New Blood III: Triumph of Darkness

New Blood
Chapter 8: First Strike

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Sinister’s Secret Lab

Mr. Sinister lost his humanity a long time ago. It left him over a century ago in the days where he talked evolution with Charles Darwin himself. Back then society was simpler, yet more barbaric. Today society was more sophisticated, yet more corrupt. It seemed as though there was no room for true progress. And that always bothered him. It was what led him to this monumental point in his life, crafting a new generation of advanced mutants that would give rise to a new species. And unlike humanity, this species would overcome every flaw humanity couldn’t.

Decades of research and countless resources had finally come together in the form of twelve mutant infants, each of whom had been secretly sired by the women of the Hellfire Club without their knowledge. And after months developing in a bio tank and incubator, they were now fully formed and viable for the next step. And while Sinister may not have his humanity, he still had the capacity for affection in his wondrous creations.

“Beautiful…” he said as he stroked the innocent face of one of the infants, “They’re all so beautiful.”

It wouldn’t be long now. His infants would provide him the pieces and he would be the one to put them all together. He would be like God himself in the book of Genesis, giving life to Adam. Only this creation would not fall. His creation would be truly dominant.

As he smiled down at the sleeping youths, the monitoring console that had been keeping the children docile started flashing. Sinister looked up to see that the secure messaging system he used to communicate was indicating an incoming contact. That could only be one of two people, Hank or Selene. And he already had a feeling it wasn’t Hank. Sighing to himself, he went to answer the call.

“What is it? I’m busy,” he said upon hitting the button on the console.

“I’m sure you are, Essex. But you’ll have to drop what you’re doing and begin packing up. The next part of my plan is set to begin.”

“I don’t see why you can’t do it without me, Selene. My children have just gotten out of the incubators. They are still in a fragile state.”

“Don’t make excuses, Sinister! You knew this was coming! We’re going to be moving out soon and you and your ‘children’ will be coming with us!”

Sinister held back a curse. As much as he owed this woman for helping him carry out his plans, she was still insufferable. She had no patience, no subtlety, and no class. But as part of their deal, he had to oblige. She did her part now he would have to do his.

“Now I’ve already sent a team of my elite guards. They will help you pack your equipment up and get it to a transport that will be waiting for you atop X-Industrial. I’ll meet you there later once I take care of things on my end.”

“I’ll be waiting,” muttered Sinister, “Have you set up the new lab according to my specifications?”

“Oh don’t you worry about that. Everything has been taken care of. I’ve made sure of it. Just do your part and you’ll get what you want. We all will.”

“That had better be the case,” said Sinister strongly, “I’ve worked too long and too hard to have my plans falter at this point.”

“Believe me, Sinister. I know how you feel. But all our hard work will pay off soon. You’ll see. Everyone shall see.”

With those ominous words, the communication link went down and Sinister was left to do his part. Looking back at the children he created, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about this. He had always been suspicious of Selene. Making a deal with her was always a gamble. But for the past year she had delivered on all her promises so far. She kept Xavier off his back, provided him with resources, and helped him along in his research. He knew he was going to have to pay her back eventually. He had already done some minor ‘side-projects’ for her, but this was much bigger. But he wasn’t so naïve to think that she still wouldn’t betray him. Luckily, he had prepared for that.

Before his started packing up his equipment, he had to get in touch with his apprentice, Hank McCoy. Over the years the young man had taken strongly to him. Like him, his humanity had been slowly drained out of him over the years. But lately, some of that humanity was rearing its head because of his friendship with Rahne Sinclair. He made no secret of his disapproval, but had little time to scorn him over it. He could only hope his tutelage would remain stronger at this late hour. He would need it if he was to do what he was about to ask him.

“Okay Hank, time to prove your worth,” he said as he opened up a new link, “For all our sake I hope you don’t screw this up.”

Hank’s Lab

It was a confusing time for Hank McCoy. Sinister had been even busier than usual lately, and for him that was really something. And he had him working overtime as well. These past few months he was doing all these ‘side-projects’ as he called them. Sinister wouldn’t tell him what they were or what they were for. He just said they were necessary for his work. And being the good pupil he was, Hank didn’t ask questions. He just did as he was told and went about his business.

But his work was not without distractions. During this busy and confusing time, Rahne continued to visit him. She didn’t ask too many questions about his work or what Sinister was up to. She just came there to talk to him and he was always there to listen. Most of the time, she talked about how she was dealing with her abilities. Over the course of the last year she had made a lot of progress in accepting her feral nature. The woman who was once so torn between her human form and animal form had found a nice balance and she owed much of it to the advice he gave her. And while Sinister constantly warned him about her being a distraction, he couldn’t help but grow fond of her.

But he tried not to let it show. His loyalty was to Sinister from beginning to end. He was the one who taught him everything about science and mutation. He was the one who opened his eyes to the devolving world around him. He was obligated to serve him and this was no exception.

“So the neural interface software program is complete? Are you sure you debugged it properly?”

“Yes sir, I used all the specifications you gave me to their full effect. The program is sound. I made sure of it,” said Hank as he looked at the image of his mentor through a camera on his laptop.

“I’ll do one final check just in case. Send it to me through an encrypted line and I’ll forward it along.”

“Very well, sir. You’ll have it in less than five minutes. But I must remind you I’ve never programmed malicious software of this nature. I’m not sure it will interface properly with a normal computer network.”

“Let me worry about that, my boy. I’ve already taken care of it. Now what about that other little program I told you about?”

“Which one? You’ve given me many,” said Hank cryptically.

“You know…the one I had to give you on a piece of paper instead of an email.”

Hank’s demeanor shifted. He had been around Sinister long enough to know what he was referring to whenever he made such vague references. It was necessary if he was to keep his mind clear of secrets. This was no exception, but he was smart enough to know what he was doing with this. He was also smart enough not to make a big deal about it.

“Ah yes, that little task. Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of that as well,” Hank assured him, “It’s all set up just as you requested.”

“Excellent, then we’re ready to move on. Now be very careful because what goes on after this is critical. I can’t give you the details, but you must do exactly as I say!”

“I understand, sir. You can count on me. That I promise you.”

“Be sure that I can. Your first and most important task is to stay in the lab while I carry out a few important tasks. Do not even attempt to leave it. Just sit at your desk and pretend you’re busy. Don’t leave for anything, including Rahne. Understand?”

“That seems simple enough,” shrugged Hank.

“Don’t be too naïve, Hank. When I say stay I mean it. You may or may not see signs of serious distress throughout the network and throughout the organization. And no matter how serious a matter it may seem, you are to do nothing! Is that clear?”

He was being more forceful than usual. Sinister was never usually like this unless something very serious was going on. And judging by the look in his eyes over the monitor it wasn’t just serious, it was grave. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what that implied, but never-the-less he nodded in affirmation.

“I understand, sir,” he told him.

“Good, I put a lot of faith in you, Hank. Make sure that faith is not in vain. I’ll call you soon when the time is right. Until then, you know what to do.”

“Yes sir. I’ll be waiting,” said Hank flatly.

The video link on his laptop went dead and Hank was left to digest this. It was very rare Sinister was this intent about something. It was even rarer that he would ask him to just do nothing like this and stay in the lab like this. But he was sure it was for a reason. Sinister always had a reason. But he couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this. Something was about to happen…something major. He was sure he could keep Sinister’s secrets like he always did. He just couldn’t allow himself to get too distracted.

Just as he was closing his laptop, the door to his lab opened and in walked the one person who he couldn’t afford to see at the moment. It was Rahne and she was all but oblivious to what just happened.

“Hello Hank. Do ye have a moment?”

“Um…this is somewhat a bad time, Rahne,” said Hank, quickly scrambling to gather his things, “Can it wait until later?”

“I’ve been waiting till later for the last month and a half. How much later do you want me to wait?” she said as she walked up to him, “I know ye be a busy man, but I need to talk to ye about something. It’s important.”

Hank could hear Sinister’s voice in his head telling him to turn away and do his job. But when he saw the serious look in Rahne’s eyes he was unable to heed that voice. He just couldn’t turn away from this girl. She was one of the few he could he could genuinely relate to. So he turned to face her, trying not to look too distressed.

“I’m sorry, my dear. Please, go on,” he told her.

Rahne smiled and sat up on his desk.

“I’m sure ye noticed, but lately there’s been a lot going on here lately. Ever since the Hand incident, it’s been pretty nasty. It seems as though we’ve been fighting them day and night, but they be like cockroaches. No matter how much ye stomp on them they keep coming back.”

“Well I’m sure Charles Xavier and Selene will keep stomping. This organization is too powerful to just let some ninjas take us down.”

“Aye, but that’s not what worries me,” she said distantly, “Everybody seems to be getting the same bad feeling lately. It’s like we all know this stuff be worse than it looks, but nobody is willing to admit it. We all just think the Inner Circle is too powerful to fail.”

“Are you implying it’s not?” asked Hank.

“No, I’m just saying that’s a dangerous mindset. And it shows whenever we go out to fight the Hand. I know I’ve had me share of action. Bounty hunting the Hand is quite the challenge. But I’ve been able to manage it. And that’s sort of why I’m here.”

The young Scottish girl then turned towards the imposing ape-man who so few got close to.

“When I look back on what I was before I came here and what I am now, I think I can be saying with complete certainty that I never would have been able to handle this without your help. You’re the one who taught me how to embrace not just my animal side, but every side of who I be. It’s made me stronger in a fight and better at as a bounty hunter. And there be plenty of times when that strength has saved me life.”

Then what happened next caught him off guard. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. It wasn’t a normal peck either. It was almost like a nibble as a real animal would give to a mate. And it said a lot to him.

“I guess I just wanted to say thank you,” she said, “I know ye be a complicated man. But ye be a man I’m glad to know. I’m not the best when it comes to affection. Just ask me mother. But I just thought ye should know ye be special to me.”

Hank tried not to react too emotionally to her words, but it was hard after hearing those words. He knew Rahne’s reputation. She was a ruthless bounty hunter who was known for leaving claw marks on her lovers. She was a product of the Hellfire Club so showing affection was rare. But when it was shown it was especially meaningful. And for someone like him who was also so emotionally hardened it was very powerful.

“I…don’t know what to say, Rahne,” he said, trying to hide the emotion in his tone.

“That’s a first,” she laughed, “But ye don’t have to say anything.”

“May I at least say, you’re welcome?” he said, managing a smile.

“Sure, I guess that works,” she said with another laugh, “You do have a way with words.”

“I like to think so.”

There was a moment of silence. Rahne kept smiling while Hank tried to remain stoic. But a smile eventually crept across his face.

“I suppose I should also thank you, Rahne. You’ve been great company these past few months,” said Hank, “I know I am not the most exciting person to be around.”

“That’s okay. I get enough excitement hunting my enemies,” she grinned.

Rahne got off his desk and smiled.

“Glad we could get that out,” she said, “Now what do ye say ye take a break from this and spend some time at the Manor? I’m sure we can have a little animal fun before the next fight with the Hand breaks out!”

It was a tempting offer. But Sinister’s orders were explicit. He was not to leave the lab. For a moment he debated with himself. If what he sensed from Sinister was any indication, there was a good reason why he had him stay. But that only made him more anxious because that meant Rahne could be a part of it. He was in a true dilemma. He had Rahne and Sinister pulling him in opposite directions. But he had to make a choice. And despite what his instinct told him, his loyalty to Sinister won out.

“As nice as that sounds, I have some things I need to finish,” he told her, turning away so she wouldn’t see any hint of lying in him, “Sinister gave me specific orders and you know how he is about deadlines.”

“Fair enough,” she sighed, “But Sinister’s been keeping ye on a pretty short leash lately. Any idea when he’s going to loosen up?”

“I…can’t say for certain,” he said, still looking away, “But I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”

“Okay then,” she shrugged, “I guess I be seeing you around.”

“Of course,” said Hank distantly, “Farewell, Rahne. Be careful.”

Rahne smiled at him one last time before leaving. He still didn’t look back at her, but she didn’t chide him for it. She knew Hank was not very emotional. But something about him still seemed a little off. He almost sounded sad when he said goodbye to her. It was a curious matter, especially with that last comment. She would have to remember it because chances were it had something to do with Sinister. Whatever was going on, she hoped it wasn’t too severe. Hank may have been trained by Sinister, but he wasn’t as sadistic as Sinister. Hopefully, he would remember that.

Once she was gone, Hank’s expression sank. The lab was going to feel a lot lonelier now that he was obligated to stay here until Sinister gave the word. He wished he could follow Rahne, but he couldn’t turn away from his mentor. Sinister had done too much for him to turn back now. But Rahne was making it difficult. Whatever was going to happen next was going to happen. He didn’t care what happened to anybody else, but he hoped she didn’t get too caught up in it. Otherwise he might not be able to heed his mentor’s words.

Muir Island

Wanda Maximoff never thought she would come here again. When she first arrived at the Hellfire Club, she swore to herself that she would avoid this situation at all costs. But times had changed. She had changed. She was no longer the reclusive and mysterious Scarlet Witch, the mutant woman who nobody understood. She had become a champion of darkness, consumed with the burning fires of hate, passion, and lust. It had come to dominate her personality and her character. She was also more powerful than she ever could have imagined. Her magical talents were second only to Selene and her hexing powers had become a vital tool. But as much as she had changed, her life still revolved around one simple goal and that was to serve Mistress Selene.

Wanda had been working with her in the shadows for years now, lying to her brother and everyone else in the Hellfire Club. The more she lied the more she relied on Mistress Selene. And the more she relied on her, the more dedicated she became to her cause. It was a self-reinforcing cycle and it had gotten to a point where she knew no other will than that of her Mistress. If she decreed it, she would carry it out. And last night she decreed to her that she was to break her long standing vow never to come to this place. It was necessary if they were to carry out the task that lay before them.

Muir Island was silent for the most part. Forge was away on some trip with Xavier so the only major presence on the island was the various Hellfire workers who carried out the day to day tasks of managing this advanced facility. Mistress Selene had already organized her trip, making sure Xavier didn’t know too much about it and that it would not appear in the logs. As far as he was concerned they were on a mission searching for mystical artifacts being pursued by the Hand. And for anybody who did take note, Wanda made sure they kept it to themselves. But as she made her way through the bowls of the facility, she couldn’t help but be a little tense. Her partner and lover, Kurt, took notice.

“How are you holding up, my love?” he asked her.

“I’ll manage,” said Wanda in her usual dark tone.

“Are you sure? You look very anxious and I don’t like to see you anxious, liebe.”

“I’m not anxious, Kurt,” she said sternly, “I’m just a little unnerved about being here.”

“Of course,” he said meekly, “Please forgive my insinuations, but I was just concerned. It has been a long time since you’ve seen him, after all.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it hasn’t been long enough. But personal bitterness aside, this is what Mistress Selene wants. She says if her plan is to succeed, we’ll need him as a puppet and a tool.”

Kurt nodded in affirmation, not arguing with his love or Mistress Selene’s orders. If this is what she wanted they were in no position to question her. And he was in no position to question Wanda. His love for her trumped every other desire and reason. Nothing else mattered. He knew it was wrong on some levels, but he was too deep into this pit of darkness to turn back now.

After passing through several layers of the best security Hellfire’s wealth and power could afford, Wanda and Kurt stood at the final barrier. It was heavily guarded by several masked Hellfire guards armed with some of the most advanced lethal weapons in the world. They didn’t say a word when they saw her. They knew better than to speak directly to a representative of the Inner Circle. But Wanda didn’t give them any orders at first. Instead she just stood there staring intently at the door, her fists clenching at the knowledge of who was on the other side. A lot of pent up feelings coursed through her as she contemplated what she was about to do. But she set those feelings aside for the sake of her duty.

“Open it,” she commanded the guards.

“We’re sorry, Miss, but before we can let you in we must…”

But Wanda wouldn’t hear it. Her eyes flashed purple as she used her hex powers to levitate the insolent man and his associates and fill them with shots of blinding pain.

“That was not a request!” she yelled angrily, “Open the damn door or I’ll rip the flesh clean from your bones!”

“Y-Y-Yes, Madam Wanda!” the masked guard cowered.

Wanda let the man and his associates go, giving them one last shock to reinforce her point. Then without another word, the men went about opening the numerous electronic and mechanical locks meant to keep this door closed and the occupant inside contained. It took a good five minutes of entering codes and overriding certain fail-safes. But when the door finally opened, Wanda took a deep breath and entered with Kurt following closely.

The guards left her to her own devices as she tenuously walked into the spacious yet secure room. Her vision narrowed as she headed towards the central area. There a familiar pelxiglass dome dominated the area. In that dome was a man she hoped to never see again. But as she walked up to the barrier she saw him and greeted him with two simple words.

“Hello father.”

From inside the dome, Eric Lensherr, barely looked up. He had been playing a game of chess with himself, hopelessly lost in thought. The look on his face was hardly the one of a man happy to see his daughter after all this time. But five years locked in this cell had taken its toll on the once proud mutant leader.

“Wanda…” he said in a distant tone, “Is that really you?”

“You’re not dreaming, father. It’s me.”

Erik got up from the chair next to his bed and carefully made his way to the wall of his cell. Wanda was a bit surprised to see how pathetic he looked. He was very pale and his body was thin and weakened from years of being cooped up in this cell. His eyes had dark circles under them, hinting he hadn’t slept much in his time here. Overall, he looked much weaker than the man who so boldly led the Brotherhood to their demise. But hopefully he still had some fight left in him.

“My god…you’ve grown so much, Wanda,” said the old mutant as he took in his daughter’s appearance.

“Yes, five years and some surgery on the side will do that,” she said, her tone still laced with scorn.

“Indeed,” said Magneto distantly, “And what is that bawdy outfit you’re wearing?”

“Don’t even try and begin to lecture me on my choice of clothes. I didn’t come to catch up on lost time and I didn’t come here without reservation,” said Wanda firmly, “I’m here on a very special assignment.”

“An assignment?” the old man scoffed, “For who? Xavier? Did he finally grown tired of watching me suffer and send you to finish me?”

“Believe me, nobody has grown tired of watching you suffer, myself included. As far as I’m concerned you deserve far worse than these generous accommodations Charles Xavier has given you. But my concerns are irrelevant. I’m only here because I know you’ll listen to me and take whatever it is I offer more seriously.”

“And just what makes you so sure of that?”

“Because I’m your daughter and you have a weakness for your children. You always have.”

Magneto didn’t like the dark undertone to her voice. It bore little resemblance to the Wanda he knew five years ago. There was also a very dark look to her eyes. In them he could see just a trace of how much she had changed in the time they had been apart. It was a disturbing yet intriguing sight. But she was right and couldn’t turn away from her.

“I don’t want to drag this out into a family affair so I’ll just come out and say it,” Wanda went on, “Someone in our organization is getting ready to take on Charles Xavier and she wants you to help us.”

“Someone wants to fight Charles and needs my help? Give me a moment while I wrap my head around that,” said Erik, almost humored by such a notion.

“Trust me, father, we don’t NEED your help to fight Xavier. We can do just fine on our own. But the woman who sent me here knows Xavier almost as well as you do. She knows its best not to take any chances with him. And since he threw you in this cage five years ago, we’re all assuming you want a chance to get back at him.”

“Believe me, Wanda, nothing would make me happier than to see Charles pay for what he’s put me through. But I am not so naïve to trust just anybody. I don’t even know who this woman is that you speak of.”

“She’s a woman with dreams and ambitions just like you,” said Wanda firmly, “She’s also very powerful and determined. She could just as easily make you suffer even more in this laughable prison, but she’s giving you a chance to be a fighter again and I wouldn’t take that chance lightly.”

“You almost sound as though you’re threatening me. Is that how this ‘organization’ of yours taught you to treat your father?”

“This ‘organization’ taught me many things. But like everything else, its days are numbered. There is something much bigger brewing and you have a chance to be a part of it.”

“And why would I want that? Why would I want to help the very people who helped imprison me in this damned cell?”

The old man was being stubborn. Wanda anticipated something this, but she didn’t anticipate it being this annoying. She clenched her fists in anger and resisted the urge to hex this man to death and send him to Hell where he belonged. But she held back, remembering that she had a job to do in the name of Mistress Selene.

“Father…Magneto…when you first came to me and Pietro, you talked about exacting justice on those who hurt our family. And we believed you. We wanted justice, but in reality it was just blind anger.”

“Yes…I remember,” said the old man distantly, “Is that why you left me and joined my enemies?”

“No,” said Wanda sternly, “We left you because we were given a chance to obtain more than just justice or vengeance. We were given a chance at real power…power that we could use to enforce our own means of justice. That’s what you never understood. Power by brute force only goes so far, but real power can do so much more.”

Wanda almost sounded like he once did years ago, only she had more focus and breadth to her ambitions. She touched on things he only realized after Xavier bested him. And for the first time he actually felt a glimmer of hope in his otherwise bleak existence.

“We are on the verge of tapping power the likes of which you never imagined,” said Wanda as she gazed at her father intently, “This is beyond just mutant powers. This is beyond even the power of authority. I’m talking about power in the sense that the gods of mythology wielded. And you could be a part of it too if you’re willing to stop being such a pitiful old man and fight again!”

Magneto was silent for a moment. He just stood inches from the glass, looking her in the eye with those tired, weak eyes that embodied his broken spirit. Wanda looked just about ready to lose it when to her surprise, the man actually smiled and laughed.

“Wanda…my dear daughter,” he said with a level of humor she had never seen in him before, “So you finally got it? You got what you and your brother never understood yet I tried to teach you all those years ago.”

“What are you talking about? And why the hell are you smiling so much?!” Wanda demanded.

“I can’t help it. I’m finally genuinely proud of you,” he said, still laughing, “Years ago, you would have hesitated before taking charge like this. You would have been weary about seizing such power, afraid of your limits and how far you might take it. But it appears this organization I despise so much for imprisoning me taught you what I couldn’t. It taught you that to truly become dominant you have to wield power above those weaker than you. And you’re doing it now in ways I wish you would have done years ago.”

Wanda never cared all that much about her father’s approval. She only used to follow him because he was her father and it was what she was supposed to do. But now as she looked at him, seeing a life in his eyes she hadn’t seen before, she actually felt vindicated. She was more like her father than she expected and for the first time in her life that didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

“Glad I could finally make you proud,” she said with a smug grin, “So does that mean you’re in? Are you going to help us overthrow Xavier?”

“For a chance to fight alongside my children again…why not?” said the master of magnetism, “But if I am to assist you I’ll need to be let out of this cage.”

“No worries there, father. We have that all taken care of,” grinned Wanda as she turned to her lover, who had been waiting behind her, “Kurt, if you please…”

“Of course, my love.”

Stepping forward, Kurt teleported into the chamber and appeared next to Magneto. Then he grabbed his shoulder and teleported him out so he appeared right next to Wanda. The young man’s appearance was a bit unexpected, but once he was finally out of his cell he could care less and embraced his newfound freedom.

“Welcome to our cause, Herr Magneto,” said Kurt respectfully.

“Thank you, boy,” he said with an approving smile, “Now what about that pesky damper that has been holding back my powers.”

“Allow me to take care of that,” said Wanda.

The young woman clenched her fists and summoned a tidal wave of hexing and mystical energy. Her eyes started glowing brightly and her hands glowed as well in a burning red ball of flaming light. The energy around her was so intense Erik was forced to take a step back. Then with a determined and powerful grunt, she unleashed a powerful wave of hex energy that caused every metal sheet and facet in the area to buckle violently and all the dampeners that had been holding back his magnetic powers to shatter. It was an impressive display, bringing yet another proud smile to the old holocaust survivor. His daughter had truly come of age.

“Impressive,” grinned Magneto.

“She’s capable of much more,” assured Kurt.

With the area now damaged and the power dampeners destroyed, Magneto felt his abilities return to him. But just as his strength began returning to him, a series of glaring alarms erupted throughout the facility. Every guard was now probably going to bear down on them. It was bound to get messy, but after being caged for all these years the master of magnetism was not in a good mood. He was ready to start taking it out on somebody.

“I think Charles is going to know about this,” he commented.

“Don’t worry about that. Just do what I say and it will all come together in the end,” said Wanda, her eyes still glowing, “Let’s just get out of here.”

“Lead the way, my daughter,” said the master of magnetism intently.

An army of guards was going to descend on them. The entire facility was probably going to be locked down too. But Magneto wasn’t at all concerned. He was going to tear through whatever and whoever he needed to in order to get his freedom. Wanda, now fully charged with hexing energy, led the way. Most of the guards were armed with weapons specifically designed to counter his magnetic powers so they had little or no defense against Wanda. He watched as she started maiming the first wave of guards, not even flinching when they cried out in agony. She was ruthless, cunning, and unyielding. It couldn’t have made him more proud.

He didn’t care if he was going to have to help the very organization that helped imprison him. He didn’t care who this woman was that Wanda spoke so highly of. The only thing on his mind now was vengeance. Charles Xavier took everything from him and locked him in a cage where he nearly went mad from isolation. Now he was going to make him pay. He was going to pay dearly and suffer for everything he ever did.

X-Industrial Training Arena

Since the Hand began stepping up their attacks on the Hellfire Club, the pawns of the Inner Circle underwent extra training. Many of the younger female pawns, except Psylocke, were excused from sex work until this issue was resolved. But at the rate things were going, it wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon. Few days went by without some sort of incident. Most were small and some were larger. But they were adding up and the Black King urged his pawns to be ready for a major, crushing sweep. He, like the rest of them, were tired of the Hand meddling in Hellfire affairs. The sooner they got rid of them the sooner they could get back to building up their power.

It was late in the day and many of the Hellfire Pawns were entering their third straight hour of training. Warpath, Warren, and Piotr were overseeing the development of an elite squat of Hellfire’s mercenary army. Jean was working with some Hellfire mystics in a special area where she could practice her psychic and mystical powers. Logan and Mystique were working with Bobby, Jubilee, Sam, Roberto, and Tabitha in the simulation arena. Pietro and Monet were working with Laura, Julian, Kitty, and Lorna on sparring and assassination training. Danielle was supposed to join them, but she got called away an hour ago by Xavier to do an extra shift at Club Hellfire. It seemed odd, but nobody gave it much thought considering her unique powers required different training anyways. Kurt and Wanda were also absent. Selene sent them out on some mission in Europe chasing after some mystical relics that the Hand was pursuing. They didn’t give many details, but that’s how most missions were when they involved magic.

And in a corner just outside the training arena, Scott was trying to give Alex some special training. After the incident in Sacramento, he was on a short leash and Scott was trying to get through to him. But he wasn’t making it easy on him.

“Damn it, Alex! This is supposed to be training with no powers!” cursed Scott as Alex blasted him again in the face just as he was about to take him down again.

“Well what do you expect me to do?” replied Alex, “It’s a reflex. I sense I’m in trouble, I fire a blast. You can’t expect me to control that.”

“That ‘reflex’ as you call it is why you made such a mess of things back in Sacramento!” Scott reminded him.

“Damn it, Scott! How many times are you going to bring that up? Didn’t I pay for that enough with that ‘lecture’ Lord Xavier gave me that included a psychic induced migraine?”

“You’re lucky that’s all the punishment you got!” warned Scott, “Don’t think he’ll be so lenient next time. That’s why I need you to listen to me and take this seriously! I don’t want to see you endure any more punishments.”

“Says you,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” said Scott, having heard him mutter something.

“Nothing,” said Alex flatly, “Let’s just get this over with so I can move onto my next big fuck up for you.”

“Stop thinking like that and you won’t have to!”

“Whatever,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Scott grunted in frustration as he began another sparring session with his brother. He came at him with some low kicks and grapple maneuvers, but Alex barely dodged them and just kept playing down to him. It was not the kind of progress he hoped for his brother. These past few months he had been regressing. He wasn’t even trying anymore. It seemed as though nothing he did got through to him anymore. It was disturbing and Scott was determined to keep it from getting worse.

Not far from where Scott and Alex were sparring, Lorna watched over them with a look of concern. Like Scott, she had noticed a change in Alex these past few months as well. He wasn’t like the guy she connected with her first day at the Hellfire Club anymore. He became so distant and dark. Even when they had sex, he just seemed like he was somewhere else. It was like he was waiting for something and each passing day he was getting more bored. He stopped opening up to her long ago, but she wasn’t ready to give up on him.

“Why are you still hung up on that guy?” asked Pietro, who noticed how she was looking at Alex.

“He’s a friend, Pietro. He’s special to me,” she told him, “It’s no different then how you’re still hung up on Wanda.”

“That’s different. Wanda’s my twin sister. This is a guy who treats everybody like they’re in his way. I’m surprised Xavier didn’t kicked him out after that last stunt he pulled.”

“That wasn’t his fault!” said Lorna defensively, “He acted on an impulse. You do it all the time!”

“At least I take a little more time to think about it,” retorted Pietro.

Lorna was silent. This was a difficult issue for her. No matter how much Pietro disapproved, Lorna was still drawn to Alex. He had given up trying to understand why, but it continued to affect her. And if it affected her, it affected him as well.

“Lorna, I know you have a thing for the guy,” said the speedster, trying to be a bit more sincere, “But you have to face facts. Alex Summers is a jerk.”

“Maybe he is, but he didn’t used to be,” she said distantly.

“Well he is now and the quicker you accept that the less it will hurt. Trust me, I know what it’s like. This place changes people. And sometimes it changes people for the worse.”

Pietro’s assessment was grim. But he wasn’t the kind of person who had a lot of hope in people. Either people changed for the worse or they didn’t change at all. It wasn’t a view Lorna shared, but the more she looked at Alex and the way he carried himself the more lost he seemed. She thought they had something. She wanted to believe they still did. But Alex just wouldn’t stop drifting away. It was disheartening, but unlike Pietro she didn’t want to give up hope.

Pietro slipped an arm around her and turned her back towards sparring. Sometimes the best way to get over frustration was to practice beating the living hell out of someone.

“Are you finished moping, Lorna? You’re falling behind,” said Monet snide look.

“Lay off, Monet. You’re not the only one in charge last I checked,” retorted Pietro.

“Of course. She just happens to get special treatment because she’s your half-sister,” she replied dryly, “I’ll bet if she wasn’t you wouldn’t give a damn. Hell, you’d probably just sleep with her.”

That comment was enough to send even Lorna over the edge.

“Okay, just for that you and I are going next!” she said angrily.

“Finally, a little spirit!” grinned Monet as she prepared to face the younger woman.

Lorna literally lunged at Monet, bent on hurting her in whatever way she could despite all that power she wielded. She didn’t care. She just wanted to wipe that snide look off her face. Monet was still able to dodge and counter thanks to her superior reflexes, but Lorna kept at it just to prove she wouldn’t take it.

Their fight caused enough of a scene for Julian, Kitty, and Laura to take notice. They disliked Monet and her snide ways as much as Lorna, but comments like that crossed a line.

“Damn, Monet sure knows how to push peoples’ buttons,” commented Julian.

“Yeah, she actually reduced herself to making incest jokes,” said Kitty, cringing when she saw Lorna deliver a solid right hook to Monet’s jaw, “Remind me again why she’s been allowed to work her way up so quickly?”

“Because she more advanced mutant powers, she’s smarter, and she’s been taking extra lessons from Selene,” Laura answered bluntly, “And judging by her choice of tactics, I’d say she’s taken to those lessons pretty strongly.”

“That’s not necessarily a good thing, Laura,” said Kitty.

“I never said it was.”

They continued to watch Lorna spar with Monet. At the rate they were going they would be at it for quite a while. It was distressing to see someone as powerful and smart as Monet taking closely to Selene. Her grit and drive was well-suited for the Hellfire Club, but it was her personality that was annoying. And given her desire to be perfect, it would take something pretty major to bring her down.

Over in the training simulator, Mystique and Logan were watching closely as Bobby, Jubilee, Sam, Roberto, and Tabitha completed another simulation. The scenario was simple enough. They were supposed to kill as many Hand assassins as possible and take down specially marked leaders for extra points. So far they were doing pretty well. They had all made progress since the early days of their training. The usual yelling Logan had to do in order to get them coordinated was a thing of the past. They were pretty good at coordinating themselves now. Sam took on somewhat of a leadership role, directing Bobby and Jubilee to focused attacks while Roberto and Tabitha provided backup. But Roberto and Tabitha were still a bit unfocused at times. They still liked to do their own thing, but they were pretty efficient when it came to taking down enemies. They had no qualms about being a little extra brutal, which was good in some ways and disturbing in others.

“Bobby, Ah need a wall! Jubilee, back me up! I’m going in for the final blow!” Sam commanded as he took to the air.

“Sure thing, Sammy boy!” said Jubilee as she just fried the skin off a nearby assassin, “Just watch your eyes. I’m going for some extra sparks this time to blind them!”

“Remind me to get sunglasses,” said Bobby, “I’ll wall them in!”

Bobby did as Sam instructed and formed a massive ice wall to box the team of assassins in while Jubilee shot of a round of extra bright fireworks to disorient them until Sam flew in and hit the marked leader right in the center. He hit him so hard his body was twisted beyond recognition. If it had been a real human and not just a simulation, it would have been pretty messy.

Not to be outdone, Roberto and Tabitha coordinated for a little attack of their own on the other end. Tabitha was making an extra powerful load of cherry bombs and literally showering any nearby assassin who tried to attack. Some exploded right in their faces and blinded them, allowing Roberto to charge through them, grab the marked leader by the neck, and snap it like a twig.

“Too easy! Keep that shower coming, Tabby!” Roberto called out.

“I will so long as you keep busting heads, handsome!” said Tabitha with a sadistic grin.

From the side, Logan and Raven took note of their tactics. They were impressive for their age. While most teenagers were off worrying about school and what not, these kids were learning how to fight, deal, and kill if necessary. The change in them was striking. They had a different look in their eyes from the recruits that first entered. But for some, that look was more prevalent than others.

“They’re doing okay for themselves,” commented Raven.

“Yeah…” agreed Logan, “Not bad for a bunch of runts.”

“Will you ever stop calling them that?” the shape shifter chided.

“Not any time soon,” he answered, “They still got a lot to learn. Sam’s done okay for himself. He’s got leadership. That ain’t something you can teach. Bobby and Jubes ain’t hesitating as much as they used to and they’re pushing themselves harder. Same with Danielle, but she uses more brain than brute force.”

“With powers like hers, she has to be,” said Mystique, “Where is she anyways?”

“Ah Lord Xavier said she had to fill in at Club Hellfire tonight. Says some big client is coming in and he’s got a thing for Native American chicks. Go figure.”

Mystique rolled her eyes. Even during times of conflict like this, the Hellfire Club had to maintain some level of normalcy. And the pawns weren’t relieved of their duties at the club, especially the younger ones.

“So overall, do you think they’re ready for a major challenge?”

“That’s hard to tell,” sighed Logan, “They’ve come a long way, but they still got a ways to go in terms of maturity.”

“I take it you’re referring to Roberto and Tabitha.”

Logan looked over at them to see Roberto literally decapitate an assassin while Tabitha literally shoved some bombs down the shirts and pants of others, blowing off body parts and limbs with reckless abandon. It was efficient, but what was disturbing was how much they seemed to enjoy it.

“That’s another story,” he muttered, “They got grit, I’ll give em that. But they’re enjoying this a little too much.”

“So you’ve noticed it too,” said Raven, “Where do you think that came from? I don’t remember seeing that from them early on.”

“In a place like this, it could come from anywhere. I’ve lost count how many times Lord Xavier’s lectured them. I get the feeling they stopped caring long ago.”

“That usually means one of two things, you know,” said the shape shifter.

“What do you mean?” asked Logan.

“Either they’ve been getting lessons from someone else or they just developed a taste for it over time. And I think you and I both know which is more likely.”

Logan grumbled under his breath as he watched Tabitha and Roberto continue their rampage. He knew what Raven was implying, but he didn’t want to say it out loud. He worked with Tabitha and Roberto early on and he knew their tendencies. This change in them happened pretty abruptly. One day they were slackers who just didn’t mind being ruthless once in a while and the next day they relished in it. It was subtle at first, but lately it was becoming more pronounced. He wasn’t sure why, but it had some disturbing implications.

Across the arena Warpath, Warren, and Piotr were going over plans to mobilize more forces against the Hand. The Hellfire Club had always maintained a vast secret army of mercenaries and specially trained assassins. But lately it had been stretched pretty thin fighting the Hand. At times the size of their force was a weakness because it gave the Hand more targets to hit. They had already taken some significant losses, but they were far from defeated.

“So this is it? These are our top assassins?” said Warren, sounding somewhat unimpressed.

“Of course it’s not everything, Warren,” said Warpath dryly, “These are just some of our best. Lord Xavier said if we’re to strike back against the Hand, we have to be more strategic. We can’t keep playing defense.”

“That’s easier said than done, comrade,” said Piotr, “It seems no matter what we do, the Hand is a step ahead of us. They know when, where, and how to strike us.”

“Then we’ll have to get a step ahead of them,” said the Apache warrior, “I’ve already talked to Lord Xavier about this. He agrees the Hand must have a mole or spy within the organization. It’s the only way they could hit us like this!”

“Well if we know then why hasn’t he weeded them out?” said Warren, “I thought he was the most powerful psychic in the world. Is he being lazy or something?”

“I’d take this a bit more seriously, Warren,” said Warpath in a threatening tone, “Keep making comments like that and people will start to suspect you’re the spy!”

“Me? Don’t be ridiculous,” he laughed, “Why would I want to betray the organization that has given me so much? Why if it weren’t for the Hellfire Club, I could still be running around in some spandex uniform playing hero. Being a power broker and the head of a multi-billion dollar company is so much more fulfilling.”

His tone was dry and crass. James Poundstar still didn’t like it, but Warren had a point. He was too self-absorbed to be a spy. He was almost disappointed. He would have loved to have an excuse to rip off those wings of his and beat him to a pulp for the attitude he kept giving him.

“So who could it be?” inquired Piotr, staying between James in Warren so a fight didn’t break out.

“That we’ll have to leave to Lord Xavier,” said Warpath, “He’s been doing extra sweeps with Cerebrum lately. He’s conducting another one now as we speak.”

“You mean he’s reading all our minds right now to check and make sure we’re not spies?” said Piotr, finding that thought a little strange.

“Yep, and he probably just heard that,” said Warpath, “So think happy thoughts because you know Xavier’s reading them.”

“I’m sure he is,” said Warren with a half grin, “But that’s okay with me. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“I find that hard to believe,” scoffed Warpath.

“Oh come now, James. You sounds as though you’re suspicious of me. Honestly, if I were plotting against everybody wouldn’t someone have picked up on it? I’m just along for the ride. I’m ready to take whatever comes of all this.”

“I wish we could all have your confidence, comrade,” said Piotr.

“Try not to think of it as confidence. Think of it more as certainty,” said Warren, “We’re all on a set path. It’s just a matter of making sure you reach the end you want to reach.”

His ominous words offered some hallow comfort to Piotr and Warpath. As much as they didn’t like Warren, there was some truth in his word. He had never been one for such musings, but there was usually a hint of truth to them. It still didn’t sit right.

But Warren could care less about whether or not they heeded his words. He didn’t even care if Xavier was reading his thoughts. Mistress Selene already assured him that his mind was safe thanks to some special shielding spells. Even though he didn’t know the details to her plans, she wasn’t going to drop him any hints. He, like the rest of those that followed Mistress Selene, were just biding their time and waiting for their time to come. He wasn’t worried about the current state of affairs. He was confident that whatever Mistress Selene had in store for them, it would all pan out in favor of darkness.

Back in the training arena, Jean Grey was still hard at work on her abilities. She was currently training with a couple of mid-level mystics that the Hellfire Club employed, casting spells and working them in with her mutant abilities. Since the Hand was known for using magic as well, Lord Xavier wanted her to be ready should the challenge arise. Even though Wanda was more advanced than her, she didn’t have his trust. So that meant she was going to have to step it up and after the emotional turmoil she endured with the Scott/Logan/Emma affair that was going to be a challenge.

Her exercises consisted of using mid-level defensive and attack spells. One mystic would randomly fire an attack of mystic bolts at her and she was supposed to cast a spell to defend herself and then counter. Then the other mystics would follow with attacks of their own, throwing in a little deception as well so she couldn’t always key in on who was attacking her. It forced her to be more focused. She took some hits at first, but she was getting the hang of it.

“Let’s change it up,” she told them, “Start the attacks faster.”

“As you wish, my lady,” said one of the mystics.

Taking deep breaths, Jean prepared for more attacks. This time she used her telekinesis a bit more to repel them. Red and yellow bolts of energy surged at her. When she wasn’t able to dodge them she formed a powerful orange/red barrier to protect herself and countered with glowing bolts of her own. They weren’t the most spectacular sights feats she had done, but they got the job done. And she knew she was capable of so much more.

While Jean was focused on her training along with everybody else, a pair of angry eyes stared at her from afar. Up in the observation deck, Emma Frost had been keeping her distance from the rest of the pawns. Ever since the incident with Scott, she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as that woman. She went out of her way to avoid her and Scott, not even wanting to look them in the eye. They avoided her as well so the distance between them was vast. And that was just fine with her. It gave her time to plan and prepare for getting even.

Placing her hand on the glass walls, her expression tensed in a fit of anger as she remembered the pain and heartbreak she suffered because of Scott and Jean. It still stung with each passing day. Every time she thought about it a rage inside her burned. Going through this once was hard enough. Going through it again was even worse. She wasn’t going to let this stand. She wasn’t the kind of person to just forgive and forget. She would get her chance to make Scott and Jean pay. Monet was already helping her. She still didn’t trust that woman fully, but so long as she kept her promise she was willing to risk it.

Emma didn’t care about the Hand or whatever affair was going on in the Inner Circle. She didn’t care about petty squabbles between the pawns or growing suspicions of a spy. All that mattered was her plans for vengeance. That took precedence over everything else. Whatever price she had to pay to see it through, she would pay it. She didn’t care about the consequences. She just wanted Scott and Jean to know the kind of torment they put her through.

‘Soon…you’ll both pay for what you did very soon.’

X-Industrial – Cerebrum

Charles Xavier had been pushing his abilities further than usual lately. Even for the most powerful psychic in the world, maintaining the massive power structure of the Hellfire Club while fighting a war with the Hand and keeping an eye on Sinister and Selene was draining. He had been putting a lot of extra hours with Cerebrum. Most of the time he was scanning minds for clues to the Hand’s vulnerabilities, shifting and rearranging the layout of his wealth and power to make it less vulnerable to attack, and manipulating the media in order to cover up any incident that could garner suspicion. He occasionally had to infiltrate the minds of heroes as well such as the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four in order to keep them off his back. The last thing he needed was another powerful force attacking his organization.

In addition, he also made regular scans through the minds of the pawns. He knew someone had to be leaking information to the Hand. He just couldn’t figure out who it was. He had his suspicions though. There were a number of minds he had trouble infiltrating. Wanda, Kurt, Tabitha, Roberto, Warren, Alex, and Monet were difficult to read at times. So was Emma, but that was due to the advanced psychic skills he taught her. What was different about the others were they had taken somewhat strongly to Selene’s ideas more than his. That meant their minds were shrouded not by psychic shields, but by the power of darkness. He suspected Selene was behind it. She was the only one powerful enough to escape his detection. He kept trying to find ways of getting around that, but it was always a challenge.

‘Where is it? You’re hiding it, Selene. I know you are. Just what are you hiding? How does the Hand fit into it? I must know. I will not let you destroy what I have worked so hard to create.’

Sighing to himself, Xavier took off the main helmet and set it aside to rest his tired mind. As powerful as he was, this process was still draining. It always left him with a major headache, but it was the price he had to pay for such power and wealth. Even though he had manipulated countless minds and infiltrated many networks, his secret empire was still far from secure. It would only take one major incident and it would all be threatened.

Just as he was rubbing his sore temples, a blaring alarm went off. Several screens started flashing a red alert, indicating an incident of the gravest severity. Ignoring his headache, Xavier put the helmet back on and started bringing up the main controls. When he saw where the alarm was coming from he grimaced.

“No…Magneto!”

As streams of data came pouring in, the chamber doors opened and Sage came rushing in. Her usual stoic expression was wrought with alarm and rightfully so.

“Lord Xavier! I just got a call from what’s left of Muir Island! Magneto has somehow escaped!”

“Yes Sage, I am seeing it now,” said Xavier grimly.

Video feeds of security monitors came up. Most were scrambled due to magnetic interference, but what few images visible. Most were grizzly accounts of Magneto eviscerating every guard and soldier that got in his way. Being confined and imprisoned in a cell for five years left him very angry to say the least and he was taking it out on anything remotely associated with him.

“How could he have escaped?” said Sage, “Forge built that system and I programmed it myself! There’s no way it could have malfunctioned!”

“I believe you,” said Xavier, “There may be other forces at work though. It’s the only logical explanation.”

“But there are only so many people who knew about where he was being kept,” reminded Sage, “You know what that could mean. This ‘spy’ in our midst is growing bolder.”

Xavier was silent for a moment. He understood fully the implications of what Sage was implying. It was something he tried to prepare himself for, but nothing could have prepared him for a move like this.

“Perhaps…or maybe this ‘spy’ is just taking it to the next level,” said the Black King, “I’ll see if I can coordinate a containment unit. I have some mercenaries in Europe that may be able to…”

But before he could finish another alarm came up. Only this one was different than before. It indicated significant levels of electromagnetic activity. It was causing widespread disruption within not just Hellfire’s network, but every network in the world. Magneto was indeed growing bold. It was his way of letting him know that he was out and he was ready to strike back. Then a blaring psychic message came booming in through the system.

“Augh!” grunted Charles as he keeled over and removed the helmet.

“Lord Xavier, sir!” said Sage as she rushed over to help him, “What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Sage,” said Xavier, struggling back to his feet, “I just got an unusually strong psychic message. Magneto is practically yelling at me with their mind. He knows I’m listening. He wants my attention.”

“I think it’s safe to say he has it,” said Sage, “Hold on, I’ll bring it up on the monitors so you don’t have to bear that bastards thoughts.”

The Black King leaned on the console for support, watching as Sage worked quickly to patch the psychic message into a video feed. It took her only about ten seconds and as soon as she was done, the main video monitor came on and an ominous image of the master of magnetism flashed before them.

‘CHARLES! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST LOCK ME IN A CAGE, STEAL MY CHILDREN, AND BE DONE WITH ME? IT’S TIME YOU AND ME SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL? I’M COMING FOR YOU, CHARLES! I’M ON MY WAY TO NEW YORK! IF YOU AREN’T THERE I’LL START DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN MY PATH UNTIL I FIND YOU! I DON’T CARE IF I HAVE TO TEAR THIS WORLD APART! I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS YOU’VE MADE ME SUFFER!’

The scrambled video link then went down as Magneto closed his mind off. The system tried to zero in on him again, but his mind was shielded. He most likely put that helmet of his back on. Whoever helped him escape must have given it to him. Now he was probably flying across the Atlantic on a supersonic magnetic field with rage in his eyes. Xavier knew him well enough to know he was serious when he said he would tear the world apart to get to him. But he couldn’t have that. This world was destined to be under his control. He wasn’t about to let his old friend ruin everything by creating chaos.

“How do we take care of this, Lord Xavier?” asked Sage.

“Simple Sage. I’ll just have to kill him,” said the Black King in a dark tone, “I’ve made him suffer enough. Now this has to end.”

Despite his throbbing head, he put the Cerebrum helmet back on and prepared to send out another message.

“You know what to do, Sage. Make it happen.”

Sage’s expression went stoic and she nodded in affirmation. She had a feeling this moment would eventually come and it was finally upon them. She had her role and like everyone else, she had to do her part.

As Sage walked off, Xavier recalibrated Cerebrum so that it would send out a message that would only be heard by the pawns.

‘Attention all Hellfire Pawns. This is a code red emergency. Magneto has escaped from Muir Island. I do not know how as of yet, but he is on his way to New York. I want every one of you to suit up and intercept him. I do not want to take any chances this time. You are to kill Magneto on sight. No torture. No taunting. Just kill him. This must end.’

Moria’s Office

As soon as Xavier gave the order for the pawns to mobilize against Magneto, Moria went to work organizing the next step. She rushed to her office where she ordered some transports be set up at X-Industrial to take the pawns into the field. It was just after sunset so they would have to get around in helicopters to avoid the traffic. They would also have to use special helicopters so they could resist Magneto’s magnetic powers. On short notice that wasn’t going to be easy, but they would have to make due.

“The transports should be arriving in five minutes, Scott. They’ll take you anywhere in the city,” she said over a video link on her computer, “According to Charles, Magneto is heading towards the harbor. He should be arriving in less than fifteen minutes.”

“We’ll be waiting for him. Any word yet on how he got out?”

“We’re still investigating it. But there is a chance he had help. If that’s the case, be extra vigilant. Whoever helped him break out might help him in his attack.”

“We’ll be careful. I can see the helicopters now. I’ll contact you as soon as we land. Just keep the area clear so we don’t attract any undue attention.”

“Aye. I’ve already sent a decoy message to the Avengers and Fantastic Four,” said Moria strongly, “Good luck, Scott. If you see a shot, take it. This man has been a thorn in our side for too long.”

“I’ll take him down. He’ll wish he stayed in that cage of his. Over and out.”

Moria closed the link and resumed typing, sending out messages and commands throughout the Hellfire network to keep this incident quiet. She even sent a message to SHIELD, making sure they didn’t investigate too deeply into the destruction of Muir Island. She also sent them a few phony tips so they would be distracted while the pawns handled Magneto. Hopefully they could finish this quickly. The last thing they needed was for this affair to be blown out of proportion.

As she was working feverishly, there was an urgent knock on her door.

“Mom! It’s me, I need to talk to you!” said Rahne as she came barging in.

“Rahne? What are ye doing here, lass? I thought ye were going with the others to fight Magneto.”

“I was. But then I got a call from Forge in Paris. He says he picked up on a strange signal in our network just after Magneto broke out. I don’t think Lord Xavier noticed it because it happened during that electromagnetic storm.”

“Damn that Magneto,” said Moria angrily, “What kind of signal was it?”

“He said he wasn’t sure. But it was being directed towards the manor.”

“Which one?”

“This one!” said Rahne, “And it seems to be focusing on our security system.”

Moria’s expression hardened. Without saying another word she opened the drawer of her desk and took out an advanced, high powered laser rifle. Since she didn’t have any mutant powers, she always made sure she was near a weapon. She also made sure it was a powerful weapon. Rahne picked up on this and knew what she had in mind.

“We better get every one of our security personnel mobilized. If that signal is what I think it is we may have been breached. We should probably lock everything down as well.”

“What about the others? And what about Lord Xavier?” asked Rahne as she followed her mother out of her office, “Shouldn’t we let them know?”

“They have enough to be concerned with already. We’ll take care of this ourselves.”

Arming her weapon, Moria stormed out into the hall ready to move. If the manor had been breached they had to act fast. Moria took out her cell phone and prepared to make a call to their security forces within the manner. But then Rahne stopped following her suddenly.

“Rahne, come on! We have to move!” Moria ordered.

“No wait…something’s wrong,” she said, taking on a predatory stance, “I…I thought I smelled something.”

Moria heeded her daughters keen senses and started looking around, keeping her weapon cocked and ready.

“What is it? What do you smell?” she asked intently.

“I’m not sure. But it’s close…too close,” said Rahne.

The young mutant woman began carefully following her senses. They were coming from some area down the hall. Moria followed closely, ready to shoot at the slightest provocation. It was eerily quiet, which was not uncommon in a manor as big as this. But the usual masked guards that often walked around were strangely absent and that was not a pleasant feeling. And whatever this scent was, it stank in a way that Rahne didn’t like. Being a bounty hunter all these years gave her a keen sense of these things. And right not that sense was working overtime.

With her claws drawn and ready to pounce, Rahne looked shot out from behind the corner and looked down the next hall. Moria did the same, pointing her weapon down into the wide and spacious halls. But to their dismay, they saw nothing.

“Rahne?” Moria questioned, keeping her weapon drawn.

“I still smell it. It’s close. We should be right on it.”

Rahne kept following her nose. Then she came to a chilling realization.

“Or maybe…”

She began to look up. But just as she did a deafening howl rang out through the halls.

“RRRRRRAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

From a small chandelier hanging overhead, Sabretooth leapt down in and descended upon them with rage in his eyes. How he got inside this deep into the manor was beyond comprehension, but Moria and Rahne didn’t have time to rationalize. They had to act. But before Moria could turn her weapon towards the feral mutant, he knocked it out of her hand and slammed her against the wall with his fist.

“Ugh!” groaned Moria as she hit the wall, slumping over in pain.

“Mom!” exclaimed Rahne, “Ye son-of-a-bitch! You’re dead!”

“Speak for yourself, runt!” growled Sabretooth with a predatory grin.

Rahne pounced on the nimble mutant, going straight for his neck. Sabretooth blocked them, allowing him to claw at his arms and torso. She tore off a good bit of his flesh, bloodying his clothes and causing some heavy bleeding. But it did little to stop the imposing mutant. In fact, he just kept on grinning.

“That all you got?” he taunted.

“Hrrrrraahhhhhhhh!” roared Rahne as she tried to pounce onto his head.

This time Sabretooth was ready for her. He let her get up onto his head and grab him by the neck. But by doing so he had her right where he wanted. While she was busy trying to slice his jugular, he grabbed her by the legs so she couldn’t escape and rammed himself back into the wall as hard as he could. This crushed Rahne between the wall and his imposing body of muscle. Rahne let out a pained howl. He could feel a few of her bones break, but she still clung to him. Only now she was momentarily stunned. Not willing to give her another opening, Sabretooth grabbed her by the neck.

“You’re a feisty little dog. I like it. But not enough to let you live!” said Sabretooth with a sadistic grin.

Rahne was in such a pained state she could barely move. Part of her spine might very well have been broken given all the force Sabretooth rammed her with. She kept struggling though and when Moria saw her in the feral mutants clutches she grabbed her gun and stumbled to her feet.

“No…” she grunted angrily, “Let my daughter go!”

“Oh no you don’t!” said Sabretooth as he sprang into action.

Before Moria could fire, the former Weapon X product literally threw the injured Rahne across the hall. When she impacted Moria, she knocked the weapon out of her hand just as it fired. It missed him by at least two feet and the resulting impact knocked Rahne out cold. Moria was still conscious, but now she was really hurting. She coughed up some blood and clutched her arm. But she ignored her pain and kept trying to fight through it. Then Sabretooth moved in for the kill.

“Sorry babe, you ain’t getting away from this,” he growled.

He then grabbed both her and Rahne by the neck and pinned them up against the wall. Rahne’s body was limp and Moria was clearly weakened. Under Sabretooth’s tight grip she coughed up another round of blood. She continued to struggle, but there was no escaping.

“Ack! You…fucking…brute!” Moria choked, “You have…no idea…who you’re…dealing with! I’ll…make you…suffer!”

“You and your pet won’t do shit, lady. Nothing personal, but I have my orders and you two are just in my way. I wish I could stick around and have some fun with you girls, but I got a Wolverine to hunt! When you get to Hell, tell ‘em Sabretooth sent you!”

Then with a murderous grin, Victor Creed snapped the necks of the two women with his bear hands. He did it extra hard to make sure they were dead, leaving little room for error. He watched as their expressions twisted in one last twinge of torment. Blood was still dripping from their wounds and some of their limbs were mangled. It was a grizzly sight, but one Sabretooth was used to.

Once he was sure the two women were dead, he let their limp bodies fall unceremoniously to the floor. The first part of his mission was complete. He was one step closer to facing Wolverine. Now it was all on that spooky black-haired woman who brought him into this mess. Even by his standards she was a strange one, but if she could deliver on what she promised he could care less.

Reaching into his pocket, Sabretooth pulled out a special unmarked communicator.

“It’s done,” he said into it.

“Excellent. Dispose of the bodies and meet me in the basement. The next phase of my plan is beginning to take shape.”

“Yeah, whatever lady. When am I going to get a chance at tearin’ into Logan?” growled the former living weapon.

“Patience Victor. You’ll get your chance. I promise. Just do as you’re told and you’ll have a chance to inflict suffering on a level even you’ve never contemplated.”

Victor Creed couldn’t help but grin. The thought of putting Logan through that torment was almost worth losing track of him over the past year.

“Selene…you’re alright!” he grinned, “I’m on my way. Just don’t rough em up too much. I want my shot.”

Sabretooth put the communicator away and grabbed the bodies of the two women. He could already smell blood of his arch nemesis on his hands. He couldn’t wait to tear into him. He waited a long time for this. Finally, he was going to get his shot. And he wasn’t going to be subtle about it either. He was going to make sure Logan suffered long and hard. He escaped him last time. He wasn’t going to escape this time. And if it meant going along with this strange woman and whatever sadistic plans she had so be it.

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Up next: Xavier and the pawns confront Magneto and face the shock of their lives.