New Blood III: Triumph of Darkness

New Blood
Chapter 18: Reigns of Darkness

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Temple of Orcus – Outside

With Xavier, Danielle, Moria, and Emma off looking for Amara, the rest of the Hellfire Pawns stood poised to attack. Scott and Warpath carefully flew the jet in stealth mode over the temple, taking it into well above the main platform. Down below they could make out the vast numbers of guards and assassins patrolling the temple. They stood fully armed and barricaded in every possible area. Selene was clearly taking no chances, but that wasn’t going to stop them from taking the fight to her.

Scott, Jean, Piotr, Rogue, Warpath, Pietro, Logan, Mystique, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, Sam, Julian, Rahne, Remy Ororo, and Deadpool all stood ready to strike. They jet hovered under an invisibility cloak about five hundred feet over the plateau. They were ready to make their strike, but before they did they noticed the storm clouds outside getting pretty intense. And it didn’t look like a normal storm. This one had a very ominous feel to it.

“Gettin’ a bit stormy out there,” commented Remy, “Anybody else gettin’ a bad vibe?”

“You’re in good company, Remy,” said Jean, whose eyes were glowing the fiery color of the Phoenix, “Whatever Selene is up to she’s started it already and it’s using a LOT of mystical energy.”

“And that’s a bad thing, right?” said Julian.

“Oh yes, very bad,” said Jean, her eyes still burning brightly.

“Then let’s show her some magic of our own,” said Scott as he put the jet into autopilot, “Everybody gather around the hatch! Pietro, get the MGH ready!”

“Ah finally! Drugs and fighting! Is there anything more appropriate? Almost brings a tear to my eye,” said Deadpool, pretending to whip his eyes.

“I’m sure,” muttered Rahne, “Let’s just hurry and buy some time for Xavier and me mom.”

Everybody lined up near the hatch as Pietro opened the briefcase and handed out syringes. This was going to be a battle worthy of epic and they needed their full power if they were to have any hope of coming out victorious. So before they opened the hatch they each held their breath and injected the MGH into their bodies into their arms. And as soon as they injected it they felt the effects.

“Augh! Oh fuck it burns!” groaned Julian.

“Hnn…give it a moment! This is normal!” said Rahne, growling through the pain.

“You’ve got a pretty strange definition of ‘normal’ Rahne!” groaned Bobby.

The young pawns stammered for a moment as they let the chemical take effect. It felt like the insides of their bodies were on fire. It was like everything was being sped up inside. Their hearts pounded and their heads throbbed. But through this they felt a powerful rush, as if they were suddenly overcome with this new energy. The pain eventually passed and when it was over they all felt as though they could sprint around the world without breaking a sweat. It gave them a confidence and prowess they had never felt before.

“Wow! What a rush!” exclaimed Rogue.

“Yeah! And to think I used to listen to my old teachers when they said drugs were bad!” said Jubilee, the tips of her fingers sparking with new energy.

“Yes…I feel it too,” said Ororo, still short of breath, “So what are our new powers?”

Everybody was seething with new power and energy. Scott and Warpath felt it too and exchanged glances. With determined grins they nodded and prepared for battle.

“Only one way to find out,” said Scott as she literally crushed the syringe in his fest and kicked open the hatch, “Hellfire Pawns, this is it! Selene turned on all of us! She thought she could get the better of us! Well today, we show her once and for all the power of Hellfire! Get ready to attack!”

“Oh this is going to be satisfying,” grunted Piotr as he took to his metal form.

Taking full lead, Scott leapt right out of the jet through the open hatch and descended quickly to the ground below where the oblivious guards were waiting for him. The others soon followed. Jean, Piotr, Rogue, Warpath, Pietro, Logan, Mystique, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, Sam, Julian, Rahne, Remy, Ororo, Deadpool all leapt out into the brisk mountain air with deathly sights set on all of Selene’s minions. As soon as they were all in the air, Jean used her expanded telekinetic powers to create a powerful bubble around them that slowed their descent and guided them in. And it didn’t take long for them to be spotted.

“Up there! Intruders! Shoot them!” exclaimed one of Selene’s royal guard, “Don’t let them get to…”

But that was as far as the man got. Before he could even fire the initial shot, he was silenced by the sickening sound of his neck snapping via telekinetic force. The pawns drew first blood. And it was the start of what would surely be a new blood bath.

“Oh yeah, I’m liking this!” grinned Julian.

Jean took them in and they all hit the plateau with devastating force. Her telekinetic bubble acted like a huge incoming plow that bore into the hard rock, driving back a sizable contingent of guards and assassins, killing a few in the process. It made a nice clearing for the pawns to land. And once they hit they ground they were ready to start running.

“So there any step two to this plan?” growled Logan, his claws already drawn and ready for blood.

“Yeah…fan out and kill as many of these pricks as you can,” grunted Warpath.

“We get any prize for killing the most?” said Deadpool, already juggling with his guns, “Because I could use a trip to Hawaii!”

“Wilson, ye kill more guards than me and I’ll sleep with ye for a whole month!”

“Ha! Babe, you got a deal!” laughed Deadpool.

With unparalleled grit, rage, and determination the Hellfire Pawns spread out and began ruthlessly taking out their enemies as they had been trained to do. Selene’s guards and assassins were no pushovers. But despite all the forces Selene had gathered for this one moment, they were ill-prepared for a group of pawns with enhanced powers.

Scott and Jean broke off from the group and attacked right up the middle of the barricades leading up to the temple. Scott quickly discovered that MGH had not only tripled the effectiveness and lethality of his optic blasts, but it allowed him to surround his body in a field of energy that gave him an extra boost of protection and strength. When a couple of guards tried to shoot him, their bullets harmlessly bounced right off the energy and he was able to literally blow them out of their skin with two well-placed blasts that tore gaping holes right in their chests.

Jean showed an equal level of lethality with her new powers. The MGH expanded her telekinetic powers to a point where she could not only create shields and warp minds, but she could actually shape her telekinesis in way that made it more lethal. Instead of just bursts or force waves, she formed psionic swords, knives, and even creatures that with some telepathic manipulation looked very real to her adversaries. She was able to form a dragon-like formation with her telekinesis that she then used to take six Hand assassins, lift them into the air, and literally tear them apart limb from limb without breaking a sweat.

“Nice shot, Jean!” grinned Scott as he blew the heads off more guards, “That a new spell or something?”

“Oh no, that’s all me!” said Jean as she hovered in mid-air, deflecting bullets and maiming more guards, “I’m saving all my mystical talents for Selene! Just help me get through these guards and I’ll give her a taste of all my new Phoenix spells!”

“Gladly, love!”

While Scott and Jean tore their way up through the middle of the barricades, Piotr and Kitty weren’t far from them doing the same. They were taking on a large contingency of Hand assassins. Even though Kitty was trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat, she had difficulty in the past going up against trained assassins. But this time was different. The MGH allowed her to not only phase through their attacks and weapons, it allowed her to change the density of her fists and limbs so that when she hit the guards it felt like they were hit with a couple of slabs of granite. It was a very satisfying experience, feeling their bones break with ease at her hand. It filled her with strength and confidence. It was the kind she always imagined Piotr felt.

And he showed his strength as well. She watched as the assassins tried in vain to shoot him and pierce his metal skin with swords and daggers. But they didn’t even scratch him. The MGH didn’t just add to his already impressive strength. It allowed his entire body to literally grow in size so he was nearly three times as big as he normally was. At that size all he had to do was lower his shoulders and plow through waves of assassins like an unstoppable force. And any assassin lucky enough to avoid his assault was promptly grabbed and broken like a twig with Piotr’s imposing grip.

“Way to stand tall, Peter!” grinned Kitty as she literally punched through the chest of an assassin.

“These men are like bugs!” roared the Russian mutant, “It’s like crushing insects!”

“Well save some for me! I’m liking this whole super strong, invulnerability thing!”

Kitty and Piotr were on a tear. But they weren’t the only ones using raw strength to overcome their enemies. Warpath and Pietro were on an equally devastating path of destruction. Warpath on MGH was even more destructive than usual. His focused rage and imposing strength was amplified and so was his durability. But what really showed was his speed. His already agile reflexes were expanded to a point where he could run and move in a manner similar to Pietro. It was like the whole world slowed down for him and he could just easily run from guard to guard, disarming and snapping their necks with such efficiency they barely had time to pull off a single countermove. He was ruthlessly efficient and showed no mercy.

Not to be outdone in terms of speed, Pietro pushed his powers from supersonic to hypersonic. He was able to run so fast and built up so much energy that he literally blew through royal guards and their armor with just his fists as a ram. He was also able to grab some by the head and move it back and forth with such speed that it literally liquefied his brain, causing blood and puss to spew out of their eyes and ears. It was grotesque, but deserving of those who aided Selene. But even with these powers Pietro showed some propensity to get unfocused. While he was focusing on specific guards with his new techniques, a few managed to sneak up on him and stab him with a few blades. He was able to heal quickly from them, but it was a nuisance.

“Augh! Okay, you asked for it, pal!” grunted Pietro as he chased down another guards.

“Try and keep your focus, Pietro!” said Warpath as he slammed a couple of heads together, “Here, take my vibrainium knife!”

The Apache warrior then took his favorite knife out of his boot and tossed it to the speedster, who quickly caught it.

“Thanks! Not that I need it, but it will make things go a lot faster!” he grinned.

Pietro resumed on his rampage, using his knife to systematically cut through an entire legion of royal guards. Another legion nearby was facing a similar gruesome fate at the hands of Logan, Mystique, and Rogue. Even under the influence of MGH, Logan’s knack for cutthroat skill and brutality dominated. Only now he was faster and stronger, able to literally lift up the imposing and muscular elite guards with one hand and impale them with his claws. And even when a couple of guards managed to get a few shots and stabs on him, his accelerated healing factor was so fast the wounds healed almost instantaneously. And he just kept going with a feral roar.

But his feral roars weren’t the primal for once. Right next to him, Mystique was enjoying her new MGH abilities. Her shape shifting powers had been expanded beyond just mimicking people. Now she could mimic animals and large beasts. She had been able to do it before, but only in limited sizes and forms. Now she could imitate a whole Tyrannosaurus Rex and attack large collections of elite guards, literally biting them in half and swiping at them with her tail. When they tried to shoot her, it only made minor wounds that quickly healed. It wasn’t as fast as Logan’s healing, but it kept her going.

And those that were unlucky enough to survive Mystique and Logan’s attack were finished off by Rogue. Armed with her usual strength and flight powers, she wasted no time in grabbing nearby elite guards and literally choking them to death with her bear hands. But she quickly learned she had another ability. Before she even touched them, she found out she could drain them with her absorption powers. She only needed to be within five feet of them and she could drain them whole. It was much more convenience considering the elite guards were mostly covered from head to toe and it gave her an extra boost. The only problem was Logan and Mystique weren’t keeping them alive long enough for her to drain them.

“Dang it, you two! At least leave them alive for a few minutes so Ah can drain them!” she complained as she managed to suck the life out of one guard who had his arm cut off from Logan.

“Hrrrahhhhhhh!” roared Logan as he decapitated another guard, “You don’t like it, find your own targets!”

Rogue groaned as more guards fell. She then turned towards her mother, who shifted into the form of a large gorilla and literally crushed a nearby guard under her fist.

“Dang it, mama, how do you put up with that?”

“What can I say? I have a strong appreciation for the wild side,” the shape shifter grinned in her gorilla form.

Rogue rolled her eyes and flew off to another area of guards trying to take cover on a platform with sniper rifles. Now was not the time for her to get into conversations about her mothers love life. She would rather take her frustrations out on these guards and Selene.

She quickly learned she wasn’t the only one taking out the guards trying to be sneaky. Sam was leading Bobby and Jubilee on an assault on every fortified position around the temple. On the plateau there were large cliffs and rock formations that allowed guards and assassins to take cover with sniper rifles and long distance weapons. Since he could fly and Bobby and Jubilee had firepower, he took it upon himself to lead the charge against them. MGH helped him a great deal. It allowed him to become invulnerable without even going into his blast form. And when he did go into his blast form he could go faster and bore through even heavy rock fortifications. Any guard unlucky enough to get in the way was either knocked off the cliff or maimed beyond recognition.

While Sam picked part the fortifications, Bobby and Jubilee drew their fire with their powers. Bobby under MGH was a walking arctic storm. In his iced up form he had huge plates of ice armor that made him look at least twice his size and provided a thick shield that deflected bullets and poisoned arrows from the Hand assassins. It also allowed him to fire much large bursts of ice and cold that froze unlucky assassins in their place, some painfully to a point where icicles literally shot through their bodies and killed them on impact. Those that didn’t die were shattered by Jubilee.

Under MGH, Jubilee’s firepower was increased tenfold. Instead of just fireworks, she could also form large flashes of light that had loud miniature explosions to go with it. When she fired them at the guards, those they either burned them to death or blinded their sense of hearing and vision to a point where they didn’t have a chance. Sam and Bobby cleaned up those that managed to survive. A few rounds did sneak through and a couple did graze her, but that’s why she stayed close to Bobby and kept on fighting.

“Wow! Way to put on a show, Jubes!” said Bobby as he froze more assassins trying to stay perched behind rocks, “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine!” she said, ignoring some of the light wounds she now had, “Just keep freezing and I’ll keep shooting!”

“And keep them shots high, Jubilee!” Sam called out as he flow over them, “They can’t fire if they can’t see their target!”

“I know what I’m doing fearless leader! I don’t need reminders!”

“Keep takin’ shots like that and you may think otherwise! Just listen to me and we’ll turn all these guys into Kentucky road kill!” said Sam, gritting his teeth as he flew in for another attack.

Along the way he passed Rogue, who couldn’t help but grin at the way he was being assertive. Sam, who had been so reserved at first about taking on Hellfire duties, was now a champion of them. And he had the sense to leave some of his victims alive long enough for her to drain. That just meant more life energy for her. She reminded herself to thank him ‘personally’ after this was over.

Back down on the ground, a number of lingering foot-soldiers from the Hand and royal guard were using the transports Selene used as cover. That’s where Julian, Rahne, and Deadpool focused their attack. Under MGH Rahne’s wolf form grew into a huge bigfoot-like creature that was almost as big as Hank had been and every bit as strong. In her feral state she was able to tip over a transport, crushing a few guards in the process. And those that weren’t killed were maimed by her claws. Much of Hank’s encouragement about embracing her animal side came into play here. She was like a hunter rampaging through a stampede of prey, selectively picking out her victims and taking them down with little effort.

While Rahne was doing much of the hand-to-hand combat, Julian watched her back by keeping bullets and other attacks from hitting her and slowing her down. Under MGH his telekinesis was much more powerful, allowing him to put up stronger shields and fly a lot faster. He also noticed he had a touch of telepathy now. He could use his mind to disrupt and disorient the guards before knocking them back with a telekinetic wave. It was very satisfying. As a telekinetic he always wondered what telepathy was like. Jean and Lord Xavier always put it to good use. Now he understood just how useful it was.

But while Rahne and Julian remained coordinated and focused, Deadpool was just going off like a madman. He laughed the whole time as he ruthlessly maimed and butchered every guard he managed to get close to. His katanas were soon drenched with blood and the MGH expanded his reflexes and endurance to a point where he was barely exerting himself. He even let a few guards get some free shots in with guns or swords. But there was little pain and the wounds healed with the same efficiency as Logan’s. And once healed he just didn’t let up.

“Bang! Bang! And bang again!” he said as he systematically stabbed several guards with knives still sticking out of his body, “Wow, I can’t believe you pricks still think stabbing or shooting me is going to do anything! It just tickles a little! You make me feel like a kid again! Here, why don’t I tickle back! Ha-ha-ha!”

Deadpool went onto ruthlessly slash his katana’s in a quick spin move that sliced the throats of three guards, killing them quickly. He then ripped out the swords stuck in his body and used them to kill more guards.

“Oh man, you are enjoying this WAY too much, Deadpool!” commented Julian as he deflected a new wave of bullets.

“Yeah, well maybe you’re not enjoying it enough, kid! You need to let go a little! Get a message! Then kill the masseuse! It’s a REAL happy ending!”

“Grrrrrrr! Well when you’re done you mind doing something about those other transports!” growled Rahne as she threw off another guard that tried to grab her neck, “These things are getting in my way!”

“Sure thing my furry female! But remember our little deal!” said Deadpool, “This is gonna cost you an extra night!”

Making good on his part, Deadpool whipped out a couple of his guns and fired at a couple of transports. The first few rounds just dented the front, but a couple of well placed shots struck the engines and caused the transports to explode violently.

“Yeeee-hawwwww! That’s what we call a Texas style demolition derby! Eat your heart out John Wayne!”

Rahne growled again, but Julian couldn’t help but laugh.

“At least he’s in good spirits,” he commented.

While most of the transports were now in ruin, a number of remaining royal guard tried to barricade themselves at the entrance of the temple. They all had their orders to keep all interference out and they would carry those orders out to the death because they all knew death here was a lot better than what Mistress Selene would do to them. But Ororo and Remy still made it unpleasant for them.

With MGH Ororo’s weather powers were on an entirely new level. It was never too hard for her to conjure up big storms on a grand scale. But with her new powers she could really concentrate those big storms into small areas, creating a small F5 tornado or a category 5 hurricane in an area so concentrated that nobody around her would feel it. It literally blew the guards off their feet and put them in a whirlwind so intense it tore their bodies apart. She could also more accurately shoot huge bolts of lighting that arced over from target to target, filling them with lethal voltage. Moreover she could control how it arced so it didn’t even get close to Remy who was using the more direct approach.

Using Ororo’s storms as support, Remy skillfully fought his way through the royal guard with a mix of hand-to-hand combat and short range firepower. With his enhanced powers he didn’t even need to charge playing cards anymore. He could just form balls of energy in his hand and send them flying at his targets. When they hit they maimed his victims in a way his cards never did. One guard literally had half his body blown off by a particularly heavy charge. It was more firepower than he ever wielded and he loved it.

“Dang, Remy is linkin’ this!” he said as he threw several energy bursts towards the ground, literally blowing the legs out from under a cluster of guards, “Keep those winds comin’, mon amour! Remy will clean up the rest!”

“I assure you, Remy, these storms will not stop!” said Ororo as she used another wind sheer to blow back more guards, “Just keep clearing the way! Leave Selene with no one to hide behind!”

Just then a lightning bolt nearly hit him, just arcing over his head and shocking a guard.

“Yeow! You forgot to tell me to keep my head down too!” he said.

“Sorry, but I assumed that was a given,” grinned Ororo as she listened to the pained cries of the guards, “Don’t expect me to let up.”

“Wouldn’t want you to, cherè,” grinned Remy.

The lopsided fight continued and legions Selene’s army of guards and assassins fell in short order. They didn’t stand a chance against the pawns with their enhanced powers. Every guard Selene assembled was only delaying their progress, not stopping them. Yet they kept throwing themselves into battle, knowing full well that this is what their queen wanted and expected of them. It was almost admirable, but not enough to grant them any mercy.

But as they fought the guards the skies above became more ominous. The clouds darkened and a strange new heat started building around the temple. Nobody really noticed it during the intensity of the battle, but Jean Grey definitely picked up on it. Her mystical senses as well as the Phoenix gave her a quick understanding of what was going on. She couldn’t sense exactly what was going on inside, but she knew enough to know it was big and it had to be stopped.

“Something’s wrong,” said Jean as she looked up at the clouds, “Whatever Selene is up to she’s starting it and it’s almost complete!”

“Then let’s finish with these guards and stop her!” said Scott as he blew away one more cluster of guards.

“That’s just it, Scott. It might already be too late,” she lamented.

“Don’t think like that! We have to keep going! We need to buy time for Lord Xavier! Whatever Selene is up to she won’t finish it!”

Jean sensed more ominous rumblings in the skies above. It wasn’t like a normal storm. It was like these clouds were from the pits of Hell itself. And with Selene, that wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. But Scott was right. They had to keep fighting. They were almost out of guards. Once clear they could then make their way into the temple where Selene awaited them. There it was sure to be a much more difficult fight. And Jean couldn’t help but feel that even with their power it wouldn’t be enough.

“For all our sake I hope Lord Xavier hurries. I have a very bad feeling about where this is leading.”

Nova Roma – Mountain

While the battle at the temple raged, Xavier led Moria, Emma, and Danielle down the vast mountain in search of the body of Amara Aquilla. Using his telekinesis as a guide, courtesy of MGH, the Black King led them over the terrain at careful yet swift speeds. He understood just as the rest of his pawns that he had to work fast. Since Amara was in a deep coma he wouldn’t be able to pick up on her psychic signature easily. Luckily he did know the general area and he had Emma Frost to help.

“I believe this is the area my spies reported,” said Xavier as he hovered over a certain outcropping of rocks with Moria, Danielle, and Emma hovering next to him.

“Just how competent are these spies of yours?” questioned Emma, “Because I don’t sense anything.”

“Me neither, but I assure you this is the place,” he said, “Just keep scanning for any trace of a mind. She’s definitely here. That I’m sure of.”

“Maybe I should just start shattering rock with me blast,” said Moria, “That might open up a few pockets.”

“As much as I’d appreciate that, Emma and I will be need it to be as quiet as possible if we’re to pick up on Amara’s mind.”

“Plus, you don’t want Selene hearing you now do you?” said Danielle with a slight smirk, “That shriek of hers may tip her off.”

“Something tells me she’ll already be expecting us by then, lass,” said Moria.

With that in mind, Xavier flew them in closer so he and Emma could get a closer reading. It was a classic needle-in-a-haystack type search. This was a big mountain and the mind of a teenage Nova Roman princess wasn’t going to stick out easily, especially when she was in such a deep coma. The stormy skies above weren’t helping either. They added extra incentive to search harder because the longer they waited, the worse they got. And there was little doubt that Selene was behind them.

Slowly and carefully, Xavier flew them over the jagged areas. This part of the mountain was pretty steep. According to the geological readouts from the spies there was a magma fissure branching off right to this area. It was recent in geological terms so it would be an ideal place for a body to end up. It was just a matter of getting an exact location.

“Just out of curiosity, what kind of state do you think Amara will be in?” asked Danielle, “If what she went through is as bad as you say it was, will she even be in the right mind to help us?”

“Given how deep this coma is she probably is completely unaware of just how much time has passed,” said Moria, speaking softly so that Xavier and Emma could concentrate, “As far as she’s concerned it just happened. And since it’s fresh in her mind she’ll be filled with rage and most likely ready to strike back.”

“But what if she isn’t?” asked Danielle.

“Well that’s why we have ye here lass,” said Moria, “If she is unstable, we need some deception to keep her cooperative.”

Danielle figured as such. But it was hard to imagine a girl her age going through such horrors. She watched her parents get slaughtered, was gang raped, and then thrown into a volcano. Anybody would probably be pretty messed up after that. But if the others could get past it and take on Selene hopefully she could as well.

They continued hovering over the rocky terrain for another five minutes or so. Then Xavier stopped abruptly and he and Emma clutched their temples.

“Charles, I just got a signature,” said Emma, concentrating harder.

“Yes, I sense it to,” said Xavier, “It’s faint, but it’s definitely there. I’ll fly us in closer.”

Using his telekinesis carefully, he flew them up to a specific area on the mountain. It looked innocuous enough, but upon closer inspection they noticed a slight bulge in the rock formation. It looked as though something had been pressing on them. That was a promising sign. But to be sure, Emma placed her hand on the rock and searched deeper.

“She’s definitely there,” said the blonde telepath, “And pretty out of it too. I’ve never felt such a deep coma.”

“Selene doesn’t like to take chances,” said Xavier as he then turned to Moria, “Let’s get her out of there. Moria, you know what to do.”

“Aye, stand back and cover your ears,” she warned, “This is going to be big one.”

Xavier, Emma, and Danielle did as instructed. Xavier kept her in a steady hover, floating back slightly so she had room to work. Once clear she took a deep breath and unleashed a sonic yell worthy of a banshee. The high pitched screech could be heard even with their ears covered completely. It had a sharp pressure to it, the kind that even hard rocks couldn’t withstand. Moria made sure it was highly concentrated, focused specifically on the bulging rock. At first it didn’t do anything. But after a tens seconds of steady blasting it started to crack.

Soon the cracks expanded and went deeper. All the while Moria kept up her sonic assault, yelling louder and louder to a point where Xavier struggled to keep her steady. Eventually they noticed the cracks start to get red hot. It was a sign that magma was starting to seep through the cracks. It was just what they wanted. If there was a body in there it should carry it with them. They all felt the heat emanating from within the mountain. It was getting pretty tough, Moria kept up her assault. Then they heard a deafening burst.

“Hold on!” urged Xavier.

As soon as the rocks burst, Xavier pulled Moria back a safe distance with the others. They all had to shield their eyes briefly as bright flash of fiery magma shot out from the new hole. The opening was about the size of a small car and gushing with lava. They watched for a moment as it began trickling down the mountainside. But as it did they noticed a figure emerge from the flow.

“I see her!” said Emma.

“So do I,” said Xavier, “Now take your diamond form and I’ll fly you in. That way you can take the heat.”

Emma did as she was told, not responding with her usual quip. She turned to her diamond form and placed her trust in Xavier not to get her scorched. But as much as she was sure he still resented her for her betrayal, he did his part and carefully maneuvered her into the flowing river of lava. She could feel the intense heat, but her diamond form kept her from getting burned.

Once close enough she could make out the figure of Amara Aquilla. She was curled up in a fetal position as she lay unconscious against a rock, the lava flowing harmlessly around her as if it were just water. She was naked as expected and was in pretty bad shape, but considering she had been stuck in a volcano for nearly a decade she didn’t look too bad. Carefully minding the lava, Emma lifted Amara up from the flowing liquid rock and held her securely in her arms. A few drips of lava managed to scorch her uniform, but so long as it didn’t damage her perfect skin she was okay with that.

“I’ve got her, Charles. Let’s get someplace a little less volatile,” said Emma, still feeling the heat through her shell.

“Hold on, I’m taking us down to a clearing I saw earlier,” said Xavier.

With Amara now in hand, the Black King flew them down to a nice area that was lower on the mountain that was flatter and not as jagged. As soon as they landed, Emma quickly laid the young princess down on her back. To cover her modesty, Moria brought a blanket from the jet to wrap her in. Seeing as how in her mind she just got finished being gang raped by Selene’s minions, she would want to cover up.

“She looks to be in pretty bad shape,” commented Danielle.

“Considering what she’s been through, she’s in better shape than she could have been,” said Xavier.

“So then how do we wake her up?” asked Emma.

“She’s already starting to wake up,” said Xavier, “I sensed as soon as she was freed from the volcano her mind and body became active again. It’s going to be a bit of a jolt, but she should come to soon.”

“Want me to give her a little ‘nudge?’” the blond telepath offered.

“No, not this time,” said Xavier strongly, “Just let her wake up. The last thing she needs is another shock to her system.”

Charles, Emma, Moria, and Danielle waited intently as they hovered over the exposed body of the Nova Roman princess. For a moment she just lay as still as a statue. They could hear her breathing and Xavier and Emma could sense her mind restarting again. They soon saw her stirring as well. More thunder rumbled in the clouds above, indicating that time was running out. Selene was stepping up her efforts. If this girl was to help them she had to wake up soon. Suddenly and abruptly, her eyes shot open and she let out a blood-curtailing scream.

“SELENE!”

Xavier and the others were forced to fall back a bit. Amara then shot up, clinging to the blanket around her body as she started panting desperately and groaning in a daze of agony.

“Where is she?! What…what’s going on? What happened? Who are you?!” said the Nova Roman princess in a weak voice.

“Easy, lass. Take deep breaths. You’re okay,” said Moria in a calm tone.

“Okay?! How can I be okay?! After…after what just happened! Selene, she…”

But before she could go any further, Xavier stepped in. He used his telepathy to send calming thoughts into her mind. It helped stop her before she got too worked up. But she was still noticeably distressed.

“Selene is why we’re here, Princess Amara,” he said in a calm tone as he approached the young woman, “Please, allow me to explain. My name is Charles Xavier, Black King of the Hellfire Club.”

“The Hellfire Club?” said Amara, “I…I’ve heard of you! You’re the same people Selene came in with!”

The distressed princess’s eyes flared and a hot ball of fire formed in her hand. But Xavier remained unafraid.

“Take it easy, my dear. There’s no need for that. Selene is not with us anymore. She betrayed us just as she betrayed your people. Now I don’t mean to overwhelm you, but you’ve been out a long time. To you Selene just got done tormenting you and your family. But in reality many years have passed. And a lot has happened since then.”

Amara was still panting heavily, gazing upon Xavier, Moria, Danielle, and Emma with mistrust. She didn’t want to believe them. She was still wishing this was all just a nightmare that she hadn’t woken up from yet. But something about this man seemed truthful. She maintained her poise. She was still the princess of Nova Roma. She couldn’t afford to be weak even in such dire situation.

“Time is short, so I’ll skip to our purpose for getting you out,” said Xavier, “We need your help, Princess Amara. Selene has turned on us. She was once an ally of mind who ruled with me in the Hellfire Club, but she had an agenda of her own. And for some reason, that agenda has led her to the top of this mountain in your kingdom. She’s holding up in some sort of temple that…”

But Amara then cut him off.

“The Temple of Orcus?!” she exclaimed urgently.

“Yes, I believe so. Why? Do you know of it?”

Before she answered, Amara grit her teeth and shot up from her sitting position. She was still shaky from her coma and Moria and Danielle tried to help her, but she shook them off. As exhausted and distressed as she was she understood the gravity of this situation. If Selene had returned to the Temple of Orcus then she and her kingdom were in a world of trouble.

“We…we have to stop her!” she said, “Tell me she hasn’t finished! Tell me the ritual isn’t complete yet!”

“Ritual? What ritual?” said Moria.

“The ritual she built the temple for in the first place!” she exclaimed, “Long ago when she first established Nova Roma, her first edict as queen was to force the people to build her a temple at the top of the mountain! That temple was to be the site of a ritual that she claimed would plunge this kingdom and the entire world into darkness! She boasted that using that temple she would bring the fires of Hades itself to our world!”

“In other words she’s looking to create Hell on Earth?” surmised Emma.

“Yes…and she would rule over it with the same power and authority as the king of the underworld himself!”

Xavier and Moria exchanged grim looks. If what this girl was saying was true then it was worse than they thought. This wasn’t some power grab or coo against the Hellfire Club. This was Selene actually plunging the world into the depths of Hell and proclaiming herself the new queen of darkness. It was beyond anything even they ever imagined. They knew Selene was power hungry, but this was extreme even for her.

“Please…tell me she didn’t build the temple,” said Amara, still struggling to stay upright.

“She finished the temple,” said Emma bluntly, “We saw it ourselves.”

“Damn it! How long did she keep me out!” the princess cursed, “My family worked for generations to keep it from being touched and you’re telling me it’s been completed?!”

“Yes,” said Xavier sternly, “Now are you going to help us stop her or not?”

Amara Aquilla’s expression grimaced as she turned away and keeled over against a nearby rock. Tears started forming in her eyes as everything started coming back to her. For generations her family and their allies worked tirelessly to protect Nova Roma, keeping it a beacon of Roman glory. One of the hardest parts of their reign was to negate the scars left by Selene, the woman who helped found their kingdom and nearly destroy I at the same time. She came from a long and powerful royal bloodline. They say her whole family had been blessed with the blood of the gods to grant them the abilities to protect their kingdom. She knew she had an ability, but it was an ability that failed to protect her beloved kingdom.

Looking up into the sky, she saw the dark storm clouds gathering. She knew without a doubt what was behind them. She remembered vividly Selene’s final taunting message to her. After she murdered her family, had her raped and humiliated in front of her own people, and dragged her up to the top of the mountain she grabbed her by the face and looked her in the eye with that cold gaze of hers. And with that gaze she remembered her fateful words.

“You failed, princess. You and your pathetic family failed! Nova Roma is mine again! I’ll see to it that your precious kingdom is ground zero for when I plunge this pathetic world to the depths of Hades itself!”

Those words and her cold gaze were the last thing she remembered before she was thrown into the volcano. She had to live with that gaze and those words for years. And now here she was, a fallen princess who suffered at the hands of a true monster.

“Amara, please…” said Moria, “None of us here will claim to understand what ye be going through. But trust us when we say we know of Selene’s deceit. And if ye just help us we can stop her once and for all!”

“How can you stop an immortal woman like her?” she said distantly.

“Let’s just say the forces of the Hellfire Club are greater than she comprehends,” said Xavier strongly, “We already outsmarted her once. That’s why we’re standing before you. Give us a chance and we can outsmart her again. And we’ll see to it that she pays for what she did to us and your family.”

Amara’s expression hardened. The mention of her family stirred a fire in her hotter than any volcano. She still remembered vividly the look on her father’s face as Selene killed him with her own hands. She still remembered vividly the look on her mothers face as Selene cut her throat and let the blood spill right onto her face. Her hatred of Selene was unmatched. She had been a bane to her people for too long. She didn’t know this man or these people who helped free her. But if there was any chance at all that they could make Selene pay for this, she had to take it.

Still clinging to the blanket wrapped around her naked body, Amara turned around and confronted the Black King.

“Charles Xavier…I will help you,” she said, “But please answer me just one question before I do.”

“Of course, princess,” said Xavier respectfully, trying to remain diplomatic.

“If you are part of this Hellfire Club, does that mean you helped Selene re-conquer my kingdom?”

Xavier was silent for a moment. He could have easily lied or manipulated his way out of this like he always did, but if he was to get the full support of this girl both now and after this matter was over he would have to be honest.

“To some extent…yes,” he answered.

As soon as she heard that, Amara suddenly lunged forth and punched the Black King right across the face. Xavier sensed it coming, but he let it happen. He felt back, clutching his face in pain while Emma and Moria stormed up to the Nova Roman princess in a rage.

“You royal bitch! You will sorely regret that!” yelled Emma, turning to her diamond form with the intention of hitting this woman back.

But Xavier, still clutching his jaw, stopped her.

“Emma stop!” he commanded, “Leave her alone. I had that coming.”

“But Charles…” Moria complained.

“Come now, Moria. With her powers she could have done a lot worse. But she didn’t. Let’s just give that to her as a token of trust and get on with this.”

Moria, Emma, and Danielle still cast Amara a cold glare. Even if she was a princess, nobody struck a member of the Inner Circle without facing some sort of retribution. But if this was how Xavier wanted to handle it who were they to argue?

Amara ignored their glares. She could care less how they thought at this point. If anybody was foolish enough to help Selene they deserved far worse than just a punch in the face. But if this man could help rid her of the plague that had haunted her kingdom for generations she was willing to overlook such transgressions.

“You are a fool to have ever helped that woman, Charles,” said Amara.

“I know,” Xavier admitted, “Help me rectify that. And we can both make her suffer for what she’s done.”

She saw in his eyes the same burning desire to destroy Selene. He trusted her just as her ancestors did. And the price they paid was too high. Now it was time end this once and for all. Selene had inflicted to much suffering and deceit. It was time she finally paid the price. Amara owed it to her family and her kingdom.

“What do you need me to do?” asked the Nova Roman princess.

Xavier grinned intently. He had on his side the princess of Nova Roma and her volcano powers. Now he had everything and everyone he needed to take Selene down.

“Just hold on and follow me,” he said as he telekinetically lifted her and the others back into the air, “Time is short so I’ll explain on the way. But first, I need to tell me everything you know about this ritual she’s conducting. It may prove critical for what I have in mind.”

Temple of Orcus – Central Ritual Area

Just as the fight was beginning outside, Selene was preparing the final round of spells before proceeding with the next part of the ritual. Darkness and power surged through the area. She could feel it building outside and expanding in all directions. All this mystical energy being concentrated in a small place and with such dark intent was causing major disruptions. But it was just the beginning. It was soon to become something so much more.

Wanda stood close by just behind the podiums holding the babies while she watched her Mistress chant, holding the last piece of the bloodstone over the other four pieces. They were all glowing brightly. They burned with intensity worthy of hellish fury. With each line of spells Selene grew more intent and focused. Wanda, Alex, Tabitha, Kurt, Warren, Betsy, Monet, Magneto, Roberto, Sabretooth, Laura, and Lorna all watched on in a daze, waiting with anticipation for their Mistress to succeed in her ultimate goal.

“Now I call upon the fires of hell itself! By thy immortal hands, I shall unite the blood stones for the first time since the fires of creation! Heed my words as I…”

But before she finished her proclamation, she a series of loud explosions and noises cut her off. The caught the attention of her minions too. And as a result of her distraction, the Gate of Orcus faltered a bit and Illyana Rasputin, still acting as a medium for the gate, could be seen briefly struggling in agony. But Selene kept the spell going, holding the blood stone piece firmer.

“What the hell was that?” said Alex.

“I’m hoping it’s thunder,” said Tabitha.

“No…it isn’t,” said Selene, seething with anger, “That pesky, bald headed fool! He’s here!”

“Who? Xavier?” said Warren, “How could he be? You said…”

“I know what I said!” bellowed the Black Queen, “I don’t know how the hell he tracked me here, but he must have sent his pawns out to stop me!”

“So what should we do, Mistress? Do you want us to kill them for you?” asked Roberto.

“Yes, that would help! But do be careful! I just need them to be held back long enough for me to complete the ritual! Once I have ultimate power it won’t matter what they do! Just stop them!”

“That’s gonna cost extra, you know?” warned Sabretooth.

But before Selene could yell at him he got a harsh blast Betsy.

“It’ll cost you even more if you don’t do as you’re told!” spat Betsy, “Now shut up or we’ll use you as a human shield!”

Sabretooth growled menacingly at the purple haired woman, but there was no time for another exchange.

“ENOUGH!” yelled Selene, “Get out there already and stop them!”

“Yes ma’am! We will not fail you!” said Monet strongly, “This ritual will go perfectly. I promise you!”

“Be sure that it does or I’ll have all your souls for this!” exclaimed the Black Queen.

Her minions quickly stormed out of the central ritual area and towards the front entrance to the temple. She also made sure the mind controlled Lorna, Magneto, and Laura followed orders as well. She didn’t need expect them to do much. She just needed as much time as possible. The only one who lingered was Wanda, who remained standing by one of the twelve babies with a dagger in hand looking uncertain of what to do.

“What about me, Mistress?” she asked, “Should I go out and fight too?”

“No! I need you here to conduct the sacrifice!” said Selene, “But if you ever paid attention to my lessons for more then two seconds, use all the magic you can muster to create a barrier around this chamber! I cannot allow anyone to disrupt things at this point.”

“I…I’ll do my best, Mistress,” said Wanda warily.

As soon as Kurt and the other minions were out of sight, Wanda closed her eyes and focused her hex powers on a powerful spell she had never used before but had studied just in case. It was a powerful barrier spell, one that required the highest skills in magic to pull off. But if ever there was a time she needed to push her skills, this was it.

While Selene resumed her chanting with the blood stone, Wanda did some incantations of her own. She let out a sharp grunt as she focused as much of her power around her as she could. Once the incantation was complete, a large purplish ball of light formed overhead. From that ball of light, a glowing dome of energy expanded around them. It quickly encompassed the entire ritual area. From there it spread out, phasing through the structures and supports of the temple. But anything outside that tried to get in would be hit with a wall of magic.

Once the spell was complete, Wanda keeled over in a fit of exhaustion. But she stayed up ready to do her duties for her mistress. Selene felt a small bit of relief upon seeing her apprentice cast such a large barrier spell to protect them. But while as powerful as it was, such a spell was only temporary. It would not hold forever and it might not even hold for the amount of time she needed. That’s why she had to work fast. She had come too far to be denied now.

“Damn you, Xavier! You and your minions will NOT stop the ritual!” she proclaimed.

The Black Queen then held the glowing blood stones over the other pieces and prepared to resume. This next part was critical. If she could just get through it then she would be poised to succeed. She just hoped her minions could last as long as she needed them too. It didn’t matter of any of them perished in the process. All that mattered was this point was completing the ritual.

Temple of Orcus – Outside

The last few guards had fallen at the hands of the Hellfire Pawns. Scott, Jean, Piotr, Rogue, Warpath, Pietro, Logan, Mystique, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, Sam, Julian, Rahne, Remy, Ororo, and Deadpool were now poised to strike at Selene herself within her temple. There was still no sign of Xavier or Amara. But with the effects of MGH still coursing through their system they were hungry for a shot at Selene.

“Well we made a hell of a mess, but oh well!” said Deadpool as he causally decapitated one last guard, “Whose up for Chinese food? I’m buying!”

“Save your appetite for Selene, Deadpool,” said Warpath with seething anger, “She’s next!”

“What about Lord Xavier?” said Kitty, “Shouldn’t we wait for him to show up with Princess Amara?”

“He never said anything about taking our shot if we got the chance,” said Logan, “And this is our chance!”

“I’m with you, Logan!” said Pietro, “Let’s get in there and give that bitch what’s coming to her!”

Nobody argued with their intent. They all wanted a shot at Selene for what they put them though. But before they could gather around the entrance, Jean sensed something with her Phoenix powers that caused her to stop.

“No wait!” she exclaimed, her eyes flashing a fiery red.

“Oh what is it now?’ groaned Julian.

“I’m sensing something going on inside. I think Selene knows we’re here.”

“How do you figure?” asked Piotr.

Before Jean could answer they were all momentarily blinded by a sharp pulse of purplish light. It shot out from the top of the temple and expanded as a dome across the entire structure, creating a thick mystical barrier around the complex. It looked pretty imposing and it definitively confirmed Jean’s words.

“Okay, I’d say that’s a pretty strong sign,” said Remy.

“That’s not all,” said Scott as something else caught his eye, “She sent more company.”

From behind the barrier, a number of imposing figures emerged. They were Selene’s minions and they all looked ready to fight. Alex, Tabitha, Warren, Betsy, Monet, Magneto, Roberto, Sabretooth, Laura, and Lorna all stood side-by-side, focused strongly on their intruders. Yet despite the vast collection of dead bodies from guards and assassins that littered the area, they did not look intimidated.

“Wow, you guys made a REAL mess out here,” said Warren in a threatening tone.

“Thanks for the compliment, bub. Care to join them?” growled Logan, his claws still drawn and ready for combat.

“You all made a big mistake coming here!” said Monet menacingly, “You think you can stop Mistress Selene? You think you can stop the supreme immortal sorceress and soon to be lord of the mortal realm?”

“Oh we’re not just going to stop her! We’re going to make sure that she and everyone who ever helped her suffers!” said Mystique.

Selene’s minions just laughed at such a claim.

“Sorry to break this to you pathetic fools. But you’re already too late!” said Monet.

She then turned to her comrades of darkness. They had the barrier behind them keeping them out and their mistress was hard at work on the ritual. It wouldn’t be long now. They just had to buy time.

“You have your orders,” she told them, “Attack your enemies! And don’t let up until our mistress is triumphant!”

“You heard her!” said Scott, taking command as well, “Don’t let up! Take them down!”

“Here we go again,” groaned Julian, not looking forward to facing Laura.

The Hellfire Pawns charged and clashed with Selene’s minions. Alex went straight for Scott. Sabretooth went straight for Logan and Mystique, having plenty of unfinished business to take are of. Lorna went for Pietro, as dictated by Monet who was using her telepathy to pull some of the strings. She also sent Laura after Julian, who she figured would hesitate to fight against her. Roberto went after Bobby while Tabitha went after Sam. Warren took to the skies and went after Ororo, who was still being helped by Remy. Tabitha went after Kitty and Rahne. Magneto, still under complete mind control, went after Piotr, Jubilee, and Sam. Rogue and Deadpool took on Betsy. And Monet went straight for Warpath, ready to take on the strongest and most powerful target she could find.

A lot of anger and rage fueled both sides. The memory of what Selene’s minions did to the young pawns still hung strongly. The pain and humiliation of being raped and tortured at the hands of Selene gave them plenty of motivation to show no mercy. But Selene’s minions had no qualms about throwing themselves into such a battle. They dominated and humiliated them before so they knew they had the psychological edge. Time was also on their side. They knew that if they just held them back long enough, Selene would win. It didn’t matter if they lost their lives in the process. The darkness within them made them care little for such risks. All that mattered was helping their mistress succeed.

As the fighting erupted, Jean slipped by and flew up to the energy barrier. She immediately tried plowing through with sheer telekinetic force. When that didn’t work, she summoned her Phoenix powers and began attacking the magic that was fueling this barrier. But she quickly found out it wasn’t going to let her through that easily.

“Damn it! It’s a aetherial shield!” said Jean, “I need time to get through it!”

“Well work fast, Jean!” said Scott as he slugged Alex across the face, “We need to get through!”

But Alex wasn’t even phased by Scott’s blow. He just wiped the blood from his face and laughed.

“Save your breath, dear brother. Your girlfriend won’t be getting through anytime soon. Mistress Selene has already taken care of everything. All we have to do is entertain ourselves with you until it’s over.”

“Go to Hell, Alex!” yelled Scott, seething with anger over his now wayward brother.

“Now isn’t that an ironic choice of words,” he taunted, “Because soon Hell will be coming to you!”

Alex charged up his energy blasts to the highest levels he could muster and unleashed a concentrated burst right at his brother. Scott, still working off his MGH enhanced powers, covered his face with his arms and was able to absorb and deflect most of the energy. Being brothers, their powers had little effect on one another. Alex knew this, but he didn’t care. His strategy wasn’t to take him out. It was just to slow him down. So Scott had to end this quickly.

After deflecting the blast, Scott nimbly rolled to the side and lunged at Alex. He was ready for him though, clenching his fists and fighting back with all his might. Scott initially tried to sock him in the stomach, but Alex was able to avoid and counter with a right cross at his face. When Alex first struck him, Scott was surprised by his strength. The darkness Selene filled him with must have given him an extra boost of strength. Either that or he just didn’t feel any pain. Despite some blood trickling down his nose, Scott quickly countered and countered Alex’s next blow. He was able to grab his arms and pull him into a grapple. There he had a chance to see the pure rage and anger burning in his eyes.

“Why Alex? Why did you do this? Why did you give into Selene’s influence?” exclaimed Scott.

“I didn’t give in! She just gave me a way out from under your thumb!” grunted Alex, struggling to break free.

“We’re brothers! I brought you into the Hellfire Club because I wanted to help you!”

“Help me?! Ha! All you ever did was try and mold me into your own image! You always expected me to be just like you! Well guess what? I’m NOT like you! And Mistress Selene showed me I can be something better!”

“So you just threw away the blood oath you took and gave into darkness?!”

“If it meant getting the better of you…it was worth it,” grunted Alex.

Scott’s expression hardened. He knew from those words that he truly had failed his brother. They drifted so far away that he was willing to sacrifice everything just to make him suffer. He was now too far into the darkness to be brought back. There were so many things he wished could have been different. But Alex had made it clear that they were at the point of no return. That left him with only one choice.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Alex,” said Scott in a flat tone, “But if this is how you want to do things, so be it.”

Then while locked in their grapple, Scott focused his enhanced optic blasts into a single concentrated burst aimed right at Alex’s head. The blinding red flash hit him right in the face and even though his powers didn’t affect him very well, the extra kick from MGH was enough to knock him back and blind him.

“Ahhhhh!” he howled as he covered his eyes.

While he was momentarily stunned, Scott moved in and delivered one last punishing blow. He grabbed Alex by the neck, forced him down onto this knees, and with one hard right hook he slugged his brother as hard as he could. And with his added strength, he struck him with such force that he not only knocked him out cold, a good number of facial bones were broken. It was something Scott wished he didn’t have to resort to, but it was too late. His brother had walked the path of darkness. This was the price he had to pay.

“Sorry Alex,” he said to his brother’s unconscious body, “But this has to end. And you will suffer the consequences like all the others.”

There was no sadness in Scott’s tone, only disappointment. He always hoped that he and Alex would become a team within the Inner Circle. Now it looked as though that wasn’t going to happen.

But before he had any time to lament about what could have been, he heard a deafening cry from above him.

“Noooo! My love!” exclaimed Lorna.

Before Scott could get out of the way, Lorna flew down and charged at him hard with her fists leading the attack. She struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him hard to the rocky ground and taking some of the wind out of him in the process. While momentarily stunned, Scott looked up to see the anguish in Lorna’s eyes as she swooped in for another attack.

“You hurt my true love!” she cried, “I will make you suffer for this!”

Scott groaned as he tried to pick himself up. But Lorna was coming in fast. Then just as she was about to strike again, Pietro ran by in a quick blur and pulled him out of the way. This didn’t stop Lorna though. She just flew up again and prepared for another attack. She wasn’t going to let someone hurt the man she loved and let them get away with it.

“Ugh! You couldn’t just take her down quickly?” groaned Scott.

“I want to at least try not to hurt her!” said Pietro, “She’s under some sort of spell! We have to break her from it!”

“We don’t have time for that, Pietro! Xavier said we need to be willing to take them down!”

“I am willing. But I have to try!”

Pietro stood near Scott, holding onto him and ready to run him out of the way as soon as Lorna came in for another attack. It looked like she wasn’t going to let up. She flew down again with rage in her eyes. This time she had shards of metal from the transport with her. She had a maddened look of bloodlust in her eyes, but Pietro refused to give up on her.

“Lorna, listen to me! You don’t know what you’re doing!” the speedster exclaimed, “You’re being controlled by some sort of spell! You have to fight it!”

“I…I don’t want to fight it!” she said, seething with anger, “I want to save my love!”

“Your ‘love’ is just a spell! It’s me! Pietro! I’m your family! Don’t you remember?”

Lorna’s expression tensed somewhat and she showed signs of hesitation. The metal shards surrounding her shook a bit, hinting she didn’t have as firm a control over them as she implied.

“Pietro…” she said distantly.

“Yes! That’s it, Lorna! You’re fighting it!”

But then Lorna shook her head and resumed her charge.

“No! I have no family! Only my love, Alex!” she exclaimed.

She sent a hail of metal shards towards him and Scott. Pietro was able to swiftly move them out of the way. But she didn’t miss a beat. She just used her powers to summon the same shards and send them flying in a new attack.

“She’s not listening, Pietro!” said Scott.

“She was for a minute!” said Pietro strongly, “I just need to calm her down. See if you can knock her back! But not to much!”

“I’ll try,” grumbled Scott.

Scott wasn’t keen on trying to get through Selene’s dark control. Lord Xavier told them they had to be willing to take them down. But he empathized with Pietro. Lorna hadn’t just given into Selene’s darkness like Alex had. It had been forced on her. And she just proved she was capable of fighting it. That to Scott meant she deserved at least one more chance.

With Lorna flying down towards them again with metal shards at her side, Scott took aim with his optic blasts. Armed with the power of MGH, he created a special wide arc that would dissipate some of the force and keep from hurting her too much. As expected, Lorna used the metal as a shield but she wasn’t prepared for the intensity of the blast. When it hit it caused her to lose her focus and tumble towards the ground. That’s when Pietro took his chance. Using his super speed, he ran up to her, grabbed her from behind and pinned her against a nearby boulder. She still struggled, but he wasn’t letting her go

“Listen to me, Lorna! You’re being controlled! I know you love Alex, but Selene is using that love! She’s using it to serve her own ends! Is that what you really want? To help the woman who hurts everybody? Think about your family! Think about your mother! Think about me!”

She continued to struggle for a moment, but then the expression on her face changed.

“My…my mother,” she said distantly, “But I…my love is all I know.”

“Fight it, Lorna! I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if it will knock some sense into you!” said Pietro sternly.

Lorna kept struggling, groaning in pain as she tried to overcome this. She could have easily summoned more metal shards to attack Pietro. But she held back. She was too conflicted and confused, unable to focus herself as she had been doing so effectively just moments ago. Brief images of her mother and all the support Pietro had given her flashed through her mind. But those of Alex continued to dominate. She couldn’t forget them. It left her even more confused.

“No!” she groaned, “I won’t stop! I can’t!”

Pietro’s expression fell. It appeared Selene’s influence was too strong. He was going to have to take her out, but he was going to hate himself afterwards. He was about to do it, but before he could end this Jean stepped in and flew down from above.

“Hold on, Pietro! I think I can help,” said Jean, “Just hold her still.”

“Why? What are you doing?” demanded Pietro, “What about the barrier?”

“That can wait,” said Jean, “But I think the spell on Lorna is losing its grip. I think I may be able to break it up with a revelation spell.”

“Good, then what are you waiting for?!” he exclaimed.

“Shut up! It’s not as easy as it sounds!” grunted Jean.

With Lorna still struggling, Jean placed her hands on Lorna’s temples and looked her in the eye with her fiery gaze. The glowing fires of the Phoenix surrounded her body. She chanted a couple of phrases then touched her temples with her hands, hoping the revelation spell was stronger than Selene’s love spell. As soon as she touched her, Lorna’s eyes flashed briefly and she let out a pained groan. Pietro kept a firm hold on her, but she stopped struggling and soon went limp in his arms.

“Lorna! What happened? Did it work?” he said anxiously.

“Hnn…Pietro,” she groaned, “What’s going on? I…I’m so confused.”

As difficult as it was to hear her in such pain, her words came as a great relief to Pietro. A relieved smile came over him as he looked down to see that the darkness in her eyes wasn’t there anymore. There was just exhaustion, confusion, and quite a bit of distress. But she was definitely the Lorna he remembered now.

“I think it worked,” said Jean.

“I think so too,” said Scott, “Guess you were right about her.”

“I’ll rub it in your face later,” grinned Pietro, “Thanks Jean. I owe you big.”

“You can repay me later. But let’s just say I sympathize with the power of magic and love.”

That earned her a smile from Scott, who knew what she was referring to. Love and magic sort of went hand in hand with them. It’s part of what brought them together. And Jean weren’t about to let someone like Selene thrust her darkness into it. But more than just saving Lorna, they proved they could get through Selene’s control. That offered hope to more than just Lorna.

While Pietro was still holding Lorna, he looked over towards the now destroyed transports to see his father, Magneto, having too easy a time fighting Piotr, Sam, and Jubilee. In his metal form, Piotr was vulnerable and being used as an oversized projectile to attack Sam and Jubilee. They tried to fight back, but Magneto was just too strong. Upon seeing this, Pietro grit his teeth in determination. He saved one family member, now he had another to work on. But unlike Lorna, he had little affection for his father. Fighting him wasn’t going to be nearly as difficult.

“Jean, you think that spell will work on Magneto?” he asked.

Looking over at the fight, Jean didn’t seem too optimistic.

“I don’t know. It depends on whether or not he’s even fighting it.”

“I’ll see for myself,” said Pietro strongly as he gave Lorna over to Scott, “Get Lorna to safety. I’ve got some long overdue family business to take care of.”

“Do what you have to do, Pietro,” said Scott.

The speedster nodded and sped off towards the battle with father while Scott and Jean got Lorna to the safety of the jet. But when Pietro arrived at the scene with his father and his fellow pawns, he noticed a somewhat lopsided fight. Magneto, despite his mind-controlled state, saw Piotr and went straight for him. He used his metal form against him, controlling it with magnetism and using him as his own indestructible projectile that he guided at high speeds towards Sam and Jubilee, who were trying to distract him.

He watched as Sam tried another attack from the sky, flying up in his blast form and trying to hit Magneto head on. But he was ready for him. He flung Piotr up right at him and disrupted his path just enough so that he missed. And when he tried to fly around for another shot, Magneto directed Piotr over top of him and hammered him down against Sam with so much force that when he hit the ground it made a small crater. Jubilee, who had been trying to shoot him with fireworks, cringed at the sight and ran over to Sam’s aid.

“Sam! Sam, are you okay?” she called out.

“Ugh…Ah’m fine,” he groaned, “Just a monster headache. Magneto’s really throwing his weight around.”

“More like throwing Peter’s weight around,” said Jubilee as she looked up at Piotr, who was still stuck in Magneto’s grip, “You know, nobody would blame you if you de-metaled!”

“I am trying!” exclaimed the Russian, “But the magnetic fields are keeping me in this form somehow!”

“Great, why couldn’t the MGH do anything about that?” groaned Jubilee.

“Sometimes you have to improvise,” said Pietro as he came running up to help Sam back to his feet.

Jubilee helped Pietro, getting Sam back to his feet and ready to fight again. But this time Pietro took charge. This was his fight and like Lorna, he was going to see this one through.

“Ah think Ah can get him this time,” said Sam strongly.

“No, let me take him down. He’s my father,” said Pietro grimly.

“That’s sweet and all, Pietro, but how are you going to get close? Did MGH give you flight powers or something?” said Jubilee.

“No, but I can still get to him! I just need you to blind him for a few seconds. That’s all I need. And Sam, I need you to draw his fire.”

“Why? What are you gonna do?” asked Sam curiously.

“You’ll see,” said Pietro, “Just trust me, okay? I know how to deal with this man.”

Pietro was never much for strategy, but for a personal fight like this Sam was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He knew very well how powerful family could affect someone. And with Pietro, he had plenty more incentive to get the job done.

“Okay, we’ll do what we can,” said Sam, “But whatever you do, make it count.”

“I will,” said the speedster.

Sam, Jubilee, and Pietro then put their plan into action. Sam took on his blast form again and shot up towards Magneto. Only this time he didn’t go for the direct hit. He just swirled around him and got his attention.

“Come on, old man! Show me what you got!” he taunted.

Magneto, still lost in the daze of Selene’s spell, continued using his powers to direct Piotr right at him like a big metal projectile. But this time he didn’t land a hit. Sam was able to avoid him, flying around in circles and getting the master of magnetism a little disoriented. Piotr, who was stuck having to watch, didn’t know what was going on and didn’t like it.

“What are you doing, Sam? Why aren’t you attacking?” he demanded.

“Hold on, big fella! We got a plan!” Sam assured him.

He then looked down at Jubilee, who stood ready to do her part.

“Now Jubilee!” he yelled.

“You got it! Shield your eyes!” she exclaimed.

Piotr and Sam did as she said. Then using her MGH enhanced powers, Jubilee formed a huge burst of flashing fireworks that exploded right in front of Magneto’s face. They weren’t meant to hit or scar him. They were just meant to blind him. And the hot white bursts did just that, exploding in a fury of miniature white explosions. It was so bright the master of magnetism actually dropped Piotr from his magnetic grasp and clutched his eyes. Even though he was under Selene’s control, he was not immune to disorientation.

As soon as he dropped Piotr, that’s when Pietro made his move. Running at nearly full speed, he literally ran right up a nearby cliff and then with his powerful legs he launched himself up into the air right at his disoriented father. Because of his dazed sight, he didn’t’ see him coming and wasn’t able to respond. By the time he did, Pietro was already there. And he made his presence known.

“Magneto!” he yelled in a rage.

With gravity as his guide, Pietro tumbled upon his stunned father and they both fell to the rocky ground below. They hit not far from the crater made by Sam earlier. And since his father was no healer, he was definitely hurt by the impact. Pietro felt some of his bones break and he seemed to have the wind knocked out of him as well. In this stunned state he couldn’t use his magnetic powers so Pietro grabbed him by the neck and ran him up to a wall where he held him in a choke hold. But as much as he wanted to end his father’s life there for all the pain he put him through over the years, he didn’t go through with it just yet.

“Remember me, father? It’s me! Your son! The son you abandoned only to use again! I know you can hear me through that twisted mind of yours!”

Pietro’s harsh words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Magneto’s expression didn’t change. But he saw in his father’s eyes that he did recognize him. He was getting through to him. But Selene’s hold on him remained strong.

“Now you’re the one being used! Can you feel it? That hold I know Selene has on you? That’s what I felt! That’s what Wanda felt! And now look where that’s led us! If you have event he slightest touch of fatherly instinct left in you, you’ll fight this and help us stop Selene! It’ll be at least one decent act for you and your family!”

Magneto was still silent, lost in his daze. But through it Pietro could see the conflict. He was remembering just as Lorna had remembered. Only this revelation didn’t come with any solace or retribution. It came with more anger and more hate. For so long Pietro wanted a chance to yell at his father like this. It felt good to finally have this chance. But he never contemplated his father’s response. How would a man so darkened and lost respond to such harsh words?

After looking his father in the eye with such anger for a moment, he got his response. He saw Magneto raise his hand slightly. Then using his powers, he levitated a large chunk of metal from the ruins of Selene’s transports. And with a grit of determination, he sent it flying towards him at high speeds.

“Pietro, look out!” exclaimed Jubilee.

But Pietro already knew it was coming. And with his speed, he was plenty fast enough to avoid it. In the span of a few microseconds, he got out of the way of the incoming shard. But while he was able to move, his father wasn’t. The shard kept going and that’s when it happened. Time slowed down for Pietro as he watched it plunge into the gut of his father. His expression contorted with a new wave of pain. Since the speed of the shard was so great, he was unable to stop it in time. And it pierced cleanly through his body. He had been so determined to fight back he didn’t think hard enough about what he was doing.

“Augh!” he choked.

“Father…” said Pietro in shock, quickly catching him as he keeled over.

The shard was still sticking out of his body with blood quickly gushing out from the wound. It was definitely lethal and left Pietro stunned. He didn’t think is father would be so foolish, but then again he had a talent for disappointing him. There was so much more he wanted to vent on him. But instead he would have to watch his father die right here.

“You fool,” he said, “But…why?”

Then to his amazement, he looked into his father’s eyes and saw the darkness from Selene’s influence was no longer there. For a moment he looked like the father he remembered. And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a touch of longing in his eyes.

“Pietro…” he said, choking on his own blood, “Please…stop your sister.”

Those were the only words he got out. As soon as he uttered them, he let out a choking gasp and went limp. Pietro could only watch as the life left his frail body. It left him dazed and confused. And as much as he wanted to see him perish for what he had done to him over the years, a part of him was affected by this. For all his foolishness and failures, he was still his father. And he was able to fight through long enough to deliver unto him his final words. There weren’t words of regret or remorse. That was not Magneto. But they were powerful in that they revealed how even he had no desire to see Selene’s darkness reign supreme.

While Pietro stood there in silence, looking at the now dead body of his father, Sam and Jubilee approached him from behind. Piotr was there as well, still dizzy from how Magneto used him as his own personal weapon. And while they knew Pietro wasn’t the most sentimental person in the world, this was still a difficult moment for the speedster.

“Ah’m sorry, Pietro,” said Sam.

“Don’t be,” sighed the speedster, “He chose his path. At least he was strong enough to fight it at the end. And if he made one last gesture as a father, the least I can do is make one as a son and honor his final request.”

“And what’s that?” asked Piotr, still rubbing his head.

“What else…stop my sister,” he said strongly, “And that means stopping Selene!”

While Pietro, Jubilee, Sam, and Piotr gathered themselves, there was another personal affair boiling over not far from them. Only this one didn’t involve family. It involved a quarrel between lovers and enemies. As soon as they stepped out from the temple, Sabretooth went straight for Logan. And as he expected, Mystique was right beside him.

The fight quickly devolved into a bloody brawl with the two former living weapons tearing at each other mercilessly. Sabretooth initially took a huge chunk out of Logan’s right arm, forcing him to fight with only his left arm for a while. Sabretooth used his imposing strength pin Logan down and just tear at him relentlessly, ripping off as much flesh as he could. But this initial attack was short lived. Logan quickly countered by literally kicking him off and shooting back up to his feet. His healing quickly took over, accelerated by the MGH. And his rage was now burning as he eyed his long-time enemy.

Logan sprung with an attack of his own, slashing relentlessly at Sabretooth with his claws. His cat like-reflexes allowed him to dodge them initially, but Logan got off several major blows. He nearly sliced off Sabretooth’s right hand and got in a good stab right into his upper chest. But Creed kept going, countering with a slash of his own. Logan absorbed it and plunged his claws right into his rival’s thigh. This stunned him briefly and negated his reflexes. Using this as his window, he leapt up and plunged both sets of claws down into his shoulders. Creed let out a feral roar, but kept thrashing wildly, trying to shake Logan off. But he wasn’t going to go easily this time.

“This ends now, Creed!” roared Logan.

“Couldn’t agree more, old buddy!” growled Sabretooth, “I don’t care how much you heal, I’m going to rip you limb from limb!”

“Forgetting something?” said Logan with a wolfish grin.

Before Sabretooth could react, Mystique came in and delivered a blow of her own. Taking on the form of a huge, muscular gorilla she slugged Sabretooth in the chest with Logan’s claws still dug into his flesh. It sent him flying back. In the process Logan ripped his claws out, taking a good chunk of Creed’s insides with him, and did a mid-air flip before landing next to his lover. Mystique shifted back to her normal form, smiling at the sight of her former lover now lying bloodied on the rocky ground. This man used her on more than one occasion and it was so satisfying to see him like this.

“You have no idea how good that felt,” grinned Mystique.

“You stupid bitch!” growled Sabretooth as she stammered up, “Thought you had enough the first time around!”

“Oh you think I was just going to let you rape me and then torment the man I love? You’re even dumber than I thought!” spat Mystique.

“Ha! You love, this rodent!” scoffed Sabretooth, “You gotta be fucking kidding me! You two?! Ha! Guess that just gives me twice the torture to inflict!”

Shaking off his pain, Sabretooth lunged at the two of them. They both got out of the way and Logan plunged his claws into Sabretooth’s side this time. But he just let out a feral roar and slugged him hard right across the face, scratching him good in the process. This knocked Logan back briefly. Then Creed reached over and grabbed Mystique, who tried to attack with a jump kick. He caught her in mid air and took her by the neck, holding her in a ruthless choke hold. He may have had something with this woman at one point, but now that she was with his greatest enemy she was officially worthy of his full wrath.

“You know I was going to spare you, Raven. We did have some nice hot times you know,” said Sabretooth with a wolfish grin, “But if you’re going to be sleeping with Logan, you’re going to have to take his place as soon as I kill him! And trust me, I won’t be as gentle as last time!”

Mystique choked a bit, grunting in an effort to break free. This man sickened him. He caused her too much pain and anguish over the years. He was a mistake she hated living with. And she refused to live with it any longer.

“Neither will I,” she grunted.

Suddenly, she shifted her shape. She couldn’t shift into anything too big, so she went the other way. She shifted into a slithery snake that literally slipped through his hands. And as soon as she hit the ground, she returned to her human form and with all her might she delivered a powerful kick to his groin. The feral mutant’s expression immediately tensed with agony and he stumbled back wards towards the edge of the plateau.

“Auuuuggghhhhhh! You fucking bitch!” howled Sabretooth.

But before he could collect himself, Logan came in and finished the job.

“Sabretooth!” he roared as he came in charging.

With all his might, Logan plunged his claws back into Sabretooth’s gut. But even after he was impaled, he kept pushing him further and further to the edge. And before the feral mutant could fight his way off, he had gone too far. He stumbled over the cliff and fell helplessly down the hard, jagged edges of the mountain while howling out the name of his enemy.

“LOGAN!”

With his claws still dripping with Sabretooth’s blood, Logan watched as Creed disappeared into the rocks below. He was wounded and pained, but the fall probably wouldn’t kill him. It would just put him in a world of pain. And that was okay with him. He didn’t deserve such mercy. He deserved to suffer more and he would see to it personally after all this was over.

Mystique walked up next to him and watched Creed fall as well, taking the same sense of satisfaction as Logan in seeing him fall. And for helping to finish the job she wished she could have done long ago, it earned him an affectionate hug and kiss.

“That’s for helping me torment him,” she said, “That bastard deserves far worse.”

“And he’ll get it,” said Logan, hugging her back, “Anybody who messes with my girl is gonna suffer. I’ll make sure of it.”

It was a strange way of chivalry, but Mystique didn’t mind it. That was just Logan’s way of returning her affection. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. But now that Sabretooth was taken care of, they could go onto helping out with the others. And Logan had one fight in particular he knew he would have to help with.

Since the fight broke out, Laura had been attacking Julian with all the rage and fury she had been trained to fight with. Her eyes were red with rage, focused solely on killing her target just as she had done under Zander Rice with Weapon X-23. Only this time her rage was being directed by Selene’s whims. Her focus was on whoever she was targeted to kill and Monet directed her to Julian for a reason. She knew he wouldn’t be able to fight back as easily and it was definitely a struggle.

Julian immediately went on the defensive. He used his telekinesis to form a thick barrier around him that Laura couldn’t get through. But she wouldn’t be denied. She just kept charging harder and faster, roaring in a rage and relentlessly thrashing her claws. She was pretty strong too, forcing Julian to keep his barrier up. As he deflected her attacks, he kept trying to use his new telepathy to get through to her. But having never been trained in probing minds, he wasn’t able to do much to stop her.

“Laura! Ungh! Laura, it’s me! Come on, it’s Julian!” he grunted as he was driven back, “I know you’re still in there! You’re too tough and stubborn for Selene to control you!”

“Hrrrahhhhhhhh!” roared Laura as she kept on attacking.

“Ugh! So much for flattery,” groaned Julian.

He was now backed up against a rock, holding up his telekinetic shields as strong as he could. But Laura just kept coming. She wasn’t even slowing down. That endurance and ruthlessness that he had witnessed in the field (and in the bedroom sometimes) was pushed even further by this rage she was in. He knew he was going to have to fight her, but he didn’t know how he was going to get through to her.

“Damn it, Laura! Don’t make me fight you! I never win when I fight you!” groaned Julian as her claws inched closer with each slash.

But before Laura could get him with his claws, Logan stepped in and tackled Laura away from her target.

“If you can’t, mind if I try, kid?”

Logan immediately went to work, holding her down and using his claws to cut her arms and legs. This did little to slow Laura down. She managed to kick him off, using the claws in her feet to stab him in the process. Then she shot up and lunged towards him in a similar rage, slashing and striking him with all her might. And having just endured a fight with Sabretooth, he was already battered. But he took her every blow and countered by striking her as well, making sure he hit major arteries to cause more bleeding. And even with Laura’s healing, it was effecting her.

“Damn it, Logan! What the hell are you doing?” exclaimed Julian, “You’re going to kill her if you keep bleeding her like that!”

“Will you shut up already?!” growled Logan as he cut her again, this time on the neck, “I know what I’m doing! Selene used some chemical to control her!”

“How do you know that?” said Julian skeptically.

“I’ve read her file! You’ve just read her bra size!” growled Logan, “I smelled it on her the second she came out with Selene. She reeks of it! I’m trying to drain it from her system!”

Julian still didn’t like it, but if Logan cared for Laura as much as he thought he did he had no reason to doubt him for it. He did know her a little better since she was his clone. But it still left him worried.

He watched as Logan kept attacking and cutting Laura, bleeding her and opening old wounds that had healed over. She bled so much large puddles of her blood formed around her. Eventually, it started to affect her. Her attacks slowed and her expression became more dazed. She was losing energy and strength, allowing Logan to gain the upper hand. He soon had her pinned up against the same rock she pinned Julian against earlier. There he cut her some more, this time around the neck. So much blood was pouring out Julian nearly threw up. But he kept his strength and watched anxiously as Logan tried to get through to her.

“Come on, Laura! Get this stuff out of your system! You can beat it! Just get a hold of yourself! You don’t want this ending like it did with your mother!” said Logan.

But as soon as he mentioned her mother, she let out another roar of anger. She was still unable to get over it. The chemical was either still in her system or it had permanent effects on her. Logan cut her some more, but he was beginning get a bad feeling.

“The chemical should be drained from her system! Why isn’t this working?!” growled Logan.

“Maybe it’s affected her mind too much,” said Julian, “Maybe I can get in and fix it.”

“Fix it?! Kid, you can barely fix breakfast!”

“At least let me try!” exclaimed Julian, “I may not know dick about telepathy, but I know a thing or two about saving people I care about! Now hold her still so I can work!”

Logan didn’t like this. He was never all that fond of Julian. His affections for Laura had always concerned him because he always thought of him as just some punk with an attitude. But he clearly cared about her. That much was clear. And he remembered how far he went for Mystique and Jean. If anything could motivate this kid to not screw up, it was his feelings for Laura.

Logan did his part while Julian carefully moved in and placed his hands on her head. At first she thrashed a bit, trying to break free and attack. But Logan held her firmly in place. Julian then took a deep breath and prepared to begin the probe.

“Please don’t let me screw this up,” he groaned.

“Then don’t. Or I’ll just let her go so she can kill you,” growled Logan.

That wasn’t very encouraging, but Julian didn’t have time to fight with him. He focused his mind and with every bit of skill and focus he learned in his time at the Hellfire Club, he entered Laura’s mind. It was a strange sensation. Her thoughts were a mess, most likely an effect of the drug. He could still feel her memories, thoughts, and emotions. But they were disconnected and turned off, as if the drug had severed those parts of her brain.

‘Okay Laura, if Selene made you forget who you are I guess I’ll just have to remind you. And if I screw something up, I’ll make it up to you all you want later. I promise.’

Intensifying his focus Julian began turning on and reconnecting all those parts of Laura’s mind that had been severed. It wasn’t easy. It was like trying to rearrange a web of wires blindfolded. But as soon as he started making connections, it got easier and easier. It wasn’t long before the connections started making themselves. All the old memories and feelings that made up the girl he had grown so close to were coming back. Laura was literally willing herself back to sanity.

“She’s doing it! She’s doing it!” said Julian.

Then when the last connection was made, Laura let out a pained groan and went limp. Logan quickly caught her. At first he wasn’t sure if Julian helped her or her hurt. He was about to yell at him for it at the top of his lungs, but then he heard Laura’s pained voice through the daze.

“Hnn…Logan? Julian?” she said.

“Laura!” exclaimed Logan, “That’s it, kid! Come back to us!”

“Ungh…don’t…call me…kid.”

“Oh yeah, she’s definitely back,” grinned Julian.

When Laura heard his voice, she managed a slight smile. It wasn’t much since she was so weak she could barely stay awake. But it was enough for Julian. He smiled warmly, helping to comfort her in an otherwise confusing position. He knew she could get through this. She was every bit as tough as he thought she was. Even Selene could never taint that.

Logan let out a sigh of relief and gave Julian a look of approval. For an arrogant punk, he really pulled through. His feelings for Laura must have been stronger than he thought for him to go through this for her. That still didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give him a hard time, but this definitely earned him a little trust on his part. But that was an issue to deal with after they got through with Selene.

And Logan wasn’t the only one lending help to family. Upon finishing with Sabretooth, Mystique went to assist Rogue in handling Betsy. At first it seemed like an easy fight for Rogue. She was stronger and more powerful. But she quickly found out that Betsy was determined not to fail this time and employed her telepathy at full strength to keep Rogue at bay. The fight began with Rogue trying to get in close enough to drain her. But Betsy kept her distance by giving her a full-powered migraine that kept her from activating her powers. And when she tried to use brute strength, Betsy responded with ninja agility and a barrage of psionic blades. While Rogue was able to take the blows, it only made her telepathic onslaught worse.

“Had enough yet, luv?” said Betsy as she flung several blades at Rogue as she was kept back a good ten feet from her.

“Ungh! Get outta mah mind!” groaned Rogue as she tried to lunge forth.

“Sorry luv, brains over brawn,” taunted Betsy, “I may have spent a good deal of my life being used, but I will NOT spend it with failure! And I don’t care how strong you are! I will not fail again!”

Rogue tried to take to the air and launch an air assault. But before she got too far her head started throbbing again and she tumbled to the ground in agony. Betsy didn’t let up, charging in for another attack. She was armed with two oversized blades, ready to plunge them into her invulnerable form. Rogue could do nothing but brace herself. But even in her durable state, she wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take.

But just as Betsy was about to strike Rogue, Mystique stepped in and delivered a punishing flying kick right into the hip of purple haired ninja.

“Ugh!” groaned Betsy.

“You think I’m just going to let you beat up on my daughter?” said Mystique in a threatening tone.

“You’re not making this any easier on her,” warned Betsy, “Strike me again and I’ll warp her mind beyond repair!”

“Do that and you’ll suffer a fate much worse than failure!”

Mystique lunged at Betsy and attacked. Betsy’s ninja agility allowed her to dodge and avoid her strikes. Still armed with her blades, she was able to strike back at the shape shifter. But they hit nothing but air at first. They were both too nimble. Mystique tried a sweep kick followed by a grab maneuver, but Betsy wouldn’t let her execute anything. She had even more determination than usual, much more than the rest of Selene’s minions. She was really serious about not failing this task. But Mystique had no intention of failing herself.

She let Betsy go on the offensive again. She took a few cuts from her blades in the process, but she gradually allowed her to move her back towards a rock formation. Once there she bided her time, waiting for the right moment. Then when Betsy swung her blade with extra force and got it stick in a rock she made her move. She shifted into a huge fifty foot anaconda and attacked, slithering around her entire body and tensing her ever muscle to choke her into submission. It was an unexpected tactic that Betsy hadn’t prepared for. It left her disoriented and unbalanced. She was also running short on air.

“Ack! You think…this can stop me?” she grunted.

“I’m not trying to,” hissed Mystique, “I’m just making you vulnerable for this!”

Betsy then felt a presence behind her and before she could react, she felt two powerful hands on her face. She quickly realized those hands belonged to Rogue and she was draining the life out of her. Betsy immediately tried to form a psionic blade to cut her way free, but Mystique’s hold on her was too firm and so was Rogue’s.

It wasn’t long before she was so drained she could barely stay conscious. When Mystique felt this she let her go, shifting back to her normal form. Rogue didn’t drain her completely. She just held on until she was too weak to fight. The way she figured, if she stayed weakened they could punish her more later. But Betsy’s desire not to fail was even stronger than she expected.

“Nooooo!” she gasped as she lay limply on the ground.

“Sorry sugah. You’re done,” said Rogue, “Y’all got a lot to answer for.”

“I…I can’t fail!” she said, “Not again! I’d rather die than fail again!”

“Are you going to beg meh to kill you? Because Ah ain’t one for mercy,” said Rogue sternly.

Betsy then looked up at the two women. They were right. They wouldn’t show her mercy. But she was still determined not to fail. And she didn’t care if that meant betraying the darkness instilled in her by Selene.

“If…if you won’t grant me mercy. How about a deal?” said Betsy.

“A deal? What kind of deal could you offer at a time like this?” said Rogue.

“My…my powers,” she said, “You’re very strong, Rogue. But you’re vulnerable to telepaths. Take my powers completely and you’ll have my telepathy permanently. You’re weakness will become a strength. All I ask in return is that you let me die as I should have long ago.”

It was a strange deal to say the least. This girl really didn’t want to deal with more failure. She was willing to offer her powers as payment for it. It was a tempting offer, one that would make Rogue even stronger. She thought about it for a moment. It wouldn’t be an act of mercy, but it would be sparing Betsy of more punishment. She turned to her mother.

“What do you think, mama?” she asked.

Mystique looked down at Betsy with a mix of pity and scorn.

“It’s a reasonable deal,” said Mystique, “And if there’s one thing Xavier taught me it’s that reasonable deals should never be scoffed at. I say take it.”

Rogue nodded in agreement. It made sense. They would both be getting something they wanted. And it would give her another tool she could fight her enemies with. She remembered how much a difference her strength and flight powers made. Having telepathy would make her even more formidable.

“Alright then,” said Rogue, “Ah’ll take your deal, Betsy. Ah may not like ya for what ya did, but Ah’m a reasonable gal.”

“Thank you,” said Betsy, “Just…get it over with quickly.”

Rogue bent over and placed her hand on Betsy’s face to finish the job. And just as she did with Miss Marvel before, she held on long and hard until every last bit of life energy was taken. But unlike Miss Marvel, as soon as she felt Betsy’s presence in her mind she didn’t fight it. She just let it go, allowing it to fade into oblivion just as Betsy requested. She could have kept her imprisoned for her transgressions. But a deal was a deal and unlike Selene, she honored those deals.

Once it was over, the body of Betsy Braddock lay limp and lifeless. Rogue groaned as she clenched her head, now hearing a wave of new thoughts. But Mystique was there to catch her. And when the discomfort passed, she smiled proudly at her. She always wanted her children to be strong and this was just another part of it.

“That’s gonna take some gettin’ used to,” said Rogue, rubbing her temples.

“You’ll figure it out. You are my daughter after all,” said Mystique, “Now let’s finish this. We have to get to Selene. And we have to find Kurt.”

While Mystique helped her daughter gather herself, Warren’s battle against Ororo and Remy was taking a turn for the worse. As soon as the battle started, Warren took to the air and tackled Ororo. She tried shaking him off with a tornado and a burst of rain. But he wouldn’t let go. He just kept beating on her and striking her, trying to knock her out. He managed to get her to the ground. There Remy assaulted him, hitting him with a barrage of energy blasts. But Warren was able to take to the skies again to avoid them. Ororo quickly flew up after him, looking to hit him with a burst of lighting. But he managed to grab her again and make it so lightning was no longer viable unless she wanted to hurt herself. But as soon as he saw what happened to Betsy, the winged mutant faltered.

“No…Betsy!” he gasped, “I’ll make you all pay for that!”

He started ruthlessly choking Ororo, forcing her to step up the winds and rain around her. Warren was so enraged now he was ready to choke her to death. And Ororo found it difficult to concentrate and break free of his iron grip.

“Ack! Remy…anytime please!” she gasped.

Down below, Remy was trying to be careful. He didn’t want to hit his lover with this shot. He had to make this one count so it ended the fight completely. He charged up the biggest ball of energy yet. But because of the winds Ororo and Warren were spinning. And judging by the look in Warren’s eyes, he was ready to end her right there. He had to take his shot.

“Hang on, cherè! Just brace yourself!” he urged her.

The Cajun thief took the shot, sending the huge burst of energy right at Warren and Ororo. They were still spinning in mid-air. But just as they spun around with Warren’s back facing towards him, the blast struck. And it hit him right in the wings, causing a small explosion that he took the brunt end of.

“Auuugghhh!” exclaimed Warren.

He let go of Ororo and went limp in mid air. Ororo stumbled a bit to get him off, but once he did she pulled away to catch her breath. She turned around just in time to see Warren impact the hard ground. His wings looked mangled, if not broken. Remy’s blast hit hard and he was clearly in a world of pain. Having taken some of the blast herself, Ororo flew back down to meet her lover. There Warren tried to grab her again.

“Not this time, young man,” she said as she kicked him in the face to knock him out.

“That’s my cherè,” grinned Remy proudly.

“You couldn’t have aimed just a little better?” said the African thief, rubbing her sore neck.

“Aww, Remy’s sorry if he put a little too much into it,” he said with an innocent grin, “But don’t worry. Remy promises he’ll make it up to you later.”

“You better,” said Ororo, managing a smile.

With Warren now down, Selene’s forces were dwindling. Not far from Ororo and Remy, Bobby, Rahne, and Kitty were going up against Roberto and Tabitha. It seemed appropriate given they were part of the second new wave of young pawns to come in and used to work closely when they first arrived. But there was little respect or friendship between them now. Roberto and Tabitha had gone with Selene and even as their comrades fell, they fought on.

Roberto and Bobby remained locked in a battle of fire and ice. Bobby kept trying to freeze him while Roberto kept trying to burn him. Their blasts were constantly canceling each other out, creating dense bursts of steam. Bobby kept trying to stay agile by swirling around him on ice slides. Roberto kept trying to shoot him down with solar bursts. His anger fueled his fires, driven by the darkness that Selene had instilled in him. And Bobby’s constant taunting didn’t help either.

“That the best you can do, hotshot? No wonder I get more girls than you! I bet they don’t even work up a sweat around you!” he told him.

“Come a little closer and we’ll see how sharp that wit of yours is, Drake!” yelled Roberto.

“Thanks, but no thanks! I’m having too much fun pummeling you like this!”

Bobby formed a pile of snowballs in his hands and started heaving them relentlessly at him. Most evaporated as they hit his face, but they were still annoying and threw off his aim. But he kept on shooting, keeping Bobby on the move.

While Roberto and Bobby fought, Kitty, Rahne, and Tabitha were going hand-to-hand. Early on, Tabitha used huge balls of energy to cause deafening blasts that stunned Rahne because of her sensitive hearing. And while she was stunned, she took her down with a hard punch to the jaw. Kitty quickly came to her aid. Tabitha kept trying to form energy bombs to throw at her, but Kitty kept phasing through and striking back. Having been more attentive during training, Kitty was much better at combat. Tabitha’s burning anger and hatred kept her going, fueled by Selene’s darkness. Kitty was surprised how much tougher it made her, but it didn’t hold her back.

“Hold still, kitty cat!” yelled Tabitha as she wildly threw energy bombs at the ground around her feet, “Time to be put down!”

“You really should have paid more attention to training, Tabby,” Kitty taunted, “If you did you would know the value of teamwork! Right Rahne?”

“Aye, Kitty! Let’s give her a little example!”

Tabitha threw another round of bombs at her. Kitty phased right through them and attacked. Tabitha prepared to block her, but to her surprise Kitty walked right through her and came up behind her. And before she could react, she grabbed Tabitha from behind and flung her over towards Rahne with a special take down maneuver taught to her by Wolverine. Once Rahne had her in her grasps, she growled menacingly at her and using her superior canine strength she threw her over towards Roberto. And since Roberto was so focused on Bobby, he didn’t notice her coming in. When she hit, they both tumbled to the ground.

“Ugh! Damn it, Tabitha! Pull yourself together!” yelled Roberto as he pushed her off, “We can’t afford to slow down now!”

“Speak for yourself,” grinned Bobby as he moved in closer.

Then before Roberto could fire up his powers again, Bobby hit him with an extra strong ice blast. Thanks to MGH, it was much more potent than the ones he shot him with before. These were so intense it formed a thick layer of ice all around Roberto’s body. It was so thick it was like he became encased in a boulder of snow. Bobby kept adding onto it, making it colder and thicker. When he finally felt he was solid he slid down an ice slide next to it and stood in triumph.

“That should cool you down,” said Bobby.

“You sure about that?” said Kitty who came up beside him.

They watched as a distinct reddish glow started emanating from within the giant ice ball. Flames started shooting through, causing bursts of steam and slush to come pouring out. Bobby and Kitty took a step back, allowing the snow and ice to fall off. Soon the ice shell cracked and Roberto came bursting out. Only now he wasn’t covered in his usual hot flames. He was back in his normal form, looking tired and exhausted. He was also shivering. He fell to the ground and tried desperately to ignite again. But Bobby wouldn’t let him.

“Oh no you don’t!” he said, grabbing him by the throat, “You’re going to take a nice little nap with your friends!”

Bobby then formed a thick boxing glove of ice around his fist and slugged Roberto hard across the face, effectively knocking him out. He then casually let his body fall limply to the ground. He seemed triumphant for a moment, but then Kitty noticed Tabitha trying to get up.

“Looks like I didn’t throw her hard enough,” said Rahne.

“I can fix that!” grinned Bobby.

Still armed with his ice boxing glove, Bobby finished Tabitha off with another blow to the face. It knocked her out just like Roberto. She fell limply to the ground next to the Brazilian mutant. She was effectively out of the fight and so were most of Selene’s minions. Bobby and Kitty stood triumphant over them with Rahne, taking a strong satisfaction in the beating they put on them. These two took part in the torture Selene inflicted on them and now they were paying the price.

“I’d say we’re winning,” said Bobby confidently.

“Don’t get too cocky,” warned Rahne, “We still have to get to Selene.”

“She doesn’t stand a chance!” he scoffed, “Let’s hook up with the others and put her on ice!”

With every other minion of Selene’s taken down, that left only Monet standing. She and Warpath had been tearing at each other since it all began. Bearing the same advanced reflexes, strength, and durability as Warpath they quickly fought to a stalemate. Even with MGH, Warpath was unable to contend with her telepathic advantage. She was able to read his thoughts and stay a step ahead of him even with greater speed. Every attack he made, she countered. Every time he tried to grab her, she slipped away. And when he did get a hand on her, she hit him with a psychic assault. It stunned him, but didn’t stop him.

The fight raged. Warpath tried to hit her with a four punch combo, but she picked up on it and countered with a roundhouse kick. The Apache warrior was able to duck and avoid it, countering with a sweep kick of his own. Monet managed to jump and dodge that, somersaulting away and lunging back at him with dark rage in her eyes. Like all the others, the darkness seemed to give her extra strength. It was almost like a form of MGH. And with Monet she worked it to perfection, staying a step ahead of Warpath with every move.

“Ha! Is that all you got?” taunted Monet, “Face it, Warpath! You can’t beat perfection!”

“You sound pretty cocky for someone whose just lost all her support!” grunted Warpath as he missed again with another kick.

“Oh please, do you really think beating me or my little comrades will stop Mistress Selene?” scoffed Monet, “You’re just making it harder on yourselves! Our Mistress’s triumph is inevitable! Soon she will reign supreme! And this world will fall into a perfect darkness!”

“Is that all there is to you, Monet?” grunted Warpath as he missed again, “Making the world as perfect as you in some form or another?”

“Who said I wanted to make the world perfect?” laughed Monet, “It’s not the goal that has to be flawless. It’s the plan! Mistress Selene has done something I’ve always sought, but never could! She’s put together a perfect plan to completely redo this world! When you live like me, seeing imperfection wherever you go, you understand when it gets to a point where you just have to tear it all down and start from scratch!”

Then Monet struck him with a particularly hard blow to the gut, causing the Apache warrior to keel over.

“Augh!” he groaned.

“You’re hardly perfect so you’ll never understand,” said Monet as she grabbed him by the hair and prepared to strike hima gain, “You’ll just be a pawn in Mistress Selene’s plan.”

“Maybe you’re right,” groaned Warpath, “But I do understand THIS!”

With a hard grunt, Warpath lunged forth and head-butted Monet right on the forehead. She was so caught up taunting him she didn’t pick up on it with her telepathy. As soon as she was stunned, Warpath summoned his rage and strength and delivered a devastating series of punches to the face. He then finished it off with a powerful kick to the chest that sent her flying back towards the steps of the temple. Despite her invulnerability, Monet felt it and struggled to get up.

“Ungh…you oversized brute!” grunted Monet, “Don’t you get it?! You’ve already lost! You’ve all lost!”

She was about to begin another attack when suddenly the ground started shaking. It felt like an earthquake coming from deep within the mountain. It got intense quickly, causing even Monet and Warpath to lose their balance. The others quickly noticed too. Scott, Jean, Piotr, Rogue, Pietro, Logan, Mystique, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty, Sam, Julian, Rahne, Remy, Ororo, and Deadpool were gathering around the base to the temple when Warpath struck Monet. Some lost their balance. Others started noticing cracks forming in the plateau.

It was an ominous sign. The whole mountain was becoming unstable. To Monet it was a sign that Mistress Selene had succeeded with the ritual. It meant that she had succeeded. The ritual was complete and darkness was going to reign supreme!

“Ha! You feel that? That’s Mistress Selene completing the ritual that will destroy you all!” she proclaimed, “Face it! It’s over!”

For a moment the Hellfire Pawns stood silent and stoic. Then to Monet’s surprise and dismay, they all started smiling. They knew something she didn’t. This rumbling wasn’t a result of Mistress Selene or her ritual. It was the result of something else. And it was something that may very well spell doom for Selene and her ultimate plan.

“Whew, I don’t know what that girl is on, but I want some!” laughed Deadpool

“What? What is this? Why are you all smiling?!” demanded Monet.

Jean, who sensed the disturbance even before it happened, walked up to the confused Monet and stared down at her. She like the rest of her minions made a grave mistake choosing to follow Selene. Now they were about to find out that they weren’t the only ones with a few devious tricks of their sleeves. Selene could run and hide all she wanted. But she could never hide from the Hellfire Club.

“This rumbling isn’t from your side, it’s from ours,” said Jean in a taunting leer, “This little ritual of yours ends here! And if I were you I’d brace yourself. Because Selene and every other one of her minions is about to get a harsh reminder in Hellfire justice.”

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Up next: It all finally comes to ahead. Everything Selene and Xavier have fought over is about to come to an end. And from the darkness, secrets will be revealed and the ultimate fate of the Hellfire Club will take shape.