Chrysalis *HF* - Chapter 7

By Gomurr

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Claudia Sandubal straightened in her hospital bed, she sensed Drs
Zhang and Torres behind the two way mirror of her hospital
room. She had been moved from the downtown hospital to the
grounds of the Black Hellfire Club, after it was assured that the
damage to her spine had miraculously healed. She listened
psionically to their words, and continued to bide her time.

"Why doesn't she speak, Lu?" Dr. Torres said pushing his shaggy
mop of hair back out of his deep hazel eyes. "She should at least
want to tell people she's alright."

"She has nobody to tell according to these reports, Angelo." Dr.
Zhang said not even looking up. "The poor thing has no family, and
she's too new to the organization to have made many friends. It's
so sad."

Angelo Torres took Dei Lu Zhang into his brawny arms and
hugged her tightly. She enhaled deeply breathing in the clean
scent of Angelo's chest. The two doctors stood like that for a few
more moments and then Dr. Zhang pulled away, picking up her
chart again. As she turned to once more stare at the sleeping
body of Violet Priestley, her mouth dropped open and she let out
a little yelp.

"Angelo....SHE'S GONE!!!" Cried Dr. Zhang.

Seeing the empty bed and patient room, he kicked his rolling
chair backwards and hit the emergency sequence on the
communications panel.

"Dr. Torres to Security. A patient has.....escaped from room 102
medical wing. Black female 18 years of age, given name Violet
Priestley...possible mutated human capabilities. Patient could be
confused as to her whereabouts and should be taken in as gently
as possible."

Jack Silver heard the call for assistance from the medical
facility as he finished slipping into his sleek black battle suit. He
looked into the mirror in the changing area to the side of his
inner office. Brushing a lock of silver hair back from his youthful
handsome features, he noticed the grim visage he now wore. He
concentrated his talent, and the adamantium armband around his
wrist seemed to melt and reform into a glistening gauntlet like
blade covering his hand entirely. Psi-Shot's voice broke his
concentration and the fearsome weapon snapped back into it's
original form.

"Would you like me to look into it?" said El Wyn Mah who was
standing outside the small changing area.

"No, Psi-Shot," said Silver coldly. "You're needed here with us
more than chasing down some servant girl who's gone mad. The
security personnel will be able to handle it."

El Wyn Mah, grimaced. He was a bit taken aback by the cold
manner in which the Black King had spoken. Psi-Shot considered
taking a peak into the Black King's mind to better decipher his
mood, but thought better of it. He knew that his power to read
people's thoughts was a gift not to be taken lightly, but even
without his abilities the Asian youth realized that the death of
the Black Queen had given the normally soft spoken and kind
Jack Silver a very dangerous edge.

In short order the strike force chosen from the available
members of the clubs assembled in the BHC's ready room.
SuperGrover, having been contacted by Gomurr's apprentices,
had arrived with three members of his own White Court in tow.
Sharon Stokes, the White Queen stood by her blue skinned king
proudly. Her nervousness showed only when she ran her pale white
hands through her lustrous red hair. Young Khalid Hunter, known
as Mufasa seemed a bit nervous as well, as he paced back and
forth across the shiny black tiles. Khalid's white battle uniform
trimmed in silver was in stiff contrast to his dark handsome skin.
Rounding off the White Court members and skulking behind
Mufasa, stood Maul the mutant vampire. He grinned unnervingly
showing his brutally sharp fangs. As always he was looking
forward to the battle to come.
From the Black Court came the afore mentioned Silver and
Psi-Shot. They were further joined by Michael Breslin known as
Havok, and the ancient mage known as Gomurr. Behind Gomurr and
towering over him, stood his apprenticewith his hand on the
shoulder of the diminutive wizard.

Finally from the Darkfire Court there was Avalon, and his
Pristess, Nytshade. The gathering was limited to this number due
to the need for stealth that might occurr in infiltrating their
foe's hidden lair, but in order to put that plan into motion, they
first had to locate it. Now that Nytshade had identified the
mystic signature that had blown up the Black Queen's car, they
knew what they were looking for. It was Gomurr's hope that by
using her knowledge of Pyre's power along with the magicks of
himself and Rune, that they could triangulate a location in which
to hunt down Claudia's killers. The search would be massive and
exhausting because their enemies could be anywhere on the
planet, but there was no other option.

"It's time," said Jack Silver grimly.

"Let us begin," Gomurr said quietly, patting the leg of his student,
Rune as he walked to the front of the room.

The young apprentice mage stepped to the center of the half
circle his compatriots had formed. He turned and stood facing
them all, a grim look of determination on his face. He
absentmindedly flipped a lock of his long indigo colored hair over
his shoulder, as he concentrated his mystic powers into a glowing
blue flame that danced and flickered before his eyes.
Concentrating deeper the cold flame grew until it seemed to roar
and spit before the mystic. There was an uncomfortable glance
between Gomurr and SuperGrover for an instant, as the wizard
watched his new student, Rune closely. Although the White King
had the utmost respect and love for the ancient Wizard that was
like a father to him, magic tended to make him nervous due to his
own weakness against the arcane arts. Nytshade stepped forward
and held her hand outward toward the blue haired mage. An arc
of crimson, like heat lightning, hit Rune's magical flame and
crackled fiercely. The young mystic never stopped his chanting
and the Dark Priestess joined him in speaking the words not heard
in this realm for centuries. As the electric buzz intensified,
several members of the party rubbed their hands together
nervously and shivered as if chilled. Then Gomurr stepped
forward holding his hands above his head. An emerald aura flared
up around him and encompassed the now violet joining of the other
two's power. Rather than increasing the intensity of the display
however, the green field seemed to encompass and control the
other two holding them in check. The old man began to speak.

"Creatures of the old world, Spirits of the new, Heed my call.
One provides the power and One provides the vision. I provide
the will. Show us the way!!"

The multicolored ball of arcane energy rose towards the ceiling
as all three mystics raised their arms skyward. Slowly the ball
spun, and as it turned it appeared to flatten and curve until it
was like a motion picture screen. Nytshade's crackling lightning
flittered fitfully across the scrying screen they had created and
a vision began to appear. Quickly, like a video in fast forward,
images appeared......Harry Tanaka naked and screaming......The
Illuminati called Pyre tossing a ball of flame between his hands in
a bored manner.......the child vampire, Cherub, his face covered
with blood......Akasha going throught the forms with her swords,
sweat glistening like tear drops down her body....and then finally
a rough hewn circle of stones that looked familiar to most of the
people in the room. Then with a tiny rushing of wind and a final
pop all the energy disipated and the scrying screen disappeared.
All three mystics sagged to their knees with exhaustion.

SuperGrover and Havok moved forward to help the sorcerors to
their feet. "What did it all mean, Gomurr?"

"I'm not completely sure, Grover," the old mage said dusting his
clothes slightly. "But I do know it's nothing good. I'm sure most of
you have seen circles of stone such as the ones that appeared, and
although there are many such sites all over the world, this one was
perhaps the most famous of all, England's Stone Henge."

"Well Cheerio, hocus pocus man," Maul growled. "When do we get
to bust some heads?"

"I fear there will be violence enough very soon, Mauler. Enough
even to satisfy your bloodlust." The old mage said stoically.

"Let's go," said Silver finally as he led the way from the room to
the hangar bay of the BHC compound.

Unnoticed by the people in the room, a raven sitting on the
window's ledge watched them leave. It then let out a screech and
took to the air. In its coarse raven's voice it let out a call, and a
glowing pocket opened in the air before it. As it flew through the
vortex closed and both bird and light disappeared in the
darkness.