Out of The Past: chapter 15 - Epilogue *HF*
By Gomurr
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: TRUTHS AND CONSEQUENCES
DarkWolf cried out in pain as the Alpha was skewered by Paramount's blade. Through his mental connection to Alpha and the other mutates he experienced what they experienced, and the psionic backlash of the Alpha dying threatened to drive them all insane. Tears of rage filled his eyes as he crawled back to his feet. How could the master have done this? What of their plan of creating a Golden Age of Peace?
"Someone would pay for this," thought DarkWolf. "Someone will pay dearly."
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Paramount hovered above the heads of the group of mutates and Hellfire Club mutants. The only thing that could be heard was the static crackle of Paramount's newly found energy as it cascaded around the assemblage. Nobody stirred from their position. The very gaze of Paramount in his Alpha transformation was enough to freeze them in place.
"INCREDIBLE!!" laughed Paramount wildly. "The power of my creation was greater than even I anticipated. His power wents so far beyond the mere psionic that it's unquantifiable. The Alpha could actually touch and control the energy field that comprises the spirit aura of a person......and now that power is mine, and I have you to thank for that, my dear Nytshade. Without the magical attributes I gleaned from your DNA, this synthesis of mutant and magician would never have been possible....this perfection in the ability to tap into man's soul rather than just his mind would never even be feasible.....but then again, you always were excellent breeder stock."
SuperGrover jerked forward crying out in pain.
"So your much vaunted immunity to psionic power is allowing you to fight me, if only just a bit," scoffed Paramount. "But, as I've said, this power only begins as psionic. IT GOES MUCH FURTHER!!!"
With that, Paramount raised his arm and a bolt of pure white light streaked from his fingertips and into Grover. Grover's back arched as the bolt lifted him into the air and held him there.
"I can control your every move, mutant. I can snap you in two!!," raved Paramount. "I can make you dance like a puppet on the end of a string. MY POWER IS ABSOLUTE!!!!.....but let's get an opinion from the court....HAH!!!"
Paramount gestured again and Nytshade stumbled forward and then dropped to her knees in front of him. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head toward him. She looked adoringly into his face. Grover grimaced as he saw the look of utter love that Jon displayed for Paramount. What sort of powers did this Alpha have to completely erase the hate that Jon had held for the insane former White King.
"Although its quite nice to bathe in your adorance of me, Jon," said Paramount. "What say I loosen my control just a bit and give you your own mind again. I always did love your spirit."
Jon's face instantly turned into a snarl of disgust, and she tried to draw her head away from Paramount's hand, but she couldn't move.
"You bastard, release me!!" she screamed. "I'll die before you touch me again!!!"
"Oh you'll die alright," said Paramount in a sickly sweet voice. "But only after providing me with days, weeks, maybe even years of amusement, if I don't tire of you by then."
"Never again," Jon spat.
"Never say never, my dear," said Paramount as he lifted Jon to her feet and floated her towards him. "You only hasten your own demise."
Paramount brought Jon's face inches from his own and flicked his tongue out toward her. He traced it along the line of her jaw, and down to her lips. She tried to pull away, but was held fast in the power that Paramount had assumed from the Alpha.
"What's wrong, Jon?" Paramount cooed. "Don't you like this body......maybe I should change to something else........perhaps...... more familiar."
Paramount's voice dropped to a low guttural growl and Jon's eyes went wide with terror. Her mind flashed back to the time she had been held prisoner here all those years ago. Once again, she relived Paramount's abuse as he subjected her to one horrific experiment after another...and then came the final indignity. On the last night of her capture....the night before her escape from his hellish world, he had decided to take more than just samples.
THE PAST: PARAMOUNT'S LAIR
Jon lay strapped to the table. How long had she been here? How many more of Paramount's insane experiments could she go through? When would she simply be allowed to die? She heard a noise from the foot of the table. A steady tapping......then a scrape of metal against another hard surface. She looked down the table to her feet, and there she saw her worst nightmare come to life. There stood the sociopathic serial killer Sabretooth. He looked at her, his guttaral breathing ringing in her ears. He tapped his clawed nails one by one along the metal table and then dug them in cutting deep scratches into the leather of her restrainig straps.
"Think what I could do to your soft skin, Frail," said Sabretooth as he traced his clawed index finger up Jon's bare leg.
She cried out, but it was too late. Sabretooth's razor sharp claws tore away the thin gown that was covering her and she was at his mercy. Later, when the beast had left her, she remembered Paramount's return. He held yet another one of his tortuous devices.
"Do you like Easter, Jon?" he rattled on insanely. "Well it's time for a little egg hunt."
Thankfully, she passed out after hearing that, and remembered nothing else of Paramount's examination and harvesting of her genetic materials and now fertilized eggs. Until this moment, she had successfully blocked out almost all of the entire experience, but now......hearing that voice again, she was sickened to the core of her being....That voice....it had been Paramount the whole time.....that voice Paramount was using again right now.........tap tap tap...scraaaaaape.....THINK WHAT I COULD DO......
THE PRESENT: PARAMOUNT'S LAIR
Paramount still held Jon's face in his hand, looking down into her horrified eyes.
"Like I said, Jon," Paramount said. "I always enjoyed your spirit.....a pity you weren't quite as fond of me in one of my more furry forms, but what a lovely daughter you produced."
Jon's mouth fell open and she began to scream.
"Daughter?..........YOU MONSTER! What are you talking about?" she raved.
"Why I would have guessed you would have figured it out by now," teased Paramount. "Her mother's good looks......her father's penchant for fur and fury....and my, I guess you could call me her other father, shape shifting ability? A pity she was just as ungrateful as her mother, and chose to leave me when I left the orphanage in the care of another."
Paramount gestured once again, and Sasha Cullen, A.K.A. Puma11, was lifted forward to join them.
"Say hello, to mummy dearest, Sasha," wheezed Paramount gleefully.
"NOOOOO!!!", came a voice from the darkness. "This is wrong, and I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!!!!"
DarkWolf came bounding into the room. The handsome youth swung his thickly muscled arm at Paramount knocking him backwards and busting the lip on the youthful face that he had taken on.
"Boy," Paramount spat. "What is the meaning of this? Have I not given you everything?....made you a part of my dream? Don't you see? These people before you are our enemies. It is these people that refused me and scoffed at my potential when forming this ridiculous Hellfire Club.......these people that squander their genetic strength in petty squabbles....but I see as always, I am betrayed by those closest to me."
"Betrayed?" DarkWolf cried. "You killed the Alpha only to assume his form and power. Who are you to speak of betrayal?"
"Don't you see how limited the Alpha was?" Paramount questioned. "His power was held back by his own goodness of heart. He needed a mind such as mine to seize his true destiny as ruler over this pathetic mudball...He would never have been able to make the difficult choices it takes to destroy in order to create."
"I see nothing but a madman!" raged DarkWolf.
"THEN YOU WILL DIE LIKE THE OTHERS!!!" screamed Paramount. "only for your betrayal, you will not go easily into the night on a wave of tranquility like the rest of these sheep. I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!!!!!"
Paramount gestured once again and Jon and Puma dropped to the floor in a heap, but placid smiles soon returned to their faces. DarkWolf, on the other hand, was hurled across the room into a steel support girder. If not for his invulnerability and strength, he would have been mortally wounded. As it was, he almost couldn't rise. As soon as he reached his feet, however, he was hit by another attack as he felt his feet and arms fly apart and continue to be pulled. Paramount was literally going to try and rip him apart. A sharp pain shot through the youth's shoulder as his arm threatened to give way. DarkWolf cried out in agony, but in his last few moment's of consciousness, he reached out with his mind and made contact with the mutates he had abandoned earlier when Paramount had assumed the Alpha form. The confused mutates immediately began to come around and started moving in on Paramount. Paramount saw DarkWolf's attempt at defense and reached out with his own mind, but found nothing to latch onto within the mutates. His cry of rage, seemed to excite the wretched creatures and before he could move to stop it a bat-formed mutate slashed a claw across his face, opening his jaw like a ripe melon.
Paramount slapped the hand away, and immediately hit DarkWolf with his tranquility blast. The youth slumped to the floor with a peaceful grin on his face, but it was too late. DarkWolf's mental commands and the blood the bat-creature had drawn had driven the creatures into a frenzy and they attacked Paramount with full force. He didn't understand why he couldn't control them, so he took them out sometimes five at a time with his telekenetic energy, but as before the fallen ones were simply replaced by others. Paramount's concentration broke and the Hellfire Club members began to wake up from their utopian daze. The mutates began to notice the stirring of the others and attacked them as well. The HFC members fought back valiantly, but they too were becoming overpowered by the gene-spliced and multi-powered mutates.
DarkWolf struggled back to lucidity, and saw what was going on. He retook the minds of the mutates and they swung their attention back to Paramount. The Bat-Creature streaked down again and caught Paramount on the other cheek with his clawed wing. Paramount cried out in pain, but his scream was cut off my another mutate catching him around the throat with it's three fingered hand. Yet another mutate charged Paramount gnashing razor sharp teeth and clamping down on his leg with a sickening crunch. This drove the closest mutates insane with blood lust and they all attacked Paramount at once. A feral berserker lunged for Paramount's throat, biting the hand of the three fingered creature and the neck of Paramount simultaneously, mingling the blood of the two. Two more mutates pulled at the arms of Paramount and ripped them from their sockets, as his screams bubbled blood out of his gaping throat. The gnashing sound of teeth against bone and flesh and the screams and hoots of the mutates was sickening in thier fury, and when Paramount was no more, they once again turned on the other intruders in thier home. The lead creatures lunged for the HFC members with blood on their horribly mutilated bodies, but then suddenly and without warning all of the mutates fell lifeless to the ground.
"Whu...whu..what happened?" said Glittergirl letting the radiance fade from her hands. "They all just sort of stopped."
"I happened," said DarkWolf quietly. "I shut them off......they were never truly meant to be alive in the first place. That's why Paramount couldn't control them. What little semblance of human life they had, was just remnants of their component genetic matrices. They were just animals in the form of humans. They had no soul."
Glittergirl walked towards the dark haired youth. She placed an arm around him and hugged him close.
"Come with us," she said softly. "You have a home now... a real home....no more bein a lab rat for you."
"O.K." was all DarkWolf could manage to get out through the lump in his throat.
Suddenly the reptilian mutate with the flaming red hair burst onto the scene. Havok raised his arm to blast it, but Shockwave burst out from the corridor too screaming.
"Don't shoot, Havok!!!!!!", Shockwave wailed. "It's the Red King. He body jumped into that form when it destroyed his Toad body. He could have taken me, but he chose to leap into the body of the dead mutate."
"Well Ryan," quipped Nemesis coldly. "I never pictured you as a red head."
The mutate let out a ear shattering cry and drew back to breathe it's fiery breath on Nemesis, when Gomurr moved in between them.
"NO!" he said. "We have lost too much this day already, I will not have anymore senseless squabbling. Rahsas....Scott....take us home."
The mutate relaxed, Nemesis mumbled an apology, and the two mages prepared to make the transportals when Jon spoke up.
"Wait," Jon said. "This evil ends here.....now......FOREVER."
The White Queen concentrated and her entire body began to glow. She reached into the air and seemed to be clawing against it, as her magical aspect made contact with mother earth. The ground shook and the group was rocked to and fro.
"Now Rahsas...Scott...make the portals," she commanded.
The mages did as they were told and the assemblage stepped through one by one as the ground split in two and hot molten lava from the earth's core rushed up. Jon stepped through just as the angry earth swallowed the orphanage and the evil of Paramount forever?
EPILOGUE: NEW WORLD ORDER
The portals closed behind the assemblage at the International Hellfire Club HQ. There was a silence in the air that was only broken by the shuffling of the feet of the weary teams. Shae Marquette, A.K.A. Glittergirl, was as usual the first to speak out.
"Well.....that's another one we can mark up in the win column," she said trying to lighten the mood.
Gomurr raised his finger in a silencing gesture, but Jon's voice rang out clear and dripping with supressed rage.
"Win?...........WIN?.........WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD WE HAVE ONE THIS DAY, CHILD?" she said painfully. "Everyone in this room is now privy to my deepest shame. How could that be considered anything other than disaster?"
"Is that what I am to you?" asked Sasha Cullen in an outburst of tears. "Am I a dirty little secret, that needs to be swept under the rug? Do you know what it was like growing up in the company of children, that never had the benefit of knowing their parents.....of living by the whims of the "Doctor" that Paramount left in charge of us.......a doctor who was really nothing more than a prison guard with a penchant for "rewarding" girls who "caught his fancy. Don't ever assume that you are the only one affected by this."
Jon's head swung toward Puma, and in the instant that their eyes locked the familial link was immediately recognizeable. They both had the same proud chin, and beautiful wide set eyes. They both shared the qualities of beauty and unspoken power that was intoxicating to men. Even under Puma's tomboyish exterior, one could now see the seductress that was the White Queen's legacy.
"Sasha," Jon began softly approaching her new found daughter slowly. "I didn't know....I couldn't have known that you were even alive. I didn't even remember the experience clearly until today. You must understand....If I had only known...that you even existed....that you were my daughter...."
"If only what, Mother?" Puma spat. "Would you have taken me in....made me one of your hellions.....taught me to dress in white leather and break men's hearts....Well no thanks...as you can tell I did pretty well on my own."
"Sasha, please?" said Alex Dierling, A.K.A. WildChild. "I can understand you are upset, but give her a chance to explain. Jon has given me so much. She took me away from all the hate and prejudice. She showed me that my powers didn't make me a freak...they made me special. At least give her a chance."
"I'm sorry, Alex," said Sasha looking into the dark eyes of WildChild. "You mean a lot to me and what happened to us and how you protected me will always be in my memory, but I've made a home with the Black Hellfire Club. The Upstarts and Marauders are my friends....and I won't leave them to be dictated to by a mother that I never knew."
The two young people looked at each other and then kissed each other tenderly. The experience they shared had bonded the two in ways that years of friendship could not. The unspoken understanding between them was evident in their eyes. These two were now linked. Their bestial natures made the delicateness of their embrace seem odd in comparison.
"Enough of this," Jon interjected. "You will stay here with us, Sasha....and that is final."
"Nothing is final, Jon," said Gomurr stepping toward the trio. "The child stays where she pleases. You have no claim on her.....We are all tired and any further discussion can wait until tomorrow."
"But what about me?" the she-beast that now held the astral form of Ryan croaked out. "I can't simply stay like this...something about the genetic make-up of this body keeps me from skin-shifting it to my needs. I'm trapped like this."
"Also a matter to be discussed after we have rested," said Gommur simply, and surprisingly everyone listened.
The exhausted and bone weary assemblage then went to the rooms prepared for them to gain the strength to face the time of changes they all knew were ahead.
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The morning sun brought little hope to Gomurr. His ancient bones creaked as he dropped to the floor from the gigantic mahogony canopy bed that the IFHC had provided for him. He had been given a room reserved for inner circle members, so it was a sign of respect, but he was sure that
whoever was monitoring this room ....and the room was no doubt being monitored....was getting a big kick out of seeing him leap like a child to the floor of his room.
Gomurr grinned slyly and picked up his staff. The ancient mage had come up with a rather wicked idea. Dressed in a night shirt that the IFHC had provided and holding his mystical staff, he looked like a child playing at being a wizard.
"SHAKA ZON MARKZ", the diminutive mage cried as he rapped his staff sharply on the floor.
The room was filled with a blinding flash of light and Gomurr stood dressed in his best custom tailored suit. He checked his Italian loafers in the mirror and stepped towards the door.
"A little flashy, just to get dressed, but I don't have time to dawdle," he said to the microphones he knew were listening.
The man in the observation booth watching Gomurr writhed on the floor, spots still dancing in front of his face from Gomurr's strobe effect. He could barely make out the little wizard walking toward the door decked out in his tailored business attire.
"The little troll!" the guard cursed under his breath, as he watched Gomurr turn directly toward the camera and give a sly wink.
The main council hall of the International Hellfire Club was filled to capacity. The table composed of four enormous half circles predominated the front of the room. The Inner Circle members of each house were seated on the arcs of the circle each in their own section and the flat line of the table faced out towards the massive hall, creating a wall between royalty and commoners. Each semi-circle had a name-plate engraved into the marble of the table, and Gomurr knew that each member of royalty would be announced and then seated. Not only were the seats of the Red, White and Grey Inner Circle prepared, but the semi-circle comprosing the Black Hellfire Club had been reattached to the massive council seating arrangement. For the first time in many years the Hellfire Club had four houses again.
Gomurr scanned the crowd an caught the eye of each of the ones he knew. These were some of the most powerful and influential people in existence, but they all had that same anxiouis look in their eye. Gomurr also noticed several new faces in the general mill of people. Oh yes indeed, this would prove to be an interesting day.
The subtle classical music that deftly tickled the ears of the attendees stopped, and the trumpeteers at the entrance to the hall blared out a clarion call. The first to be announced was, of course, the Red King. Ryan strode down the hall holding his head proudly. His handsome face looked regal and almost hawk-like with it's glowing red irises and swept back sandy blonde hair. This was the form everyone assumed was Ryan's true appearance, since he adapted any body to take on this look once he took over. Gomurr wondered to himself what had allowed him to skin-shift that mutate body, when he had so little success doing it before. This wasn't the only surprise of the day, however. Gomurr's eyes went wide as the Red Queen was announced, and young Rachel Clarice Ferguson, a.k.a. Blink, breezed down the aisle in her gown of the deepest crimson. Her face was a set line and a far away look was in her eyes. Her torture at the hands of Paramount had scarred this woman-child deeply, but her strength radiated through. She dropped a handkerchief of the darkest midnight black as she went. The Black Hellfire Club members in the room gasped. An especially pained look crossed the face of Nemesis, the Black Queen as she stood waiting for her turn to enter. With this simple gesture, Blink was dissolving her membership as Black Princess and returning to the Reds. Gomurr couldn't help but wonder how long the Blink he knew had been Paramount and how long he had been privileged to be associated with the real Blink. The Red Bishop was called next. Jamie Madrox proudly marched down the aisle. His eyes were clear and focused. Gomurr thought back to the almost animal state he was in when Ryan and the others had attacked the BHC headquarters just days before. Madrox had been working with the Morlock Healer that lived in the catacombs beneath the BHC Academy since his escape from Ryan, and with his help, had been able to bring himself out of the fugue state that his multiple persona's had driven him into. His own insanity had made him a virtual slave to Ryan. What could make this young mutant return to the Reds after such harsh treatment. This did explain Ryan's new body though. Gomurr wondered what powers the Red King now hid. It could be any super powered being known to Madrox, and Ryan's ability had simply changed their appearance to suit his own needs. What was going on? Unfortunately for Gomurr, the surprises were far from over.
The rest of the Red Court strolled in without incident. Some of them Gomurr knew, some of them he didn't. The same process occurred with the Grey Court. Again Gomurr watched them stride in, mentally filing the unfamiliar faces away for further investigation. Then the Whites began to enter. Shaman and Nytshade, the White King and Queen, entered together arm in arm. Very little was known about the mysterious White King, but Gomurr sensed huge mystical power within him. Nytshade beamed radiantly and even Gomurr's jaded old heart skipped a beat. The woman was intoxicatingly beautiful. The procession continued......Bishop....Rook.....Then they came to Knight and it was time once again for Gomurr to be shocked. SuperGrover, his old student and friend, strode down the aisle majestically in his new uniform of black and white. Grover had held somewhat secret dual loyalty for several years, and it had just been discovered by most in the Black Court, but now he was returning to the Whites? What could this mean for the Black Court?
Finally, the Blacks were called to their seats. Gregor, then Nem, followed by Silver, Havok and Rahsas. With the loss of Grover and Blink, the ranks of the Black Court appeared very thin. Gomurr heard his name called as special advocate, and strode slowly to his seat. Due to his position as Headmaster, he held some power within the court, though he tried to avoid their politics and concentrate on the school. When they were all seated Ryan began to speak.
"The first order of business, I believe, is to welcome back The Black House of the Hellfire Club. It has been too long, since the Inner Circle was complete," spoke Ryan proudly.
Ryan raised his glass, and everyone else followed in the toast. Gregor looked glumly over at Nytshade, and the proud White Queen carefully avoided his gaze.
"I now yield the floor to Gregor," said Ryan with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
All eyes turned to Gregor. Gomurr knew what was about to be said would change the fate of the BHC forever. It was as if everyone was holding their breath awaiting Gregor's words.
"My fellow Hellfire members. I renounce my position as Black King, and once again throw myself on the mercy of the White Queen to take me into her council," he said quickly yet very strongly.
The White Queen looked at Gregor with venom in her eyes.
"I've told you once, Gregor. I don't want you in my life.....and I don't want you in my organization.....I DON'T WANT YOU AT ALL!!" she spat.
Gregor looked utterly defeated, and when his gaze returned to the Blacks, he saw only contempt or betrayal in their eyes. The room erupted in a jumble of voices. Gregor had already once threatened to leave, and everyone had simply swept it aside, as his just being upset over the revelations about the past he and Jon shared...but saying this at a full convening of the IFHC was a catalyst for pandamonium. The general assembly actually took to their feet and surged toward the ruling council's tables, some of them petitioning for membership to fill in the vacant positions, some of them demanding explanation. Then a voice rang out from the Black's head table. Silver, the Black Bishop stood and faced the riotous mob of petitioners like a noble Knight standing before a dragon.
"This move has been anticipated, and measures have been taken. Please, everyone take your seats, and allow me to speak," said the normally reserved Black Bishop. "Nemesis and I have discussed this matter at length, while the rest of you slept, and we have come to the following conclusions. I will take over as Black King, due to my familial link to the position. Nem remains the Black Queen. Rahsas has already been approached and has agreed to fill my position as Black Bishop, and we would now like to ask Gomurr to officially join the council as Black Rook."
Now the eyes of the council turned to Gomurr. Gomurr felt his stomach tremble just a bit as he stood.
"My Black King," said Gomurr addressing Jack Silver. "As long as I have known you, I have recognized you as a noble and honest man. Your decisions are well thought out and well executed, but in this case......I must decline."
Gasps filled the rooms again, along with a few shouts. None had ever turned down a seat on the council. What could the crazy old mage be thinking?
"Once again, this was anticipated," said Jack Silver with a nod at Nemesis. "We realized your dedication to the school would not allow you to be drawn away from it, so we have also prepared for this eventuality. We call Deadpool and Siryn to approach the council."
The two lovers approached the ruling table hand in hand. Siryn still beaming at the handsome face Deadpool now wore.
"Deadpool, we ask you to take the position of Black Rook, due to your years of service to us as an advocate and Squire....and you Siryn we name our Black Princess...should you choose to accept?"
As one, the pair kneeled in unison, and recieved their appointments and went to stand with the newly forming Black Council. Havoc1 was called next to be the Black Prince. He looked proudly into the eyes of Havok the Black Knight who he idolized, as he swore his oath of loyalty....and the Black Knight looked down into his, knowing his decision to name the lad into the council was the right one.
"And now for the question, we know you all are wanting answer to......How did we know these things?" said Nemesis as she stood to address the dumbfounded audience. "I'd like to introduce you to our new Black Mage. His knowledge of future events had prepared us for this eventuality, and as always the Black House adapts."
Robert Maxwell approached the council from the rear of the room. His blonde hair was not cut in a crew cut and the clothing he wore seemed more futuristic than battle ready, but something about this man, struck a chord with Gomurr as being military. How could this man have foretold these events when he himself was blind to them........and without the aid of mystic powers that he claimed to have. Gomurr looked deeply at the man's aura, but found no trace of mystic energy. Cybernetic parts were evident in Gomurr's quick scan, and possibly mutant powers as well, but no sign of mystic clairvoyance that Nemesis claimed he had. What kind of game was the Black Queen playing?
Maxwell approached the podium to address the full court.
"I am the Harbinger," he said. "and I gladly swear loyalty to the Black Court."
The room which had once been filled with numerous voices was now silent. Everyone was as stunned as Gomurr. A veritable unknown had gained an advocates position without aid of any years of service. Something was definitely amiss. Gomurr looked at the man once again, and a chill passed over his body. How could someone he had never seen seem so familiar....and so dangerous. This didn't bode well for the Black Hellfire Club or any of the branches for that matter, but the changes continuted giving Gomurr little time to contemplate this new addition. The mysterious alien Watcher took over as Squire and the flamboyant Shae Marquette, a.k.a. GlitterGirl, took over as Page. Several new students were introduced into all the schools and new treaties were signed, and then just as the meeting was about to be adjourned, Gregor spoke out again angrily.
"What of my petition?" said Gregor with bile in his voice. "I helped to create these inner circles. I will not be DENIED!!"
Everyone gasped as Gregor's fist began to glow with the concussive energy he could generate.
"You have given up your membership, Gregor, but I offer you a bargain," said Ryan finally breaking the awful silence. "Join me.....as my Red Rook. It appears Jon doesn't want you and from the looks on the faces of your former comrades...you can't go home again, so I offer you this one time boon. You have been called many things...Gregor, Black King, Afterburner, Clarion......You shall now be Hazard because of your dangerous abilities as well as your penchant for rash decisions. I like to keep things interesting as you know."
Gregor looked once more at Jon, and she once more looked away. He then left the table seating the Blacks and knelt before the Red King, making his oath as the new Red Rook. The old order had once again fallen. Houses had been reunified. A spectre from the past that was long thought dead had been defeated.....and a new International Hellfire Club now stood poised to claim their destiny.
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Harbinger prepared his new quarters at the Black Hellfire Mansion. Nemesis had been easily convinced that his knowledge of the future would benefit the Black Inner Circle, and he knew, like he knew a lot of things, that she was interested in his time travel technology for her own personal gain, but he would bide his time. After all, he had all the time in the world. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and he bade the visitor to come in.
Nemesis entered in a form fitting gown of the darkest black. He looked at her as he felt her telepathic probes brush seductively against the mental barriers that protected his mind.
"My new black mage, we have much to discuss," said Nemesis in a husky voice. "Come join me for a bite of lunch, and let us......get to know each other a bit better."
"Yes," said Harbinger patting a space on the bed beside him with his hand. "Let us discuss....our future."
THE END FOR NOW
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