![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_daytripper posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsAlison gets the message she's been waiting for.
The message she'd received but seconds ago via encrypted SMS had sent her running out of the gym and for the lower levels in a heartbeat.
Ground Zero. Now.
The report she interrupted after calling in the team members she'd selected months ago for just this event, about the vehicle Jubilee had signed out being found on the side of the road, empty, only confirmed things further, added a twist to it all that while not entirely unexpected, only heightened the urgency she was feeling.
It was time.
It was finally time.
***
At the Hellfire Club, the Inner Circle gathers to induct its newest member.
Pete glanced around the room, at the faces of his fellow 'royalty'. Shaw hadn't looked happy in a couple of months, and Emma was wearing her usual expression of amused boredom, as if all this was somehow beneath her. Selene, of course, looked like the cat that'd got the cream.
He slid a PDA out of his pocket, and go on with reviewing some work. The world would go on regardless after tonight, so there was no excuse for slacking off. He caught Shaw's eye across the room, and received the barest nod in response, before Emma tapped him on the arm.
"Really, Peter, must you? One expects a certain amount of protocol at these events."
He closed the device with a snap, and dropped it back into his pocket.
"Just making sure I'm up to date. Thought I might have had another appointment tonight, but my schedule's reassuringly clear." Pete grinned flippantly, knowing it would wind Emma up, and recived an icy stare in response.
"I don't know what you're worrying about. We all know the score. This is about as politics free a meeting as we've had all year, so you might as well just relax. It'll go through on the nod, and we can all go back to
doing some proper bloody work..."
"This is proper work, Peter. I thought you understood that."
"Only up to a point, Emma. Only up a point...."
Before they could get into rehashing that same argument they'd been having all year, a gong sounded. Pete stopped smiling, and assumed the icy stare of the White King.
"Now, it's work."
The ceremony was unusual in a way - a return to older traditions, in fact, where only the Kings and Queens were present for the swearing in of a new member of the Inner Court, as opposed to the more open and public ceremonies of the past decade or so, events orchestrate under the very eye of an often unknowing audience.
A solemn silence thus reigned in the room for a while as three of the four royals of the Inner Club waited for their fourth to signal a start to the whole affair, speaking last as was required of the one calling forth a new member with the ranks of her court.
Finally, though, Selene moved, the glimmering black fabric of her dress shushing with a soft, lazy sound, her high heeled shoes clicking on the rich hardwood floor of the chamber with an oddly muffled sound, as though the wood itself tried to slither away from her in revulsion. Smiling softly to herself in smug self satisfaction she turned around only once she'd reached the far side of the room facing the wide, double doors serving as the sole entrance to the room, settling into a waiting pose which would of course not be required at all, so well orchestrated the evening was to be.
As was usual for new candidates, Amanda was led into the room blindfolded and with the hood of the black cloak covering her top to toe raised and pulled down almost to her nose. Her voice as she recited the oaths of fealty was soft, but steady. Having pledged her loyalty to the Club and its secrets, her guide took his cue from Selene's nod and pulled back the hood and untied the blindfold. Amanda blinked in the sudden
light, regaining her composure quickly, even as her eyes were drawn almost inexorably to Pete, sitting on the throne of the White King.
She recieved the barest flicker of recognition in response, a brief moment where his eyes held the very slightest warmth, before returning to the bored stare, and the half smile that conveyed nothing but his sense of the ludicrousness of the ritual, like this was all some pointless game, and he'd rather be almost anywhere else.
The flash of expression seemed to bolster Amanda - her shoulders straightened slightly as she moved to kneel before the White Queen, awaiting her response to the new candidate. Emma paused only slightly before touching the girl's shoulder with the handle of her dagger. The candidate was powerful, but emotionally unstable and that suited Emma perfectly well; she doubted Amanda would even survive her first year of service, let alone be any kind of threat to the White Court.
With a small bow as she rose, Amanda turned to the next seat - that of the White King. In what was probably a breach of etiquette she kept her gaze on his as she knelt before him, almost daring him to register his disapproval of her choice. Daring, or perhaps hoping for it.
Pete leant forward in his chair, his expression never wavering, his eyes showing nothing but that bored detachment. He looked at the knife in his hand, spinning it idly, then leant forward further to whisper in her ear.
"Whatever you do: don't screw this up."
Then he was leaning back again, still looking bored, before locking eyes with Selene, and then nodding, just once, and bringing the knife down in a blur, stopping the point just before it touched Amanda's shoulder, still staring at Selene.
Then he grinned, spun the knife in his hand, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder with the hilt.
It was the Pete she knew... and yet he'd agreed with this. Amanda dropped her eyes to hide the confusion before moving to the next throne - Shaw. She only knew him as Shinobi's evil father and she couldn't help briefly peeking at him to see if maybe there was any resemblance.
Shaw glared down at Amanda, meeting her eyes for one moment. Raising his dagger to his eyes, he tilted his wrist, looking down the blade at Amanda. Idly, he swept the tip back and forth in the air, tracing an invisible line across Amanda's neck. With a quick glance to Selene, he dropped his hand to Amanda's shoulder, tapping her gently with the hilt.
It was impossible not to shiver slightly at the touch of Shaw's dagger, given the performance - he was one scary individual and Amanda was starting to realise just what the hell she'd landed herself in here. She was hopelessly out of her depth... It was bizarre, Selene shouldn't have been any kind of a source of comfort, but yet as Amanda knelt before her sponsor, she couldn't help reminding herself that Selene had wanted her as her Black Knight. Failure on Amanda's part would make the Black Queen look bad. So surely there had to be something Selene saw in her? Something more than just a power source, as Alex had been?
Time passed by as Amanda kneeled unmoving, until a light pressure on the side of her cheek drew her out of her thoughts. Selene let the touch linger for a moment, the Black Queen's acknowledgement of a candidate personally chosen and prepared for induction within the ranks of the club, before pulling away, reaching for the ceremonial dagger at her side.
There were no flourishes nor any dramatic gestures as Selene simply brought the hilt down slowly upon Amanda's shoulder, the black weapon seemingly drinking in the very light surrounding it, a weight hovering about it and pressing down despite the fact that it barely brushed against the kneeling girl's shoulder.
"Rise, my Knight," she murmured lowly, her voice the only sound in the room, heard clearly by all. With a small, knowing smile she then lifted one arm to the side, attendants previously hidden in the shadows flitting by with a parcel wrapped in black silk. Selene held the bundle for a moment, caressing its side pensively, before finally gifting Amanda - her Knight - with the gift, as tradition required.
Amanda unwrapped the bundle carefully even as a servant approached to remove the all-encompassing cloak to reveal the Gothic-type traditional garb of the Inner Circle - black corset and leather pants, high-heeled boots on her feet. The cloth was a scarf, black silk, and for wont of a better place to put it (and also to cover up some of the skin she was almost embarrassed to be showing, especially with Shaw watching her with those predatory eyes of his) she draped it around her neck, feeling the tell-tale tingle of magic as she did. Some sort of protective charm, maybe, to protect what it had covered? Considering what it had covered was a heavy book, leatherbound and detailed in dull gold, the title one Amanda knew more from hushed whispers and Strange's lessons in rare volumes, perhaps that idea wasn't so off-base. She ran tentative fingers over the grimoire and looked up at Selene. "Thank you my Lady."
"Mmm." With a low murmur, Selene slid a finger under Amanda's chin and lifted slightly, leaning forward at the same time to press a light, barely perceptible kiss to Amanda's forehead - her blessings and favor accorded to her knight in that one, single motion.
"I've no doubt you'll live up to my expectations, my Knight," she said lazily, before stepping back, clapping her hands loudly twice to signal the end of the ceremony.
***
At the mansion a very specialised team is briefed.
Not the way he'd expected to spend a Friday night, Nathan thought, his face neutral as he listened to Alison's briefing. Then again, he'd figured that this, or something like this, was coming at some point. There had been a few too many training exercises involving the four people in this room - himself, Alison, Cain and Kylun - and rather specific conditions. 'Quiet' urban infiltration, after dark. The exercises had been scattered through the training schedule for a few months, but had happened frequently enough to be noticeable.
Three of the most experienced X-Men. Plus Alison. And the Hellfire Club, from what she was telling them now. Not that she was telling them everything, Nathan reflected, his expression utterly unreadable as he took in every detail that she provided. But he'd known that for a while, hadn't he?
#Yet you still trust her.#
It was Askani, unexpectedly, and the statement was not a question. Nathan smiled inwardly, very faintly. #Yes, I do,# he sent back, trying not to exude too much gratitude at the steadying presence at the back of his mind. #You picked a good night to reappear.#
#Special occasion.#
#Yeah?#
#The ice, I believe, is due to melt,# was the cryptic reply, and Nathan nodded to himself. Months ago, Askani had detected something while visiting Alison's dreams. A wall of ice, or so she'd described it. Protecting something, obviously, and Nathan had been torn for a while, between old fears of being left out of the loop and his awareness that anything like that had to be Charles' work.
But he trusted Charles. Just like he trusted Alison. He had faith in them both. Even when Askani had, eventually, offered her belief that this had something to do with Amanda, somehow, he had held to that.
Amanda. The Hellfire Club. Pete. Selene. There was a big picture here, even if it wasn't being shared just yet.
He could deal with that. Do what was necessary. Nathan closed his eyes for a moment - still listening, never fear, he thought silently at Alison as he felt her attention turn to him - and traced a calming pattern in his mind.
#I have faith in you, too,# Askani said softly.
#I know.#
***
The ceremony completed, Amanda is faced with her first task as Black Knight.
A servant appeared at Amanda's elbow bearing a cup on a try. The last part of the ceremony, drinking to the Inner Circle of which she was now a member. She didn't even hesitate, lifting the cup in a toast, and then setting the cup down on the tray proffered by the servant, the wine thick on the back of her tongue, the oaths of fealty she'd made lying even heavier. If this was a victory, a triumph, why did it feel like a
defeat?
"And now," Selene said, with a small smile, eyes glimmering with dark amusement. "The final test of your loyalty." She gestured imperiously, the black fabric of her dress oozing over her skin in a silken wave, and several masked servitors pulled aside one of the curtains covering various entrances, revealing a figure Amanda recognised instantly.
Jubilee.
"Test? What fu--" she began, and amended her words quickly, mindful of her position, what she'd just undertaken. "You didn't mention a test, my lady. I'm afraid I mightn't be able to do what you need..."
"Oh, but I'm sure you will, Amanda," Selene said, smile growing slightly, the iron underlying her voice all the more evident now. "You'll just need to do what comes naturally." She gestured again once more, a come hither sign, and the servitors hurried Jubilee forward obediently, eyes cast downwards at all times - whether in fear or respect uncertain, their faces turned away from sight.
Everything was right with the world, it had to be because she was feeling so damn good. In fact, she'd just decided to tell the nice people escorting her that she thought they were wonderful when she noticed Amanda.
Dude! She hadn't seen her in forever. She totally had so much to tell her. Wait... she was meant to be mad at Amanda. Oh well, way too much work, really. And there was Selene, the person who'd given her whatever it was that made the world seem so fantastic right now. She should thank her for that.
Jubilee was obviously drugged out of her mind, the way she was grinning around at everyone and needing to be held up. To stop her accessing her powers, of course... Amanda looked over at Selene and found no pity there - only a disturbing blankness to the woman's gaze as her eyes skimmed over Jubilee as though the girl were nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room.
"What do you need me to do, Lady?" she asked at last.
"You've learned well, thus far," she spoke, her voice acquired a subtle cadence, "but for your power to finally truly become yours to command and control, more is needed." She smiled, lazily, head tilting to the side slowly. "You've held back so far, apprentice. Don't think I haven't noticed," she whispered the last words, amusement glimmering through briefly. "And as I cannot have a Knight who will not commit entirely to my service." Selene reached over and trailed a fingertip over Jubilee's cheek, smiling as the befuddled girl turned her face into the touch with a contented noise. "This one has a measure of power, we can both feel it. All you need to do is reach out and take it." She paused, letting the words sink in before quantifying them with an absolute. "All of it."
"But that would..." Amanda swallowed, realizing what Selene was asking of her. "You want me to kill her."
It was somewhat like a shock of cold water, only more unpleasant. It was certainly enough to knock out of the stupor her mind had sunk into. Jubilee continued to nuzzle Selene's hand, wondering if she'd really heard what she'd heard. She felt for her powers, and couldn't reach them.
It was at that point that Jubilee tried to run. She didn't get far, while her mind might be clear as glass, her body was most definitely still drugged. She winced as she hit the floor, feet tangled with the white robe they seemed to have dressed her in.
It was frustrating enough to make a grown woman cry... so she did.
Amanda winced internally at the sight of Jubilee struggling against the drugs, kicking feebly at the gown entangled around her bare feet. Even if she had the co-ordination not to trip over her own feet, she wouldn't have gotten far, not with Selene and the servitors there. Mind ticking over furiously, the witch watched silently as the weeping Jubilee was helped back to her feet by the two masked men who had brought her in, an odd impersonal gentleness to their assistance. She was fully aware Selene was watching her every move, as were the other three.
"Ah, how they struggle…" Selene stalked gracefully around Jubilee and her supports to stand behind them all, not at all eclipsed by those before her. "Even when there is no hope at all, still they struggle." She could have been referring to Jubilee, or to Amanda herself. "It's so very endearing. And now - your first task as my Knight, Amanda." Possessiveness lingered in Selene's voice as she spoke. "Do not disappoint me. What was given can be taken away, just as easily." The reminder was softly spoken, that small smile still playing upon Selene's lips as she waited for Amanda to do as bidden.
And there was the catch. Looking into those bottomless black eyes, Amanda knew then what the choice was. Take Jubilee's life, or lose her control. Everything she'd worked for, what she'd thrown away her life at the school for, Manuel... All for nothing, unless she did as Selene was instructing.
"Let her go," she told the servitors, her voice holding only the barest tremble. They glanced questioningly at Selene, and Amanda continued. "I'll drain you as well, if you're touching her. So let her go."
Jubilee fell to her knees when they let her go, unable to hold herself up. She looked up, meeting Amanda's gaze.
David... She had a life, she had David. She was going to be an X-man. This wasn't fair.
Amanda stretched out her hand towards Jubilee, wishing it wasn't shaking so much. This was wrong, everything in her was telling her that, but what other choice did she have? She'd already thrown everything else away - the only thing left was the magic. And if she said no... well, the expression in Selene's eyes told her exactly what would happen. Here in the Hellfire Club, with no friends, no allies, even Pete watching her coldly - she wouldn't last five minutes.
So she tried to ignore the pleading in Jubilee's expression, tried to remember all the hurts the girl had done her, the careless words, the petty jealousies. All Amanda had to do was reach out for the energy she could feel pulsing through her, and take it. And no-one would be able to hurt her ever again.
She was going to do it, Amanda was going to kill her. Jubilee turned her head, noting the expectant look in Selene's eyes.
Jubilee was going to die, and Amanda would become a monster. There wasn't much left from the download Strange had given her of Amanda's life, but that much Jubilee remembered. Killing someone, that was unforgivable.
And if Amanda didn't do it, then Selene would kill them both.
Something snapped; maybe it had been hope, maybe just the stubborn will to keep on fighting that had always driven her. In this moment, there was only two choices left to her. Keep on fighting and maybe some miracle would happen and she'd survive, or let go and save someone else.
It really wasn't a choice at all.
Jubilee reached up and grabbed hold of Amanda's hand, pulling her down before she could react.
"Do it." she hissed, hoping that it wasn't audible to the rest of the room.
Amanda's eyes widened, and she froze in the act of trying to wrench her hand away. "What? You know what she's asking, don't you? She wants me to fucking well kill you!" she hissed back.
"I know!" Jubilee growled, wishing Amanda would just do it. It was hard enough not to change her mind. Not to cling to life with everything she had inside her. Would it hurt? Would dying hurt? "But if you don't, she'll kill us both. So, I'm telling you, do it."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. If Jubilee had fought her, defied her, cursed her name... well, it would have made it easier. Defensive, in a way. But this? It reminded her of Angelo, still willing to trust her only a few days before. "I... I'm not sure I can," she stammered out, acutely aware of the eyes on them, the expectant hush. "Jubes, I don't want this, but Selene, you're right, she'll..."
The servitors reached down, grabbed Jubilee's arms again, yanking her upright. At the same time, Amanda felt Selene's touch on her shoulder, chilling her to the bone.
"We are waiting, Amanda." Selene's voice, as gentle as it was, made it clear that such an act could possibly be considered unforgivable, unless proper reparation were offered. Soon.
Jubilee was calm - she hadn't expected that. She had so much to live for, so much still to do. She wasn't bitter though, she'd told David just a day or so ago how much she loved him. Had laughed with her friends, had teased Alison about her food choices as they stood in Lorna's kitchen. It had been a good day, a perfect day. And maybe the last few hours had been spent drugged to her eyeballs and unknowing. But she remembered, and she held that last day close. It was enough.
"You're not a monster." Jubilee said, gaze locked with Amanda's. She willed the other girl to believe that, to find the strength after this to break free of Selene. She was stronger then she realised, she just had to believe it.
You're not a monster. The words reverberated in Amanda's head, amplified by other voices, the ones that held onto their faith in her, even despite everything she'd done. She watched as the masked men let Jubilee go, watched the other girl remain standing by sheer will and bloody-mindedness. Remy's voice, cold and hard even as she realised now how desperately he'd been trying to make her see: You cross dat line, 'manda, and you give up on me. And finally Nathan's words, the ones that had stabbed deep because she'd never expected him to ask that of her: Because you can choose, Amanda. You can trade yourself, your own welfare, to accomplish something, to save someone...
And suddenly, it all became perfectly clear.
"No." Amanda turned and met Selene's eyes. "I won't do it."
A moment of silence reigned, time suspended between them as Selene's eyes darkened impossibly, holding Amanda's gaze in an undeniable grasp. Finally her lips curved slowly, a hungry gleam in her eyes as she indolently tapped her chin with a fingertip, the black lacquered nails glimmering in the room's lighting.
"I see." The words were hissed out ferally, Selene's pleasant expression never changing. The look in her eyes, however, was anything but forgiving.
Out of the corner of her eye, Amanda caught sight of movement, saw Pete rising from his chair. What ever you do, don't fuck this up, she remembered him saying and she acted instinctively. She couldn't fight Pete, not in a million years - she'd seen him nearly beat Nate, knew what he was capable of. The ceremonial hall was warded against intruders, magics layered one upon the other over the years. More than enough power - draining the wards of all their power, Amanda used it for the first thing that came to mind, a teleport spell. She didn't have the power to send Pete far - just to her room - but hopefully it would give her enough time to get them out of here.
Selene smiled, an incandescent light in her eyes. "Emma, Sebastian… my darlings, kindly allow us some privacy as I tend to this matter." With polite nods, Emma and Shaw did so, Emma murmuring something about not getting involved with disciplinary matters with one of those amused smiles of hers.
A few moments later, both girls were left alone in the room with Selene, the woman now smiling widely, the candles' flames whipping about as though in a storm, even though no wind nor breeze ran through the room. Shadows gathered about her, taking impossible shapes as they grew in density and size, wrapping around Selene as so many lovers.
"I might as well make the best of this little turn of events…" She purred as she spoke, laughter both dark and malicious threading through her throat.
"And I've been fancying a little snack of late anyway."
***
The team infiltrates the Hellfire Club... with a little insider help.
Standing within the dimly lit lobby of the Hellfire Club, Alison breathed in slowly, ignoring the faint thudding sound from behind her - to say that Nathan, Kylun and Cain had been able to deal with the security at the doors in a quick and efficient manner was the understatement of the year, really. There were no alarms, as of yet, and thus far the hallway at the end of the large lobby remained unoccupied, though it wouldn't stay that way for long, she expected.
And so, one of the things she'd been preparing herself - and others - for had finally begun.
"Kylun. Right hallway, until you hit the end. One floor down, secret passage on the left - Selene's assistant is there. We need to make sure the woman is out of the fight and stays out until we're done here." There wasn't any sound at all as Kylun nodded and then dissapeared, with nary a question or a doubt.
Nathan held his psimitar back against his body. Not that discretion was really an option with the damned thing, or in general, given how they'd just made their entrance, but he didn't need to be striding down the hall waving it around. He reached out and delicately blurred the perceptions of some of the (relatively) innocent bystanders who were beginning to respond to the noise. No need to complicate the situation, although he was careful to keep his own shields up. Who knew where Frost was in all of this, after all.
Adjusting his gloves, Cain grinned widely as he stepped up next to Cable and Dazzler. "So," he asked, "that was simple. Who thinks it ain't gonna stay that way? Hands?" He held one massive hand up, frowning at the other two X-Men. "All right, fine. Just point me at the next fancy-dressed person that we have to take down. Dibs on Shaw, though."
"Shaw should be in the central ceremony room down below," Alison said simply, "and is probably still a bit busy at the moment." From Pete's sudden call though, that didn't mean they had the time to take things slowly - moving quickly and efficiently would be paramount.
#Incoming,# Nathan sent to both of them sharply. #Unknown, not overtly aggressive.#
"Quite right, Miss Blaire."
The cultured voice echoed through the foyer as Harry Leland stepped out of the shadows, deceptively quiet for a man of his stature. He paused to adjust his bow tie in a mirror, then clasped his hands behind his back as he walked towards the three X-Men.
"I can only assume you are here concerning the induction of the newest Knight into the Black Court. I regret to tell you, this particular ceremony is not one that is open to the public." He smiled widely. "We prefer to keep some of the Inner Circle's mysteries... well, mysterious."
Cain growled and crouched slightly. "Who's this walking museum piece? And is there any reason we ain't knocking him cold and taking his keys?"
Leland arched an eyebrow. "Now, Mister Marko. Such a brash and forceful approach reminds me of Sebastian in his younger years. Granted, without the culture or education, of course-"
Leland's insult was interrupted by a loud growl from Cain as he ran forward with two long steps, fist cocked back despite Alison's quick protest. The Black Rook of the Hellfire Club simply watched the Juggernaut approach, then held out one white-gloved hand.
As Alison and Nathan watched, the air around Cain seemed to distort, rippling as light refracted slightly. Cain's next footfall splintered the parquet of the foyer's floor, sinking his leg up to the knee. He had just enough time to look astonished and grasp futilely for Leland before the floor collapsed under him, sucking him down into the darkness like a meteor.
Clearing his throat, Leland sidestepped the hole in the floor, checking his cufflinks as he shrugged at Cable and Dazzler. "Gravity," he said by way of apology, "is a harsh mistress. But one that I have maintained cordial relations with over the years."
Nathan looked at the hole, touching Cain's thoughts briefly to make sure that he was all right, before looking back at the gravity-manipulator. His vision slipped into altered-state and the blade of his psimitar began to glow. #Dazzler?#
Alison nodded politely at Leland, actually sighing in relief as Cain disappeared from sight - having Leland reduced to a smear now would have been bad in so many ways it wasn't even funny, really. She moved one arm to the side, slightly - a sign for Nathan, simple and clear.
It's okay.
"It's still ongoing, then," she said, simply, Leland having told her all she needed to know. They were still on time.
"For about..." Leland checked his pocketwatch briefly, "four minutes, I would expect. No doubt Selene is aware of your presence, and I would suggest that you use these next four minutes to your best advantage."
Turning to Nathan, Leland smiled. "Ah, and you would be the ubiquitous Nathan Dayspring. A telepath, I'm given to understand? If you would be so kind, I have a post-hypnotic trigger in my subconscious that is activated by a specific mental phrase. It puts me into a state of sleep, I suffer from insomnia, you see. Perils of advancing age, I must confess." He spread his hands, palms out in a theatric gesture of surrender. "Quickly, before they end the ceremony. My cards are not ready to be played just yet."
"Ubiquitous," Nathan murmured, his eyes sliding back to Alison for a moment before returning to Leland. "That's a new one. Have a good nap." The trigger was simple to find and simpler to activate. He had after all made something of a study of the damned things.
Alison just smiled faintly, giving Nathan a slightly helpless shrug, watching Leland's body pause in mid-fall and gently float down to the ground. "I promise to tell you all about it when we get back home?" she offered, knowing she'd be telling Haroun first and foremost, then others as need be. "But for now, we have to hurry." She looked across the room and started forward, breaking into a run as she headed for the right side hallway and the central room where the ceremony was no doubt still on going - Pete's message had been short and clear.
Time was of the essence.
***
In the ceremonial chamber, Amanda's pride is definitely suffering a fall.
It wasn't supposed to go this way.
One of the things Amanda had been sure of all along was that she'd be able to beat Selene if it came down to that. After all, hadn't she done just that last November? And in Manuel's body too? This time she finally had control, she wasn't drugged, and she had nothing holding her back from unleashing, as Kyle would say, a can of whoop-ass on the Black Queen. Only now, when it came to it, it was proving to be more a
case of using everything she had just to keep Selene's powers at bay. Obviously what had happened last year was a fluke, a matter of catching Selene off-guard and it was becoming extremely apparent that Selene not only had more raw power, she knew far more spells than Amanda had ever thought possible.
Dark energies crackled and swirled around Amanda and Jubilee, held back only by the increasingly-fragile bubble of Amanda's shielding spell. Amanda had already drained every mystical power source she could sense in the building, but still it wasn't enough. Gritting her teeth she flung another force bolt at Selene, almost hidden by the shadows wrapped around her, and cursed under her breath as it disappeared into the darkness without any apparent damage.
Jubilee crouched beside Amanda, watching Selene from behind their protective bubble. She could see that Amanda's shield was getting thinner, and the other girl had started to sweat just moments ago. She'd been trying to reach for her own powers, frustrated at her body's utter refusal to obey her commands. She could see Selene smiling serenely as the shadows cleared for a second, and then it was lost again as they swirled back in. Did that woman ever get phased? Jubilee couldn't help but think that Amanda would be better off not protecting her. "Mandy, this isn't working. You've gotta stop protecting me."
She wasn't a martyr, if she could have helped it in any way, she certainly would've chosen to live. And the fact that it seemed as though she was asking Amanda to kill her twice in as many hours made her smile, in a black humour sort of way. She also knew she wasn't being fair but the practicalities of the situation demanded it. Jubilee would much rather Amanda live then have them both die, no matter the emotional problems the decision might cause Amanda later.
"Do you hate me or something?" Amanda growled. "Bugger that for a joke, I'm not gunna let that bitch have you." Of that she was positive - the rightness of the decision sang through her. She'd probably die tonight, but at least she'd finally gotten it. "I just need more oomph - could get us t' the door if I had more juice and you could make a dash for it."
Jubilee was about to roll her eyes when she remembered what Amanda had been asked to do to her earlier. Surely it wouldn't take that much energy taken from her to give them a chance. "Don't hate ya, Mandy. Just bein' practical. But, you could take the energy from me, right? Give you enough of an oomph to get us both out of here."
It made sense, but even considering the idea, just for a moment, made Amanda feel physically ill. "No," she grated, pushing her mutant power further than it had reached before to tap into something, anything. "Don't ask me to do that, Lee. I won't let this bitch turn me into a monster, even if I invited her to." And with that she dredged up one of Rack's spells, the lightning summoning, and aimed it straight at the woman watching their struggles with that maddening smile.
The lightning shimmied around the shield Amanda was still somehow holding up, finally skimming through a crack which wavered into shape for a moment, allowing the strike through. Only to be batted away by Selene, her delighted laughter ringing out through the room as she finished the gesture in a flourish, darkness dancing behind her in ghostly harmony. "Weak!" Her voice was mocking as she made the joyful declaration, her eyes narrowing slightly, as though contemplating how long she might still be entertained by the whole affair, before cutting the game short. Finally, she lifted one arm up, pointing a fingertip at Amanda - and then crooked her finger once, imperiously so.
Amanda was in mid-incantation - she'd seen Selene apparently shrug off one of her more powerful spells with a laugh and that raised her ire more than anything. Shades of Rack and the way he mocked her every attempt at resistance. But at Selene's gesture the gift-scarf - long-forgotten around her neck - suddenly tightened, cutting off her words. And her breath - the shield collapsed around them as Amanda fell to the floor, clawing at the black silk around her throat, struggling to breathe.
Jubilee had been watching Selene when the shield went down. Her eyes widened as she noted that there was now nothing between them and becoming a quick snack. She turned to Amanda to find out what had gone wrong. It didn't take her long after that to figure out just what had gone wrong.
It was the scarf, Selene must be tightening it somehow, choking Amanda.
It was a split second decision, something she didn't have time to contemplate. She could try and help Amanda, or she could attack Selene and hope the woman would be distracted long enough that she'd lose control of the scarf. At least, she hoped it was a spell that Selene had to concentrate on, otherwise she was about to do something incredibly stupid.
Okay... it would still be incredibly stupid but the shield was down, Amanda was choking and she'd be damned if this bitch was going to win.
Jubilee sprang from her crouched position, taking the few steps between where she'd been and where Selene stood in a matter of seconds. If she was lucky, she could use the momentum to knock Selene down and hopefully disrupt the spell. Of course, the sheer lunacy of trying to crash tackle the woman didn't escape her, but what more could she do?
She'd really need to sit down with herself after this and question herself about why she felt a need to do insane things in the heat of battle. Because this was seriously becoming ridiculous.
Jubilee suddenly found herself pulled the last few feet of the distance seperating her from Selene at a dizzying speed, held in an iron grip by the throat, a low purr audible through the magical chaos around them as Selene smiled at her slowly. Up close.
"My, what an interesting snack you'll make, child," the woman whispered, grip tightening enough to start cutting off Jubilee's air flow.
***
Alison and Nathan run into some opposition - none other than the Black King himself. And he's not pleased with his visitors.
A creak of old brass hinges alerted Nathan and Alison before the large double doors opened with a powerful swing. Behind them, a look of fury on his face, dressed in full Victorian regalia, stood the Black King of the Hellfire Club.
And Sebastian Hiram Shaw was not amused.
He gave a quick glance down at Leland, surveyed the hole in the floor, then glared up at Alison and Nathan. "X-Men," he said with a snarl. "What precisely is your business here, other than committing vandalism, assault, and general mayhem on my friend and employees?"
Alison blinked and looked over her shoulder, then tilted her head to the side, the distant sounds of very enthusiastic cursing echoing from the gaping hole in the middle of the lobby.
"Mayhem, chaos, destruction... take your pick?" She didn't need to say a word to feel Nathan somehow lock into place, the light shiver of telekinesis washing over her - he'd take care of things here, was the silent understanding, as she moved on. "I have somewhere else to be." She darted forward, dissapearing from sight and then paused, head popping back into sight for a few seconds as she flashed Shaw a brilliant smile. "By the way? The Juggernaut's in your basement."
Nathan held the shield on Alison until she was out of range, his eyes never moving from Shaw. #Cain, getting up here would be good,# he sent to his teammate. "Long time no see, Sebastian," he said in a deliberately casual voice, shifting his vision downwards again so that he could examine the lines of force. Power pooled in the psimitar, until the blade flared so brightly it was impossible to look at. "Would you like to join Cain in the basement? I could probably manage that. It would probably involve a fair amount of structural damage,
but I think we established a number of years ago that I have no respect for your property."
"Hmm, yes..." Shaw said with a nod, stepping past the rubble. "I do recall my estate in Ecuador being somewhat the worse for wear after your little tantrum. What was it over again? Ah yes, that little underage street rat with the Electra complex. Some spark to her, I must admit." Sebastian kept circling as he gloated, adjusting his sleeves, then tapping an ornate brooch at his throat.
"One of Emma's, actually," he said by way of explanation. "A safeguard against telepathic persuasion. And should I so desire, perhaps a focused pulse of electromagnetism would keep your heroic impulses in check?" Shaw raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. "That small tidbit of information came from Carmella Ruiz. I believe you know of her?"
"You know, I'd actually be rather curious to see what happened if you hit me with an EM charge while this was charged up." Nathan gave the psimitar a little shake. "Given that it amplifies my TK by a factor of... well, lots, making me go boom? Not such a great idea,
however much I might appreciate the beauty of a nice crater to let the world know where I've been." The brooch was a problem. He should have knocked the bastard out the instant he appeared, but he wasn't absolutely sure what was going on here, and look at where charging ahead had gotten Cain.
"You know, Dayspring," Shaw mused, still circling as he removed his brocade coat. "You've caused me a great deal of annoyance and amusement over the years. I've let you live in peace because the latter has outweighed the former. The balance, however, is rapidly shifting." The Black King rolled his shoulders and let out a small laugh. "Small offenses add up, Dayspring. Eventually reaching a boiling point. Much like the force of, say, running up three flights of stairs."
To illustrate his point, Shaw stepped forward rapidly. His body was almost a blur of speed as one fist, its force aided by Shaw's kinetically-enhanced strength, missed Nathan's temple by mere inches.
Nathan extended the dodge telekinetically, putting a little bit of distance between himself and Shaw. "Is this where I make some kind of comment about the death of a thousand cuts?" he asked casually, and then lashed out with his telekinesis. Not to knock Shaw through a wall, or to the basement - appealing as the thought of dropping him down there with Cain was - as that was fundamentally not productive, given the bastard's mutant abilities.
Instead, he wrapped telekinetic claws around Shaw's left arm, and bent the elbow the wrong way. Ninety degrees the wrong way, very precisely.
The snap echoed through the foyer, though it only merited a grunt from Shaw. The Black King dropped to a knee, right hand clutching his left arm in pain. "Ah, Dayspring. First blood to you," he hissed. Glaring up through suddenly bloodshot eyes, Shaw pulled himself up straight, chest puffing out with a braggart's pride. Roughly, he struck himself in the chest once, twice, three times with his right fist. Each time, Nathan could sense Shaw's body swell with harnessed force.
Sebastian chuckled lowly, grasping his left wrist. With a sickening lurch, he yanked the limb straight, allowing only another grunt of pain to escape. "And now," he said, words beginning to slur as adrenalin flooded his body, "Last to me."
"I bet you and my uncle get along beautifully." Clearly, this was not going to work, although he was fully prepared to try it on Shaw's legs, too. "I'm wondering," Nathan said, charging the psimitar up further. "Do you have an upper limit? If I throw enough at you, would
I eventually be able to stick a pin in you and watch you pop?" This was all about buying time. He wasn't much of a talker in situations like this, generally, but if Shaw was willing to waste time preening...
"My power, like my ambition, has no limits," Shaw gloated. "Limits are nothing but the weaknesses of common men. I have risen above mundane things like limits. Der Wille zer Macht, the philosopher said. A will to power."
Shaw took another shuffle towards Nathan, a boxer's advance, reaching out for him with massively muscled forearms. "I will have you kneeling before me, and my power will make it so."
More than enough room. Nathan dodged Shaw, running halfway up the wall and then spinning off to clear ground a few feet behind him. "I bet the two of you exchange Christmas gifts, don't you? A man after his demented heart." Nathan's jaw clenched and he tried to do the same thing to Shaw's knee that he had done to his arm.
This time, however, Shaw was ready for the maneuver, leaping forward before Nathan could close his grip. A double-handed swing tore through the cherry-wood paneling on the wall, inches below Nathan's feet. "I was under the impression the last of your attempts at a family had all been murdered when you attempted to escape your previous employers," Shaw said calmly, his cultured voice an odd dichotomy with his enormous frame. He was almost as large as Cain now, the energy of every punch adding to his power.
Oh, yes, this was going well. Really, quite well. Time to charge him up and see how big he gets? Nathan wondered. Shaky strategy. Definitely shaky. "Gideon Faraday," he said, and blasted Shaw through the nearest wall.
A moment of silence, then the debris stirred with a deep bass laugh. "Gideon Faraday? Eris Consulting? Oh my, I never would have made the connection. Thank you, Dayspring." Shaw rose from the rubble, tearing absently at the remains of his finery. "That thought will amuse me for quite some time. But now I think the time for amusement is over. I think I'll take that toy of yours now."
Walking back through the wall, Shaw was almost a caricature of his previous self - muscles almost bursting with power. Confidently, he reached out for Nathan's psimitar.
And paused, as there was suddenly a red-haired ghost in armor standing between them, raising one eyebrow at him. "I believe," Askani said, "that the time for amusement is indeed over."
"That rather useful brooch," Nathan said, before Shaw could react, "is attached to plain, ordinary fabric, you realize." And with one yank, it was torn away, landing on the ground in front of Nathan. He brought one booted foot down on it, hard. "Whoops," he said casually.
Shaw's eyes widened in astonishment. "You can't... that's impossible!"
"Sort of a basic design flaw, don't you think? Can't protect you if it's not on your person." The psimitar turned incandescent as he poured more power through it. Telepathic energy, this time, letting it focus and amplify the growing psi-bolt. "Would you like to see something I didn't learn from Charles Xavier?" he asked, and let it fly.
The flash of light lit Shaw's body from within, outlining every overextended tendril of his central nervous system. Like a city suffering a massive blackout, blocks of his consciousness winked out like so many lights into the darkness.
Still, he had the composure to take one step forward, extending a hand toward Askani with a questioning look on his face that slowly shifted to understanding.
"Well... played..." he murmured as his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped forward to the ground.
Askani turned back towards Nathan. "Get to them," she said quietly. "As quickly as you can." In a flash, she was gone, and Nathan didn't wait to check on Shaw, or to reach out again to Cain, who seemed to have found something to do in the basement.
He ran.
***
Coming down to the wire... Whilst Nathan is occupied with Shaw, Alison arrives just in the nick of time, but things don't go all her way.
So intent was she on Jubilee, on the energy dancing brightly and enticingly under her fingertips, whetting her appetite to a fierce craving, that Selene never noticed new presence barreling down the hallway and into the room, straight for her. The body slamming into her full force, breaking her hold on Jubilee and sending them all sprawling to the ground did earn her entire and full attention though.
Her devoted, fiercely angry attention.
"Who-" Selene started to snarl, furious at the interruption, only to be stopped in mid word by a coruscating barrage of light slicing through the gathering shadows about her, sending them scattering with strangled shrieks of dismay. The floor was left scarred and smoking though Selene herself was unharmed, having avoided the strike at the last moment, eyes wide and fixed on the newest arrival.
"Blaire!" The name was hissed with feral rage, narrowed eyes glaring hatefully ahead even as the shadows gathered about Selene once more, spreading across the room in a wave only to be thwarted a few feet short of the brilliantly glowing woman. Darkness weaved about, so many malicious serpents searching for a weakness, even as a barrage of lasers lanced out once more, intent on keeping Selene at a distance by any means possible.
It was with great annoyance that Selene realized that somehow, likely as a result of the brutal way Alison had introduced herself with, both girls were now located behind Alison - the energy vampire could feel their powers shining brightly, even behind the cascading fountain holding the better part of her attention. A tug of magic in the direction of her assistant proved in vain, and Selene curled a lip in a delicate sneer, an avenue of extra power having been apparently cut off while she was toying with the two girls earlier. How... vexing.
"You should know," Alison's voice broke through the other sounds in the room, someone gasping for air, things writhing in the shadows and light dripping to the floor to disappear with sizzling pops and crackles, "that black really isn't your color." Smiling grimly, knowing she had to hold out as long as possible - because nothing else was possible - Alison made certain to keep as much distance between the both of them as could be managed. For however long as possible. Darkness stuck out before her, blocked at the last moment by a shield of light powered by the entire set of sonic projectors embedded in her leathers, and Alison retaliated with a series of lasers, every single one neatly evaded and Selene danced between them, keeping to the shadows.
The floor weaved under Alison's feet and then bucked upwards like a live thing, sending her tumbling towards Selene, who was reaching outward with a too wide, hungry smile. Kicking forward desperately, only too aware that she had just become the foremost interest of a ever hungry creature, Alison ducked under the outstretched hands - barely - and kept scrambling to the side as soon as she came out of the tuck and roll, the shadows weaving in the room nearly hiding Selene from her sight for a terrifying moment. The deadly dance continued, time turning into a distant and unknown thing as Alison went full out, two goals driving her on. Keeping Selene away from the girls, first and foremost, and then keeping her away from Alison herself.
In the end, however, it was neither suddenly moving floor nor deadly shadows which undid Alison - it was Selene herself, charging through the light, a laser scoring a fierce tattoo on her thigh in the process, as she locked both hands around Alison's throat, pushing onward to harshly slam the smaller woman against the wall. She let go of Alison's throat with one hand only long enough to slam a fist in her solar-plexus, hard and fast before leaning her forearm against Alison's throat, leaning in with a low, heavy purr.
"Black is a divine color for you, Blaire," she smiled playfully, pressing harder, ignoring the choking sounds and the vicious strike to her side as Alison pushed one foot off the wall to power a knee into Selene's side repeatedly, trying to break free. "And the thing that
best suits me," she leaned in, breathing slowly in as though tasting the very air around Alison, "is this…" She breathed in deeply and then hummed, deep and low in her throat. Alison's eyes widened in mingled horror and rage and her struggles grew suddenly weaker, the signs of old age stealing over her swiftly as Selene started to feed.
And then:
Gunshot.
"Corvus infernae, districulum canvanarius-"
Gunshot.
"-oculari archa del maleficium carriondum!"
Gunshot.
"Or in plain fucking English: up yours, you twisted fuck!"
Selene staggered back from Alison with the first shot, hands going to her forehead in sudden agony, finding a circlet, an inch wide band of metal at her brow, and now she couldn't feel the divine flow of Blaire's life, her limbs suddenly heavy, weak and ungainly.
The second and third shots caught her at the wrists as she clawed at the metal, first encircling them with bands of their own, which then fused together, restraining her. At the first, she felt all her enchantments fail, leaving her utterly defenseless. At the second, everything went black, as she toppled backward.
Pete pushed himself off from where he'd braced himself against the door frame, still holding his gun in a two handed grip, still keeping it pointed at Selene, and strode into the room, glancing at Amanda and Jubilee for a second, giving Amanda a quick smile.
"You didn't screw it up. Good job."
"Pete?" Amanda wheezed, still breathless from her near-strangulation. The scarf lay on the floor in shreds, Jubilee having torn it off her during the fight. "What the fuck...?"
Pete looked briefly at Alison, lying on the floor, before focusing on Selene again.
"I'll explain everything later, but I've got about ten minutes to make sure this bitch doesn't wake up ever again, and if I fuck this up now, Al'll crawl out of the grave and kill me. Romany says hi, though, and Strange should be here shortly."
The he turned away from them and stood over Selene, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket with his left hand, his right hand keeping the gun trained on her.
"I've hated every fucking minute of the last eight months, bitch."
He began to read.
The message she'd received but seconds ago via encrypted SMS had sent her running out of the gym and for the lower levels in a heartbeat.
Ground Zero. Now.
The report she interrupted after calling in the team members she'd selected months ago for just this event, about the vehicle Jubilee had signed out being found on the side of the road, empty, only confirmed things further, added a twist to it all that while not entirely unexpected, only heightened the urgency she was feeling.
It was time.
It was finally time.
***
At the Hellfire Club, the Inner Circle gathers to induct its newest member.
Pete glanced around the room, at the faces of his fellow 'royalty'. Shaw hadn't looked happy in a couple of months, and Emma was wearing her usual expression of amused boredom, as if all this was somehow beneath her. Selene, of course, looked like the cat that'd got the cream.
He slid a PDA out of his pocket, and go on with reviewing some work. The world would go on regardless after tonight, so there was no excuse for slacking off. He caught Shaw's eye across the room, and received the barest nod in response, before Emma tapped him on the arm.
"Really, Peter, must you? One expects a certain amount of protocol at these events."
He closed the device with a snap, and dropped it back into his pocket.
"Just making sure I'm up to date. Thought I might have had another appointment tonight, but my schedule's reassuringly clear." Pete grinned flippantly, knowing it would wind Emma up, and recived an icy stare in response.
"I don't know what you're worrying about. We all know the score. This is about as politics free a meeting as we've had all year, so you might as well just relax. It'll go through on the nod, and we can all go back to
doing some proper bloody work..."
"This is proper work, Peter. I thought you understood that."
"Only up to a point, Emma. Only up a point...."
Before they could get into rehashing that same argument they'd been having all year, a gong sounded. Pete stopped smiling, and assumed the icy stare of the White King.
"Now, it's work."
The ceremony was unusual in a way - a return to older traditions, in fact, where only the Kings and Queens were present for the swearing in of a new member of the Inner Court, as opposed to the more open and public ceremonies of the past decade or so, events orchestrate under the very eye of an often unknowing audience.
A solemn silence thus reigned in the room for a while as three of the four royals of the Inner Club waited for their fourth to signal a start to the whole affair, speaking last as was required of the one calling forth a new member with the ranks of her court.
Finally, though, Selene moved, the glimmering black fabric of her dress shushing with a soft, lazy sound, her high heeled shoes clicking on the rich hardwood floor of the chamber with an oddly muffled sound, as though the wood itself tried to slither away from her in revulsion. Smiling softly to herself in smug self satisfaction she turned around only once she'd reached the far side of the room facing the wide, double doors serving as the sole entrance to the room, settling into a waiting pose which would of course not be required at all, so well orchestrated the evening was to be.
As was usual for new candidates, Amanda was led into the room blindfolded and with the hood of the black cloak covering her top to toe raised and pulled down almost to her nose. Her voice as she recited the oaths of fealty was soft, but steady. Having pledged her loyalty to the Club and its secrets, her guide took his cue from Selene's nod and pulled back the hood and untied the blindfold. Amanda blinked in the sudden
light, regaining her composure quickly, even as her eyes were drawn almost inexorably to Pete, sitting on the throne of the White King.
She recieved the barest flicker of recognition in response, a brief moment where his eyes held the very slightest warmth, before returning to the bored stare, and the half smile that conveyed nothing but his sense of the ludicrousness of the ritual, like this was all some pointless game, and he'd rather be almost anywhere else.
The flash of expression seemed to bolster Amanda - her shoulders straightened slightly as she moved to kneel before the White Queen, awaiting her response to the new candidate. Emma paused only slightly before touching the girl's shoulder with the handle of her dagger. The candidate was powerful, but emotionally unstable and that suited Emma perfectly well; she doubted Amanda would even survive her first year of service, let alone be any kind of threat to the White Court.
With a small bow as she rose, Amanda turned to the next seat - that of the White King. In what was probably a breach of etiquette she kept her gaze on his as she knelt before him, almost daring him to register his disapproval of her choice. Daring, or perhaps hoping for it.
Pete leant forward in his chair, his expression never wavering, his eyes showing nothing but that bored detachment. He looked at the knife in his hand, spinning it idly, then leant forward further to whisper in her ear.
"Whatever you do: don't screw this up."
Then he was leaning back again, still looking bored, before locking eyes with Selene, and then nodding, just once, and bringing the knife down in a blur, stopping the point just before it touched Amanda's shoulder, still staring at Selene.
Then he grinned, spun the knife in his hand, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder with the hilt.
It was the Pete she knew... and yet he'd agreed with this. Amanda dropped her eyes to hide the confusion before moving to the next throne - Shaw. She only knew him as Shinobi's evil father and she couldn't help briefly peeking at him to see if maybe there was any resemblance.
Shaw glared down at Amanda, meeting her eyes for one moment. Raising his dagger to his eyes, he tilted his wrist, looking down the blade at Amanda. Idly, he swept the tip back and forth in the air, tracing an invisible line across Amanda's neck. With a quick glance to Selene, he dropped his hand to Amanda's shoulder, tapping her gently with the hilt.
It was impossible not to shiver slightly at the touch of Shaw's dagger, given the performance - he was one scary individual and Amanda was starting to realise just what the hell she'd landed herself in here. She was hopelessly out of her depth... It was bizarre, Selene shouldn't have been any kind of a source of comfort, but yet as Amanda knelt before her sponsor, she couldn't help reminding herself that Selene had wanted her as her Black Knight. Failure on Amanda's part would make the Black Queen look bad. So surely there had to be something Selene saw in her? Something more than just a power source, as Alex had been?
Time passed by as Amanda kneeled unmoving, until a light pressure on the side of her cheek drew her out of her thoughts. Selene let the touch linger for a moment, the Black Queen's acknowledgement of a candidate personally chosen and prepared for induction within the ranks of the club, before pulling away, reaching for the ceremonial dagger at her side.
There were no flourishes nor any dramatic gestures as Selene simply brought the hilt down slowly upon Amanda's shoulder, the black weapon seemingly drinking in the very light surrounding it, a weight hovering about it and pressing down despite the fact that it barely brushed against the kneeling girl's shoulder.
"Rise, my Knight," she murmured lowly, her voice the only sound in the room, heard clearly by all. With a small, knowing smile she then lifted one arm to the side, attendants previously hidden in the shadows flitting by with a parcel wrapped in black silk. Selene held the bundle for a moment, caressing its side pensively, before finally gifting Amanda - her Knight - with the gift, as tradition required.
Amanda unwrapped the bundle carefully even as a servant approached to remove the all-encompassing cloak to reveal the Gothic-type traditional garb of the Inner Circle - black corset and leather pants, high-heeled boots on her feet. The cloth was a scarf, black silk, and for wont of a better place to put it (and also to cover up some of the skin she was almost embarrassed to be showing, especially with Shaw watching her with those predatory eyes of his) she draped it around her neck, feeling the tell-tale tingle of magic as she did. Some sort of protective charm, maybe, to protect what it had covered? Considering what it had covered was a heavy book, leatherbound and detailed in dull gold, the title one Amanda knew more from hushed whispers and Strange's lessons in rare volumes, perhaps that idea wasn't so off-base. She ran tentative fingers over the grimoire and looked up at Selene. "Thank you my Lady."
"Mmm." With a low murmur, Selene slid a finger under Amanda's chin and lifted slightly, leaning forward at the same time to press a light, barely perceptible kiss to Amanda's forehead - her blessings and favor accorded to her knight in that one, single motion.
"I've no doubt you'll live up to my expectations, my Knight," she said lazily, before stepping back, clapping her hands loudly twice to signal the end of the ceremony.
***
At the mansion a very specialised team is briefed.
Not the way he'd expected to spend a Friday night, Nathan thought, his face neutral as he listened to Alison's briefing. Then again, he'd figured that this, or something like this, was coming at some point. There had been a few too many training exercises involving the four people in this room - himself, Alison, Cain and Kylun - and rather specific conditions. 'Quiet' urban infiltration, after dark. The exercises had been scattered through the training schedule for a few months, but had happened frequently enough to be noticeable.
Three of the most experienced X-Men. Plus Alison. And the Hellfire Club, from what she was telling them now. Not that she was telling them everything, Nathan reflected, his expression utterly unreadable as he took in every detail that she provided. But he'd known that for a while, hadn't he?
#Yet you still trust her.#
It was Askani, unexpectedly, and the statement was not a question. Nathan smiled inwardly, very faintly. #Yes, I do,# he sent back, trying not to exude too much gratitude at the steadying presence at the back of his mind. #You picked a good night to reappear.#
#Special occasion.#
#Yeah?#
#The ice, I believe, is due to melt,# was the cryptic reply, and Nathan nodded to himself. Months ago, Askani had detected something while visiting Alison's dreams. A wall of ice, or so she'd described it. Protecting something, obviously, and Nathan had been torn for a while, between old fears of being left out of the loop and his awareness that anything like that had to be Charles' work.
But he trusted Charles. Just like he trusted Alison. He had faith in them both. Even when Askani had, eventually, offered her belief that this had something to do with Amanda, somehow, he had held to that.
Amanda. The Hellfire Club. Pete. Selene. There was a big picture here, even if it wasn't being shared just yet.
He could deal with that. Do what was necessary. Nathan closed his eyes for a moment - still listening, never fear, he thought silently at Alison as he felt her attention turn to him - and traced a calming pattern in his mind.
#I have faith in you, too,# Askani said softly.
#I know.#
***
The ceremony completed, Amanda is faced with her first task as Black Knight.
A servant appeared at Amanda's elbow bearing a cup on a try. The last part of the ceremony, drinking to the Inner Circle of which she was now a member. She didn't even hesitate, lifting the cup in a toast, and then setting the cup down on the tray proffered by the servant, the wine thick on the back of her tongue, the oaths of fealty she'd made lying even heavier. If this was a victory, a triumph, why did it feel like a
defeat?
"And now," Selene said, with a small smile, eyes glimmering with dark amusement. "The final test of your loyalty." She gestured imperiously, the black fabric of her dress oozing over her skin in a silken wave, and several masked servitors pulled aside one of the curtains covering various entrances, revealing a figure Amanda recognised instantly.
Jubilee.
"Test? What fu--" she began, and amended her words quickly, mindful of her position, what she'd just undertaken. "You didn't mention a test, my lady. I'm afraid I mightn't be able to do what you need..."
"Oh, but I'm sure you will, Amanda," Selene said, smile growing slightly, the iron underlying her voice all the more evident now. "You'll just need to do what comes naturally." She gestured again once more, a come hither sign, and the servitors hurried Jubilee forward obediently, eyes cast downwards at all times - whether in fear or respect uncertain, their faces turned away from sight.
Everything was right with the world, it had to be because she was feeling so damn good. In fact, she'd just decided to tell the nice people escorting her that she thought they were wonderful when she noticed Amanda.
Dude! She hadn't seen her in forever. She totally had so much to tell her. Wait... she was meant to be mad at Amanda. Oh well, way too much work, really. And there was Selene, the person who'd given her whatever it was that made the world seem so fantastic right now. She should thank her for that.
Jubilee was obviously drugged out of her mind, the way she was grinning around at everyone and needing to be held up. To stop her accessing her powers, of course... Amanda looked over at Selene and found no pity there - only a disturbing blankness to the woman's gaze as her eyes skimmed over Jubilee as though the girl were nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room.
"What do you need me to do, Lady?" she asked at last.
"You've learned well, thus far," she spoke, her voice acquired a subtle cadence, "but for your power to finally truly become yours to command and control, more is needed." She smiled, lazily, head tilting to the side slowly. "You've held back so far, apprentice. Don't think I haven't noticed," she whispered the last words, amusement glimmering through briefly. "And as I cannot have a Knight who will not commit entirely to my service." Selene reached over and trailed a fingertip over Jubilee's cheek, smiling as the befuddled girl turned her face into the touch with a contented noise. "This one has a measure of power, we can both feel it. All you need to do is reach out and take it." She paused, letting the words sink in before quantifying them with an absolute. "All of it."
"But that would..." Amanda swallowed, realizing what Selene was asking of her. "You want me to kill her."
It was somewhat like a shock of cold water, only more unpleasant. It was certainly enough to knock out of the stupor her mind had sunk into. Jubilee continued to nuzzle Selene's hand, wondering if she'd really heard what she'd heard. She felt for her powers, and couldn't reach them.
It was at that point that Jubilee tried to run. She didn't get far, while her mind might be clear as glass, her body was most definitely still drugged. She winced as she hit the floor, feet tangled with the white robe they seemed to have dressed her in.
It was frustrating enough to make a grown woman cry... so she did.
Amanda winced internally at the sight of Jubilee struggling against the drugs, kicking feebly at the gown entangled around her bare feet. Even if she had the co-ordination not to trip over her own feet, she wouldn't have gotten far, not with Selene and the servitors there. Mind ticking over furiously, the witch watched silently as the weeping Jubilee was helped back to her feet by the two masked men who had brought her in, an odd impersonal gentleness to their assistance. She was fully aware Selene was watching her every move, as were the other three.
"Ah, how they struggle…" Selene stalked gracefully around Jubilee and her supports to stand behind them all, not at all eclipsed by those before her. "Even when there is no hope at all, still they struggle." She could have been referring to Jubilee, or to Amanda herself. "It's so very endearing. And now - your first task as my Knight, Amanda." Possessiveness lingered in Selene's voice as she spoke. "Do not disappoint me. What was given can be taken away, just as easily." The reminder was softly spoken, that small smile still playing upon Selene's lips as she waited for Amanda to do as bidden.
And there was the catch. Looking into those bottomless black eyes, Amanda knew then what the choice was. Take Jubilee's life, or lose her control. Everything she'd worked for, what she'd thrown away her life at the school for, Manuel... All for nothing, unless she did as Selene was instructing.
"Let her go," she told the servitors, her voice holding only the barest tremble. They glanced questioningly at Selene, and Amanda continued. "I'll drain you as well, if you're touching her. So let her go."
Jubilee fell to her knees when they let her go, unable to hold herself up. She looked up, meeting Amanda's gaze.
David... She had a life, she had David. She was going to be an X-man. This wasn't fair.
Amanda stretched out her hand towards Jubilee, wishing it wasn't shaking so much. This was wrong, everything in her was telling her that, but what other choice did she have? She'd already thrown everything else away - the only thing left was the magic. And if she said no... well, the expression in Selene's eyes told her exactly what would happen. Here in the Hellfire Club, with no friends, no allies, even Pete watching her coldly - she wouldn't last five minutes.
So she tried to ignore the pleading in Jubilee's expression, tried to remember all the hurts the girl had done her, the careless words, the petty jealousies. All Amanda had to do was reach out for the energy she could feel pulsing through her, and take it. And no-one would be able to hurt her ever again.
She was going to do it, Amanda was going to kill her. Jubilee turned her head, noting the expectant look in Selene's eyes.
Jubilee was going to die, and Amanda would become a monster. There wasn't much left from the download Strange had given her of Amanda's life, but that much Jubilee remembered. Killing someone, that was unforgivable.
And if Amanda didn't do it, then Selene would kill them both.
Something snapped; maybe it had been hope, maybe just the stubborn will to keep on fighting that had always driven her. In this moment, there was only two choices left to her. Keep on fighting and maybe some miracle would happen and she'd survive, or let go and save someone else.
It really wasn't a choice at all.
Jubilee reached up and grabbed hold of Amanda's hand, pulling her down before she could react.
"Do it." she hissed, hoping that it wasn't audible to the rest of the room.
Amanda's eyes widened, and she froze in the act of trying to wrench her hand away. "What? You know what she's asking, don't you? She wants me to fucking well kill you!" she hissed back.
"I know!" Jubilee growled, wishing Amanda would just do it. It was hard enough not to change her mind. Not to cling to life with everything she had inside her. Would it hurt? Would dying hurt? "But if you don't, she'll kill us both. So, I'm telling you, do it."
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. If Jubilee had fought her, defied her, cursed her name... well, it would have made it easier. Defensive, in a way. But this? It reminded her of Angelo, still willing to trust her only a few days before. "I... I'm not sure I can," she stammered out, acutely aware of the eyes on them, the expectant hush. "Jubes, I don't want this, but Selene, you're right, she'll..."
The servitors reached down, grabbed Jubilee's arms again, yanking her upright. At the same time, Amanda felt Selene's touch on her shoulder, chilling her to the bone.
"We are waiting, Amanda." Selene's voice, as gentle as it was, made it clear that such an act could possibly be considered unforgivable, unless proper reparation were offered. Soon.
Jubilee was calm - she hadn't expected that. She had so much to live for, so much still to do. She wasn't bitter though, she'd told David just a day or so ago how much she loved him. Had laughed with her friends, had teased Alison about her food choices as they stood in Lorna's kitchen. It had been a good day, a perfect day. And maybe the last few hours had been spent drugged to her eyeballs and unknowing. But she remembered, and she held that last day close. It was enough.
"You're not a monster." Jubilee said, gaze locked with Amanda's. She willed the other girl to believe that, to find the strength after this to break free of Selene. She was stronger then she realised, she just had to believe it.
You're not a monster. The words reverberated in Amanda's head, amplified by other voices, the ones that held onto their faith in her, even despite everything she'd done. She watched as the masked men let Jubilee go, watched the other girl remain standing by sheer will and bloody-mindedness. Remy's voice, cold and hard even as she realised now how desperately he'd been trying to make her see: You cross dat line, 'manda, and you give up on me. And finally Nathan's words, the ones that had stabbed deep because she'd never expected him to ask that of her: Because you can choose, Amanda. You can trade yourself, your own welfare, to accomplish something, to save someone...
And suddenly, it all became perfectly clear.
"No." Amanda turned and met Selene's eyes. "I won't do it."
A moment of silence reigned, time suspended between them as Selene's eyes darkened impossibly, holding Amanda's gaze in an undeniable grasp. Finally her lips curved slowly, a hungry gleam in her eyes as she indolently tapped her chin with a fingertip, the black lacquered nails glimmering in the room's lighting.
"I see." The words were hissed out ferally, Selene's pleasant expression never changing. The look in her eyes, however, was anything but forgiving.
Out of the corner of her eye, Amanda caught sight of movement, saw Pete rising from his chair. What ever you do, don't fuck this up, she remembered him saying and she acted instinctively. She couldn't fight Pete, not in a million years - she'd seen him nearly beat Nate, knew what he was capable of. The ceremonial hall was warded against intruders, magics layered one upon the other over the years. More than enough power - draining the wards of all their power, Amanda used it for the first thing that came to mind, a teleport spell. She didn't have the power to send Pete far - just to her room - but hopefully it would give her enough time to get them out of here.
Selene smiled, an incandescent light in her eyes. "Emma, Sebastian… my darlings, kindly allow us some privacy as I tend to this matter." With polite nods, Emma and Shaw did so, Emma murmuring something about not getting involved with disciplinary matters with one of those amused smiles of hers.
A few moments later, both girls were left alone in the room with Selene, the woman now smiling widely, the candles' flames whipping about as though in a storm, even though no wind nor breeze ran through the room. Shadows gathered about her, taking impossible shapes as they grew in density and size, wrapping around Selene as so many lovers.
"I might as well make the best of this little turn of events…" She purred as she spoke, laughter both dark and malicious threading through her throat.
"And I've been fancying a little snack of late anyway."
***
The team infiltrates the Hellfire Club... with a little insider help.
Standing within the dimly lit lobby of the Hellfire Club, Alison breathed in slowly, ignoring the faint thudding sound from behind her - to say that Nathan, Kylun and Cain had been able to deal with the security at the doors in a quick and efficient manner was the understatement of the year, really. There were no alarms, as of yet, and thus far the hallway at the end of the large lobby remained unoccupied, though it wouldn't stay that way for long, she expected.
And so, one of the things she'd been preparing herself - and others - for had finally begun.
"Kylun. Right hallway, until you hit the end. One floor down, secret passage on the left - Selene's assistant is there. We need to make sure the woman is out of the fight and stays out until we're done here." There wasn't any sound at all as Kylun nodded and then dissapeared, with nary a question or a doubt.
Nathan held his psimitar back against his body. Not that discretion was really an option with the damned thing, or in general, given how they'd just made their entrance, but he didn't need to be striding down the hall waving it around. He reached out and delicately blurred the perceptions of some of the (relatively) innocent bystanders who were beginning to respond to the noise. No need to complicate the situation, although he was careful to keep his own shields up. Who knew where Frost was in all of this, after all.
Adjusting his gloves, Cain grinned widely as he stepped up next to Cable and Dazzler. "So," he asked, "that was simple. Who thinks it ain't gonna stay that way? Hands?" He held one massive hand up, frowning at the other two X-Men. "All right, fine. Just point me at the next fancy-dressed person that we have to take down. Dibs on Shaw, though."
"Shaw should be in the central ceremony room down below," Alison said simply, "and is probably still a bit busy at the moment." From Pete's sudden call though, that didn't mean they had the time to take things slowly - moving quickly and efficiently would be paramount.
#Incoming,# Nathan sent to both of them sharply. #Unknown, not overtly aggressive.#
"Quite right, Miss Blaire."
The cultured voice echoed through the foyer as Harry Leland stepped out of the shadows, deceptively quiet for a man of his stature. He paused to adjust his bow tie in a mirror, then clasped his hands behind his back as he walked towards the three X-Men.
"I can only assume you are here concerning the induction of the newest Knight into the Black Court. I regret to tell you, this particular ceremony is not one that is open to the public." He smiled widely. "We prefer to keep some of the Inner Circle's mysteries... well, mysterious."
Cain growled and crouched slightly. "Who's this walking museum piece? And is there any reason we ain't knocking him cold and taking his keys?"
Leland arched an eyebrow. "Now, Mister Marko. Such a brash and forceful approach reminds me of Sebastian in his younger years. Granted, without the culture or education, of course-"
Leland's insult was interrupted by a loud growl from Cain as he ran forward with two long steps, fist cocked back despite Alison's quick protest. The Black Rook of the Hellfire Club simply watched the Juggernaut approach, then held out one white-gloved hand.
As Alison and Nathan watched, the air around Cain seemed to distort, rippling as light refracted slightly. Cain's next footfall splintered the parquet of the foyer's floor, sinking his leg up to the knee. He had just enough time to look astonished and grasp futilely for Leland before the floor collapsed under him, sucking him down into the darkness like a meteor.
Clearing his throat, Leland sidestepped the hole in the floor, checking his cufflinks as he shrugged at Cable and Dazzler. "Gravity," he said by way of apology, "is a harsh mistress. But one that I have maintained cordial relations with over the years."
Nathan looked at the hole, touching Cain's thoughts briefly to make sure that he was all right, before looking back at the gravity-manipulator. His vision slipped into altered-state and the blade of his psimitar began to glow. #Dazzler?#
Alison nodded politely at Leland, actually sighing in relief as Cain disappeared from sight - having Leland reduced to a smear now would have been bad in so many ways it wasn't even funny, really. She moved one arm to the side, slightly - a sign for Nathan, simple and clear.
It's okay.
"It's still ongoing, then," she said, simply, Leland having told her all she needed to know. They were still on time.
"For about..." Leland checked his pocketwatch briefly, "four minutes, I would expect. No doubt Selene is aware of your presence, and I would suggest that you use these next four minutes to your best advantage."
Turning to Nathan, Leland smiled. "Ah, and you would be the ubiquitous Nathan Dayspring. A telepath, I'm given to understand? If you would be so kind, I have a post-hypnotic trigger in my subconscious that is activated by a specific mental phrase. It puts me into a state of sleep, I suffer from insomnia, you see. Perils of advancing age, I must confess." He spread his hands, palms out in a theatric gesture of surrender. "Quickly, before they end the ceremony. My cards are not ready to be played just yet."
"Ubiquitous," Nathan murmured, his eyes sliding back to Alison for a moment before returning to Leland. "That's a new one. Have a good nap." The trigger was simple to find and simpler to activate. He had after all made something of a study of the damned things.
Alison just smiled faintly, giving Nathan a slightly helpless shrug, watching Leland's body pause in mid-fall and gently float down to the ground. "I promise to tell you all about it when we get back home?" she offered, knowing she'd be telling Haroun first and foremost, then others as need be. "But for now, we have to hurry." She looked across the room and started forward, breaking into a run as she headed for the right side hallway and the central room where the ceremony was no doubt still on going - Pete's message had been short and clear.
Time was of the essence.
***
In the ceremonial chamber, Amanda's pride is definitely suffering a fall.
It wasn't supposed to go this way.
One of the things Amanda had been sure of all along was that she'd be able to beat Selene if it came down to that. After all, hadn't she done just that last November? And in Manuel's body too? This time she finally had control, she wasn't drugged, and she had nothing holding her back from unleashing, as Kyle would say, a can of whoop-ass on the Black Queen. Only now, when it came to it, it was proving to be more a
case of using everything she had just to keep Selene's powers at bay. Obviously what had happened last year was a fluke, a matter of catching Selene off-guard and it was becoming extremely apparent that Selene not only had more raw power, she knew far more spells than Amanda had ever thought possible.
Dark energies crackled and swirled around Amanda and Jubilee, held back only by the increasingly-fragile bubble of Amanda's shielding spell. Amanda had already drained every mystical power source she could sense in the building, but still it wasn't enough. Gritting her teeth she flung another force bolt at Selene, almost hidden by the shadows wrapped around her, and cursed under her breath as it disappeared into the darkness without any apparent damage.
Jubilee crouched beside Amanda, watching Selene from behind their protective bubble. She could see that Amanda's shield was getting thinner, and the other girl had started to sweat just moments ago. She'd been trying to reach for her own powers, frustrated at her body's utter refusal to obey her commands. She could see Selene smiling serenely as the shadows cleared for a second, and then it was lost again as they swirled back in. Did that woman ever get phased? Jubilee couldn't help but think that Amanda would be better off not protecting her. "Mandy, this isn't working. You've gotta stop protecting me."
She wasn't a martyr, if she could have helped it in any way, she certainly would've chosen to live. And the fact that it seemed as though she was asking Amanda to kill her twice in as many hours made her smile, in a black humour sort of way. She also knew she wasn't being fair but the practicalities of the situation demanded it. Jubilee would much rather Amanda live then have them both die, no matter the emotional problems the decision might cause Amanda later.
"Do you hate me or something?" Amanda growled. "Bugger that for a joke, I'm not gunna let that bitch have you." Of that she was positive - the rightness of the decision sang through her. She'd probably die tonight, but at least she'd finally gotten it. "I just need more oomph - could get us t' the door if I had more juice and you could make a dash for it."
Jubilee was about to roll her eyes when she remembered what Amanda had been asked to do to her earlier. Surely it wouldn't take that much energy taken from her to give them a chance. "Don't hate ya, Mandy. Just bein' practical. But, you could take the energy from me, right? Give you enough of an oomph to get us both out of here."
It made sense, but even considering the idea, just for a moment, made Amanda feel physically ill. "No," she grated, pushing her mutant power further than it had reached before to tap into something, anything. "Don't ask me to do that, Lee. I won't let this bitch turn me into a monster, even if I invited her to." And with that she dredged up one of Rack's spells, the lightning summoning, and aimed it straight at the woman watching their struggles with that maddening smile.
The lightning shimmied around the shield Amanda was still somehow holding up, finally skimming through a crack which wavered into shape for a moment, allowing the strike through. Only to be batted away by Selene, her delighted laughter ringing out through the room as she finished the gesture in a flourish, darkness dancing behind her in ghostly harmony. "Weak!" Her voice was mocking as she made the joyful declaration, her eyes narrowing slightly, as though contemplating how long she might still be entertained by the whole affair, before cutting the game short. Finally, she lifted one arm up, pointing a fingertip at Amanda - and then crooked her finger once, imperiously so.
Amanda was in mid-incantation - she'd seen Selene apparently shrug off one of her more powerful spells with a laugh and that raised her ire more than anything. Shades of Rack and the way he mocked her every attempt at resistance. But at Selene's gesture the gift-scarf - long-forgotten around her neck - suddenly tightened, cutting off her words. And her breath - the shield collapsed around them as Amanda fell to the floor, clawing at the black silk around her throat, struggling to breathe.
Jubilee had been watching Selene when the shield went down. Her eyes widened as she noted that there was now nothing between them and becoming a quick snack. She turned to Amanda to find out what had gone wrong. It didn't take her long after that to figure out just what had gone wrong.
It was the scarf, Selene must be tightening it somehow, choking Amanda.
It was a split second decision, something she didn't have time to contemplate. She could try and help Amanda, or she could attack Selene and hope the woman would be distracted long enough that she'd lose control of the scarf. At least, she hoped it was a spell that Selene had to concentrate on, otherwise she was about to do something incredibly stupid.
Okay... it would still be incredibly stupid but the shield was down, Amanda was choking and she'd be damned if this bitch was going to win.
Jubilee sprang from her crouched position, taking the few steps between where she'd been and where Selene stood in a matter of seconds. If she was lucky, she could use the momentum to knock Selene down and hopefully disrupt the spell. Of course, the sheer lunacy of trying to crash tackle the woman didn't escape her, but what more could she do?
She'd really need to sit down with herself after this and question herself about why she felt a need to do insane things in the heat of battle. Because this was seriously becoming ridiculous.
Jubilee suddenly found herself pulled the last few feet of the distance seperating her from Selene at a dizzying speed, held in an iron grip by the throat, a low purr audible through the magical chaos around them as Selene smiled at her slowly. Up close.
"My, what an interesting snack you'll make, child," the woman whispered, grip tightening enough to start cutting off Jubilee's air flow.
***
Alison and Nathan run into some opposition - none other than the Black King himself. And he's not pleased with his visitors.
A creak of old brass hinges alerted Nathan and Alison before the large double doors opened with a powerful swing. Behind them, a look of fury on his face, dressed in full Victorian regalia, stood the Black King of the Hellfire Club.
And Sebastian Hiram Shaw was not amused.
He gave a quick glance down at Leland, surveyed the hole in the floor, then glared up at Alison and Nathan. "X-Men," he said with a snarl. "What precisely is your business here, other than committing vandalism, assault, and general mayhem on my friend and employees?"
Alison blinked and looked over her shoulder, then tilted her head to the side, the distant sounds of very enthusiastic cursing echoing from the gaping hole in the middle of the lobby.
"Mayhem, chaos, destruction... take your pick?" She didn't need to say a word to feel Nathan somehow lock into place, the light shiver of telekinesis washing over her - he'd take care of things here, was the silent understanding, as she moved on. "I have somewhere else to be." She darted forward, dissapearing from sight and then paused, head popping back into sight for a few seconds as she flashed Shaw a brilliant smile. "By the way? The Juggernaut's in your basement."
Nathan held the shield on Alison until she was out of range, his eyes never moving from Shaw. #Cain, getting up here would be good,# he sent to his teammate. "Long time no see, Sebastian," he said in a deliberately casual voice, shifting his vision downwards again so that he could examine the lines of force. Power pooled in the psimitar, until the blade flared so brightly it was impossible to look at. "Would you like to join Cain in the basement? I could probably manage that. It would probably involve a fair amount of structural damage,
but I think we established a number of years ago that I have no respect for your property."
"Hmm, yes..." Shaw said with a nod, stepping past the rubble. "I do recall my estate in Ecuador being somewhat the worse for wear after your little tantrum. What was it over again? Ah yes, that little underage street rat with the Electra complex. Some spark to her, I must admit." Sebastian kept circling as he gloated, adjusting his sleeves, then tapping an ornate brooch at his throat.
"One of Emma's, actually," he said by way of explanation. "A safeguard against telepathic persuasion. And should I so desire, perhaps a focused pulse of electromagnetism would keep your heroic impulses in check?" Shaw raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. "That small tidbit of information came from Carmella Ruiz. I believe you know of her?"
"You know, I'd actually be rather curious to see what happened if you hit me with an EM charge while this was charged up." Nathan gave the psimitar a little shake. "Given that it amplifies my TK by a factor of... well, lots, making me go boom? Not such a great idea,
however much I might appreciate the beauty of a nice crater to let the world know where I've been." The brooch was a problem. He should have knocked the bastard out the instant he appeared, but he wasn't absolutely sure what was going on here, and look at where charging ahead had gotten Cain.
"You know, Dayspring," Shaw mused, still circling as he removed his brocade coat. "You've caused me a great deal of annoyance and amusement over the years. I've let you live in peace because the latter has outweighed the former. The balance, however, is rapidly shifting." The Black King rolled his shoulders and let out a small laugh. "Small offenses add up, Dayspring. Eventually reaching a boiling point. Much like the force of, say, running up three flights of stairs."
To illustrate his point, Shaw stepped forward rapidly. His body was almost a blur of speed as one fist, its force aided by Shaw's kinetically-enhanced strength, missed Nathan's temple by mere inches.
Nathan extended the dodge telekinetically, putting a little bit of distance between himself and Shaw. "Is this where I make some kind of comment about the death of a thousand cuts?" he asked casually, and then lashed out with his telekinesis. Not to knock Shaw through a wall, or to the basement - appealing as the thought of dropping him down there with Cain was - as that was fundamentally not productive, given the bastard's mutant abilities.
Instead, he wrapped telekinetic claws around Shaw's left arm, and bent the elbow the wrong way. Ninety degrees the wrong way, very precisely.
The snap echoed through the foyer, though it only merited a grunt from Shaw. The Black King dropped to a knee, right hand clutching his left arm in pain. "Ah, Dayspring. First blood to you," he hissed. Glaring up through suddenly bloodshot eyes, Shaw pulled himself up straight, chest puffing out with a braggart's pride. Roughly, he struck himself in the chest once, twice, three times with his right fist. Each time, Nathan could sense Shaw's body swell with harnessed force.
Sebastian chuckled lowly, grasping his left wrist. With a sickening lurch, he yanked the limb straight, allowing only another grunt of pain to escape. "And now," he said, words beginning to slur as adrenalin flooded his body, "Last to me."
"I bet you and my uncle get along beautifully." Clearly, this was not going to work, although he was fully prepared to try it on Shaw's legs, too. "I'm wondering," Nathan said, charging the psimitar up further. "Do you have an upper limit? If I throw enough at you, would
I eventually be able to stick a pin in you and watch you pop?" This was all about buying time. He wasn't much of a talker in situations like this, generally, but if Shaw was willing to waste time preening...
"My power, like my ambition, has no limits," Shaw gloated. "Limits are nothing but the weaknesses of common men. I have risen above mundane things like limits. Der Wille zer Macht, the philosopher said. A will to power."
Shaw took another shuffle towards Nathan, a boxer's advance, reaching out for him with massively muscled forearms. "I will have you kneeling before me, and my power will make it so."
More than enough room. Nathan dodged Shaw, running halfway up the wall and then spinning off to clear ground a few feet behind him. "I bet the two of you exchange Christmas gifts, don't you? A man after his demented heart." Nathan's jaw clenched and he tried to do the same thing to Shaw's knee that he had done to his arm.
This time, however, Shaw was ready for the maneuver, leaping forward before Nathan could close his grip. A double-handed swing tore through the cherry-wood paneling on the wall, inches below Nathan's feet. "I was under the impression the last of your attempts at a family had all been murdered when you attempted to escape your previous employers," Shaw said calmly, his cultured voice an odd dichotomy with his enormous frame. He was almost as large as Cain now, the energy of every punch adding to his power.
Oh, yes, this was going well. Really, quite well. Time to charge him up and see how big he gets? Nathan wondered. Shaky strategy. Definitely shaky. "Gideon Faraday," he said, and blasted Shaw through the nearest wall.
A moment of silence, then the debris stirred with a deep bass laugh. "Gideon Faraday? Eris Consulting? Oh my, I never would have made the connection. Thank you, Dayspring." Shaw rose from the rubble, tearing absently at the remains of his finery. "That thought will amuse me for quite some time. But now I think the time for amusement is over. I think I'll take that toy of yours now."
Walking back through the wall, Shaw was almost a caricature of his previous self - muscles almost bursting with power. Confidently, he reached out for Nathan's psimitar.
And paused, as there was suddenly a red-haired ghost in armor standing between them, raising one eyebrow at him. "I believe," Askani said, "that the time for amusement is indeed over."
"That rather useful brooch," Nathan said, before Shaw could react, "is attached to plain, ordinary fabric, you realize." And with one yank, it was torn away, landing on the ground in front of Nathan. He brought one booted foot down on it, hard. "Whoops," he said casually.
Shaw's eyes widened in astonishment. "You can't... that's impossible!"
"Sort of a basic design flaw, don't you think? Can't protect you if it's not on your person." The psimitar turned incandescent as he poured more power through it. Telepathic energy, this time, letting it focus and amplify the growing psi-bolt. "Would you like to see something I didn't learn from Charles Xavier?" he asked, and let it fly.
The flash of light lit Shaw's body from within, outlining every overextended tendril of his central nervous system. Like a city suffering a massive blackout, blocks of his consciousness winked out like so many lights into the darkness.
Still, he had the composure to take one step forward, extending a hand toward Askani with a questioning look on his face that slowly shifted to understanding.
"Well... played..." he murmured as his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped forward to the ground.
Askani turned back towards Nathan. "Get to them," she said quietly. "As quickly as you can." In a flash, she was gone, and Nathan didn't wait to check on Shaw, or to reach out again to Cain, who seemed to have found something to do in the basement.
He ran.
***
Coming down to the wire... Whilst Nathan is occupied with Shaw, Alison arrives just in the nick of time, but things don't go all her way.
So intent was she on Jubilee, on the energy dancing brightly and enticingly under her fingertips, whetting her appetite to a fierce craving, that Selene never noticed new presence barreling down the hallway and into the room, straight for her. The body slamming into her full force, breaking her hold on Jubilee and sending them all sprawling to the ground did earn her entire and full attention though.
Her devoted, fiercely angry attention.
"Who-" Selene started to snarl, furious at the interruption, only to be stopped in mid word by a coruscating barrage of light slicing through the gathering shadows about her, sending them scattering with strangled shrieks of dismay. The floor was left scarred and smoking though Selene herself was unharmed, having avoided the strike at the last moment, eyes wide and fixed on the newest arrival.
"Blaire!" The name was hissed with feral rage, narrowed eyes glaring hatefully ahead even as the shadows gathered about Selene once more, spreading across the room in a wave only to be thwarted a few feet short of the brilliantly glowing woman. Darkness weaved about, so many malicious serpents searching for a weakness, even as a barrage of lasers lanced out once more, intent on keeping Selene at a distance by any means possible.
It was with great annoyance that Selene realized that somehow, likely as a result of the brutal way Alison had introduced herself with, both girls were now located behind Alison - the energy vampire could feel their powers shining brightly, even behind the cascading fountain holding the better part of her attention. A tug of magic in the direction of her assistant proved in vain, and Selene curled a lip in a delicate sneer, an avenue of extra power having been apparently cut off while she was toying with the two girls earlier. How... vexing.
"You should know," Alison's voice broke through the other sounds in the room, someone gasping for air, things writhing in the shadows and light dripping to the floor to disappear with sizzling pops and crackles, "that black really isn't your color." Smiling grimly, knowing she had to hold out as long as possible - because nothing else was possible - Alison made certain to keep as much distance between the both of them as could be managed. For however long as possible. Darkness stuck out before her, blocked at the last moment by a shield of light powered by the entire set of sonic projectors embedded in her leathers, and Alison retaliated with a series of lasers, every single one neatly evaded and Selene danced between them, keeping to the shadows.
The floor weaved under Alison's feet and then bucked upwards like a live thing, sending her tumbling towards Selene, who was reaching outward with a too wide, hungry smile. Kicking forward desperately, only too aware that she had just become the foremost interest of a ever hungry creature, Alison ducked under the outstretched hands - barely - and kept scrambling to the side as soon as she came out of the tuck and roll, the shadows weaving in the room nearly hiding Selene from her sight for a terrifying moment. The deadly dance continued, time turning into a distant and unknown thing as Alison went full out, two goals driving her on. Keeping Selene away from the girls, first and foremost, and then keeping her away from Alison herself.
In the end, however, it was neither suddenly moving floor nor deadly shadows which undid Alison - it was Selene herself, charging through the light, a laser scoring a fierce tattoo on her thigh in the process, as she locked both hands around Alison's throat, pushing onward to harshly slam the smaller woman against the wall. She let go of Alison's throat with one hand only long enough to slam a fist in her solar-plexus, hard and fast before leaning her forearm against Alison's throat, leaning in with a low, heavy purr.
"Black is a divine color for you, Blaire," she smiled playfully, pressing harder, ignoring the choking sounds and the vicious strike to her side as Alison pushed one foot off the wall to power a knee into Selene's side repeatedly, trying to break free. "And the thing that
best suits me," she leaned in, breathing slowly in as though tasting the very air around Alison, "is this…" She breathed in deeply and then hummed, deep and low in her throat. Alison's eyes widened in mingled horror and rage and her struggles grew suddenly weaker, the signs of old age stealing over her swiftly as Selene started to feed.
And then:
Gunshot.
"Corvus infernae, districulum canvanarius-"
Gunshot.
"-oculari archa del maleficium carriondum!"
Gunshot.
"Or in plain fucking English: up yours, you twisted fuck!"
Selene staggered back from Alison with the first shot, hands going to her forehead in sudden agony, finding a circlet, an inch wide band of metal at her brow, and now she couldn't feel the divine flow of Blaire's life, her limbs suddenly heavy, weak and ungainly.
The second and third shots caught her at the wrists as she clawed at the metal, first encircling them with bands of their own, which then fused together, restraining her. At the first, she felt all her enchantments fail, leaving her utterly defenseless. At the second, everything went black, as she toppled backward.
Pete pushed himself off from where he'd braced himself against the door frame, still holding his gun in a two handed grip, still keeping it pointed at Selene, and strode into the room, glancing at Amanda and Jubilee for a second, giving Amanda a quick smile.
"You didn't screw it up. Good job."
"Pete?" Amanda wheezed, still breathless from her near-strangulation. The scarf lay on the floor in shreds, Jubilee having torn it off her during the fight. "What the fuck...?"
Pete looked briefly at Alison, lying on the floor, before focusing on Selene again.
"I'll explain everything later, but I've got about ten minutes to make sure this bitch doesn't wake up ever again, and if I fuck this up now, Al'll crawl out of the grave and kill me. Romany says hi, though, and Strange should be here shortly."
The he turned away from them and stood over Selene, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket with his left hand, his right hand keeping the gun trained on her.
"I've hated every fucking minute of the last eight months, bitch."
He began to read.
