Out of The Past: chapter 12-14 *HF*
By Gomurr
CHAPTER TWELVE: DIVISIONS AND DECISIONS
Before the gate had even completely closed, the remaining members of the Black Hellfire Club struck in unison. Deadpool, using his keen eyes and enhanced reflexes, let off a volley of rounds from his laser pistol releasing Siryn from her bonds, but as she was released, she could do nothing but stare at the handsome young man that stood in Deadpool's battle gear.
"Pool, is it really you.....Oh Wade...what happened?"
"Long story sweetcakes, i'll tell you all about it when we get out of here," said Deadpool as he carried her to a position of cover.
Belasco's approach, as always, was direct. Immediately after dropping from the portal, he began to grow...and grow...and grow. Snapping restraints away from the fellow BHC members and causing a general panic as he thundered across the room like a rampaging behemoth.
Rahsas let loose a bolt from his staff nailing Scott the White Mage and sending him reeling back mumbling incoherently and shivering. Rahsas dark spawned energy when focused thus, forced his target to see just a hint of the dark dimension, which was Rahsas birthplace and power source, and it appeared that dark place that Rahsas lived with daily was not to Scott's liking at all.
Gomurr's first mystic blast flew from his staff directly into the psionic enhancer that Feonix was operating. Electricity surged out as the machine exploded, and the resultant psionic feedback caused Darque Feonix to cry out in pain as all of the mental energy that the machine regulated rushed into his brain at once.
Havoc1, seeing his mentor, the Black Knight, chained to a table, released a spray of telekenetic spikes taking out Psyche, Mischance and even the intangible Shadowcat. He then rushed to release his mentor for whom he took his code-name from.
SuperGrover quickly surveyed the situation and took action of his own. Taking Janista, the young blue haired psionic, in his arms and under his protective aura, he flew to the spot beside the now destroyed psionic device stood, and landed beside Jon.
The White Queen was the first to speak.
"What is the meaning of this young lady, joining a raiding party of another house. There will be punishment for this....and you....Grover, whose questionable alliances probably caused this in the first place."
"Silence," Grover roared, his normal reserved demeanor disappearing. "This situation must be stopped."
"You are correct, Grover," said a desperately sad voice from behind them.
Gregor after being freed by Belasco's onslaught had crawled to a position of safety to recuperate from his wounds. Although he was physically only bruised. Emotionally and psychologically, the evening's events had scarred him deeply. His mind rolled back over the past. He thought of his love for Jon and how her rejection had almost destroyed him, even though he know realized it was Paramount on that night so many years ago that had so savagely betrayed him. His mindset quickly changed from sorrow to anger, as he realized that not only had Paramount decieved him, but held Jon prisoner for months until his masquerade was in danger. The feelings of hate and revulsion bubbled up inside him and came bursting out in one anguished cry that seemed to shake the very room as much as it did the Black King's soul.
"STOP THIS MADNESS!!!!!!" he roared, and amazingly even over the din of battle his voice was heard....and everyone stopped in thier tracks.
The room was in almost total silence. Only the sound of falling debris, and the sizzle of the still exploding psionic device filled the air, as Gregor strode slowly up to the top of the rubble that he had once been chained to. A stray thought about Julius Ceasar addressing the senate before being slain by his supposed friends rolled through Gomurr's brain, but that was lifetimes ago...this was the here and now.
And so Gregor began in a choked voice that shook but steadily became stronger.
"Black Hellfire Members........Whites, Greys, Reds. The time has come for us to put childish grievances aside. You have seen the sins of my past, and we all seem to be reliving them in the future. We all fight for the wrong reasons.....not for the future, but for the present. This conflict began with the kidnapping of children that look to us for guidance, and we fight amongst ourselves...not over their fates, but over power and pride. My decisions seem to have always been driven by ambition and greed, and the results only brought more heartache and pain, thus I renounce my position as Black King, and beg the the White Queen to accept me back into her councils. I also as my last official act, beg the assembled members for reunification of the houses."
When Gregor finished his speech he approached Jon on bended knee and looked up into her eyes. At first they seemed to brim with tears, then a line crossed her brow and she turned her back on the prostrate former Black King.
"You idiot, you think this revelation of yours changes anything," she said sarcastically. "It doesn't bring back the months of my life that I was chained at the hands of that maniac, while you just left him to masquerade as me. Couldn't you tell the difference.....or maybe you liked him better."
"Jon....please." Gregor said.
"No...you please.....now that we know about the children, i'll work with you on getting them back, but don't ever think I will forgive you," she spat.
It was at this moment that a very bedraggled looking Blink, WildChild and Puma stumbled into the ruined meeting hall.
"RAE!!!!" Nem shouted from the back as she ran toward Blink. "What happened to you? Why are your clothes all torn?"
"It was Paramount," said Blink. "I've been his captive for months. He was pretending to be me to destroy the Hellfire Clubs."
Grover's stomach threatened to lurch. So this was the girl that he had been trying hard not to love because of her tender age, and Paramount was the flirtatious nutcase that had tried to tempt him by wearing her form. How could he have been so stupid?
"It gets worse," continued Blink as she stood before them all. "Paramount's used the genetic make up of dozens of mutants and he's created horribly scarred versions of them, as well as a perfect vision of goodness. We've got to stop him from destroying any more lives....and save the one that saved me."
"Waitaminute, we saved you." said Wildchild half jokingly looking at Puma, but nobody seemed to notice.
"Very Well, then," said Silver finding his voice after the shocking discoveries that had been made that day. "We will find this Paramount and free whomever he holds prisoner...and we will do it...TOGETHER."
"TOGETHER!!!!!" they all cried at once....all that is but one...and his silence was as deafening as their cry had been earlier.
"Together?....Ha," Darque Feonix scoffed. "You threatened to become interesting once. That is why I graced you with my presence. Now you once again follow someone to do what is supposedly good and right, like mindless sheep. I take my leave of you and this boring mudball."
And with that Darque Feonix embraced the power cosmic and headed for parts unknown...and the rest of the assemblage prepared to face Paramount one last time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ROOTS OF EVIL
The assembled members of all branches of the Hellfire Clubs landed like a soft summer breeze on the lawns of the seemingly deserted orphanage. The stealth arrays Avalon had designed and implemented in the Jet-Copter worked like a dream and Jack Silver watched both Jon and Mischance covertly study it as it sat down in hopes of copying the technology.
"Impressive, isn't it?.....What young people can do when they are trained in more than just the arts of war." said Gomurr a bit distantly.
His mind was on the battle to come, and of the stories that Blink and Puma had told him of this place. He would never have been selected for this mission if Blink's description of what she simply called "The Alpha" hadn't sounded mystical in nature. He was not the best field operative, although great magical might rested in his diminutive frame. He collected himself and centered his energy as they reached the coordinates Puma had provided. As the almost completely silent engines shut down and the propellor ceased to spin. SuperGrover slid the door open and the group began to disembark.
The velvet skinned Grover surveyed the grounds carefully as he watched the others disembark. The members of the strikeforce were selected painstakingly as to best combine stealth and strength. SuperGrover, Gregor, Havok, Gomurr and Nemesis represented the Black's inner circle along with Puma and Blink to aid in their search of the place. The IFHC was also well represented by its membership. Nytshade, Mischance, Psyche and Shadowcat also disembarked eying their allies carefully.
"My hands are still chaffed from being restrained," said Nem venomously staring at Jon. "I hope I'm able to properly channel my powers should a fight break out."
"Quiet Nemesis!" Gregor snapped. "We agreed to help each other and you will stick to that agreement or I will destroy you myself."
"I don't need your protection, Gregor!" Jon hissed. "You certainly provided me with none the last time I was here."
Gomurr's eyes went wide and he raised his staff.
"SILENCE CHILDREN," he said as he bound the mouths of the three with currents of air. "If you want to spend the eye-blink of time we have to get in without being detected bickering, then go ahead, but I won't allow Puma to come to any more harm. Do not force me to depart with her, leaving you guideless."
"You are right old man," said Gregor quietly. "We came to defeat Paramount not relive old rivalries. Let us go."
Puma surveyed the grounds carefully. A cold mournful wind was blowing through the diseased trees that flanked the playground's perimeter. The swings and merry-go-rounds squeaked as the breeze twisted them to and fro. Puma remembered playing in that yard. It had been four years since she had left this place at the age of 13, but she still remembered the sensation that greeted her now. Someone was watching them.
Jon's mind also reeled backwards in time to the period that she was held captive here by the insane Paramount. She had not even been aware of the orphanage above ground until she had broken free and reached the surface that 18 years ago, but the sight of the delapitated building still brought a chill to her as she remembered his tortures.
"Let's go," whispered Gomurr as he moved toward the ramshackle building.
They had reached the outer perimeter when the Gregor tackled Gomurr and leaped in front of the group. Before Gomurr could pick himself up, he was rocked back to the ground by a deafening explosion. Gomurr looked up and saw a wall of energy in front of Gregor suddenly spring to life in hues of red and gold. Then he saw what had caused the explosion. The seemingly derelict playground equipment had come to terrifying life. The push power merry go round spun on an unseen motor assembly spraying bullets and mortars at the approaching group. The bars supporting the swings aimed lasers with pin-point accuracy. The wall of energy in front of them held however, and Gomurr, as he picked himself up, finally realized why. Gregor stood before the rest of the group, his hands placed palm out towards the onslaught of weapons. He had somehow noticed the oncoming danger before the rest of the group and had used his ability to turn pollutants into energy weapons in a new and effecitve way. He had actually formed a force field like the one that covered him while he was blasting, but had managed to shape it into a wall of energy that would deflect the attack. The effort was evident from the strained look on his face, and the beads of sweat that rolled down his forehead.
"I can't hold this for much longer," grunted Gregor.
"Nor shall you have to, Gregor," said Grover as he swooped into the air grabbing havok underneath the arms as he went.
Gomurr also took to the air and Shadowcat phased until she sunk beneath the ground. Gregor continued to hold the wall as blue streaks of electric beams, mortars, and bullets continued to pound against it. When Grover, Havok and Gomurr reached the top of the wall, Havok released a plasma burst and Gomurr a mystic blast at the laser equipped swing. The machinery exploded into brilliant blue sparks. Just as quickly Shadowcat phased up into the motor housing of the merry go round, thus shorting all the electrical power to it. The silence was deafening as Gregor dropped the shield and then fell to his knees exhausted. Jon's eyes turned to Gregor, but Nem was the first to speak.
"Are you all right, Gregor?" she asked with concern.
"I am fine, Black Queen," said Gregor stiffly. "My welfare is no longer your concern, but I thank you for the sentiment just the same. Let's keep moving."
Puma, at point, scouted around to the entrance. Shifting into her transitional form, she sniffed the air cautiously. She smelled where she had been here before, but also the more recent scent of Paramount.
"He's in there!" she said with a growl in her throat.
Grover swung the door open. It banged against side board and they all jumped a little.
"I've walked into a lot of traps in my life," said Havok, "but this may be the grandaddy of them all."
"I agree," said Grover, "but if we are to find this fiend, and end his schemes once and for all, then we must continue."
Puma once again led the way, down the halls that smelled of antiseptic and death. The flourescent lighting on the ceiling hummed and flickered, casting eerie shadows of the group. They paused at a wall and Puma reached forward to touch it.
"Stop!!!!" Psyche shouted. "There's great danger here. Don't move...anyone!!"
The group froze in place. Mischance reached out to touch Psyche's shoulder.
"Vanessa, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm sensing something. Behind this wall is a passage. My psychometry allows me to see the history behind objects, but if we move one more step, we are doomed." she continued.
"Shadowcat," Jon said. "Do a perimeter sweep quickly...full phased mode. We need to know what's setting her off that we can't see."
Shadowcat concentrated and allowed her molecular density to decrease. She moved slowly towards the wall. She passed through first Gregor, then Grover and Gomurr in her attempt to move as little as possible but stil reach her goal. The all supressed a shiver. Her power, even at this non-agressive level, was enough to make your skin crawl. Gomurr, said silent wards agains possession out of force of habit, even though he knew Shadowcat's powers were strictly mutant in nature. Finally she went through Mischance, and then through the wall...or at least began to go through the wall. Suddenly her body was bombarded with what felt like a million tiny hooks all tearing her flesh in different directions. She tried to pull away, but somehow the barbs held her in place and pulled her deeper into the wall. She cried out and began to give into the insanity that this ultimate pain caused, but before she gave into the cold embrace of shock, she was suddenly free . She looked down and Mischance's arm was sticking through her phased shoulder. Somehow Mischance's probability altering field had allowed him to grip her shoulder as she was being pulled into the wall, and rescue her from the prison she had stumbled into.
"What happened," screamed Shadowcat, as she resolidified on the floor with the others.
"Apparently he was expecting us," said Grover. "If my guess is right, then he had that wall equipped with a spooling field."
Most present grew silent, in remembrance of the horrible device that the time traveller Trevor Fitzroy had introduced to them in an attempt to gain control of the Hellfire Club. Only Nemesis and Grover among them could give first hand knowledge of the excruciating pain involved in the process, but the rest could attest to the horrible screams and looks of anguish as they were tortured by Fitzroy. In the end, Fitzroy's own slave, Bantam, had betrayed him and freed them all, but to this day, all that were there still were panicked by the mere mention of the device. The spooling field was capable of literally tearing someone apart cell by cell and then reforming them over and over again, without the release of death. It's technology was even capable of cellular restructuring of phased matter, so even Shadowcat was helpless against it, but what was a madman like Paramount doing with such technology?
"Now what?" said Shadowcat, trying to recover from the physical assault.
"NOW YOU DIE!!!" screamed Paramount as he came down the hall, riding ridiculously on the hunched back and shoulder of a horribly disfigured behemoth with the head of a beautiful green haired woman and the body of what appeared to be a four armed Juggernaut. Dozens of his mutant hybrids flanked him, running or skidding along clumsily on disproportinate appendages. Thier scarred bodies seemed to sprout arms and legs and even fins at random.....and the smell of them rushed before them like a sickening wave of antiseptic and dying flesh. The ferocity in their eyes and their grotesquely distorted bodies was enough to strike fear in the hearts of the IFHC members, but the hate and insanity etched on Paramount's own face was what really froze the blood of the now cornered group.
"Oh god," whispered Jon under her breath. "Please not again."
And then the battle began.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ALPHA DESCENDANT
Havok, as usual, was the first one into the fray. He hurled himself heedlessly toward one of the leading monstrosities. Its body seemed to be a huge mass of hair, but in the form of a man. The creature let out a howl of rage as it opened its mouth, if a mouth could be said to cover half of its body....and from the gaping teeth covered cavity came a wall of sonic force. Had Havok not dived to the right, the sonic wail would have liquified him. Havok's clawed hand caught the beast along one massive jaw and thick dark blood sprayed into the air, but to Havok's surprise the gaping wound began to quickly seal itself back up.
"This f***er's got a healing factor and a sonic scream.....How many powers do these freaks have," Havok raged.
He then concentrated his plasma burst on the creature knocking it back into the skittering mass of its fellow mutates, that were also fast approaching. The rest of the Hellfire Club members prepared themselves and also dived into the fearful battle. Gomurr and Jon stood back to back. The diminutive old mage, and the deceptively young and beautiful sorceress fired mystic bolts that made the mutates cry out in pain. Shadowcat attacked with both her phasing ability and her ninja skills. Nemesis and Psyche both unleashed daggers of telekenetic force, and Mischance leaped with cat like agility from wall to beast to floor, sinking his daggers in where they would do the most damage. Grover and Gregor attacked from above using skills learned in countless battles. The attack of the Hellfire Club was ferocious in its intensity, but it still wasn't enough to stem the awesome power of Paramount's mutates. For every foe that fell, another took its place. There seemed to be an infinite number of the abominations, and then Grover saw the reason why.
Paramount, was at the back of the rampaging army of mutates now, and he had morphed into the form of the former morlock, Skids. He sat on the back of the mutate he had been riding and continually shouted orders into a wrist communicator. He was using the forcefield power of Skids to protect both himself, the she-beast he had ridden in on, and another mass of what could only vaguely be recognized as human. The pitiful creature beside Paramount and his steed was squatting naked beside the gigantic form of the Polaris/Juggernaut/Forearm cross-breed. It continually pounded its fists on the ground and with each impact a rupture would open on its back spilling out a putrid eruption of yellow bile along with yet another mutate. So...Paramount had some Madrox DNA to play with too. How could they stop this madman? Grover flew back to Nem's side and told her of this new found discovery. Nem's brow furrowed, as she continued to fight. Up until this point the Hellfire Club had been fighting to subdue or stun.....not to kill. These pitiful creatures were not to blame for their master's wishes, but now there was little other choice. She looked to her side and saw that Psyche's fragile mind was already threatening to give way under the stress of the battle.
"We have no choice," she said. "It's kill or be killed."
Nemesis closed her eyes and concentrated. She reached out with her mind and linked with Rahsas who was waiting anxiously at the IFHC headquarters with the remaining members of the Hellfire Club.
"We need you....now......bring the others...before it's too late," she said into his mind.
Suddenly two portals opened up in the air above the battle. One was filled with golden light and seemed to hum with heavenly music. The other was black as the night and gave those who gazed upon it a chill down the spine. Both of these were jump gates provided by Scott, the White Mage...and Rahsas of the Blacks...bringing reinforcements for the battle. Silver, Shockwave, Glittergirl, Belasco, Havoc1, Puma and Johnny Blaze fell from Rahsas portal. Their powers primed and ignited instantly and they joined the battle. Psi-Shot, Janista, Deadpool, Siryn, WildChild and Ryan in the body of the Toad fell from the other. They too joined the fray. Paramount, seeing this, slapped the duplicating mutate vicously and cursed...then continued to scream into his wrist communicator.
DarkWolf sat in the chamber below the battle. The voice of his master blasted into his head via the wrist communicator.
"Make them charge faster, you idiot. Do you want these infidels to destroy our hard work...to destroy the alpha," Paramount spat.
DarkWolf concentrated harder. His control over animal minds was not perfect under the best of circumstances, but controlling the minds of these rampaging mutates was taking everything he had. With each new creation it became more difficult, and the pain and fear he was registering through them was almost more than he could bare, but he believed in the master's plan to create the perfect mutant to free this world from its own struggles and he fought harder to maintain control and to repel or destroy the Hellfire Club, who he believed to be traitors to their own kind.
With the reinforcements that the Hellfire Club had held in reserve safely teleported in, the pace of the battle changed. As soon as Belasco was safely through the portal, he increased his size and mass and almost busted through even the cathedral like ceiling of the chamber. He picked up each struggling mutate and hurled them back into their fellows. The young demon's strength was astounding and only by holding back his rage, could he maintain control and not lose himself in the demonic ecstasy of destruction. Deadpool and Siryn stood back to back spraying bullets and flame bursts. Glittergirl's glitter spikes flashed in the air in an almost strobe-like fashion. Havoc1 stood side by side with his mentor, Havok, and fired telekenetics and plasma charges against the wall of beasts.
Shockwave, in an effort to protect the Red King, in his Toad body had been separated from the circle of her friends and they were being chased down a side corridor by a reptilian mutate with flaming red hair streaming down it's neck. It's scaly face and fangs looked ridiculous in comparison to its flowing tresses, but when it activated yet another mutant power, Shockwave realized where she had seen hair like that before. The flame blast came without warning, and Shockwave cursed under her breath. They were using Siryn's powers against her own friends!!!!!!! Ryan in his Toad body back-flipped out of the way, just to land almost directly in front of the beast. The red haired crocodilian raised it's clawed hand and brought it screaming down towards Ryan's head. Shockwave leaped into action without thinking, her blast caught the creature in the chest and it spun back, but it's claw still caught Ryan broadside in his midsection. The Toad's pitiful shreak, delivered in the arrogant manner of Ryan was horrible to hear. The mutate fell to the ground....dead. As the blood drained from Ryan, he looked into the young mutants eyes and saw only fear and despair there.
"This one had never killed before, what a delightful young body to inhabit....so many new experiences to enjoy," he thought, "but she killed in my defense, how can I do this?"
The Red King grimaced and prepared to leap from his dying body into a new one.
Back at the main battle, Paramount's mutates were slowly being turned back. Silver stood behind the wall of his fellow mutants and utilized his powers like never before. Wherever a mutate took a step in advance, the very beams that composed the floor would shape around their feet...trapping them. Some of the more berzerker ones had actually ripped their own limbs off in order to continue the battle, but they were picked off by one of the others. The duplicator mutate that cowered next to Paramount kept pumping out new mutates, however, and the number of screaming, and crying mutates kept climbing. Soon, even with the help of the new members, the Hellfire Club would be overrun again.
Suddenly a brilliant flash of light filled the room, only it wasn't painful to the eyes, and the air was filled with humming sounds. All the participants in the battle paused and a feeling of euphoria washed over them. The battle was over, and everyone stood transfixed bathing in the radiance of the light.
Blink looked around blissfully and said, "It's him, the one who saved me....It's him."
Paramount saw what had happened and reacted with his usual cold response.
"The Alpha has fully awakened, and you are all doomed," he ranted.
"Doomed?" questioned Blink in an almost drug like euphoria. "Don't you see, there is no hate in this one.....there is only love......the time for fighting has past."
"Foolish child," Paramount spat. "I'll show you hate."
The insane former White King pressed a lever on his control gauntlet and the panel with the spooling field slid open and the field shut down. Behind it standing glorious in his nakedness stood the Alpha. He looked at the assemblage.
"I feel the pain in all of you," he said in a soft deep caress of a voice. "Let me take it....let me take it all."
Tears of joy filled everyone's eyes. Every mind reeled with images of a life filled with only peace and love. Each heart ached for the golden age that was coming.
Paramount had been moving closer to the Alpha with each word he spoke. Paramount's powers allowed him to exactly duplicate the physical genetic structure of anyone or anything. His long association with this mutate he had created had helped him develop a tolerance for what he called its hypnotic photoradiance. His genetic structure had already begun to shift by the time he reached the side of the Alpha.
"Father?" the creature of light said.
"Yes, my child," said Paramount as he reached up to touch the cheek of his greatest creation.
Moving with blinding speed, Paramount pulled a dagger from his belt and drove it into the gut of the Alpha. Where blood would have poured out of any other man...brilliant light blasted from the gaping wound in the dying mutate. The assemblage burst into pandemonium. The other mutates cried out in rage, and began destroying everything including each other in berserker fury. The Hellfire Club members held their heads in agony.....and struggled to protect themselves from the fury of the creatures. Only Blink stood unaffected. She released pulse bolts to protect her friends from the destruction around them and gave them time to regain their composure.
The rage of the mutates again became focused, and their attack became once again a coordinated effort against the Hellfire Club. The assembled mutants were once again fighting a losing battle.
"ENOUGH OF THIS," came a voice directly into the brain of every person in the room.
Everyone turned to see the Alpha begin to rise into the air in its halo of light.
"It's him...he's alright," screamed Blink.
"Think again dear-heart," said the Alpha coldly, there's a new master of this body."
Paramount had made the transformation. He now had the awesome power of the Alpha, and the Hellfire Club was at his mercy.
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