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xp_logsThe moment of truth - the ritual to draw Selene's essence out of Meggan begins, but not without its own surprises.
The last time Amanda had seen this particular room, it had been during her doomed induction ceremony as Selene's Knight. Now, walking into the room and taking her place in the centre of the circle that had been drawn on the floor, those memories were returning with sickening clarity and the goose flesh on her bare arms wasn't entirely connected to the chill in the air. If it hadn't been for Meggan, she'd never have agreed to this... She looked over at the young girl, barely recognisable as her little sister now, and her jaw tightened.
"Let's get this over and done with, yeah," she said, echoes of her old schoolgirl cockiness. "Before I catch my death of cold."
"Now, now, my little poppet, it won't be the cold you catch your death of," Selene purred. "Not while I'm here to look over you." A smile that promised malice curled itself up the witch's lips, teeth bared ever so slightly. She was hungry, though not in the way one hungered for food. Trapped there in her coffin in the sea she'd been consumed by her hunger and her vengeance. Some days she had thought of nothing else but the need to be full. Her eyes slid from one young woman to another and with each passing glance that delighted look intensified. What a feast she'd arranged for herself. Once all their energy was her power the world would be hers again, and it would be so much more fun this time.
"Dude, creepifying as all fuck, as per usual," Jubilee mouthed off, taking her own position to the west, her memories of this place pushed deep down inside the space she kept for all such things when a job was happening. She had learnt long ago to compartmentalize her emotional reactions to things, especially the ones that could split her focus from what needed to be done. "You want we should go get you some virgin blood or somethin', or are you cool for the moment?"
Her companions might be used to such events, but the only thing keeping Amara from losing it in complete terror was the training she'd received at the mansion - the long hours of X-Men training had honed her control over her powers, and the time she'd spent with Manuel had furthered her control over her emotions. The closest she came to showing her fear was to dig her nails deep into the palms of her hands, concentrating on that rather than the witch in the room. She took her place silently, not raising her gaze to any of them. This just needed to be over.
Meggan strode to her position at the southern point of the circle directly across from Selene, with scarcely a look at anyone as she passed them. Her eyes were cold, with hints of a terrifying eagerness for the ritual to begin--just another of many reflections of Selene's control.
Oh, you bitch, you're going to pay for this once Meg's free... The sight of a stranger looking out from Meggan's face turned Amanda's stomach and she had to look away. Instead, she knelt on the floor, the stones from Nova Roma arranged around her, and removed her t-shirt so the scars on her back were visible. Once a conduit, always a conduit, she supposed. The air was cold on her back and she shivered slightly. "Ready," she said, holding her head high despite the supplicant's position she'd had to take.
Amanda's attempts at dignity and rebellious spirit in the face of the situation were overlooked, Selene instead smiling rather serenely at the puppet who looked at her from across the circle. With her gaze still locked on Meggan's, the witch began to quietly recite words that weren't quite Latin and weren't quite Greek. She drew in power from the females arranged around her circle and pushed it into the words, a dull glow of dark energy beginning to raise around her conduit as a result.
Wanda and the others stood in the deepening shadows at the back of the room, prepared for anything and ready to move at the slightest hint of provocation. With every passing second in the ritual, her face hardened into a mask - no emotion flickered there or in her eyes as she was forced to separate her emotions from what was happening. Still as a statue, she simply ... waited.
Death. Death, death, death, the Devil, death, Marie-Ange was pulling cards off the top of her deck and shoving them back in as fast as she could turn them over. The waiting was the worst, knowing something could happen, something could change, as the Death card indicated, and not knowing what it was or what price they would have to pay when it all ended.
Sarah stood next to Remy, hands balled so tightly into fists that blood oozed from her palm where her bone-covered fingers dug into the flesh. She hated watching something she knew they could stop, something they weren't allowed to stop. What sort of plan was "sit back and wait"?
Amanda jerked, a hiss of pain escaping her. The scars on her back glowed, the arcane script outlined in yellow light and a slight smell of burning rose into the air. Energy - light and dark - met over her head and formed a series of 'ropes', connecting each person in the circle to Amanda - and to each other.
Emma made no attempt to hide the disdain on her face as she watched Selene's pleasure at the success of the first part of the ritual. The Black Queen had always been crass and resurrection had had stripped away the faint patina of civilisation that had hidden her worst aspects; Selene's face showed nothing but naked, avaricious hunger. She had always been an amusing partner in debauchery but this display was simply vulgar. Emma made no move as the glowing ropes flickered but, beneath her cloak, her fingernails tapped impatiently against her thighs.
Doug stood motionless at Emma's left hand and a pace behind, the picture of a knight protecting his queen's weaker side. He stood stock-still, but his eyes roved the room, calculating angles, watching movement, calculating plans for every eventuality he could think of. At the same time, though his hands were empty, he took mental stock of fixtures around the room that might be used as weapons in a pinch, a slim pistol in a shoulder holster under his coat, the telescoping baton secreted at the small of his back, and a dagger strapped to his ankle. After all, a knight should always be armed in the service of his liege.
There were times, he reflected, that Gambit had it easy. He would have simply slaughtered everyone associated with the Black Court in this room, loaded them into a sheet tied off with a jaunty bow, and carried them in the front seat beside him as he drove back to Washington to place them humorously around Chester Whelan's office. Instead, Remy was forced to watch this abomination with his fucking hands tied. His only relief was that Wisdom wasn't aware of what was happening, since Remy couldn't imagine he'd consider it anything but a betrayal. Still, they had Meggan, she was Amanda's family, and Remy had promised not to let anything happen to her.
But the second the ritual was over, Remy vowed, it was hunting season.
Bishop didn't quite understand the scope of what was happening and he knew it. He occupied his mind the way he had been taught as a sniper, by including the things present in his day dreams. He first watched others fidget, then he wondered what would happen if he had to absorb any of the exotic looking energy, before finally counting everyone present that was part of a court. Even though a number of colleagues were, he wondered what made it different than any other organization of rich people consolidating power to get richer. Although he assumed Skull and Bones didn't have real topless magical rituals.
Standing off to Emma's other side, Julian fidgeted slightly, trying to force his thoughts down. They needed Nathan here for this, not him- he wasn't a soldier, no matter how much he may have pretended or wanted to be. Regardless of that, and to his luck there was the fact that Miss Sefton was currently stripped to the waist which was giving him a convenient reason to be concealing his thoughts in the first place. Taking a deep breath he steadied himself and took a step closer to Emma and Doug.
Those eerily green eyes never left the women enclosed in her circle. Selene's gaze was level and unwavering. She was confident that the others in the room, should they pose a problem, would be easily dispatched by her allies in the Black Court if she did not have the time to stop them herself. The tendrils of black energy grew heavier, almost viscous, and wrapped around the women around the periphery of her circle. Meggan, her delicate little puppet across from her, chanted along and Selene felt the pull of the power. It was gentle at first, a lover's hand down your spine. Once that stroking touch hit the base of each woman's spine it was like nails digging down into them and Selene yanked. It wasn't pleasant for anyone but her and the puppet she'd had yet to release.
It was something like a hot shower after a long, exhausting day and an amazing meal all in one. Selene felt the power run down each of those metaphysical tendrils as she drew it out of the women. She felt it pour into Amanda and come rushing into her, hitting her somewhere deeper and more satisfying than a meal or a shower could. With the power surge her skin became less wan, her hair grew healthier and her skeletal form began to fill out into something closer to human. The green of her eyes took on a yellow-ish, mossy hue. This was better than any sex, better than any orgasm. This was power and her focus hardened as she pulled harder. Her head went light and fuzzy from the high of it and she considered not releasing the girl at all. If the girl was dead she would be released. Technically.
Amara knew this was coming, but nothing could really prepare her for the moment. She'd once been a sacrifice in a desperate bid to regain this creature's favor, and she'd fought hard against her fate, but here she was now, a reluctantly willing participant in this ritual. Her father, she thought ridiculously, would not approve. She'd gritted her teeth at the first touch of Selene's power, and then she yanked. Amara hissed through gritted teeth, doing her best not to show how much it hurt as Selene began to drain her.
Jubilee had been in much this same position twice in her life, some might even say three if you were counting the demon raising that had used her then virgin blood. Each time it had taken something, left her changed in a fundamental way. She supposed it was her lot in life to always be a willing, or unwilling in one case, sacrifice to other people's power plays. It had never, and would never sit right with her, and she was becoming just a tiny bit tired of the whole procedure. She vowed to herself that Selene would pay once they had Meg safe, by Jubilee's own hand if she could manage it.
She closed her eyes as she felt the digging at her lower back, and then the drain of energy, and she wondered briefly if the expenditure would kill her. It would certainly exhaust her, possibly even eat away at her body as the time in the machine had. She made a mental note to have someone get her a large bucket of Kentucky fried after this, maybe she'd ask Marie-Ange just to see the look of exasperation on her face.
The power rang down the tendrils of dark energy from her victims and into her focus at the centre. The pretty little blonde witch with her back ablaze in a swarm of magical symbols was the conduit for the siphoning off of energy. Selene licked her lips and her ecstasy was barely contained. She would not let herself be distracted as she had been on the dock in a moment of hunger just after being freed. The grip on Jubilee and Amara clamped down tighter and slowly Selene began to pull herself out of the teenager across from her. She'd decided that she wanted to see the fear on Meggan's face. She wanted to see Amanda watch helplessly while Selene drained the girl of all her life's force. The girl would be released from Selene's control, but not from the ritual itself.
The psychic vampire's eyes focused on Meggan, on the movement of her lips. Her chanting began to slip little by little. Selene felt her own power, poured into the girl in order to control her, come back to her through Amanda. She felt the claws ground down into the girl's soul loosen and then release. Bit by bit she watched awareness flow back into Meggan's eyes. Selene waited until the girl was fully herself again before she dug her hold into each of the women in the ritual further. They would be hers. All their energy and all their power would be hers. Then no one would dare stop her.
Meggan took in great gasps of air, once she was finally released from Selene’s grip. It was like being buried alive, only to be freed before you used up your last bit of air. She was groggy for a moment or two, causing a slight stumble backwards before she managed to regain her footing. The girl was completely and utterly terrified by what was going on, once she was able to take it all in. There was no time to feel any joy at being alone in her head, not with everyone in danger because of the creature in front of her.
Amanda jerked, feeling the change in energy flow but held trapped in place by the ritual and unable to turn and look at Meggan to confirm. She could feel the energy, the life, flowing out of Jubilee and Amara and Meggan, out of herself, blending into raw power and feeding the creature standing triumphant over them while they were helpless to do anything about it. Meggan was free, but Selene wouldn't stop. She had them right where she wanted them.
The young witch smiled and snapped her fingers.
Kurt had been waiting for that signal, and as George the werelight appeared in front of his face, acted on it instantly. Two figures appeared in the cloud of smoke that presaged his arrival - Kurt himself, and a slim dark-haired girl, ready and waiting to do her part. He shot Selene a vicious smile, then leapt over to grab Meggan and vanish again.
How much time did she have? Seconds? Most likely. The whole scenario...it almost got to her, froze her on her spot, but fought back; Amanda was there, and she needed her help. Nico rushed at the center of the whole thing, feeling how the place reeked of dark magic. So thick, powerful, enticing dark magic...Focus. Right hand holding the Staff of One, which was vibrating, almost as if it were excited, Nico held it high, aiming at her mentor as she got closer; she shot a glare at Selene first. "The meal is fucking over." And she slammed the Staff on Amanda's back. "Disrupt!" The spell activated upon contact with the other witch's skin, releasing a white shock wave that went through her and everyone around, immediately releasing everyone who was trapped in the spell. Kneeling to put a hand on Amanda's shoulder, Nico looked up. "Alright...what now?"
"If you were smart, you'd run," Selene replied. The disruption of the spell had a moment of blinding the way walking out into the sunlight from a pitch black room did. The witch, however, had energy to spare now. Her plans disrupted, her energy sources cut off from the ritual but she had allies in the room and had forgotten none of her old tricks. She knew the Black Court would come to her aid, and with that in mind she lashed out at the young girl by Amanda's side. Selene didn't need a ritual to feed on people, her mutation was kind enough to afford her that ability. An invisible hand latched onto the girl's essence and began to leech her energy away. Licking her lips, Selene looked at Amanda. "She tastes dark. She'll be mine eventually." The pull on Nico's energy intensified, then stopped abruptly when one of the Nova Roma stones rose up with shocking speed in an attempt to fly straight through the girl's abdomen.
Suddenly a wall of green energy was in the way - not magical in source - and the stones bounced off the barrier like they'd just hit hard rubber. "I don't think so," Julian said, taking a few steps away from Emma, his eyes literally glowing green from the amount of power he was pouring into the room. Fear now all-but-vanished, he wished in that moment that Nate had taught him the trick he'd read about where a teek could cause a stroke in someone. Instead he settled for a simple jedi force choke while the other green barriers established themselves around Amara, Jubilee and Amanda like glowing bell jars. "Let her go!" he demanded- there was no way this vampire bitch was getting her claws on his girlfriend.
Holding onto Nico, using her to hold herself up, Amanda smiled almost ferally at Selene. "See, there's something you forgot, bitch. While you were down there? The world moved on. I grew up. And I learned a few things. Like, never trust a life-sucking cunt." She glanced around to her teammates. "And never go anywhere without backup."
Wanda was already on the move as Amanda finished talking, leaping out of the shadows as if catapulted. She had been ready the moment the balance had shifted and a quick, intense scan of the chords in the area and determined her action before she even moved. As Selene thrashed around in an attempt to break Julian’s hold, Wanda headed not towards her but towards the Nova Roma stones that littered the ground around the ground. Just because one had been moved from its original spot didn’t mean that the connection running through the set had been severed.
In fact, it had been obvious to her that the stones were still connected not only to one another but also still to Selene…
Her fingertips brushed the rough edges of the nearest Nova Roma stone and Wanda sent a concentrated hex blast through it, ‘watching’ grimly as the entropic energy bounced from stone to stone and then, finally, to the woman at the center of the entire mess.
Selene was gasping for Shaw to help her already damnit when the energy skipped to her from the stones. She took the hit in her abdomen and the wind was all knocked out of her. The witch landed gracelessly on her ass, pain sharp and throbbing through her body. She didn't notice the way her skin was suddenly leeched of all its color or the way her eyes sank but the others did. The hit to the stones hadn't just hurt, it had robbed her of some of the energy she had so rightfully stolen. Full of rage, the witch snarled and thought, Deflect this. She got a magical barrier up between her and the energy attempting to choke her. Will helped her shove that away while she got back up and her eyes narrowed on the merry band of miscreants.
Chanting was hard, throat rough from the attempts at screaming and being pinched off with being choked. She managed bare whispers and rasps of words and watched as the chalk lines of the eldritch circle came alive. They began to slither up the legs of the dark-haired woman near the stone and the telekinetic boy. She made them solid and razor sharp only after pushing them to worm their way beneath the surface of their skin. Amanda wanted backup? She could have it cut to pieces.
Jubilee watched the attack through a pale green light, and tried to struggle to her feet to help, but she couldn't even get her feet under her before she slipped on rubbery muscles and crashed to the ground again. She wouldn't be doing much of anything right now, and when she tried to reach for her mutant power, she felt like she was ripping at her own body. It just wasn't going to happen. She lay her head back against the ground and cursed herself, Selene and anything else of power that might be listening that there was nothing she could do.
She was helpless.
Amara hadn't moved from her spot since Selene had released - she was so cold, so very cold. She'd eventually been able to move enough to wrap her arms around herself, but she'd been mostly oblivious to everything else going on. She saw Julian's shield go up, and she'd finally started to focus a little more on what was going on. There was a fight going on, and as much as Amara would later realize how illogical the thought was, she couldn't help but think that Selene was going to win. Why wouldn't she? She was a goddess. How were they supposed to defeat a goddess?
Across the room, it didn't even seem as though Marie-Ange was doing much of anything. But Selene would go nowhere, Marie-Ange was going to make sure of it. The iron-grey braids of metal that grew out of the ground writhed across the ground, their points scraping on the stone. The ropes of barbed wire coiled around Selene, biting into her arms and legs and drawing blood as they wrapped themselves around her.
Unsure of the affect all this energy might have, Bishop kept his gambling to a minimum. He was likely the best candidate to grab those who had fallen and draw them back to safety. If the woman did use some sort of magic to stop him, it might not work and that shock might give him the time to finish up. As he had been taught with rescues, he went to the furthest out first, making the surprise work for him. Starting with Amara and working back to Jubilee, the former officer tried to make sure everyone would be heading home safely if they were successful.
"Dis is taking too long." Remy muttered, aware of the curiousness of the situation. Why wasn't the Black Court coming to Selene's aid? The hammerblows of the mutants there rained on the witch, and while they hadn't been able to punch her out yet, it was clear that she wasn't back to her former strength. Still, she was formidable and Shaw was, what, considering? Selene would easily tilt the balance of power back to the Black Court, but what if doing so didn't necessarily mean it would be in the hands of Shaw? Schism or not, there were priorities. With a twist, he dragged Jubilee out of the circle, back behind where Wanda was attempting to hold the magical attack at bay with her hex powers.
"Marrow, get de rest clear!" He yelled, seeing Bishop pulling back Amara. Remy reached into his pocket, and haphazardly cast a deck of cards towards Selene, but also the lines of the Black Court, forcing a greater distance between them and the witch. If they could bring her down in the next few moments, they wouldn't be able to stop a followup, which would surely slaughter them all.
"Alright folks, you heard him!" Sarah moved quickly, heading in the opposite direction of Bishop to cover more ground. "We're getting you the hell out before something goes wrong."
Keeping her concentration was difficult with the barrage of attacks. The barbed wire was stubbornly going nowhere but further into her skin. The cards were the bigger issue. Selene managed a quick spell creating a shimmering wall to take the hit for her. Each card in the deck exploded against and weakened her protection until it collapsed under the hits and the final card was just barely avoided when she ducked. Still struggling against the tightening hold of the barbed wire, the witch's head whipped around so she could glare at Shaw. "What are you doing just standing there? Help your queen!"
From where Shaw had stood unmoving during the battle, he finally reacted to Selene’s request. “Ah, yes, I suppose this has gone on for long enough.” Shaw smoothed out his tie and tugged on the cuffs of his shirt sleeves. “You seem rather tied up at the moment, so I’ll keep this short – you’ve been a thoroughly useless queen but a decent enough pawn. Goodbye, Selene.”
He started to walk away but paused to turn back, raising a finger in the air as if he just had a thought. “However, I believe my new Queen would like a word with you before we go, wouldn’t you, my dear?” he asked, turning towards the shadows.
Ah yes, she was going to savor this. Belladonna glided out of the shadows, her body encased from neck to toe in black leather that both constricted and showcased it to its best advantage. "Tsk, tsk," she said, shaking her head in apparent disapproval. "So showy. Some people have no head for subtlety." If she was aware of the irony of this statement, standing as she was commanding the attention of everyone in the room, she didn't show it. "You tried for too much and failed, Selene. You should have been more careful. Pauvre salope."
Letting the emotions in the room roil about her - anger, fear, rage, pain - the new Queen raised her hands, unadorned save for the plain gold wedding band on her left ring finger. The gloating glint in her eye hardened to a diamond-like sharpness, and her grin was practically feral. "Of course, sometimes bigger is better," she purred, and a second later two twin energy blasts lanced out, striking Selene in the chest with the full force of Belladonna's power.
New queen? New queen? Without the help of Sefton's little friends this woman would have been easily dispatched. Selene would have drained her of her life and then gone on to consume Shaw for his double cross. She couldn't fend off the attacks against her and draw energy from someone, though, not in her current state. Selene sneered. "You little-" but her words were cut off when she couldn't get a shielding spell up in time and the energy blasts hit her. It was a sharp, sudden pain and the witch thought to herself that she would not be undone so easily. Then she fell to the ground limp and motionless.
Control. LeBeau had to hand it to Shaw. Selene was a rival, even a threat. But Belladonna? Oh, given time she might be, but the death price on her head from her brother's Guild sapped most of her power. She had her own formidable abilities, a wealth of information and contacts, especially through Europe, and a cadre of dedicated assassins and hougoun at her call. But next to Shaw's power, or even a weakened Selene's, it was next to nothing. In one move, Shaw had just added a substantial asset to the power base of the Black Court without compromising his own control. Whelan couldn't have done it any smoother.
However, that didn't necessarily account for all the factors, and while Remy's expression may have been controlled and neutral as he scrutinized his ex-wife, his thoughts weren't. He liked being the unexpected factor. Gambit had turned that trick into a fine art. Ironic that she still wore her ring.
"Our bargain is fulfilled, Sebastian," said Emma, as she glanced at and then away from Selene's body, dismissing the dead witch as beneath her notice. "The White Court concurs with your choice of Black Queen." Her tone was entirely neutral, as was the expression on her face as she kept her gaze on her colleagues, knowing her carefully chosen position kept her between them and Black Court, knowing they were smart enough to understand what that meant. This was Hellfire Club business now.
Flashback: Hellfire Club business indeed. Earlier that day, a meeting of the Inner Court was held.
"So this is what all the distractions have been about, Sebastian," said the White Queen, resplendent and ferocious in her full regalia. "All those stupid games with my Bishop and my sister. I can accept you want to play games in the Courts, but bringing back Selene? That was a box that should never have been opened. At least you can have the pleasure of knowing that you surprised me, but that's because I can't believe that you would be this stupid."
"It's a pleasure to see you, too, Emma," Shaw murmured just under his breath as he turned around to face his de facto equal amongst the Court. "Jumping to conclusions so quickly, are we? I'm disappointed in you, my dear White Queen, thinking so little of me when you think you have all the pieces in front of you."
"With the way you've been playing your cards, Sebastian, I've not had reason to think anything but ill of you." Emma's frown softened slightly as she stared at the man who she would call her rival if their relationship had not been so complicated that definitions could not easily be applied. "But perhaps that is because you've been letting your dog, Wyngarde, off the leash too often. If no-one has been letting you know, he doesn't play well with others. Or understand sibling rivalry. So tell me, what am I supposed to think of you when you let your bitch off the leash and the first thing she does is attack my people?" She turned her back on Shaw, moving back to sit in one of the armchairs scattered around the private room, gesturing to Doug to take the seat beside her. "I don't have all the pieces, Sebastian. You're keeping something from me and, if you have a plan, that piece is the key to it." She leaned back, lounging is sudden feline relaxation. "What am I missing, Sebastian? Fill me with wonder."
Sebastian wordlessly accepted the two drinks from his man and watched as the servant faded back into the shadows. With his own Knight still unfilled since the loss of Lense, Leland still not quite back up to speed and knowing what Wyngarde's presence would entail, he had seemingly come alone. It didn't seem to bother him as he approached Emma, pausing to gently place the glass with amber liquid on the table next to her. He didn't spare Ramsey a glance as he moved away again, swirling the drink around in his own glass. "I shall, as always, strive to fulfill your every wish," he rejoined. "Must I put this in plain language, then? I simply grow weary of being a King to an empty and ... dying court. With no queen by my side, nor even a simple Knight, and Leland not quite himself these days, I've found my court to be filled with more jesters than royals, if you will." He smiled at Emma over his glass. "Rebuilding a Court is surely something you can appreciate, especially considering your latest recruiting drive."
"It is always a delight to find someone worthy of recruiting to one's Inner Court," said Emma and the smile she bestowed on Doug made it clear that her pleasure in her Knight's presence was sincere. "Even if some are lost to the games we play amongst ourselves. But Selene? You are not rebuilding, Sebastian, if you bring her back. You're setting your own Court on fire and seeing how long it takes to burn down." She frowned again. "Are the dubious merits of her company worth the risk?"
"Currently? I would like to think 'yes'. Better to have Selene as my Black Queen than to continue on without one - unless, of course, you have a better idea?" He took a careful sip of his drink before he continued on it. "I believe her to be controllable to a large degree but you obviously disagree with that. And as she does seem to have a peculiar taste in Xavier alumni, I could even see where you might continue to have concerns and, hrm… reservations. But the roles of the court need to be filled, old friend..."
Emma tapped her fingernails gently against her bottom lip as she stared at Shaw. "You haven't called me that in a long time, Sebastian." She paused, considering his face, his demeanour. "In fact, I don't remember you enjoying yourself quite this much in a very long time." She smiled suddenly, almost allowing herself to feel nostalgia. "You're playing Selene. And you're playing me. And you're enjoying it far too much." She rose from her chair and stalked close to Shaw, invading his personal space in a manner that was both playful and threatening. "Who's your new Queen, Sebastian? The real one."
For a split second, Shaw looked indignant but it passed quickly enough. "Selene must have you riled," he commented with a small smile, "as you try to normally avoid being this direct with me. Let's say there is someone else I have in mind - give me your word, Emma, and with your word the word of the entire White Court, that if the Black Court denounces Selene for good, you will uphold my choice for Queen." He dipped his head slightly. "Not one move against us, not one ill-spoken word by any of those who serve you."
Emma made a derisive noise. "Oh please," she said. "That's an offer unworthy of you. Denounce Selene? You want silence and complicity for an unknown Queen and denouncing Selene? Putting her back at the bottom of the ocean wouldn't be enough to make me accept that. Why don't you show me your new Queen?" She barely needed to read Shaw's body language to know that he was going to refuse that request. Emma's shoulder brushed against Shaw's chest as she turned her back on him. "I know you, Sebastian. I know the way you play. Your Queen will cost me a great deal and Selene is going to have to pay the price."
Shaw looked undaunted as he stepped closer, lowering his head so that it was even with Emma's. "You always did know how to drive a hard bargain," he murmured into her ear, though he knew that her Knight would be privy in his own way to what he said. "Perhaps I do need to sweeten the pot in order to get you on board. Obviously sinking the poor thing to the bottom of the bay didn't quite do the trick. What if I were to promise you a more permanent solution? Would that be enough to outweigh the cost of my Queen, perhaps?"
Emma's eyes met Doug's as she considered what Shaw was saying. For him to offer to sacrifice Selene, his new Queen was going to cost her and Doug a great deal, that much was obvious. She would be an enemy and a formidable one. But she would not be Selene.
Emma had never understood those who questioned whether it was better to seek permission or forgiveness; she had never thought it necessary to seek either. But this would not be her price alone. Her mental link to Doug was a razor-slice of thought. #His Queen will make us enemies from our friends. I am about to condone murder. The games we play in Inner Court are permanent. Are you willing to pay the price?# Images flickered along the link: Amanda lost in her role as Black Knight, Jubilee as sacrifice, the maddened Meggan, the young women of Nova Roma screaming as they were sacrificed to the lava, Selene among her playthings, making mayhem with souls and lives alike, years of manipulation and betrayal and torture and Selene revelling in the centre of it. #No more of this. I want the world free of her. Do you?#
Did he want Selene put down like a dog for the things she'd done? For what she'd done to a host of people, but most of all what she'd done to Amanda? Emma didn't need an answer to that question. The opportunity to repay the energy vampiress for all of her predations made Doug's fingers twitch as if they longed to tighten around the butt of a gun or the handle of a sword. That he wanted her dead would be obvious, even to someone unable to touch his thoughts.
The real question Emma was asking him was if taking their vengeance upon Selene was worth writing a blank check for whatever price Shaw had hiding up his sleeve. He'd seen what Selene's actions had done to Meggan. That a young teenage girl should be so violated... his eyes narrowed. And it was clear that, as much as Shaw worshiped at the altar of power for power's sake, that he had lines and codes of his own that he held to, and Selene's behavior was causing a bad taste in his mouth.
And that was enough for Doug. He nodded his acquiescence sharply, the remainder of his thoughts hidden in his link to Emma.
"Destroy Selene," said Emma. She held up a finger to silence Shaw as she turned to face him again. "And you can have your Queen. No word ill-spoken, no action taken. But Selene dies first."
After Emma was finished, silence hung heavy between the two sometime-friends, sometimes opponents before Shaw nodded once. "I will hold you to that," he murmured, eyes flickering, finally, to Doug. Turning away, he handed his drink to the hovering servant as he headed towards a door on the other side of the room. Shaw gently knocked once before he opened it wide enough for someone to step through, though he was blocking the others line of sight. Bowing slightly at the waist, he held out his hand for the woman beyond to take. "Well, my Queen? Are you as satisfied as I?"
"I was hoping for a slightly warmer reception," came a warm, honeyed drawl, "but New York is one of the most frigid places I've been." Belladonna smirked and slipped her hand into Shaw's, giving the faintest mocking curtsy to the others in the room. "All the same I think I'll stay - now that I've been found suitable, bien sur."
Doug did his best to stifle any overt reaction, but an observant person could have noticed the tightening around his eyes and the whitening of his knuckles on the arm of his chair. Similarly, he attempted to marshal his thoughts behind tight walls so that the only person likely to read them would be Emma. No wonder Shaw had demanded Emma's word not to interfere before introducing his candidate for Black Queen. The gamesmanship was rather clear, as was Shaw playing his knowledge of Doug and Emma's associates to his own advantage. Strategy wheeled around quickly in Doug's brain, plotting move and countermove, including how to handle the most likely reactions of the rest of X-Force.
One thing was certain, things were about to get...messy.
Emma was barely surprised at Belladonna's appearance; to be worth Selene's life, she'd known Shaw was going to make her pay a heavy price and Remy's likely reaction was going to be a heavy price indeed. But those considerations were for another time, another place. "At least you maintain your taste in queens," drawled Emma. "Crazed, evil, with just that hint of magical corruption. I do hope she's not going to make the Club smell like some Louisiana swamp." Emma gazed at Belladonna for a while and a smile touched her lips. "But well played, Sebastian. You certainly are going to make my life interesting. Belladonna." Emma inclined her head in considered greeting. "You're an interesting price to pay for Selene. Just try not to kill Remy on your first day, if you can avoid it. The staff do so hate having to clean blood out of the carpets."
Belladonna's smile grew slowly, like the creep of a kudzu vine, and she stepped out from behind Shaw's sheltering stance, her hand still nominally resting in his. She wore an outfit befitting her future title, the carefully-crafted folds and curves of the well-laced corset stitched with jet beading that shimmered with each movement. "I am happy to see I have not been forgotten, M'sieur Ramsey, M'mselle Frost. The danger of lying low for a time is letting your reputation grow stagnant, but it seems mine still stands me in good stead. I am so glad."
"Thank you, Emma," Shaw said, his smile growing ever so slightly. "Without your help, I dare say this would never have been possible. Of course, we'll need the ceremonies to make everything official but I believe we have nothing to fear as long as we take Selene well into hand." Shadows played across his face as his smile suddenly sharpened. "Speaking of my soon to be disposed Queen, there are things to discuss and people to maneuver into place - the usual necessities of a smooth takeover. The sooner the better, I say. Wouldn't you agree?"
With all the cards on the table, X-Force reacts.
Amanda, leaning on both Sarah and Nico as they began their retreat, stumbled and nearly fell. Selene was dead - she could feel that through the energy change in the room - but at what cost? Belladonna, the new Black Queen? She looked over at where Doug was standing. Why wasn't he doing anything? How could he stand there while Emma...? On top of the exhaustion from Selene's energy drain and the burning pain in her back from the ritual, it was all too much.
With Selene's death, the Nova Roma stones were no longer conducting the powerful magic; however, Wanda could care less. She let go of the one she'd been gripping to channel hex energy through and was up and moving for Belladonna before she could even think twice about it. That Remy would beat her there was a fact but she wasn't above giving him the upper hand. Red, angry energy gathered around her hands as she moved forward...
Of course. It wasn't enough that he and Emma had to stand by for Belladonna's taking Selene's place, now they were about to be forced into a situation where they were protecting the new Black Queen from their own teammates. Doug's eyes narrowed as he shifted forward to block Wanda's path. Not that he'd had much doubt about the way this ceremony would ultimately turn out, but the shift in his thinking to classify the other members of X-Force as potential...opponents (he couldn't bring himself to think of them as 'threats', even given the situation) was jarring and unpleasant. If it came down to it, who would he have to hurt, and how badly, to keep the promise he'd made on Emma's behalf? Amanda and Jubilee were drained, and Sarah was occupied helping them away from Selene's corpse. Would he have to attack his own girlfriend? For that matter, would he be anything more than an irritant to Remy, especially if the Cajun decided to give in to Gambit when confronted with his ex-wife?
He left his jacket unbuttoned, but made no overtly threatening move at Wanda, spreading his empty hands wide. He wasn't sure he could even begin to explain the bargain they'd made, certainly not in an single breath. Maybe Emma could, he didn't know. And so he simply had to steel himself against whatever Wanda's reaction would be.
In her anger, Wanda almost ran over Doug before she actually, truly saw him. She stopped herself only inches from him and stared as all that anger that had been directed at Selene and then Belladonna turned on someone she'd trusted to watch her back for years now. In part, she had even seen him grow up from his days at Xavier's - and now, Wanda had no idea what he had grown up into. A quick look around the room told her the story in part. Hellfire Court politics had thrown one hell of a monkey wrench into the entire thing and it looked like both Emma and Doug had known about it prior to Belladonna's entrance.
Anger rolled off Wanda in waves as she glared at her teammate and she suddenly looked more like a representation of her chaotic self than she had in quite some time. From the start, things had brought back bad memories - George the werelight dying out before their eyes, Marie-Ange in the hospital in critical condition - and she had no inclination to reel it back in. Not if Doug was going to throw everything their group had worked so hard for away. And it would be so easy to just keep going forward because if he was going to forget what side he played on, then why should she try and keep that in mind herself?
Sucking in a deep breath, forcing those feelings back, she crowded into his space and dipped her head. "One, Mr. Ramsey, you get one," she said, voice like a steel trap. "Do not think it will end like this the next time you step in my way." And promptly turned her back on Doug to head over to where Amanda was.
Nico hadn't had time to be scared, or even surprised. She had just felt Selene's pull, and surprisingly enough, she had gotten to taste her own life exiting her body; it felt rather good, the overflowing darkness that hid inside. She snapped out of it pretty fast though, picking Amanda and helping Sarah to get the witch out of the center of the battle; she only managed to give Julian a meaningful look, unaware that she was paler than ever, and of the cold that was starting to expand in her chest; she would have time to deal with that later. If Amanda weren't on her arms, she would be casting all the deadly spells she knew she could at Selene, but even that was taken from her as the witch was apparently killed, something she wasn't sure she could ever believe; nobody like her could go down so easily. "This looks incredibly bad, " managed to mutter as she got away.
"It doesn't just look bad, it is." Sarah looked worriedly at Amanda, and then looked angrily at Doug, muttering "would've been nice to know the whole story before we ran head first into this clusterfuck."
"Wanda, take our people out." Remy said. His expression hadn't changed, or the seemingly neutral tone in his voice. Oddly enough, his accent seemed lighter, weaker than usual.
Nodding curtly, Wanda gently took Amanda out of Nico's arms. "Give her here," she said, easily scooping up the younger woman in her arms. "First things first, where the fuck is Marie-Ange?" She glanced towards Doug and then away again as her jaw tightened. "Everyone, out. Find Marie-Ange and then we go home." She didn't care about Doug or Emma or the fucking courts at the moment - she just wanted her people to get the hell out of there.
"I'll meet you back there for drinks later." The accent was gone, along with the third person references. Only a slight smile remaining as he locked eyes with Belladonna.
"This is not the time or the place to resolve your marital issues," said Emma, stepping between Remy (or was it Gambit?) and the Black Court. "Your people are exhausted, wounded. Loyalties are - confused. Your opponents are fresh. The price you pay will be too high. Now is not the time." Emma's voice was fierce, holding back everything she could not say. "Selene is dead. Your people are safe. Savour your triumph and walk away."
Gambit could kill Emma. Much like dealing with the ESPER system long enough, his training was so indepth and linked to his spatial powers that the charged card would be through Emma's throat before the conscious thought of the action crossed his mind. His enhanced reflexes would simply uncoil too fast for any normal human nervous system to track, and she'd be down. He was sure he could bring down Belladonna almost as fast. Shaw? Hard, doable but against long odds. That assumed that the Black Court's power was what he could see and sense. He could gut them, but he'd be killed in the process. As much as it galled, Remy fought back the blinding and vicious anger, pulling back the parts of him that had once been the basis for Gambit, and dominated them.
"Remy don't consider replacing one threat with another a win. And outside of what fucked up method of scoring you batards use in dis place, neither should you." He took a step back, looking to Shaw. "You made de wrong decision tonight, homme. What you decided to bring into you court now makes dis all personal. Selene was a monster, but dat one? She's family, and now you all set between me and her." His eyes flicked from Emma and Doug, clearly including them before resting on Belladonna.
"Be seeing you, épouse en premières noces."
The laughter that followed them out of the room was triumphant, gloating, and tinged with just the faintest hint of fear - after all, Belladonna might be insane, but she wasn't stupid. The new Queen surveyed the crumpled and smoking body of her predecessor, lip curling with disdain. "Bitch. No one gets to kill them but me."
The last time Amanda had seen this particular room, it had been during her doomed induction ceremony as Selene's Knight. Now, walking into the room and taking her place in the centre of the circle that had been drawn on the floor, those memories were returning with sickening clarity and the goose flesh on her bare arms wasn't entirely connected to the chill in the air. If it hadn't been for Meggan, she'd never have agreed to this... She looked over at the young girl, barely recognisable as her little sister now, and her jaw tightened.
"Let's get this over and done with, yeah," she said, echoes of her old schoolgirl cockiness. "Before I catch my death of cold."
"Now, now, my little poppet, it won't be the cold you catch your death of," Selene purred. "Not while I'm here to look over you." A smile that promised malice curled itself up the witch's lips, teeth bared ever so slightly. She was hungry, though not in the way one hungered for food. Trapped there in her coffin in the sea she'd been consumed by her hunger and her vengeance. Some days she had thought of nothing else but the need to be full. Her eyes slid from one young woman to another and with each passing glance that delighted look intensified. What a feast she'd arranged for herself. Once all their energy was her power the world would be hers again, and it would be so much more fun this time.
"Dude, creepifying as all fuck, as per usual," Jubilee mouthed off, taking her own position to the west, her memories of this place pushed deep down inside the space she kept for all such things when a job was happening. She had learnt long ago to compartmentalize her emotional reactions to things, especially the ones that could split her focus from what needed to be done. "You want we should go get you some virgin blood or somethin', or are you cool for the moment?"
Her companions might be used to such events, but the only thing keeping Amara from losing it in complete terror was the training she'd received at the mansion - the long hours of X-Men training had honed her control over her powers, and the time she'd spent with Manuel had furthered her control over her emotions. The closest she came to showing her fear was to dig her nails deep into the palms of her hands, concentrating on that rather than the witch in the room. She took her place silently, not raising her gaze to any of them. This just needed to be over.
Meggan strode to her position at the southern point of the circle directly across from Selene, with scarcely a look at anyone as she passed them. Her eyes were cold, with hints of a terrifying eagerness for the ritual to begin--just another of many reflections of Selene's control.
Oh, you bitch, you're going to pay for this once Meg's free... The sight of a stranger looking out from Meggan's face turned Amanda's stomach and she had to look away. Instead, she knelt on the floor, the stones from Nova Roma arranged around her, and removed her t-shirt so the scars on her back were visible. Once a conduit, always a conduit, she supposed. The air was cold on her back and she shivered slightly. "Ready," she said, holding her head high despite the supplicant's position she'd had to take.
Amanda's attempts at dignity and rebellious spirit in the face of the situation were overlooked, Selene instead smiling rather serenely at the puppet who looked at her from across the circle. With her gaze still locked on Meggan's, the witch began to quietly recite words that weren't quite Latin and weren't quite Greek. She drew in power from the females arranged around her circle and pushed it into the words, a dull glow of dark energy beginning to raise around her conduit as a result.
Wanda and the others stood in the deepening shadows at the back of the room, prepared for anything and ready to move at the slightest hint of provocation. With every passing second in the ritual, her face hardened into a mask - no emotion flickered there or in her eyes as she was forced to separate her emotions from what was happening. Still as a statue, she simply ... waited.
Death. Death, death, death, the Devil, death, Marie-Ange was pulling cards off the top of her deck and shoving them back in as fast as she could turn them over. The waiting was the worst, knowing something could happen, something could change, as the Death card indicated, and not knowing what it was or what price they would have to pay when it all ended.
Sarah stood next to Remy, hands balled so tightly into fists that blood oozed from her palm where her bone-covered fingers dug into the flesh. She hated watching something she knew they could stop, something they weren't allowed to stop. What sort of plan was "sit back and wait"?
Amanda jerked, a hiss of pain escaping her. The scars on her back glowed, the arcane script outlined in yellow light and a slight smell of burning rose into the air. Energy - light and dark - met over her head and formed a series of 'ropes', connecting each person in the circle to Amanda - and to each other.
Emma made no attempt to hide the disdain on her face as she watched Selene's pleasure at the success of the first part of the ritual. The Black Queen had always been crass and resurrection had had stripped away the faint patina of civilisation that had hidden her worst aspects; Selene's face showed nothing but naked, avaricious hunger. She had always been an amusing partner in debauchery but this display was simply vulgar. Emma made no move as the glowing ropes flickered but, beneath her cloak, her fingernails tapped impatiently against her thighs.
Doug stood motionless at Emma's left hand and a pace behind, the picture of a knight protecting his queen's weaker side. He stood stock-still, but his eyes roved the room, calculating angles, watching movement, calculating plans for every eventuality he could think of. At the same time, though his hands were empty, he took mental stock of fixtures around the room that might be used as weapons in a pinch, a slim pistol in a shoulder holster under his coat, the telescoping baton secreted at the small of his back, and a dagger strapped to his ankle. After all, a knight should always be armed in the service of his liege.
There were times, he reflected, that Gambit had it easy. He would have simply slaughtered everyone associated with the Black Court in this room, loaded them into a sheet tied off with a jaunty bow, and carried them in the front seat beside him as he drove back to Washington to place them humorously around Chester Whelan's office. Instead, Remy was forced to watch this abomination with his fucking hands tied. His only relief was that Wisdom wasn't aware of what was happening, since Remy couldn't imagine he'd consider it anything but a betrayal. Still, they had Meggan, she was Amanda's family, and Remy had promised not to let anything happen to her.
But the second the ritual was over, Remy vowed, it was hunting season.
Bishop didn't quite understand the scope of what was happening and he knew it. He occupied his mind the way he had been taught as a sniper, by including the things present in his day dreams. He first watched others fidget, then he wondered what would happen if he had to absorb any of the exotic looking energy, before finally counting everyone present that was part of a court. Even though a number of colleagues were, he wondered what made it different than any other organization of rich people consolidating power to get richer. Although he assumed Skull and Bones didn't have real topless magical rituals.
Standing off to Emma's other side, Julian fidgeted slightly, trying to force his thoughts down. They needed Nathan here for this, not him- he wasn't a soldier, no matter how much he may have pretended or wanted to be. Regardless of that, and to his luck there was the fact that Miss Sefton was currently stripped to the waist which was giving him a convenient reason to be concealing his thoughts in the first place. Taking a deep breath he steadied himself and took a step closer to Emma and Doug.
Those eerily green eyes never left the women enclosed in her circle. Selene's gaze was level and unwavering. She was confident that the others in the room, should they pose a problem, would be easily dispatched by her allies in the Black Court if she did not have the time to stop them herself. The tendrils of black energy grew heavier, almost viscous, and wrapped around the women around the periphery of her circle. Meggan, her delicate little puppet across from her, chanted along and Selene felt the pull of the power. It was gentle at first, a lover's hand down your spine. Once that stroking touch hit the base of each woman's spine it was like nails digging down into them and Selene yanked. It wasn't pleasant for anyone but her and the puppet she'd had yet to release.
It was something like a hot shower after a long, exhausting day and an amazing meal all in one. Selene felt the power run down each of those metaphysical tendrils as she drew it out of the women. She felt it pour into Amanda and come rushing into her, hitting her somewhere deeper and more satisfying than a meal or a shower could. With the power surge her skin became less wan, her hair grew healthier and her skeletal form began to fill out into something closer to human. The green of her eyes took on a yellow-ish, mossy hue. This was better than any sex, better than any orgasm. This was power and her focus hardened as she pulled harder. Her head went light and fuzzy from the high of it and she considered not releasing the girl at all. If the girl was dead she would be released. Technically.
Amara knew this was coming, but nothing could really prepare her for the moment. She'd once been a sacrifice in a desperate bid to regain this creature's favor, and she'd fought hard against her fate, but here she was now, a reluctantly willing participant in this ritual. Her father, she thought ridiculously, would not approve. She'd gritted her teeth at the first touch of Selene's power, and then she yanked. Amara hissed through gritted teeth, doing her best not to show how much it hurt as Selene began to drain her.
Jubilee had been in much this same position twice in her life, some might even say three if you were counting the demon raising that had used her then virgin blood. Each time it had taken something, left her changed in a fundamental way. She supposed it was her lot in life to always be a willing, or unwilling in one case, sacrifice to other people's power plays. It had never, and would never sit right with her, and she was becoming just a tiny bit tired of the whole procedure. She vowed to herself that Selene would pay once they had Meg safe, by Jubilee's own hand if she could manage it.
She closed her eyes as she felt the digging at her lower back, and then the drain of energy, and she wondered briefly if the expenditure would kill her. It would certainly exhaust her, possibly even eat away at her body as the time in the machine had. She made a mental note to have someone get her a large bucket of Kentucky fried after this, maybe she'd ask Marie-Ange just to see the look of exasperation on her face.
The power rang down the tendrils of dark energy from her victims and into her focus at the centre. The pretty little blonde witch with her back ablaze in a swarm of magical symbols was the conduit for the siphoning off of energy. Selene licked her lips and her ecstasy was barely contained. She would not let herself be distracted as she had been on the dock in a moment of hunger just after being freed. The grip on Jubilee and Amara clamped down tighter and slowly Selene began to pull herself out of the teenager across from her. She'd decided that she wanted to see the fear on Meggan's face. She wanted to see Amanda watch helplessly while Selene drained the girl of all her life's force. The girl would be released from Selene's control, but not from the ritual itself.
The psychic vampire's eyes focused on Meggan, on the movement of her lips. Her chanting began to slip little by little. Selene felt her own power, poured into the girl in order to control her, come back to her through Amanda. She felt the claws ground down into the girl's soul loosen and then release. Bit by bit she watched awareness flow back into Meggan's eyes. Selene waited until the girl was fully herself again before she dug her hold into each of the women in the ritual further. They would be hers. All their energy and all their power would be hers. Then no one would dare stop her.
Meggan took in great gasps of air, once she was finally released from Selene’s grip. It was like being buried alive, only to be freed before you used up your last bit of air. She was groggy for a moment or two, causing a slight stumble backwards before she managed to regain her footing. The girl was completely and utterly terrified by what was going on, once she was able to take it all in. There was no time to feel any joy at being alone in her head, not with everyone in danger because of the creature in front of her.
Amanda jerked, feeling the change in energy flow but held trapped in place by the ritual and unable to turn and look at Meggan to confirm. She could feel the energy, the life, flowing out of Jubilee and Amara and Meggan, out of herself, blending into raw power and feeding the creature standing triumphant over them while they were helpless to do anything about it. Meggan was free, but Selene wouldn't stop. She had them right where she wanted them.
The young witch smiled and snapped her fingers.
Kurt had been waiting for that signal, and as George the werelight appeared in front of his face, acted on it instantly. Two figures appeared in the cloud of smoke that presaged his arrival - Kurt himself, and a slim dark-haired girl, ready and waiting to do her part. He shot Selene a vicious smile, then leapt over to grab Meggan and vanish again.
How much time did she have? Seconds? Most likely. The whole scenario...it almost got to her, froze her on her spot, but fought back; Amanda was there, and she needed her help. Nico rushed at the center of the whole thing, feeling how the place reeked of dark magic. So thick, powerful, enticing dark magic...Focus. Right hand holding the Staff of One, which was vibrating, almost as if it were excited, Nico held it high, aiming at her mentor as she got closer; she shot a glare at Selene first. "The meal is fucking over." And she slammed the Staff on Amanda's back. "Disrupt!" The spell activated upon contact with the other witch's skin, releasing a white shock wave that went through her and everyone around, immediately releasing everyone who was trapped in the spell. Kneeling to put a hand on Amanda's shoulder, Nico looked up. "Alright...what now?"
"If you were smart, you'd run," Selene replied. The disruption of the spell had a moment of blinding the way walking out into the sunlight from a pitch black room did. The witch, however, had energy to spare now. Her plans disrupted, her energy sources cut off from the ritual but she had allies in the room and had forgotten none of her old tricks. She knew the Black Court would come to her aid, and with that in mind she lashed out at the young girl by Amanda's side. Selene didn't need a ritual to feed on people, her mutation was kind enough to afford her that ability. An invisible hand latched onto the girl's essence and began to leech her energy away. Licking her lips, Selene looked at Amanda. "She tastes dark. She'll be mine eventually." The pull on Nico's energy intensified, then stopped abruptly when one of the Nova Roma stones rose up with shocking speed in an attempt to fly straight through the girl's abdomen.
Suddenly a wall of green energy was in the way - not magical in source - and the stones bounced off the barrier like they'd just hit hard rubber. "I don't think so," Julian said, taking a few steps away from Emma, his eyes literally glowing green from the amount of power he was pouring into the room. Fear now all-but-vanished, he wished in that moment that Nate had taught him the trick he'd read about where a teek could cause a stroke in someone. Instead he settled for a simple jedi force choke while the other green barriers established themselves around Amara, Jubilee and Amanda like glowing bell jars. "Let her go!" he demanded- there was no way this vampire bitch was getting her claws on his girlfriend.
Holding onto Nico, using her to hold herself up, Amanda smiled almost ferally at Selene. "See, there's something you forgot, bitch. While you were down there? The world moved on. I grew up. And I learned a few things. Like, never trust a life-sucking cunt." She glanced around to her teammates. "And never go anywhere without backup."
Wanda was already on the move as Amanda finished talking, leaping out of the shadows as if catapulted. She had been ready the moment the balance had shifted and a quick, intense scan of the chords in the area and determined her action before she even moved. As Selene thrashed around in an attempt to break Julian’s hold, Wanda headed not towards her but towards the Nova Roma stones that littered the ground around the ground. Just because one had been moved from its original spot didn’t mean that the connection running through the set had been severed.
In fact, it had been obvious to her that the stones were still connected not only to one another but also still to Selene…
Her fingertips brushed the rough edges of the nearest Nova Roma stone and Wanda sent a concentrated hex blast through it, ‘watching’ grimly as the entropic energy bounced from stone to stone and then, finally, to the woman at the center of the entire mess.
Selene was gasping for Shaw to help her already damnit when the energy skipped to her from the stones. She took the hit in her abdomen and the wind was all knocked out of her. The witch landed gracelessly on her ass, pain sharp and throbbing through her body. She didn't notice the way her skin was suddenly leeched of all its color or the way her eyes sank but the others did. The hit to the stones hadn't just hurt, it had robbed her of some of the energy she had so rightfully stolen. Full of rage, the witch snarled and thought, Deflect this. She got a magical barrier up between her and the energy attempting to choke her. Will helped her shove that away while she got back up and her eyes narrowed on the merry band of miscreants.
Chanting was hard, throat rough from the attempts at screaming and being pinched off with being choked. She managed bare whispers and rasps of words and watched as the chalk lines of the eldritch circle came alive. They began to slither up the legs of the dark-haired woman near the stone and the telekinetic boy. She made them solid and razor sharp only after pushing them to worm their way beneath the surface of their skin. Amanda wanted backup? She could have it cut to pieces.
Jubilee watched the attack through a pale green light, and tried to struggle to her feet to help, but she couldn't even get her feet under her before she slipped on rubbery muscles and crashed to the ground again. She wouldn't be doing much of anything right now, and when she tried to reach for her mutant power, she felt like she was ripping at her own body. It just wasn't going to happen. She lay her head back against the ground and cursed herself, Selene and anything else of power that might be listening that there was nothing she could do.
She was helpless.
Amara hadn't moved from her spot since Selene had released - she was so cold, so very cold. She'd eventually been able to move enough to wrap her arms around herself, but she'd been mostly oblivious to everything else going on. She saw Julian's shield go up, and she'd finally started to focus a little more on what was going on. There was a fight going on, and as much as Amara would later realize how illogical the thought was, she couldn't help but think that Selene was going to win. Why wouldn't she? She was a goddess. How were they supposed to defeat a goddess?
Across the room, it didn't even seem as though Marie-Ange was doing much of anything. But Selene would go nowhere, Marie-Ange was going to make sure of it. The iron-grey braids of metal that grew out of the ground writhed across the ground, their points scraping on the stone. The ropes of barbed wire coiled around Selene, biting into her arms and legs and drawing blood as they wrapped themselves around her.
Unsure of the affect all this energy might have, Bishop kept his gambling to a minimum. He was likely the best candidate to grab those who had fallen and draw them back to safety. If the woman did use some sort of magic to stop him, it might not work and that shock might give him the time to finish up. As he had been taught with rescues, he went to the furthest out first, making the surprise work for him. Starting with Amara and working back to Jubilee, the former officer tried to make sure everyone would be heading home safely if they were successful.
"Dis is taking too long." Remy muttered, aware of the curiousness of the situation. Why wasn't the Black Court coming to Selene's aid? The hammerblows of the mutants there rained on the witch, and while they hadn't been able to punch her out yet, it was clear that she wasn't back to her former strength. Still, she was formidable and Shaw was, what, considering? Selene would easily tilt the balance of power back to the Black Court, but what if doing so didn't necessarily mean it would be in the hands of Shaw? Schism or not, there were priorities. With a twist, he dragged Jubilee out of the circle, back behind where Wanda was attempting to hold the magical attack at bay with her hex powers.
"Marrow, get de rest clear!" He yelled, seeing Bishop pulling back Amara. Remy reached into his pocket, and haphazardly cast a deck of cards towards Selene, but also the lines of the Black Court, forcing a greater distance between them and the witch. If they could bring her down in the next few moments, they wouldn't be able to stop a followup, which would surely slaughter them all.
"Alright folks, you heard him!" Sarah moved quickly, heading in the opposite direction of Bishop to cover more ground. "We're getting you the hell out before something goes wrong."
Keeping her concentration was difficult with the barrage of attacks. The barbed wire was stubbornly going nowhere but further into her skin. The cards were the bigger issue. Selene managed a quick spell creating a shimmering wall to take the hit for her. Each card in the deck exploded against and weakened her protection until it collapsed under the hits and the final card was just barely avoided when she ducked. Still struggling against the tightening hold of the barbed wire, the witch's head whipped around so she could glare at Shaw. "What are you doing just standing there? Help your queen!"
From where Shaw had stood unmoving during the battle, he finally reacted to Selene’s request. “Ah, yes, I suppose this has gone on for long enough.” Shaw smoothed out his tie and tugged on the cuffs of his shirt sleeves. “You seem rather tied up at the moment, so I’ll keep this short – you’ve been a thoroughly useless queen but a decent enough pawn. Goodbye, Selene.”
He started to walk away but paused to turn back, raising a finger in the air as if he just had a thought. “However, I believe my new Queen would like a word with you before we go, wouldn’t you, my dear?” he asked, turning towards the shadows.
Ah yes, she was going to savor this. Belladonna glided out of the shadows, her body encased from neck to toe in black leather that both constricted and showcased it to its best advantage. "Tsk, tsk," she said, shaking her head in apparent disapproval. "So showy. Some people have no head for subtlety." If she was aware of the irony of this statement, standing as she was commanding the attention of everyone in the room, she didn't show it. "You tried for too much and failed, Selene. You should have been more careful. Pauvre salope."
Letting the emotions in the room roil about her - anger, fear, rage, pain - the new Queen raised her hands, unadorned save for the plain gold wedding band on her left ring finger. The gloating glint in her eye hardened to a diamond-like sharpness, and her grin was practically feral. "Of course, sometimes bigger is better," she purred, and a second later two twin energy blasts lanced out, striking Selene in the chest with the full force of Belladonna's power.
New queen? New queen? Without the help of Sefton's little friends this woman would have been easily dispatched. Selene would have drained her of her life and then gone on to consume Shaw for his double cross. She couldn't fend off the attacks against her and draw energy from someone, though, not in her current state. Selene sneered. "You little-" but her words were cut off when she couldn't get a shielding spell up in time and the energy blasts hit her. It was a sharp, sudden pain and the witch thought to herself that she would not be undone so easily. Then she fell to the ground limp and motionless.
Control. LeBeau had to hand it to Shaw. Selene was a rival, even a threat. But Belladonna? Oh, given time she might be, but the death price on her head from her brother's Guild sapped most of her power. She had her own formidable abilities, a wealth of information and contacts, especially through Europe, and a cadre of dedicated assassins and hougoun at her call. But next to Shaw's power, or even a weakened Selene's, it was next to nothing. In one move, Shaw had just added a substantial asset to the power base of the Black Court without compromising his own control. Whelan couldn't have done it any smoother.
However, that didn't necessarily account for all the factors, and while Remy's expression may have been controlled and neutral as he scrutinized his ex-wife, his thoughts weren't. He liked being the unexpected factor. Gambit had turned that trick into a fine art. Ironic that she still wore her ring.
"Our bargain is fulfilled, Sebastian," said Emma, as she glanced at and then away from Selene's body, dismissing the dead witch as beneath her notice. "The White Court concurs with your choice of Black Queen." Her tone was entirely neutral, as was the expression on her face as she kept her gaze on her colleagues, knowing her carefully chosen position kept her between them and Black Court, knowing they were smart enough to understand what that meant. This was Hellfire Club business now.
Flashback: Hellfire Club business indeed. Earlier that day, a meeting of the Inner Court was held.
"So this is what all the distractions have been about, Sebastian," said the White Queen, resplendent and ferocious in her full regalia. "All those stupid games with my Bishop and my sister. I can accept you want to play games in the Courts, but bringing back Selene? That was a box that should never have been opened. At least you can have the pleasure of knowing that you surprised me, but that's because I can't believe that you would be this stupid."
"It's a pleasure to see you, too, Emma," Shaw murmured just under his breath as he turned around to face his de facto equal amongst the Court. "Jumping to conclusions so quickly, are we? I'm disappointed in you, my dear White Queen, thinking so little of me when you think you have all the pieces in front of you."
"With the way you've been playing your cards, Sebastian, I've not had reason to think anything but ill of you." Emma's frown softened slightly as she stared at the man who she would call her rival if their relationship had not been so complicated that definitions could not easily be applied. "But perhaps that is because you've been letting your dog, Wyngarde, off the leash too often. If no-one has been letting you know, he doesn't play well with others. Or understand sibling rivalry. So tell me, what am I supposed to think of you when you let your bitch off the leash and the first thing she does is attack my people?" She turned her back on Shaw, moving back to sit in one of the armchairs scattered around the private room, gesturing to Doug to take the seat beside her. "I don't have all the pieces, Sebastian. You're keeping something from me and, if you have a plan, that piece is the key to it." She leaned back, lounging is sudden feline relaxation. "What am I missing, Sebastian? Fill me with wonder."
Sebastian wordlessly accepted the two drinks from his man and watched as the servant faded back into the shadows. With his own Knight still unfilled since the loss of Lense, Leland still not quite back up to speed and knowing what Wyngarde's presence would entail, he had seemingly come alone. It didn't seem to bother him as he approached Emma, pausing to gently place the glass with amber liquid on the table next to her. He didn't spare Ramsey a glance as he moved away again, swirling the drink around in his own glass. "I shall, as always, strive to fulfill your every wish," he rejoined. "Must I put this in plain language, then? I simply grow weary of being a King to an empty and ... dying court. With no queen by my side, nor even a simple Knight, and Leland not quite himself these days, I've found my court to be filled with more jesters than royals, if you will." He smiled at Emma over his glass. "Rebuilding a Court is surely something you can appreciate, especially considering your latest recruiting drive."
"It is always a delight to find someone worthy of recruiting to one's Inner Court," said Emma and the smile she bestowed on Doug made it clear that her pleasure in her Knight's presence was sincere. "Even if some are lost to the games we play amongst ourselves. But Selene? You are not rebuilding, Sebastian, if you bring her back. You're setting your own Court on fire and seeing how long it takes to burn down." She frowned again. "Are the dubious merits of her company worth the risk?"
"Currently? I would like to think 'yes'. Better to have Selene as my Black Queen than to continue on without one - unless, of course, you have a better idea?" He took a careful sip of his drink before he continued on it. "I believe her to be controllable to a large degree but you obviously disagree with that. And as she does seem to have a peculiar taste in Xavier alumni, I could even see where you might continue to have concerns and, hrm… reservations. But the roles of the court need to be filled, old friend..."
Emma tapped her fingernails gently against her bottom lip as she stared at Shaw. "You haven't called me that in a long time, Sebastian." She paused, considering his face, his demeanour. "In fact, I don't remember you enjoying yourself quite this much in a very long time." She smiled suddenly, almost allowing herself to feel nostalgia. "You're playing Selene. And you're playing me. And you're enjoying it far too much." She rose from her chair and stalked close to Shaw, invading his personal space in a manner that was both playful and threatening. "Who's your new Queen, Sebastian? The real one."
For a split second, Shaw looked indignant but it passed quickly enough. "Selene must have you riled," he commented with a small smile, "as you try to normally avoid being this direct with me. Let's say there is someone else I have in mind - give me your word, Emma, and with your word the word of the entire White Court, that if the Black Court denounces Selene for good, you will uphold my choice for Queen." He dipped his head slightly. "Not one move against us, not one ill-spoken word by any of those who serve you."
Emma made a derisive noise. "Oh please," she said. "That's an offer unworthy of you. Denounce Selene? You want silence and complicity for an unknown Queen and denouncing Selene? Putting her back at the bottom of the ocean wouldn't be enough to make me accept that. Why don't you show me your new Queen?" She barely needed to read Shaw's body language to know that he was going to refuse that request. Emma's shoulder brushed against Shaw's chest as she turned her back on him. "I know you, Sebastian. I know the way you play. Your Queen will cost me a great deal and Selene is going to have to pay the price."
Shaw looked undaunted as he stepped closer, lowering his head so that it was even with Emma's. "You always did know how to drive a hard bargain," he murmured into her ear, though he knew that her Knight would be privy in his own way to what he said. "Perhaps I do need to sweeten the pot in order to get you on board. Obviously sinking the poor thing to the bottom of the bay didn't quite do the trick. What if I were to promise you a more permanent solution? Would that be enough to outweigh the cost of my Queen, perhaps?"
Emma's eyes met Doug's as she considered what Shaw was saying. For him to offer to sacrifice Selene, his new Queen was going to cost her and Doug a great deal, that much was obvious. She would be an enemy and a formidable one. But she would not be Selene.
Emma had never understood those who questioned whether it was better to seek permission or forgiveness; she had never thought it necessary to seek either. But this would not be her price alone. Her mental link to Doug was a razor-slice of thought. #His Queen will make us enemies from our friends. I am about to condone murder. The games we play in Inner Court are permanent. Are you willing to pay the price?# Images flickered along the link: Amanda lost in her role as Black Knight, Jubilee as sacrifice, the maddened Meggan, the young women of Nova Roma screaming as they were sacrificed to the lava, Selene among her playthings, making mayhem with souls and lives alike, years of manipulation and betrayal and torture and Selene revelling in the centre of it. #No more of this. I want the world free of her. Do you?#
Did he want Selene put down like a dog for the things she'd done? For what she'd done to a host of people, but most of all what she'd done to Amanda? Emma didn't need an answer to that question. The opportunity to repay the energy vampiress for all of her predations made Doug's fingers twitch as if they longed to tighten around the butt of a gun or the handle of a sword. That he wanted her dead would be obvious, even to someone unable to touch his thoughts.
The real question Emma was asking him was if taking their vengeance upon Selene was worth writing a blank check for whatever price Shaw had hiding up his sleeve. He'd seen what Selene's actions had done to Meggan. That a young teenage girl should be so violated... his eyes narrowed. And it was clear that, as much as Shaw worshiped at the altar of power for power's sake, that he had lines and codes of his own that he held to, and Selene's behavior was causing a bad taste in his mouth.
And that was enough for Doug. He nodded his acquiescence sharply, the remainder of his thoughts hidden in his link to Emma.
"Destroy Selene," said Emma. She held up a finger to silence Shaw as she turned to face him again. "And you can have your Queen. No word ill-spoken, no action taken. But Selene dies first."
After Emma was finished, silence hung heavy between the two sometime-friends, sometimes opponents before Shaw nodded once. "I will hold you to that," he murmured, eyes flickering, finally, to Doug. Turning away, he handed his drink to the hovering servant as he headed towards a door on the other side of the room. Shaw gently knocked once before he opened it wide enough for someone to step through, though he was blocking the others line of sight. Bowing slightly at the waist, he held out his hand for the woman beyond to take. "Well, my Queen? Are you as satisfied as I?"
"I was hoping for a slightly warmer reception," came a warm, honeyed drawl, "but New York is one of the most frigid places I've been." Belladonna smirked and slipped her hand into Shaw's, giving the faintest mocking curtsy to the others in the room. "All the same I think I'll stay - now that I've been found suitable, bien sur."
Doug did his best to stifle any overt reaction, but an observant person could have noticed the tightening around his eyes and the whitening of his knuckles on the arm of his chair. Similarly, he attempted to marshal his thoughts behind tight walls so that the only person likely to read them would be Emma. No wonder Shaw had demanded Emma's word not to interfere before introducing his candidate for Black Queen. The gamesmanship was rather clear, as was Shaw playing his knowledge of Doug and Emma's associates to his own advantage. Strategy wheeled around quickly in Doug's brain, plotting move and countermove, including how to handle the most likely reactions of the rest of X-Force.
One thing was certain, things were about to get...messy.
Emma was barely surprised at Belladonna's appearance; to be worth Selene's life, she'd known Shaw was going to make her pay a heavy price and Remy's likely reaction was going to be a heavy price indeed. But those considerations were for another time, another place. "At least you maintain your taste in queens," drawled Emma. "Crazed, evil, with just that hint of magical corruption. I do hope she's not going to make the Club smell like some Louisiana swamp." Emma gazed at Belladonna for a while and a smile touched her lips. "But well played, Sebastian. You certainly are going to make my life interesting. Belladonna." Emma inclined her head in considered greeting. "You're an interesting price to pay for Selene. Just try not to kill Remy on your first day, if you can avoid it. The staff do so hate having to clean blood out of the carpets."
Belladonna's smile grew slowly, like the creep of a kudzu vine, and she stepped out from behind Shaw's sheltering stance, her hand still nominally resting in his. She wore an outfit befitting her future title, the carefully-crafted folds and curves of the well-laced corset stitched with jet beading that shimmered with each movement. "I am happy to see I have not been forgotten, M'sieur Ramsey, M'mselle Frost. The danger of lying low for a time is letting your reputation grow stagnant, but it seems mine still stands me in good stead. I am so glad."
"Thank you, Emma," Shaw said, his smile growing ever so slightly. "Without your help, I dare say this would never have been possible. Of course, we'll need the ceremonies to make everything official but I believe we have nothing to fear as long as we take Selene well into hand." Shadows played across his face as his smile suddenly sharpened. "Speaking of my soon to be disposed Queen, there are things to discuss and people to maneuver into place - the usual necessities of a smooth takeover. The sooner the better, I say. Wouldn't you agree?"
With all the cards on the table, X-Force reacts.
Amanda, leaning on both Sarah and Nico as they began their retreat, stumbled and nearly fell. Selene was dead - she could feel that through the energy change in the room - but at what cost? Belladonna, the new Black Queen? She looked over at where Doug was standing. Why wasn't he doing anything? How could he stand there while Emma...? On top of the exhaustion from Selene's energy drain and the burning pain in her back from the ritual, it was all too much.
With Selene's death, the Nova Roma stones were no longer conducting the powerful magic; however, Wanda could care less. She let go of the one she'd been gripping to channel hex energy through and was up and moving for Belladonna before she could even think twice about it. That Remy would beat her there was a fact but she wasn't above giving him the upper hand. Red, angry energy gathered around her hands as she moved forward...
Of course. It wasn't enough that he and Emma had to stand by for Belladonna's taking Selene's place, now they were about to be forced into a situation where they were protecting the new Black Queen from their own teammates. Doug's eyes narrowed as he shifted forward to block Wanda's path. Not that he'd had much doubt about the way this ceremony would ultimately turn out, but the shift in his thinking to classify the other members of X-Force as potential...opponents (he couldn't bring himself to think of them as 'threats', even given the situation) was jarring and unpleasant. If it came down to it, who would he have to hurt, and how badly, to keep the promise he'd made on Emma's behalf? Amanda and Jubilee were drained, and Sarah was occupied helping them away from Selene's corpse. Would he have to attack his own girlfriend? For that matter, would he be anything more than an irritant to Remy, especially if the Cajun decided to give in to Gambit when confronted with his ex-wife?
He left his jacket unbuttoned, but made no overtly threatening move at Wanda, spreading his empty hands wide. He wasn't sure he could even begin to explain the bargain they'd made, certainly not in an single breath. Maybe Emma could, he didn't know. And so he simply had to steel himself against whatever Wanda's reaction would be.
In her anger, Wanda almost ran over Doug before she actually, truly saw him. She stopped herself only inches from him and stared as all that anger that had been directed at Selene and then Belladonna turned on someone she'd trusted to watch her back for years now. In part, she had even seen him grow up from his days at Xavier's - and now, Wanda had no idea what he had grown up into. A quick look around the room told her the story in part. Hellfire Court politics had thrown one hell of a monkey wrench into the entire thing and it looked like both Emma and Doug had known about it prior to Belladonna's entrance.
Anger rolled off Wanda in waves as she glared at her teammate and she suddenly looked more like a representation of her chaotic self than she had in quite some time. From the start, things had brought back bad memories - George the werelight dying out before their eyes, Marie-Ange in the hospital in critical condition - and she had no inclination to reel it back in. Not if Doug was going to throw everything their group had worked so hard for away. And it would be so easy to just keep going forward because if he was going to forget what side he played on, then why should she try and keep that in mind herself?
Sucking in a deep breath, forcing those feelings back, she crowded into his space and dipped her head. "One, Mr. Ramsey, you get one," she said, voice like a steel trap. "Do not think it will end like this the next time you step in my way." And promptly turned her back on Doug to head over to where Amanda was.
Nico hadn't had time to be scared, or even surprised. She had just felt Selene's pull, and surprisingly enough, she had gotten to taste her own life exiting her body; it felt rather good, the overflowing darkness that hid inside. She snapped out of it pretty fast though, picking Amanda and helping Sarah to get the witch out of the center of the battle; she only managed to give Julian a meaningful look, unaware that she was paler than ever, and of the cold that was starting to expand in her chest; she would have time to deal with that later. If Amanda weren't on her arms, she would be casting all the deadly spells she knew she could at Selene, but even that was taken from her as the witch was apparently killed, something she wasn't sure she could ever believe; nobody like her could go down so easily. "This looks incredibly bad, " managed to mutter as she got away.
"It doesn't just look bad, it is." Sarah looked worriedly at Amanda, and then looked angrily at Doug, muttering "would've been nice to know the whole story before we ran head first into this clusterfuck."
"Wanda, take our people out." Remy said. His expression hadn't changed, or the seemingly neutral tone in his voice. Oddly enough, his accent seemed lighter, weaker than usual.
Nodding curtly, Wanda gently took Amanda out of Nico's arms. "Give her here," she said, easily scooping up the younger woman in her arms. "First things first, where the fuck is Marie-Ange?" She glanced towards Doug and then away again as her jaw tightened. "Everyone, out. Find Marie-Ange and then we go home." She didn't care about Doug or Emma or the fucking courts at the moment - she just wanted her people to get the hell out of there.
"I'll meet you back there for drinks later." The accent was gone, along with the third person references. Only a slight smile remaining as he locked eyes with Belladonna.
"This is not the time or the place to resolve your marital issues," said Emma, stepping between Remy (or was it Gambit?) and the Black Court. "Your people are exhausted, wounded. Loyalties are - confused. Your opponents are fresh. The price you pay will be too high. Now is not the time." Emma's voice was fierce, holding back everything she could not say. "Selene is dead. Your people are safe. Savour your triumph and walk away."
Gambit could kill Emma. Much like dealing with the ESPER system long enough, his training was so indepth and linked to his spatial powers that the charged card would be through Emma's throat before the conscious thought of the action crossed his mind. His enhanced reflexes would simply uncoil too fast for any normal human nervous system to track, and she'd be down. He was sure he could bring down Belladonna almost as fast. Shaw? Hard, doable but against long odds. That assumed that the Black Court's power was what he could see and sense. He could gut them, but he'd be killed in the process. As much as it galled, Remy fought back the blinding and vicious anger, pulling back the parts of him that had once been the basis for Gambit, and dominated them.
"Remy don't consider replacing one threat with another a win. And outside of what fucked up method of scoring you batards use in dis place, neither should you." He took a step back, looking to Shaw. "You made de wrong decision tonight, homme. What you decided to bring into you court now makes dis all personal. Selene was a monster, but dat one? She's family, and now you all set between me and her." His eyes flicked from Emma and Doug, clearly including them before resting on Belladonna.
"Be seeing you, épouse en premières noces."
The laughter that followed them out of the room was triumphant, gloating, and tinged with just the faintest hint of fear - after all, Belladonna might be insane, but she wasn't stupid. The new Queen surveyed the crumpled and smoking body of her predecessor, lip curling with disdain. "Bitch. No one gets to kill them but me."
Tags:
- c: amanda sefton,
- c: doug ramsey,
- c: emma frost,
- c: jubilation lee,
- c: kurt sefton,
- c: marie-ange colbert,
- c: meggan szardos,
- c: z available: julian keller,
- z p1: c: .npc,
- z p1: c: .retired: amara aquilla,
- z p1: c: .retired: remy lebeau,
- z p1: c: .retired: sarah morlocke,
- z p1: c: .retired: wanda maximoff,
- z p1: c: lucas bishop,
- z p1: c: nico minoru,
- z p1: p: revenant
