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.