Out of The Past: Prologue - chapter 2 *HF*
By Gomurr
Out of the Past
Written by Gomurr
The Prologue
THE PAST:
"Would you care to dance," a deep melancholy voice from behind her asked.
She spun toward the sound as he caught her hands in his, and without another word he swept her onto the dance floor. The classical chamber band that was seated on the balcony played music that wafted over the opulent ballroom inside. The Carlysle Hotel in Boston's financial district had always played host to the upper echelon's of society's super rich, but tonight was a stellar event even for them. The Grand Ballroom was full of old money blue-bloods from across the globe, as well as the new mega-cash movers and shakers that spent even more extravagantly in order to impress upon the others their new found wealth.
The young lady looked up into his eyes as they waltzed to the elegant sounds of the evening's entertainment. The man's dark eyes bored into hers. She felt as if his gaze saw into her very soul....revealing to him all her secret desires. She felt herself blush and was amazed by her reaction. This coolly beautiful young woman thought herself long past any childish ideas about romance. She looked down at her gown to hide her now crimson cheeks. The white satin gown fit her like a second skin, and the sequins covering it caught the light in tiny shimmering rainbows. Briefly she remembered the rags of her childhood...remembered her tiny face pressed against the front glass of the shops with the windows full of lovely things. She grimaced suddenly at the thought, but then was swept away again into the music.........after all, she hadn't been that frightened little girl for well over 100 years.
"My name is Gregor, by the way, Gregor McMendl," said the dashing dark stranger.
"Ummm..hello," she stammered. "I'm Jon Ellen Tolliver."
"Tolliver....as in Tolliver Enterprises?" Gregor asked.
"The same," returned Jon with a winning smile.
THE PRESENT:
Jon sat bolt upright in her bed. She hit the control console on her bedside table bringing the lighting up. The antique grandfather clock ticked quietly in the corner. The strategically placed lighting shone off its white lacquer case. It struck 9:00 am just as her vision cleared enough to see it. Jon's cavernous bedroom was decorated completely in white. The bed was a gigantic four poster with yards of white gossamer draped haphazardly (yet expertly and expensively I might add) over the top and frame posts. As Nytshade the White Queen of the International Hellfire Club, Jon had power, both mystical and financial, beyond reckoning......but in moments like this, when she awoke alone in a darkened room, she felt like she was far from "in control". Why were memories of Gregor and her childhood resurfacing now? What could all these dreams mean? Were they just left over psychic debris from their encounter with Farouk on the astral plane in that other dimension, or were these images a portent of things to come? There was only one way to find out, but she knew that she would take that option only as a last resort. It simply would cause too many problems to contact Gregor openly.
Jon rose from the bed, letting the silk sheets slide from her naked body. She went toward the closet, stretching languidly in front of the mirrored wall of her room.
"Not too shabby, girl....especially seeing as your 130th birthday is only a few months away," Jon thought to herself.
She often wondered whether her beauty would fade. Since her return from Robyyn's dimension, she no longer needed to sup on the mystic forces of others. Her time spent in the magic filled realm of that insane sorceress had charged her to unbelievable levels and catalyzed her own inborn mystical abilities beyond the need for replenishment. Her question now was whether it was the mystic vampirism that had kept her young for so long, or was it some inborn gift.
She retrieved her robe, and as she fastened it around her, she rang for her servants. Perhaps a bath would help in centering her thoughts. The servants entered from the main hall on padded footsteps to prepare the bath for their mistress. The newest among them watched in amazement as their beautiful mistress picked up a coiled three foot rattlesnake from a silken pillow and brought its head to her lips for a morning kiss.
"Come along, Birtha," Jon cooed to her pet. "A morning swim will do you good as well."
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Gregor arranged his thoughts in his private study at the Upstart Academy. Gomurr had just briefed him on the progress each student was making in regards to their regular curriculum as well as the development of their special abilities. The Black King let his hands move across his computer console. The console was brilliantly laid out to Gregor's specifications. Avalon, who was only 16, was the Black Scribe and an advocate to the inner circle. His technical skills had attained him his rank in the inner circle, but he still trained with the upstarts in order to better understand and utilize his growing electromagnetic abilities. Avalon had created the computer system after only one consultation with Gregor, and it was all The Black King could ask for and more. Even Gregor acknowledged the lad's skill in computer technology. Maybe there was something to be said for teaching other disciplines alongside mutant abilities training.
After checking the financial statements of the school, as well as the stock exchanges for London, Tokyo, and New York, Gregor brought up his personal e-mail. He knew there would only be a few waiting messages. Few people had his personal account, and his insistence on updating security codes every week, kept those that did from using it frivolously. He opened the first message. It was from Jack Silver, his Black Bishop. It detailed in, exacting fashion, each aspect of mergers and acquisitions that the BHC was involved in. The next was a short note from Nemesis thanking him for the flowers he had sent her, as well as another invitation to her secluded island house for another "get-away". His mind rolled back over the time they had spent there in the last week. At first, his agreement to accompany her was only a way to placate Nem's hurt feelings over his dealings with Nytshade, the White Queen, but as the week went on, Gregor found himself actually enjoying his time with Nemesis. Even as he thought of the Black Queen's exotic beauty, his thoughts constantly drawn back to Jon. Ever since, they had returned from Robyyn's realm, his thoughts were constantly returning to her. If this was some mystic trick of hers, then she would regret it, but then again she had always known exactly the right buttons to push with him. He contemplated calling Jon and demanding an audience with her, but decided to bide his time. Any game worth playing, after all, was a game worth taking your time with. He again let his thoughts drift back to the past when he and Jon were newly met lovers, and the secrets that they shared.
THE PAST:
Gregor slid his hand slowly down Jon's back, feeling her muscles tense as they danced. Her skin was like silk and the perfumed scent of her hair was intoxicating, but he couldn't let himself be distracted. He had his mission and he was going to accomplish it. He must gain access to the funds of Tolliver Enterprises in order to get his revitalization of the inner circle accomplished. He looked down into the fathomless blue of Jon's eyes and begin to speak.
"Ms. Tolliver, I've read a great deal about your company, and I must say I am impressed by what you've managed to accomplish in so short a time," said Gregor.
"What do you mean?" queried the future White Queen. "Tolliver Enterprises has been in business for almost 50 years. That's a long time in today's business market."
"I agree," said Gregor. "I was referring to the great strides Tolliver Enterprises has made since you personally took over the reigns of command from your mother. I would like to extend my condolences on that issue as well."
"Thank you," said Jon as she begin to tense up. "Could he possibly know?" she thought.
"I must also say," Gregor continued, "the resemblance between yourself and your mother is remarkable. In a few years I'd wager you'd be almost identical."
"My family has always had a distinct genetic stamp. I've been told I look almost identical to my grandmother as well." Jon said.
"Of course," said Gregor. "She along with your grandfather are the ones that started Tolliver Enterprises in 1938.......if I'm not mistaken. It's been rumored that she was the real power behind the throne of that particular empire. In the circle's I travel in, she was known as the one who turned your grandfather's modest shipping business into the international conglomerate it is today, but that was before your grandfather's tragic death and your grandmother's early retirement that led to your mother taking over the company."
Gregor rolled off these facts as a means of keeping the conversation going. Her statement about the genetic stamp intrigued him. Could she be a mutant like himself? The term genetic stamp kept running over and over in his mind. Is that what caused the striking similarities between the three women.......some sort of genetic mutation? Why else would she phrase it like that?....genetic stamp indeed.
Jon's mind also reeled. He couldn't know her secret! How could he possibly have found out that she had been three women in her lifetime. She first come to the United States as Elaida Thompson. She had been 55 when she first stepped off the boat from her homeland of Germany. She, however, by some strange twist of fate looked much younger, like a girl barely over 16. She had left her home country due to this fact. The people she grew up with branded her as a witch, for this oddity of her appearance, as well as certain mystical abilities that allowed her to remain unscathed while plague and famine often rained around her. With no skills to speak of and only a small amount of magical ability, she was forced into the role of a "fortune teller" (and bar maid) at a portside tavern in early 1938. This is where she met Philip Tolliver, a drunken young rich boy with too much money to throw around the warehouse docks that his departed father had left him. They soon began an affair, and though no great love was shared between them, there was sufficient heat to keep Phillip interested and sufficient money to keep Jon amiable. As spoiled young men often do, however, he grew tired of her quickly. She had prepared for this eventuality though. Claiming pregnancy and using her magics to make evidence for her case, she tricked the lad into marriage, and thus stepped into the role of a gentleman's wife. The ruse was not difficult to keep up, but she knew when the time came, she would be found out because there was no way she could produce a child with magic. This problem was handled, however, in a distinctly supernatural manner.
Although she now held the title of wife of Philip Tolliver and mistress of the manor, his wandering eye and alcoholism, along with her pretended condition led young Tolliver back to the docks to another young bar maid. It was this unfortunate lass that young Elaida caught her husband with one evening in the fall of that year. Upon entering the outer chamber of their sleeping quarters one evening, Elaida heard her husband's whiny prattlings of love to another young girl who was with him inside.
"Help me dispose of her, my sweet, and all this can be yours," he said.
"I have poisons and potions that will destroy her while she sleeps and are completely undetectable," said the young gypsy girl. "She fancies herself an enchantress, but I will show her real magic."
"So, we do it tonight, my darling, and then we will be together forever," said young Tolliver.
Elaida stormed into the room and made her presence known. The young woman cowered into the corner of the bed, and Phillip, in a drunken rage, charged at his wife. Her anger was intense, and in self-defense she struck out at her husband with the first mystic bolt she had ever produced. The drunken lout didn't stand a chance and was knocked unconscious. As she turned to face her would be assassin, she saw the young woman coming at her with a knife at the ready. Elaida was shocked at this, not because of the woman's murderous intent, but because she was surrounded by a beautiful aura of reds, greens, blues and yellows. This, Elaida discovered, was the very essence of magic. Doing something she had never done before, Elaida reached out to this woman with her own magic aura and begin to absorb the woman's essence into her own. The woman cried out in pain, and then went limp as Elaida drained her completely. For the first time in her life, Elaida now held power that was not her own and she reveled in the sensation. This led her to further realize that there were others like herself with special abilities, and that these people could be used for her benefit. She quickly blasted the withered corpse of the woman into nothingness, and went about tidying the room. When Philip awoke, she went to him and told him the tale of how the young woman, after being discovered, had run into the night and vowed never to return. She stroked young Tolliver's hair and promised her undying love and forgiveness. Two weeks later, Philip Tolliver met with a fatal "accident" in one of his warehouses and Elaida now became sole heir to his fortune.
Elaida Tolliver quickly sold off the entire company, picked up stakes, and moved to Boston. There she set up a new power base, and through business savvy and her own magics, the company grew quickly and became even more profitable than its New York counterpart. Time went by and Elaida began making preparations for "the birth". During these months she had also discovered her ability to sup on the mystical aspects of others didn't have to be a death sentence to those she siphoned from. In some cases she could simply take their abilities and leave them unharmed....In others, she could actually enhance their abilities as she did her own. In this manner she gained enough power to pull off the ruse of child birth.
In a very private chamber of her house, Elaida called in a doctor of somewhat questionable character and bade him to wait outside her room while she and her "hand maiden" gave birth to the child. The handmaiden was just a "glamour" or trick of light that she had created, but the doctor agreed. At the time of the birth, she also held enough power to create another "glamour" of a beautiful baby girl, and so the doctor, who had done no work at all, recorded the event of the birth into his log.......thus on a cold winter's day in 1939 Elaina Tolliver was born.
Elaina, who never truly existed at all, was guarded closely by Elaida never letting any prying eyes near her precious "child", and when she reached the age of six, she was promptly "sent off to school in Europe". After making this known, Elaida dropped the ruse of Elaina and continued amassing her fortune. By the time anyone began wondering how Elaida stayed so young and beautiful, she was ready to make her next move. In the summer of 1948, the now 65 year old Elaida still looked 20. It was only through the help of her magic that she maintained the illusion of aging at all. Elaida staged her grand retirement in the fall of 1960, and the brilliant young daughter in the form of Elaina returned home to take over the reins of the now million dollar company. The Elaina ruse went about the same way with her faking pregnancy once again in 1972 and then sending the child away for education. Although the shock of such a well bred young women becoming pregnant out of wedlock caused quite a stir, it was the 70's and the idea of who had fathered the child was soon forgotten. Again, this time after the faked death of the mother, the daughter after her "education abroad" returned home to take over the family business. It was in this manner, that Elaida, now using the name Jon Ellen, controlled one of the largest family fortunes in North America....and it was for that reason that young Gregor McMendl was interested in the "16" year old grieving daughter and heiress....and so they danced away that summer of 1988, two lovers enjoying each other's company for very different reasons.
Gregor's musings was disturbed by the beep of his computer console.
"You've got mail," the machine droned.
Gregor checked the sender box of this latest message. It was strangely blank. How could an e-mail be from no one? He opened the message and read it in a matter of seconds. The three neatly spaced words in the document sent a chill down the normally reserved Gregor's spine. It read simply "IT BEGINS NOW!"
The lettering of the message began to run and blur. In seconds it was totally unreadable but the black and white swirling mass continued to change. The blacks and whites took on more subtle hints until the screen appeared to be a fuzzy photograph. Then the image began to slowly clear. The black and white uniforms of the Upstarts were the first thing Gregor could recognize. The faces of each of the students of the academy one by one came into focus. Who outside of the inner circle had these pictures? What was going on? As the picture finally solidified, Gregor realized with a sickening lurch of his stomach, that each Upstart was horribly injured in some way. The smiling faces of each was replaced by a battered death's mask. The final morph of the e-mail clicked into place and then faded to black. The entire process took less than 30 seconds, and as the last trace of the picture faded from view, Gregor jumped to his feet swung into action.
"AVALON!!!!!!", Gregor roared into the intercom. "GET IN HERE...NOW!"
CHAPTER 1: THE YOUNG HUNT
Janista, Shockwave, and Glittergirl sat outside the girl's dormitory waiting on Puma to arrive. They knew she had gone on her morning run, but they waited impatiently because of the excitement that the day held for them. They sat on the ornately carved benches and discussed the matters of the world in a way that only teenage girls can do.
Glittergirl giggled as she spoke, "I can't wait to get there, I saw this dress in the window of Bandera's that will make the guys go wild."
Shockwave showed mock surprise. "You mean you are interested getting the attention of the guys here. Who would have guessed?", she joked.
Janista just smiled her quiet smile and Shockwave burst into raucous laughter and patted Glittergirl, who was pretending to be shocked as well.
Clarice Ferguson, A.K.A. Blink, had just become the new reigning Princess of the Hellfire Club., and to celebrate this fact, she had offered to take the student's shopping at the local galleria. Janista, who was visiting from the White Hellfire Academy, was also invited along for the trip. She had accepted gladly, but her real reasons for being at the school remained her own. A certain young student by the name of Psi-Shot had caught her eye on her last visit and she was hoping to see him again. Although Gomurr had authorized the trip, the girls knew it was only the influence of Tangerine, Gomurr's new partner in running the school that had gotten them out of today's studies.
"Where the heck is she?" Glittergirl spoke again. "If that dress is gone, then I'll be forced to glitter spark Sasha's furry little butt."
"Good plan," Shockwave continued, "Get into a cat fight with the girl that can really turn into a cat."
The three girls laughed again, little knowing the fate of their friend and teammate.
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Meanwhile in the men's dormitory, a game of deadly seriousness was being played. Psi-Shot looked at his cards and placed his bet. Johnny Blaze looked nervously around the table. He was new to the game, but that wasn't what made him nervous. He was just nervous all the time. Johnny was perhaps the least comfortable with his powers of all the students in the school. His mutation allowed him to move at velocities nearing the speed of sound, but he seldom used his abilities and when he did, it was usually to avoid confrontation. Belasco, one of the newest students, looked around the table also, but his eyes held a predatory gaze. As a demon, Belasco also held certain abilities. His particular power lay in mass shifting. He could increase his mass and strength to staggering proportions. The only problem was, the larger he became, the angrier and more dark his thoughts were, so he was infinitely careful not to allow himself to slide into that dark state of mind that most demons reveled in. Coming from Limbo where time was constantly shifting, this Belasco was very young for a demon and his peers in that nether-realm had cast him out for his noble sentiments. Although other manifestations of him were some of the most evil creatures in existence, this young demon prince had a noble heart that he tried to keep hidden behind his mischievous grin and devilish good looks. The other members of the game followed the play around the table. The massively strong Kid Sampson arrogantly cast his money on the table, and the human rocket Cannonball also placed his bet. All eyes turned once again to Psi-Shot.
"Call or raise, flesh sack," said Belasco. "I don't live in Limbo anymore and I'm not getting any younger here."
Psi-Shot jumped and then blushed. The others looked at him strangely and then allowed their eyes to follow what he had been so intently staring at. They looked out the window and saw five young women discussing their upcoming shopping trip. By this time, Glittergirl, Shockwave and Janista had been joined by Blink, the new black Princess and Tangerine their new head-mistress.
The young men began to cackle and hoot at their friend Psi-Shot.
"What's wrong Psi-Shot," Sampson joked. "I'd ask if cat had your tongue if Puma was down there, but I've got a feeling it's a certain blue haired psion that's got your attention."
Psi-Shot blushed at the mention of Janista. Although he was a fierce warrior when the time came to fight, he had the soul of a poet and was thus a bit shy when it came to matters of the heart. He had met Janista on his first days at the academy when the Black house had regular dealings with the others, but now her visits were few and far between. If only he had the courage to approach her. Her quiet beauty always seemed to enter his mind, whenever he allowed it to wander even for a moment, and now it had happened again.....HOW EMBARRASSING.
"I wasn't looking at anything," Psi-Shot said hurriedly, "I was just deciding on what to bet."
The others laughed and grinned and continued on with their game.
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Sasha ran through the woods on her way back to the Upstarts Academy with an almost lyrical grace. Her transitional form allowing her to move with catlike agility, while still enjoying her almost human appearance. As Puma, a member of the Black Upstarts, Sasha Davidson used her abilities in support of the Black Hellfire Club, but this was one of those moments that a person just lives for the sake of living. This was the time, when she could let the beast inside of her run free. She stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. The chill breeze that blew through the trees tickled the hair on her pointed ears as she listened carefully to the forest sounds. There was a silence in the forest that shouldn't be there. Her cat-like tail whipped back and forth behind her. There was a scent on the breeze that was unfamiliar to her. She removed her backpack silently and laid it aside She then concentrated on becoming one with the forest again. Her features that had once been human although with catlike attributes, now shifted until any trace of her human form was unrecognizable. Her body also morphed as she completed her transition into full puma mode. She sniffed the air once again. In her completely animal form, her senses were keener than any other creature of the forest, but she still couldn't identify the smell that had interrupted her morning run. Sasha took one more cautious step forward as her body tensed in readiness. Whatever was out there, was coming closer. Then, with a move faster than even her animal reflexes could follow, Sasha was swept up into a net, and promptly anesthetized with a knock out dart. The cloaked figure pushed a button on his gauntlet and the cloaking field that covered him dropped.
"It begins," came the muffled voice from beneath the dusky cowl.
CHAPTER TWO: QUESTIONS AND CONUNDRUMS
Avalon's hands flew deftly over the keys of Gregor's computer console. Text and computer code flashed across the screen at so rapid a rate that Gregor couldn't follow. Then with a final blink, the screen went completely black and Avalon pounded his fist on the desk.
"Damnit," the youth screamed.
Gregor was totally unprepared for this outburst from the normally placid Avalon.
"What is it boy? What is the meaning of this? Who sent this message?" Gregor sputtered.
"I don't know," Avalon sighed. "The message had an attached .exe file that rewrote your entire hard drive, erased all data logs of the sender's IP address, and put your system in a terminal loop until it crashed. In essence, all my work on this computer terminal has been turned into so much junk. I can't even get a reboot, and all the information you had on this system is lost. I did manage to keep the virus from spreading to the network though, so that's one good thing. I've never seen a virus eat away a system this fast. I thought my anti-virus code could stop anything. Whoever did this had intimate knowledge of your access codes and net pathways, as well as a supreme amount of computer engineering skills. I do have a plan, though. I've been working on my electromagnetics lately though, and I might just be able to............"
"Unacceptable!", roared Gregor. "Mights.....can'ts......I need answers, boy. I have taken the name Clarion to herald the rise to power of the BHC and myself. I will not have some two bit computer hacker bring down all I've worked for. I want solutions Avalon...and I want them now!"
"Look Clarion..or Afterburner..or Gregor or whatever you are calling yourselves these days, like I said, there's nothing I can do," Avalon spat. "You can call in a team of MIT scientists, and they won't be able to do any better, but if you would have let me finish, I might be able to help you. Like I was saying, I've been experimenting with my electromagnetics and since all computer code is on magnetic media, I may be able to retrieve some of the digital trail by analyzing the magnetic imprints."
When Avalon finished, Clarion appraised the boy carefully. This youth held a position in the Black Court and thus was not exactly like the rest of the students, but he was still a student and should respect his elders. This would have to handled delicately.
"I'm sorry, Avalon," Gregor said as he patted him on the shoulder, "It's just so important to me to protect my charges from threats, and this message was definitely a threat. Please....do what you can."
The youth ducked his blonde head a little shyly and apologized as well. "I'm sorry too, sir. I just hate to see my work wasted. I will get to the bottom of this."
Gregor smiled. He still had the ability to talk his way out of a situation when his normal bravado and commanding tone didn't work. This boy had spirit....and this spirit, properly channeled ofcourse, would be a great asset to the Black Hellfire Club.
Avalon closed his eyes and the hair on Gregor's arms stood up as the lad embraced his powers. The blue magnetic glow surrounded Avalon and he begin to float inches above the floor. The glow surrounding the boy began to spread until it covered the computer console as well. The look of concentration on the youth's face impressed even Gregor and when, minutes later, Avalon returned a little weakly to the floor, Gregor was there with a supporting arm.
"What did you learn, son?" asked Gregor.
"Not much, sir," Avalon said. "Whoever did this had access to technology that not even the BHC has, but I did manage to retrieve a snippet of the site location of the sender of that last message. The message was sent through one of our internal modems. Not only did they have your personal e-mail account information, they also had dial in access to BHC files. This gives them free access to almost all of our systems and data."
Clarion, The Black King, pounded his fist on the desk. NO......This wasn't possible, who could have gained this kind of access? No one could get that far into the BHC without inside help. Somewhere among his colleagues there was a leak.....and he had to find out where.
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Somewhere in a cavern filled with technological wonders like the world has never seen a figure sat. His face was hidden by his hooded cloak, but his gloved hands moved silently across a keyboard looking at the information he had gained. He read slowly through the files that Gregor had composed called the Extermination Agenda. Listed within these files was the biographical data of all known students and members of the Black Hellfire club as well as their associates. Along with this data was a plan on how to eliminate said individual, should they become a danger to the inner circle. So Gregor was as cautious and as deadly as he was in the days of old when they had first met. A smile passed over the figures lips as they clicked off their computer console and a beam of light caught the shimmer of a ring on their gloved hand. The light flashed briefly illuminating the stamp of the White Hellfire Club and the further symbol of royalty beneath it.
"Oh yes," the figure laughed. "This is the end game, my dear Gregor, and it will be a very fun game indeed."
Greg
TBk
runner up for a buncha things 2000
"If video games affected people, wouldn't all of the Pac Man kids from the 80's be running around in the dark, eating pills, and listening to elctronic music?"
- Unknown