a shrug, letting the oozing mud take some of the weight from her injured leg.

"Let's see if bullets bounce off you now," Scrambler announced, backing away as he aimed his pistol.

Then to the Russian's surprise the smaller man's expression went slack, the gun dropping from suddenly nerveless fingers.

"We've got him," Jean's mental voice assured her teammate. "Peter get back to the house, you're out of it."

"How are we doing?" Colossus asked, reluctant to abandon the field.

"Storm's still with Remy. Wolverine is having a blast fighting with their strong woman; I don't think that's going to last much longer. The green-haired witch knocked out both Scott and Hank, but they're going to be okay and she's the only one of them left. We've got a plan for dealing with her," Jean reported. "So get back to the house, it's all over except for the shouting."

Peter smiled in appreciation as Scrambler was marched toward Vertigo's position by the telepaths like a puppet.