Out of The Past: chapter 3 - 5 *HF*
By Gomurr
CHAPTER THREE: WHEN THE FUR FLIES
Janista looked at her watch once again and began to speak.
"Maybe she changed her mind and decided not to come," she said.
"No way, no how would Sasha miss a trip like this to the galleria. She likes to shop almost as much as I do." said Glittergirl.
"I know," said Shockwave. "and that's what worries me. Where could she be? I was expecting her back almost an hour ago."
Just then Blink's cell phone began to ring. She reached into her simple leather handbag and answered it.
"Hello......Yes....I understand.....Yes.....I'll be there.....I won't......Yes sir," Blink said as her face became a little troubled. "I'm sorry girls, it looks like Gregor's called an emergency meeting of the Black Council and I have to be there, and Tangerine, as the new headmistress, has to be there as well. We'll have to take a rain check on the shopping."
Shae Marquette, A.K.A. Glittergirl was the first to speak up.
"Awwww man, this bites!" she said. "If Sasha would have gotten her furry butt in gear we would have already had time for me to get that new dress, and I would have already been hip deep in compliments and dinner invites. She'll be sorry when I get my hands on her."
Blink spoke up suddenly and forcefully.
"Don't speak like that of your friends, Shae. You never know when you will see them again to take it back."
And with that cryptic message Tangerine and Blink left a stunned Glittergirl, Janista and Shockwave.
As the headmistress and princess turned the corner Shockwave whispered to the other girls.
"Something's going on with Puma, and we're gonna get to the bottom of it."
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Meanwhile, at the White Hellfire Academy. Alex Dierling, A.K.A. Wildchild was in no kind of good mood. Who did that uppity witch think she was to deny him the right to leave the school along with Janista? Nytshade, his White Queen, had placed him under what boiled down to house arrest ever since he had jokingly turned off his image inducer to scare some kids who were lurking around the school. Wildchild, although not completely animal, held many animalistic features and thus was required by Nytshade to wear his image inducer when out in public. His mind tumbled over the events of the previous day. As he had sat on the bench in front of the White Hellfire Academy a group of young men his age walked by and started speaking loudly enough where he could hear about the "rich kids school" and the "sissy boys" that attended there. "Nice ponytail" one of them had said as they walked by and looked at his jet black hair sliding down his back. As part joke, and part revenge, Wild Child had deactivated his image inducer and leaped to the fence towards the boys. His feral howl, claws and fangs were enough to send them screaming, but apparently his little display had lacked "tact and decorum", and he was thus punished for it.
Alex scrubbed his hair as he showered in the shower room of the work out facility, and then began to wash his face. As he rinsed his hair he watched the water slide down over his features in the mirror on the back of the shower. Why was he cursed with this face? I mean, a lot of mutants could control their metamorphosis and pass for normal all the time. He on the other hand was cursed to look like this permanently. He had been handsome once, but it had only been a cruel twist of fate, because he now once more suffered the jibes of others for the way he looked. Although he hid his depression under a steady stream of jokes, this young man constantly felt the stares of others as a reminder of his hideousness. Alex was well liked by all his classmates, and none of them even noticed his slightly altered appearance, but he couldn't' seem to let it go.
Suddenly his animal acute senses registered a presence in the room with him. He stared across the steamy room and saw nothing. His blue piercing eyes scanned the mist enshrouded shadows and registered no movement. His nose twitched and he sniffed for anyone near.
"Hello," he called out. "Is anyone there? Archangel....Maddog..is that you?......C'mon guys, stop fooling around. Can't a guy shower in peace?"
A silent dart flew from the steam and hit Alex in the shoulder. He immediately felt it's numbing effect. His healing factor began to work overtime to counteract the poison as he stumbled out of the shower and reached for his comm badge. Another dart hit him in the thigh. As he faded into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was a cloaked figure step from the darkness, and on its finger a White Hellfire Club ring.
"Why," he thought. "Why would my own people attack me?"
And as these thoughts rolled through the drugged mind of Wildchild, the figure touched a button on its gauntleted arm and they both faded into a teleportation field.
Suddenly the door to the shower facility in the gym flew open and a classmate of Wildchild's came bursting in.
"YO DUDE, Alex! We are ordering pizza....you in dude?....Dude?......WOAH..that's weird, I was almost sure I heard his howling and screachin voice singin that new Creed song."
CHAPTER FOUR: STRANGERS IN THE FAMILY
Jon stepped out of her bath, and the rose scented water slid slowly down the curves of her alabaster skin. As her foot touched the tile floor, Birtha came bubbling up from the tub and slithered along beside her mistress. Steam rose off the heated tiles as the water from the tub evaporated from her skin, and by the time she stepped onto the deep plush carpeting of her dressing room, she was almost dry. As Nytshade: the White Queen of the International Hellfire Club, Jon was accustomed to every luxury, and before she could even ring for her servants, they were in the room with the softest, fluffiest towels that money could buy. As the handsome young man and woman dabbed the remaining water from her skin, she basked in the glow of her own power. She watched the young man's knotted muscles move under the tight white shirt of his uniform. The man felt her gaze on him and she could see the redness appear in his cheeks.
"See something you like?" Jon questioned coyly as she arched her back and stretched languidly in her nakedness.
The silence remained and the youth's blush deepened as the two servants continued to use their ever so gentle hands to pamper the flesh of the White Queen. Jon had grown accustomed to being served in this manner and found nothing strange in the attention the two beautiful young servants gave her body. The young man began to rub scented oils onto Jon's shoulders as the woman went to her wardrobe to retrieve her robe. Jon reached out gently and traced a line along the jaw of the broad shouldered youth that was applying the oil to her legs.
"Do you enjoy your duties, here?......Eric, isn't it?" she said huskily.
"Yes, ma'am," the male servant said as he moved to her legs to continue his massage. "I enjoy them a great deal."
Jon's gaze leisurely swept over the lad. He was 22 at the oldest, with broad shoulders and powerful arms. His tight house servant trousers accentuated his V-shaped waist and muscled legs.
"Yes," Jon thought, "this one deserved some personal attention."
Her thoughts were broken by the return of the female servant. The dark haired young beauty wore the short white dress of all of Jon's female servants. Her slippers carried her with the grace that only youth can afford. Jon noticed the slight scowl on the face of the young girl as she spoke.
"Eric, I'll finish here....you go and get the mistress's tea," the young girl said coldly.
"So these two were lovers," the voice in Jon's mind said sarcastically. "How sweet!"
The male servant rushed embarassedly out as the girl continued to rub the rose scented oil into Jon's ankles and feet. Jon allowed the young girl to slip the robe on her and sat back down. She reached out her arm and her pet rattlesnake slid it's way down her extended hand to her lap where it sat coiled and silent. After finishing her tasks on the legs, the young servant girl continued on to Jon's hair. She ran the ancient jade comb through Jon's shoulder length platinum blonde tresses. As she did, Jon nudged Birtha slightly with her finger causing the snake to let out a soft low rattle from its tail. The young servant jerked reflexively, and thus pulled the comb a little roughly through Nytshade's hair. Jon let out a small cry as her hair was tugged and the snake shot out like lightning....jaws open...hissing fiercely. They young woman jerked away just in time as Birtha's fangs sank into the soft flesh of Jon's neck. In response, Jon let out a startled cry of her own that soon turned into almost a soft moan of ecstatic pleasure. The young servant looked on in frightened silence as Jon's hand slowly stroked the coiled scales of her pet and it dislodged its jaws from her neck. The young woman turned to flee, but Nytshades' hand shot out and grabbed the young girl's arm in a steely grip.
"Careful, child, the snake is a beautiful but deadly creature," Jon cooed as her nails dug into the soft flesh of the girl's arm. "Beware the charms that hide the serpent's teeth and never stray into it's territory or try to take what is hers."
The young woman managed to pull away and Jon looked at her through slitted eyes as she ran her fingers through her now almost-dry hair. The White Queen lifted her hair up and exposed the area of her neck where the snake had attacked. Where once there was an angry redness surrounding two distinct puncture marks, now there was only smooth white creamy skin.
"I'm sorry mistress," the servant almost cried.
"See that you are more careful in the future, pretty one," Jon said, "or I'll see to it that you are put on feeding detail for Birtha. She does so love young people for guests at her dinner."
Just then another servant came rushing in without knocking. Jon, who was already in a foul mood, caught the unwary lad in the chest with a mystic bolt and dropped him to his knees.
"What gives you the audacity to enter my quarters without being summoned? Answer now, boy. What I gave you was just a taste of what I can do," she said.
"Mistress," the servant wheezed. "One of your students...the one called WildChild.....has gone missing and this was found in the last place he was seen."
The White Queen reached down disdainfully and snatched the small bundle away from the frightened servant. She opened the small piece of silk up and realized it was a man's pocket handkerchief. As she unfolded it, she recognized the house crest of the Black Hellfire Club and in the corner...a tiny monogram.....GM..........GREGOR!!!!!!!!!!!
So these images of her past with Gregor had been a warning of things to come.
"Very Well." the White Queen thought. "We'll see who has the last laugh this time."
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Gregor stared around the table at the black court. Among them was a traitor, but who could it be? They all sat awaiting Gregor's next comment. Blink had already mentioned Sasha's absence from the school and Gregor's lack of surprise showed that he had been expecting such a situation. The handsome face of Gregor now wore the mantle of leadership of Clarion, the Black King, and all in the room were rightfully silent as he made his next statement.
"You know about Puma's "absence", as well as the little gift I received in my e-mail today. There is no way someone could get onto the grounds or into my computer networks without inside help. One among us is a traitor, and perhaps worse, and I mean to find out who!" Gregor Boomed.
Now was the time for the Black King to make his move. His eyes spun in a predatory gaze around the dark ancient mahogany table. The splendor of the room and it's gold inlaid furniture did little to relieve the tension in the air. Directly to the right of Gregor, sat Nemesis the Black Queen. As usual, she arrived dressed in a jet black evening gown that was undoubtedly an original from a Paris collection. Her dark serene beauty hid fires in the depths of her heart that Gregor only half guessed at. Could she be the one giving out information to depose him as a means to seize power for herself? As a psionic she could more easily influence others, but WHY?
Seated next to her was Rachel Clarice Ferguson known as Blink. Rae, as she was known to her friends was the new Black Princess. Although the position was new, this young woman had been part of the inner circle for several years as a Page. Why would she betray them now? She and Nemesis shared a bond that none among them questioned. Could they be working together to bring down the Black House and set up a new rule? Whispered rumors about this young woman's former alliances to the White House of the Hellfire Club made this option seem more probable, but again, without proof, Gregor was powerless. As his gaze shifted again, his paranoia grew.
In the next seat, sat a very disheveled Black Knight. Michael Breslin sat with his head cocked to one side as he poured himself another snifter of brandy. His rakish blonde hair and arrogant manner gave him an air of defiance even without saying a word, but Gregor thought he could trust this one. His knight had never failed an assignment no matter how questionable the reasons behind it. Havok, as the Black Knight was called, used his taloned hands and bio-electric blasts without hesitation, wherever Gregor pointed. Could the hunting dog have learned to betray his master?
Jack Silver, the Black Bishop was the next to fall under Clarion's gaze. Silver's neatly combed grey hair surrounded his handsome youthful face as he stared directly back into Gregor's eyes. If Gregor was the fire and the power behind the engine of the inner circle, then Silver was the oil and lubricants that kept it running smoothly. He was calm and rational and cared little for the power plays made by the others of the group. His main concern was the business matters of the BHC and the politics of keeping the school free of suspicion and above board. In past times, his control over the molecular structure of metals was looked on as a rather useless mutation, but in their recent adventure in another dimension, Silver had proven his worth. Little insight could be shed on what drove a man such as this. Money was just part of being the head of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. Jack Silver neither flaunted his wealth nor denied it. He was an honest, hardworking man, and his membership in the sometimes seedy workings of the inner circle was due in large part to familial lineage, rather than the quest for personal power. Silver's father had once been Black King of the inner circle, but Jack showed little interest in titles or power at all. He was content to handle the business activities of the BHC, and to sit in his seat of Black Bishop. Could jealousy turn a man like this toward trying to dethrone the King? Gregor doubted this, but one had to look for dangers on all sides at times like this.
Next came Rahsas, the Black Pawn. Since his return from Robyyn's realm he seemed a bit distant. Learning that you were from another plane of existence tends to change a person, but could what he learned about his royal heritage be enough to make him try and wrest control away from current leadership? Would this lad use his powers of teleportation, body morphing, and dark magic against the very institution that raised him? The Black King doubted this tall dark youth would try such a dangerous gambit, but one could never tell.
Finally, the last member of the inner circle fell under Gregor's gaze. SuperGrover sat with his blue velvety hands in front of him. His fingers formed a triangle on the table and he appeared to be meditating, as he always was. This soft spoken mutant was the strangest in appearance of all assembled at the table, but there was a nobility about him that made him appear more human than perhaps any of the others as well. Gregor trusted this one implicitly. Grover was always the voice of reason in the raging tempest....the voice of fairness in a world of bigotry. This mutant was considered to be the very paragon of human morals and values. He would never betray his friends. So who was it? Who had kidnapped the Cullen girl and why would one of his own people be helping them?
Gregor scowled openly and stared from face to face. Finally deciding on a course of action, he began to speak.
"Ms. Ferguson, I have heard disquieting rumors that you still hold allegiance to the Whites. Should this be proven true, it would cast a huge shadow of guilt on you as to the whereabouts of our missing student. Do you have anything you'd like to say."
As he had spoken Gregor's fist had begun to glow, and all present felt the hair on the backs of their neck stand up. Gregor had been forming a weapon in his hand and with each passing word, the projectile was charged more and more. At it's current level it was probably enough to vaporize Blink should she not be able to avoid it. Blink's eyes looked wildly around the room for help, and she began to stammer.
"Gr...gr....gr..egggor.......What makes you think that I would betray you or do anything to harm Puma? I c..c...couldn't have had anything to do with that." she finished
Just as Gregor was about to speak again, SuperGrover stood up and pushed the hood of his cloak back revealing his velvety blue face. His eyes glowed an eerie yellow color as he surveyed the room.
"If it's a traitor you seek, Gregor..........a clandestine link to the other houses of the Hellfire Club.......then you have found what you seek in me."
Gregor's face fell instantly, and the shock on everyone else's face was just as evident. It was in one slightly blood shot pair of eyes, though, that the most pain was registered. Havok had learned to trust Grover after his initial hatred had burned low, and now to have this trust destroyed was the ultimate in betrayals. Before anyone could say a word, a crackling bio-electric blast flew forth from Havok's hand and struck the strangely calm Grover in the chest.
"TRAITOR!!!!!!" Havok screamed. "I knew not to trust you. You were using us all along."
CHAPTER FIVE: FACES OF DEATH
The crackling blast of power struck Grover in the chest and sent him flying against the wall. His protective aura glowed white hot as it tried to disperse the energy. Grover groaned as he tried to sit up, but it was too late. Havok leaped across the table and was sitting astride Grover before he could rise from the floor. The Black Knight morphed his hand as he brought it up and was about to bring the now clawed appendage down across Grover's throat, when a single word blasted into his brain......."STOP!!!!!!"
Nemesis approached the two men cautiously, her grip on Havok's mind was secure, but she could tell he was fighting her. His rage at Grover was delicious as thoughts of revenge and violence rolled through his mind. She was almost overcome by the intensity of his emotion, but she consumed it all greedily.
"Such a bad boy he is," she thought.
"Why did you stop me!" screamed Havok. "He's admitted his treason. He's plotting the downfall of us all."
"That's not true," groaned Grover, "and if you'll remove your person from mine, I'll explain."
"Let him speak," Gregor barked. "I would like to hear him try to explain his reasoning for conspiring against us."
"It was not my intention to conspire against anyone," Grover explained as he stood up and returned to the table. "I know nothing of Puma's disappearance, and I have done nothing to endanger any of you."
"Then what of your allegiance to the IHFC you boasted of earlier?" growled Gregor.
"I owe allegiance to none, save myself," continued Grover as he began to regain his composure. "I simply said that I was a link between the Houses. At the time of the disagreement that sundered this house from the International Hellfire Club, I was placed as a monitoring presence in your midst. At first I believed as I was told, that you all were a great menace to the IHFC and to the world at large, so I took my position as guardian of you all very seriously. In time I grew unhappy with this role, however. I saw through the propaganda I had been fed about you, and saw the core similarities between the groups. I came to realize that your goals are not that different than the other houses. Your more aggressive posturing is what caused the rift, not ideological differences. Since that time, I have strived to build bridges between the two houses and work toward re-unification, not bring about the downfall of either group."
Gregor looked at Grover through slitted eyes. Havok's murderous gaze trained in on his former teammate as they all waited for Gregor to speak.
"I choose to believe your story, Grover, for now," said Gregor finally. "but from this moment on, any further alliances with any of the other Great Houses will not be tolerated. If you are a Black, then show us that. Reunification is an impossibility. I reclaim you as our brother and pardon you this offense. Do not let there be another lapse in your judgement..........or the punishment will be quite severe."
"I thank you Black King," said Grover solemnly as he bowed before Gregor, "but do not discount the BHC being part of the larger whole once again. Reunification is perhaps just around the corner."
"IT WILL NOT HAPPEN!!" spat Gregor. "Speak no more of this."
Havok sullenly slumped back to his chair. In his heart, he knew Grover to be honorable and felt badly for his outburst......but he also wondered if Gregor would have been as forgiving if it had been he that had held dual allegiance. Grover's mind also whirled. Why was the Black King so dead set against reunification? What did he have to hide?
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Outside the door, Shockwave listened intently. She, Glittergirl and the visiting Janista had been eavesdropping for the better part of an hour. The sleeping guard at the door was courtesy of Janista's mental push on the sleep center in his brain.
"Someone has Sasha," whispered Shockwave, "and they sit in there discussing houses and games like its nothing! We've got to do something."
"I'm in," said Glittergirl, "if it involves getting off campus for awhile. This whole place has been such a downer lately."
"Do not pretend to be so callous," said Janista quietly. "I don't even need to be a telepath to see that you are as worried about Sasha as we are."
Glittergirl and Shockwave looked at Janista appraisingly. The young girl was a telepath and telekenetic of extraordinary potential, but she spoke so quietly and so seldom that when she did, it was definitely worth listening to.
"So who can we trust to help us and not spill the beans?" plotted Shockwave. "Do you think the guys could handle this?"
"Puuuhhlease!" said Shae still pretending to be unconcerned, "When three fly betties like us ask them, they would follow us anywhere."
"We don't need love sick followers, GlitterGirl," said Shockwave with deadly seriousnes, "we need teammates willing to do what is necessary to get one of our own back."
At this, even the unflappable Shae Marquette, A.K.A. Glittergirl, didn't have a response.
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Sasha opened her eyes and saw only more darkness. Where was she? She tried to move and realized she was bound by some sort of metal sheaths that surrounded her hands and feet. Sasha
concentrated on changing into her transitional form to increase the scope of her vision, but was jolted back into her natural state by a brutal shot of electricity.
"Careful kitty kitty," a voice hissed from the darkness. "Curiosity's not the only thing that can kill a cat. Even a gorgeous she-cat like yourself."
"Who are you?" Puma demanded. "What do you want?"
"Why, my fuzzy little dear," the voice teased, "I'd be sooooooo disappointed if I thought you didn't enjoy my company."
The figure in the cloak hit a button on his gauntlet and a bright spotlight showed down on Sasha from above. She only realized at this point that she had been stripped and was bound naked on some sort of metal table. Her face blushed and she felt a wave of revulsion and shame wash over her. Sasha was naturally uninhibited and had no shame about her body, but having it displayed like this without her permission was unthinkable. The figure came closer in its hooded cloak and ran a finger along her soft jaw line.
"Leave her alone!!!" another voice snarled from the corner.
"Aaaaaaaaaah, so my other beast awakens," said the figure this time in a strange lilting feminine voice. "Would you rather I play with you for a bit."
The figure hit another few buttons and the control panel beneath the other captive lit up. WildChild struggled furiously against his bonds, but like Sasha he was as naked and as helpless as a newborn. When the electrical current shot through him, he refused to cry out, however, and only stared menacingly at the figure. The figure approached him and traced its metallic fingered gloves down Alex's chest. The figure leaned close enough to the struggling WildChild for him to smell the breath beneath the hooded cape.
"My brave little wolfboy is trying to protect his furry little companion.....HOW SWEET!!" said the figure in a sickeningly sweet sing song.
With one quick motion WildChild strained forward and grasped the hem of the hood with his razor sharp teeth, tearing it away from their startled captor. When the figure pulled away quickly, her long blonde hair fell free and the face of Nytshade, the White Queen, was revealed.
"Why do you fight Alex," she purred. "I'm sure there have been nights that you laid awake imagining me tying you down, and having my way with you."
"No, it can't be.....It's impossible," Alex sputtered.
"All things are possible to me, furry," the White Queen spat.
"You aren't Jon," screamed WildChild. "I know her scent, buddy, and you definitely don't smell like any woman I know. Who are you really?"
"Aaaaah my ever perceptive beast," the figure said. "you wouldn't understand if I told you, but since you will never be able to tell anyone, I'll give you a hint."
"I am the one that is all, and the many in one
I am he who once ruled you all
I am the survivor of death and the bringer of vengeance
I am Paramount, and I am your Doom"
"Now let me introduce you to my final guest, before you must go," Paramount laughed maniacally. "She's been with me much longer than the two of you, so please excuse her appearance."
Touching a few more buttons on his control gauntlets, a final table was lit and on it, laying filthy and beaten, was the Black Princess, Blink.
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