*HF* Dark Light
By Mufasa
Dark Light
The thrill of the hunt was intoxicating. It was rare that he got the chance to be free… let the light fill him. During the hunt, it ran rampant… It came through him… out of him… around him… The feeling was almost ecstatic. It heightened his senses… made him quicker, stronger, and fiercer. He could not let it overrun him, though… He was not strong enough to channel it.
He tackled the lion to the ground, grabbing it around the neck. With his arm's wrapped around the mouth, the lion could not part its jaws. The lion bucked, trying to throw him. For a few minutes, he wrestled with the lion… then let go. The lion tackled him, fixing him firmly to the ground. It opened its mouth, leaning down to bite him by the neck. Instead… the lion started licking him.
"Down! Down! Down! Aaaaack!" He pushed the lion off of him. "Bad boy… bad boy! No zebra for you tonight."
"Prince Mufasa! Your father has warned you before about these childish games of yours. You are to be in training."
If ever there was anyone that could be a pain in the ass, it was Jhakar, the man who was chosen by his father to be his mentor. He never did understand why his father was impressed by the man. Big deal… He was a warrior who used to be an apprentice of some old mage named Akeem. What could possibly be so interesting about some ancient guy? "I had to check on my pal, here. Rafi gets upset when he's ignored."
"You'll understand when you are older. Now…" Jhakar slapped his bracelets together. They melded together and formed a staff. "Defend yourself." He struck at him…
Mufasa allowed the light to come through…
"Akeem… what hit me?"
Gomurr held his shoulder to the ground. "I assumed that your training was far enough along for me to try something new. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Don't move until Dr. Zhang gives you clearance." He paused, suddenly… "What did you call me?"
Khalid blinked his eyes. "I called you… Gomurr… I think… I'm not sure…"
No you didn't Khalid. You said Akeem… My name when I was a mage in Kemet some 5,000 years ago. "Dr. Zhang?"
The official doctor of the Black Hellfire Court felt along Khalid's neck and head. For a second, she shined a small light in his eyes. "A mild concussion. He'll have a headache for a day or so, but he'll be fine. I would suggest that the training session come to an end, however. Are you feeling dizzy?"
Khalid sat up and watched the world spin for a second. "Me… nah… When did the training room rotate like this?"
Gomurr held him up. "Slow down… That was a nasty hit you took. I never thought I would ever see you do a somersault in mid-air like that…"
Khalid blinked his eyes again. "I did a somersault? What…"
Gomurr helped him up. "Yes… Just before you took your nap for fifteen minutes."
"I was out for fifteen minutes?"
Gomurr pointed toward the ground below him. "Yes. It was ten minutes before either one of us could touch you. Your aura flared up heavily the second you hit the ground. We could not get within five feet of you."
Khalid was on his feet, leaning on Dr. Zhang. "I still feel kind of weird… like a buzzing in my head."
Dr. Zhang opened the door to the training room. "A buzzing sensation? Hmmmm… In that case, I am confining you to the BHC grounds. With mutants, you must be particularly careful about such things."
"Never mind. I'm sure that it doesn't mean anything… I probably need to…"
"I am not taking any chances, Mr. Hunter. You will stay in one of the guestrooms tonight. Check with me before you check in." She went down the hall, back to her office.
Khalid sat in the first chair that he saw. He did not really remember much of anything happening. One second, Gomurr told him to tackle him. The next, he was on the ground, looking at the ceiling. Now, instead of the usual boring night practicing and writing music in his apartment, he would be practicing and writing music on the BHC grounds. Hmmmm… That really wasn't much of a change…
"Khalid, I was wondering… Did you have a dream or hallucination of some kind?"
Khalid shook his head. "I… I… don't know… I feel… no."
End Part I
Chapter 2: Fun and Games
Khalid did not want to say it aloud, but he felt like shit. The buzzing had started out inside his head, but the sensation grew to all over. He was not about to tell anyone, though. It was nearly enough to drive him batty. The last thing he wanted was that Dr. Zhang poking and prodding at him. For some reason, he just had the feeling that the women enjoyed her job too much. No one sane can be that much into a job where you look at naked people all day…
"Khalid! There you are! Where have you been? You were supposed to meet me for lunch over half an hour ago." Nemesis walked into the commons, the sash on her black Sandubal original flowing behind her. It was a simple catsuit with a thin black tunic over it. One might say that she had been inspired by other people, but she would never admit it. She was about to lay into him some more when she noticed that his psionic defenses were up big-time. He was hiding something. Nem could never resist a challenge. She didn't sense anyone else in the immediate area, so she had options. She could go about this the easy way… or she could go about this the fun way! Which one will she pick? "Khalid, you are looking rather pale… are you feeling okay?"
What? He thought that he had hidden it really well. Shit… If he didn't find some way to get Nem away from him real quick, he was going to be in Dr. Zhang's office. No, he has had enough of doctor's offices. "Actually, I am feeling just a little under the weather… Sinus infection, I think… sore throat, mucus draining… you know, that kind of stuff." He coughed into his hand and wiped it on his pants. Nothing like gross behavior to repel women…
Unfortunately, Nemesis knew that he was faking. She sat next to him, running her fingers up to his lymph glands. Then, she placed her hand on his forehead. Her other hand rubbed slowly on the back of his neck. "You poor thing… You do have a fever." She pulled his head down to her chest and started rubbing his side. Men can't resist the maternal treatment. He's pretty stubborn… I give him thirty seconds…
Khalid gritted his teeth. Damn… His face is sitting directly on top of her chest. He could hear her heartbeat. He could feel the cloth of her bra underneath the suit. The faint smell of her perfume pounded into his head. One thing about Nem… She certainly knew how to push buttons. Khalid could not understand how he let her jerk him around all over the place when he knew that she was just using him to piss off Maxwell. He had not let any other woman treat him this much like a doormat. Great… Bad enough that he was having improper thoughts about the Black Queen, but the buzzing was amplified just by thinking about it. "I better go get some vitamin C."
Nem nearly jumped off the bench at the sound of his voice. It sounded different… very different. Under normal circumstances, she would try to see what other sounds she could get him to make, but she had something else in mind, now. She needed to see what that little secret he was hiding. "Good idea." She slid her hand lower. She could feel the wall loosening… "AHA! Time to see Dr. Zhang! Maybe she can check out your voice while you are at it." Fifty-five seconds… A new record…
"No… It's okay. Really, it isn't necessary…"
Nemesis dragged him toward the infirmary, shaking her head as Khalid protested. She loved a challenge. That was for sure. Just like the time she had finally convinced him to model the leather pants at her planning meeting for the spring line. The corners of her mouth turned up into a smile. She wondered how long it would be before she had him stripping at a bachelorette party…
The old man hailed a taxi out of La Guardia. He had no idea why he was here or what brought him. All he knew was that a critical point in time had been reached. It was up to him to head it off… make sure that the right path was taken. Never did he question what drove him or what had to be done. All that he knew was that he had a purpose. "Where to, Injunman?"
"MISTER will do just fine, if you want your tip." Damn… whatever had convinced him to come out here had not had the courtesy to let him know exactly where he was going… "Strong Towers… Yes… Strong Towers." The man known as Robert Cougar nervously drummed his fingers on the car door. Something was brewing… He definitely knew that. Whatever it was, he was not aware of his role in it. This one felt much different than the others… and he could not understand why.
End Part II
Chapter 3: Cloudy Minds
Robert Cougar walked into Strong Towers. He was too old to be going around the world like this every time a "case" came up. A long time ago, he had tried to train an apprentice to take up his trade, but that had been stopped… He had searched ever since for someone else to fulfill the tasks, however that was in vain. For some reason, he suspected that this case was exactly what it was about.
He ran through the names on the mailboxes in the lobby. He is supposed to see one of the tenants. He was sure of it. He had no idea who or why, though. Immediately, his hand stopped at a mailbox. 2500. Whoever he was supposed to see lived in room 2500. Yet… He got the strong feeling that this person was not here. He… yes, he was somewhere else…
Khalid paced back and forth in the guest quarters. Great… This was exactly what he had in mind. NOT! Gomurr and Dr. Zhang together had decided that he needed to be confined until they could determine exactly what was going on. Perhaps he would be more positive about it if they had consulted him. They weren't solving anything by locking him inside a room. The doctor already knew that it was not a pathological agent of some kind. Hell… the spectral scan had shown that it was an activation of his mutant powers… Or what is probably more accurate, Mufasa's powers. Right now, he hated that damn lion demon more than anything else. He wish he could meet this Mufasa… tell him to go to hell.
Perhaps, the worse feeling was the increasing buzzing. No matter what he did, it did not go away. He tried to block it out of his mind, it grew worse. He tried humming, it grew worse. The buzzing was in his head… his ears… his chest… his hands… all the way down to his toes. It got so bad that he could not think of anything but the buzz.
"Khalid… we cannot figure out the problem. For your safety as well as those around you, we are confining you to the guest quarters."
Khalid spun around to face Gomurr, his anger reflected in his eyes. "Bullshit, little man! All you want to do is make me your little labrat, poking and prodding. What's the matter? Don't have enough with your fucking students?" He could feel the buzzing growing… as if it were responding to his emotions.
Within a split second, he felt his back crash into the wall. This time it was not him showing his anger, but the White King. "Don't you realize, you son of a bitch, that he's trying to save your life? This is about you, damn it! Haven't you realized that your entrance into the Hellfire Club was more of a humanitarian offer? For the most part, you've been more of a liability than an asset. Don't you think the BHC has better things to do than waste their time on a mutant who can't control his powers?"
Responding to his anger, the aura kicked in, throwing Grover off of him. "Don't even try to feed me that. The Hellfire Club has one purpose and one purpose only… power. One of the means they chose to gain it is the collection of mutants. You guys are no better than Project Veeder, the defunct X-Men, or even those damn Acolytes."
Grover was about to come back and pound him to next Tuesday when Gomurr held him back. "Khalid, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but you are staying here. This is for your own good." The door shut again. Khalid returned to pacing back and forth.
This time, a different thought crossed his mind. When Grover had jumped him, he noticed something on his hands… The gauntlets. There was something about the gauntlets that seemed familiar… or did it remind him of someone? He couldn't quite place it… For some reason, all he could think of was of a single word… Jhakar…
Robert Cougar stepped out of the taxi, walking toward the gate to the BHC. The person he was looking for was here. He was sure of it. Whatever had convinced him to come out here assured him that the man he was looking for was here. If anything else, the purpose was clear… The man he sought was the one chosen to replace him… to take up the mantle of whatever it was he did. He was not sure exactly what he called it. Problem-solving? Nah… that was too simple. It didn't matter what it was called… it just needed to be done. "Excuse me, I need to go to the infirmary. It is important that I see someone there."
Peter Katz, the Beast Charming, was on duty at the gate. Normally, he was an example to all students, but his entire outlook on life has taken a turn for the worse, lately. As a result, he has become sullen, withdrawn… and just a little off… It was this off-behavior, that had got him placed on gate duty by Blackfire. "Old man, what is your name? Nevermind, because it is not on the list. Call and make an appointment. We don't do charity, here."
Robert Cougar could sense the darkness emanating from this one. It had been sparked by someone… someone who lives by feeding off of others. That much, he knew. "I must see a patient. It is a matter of life and death."
Beast Charming sat on the edge of the chair and laughed. "Sure it is… Go back to the reservation." His stare grew darker… more menacing. He was trying to scare the old man. "Maybe you need to be dragged there."
Cougar could sense what he was doing. Unfortunately, he had no time to be delayed by mindless games of an anti-social teenager, no matter how he got that way. "I am warning you now. Let me pass."
Beast Charming opened the door and walked out, looking the old man right in the face. "What are you going to do?"
End Part 3
Chapter 4:
"What the hell is going on, here?" Blackfire walked out toward the gate to see Beast Charming on his knees screaming. Robert Cougar let go of the fold of skin on the side of Beast's neck and let Beast fall to the ground. "Whoa! I like that move… however, I guess I am supposed to kick your behind or at least find out what is happening. So, who are you, what are you doing here, and why did you just lay out the guard?"
Robert Cougar smiled at the red-headed Sharon Stokes. This one was of the more reasonable type. She had a saucy exterior, but on the inside she was a true sweetheart. "He was being… disrespectful. Perhaps you could be of some assistance to me?"
Blackfire assessed the man before her. She should take him in for attacking Peter like that, but he had been asking for it. Ever since they had gone to that nightclub, he had been an asshole. The only reason she had placed him on gate duty was to get him away from the others. However, it appears that was a mistake as well. "What do you need?"
"I am here to see someone in the infirmary… It is a matter of life and death."
Blackfire scrolled through her mind. Hmmm… As far as she knew, there was no one in the infirmary. She supposed that taking him there couldn't hurt… but she was not sure whether or not she should. "Mr…"
"Cougar… Robert Cougar."
"Mr. Cougar, in order to enter the infirmary, you must have clearance. Otherwise, I'm not authorized to take you there."
Clearance… he had to have clearance… That was easy. He clutched his heart. "My heart… I can't…" He fell to the ground.
Blackfire shook her head back and forth. If the old man wanted in that badly, she may as well take him…
The staff struck him at the side of the head. He rolled with it, and was back on his feet. Jhakar's staff whizzed by again, barely missing his head. "You are slow, today. Perhaps I should up your regimen?"
Mufasa rammed into him. He was actually just fooling around, but he didn't want to tell him. "No… I couldn't possibly handle it." He stomped the ground just before Jhakar moved his head out of the way. "Can't you tell?"
Jhakar laughed as he kicked Mufasa square in the chest. "One thing I was taught at Akeem's school… a good student who performs poorly is bored. Let's see how you handle this." He jumped into the air. Mufasa looked up in the air, trying to spot him. Jhakar came down, kicking him in the chin. "How predictable."
Mufasa got up off the ground. "How the hell did you do that?"
Jhakar's staff landed, hitting Mufasa in the back of the shoulder. It bounced back into Jhakar's hands. "I would have expected better out of you, Prince. Not only did you get distracted when I jumped, but you were so distracted by how I did it that you did not notice the staff. In a real fight, you should use every advantage available to you. You forgot that."
A photon staff formed in Mufasa's hand. "All right, then… I was going to save this trick until later, but you talked me into it."
"Gomurr! You might want to get here!"
Gomurr and Grover flew down the hall at the sound of Dr. Zhang's shout. They had wondered what it was about, then they saw the photon bolt knock Dr. Zhang into the wall. "Looks like to me that your music teacher has lost his marbles."
Gomurr reached into the shadows, pulling out a ball. "I have a feeling that he is not the one in residence." He threw the ball down the hall, missing Khalid completely.
"You try my patience, Ancient One. You were to prepare my avatar, not use him as your labrat." Khalid's staff struck the guards running toward him. The ball of shadows hit him from behinds, binding his legs. "If you cannot prepare him, then I will do so myself!"
Grover flew by, using his telekinetic aura to augment his punch. "I thought you said it wasn't schizophrenia!"
Gomurr ran up, peeling more shadows from the area. "Involuntary past life regression is not the same as multiple-personality disorder, although I can understand the comparison."
The lion-aura flared up, dissipating the gooey mess around Khalid's feet. The photon paw swiped down, knocking Gomurr into the floor. "'Khalid' is weak! You were to train his body… prepare it to channel my power. In short, you were to accomplish what your pathetic pupil could not!"
Gomurr spewed shadows forth, wrapping them around Khalid. "Don't you dare blame Jhakar for your failure, 'Mufasa.' You failed because you got arrogant and did not prepare yourself to face Mjimbe!"
Khalid ripped out of them and moved toward Gomurr. "Mjimbe will be destroyed, Gomurr… even if I have to kill this body to do it. I will return. It is inevitable… If I must destroy this pathetic avatar's mind to rush the process…"
Gomurr's bo came out of nowhere. It struck Khalid in the jaw. "Of course… The buzzing… It wasn't his mutant powers acting up as we thought… It was YOU!" His foot went into Khalid's stomach. "Now, it makes sense. You wanted to access his photon powers… Normally, you could only do so by flashing the aura. For more direct control, you had to do it slowly… Don't you understand? If you destroy his mind, then you destroy yourself!"
The paw of the lion-aura wrapped itself around Gomurr. "No, little man, I do NOT destroy myself! I and I alone channel the light. 'Khalid' is unable to do so. He is too weak…"
Gomurr slipped through the floor and came out of the ceiling. "No, I don't think so. I've made my observations. It looks like to me that the 'prince' does not have enough confidence in the 'pauper' to let nature take its course."
Khalid formed a photon spear in his hand. "I'm about to do something that I should have done 5000 years ago…"
End Part 4
Chapter 5:
Gomurr's experience with past-life regression has always been smoother. Just before becoming a teenager he would begin to remember what had happened in earlier lives and integrate it in his new life. With each incarnation, he had new possibilities… new capabilities. Whether it be a mage in Kemet, a wizard in England, or a midget in the Far East, Gomurr has always been able to adapt his past lives to meet the needs of his current ones. The skills, the memories, everything carried over. He never had a problem that resulted from past lives.
Unfortunately, Khalid had a problem. He never integrated his past life into his current one. Undoubtedly, when the signs began to appear, it was probably repressed. Then, the first time his active powers appear, it is in a form so brutal that he totally disassociates himself from it. Instead, the repressed past life became associated with it. What is occurring right now is a bona fide example of a lack of self-confidence. Khalid feels week because he feels a lack of control over his life. As a result, the part of him that always felt strong and overconfident, Prince Mufasa, assumes control… along with the active powers. Unless Gomurr can head it off, somehow, Mufasa is doomed to repeat the same mistakes that he did in his previous life.
The shadows pulled at Khalid, breaking his concentration. "Why don't you understand that your shadows are useless on me? I only allowed the capture last time because it suited my purposes!"
Grover was up again, this time he got in close. "Khalid, I don't know you that well, so don't take any of this personally." The punches landed squarely in the stomach.
Most men would have at least doubled over, taken back by Grover's enhanced strength. While they indeed hurt, Khalid did not budge. Instead, he only growled. His fists came down, striking Grover on the shoulders. They struck at his field, trying to get through, with no luck. In frustration, a photon field went forward, hurling Grover down the hall. "Nothing personal, Grover!"
Grover changed his direction in midair and came back at him. For a second, Khalid caught the look in his eyes… and the gauntlets on his wrists. That reminded him of someone else from his time… His mentor, Jhakar. That was enough for Grover to knock him off his feet into the water cooler. "Gomurr… Something's wrong here. I think he went all catatonic or something. What gives?"
Gomurr rushed over with Dr. Zhang finally getting up. "I'm not sure… I think this is a transitional state. Havok said something about this once. Dr. Zhang?"
She shook her head. "I am not getting that close to him…"
Blackfire kicked the door open, stalking in. "Gomurr! What is this all about? Proper protocol states that you must inform me before restraining any person. It is pretty bad when I have to hear from the guards that someone was being held here! Why is Khalid sitting in the water cooler?" She stopped. "Let me guess… Mufasa returned?"
Gomurr shined a light in his eyes. "Something like that… You could say that Khalid is just struggling with internal demons. Unfortunately, they have taken a solid form."
Robert Cougar walked into the infirmary. "Where is the man? I must see…" He saw Khalid sitting in the water cooler and almost had a heart attack for real. "No… What is he doing here?"
Gomurr ignored Cougar. "Blackfire, it doesn't look good. Khalid feels like shit. Mufasa decides that he is done being locked up. He is trying to be in charge."
Grover shook his shoulder. "Khalid obviously has some measure of control if he spaces out. I just don't… Um… What the hell are you doing?"
Robert Cougar reached over to grab Khalid by the forehead. "I am saving his life. He is the one I am here to see… I was just too blind to realize it."
Grover grabbed him by the wrist. "I don't think so, Pops. We don't know who the hell you are or what you are about to do with him…" In a split second, Grover was on the ground. Damn… what did the old man do?
Cougar grabbed Khalid's forehead. For a minute, there was an energy discharge. Then, the aura disappeared. Khalid's eyes blinked as they returned to his normal eye color. "What the hell…" His eyes laid on Robert Cougar. "Where did you…"
Blackfire leaned down, hugging Khalid. "Glad to see you back… You know this man?"
Khalid stood up, his eyes never leaving Cougar. "Damn right, I know this man." He took his hand, shaking it firmly. Then, he reached over, hugging him. "Gomurr… Sharon…" He saw Grover getting off the floor. "Grover..." His eyes turned on Dr. Zhang with disgust. "Dei Lu… This man is Robert Cougar…"
Blackfire crossed her arms. "I already know his name, he already…"
"…my grandfather."
Everyone went quiet.
End Part 5
Chapter 6
Over 15 years ago, Robert Cougar discovered that his young grandson could hold full-fledged conversations with animals. Not long after that, he observed more signs that his grandson was more than he seemed to be. The appliances started breaking down. Lightning bugs were spotted in the dead of winter. Somehow, Khalid had been in the center of it. Cougar was convinced that Khalid would be the best choice.
However, his mother thought differently. She had found out about her father teaching Khalid how to track and put a stop to it. It was obvious what he was doing… teaching Khalid how to "hunt". Shani Hunter had sat up many a night with her mother wondering whether or not her father would come home unscathed from his "hunting" trip. Neither she nor her husband Malik could stand to lose another child…
Not only had they put an end to Khalid's apprenticeship, but they strongly discouraged any practice of the skills he already learned. Talking to animals had come to a stop. (They were not aware that he still talked to Kix the family dog.) The appliances stopped dying. Only reluctantly did they allow Khalid to assist the sheriff's office on the missing people's cases.
What Robert Cougar had witnessed when he entered the infirmary was a result of suppressing something that was always there. He had warned his daughter that no good would come of it, but she did not listen. For now, he came up with a temporary fix. During his "hunting" trips, he had spent considerable time learning how to neutralize and if need be destroy demons. Unfortunately, this was no demon or monster… this was his grandson.
"Grandpop, I don't know what the hell you did, but I don't half as shitty as I used to." Khalid stood up, just now realizing that his clothes were soaking wet. "Damn! I just bought…"
Gomurr had a few questions spinning in his mind. What did the old man do? How did he breach Grover's impenetrable shield? How did he know to come here? There was something to this man that he could not quite put his finger on. The old man was shocked when he saw Khalid sitting in the water cooler. It was as if he did not expect for Khalid to be here at all… "Dr. Zhang… perhaps we can talk?" The two of them went toward the office.
Cougar watched the two of them leave and looked back toward his grandson. "Interesting friends, Khalid. A sorcerer midget who wears a robe, a flying blue man with a field, an empathic doctor, and…" He turned toward Blackfire. "A beautiful Irish red-head… What do you do? Shoot fire out of your hands?"
Blackfire blushed. "I'm… head of security."
SuperGrover got up, holding his arm. "I'm sorry, but what did you do? My arm is somewhat numb…"
Cougar pounded Grover square in the shoulder. "There. I'm sorry about earlier, but I get somewhat agitated when it comes to family."
Grover moved his arm around as the blood rushed back in. Somehow, the old man had slid through his field like it was butter. Then, he had grabbed Grover by the shoulder and threw him. Grover was not sure what bothered him more… That the old man had got the better of him or the speed that he did it. "I know the feeling…"
"Khalid… do you remember what happened before I came in?"
Gomurr and Dr. Zhang came back in, hanging at the door. Khalid's eyebrows went up as he dug through his mind. "Really… No. Gomurr and Grover left the room. The buzzing got unbearable. When I came to, I was sitting in the water cooler and your hand was on my forehead."
Dr. Zhang came back in the room, holding her clipboard. She was pissed… In fact, she was extremely pissed. Gomurr had undoubtedly told her something that she didn't want to hear. "Khalid… You are free to leave. Ms. Sandubal would like to see you before you go. She's in the den, downstairs."
Blackfire reached her arm through Cougar's. "Come on, I'll show you the way." Grandpop or not, she wanted to keep an eye on the old man. He's pulled a few too many tricks. She would deal with Gomurr and Dr. Zhang later…
As the maids ran in to clean up, the three remaining people went to the table to discuss what they just saw. "Gomurr, you can't keep going through this. Unless this guy learns control really quick, he is not going to be of any use to you. You can't help everyone."
Dr. Zhang nodded her head in accordance with Grover. "I agree. I know that doctors are supposed to work free from financial concern, but… He's more trouble than he's worth. Think about the sheer damage he's caused."
Grover leaned onto the table. "Your library, the Hellfire Clubhouse, Daemon's apartment, the BHC training room, the infirmary… This is the second time, now. I'm sure that those guards will have to be hospitalized… Don't get me wrong, but you are gaining nothing from this. I love a challenge as much as anyone else, but this is hopeless. Cut your losses and get rid of him."
Gomurr remained silent for a moment and then looked back up. Grover and Dr. Zhang made sense… All he had to do was call Silver and Khalid would be gone… if Nem was willing to part with him… "Avalon can go around, having this 'Blood' entity or whatever it is, chase him and the White Queen all over town. Extradimensional entities can come here and turn the school upside down. The students can sneak out, get drunk, and bring… extra things home… They are all still here. Why be different with Khalid? Because he didn't chose to be here? No… Like it or not, he stayed with us. He faced the music. He gets work done." Gomurr's eyes trained directly on Grover. "Besides… If I remember correctly, there have been other people who have done much worse. Last I checked, I don't hold that against them."
Grover looked down. Damn, he hated when Gomurr did that… There was just something that picked at the back of his mind… That was twice that Khalid's was distracted by the gauntlets… Was he aware of something that no one else was?
Nemesis smiled as she talked with Robert Cougar. The man had to be in his mid-seventies, yet he had the energy and agility of a man much younger. Looking at him, she probably would not put him at more than 55. She had the distinct feeling that he was much more than he let on, even in here. Hell, she KNEW he wasn't. Hmmmm… will Khalid look like this in 60 years? I sure hope so…"Mr. Cougar, it certainly was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry that you came under such… disturbing circumstances. Is there anything I could do for you before you leave?"
Cougar nodded. "Yes… You could quit trying to erase my mind. I have known of the Hellfire Club for years and have no intention of divulging what little I do know. This is the first time that I have met anyone else in fifty years, though. Tell me, have you heard of a Brian Jensen?"
Nemesis shivered when she heard that name. The man had intentionally said the wrong name. He had meant Ryan, of course… Why did it bother her that the old man knew of him? "Yes. His great grandson has taken his position. Did you know him?"
Cougar chuckled. "Not personally. In my business, though, you run across names." He lifted Nemesis' hand to his mouth, kissing it. "Ms. Sandubal, it was a pleasure meeting you."
Nemesis blushed. This guy had charm; that was for sure. "I do hope we can meet again."
Khalid stood up. "Claudia, I'm going to take Grandpop back to the apartment. We have some things to discuss. I'll see you tomorrow." Nemesis kissed him on the cheek.
Blackfire shook Cougar's hand. "Nice to meet you. Next time, I hope it will be on better circumstances."
Cougar kissed her hand as well. "Me too. Until later."
Khalid showed Cougar to the car and started it. Within minutes, they were well on their way to Strong Towers. "Grandpop, you better be careful. Grandma's going to start haunting you if you keep this up."
Cougar had missed hearing his grandson's voice. "She's been haunting me for years. Don't worry. Nice friends… Watch the dark-haired one. I kind of like the red-head…"
"Grandpop…"
"That doesn't matter. We have other things to discuss… What is happening… it isn't what you think it is."
Khalid stopped the car along the access road. "It isn't?"
Cougar took a deep breath, looking toward his grandson. Perhaps he should have waited until they were back at the apartment. "Mufasa is not a demon..."
End Part 6
Chapter 7:
Sarai ran through the streets of Kemet. She had to get away from the snake… the snake pretending to be a hero. His venomous bite was enough to corrupt anyone. However, the real danger was his appetite. He craved power… power he could only take by feeding on human souls.
"Hello, my dear… I was wondering when you'd get here…"
"Mjimbe!" She fell back. She didn't see him, but she could feel his presence. In the darkness, she could see the green glow of his bracelets… his serpentine bracelets… "I warned you before that your study of the black arts would change you… Please, it isn't too late. Renounce it… please! I'm begging you."
Mjimbe's bracelets shot out, wrapping themselves around Sarai. He never realized just how much more powerful the black arts made him. It was as if the bracelets themselves hastened his study. They were more malleable, now… responsive to his thoughts… "The only thing I am renouncing, my love, is our marriage. Thank you for understanding."
"NOOOOOO!!!!!" Sarai screamed as the bracelets ignited in green fire. The burning was incredibly painful. What was unbearable, though, was knowing that her essence would go on to feed his insatiable craze for power. Her suffering was just beginning…
Mjimbe was thrown back by a sphere of light. Mufasa appeared out of nowhere in a flash. "I don't know who you are, but you have come to the wrong place…" He ran up, striking Mjimbe at the chin.
"Stupid boy… Do you think you stand a chance against me? I am older… wiser… more experienced!" Mjimbe backhanded him into the wall. The metal of his bracelets released his late wife and wrapped around Mufasa. "I would do better to make you my disciple. It would not be much to bring you over to the black arts. No longer would you squander what is at your fingertips. You might even expand your empire."
Mufasa struggled to be free of the metal. The touch of it was like it was alive… and feeding. Something about it chilled him to the very core. "Release me, Snake!" He shot a photon ray out of his eyes, that Mjimbe dodged easily. The metal covered him, blocking his eyes… his nose… everything. It swallowed him.
Mjimbe's laugh echoed through the area. "Now to make you one of my legion… To be the strong that shall eat the meek. You shall do well… Just as you… What the…"
In a flash of light, Mufasa appeared behind him, ripping at the hair. "You shall not… No… It can't be…" The mask came off in his hand.
"I warned you before, Mufasa, not to let yourself get distracted. Some students never learn." The bracelet shot out, piercing Mufasa through the shoulder. Jhakar stood before him, laughing. "I guess I was wrong about you… You are among the weak. Prepare to meet your ancestors…"
"Another time, traitor." Mufasa was gone…
Khalid sat on his sofa, with his hands grabbing his hair. He could not believe what his grandfather was telling him. It was too much. "So, you are saying that this Mufasa creature… is just another part of me?" His fist flew down, breaking the coffee table in half. Great… It wasn't often that he found out that he had split-personality disorder. "Well… Time for me to head toward the loony bin. I'll be put on prozac for sure…"
"No, you misunderstand me." Cougar sat down in the easy chair. "Do you remember when you were younger? I had begun to teach you some skills… and your mother stopped it."
Khalid sat up. "Yeah… I remember. I wasn't exactly sure what happened. You were going to teach me how to do something… I can't remember what it was. Then, you had this argument with mom and dad. None of us saw you again for about five years after that. All that mom would say was that you went on a trip."
Cougar took a drink of orange juice. He was not sure whether or not Khalid would understand this… "I did, but it was not the kind you thought. However, we'll get to that, later. When I returned, I noticed that you had all but cut yourself off from everything."
Khalid nodded. "Well… I was always planning a career in music. By that time, I had found other interests… Besides, Mom was worried about what would happen if the neighbors saw me outside talking to the birds. I mean… I got to help find the missing people. That was about it. Nothing else along those lines… why?"
"Do you remember making all the neighbors think there were lightning bugs in the dead of winter? How about the appliances?"
Khalid thought about it. He remembered seeing those things, but he didn't remember causing that. For a while, all he did was touch the television or the air conditioner and it exploded. He didn't know why… then… "I guess so… I… It is really fuzzy."
"Not surprising. In fact, I'd be kind of surprised if you'd have remembered it vividly. Yes, those things used to happen and you were always at the center of it. I'm no Moira MacTaggert, but I do know a little about mutant powers. That was about the time when they started appearing. When you held them back… ignored them, they did not go away. In fact…"
"Oh shit!" Khalid stood up and paced back and forth. "When I was seventeen, I got the shit beat out of me. When I woke up, I was lying in a pool of blood. Everyone else was dead. I repressed it… and 'Mufasa' killed them. Then again, you said that Mufasa and I are the same, so that means that it wasn't 'Mufasa' that killed them. I'm a fucking murderer. Hell… I'm worse than a fucking murderer… I'm an insane fucking murderer. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…"
Cougar stopped him. "Hey! Cut out the potty mouth." He set the glass on the nightstand and sat up. "I know that this is not going to be of much comfort, but you did not kill in cold blood. Even the entire deal with Mufasa is not as simple as you are making it. He is not a simple lion demon, as I said, yet, he is not a personality tucked into the back of your mind."
If Khalid registered what his grandfather was saying, he did not give any indication. "Damn, I can't keep my life straight. First those guys bust up my concert. The record deal is withdrawn. I get kidnapped. Then, I find out that I am an insane fucking murderer. Things just get shittier and shittier and…"
"KHALID!" Khalid whirled around, looking Cougar in the eye. "What I have to say is probably going to sound really strange. I need you to listen and pay attention. Sit down."
Khalid went back to the sofa, sitting down. He had learned a long time ago to obey his grandfather when he got into one of these moods. "All right. Speak."
"First of all, what do you know of reincarnation?"
"A guy dies and is reborn. A bunch of garbage, but Buddhists and a whole slew of other people believe in it."
"Interesting choice of words… Khalid, every being casts an aura of life-energy that I can read, although it isn't visible to most. A being who has been reincarnated casts an aura as well as a… reverb. Your friend, Gomurr, has several of them, all of them rather powerful, but tuned together. The red-head casts two of them, but as with most people, she will never undergo a past-life regression. You cast your own aura… as well as a significantly powerful echo. Right now, they are interfering with each other. Back there, when you spaced out, I temporarily cancelled out the echo. It is only a matter of time before it returns. In fact, I can see the beginning of it right now…"
Khalid did not know what to make of this. His grandfather was spouting off the most inane junk he has ever heard. Reincarnation… life-energy… himself reading auras… Khalid was tempted to pick up the phone and have the nursing home cart off his grandfather for Alzheimer's… There was just one problem that he couldn't get by. Khalid actually believed what he was saying. "All right… I don't want to admit it, but you have me sold. You are saying that I am supposedly a reincarnation of this Mufasa thing. Fine. I'll accept it. It would explain the messed up dreams I've been having. I had no idea you could ever do what you said you did, but I'll go with it. Is that it?"
Cougar took a deep breath. Shani would probably never forgive him… "Back when you were younger, I taught you how to track… and how to remain undetectable. Do you remember?"
Khalid nodded his head. "Yeah… Mom had a fit. What about it?"
"I had intended then for you to gradually learn my trade… and eventually take it over. However, your mother was concerned about the danger… and rightly so. My… superior… has compelled me to believe that you are the right one for the mantle. I knew then that you had the capacity to learn any of my skills. You may not remember this, but I was teaching you how to read auras when your mother put an end to it. I was hoping that you would like to learn again…"
Khalid looked at him, confused. "Grandpop… I'm not following. What are you getting at? For that matter… what is your business? Who is this 'superior'?"
"For over sixty years, ever since I took up the mantle from my uncle, I have traveled the world, hunting. I've neutralized many creatures over the years… Vampires, werewolves, those creatures with the teeth on their hands, Ru'Tai, Brood… All I can say about my superior is that he/she/it is on a different plane of existence altogether. I often do not know what I am looking for until I see it. Yet, I can say that I have a %99.99 success rate. There is only one assignment I failed. I was supposed to destroy the bond between an evil extra-dimensional entity and a corrupted, tormented soul. The entity was too powerful for me. Just as I was about to be killed, my superior intervened, striking a deal of some sort. I am not aware of the specifics, but I am sure somehow that it is to be worked out after my death. I could spend all night talking about my quests, but it would not help you understand."
Khalid's mind was whirling. This was all just too much. "Grandpop… All of this is just hitting me at once. I'm a reincarnated psycho guy. You can see auras. Now, you are telling me that you are in the demon-extermination business… and you don't know who the boss is… Then, of course, there is the fact that you want me to take it up for you." The headache came on. That was too much to digest. He was overwhelmed.
Cougar looked at Khalid. He could tell that Khalid was not going to go along with it. However, he could wait. Khalid would be the one, all-right. "Think through it carefully, Khalid. This is not a light thing that I am asking." He may not take up the mantle at this very minute, but he might later on…
"Grandpop, I'm sorry. Not right now. I appreciate everything that you have done for me, but I don't think that I am the best one for the job. I need to get my life in order. Right now, it is just all askew."
Cougar nodded. "I understand, Khalid. If you change your mind, just let me know. Is there a guest room in this apartment?"
Khalid pointed to the door near the balcony. "Right over there. I'm going to stay up awhile and think. Go ahead and get some sleep. We'll have breakfast in the morning."
"Sure thing. Good night." As Cougar went to the guest room to sleep, a frightening thought crossed his mind. You don't choose it… It chooses you. Perhaps, he might have doomed Khalid already…
End Part 7
Chapter 8
"Akeem! Akeem!" Yasmin ran inside Akeem's quarters. Akeem was well known for his knowledge of plants as well as his works. His reputation as an honorable and just soul spreads through Kemet and Egypt, all the way up to Greece and India. He was a critical factor in the defeat of En Sabah Nur's forces. King Mufasa's recently-late father, the honorable King Ratiki, looked up to Akeem with the utmost respect. Yasmin knew that this was a problem that only the mage could solve. "Akeem! Are you here? Please tell me that you are here!"
Akeem walked out of his bedroom, trying desperately to get awake. The night had been completely tiring. Then again, Lenai had always been that way. She was insatiable that she egged him on until they both collapsed in utter and total exhaustion. He smiled as he thought about it. Good… That was the way that it should be. "Yasmin, what brings you to my quarters at this time of night? The sun is not set to rise for another three hours." He saw the scars on her face… and the bruise on her arm. "Did someone attack you?"
Yasmin nodded. "Akeem… My village is destroyed. Everyone has either been killed or enchanted by that tyrant Mjimbe. He has been through Nubia, gathering his army. He is not yet strong enough to go through Egypt, so he went around… He's coming here!"
Akeem set her down. "How do you know?"
A tear dripped out of Yasmin's eye. "The reason they razed my village is because a Nubian came seeking asylum. He had seen what they had done and ran to warn everyone. They soon came for him and killed everyone who might know. I survived because Mjimbe wanted me to. But first, he… He…" She fell to the ground in tears.
Akeem helped her back up. "Yasmin… I know that this is difficult, but… I need you to describe him to me. I need to know what he looks like…"
Yasmin stopped. He was right… she had to… "He was my brother-in-law, Akeem. The man King Ratiki hired to teach his son, King Mufasa. He was…"
Akeem stepped back. "Jhakar… I can't…" The problem was that he could believe it. It had been rumored for years that Jhakar had been dabbling in the black arts. He never suspected that there was any truth to it. That had always been far removed from Jhakar's character… until he produced those damned snake bracelets! Akeem warned him then that he did not know enough about the strange metal in that space rock to use it. Jhakar insisted, though. He said that he needed protection against those that would do him harm. Right now, he suspected that the bracelets had actually caused more harm than good… "Yasmin, go get some others. We must warn the surrounding communities of Mjimbe's intentions. Send someone to tell King Mufasa. He is on an ambassadorial trip to Egypt. He must be informed as soon as possible. Go!" Yasmin ran out of the quarters.
Akeem cursed himself. Thirty years ago, then-Prince Mufasa had come to him, asking his help in defeating Jhakar. He spouted some nonsense about Jhakar having gone crazy and killed his wife and trying to kill him. Everyone had known that Sarai had died in the street at the hands of an assassin. That had been common knowledge… or so it seemed. Akeem had known then that it was not a mere assassin, but one of great power. However, he knew that Jhakar was not privy to such power… Mufasa was, though. For his safety, he had convinced King Ratiki to send Mufasa on a wild-goose-chase to nowhere. While Akeem was positive later that Mufasa wasn't the culprit, he could not determine the murderer because of the depth of the corruption. It was unlike anything that he had seen before. Mufasa would never change his story, insisting that it was Jhakar, his mentor, even though Jhakar himself had an alibi. Perhaps if he and Ratiki had listened to the young man, this situation would not have come this far. Whatever the case, Akeem had no choice. The threat had to be nullified… As far as he was concerned, there was no one who knew Jhakar better than he did…
########INTERLUDE#########
Blackfire went to her quarters, checking her messages. She had a lot to say to Silver about Gomurr's stunt, earlier. The Black Rook is to be kept apprised of anything involving security on the BHC grounds. For Gomurr and Dr. Zhang to pull her guards like that without her notification made it liable. That posed a security risk to the school as well to Queen Nemesis herself.
On the good side, Khalid's grandfather was so charming. At first, she was not aware of the relationship, but later she saw the resemblance. One thing for sure… If everyone in the family aged like Robert Cougar did, Khalid was in for a good future.
There was a message that caught her attention. Something that she did not expect to hear. "Ye thought ye were going to get away from me, did ye? I still havenae forgotten what ye did to me… what ye did to me loved ones. Normally, I donnae go out of me way for revenge, but I thought I'd make an exception in yuir case. Like a good Irish lass, ye cannae resist a fight. Yuir going down, Sharon. Ye'll pay for what ye've done. I'll take ye in. G'Day."
Blackfire kicked the answering machine against the wall. So, the bitch thought she was going to threaten HER, did she? She pushed aside a painting, pressing her hand on the electronic plate. Perhaps it was time she pulled out the heavy duty stuff. As far as she was concerned, this damned charade had gone on long enough. At this point, she didn't give a damn what the Black Hellfire Club thought was the truth. If they found out… fine… If they didn't… fine…
The bitch was not stupid enough to attack her here. No… She would make her move somewhere else. Blackfire was not the one to look around for a fight, but she was one to be prepared. Right now, she was going to carry a few more shurinkens on her… The girl does not have a chance…
######## END INTERLUDE #########
"Ramses… I think you are playing with fire. The Hebrews are not a weak race. Yes, they are different, but there is something about them. They do not lie about the strength of their benefactor. You can only lose from this enterprise."
Ramses handed Mufasa a cup of wine. "Really, Mufasa, if their benefactor was so strong, then how come they are enslaved right now? Surely, he could have destroyed us by now. No, they are a weak people… a people fit only to serve. They shall build the shrines to me and my forefathers. Do not tell me that you have come solely to criticize my kingdom. From what I hear, nowadays, Kemet is no better."
Mufasa drank deeply and placed the glass on the table. "My wife has been gifted since birth. She sees flashes… and instantly knows what will happen. It was at her word that I came over. I had to warn you about your son. Unless you change your path, Ramses, your son will be dead by week's end."
Ramses pushed Mufasa back. "Who are you to threaten my son! How dare you… There will be war…"
Mufasa shouted back at him. "I am NOT threatening your son! The Hebrew benefactor is. He is too powerful for you, Ramses. Let his people go. Otherwise, it will be the beginning of the end for you and your people."
Ramses spoke back at him, the anger… the arrogance showing in his eyes. "You have sided with that Hebrew dog, Moses! There will be war, Mufasa. Leave my kingdom, you have until the sun falls."
A photon sword formed in Mufasa's hand. "You DARE threaten ME!!!" He could have ended Ramses' pathetic life right there, but he stopped. It disappeared. "I merely warned you. If you want to continue down this fruitless path, then go ahead. Do not hold me accountable when your son dies and your army falls." Without another word, Mufasa left the palace. Ramses had always been a lousy ruler anyway. Moses at least had some common sense.
"Mufasa, you have done a noble thing by coming here." An old woman walked out, meeting him. "Ramses was always too proud to listen to anyone who disagreed with him. That behavior was reinforced as he was growing up. Moses, whom I raised as my own child, had more common sense. Please, do not return to Kemet feeling that everyone has gone mad. If I felt it were my place, I would be with Moses come night rather than in the place."
Mufasa kneeled in front of the woman. "Go be with your son. In your heart, you know that you do not belong in this place anymore."
The woman nodded. "I think I will… I heard that they are having lamb tonight…" She walked off into the Hebrew village…
He and his armed guard started on their way back when something flashed inside his head. It was a message… from his wife. "Mjimbe is attacking… we must return to Kemet at once!"
"My liege?"
In a flash of light, they were gone.
Khalid jumped awake on his bed. He remembered… He remembered it all… He couldn't reproduce anything that Mufasa did if his life counted on it, but at least he remembered Mufasa's life. Maybe it would have been more accurate to say his previous life… Whatever the case, it didn't matter. That was not what jumped him awake.
Earlier, he had focused on Grover's gauntlets. Something drew his eye to them and he was not exactly sure what it was. Then, it connected… Jhakar's bracelets… Grover's gauntlets… They seemed to have the same properties, except that Grover's gauntlets seemed slightly dilute. However, they both looked like they were alive. He was almost willing to bet that Grover's gauntlets would respond the same way that Jhakar's bracelets did. For some reason, he was positive that they were the same metal!
If that was true, then was it possible that the gauntlets could corrupt Grover as they did Jhakar? Worse… Could that mean that Grover… is actually Mjimbe, the snake?
End Chapter 8
Chapter 9:
Mjimbe walked into his tent. 400 more people were brought under his control today. Tomorrow, he would make his move on Kemet. With Mufasa in Egypt, it was left to his wife to rule in his place. From what he heard, she was sick these days. Excellent… There would be none to stand in his way… Save his former mentor.
The area around him erupted in lightning. It was like a maelstrom confined to a small radius around him. Two of his guards fell to the ground. In walked his old teacher… This could not have turned out better. "I was wondering when you would show up, Ancient One."
A spear flew from the other side of the room, imbedding itself into Mjimbe. Akeem was angry… Normally, he did not let his emotions get the better of him, but now was a different case. Jhakar had been his most trusted pupil. To find out that he had dabbled in the black arts… and became the monster he was right now was angering. "You showed the most potential, Jhakar. Everything was going for you. Why did you do it… Why?"
Effortlessly, he pulled out the spear, discarding it. He walked unfazed out of the miniature storm. Akeem knew immediately that it was the bracelets. Jhakar had said that the bracelets were to be designed to protect him from anyone trying to harm him… Akeem finally understood what had happened. The bracelets were made from the metal of the space rock. It had corrupted him thoroughly… Turned him toward the black arts. The metal was intelligent enough to keep Akeem from detecting its corruption. What had been allowed to happen was that Jhakar had designed the bracelets to protect him from Akeem. "Simple, old man. Power. I want to rule this wretched world, even if I have to start with this continent. It could have all been yours, but you were too dumb to see it! Now, it is going to cost you…" The bracelets shot out, knocking Akeem to the table. "I can see the force of many life-times, you shall sustain me for ages. Your knowledge… your power… will all be…"
"His." Two guards were thrown in… Mufasa had arrived…
Robert Cougar sat inside the Lazy Divey Sports Bar. Khalid had some kind of business to attend to (more like that he wouldn't admit to…) and told him about the best place in New York to eat. Cougar had to agree. The food wasn't any better here than anywhere else, but it was quiet. It had an atmosphere.
"What can I get for you, Gramps?"
Cougar looked at the bartender. He knew immediately that the man was something different than he appeared to be. After all… how many middle-aged men had blue hair and a goatee? He resembled Sinister, somewhat… but he was older… much older. Whatever the case, the guy didn't seem to be on to him, so he didn't push the case. "An order of chicken wings and nachos… and a Coke."
"Will do…"
Within minutes, Cougar was well on his way to becoming full when he felt his skin crawl. The last time he had been to New York, he had reacted this way to one person… Unfortunately, he was indebted to this man. For reasons unknown to him, the man had saved Cougar's wife and children fifty years ago while he was on a trip. As a result, Cougar agreed to do an assignment that was not condoned by his superior. It was the only one that he failed… Unfortunately, that left him still indebted to the man. For reasons unknown to him, the man agreed to spare his life as well as that of his family. He supposed that he should have told Khalid the truth about it, but if Khalid knew the truth, he would have turned away from him, outright. "Tell me, do you still play with people's lives as you did mine?"
The man sat on the stool next to him. "I gave you an opportunity to repay your debt to me and you failed. You still owe me… and I aim to collect payment."
Cougar squeezed the glass so hard that it burst. "You gave me an impossible assignment, damn you! You had no intention of having me pay you back! What do you want?" He reached toward the counter, grabbing a wad of napkins to staunch the blood…
His hand healed before him, leaving no evidence of its injury. The man on the stool next to him smiled in amusement. "Thanks to me, your wife and three children survived that day when the relatives of your… jobs… had decided to avenge them. I could easily wipe them out... including your grandchildren… however, that would be too tedious. I will give you one more opportunity to cancel your debt." The man handed him a manila envelope. "Do not fail, Mr. Cougar. I will have my payment, either way. Should you fail this time, I will take your grandson as payment."
"No…" Cougar's eyes fell on the picture in the envelope. "You can't be serious…"
"Yes, I am… deadly serious…"
"It will… be done…" Cougar dropped his eyes to the ground, unable to look at the man who had backed him to the wall. He had no choice… When his eyes came up, he looked toward the entrance with hopeless anger. "Damn you, Jensen… Damn you to hell…"
Unnoticed by either of them was the blond eavesdropper in the corner booth, facedown on the table. He did not intentionally play unconscious… It was just that he noticed Jensen walk in just as he was about to get up. He knew nothing about the old man or what his possible connection to the Red King might be. However, he was curious about the transaction… A crooked smile came across Michael Breslin's face. He'd been drinking too much, anyway… Roadtrip.
Khalid didn't know what the hell he was doing. He had to have lost his mind. When he came up with a stage name, he thought that Mufasa was just a cool name. Up until he became a member of the Hellfire Club, he had no clue that Mufasa was a lion demon that possessed him. Now, he finally learns that this Mufasa was supposedly a past life that just doesn't want to let go. Whatever the case, he had finally tired of this Mufasa thing. His grandfather had temporarily KO'd Mufasa for the meantime.
So, what the hell was he doing? Mufasa was the one that wanted to go around chasing snakes, not him. All he wanted to do was get his life back on line and get recording and touring… So, why was he slinking around the city, stalking Grover? Because he might be this Mjimbe character, that's why. You need to see those gauntlets… So far, Grover had not done anything more shady than sign a couple of autographs.
Khalid sat in the coffee shop watching Grover browse through the bookstand across the street. He couldn't keep this up. He has not practiced spying people since he was little, and even then those were animals. Grover was bound to spot him sooner or later. He needed to find a better way to observe Grover… without getting the shit beat out of him when Grover found out. Surely…
The window crashed in next to him, showering him with glass. "Who…" Spiderman lay across the table, out like a light. "Great… Just what I need… a costumed freak…"
The Scorpion ran in through the other window. "Face it, your life is up." His tail extended, heading straight for Spiderman's chest…
Khalid picked up the tray and slapped the tail out of the way. The power of the tail knocked him back into the seat. "Great… another costumed freak…"
Scorpion was angry. "I don't know who you are, but you better leave the crime-fighting to the REAL heroes!" The tail shot out again. Khalid moved to the side just in time for the tail to imbed itself in the wall. "I HATE it when that happens!"
Khalid slung Spiderman over his shoulder, moving toward the back door. "Great… I must have the words 'hit me' slapped right across my forehead."
Dr. Octopus stood, braced in the doorway. "Who might you be? The Black Panther?"
Khalid stopped in his tracks. "Is that a swastika attached to your back?"
The arms shot out at him. "We'll see what you say when I rip your limbs off!"
Khalid threw Spiderman directly at him, taking him off balance. He hated to do that to an unconscious man, but he needed to stall. He rushed at him, knocking him through the doorway. "Um… Whoever you are, it would be real nice for you to wake up, considering I saved your life and all…" Scorpion's tail crashed into his back, knocking him into the dumpster.
"Looks like to me that a wanna-be hero bit off more than he could chew." Scorpion grabbed him, picking him up into the air. "If it weren't for you, we could have killed the Spider and been out of here."
Khalid felt the Scorpion get pulled out from under him. Then, he felt the impact of the ground. "YOUCH!"
Dr. Octopus had Spiderman dangling from a tentacle. "Scorpion? You can't depend on anyone, these days…"
Spiderman shot out webbing over Dr. Octopus' face. "I don't know… This is the first time I've been saved by a total stranger in years!" Finally, he pulled himself out of it, and started fighting.
Khalid got up, grabbing his back. Damn… That was a fall he wouldn't forget. Good thing he didn't strike his head. "That's it… I've done my good deed for the day… Time for me to get out of here."
Rhino plowed through the wall next to him. "What's taking you guys so long… A witness, eh? A potential hostage…"
Khalid jumped back. "Er… Maybe another day. I have to… buy groceries."
Rhino started at him. "This won't take too long…" Just before he got to Khalid, a man flew by, knocking the two of them into Dr. Octopus.
Grover walked into the alley, knocking the dirt off his pants. "Gee, Khalid… Yesterday, you would have walked through them. Good thing I saw Spidey get knocked through the window."
Khalid leaned on the wall… "I'm not exactly fond of the superhero biz… Um… You wouldn't mind getting us out of here before they get up?"
Rhino plowed between them. "Too late… And I still haven't forgotten the Statue of Liberty incident, SuperGrover!"
Scorpion's tail almost nailed Khalid. "I'll take care of you…" Khalid moved out of the way. He needed to get this guy out of the way, quick… But he didn't know how. The tail jumped around, nearly stabbing him. "Stay still!"
Grover's gauntlets melded into a staff as the Rhino rushed at him again. "Toro! Toro! Andale, andale, Toro!"
Rhino grabbed him around the chest and rammed him into the wall. "I ain't no bull, ya muppet!"
The staff struck him at both sides of the head as well as the stomach. "You know… I really hate it when people call me a muppet!" Grover's foot struck him in a cheap shot between the legs. "It is really one of my pet peeves. Do I have fur? I think not!" One hand grabbed him around the collar. "I don't have strings… Besides… I am MUCH better looking than the stuffed puppet!" The two of them flew into the air.
Scorpion pulled a garbage can off his head. "Where are you, you second-rate 'hero'? I owe you a sting for what you pulled earlier!"
Khalid shouted at him from next to the dead end. "I'm right here! If I am so second-rate, how come you haven't killed me already?"
Scorpion's tail moved quickly toward his target's chest. Khalid ducked down, narrowly avoiding the tail entering the electric meter behind him. Scorpion shrieked as the electricity jolted through his system. Finally, he was down on the ground, not getting up.
Khalid walked past him, kicking him in the head. "Asshole! That was for wrecking lunch." He heard a crash at the other side of the alley. "Grover?" He ran over to the site.
The Rhino was out cold. Grover stood over him, with the staff having formed a point at the end. He was about to drive it down. Khalid ran toward him. "Grover! Don't!" If Grover heard it, he gave no recognition. Khalid tackled him, knocking him off his feet. Unexpectedly, the staff jerked down, driving itself into Khalid's calf. "Shit!"
Grover snapped back to his senses, morphing the staff back into gauntlets. That had not happened before… It was like he blanked out… being over driven with rage. Then, when Khalid knocked him off his feet, the staff drove itself down. The inertia should have driven the staff to the side! It moved toward Khalid's leg as if it wanted to go there. "Khalid… er…" He ripped off the sleeve to his shirt and tied it around his calf. "Are you okay?"
Khalid was using every cussword in every language that he knew, and inventing a few more. "Yeah… yeah… If my leg doesn't get infected and fall off… or I don't suddenly come down with tetanus… You do clean those things, don't you?" There was no doubt about it. He knew when the metal pierced his skin. That was the same damn metal. Apparently, there WAS a possibility that it could corrupt. Whether or not Grover was Mjimbe remains to be seen.
Charlotte Jones walked into the alleyway with cops behind her. "Good job, SuperGrover. You, Spiderman, and… this man did a good job taking down…" They moved in, picking up the strewn thugs.
Trish Tilby marched in behind her with a camera crew hot behind her. "Excuse me, the press coming through!" She got up with a microphone, holding it out. "SuperGrover, do you have a statement for the press?"
He slowly helped Khalid onto his feet. "Not right now, Ms. Tilby. I don't have the time." Truth to tell, Trish, it sounds like I need to investigate something else altogether.
She put the microphone in Khalid's face. "Excuse me, Sir. You were seen electrocuting the Scorpion. Do you have any statements on that?"
Khalid tried putting his foot down on the ground, but his calf was screaming. "Hurts like a bitch…" Grover grabbed Khalid and flew off.
Looking into the sky, Trish tapped her foot on the ground. "Well… How do you like that? Most people would kill to get on television…" She pulled out her cell phone. "Mario… Yes, I want you research the man on the live broadcast. No… not the blue one, the Black one. I'm pretty sure that I've seen him before. See what you can dig up. I'll talk to you at eight."
End Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Silver paced back and forth in his office. He was mad. He was REALLY mad. He could overlook the damage done to the infirmary… He could overlook Robert Cougar having been on the BHC grounds… He could even overlook what happened when Sarah Kristian was in the infirmary. This one, he could NOT overlook! "Khalid, are you aware of what you have done? Do you know what the implications are?"
Khalid knew that he should probably be listening to what Silver had to say, but he was concerned about the letter he found on the kitchen table when he limped back to his apartment. His grandfather had just upped and left… He didn't tell him where he went or why he left. That just seemed kind of odd… Grandpop came in, saved him, surprised him, and left. Khalid would have at least thought that he would have talked to him before he left. "I'm sorry, Silver… I don't have the foggiest clue what you are talking about."
Silver clenched his fist. He had never thought the time would come that he wanted to choke someone so badly. "You don't?" He picked up the Daily Bugle and threw it toward Khalid. It landed on his lap, front page up. "Front page, written by J. Jonah Jameson. It talks all about that brouhaha in Manhattan. However, the focus is not on Spiderman or SuperGrover… it is on YOU… a 'lowly musician' who stepped in."
Khalid's eyes ran all over the front page.
Mufasa saves Spiderman from certain death. Shortly after 11:00, the Rhino, Scorpion, and Dr. Octopus were spotted making a heist on Daniel Electric Engineering Corporation (DEEC) where the costumed vigilante, Spiderman, again endangered the lives of the residents of New York with his efforts to apprehend them. After Spiderman was thrown into the window of the Maxwell Coffee Shop, a jazz musician named Khalid Hunter risked his life to pull Spiderman from danger. The jazz musician, who goes by the stage name Mufasa, had no superpowers or weapons. He used old-fashioned intelligence to bring the altercation to a stop as quickly and effectively as he could. With minor help from SuperGrover and Spiderman…
"I don't believe this… I was not even involved, but this Jameson guy made me out like a hero! Does he always write stuff as yellow as this?"
Silver reached onto his desk, pulling out a remote control. "You think that is bad?" The television flickered on. Trish Tilby was on the screen, muttering about some 'hero'… Then, his picture flashed up… with his stage name.
Khalid jumped to his feet. "What the… They are blowing this all out of proportion. I am hardly some hero…"
Silver was already muttering. "…It is against BHC rules to publicly claim… What did you say?"
Khalid plopped back down in the chair. "Spiderman landed on my table while I was eating lunch. I pulled him out of the way. The rest of the time, I spent trying not to get killed. I did not throw Scorpion into the dumpster and I certainly did not help Spiderman defeat Dr. Octopus. They took everything and exaggerated it. The fact is that if it weren't for Grover, I would have been dead."
Silver calmed down, but his hands were still shaking. "I don't care how you do it, but go out… Get this straightened out."
Robert Cougar cursed himself on the plane. He should have been spending his time with Khalid… teaching him the skills he is going to need, even if he has no intention of following in his grandfather's footsteps. He had no idea why he let himself be manipulated by that damn Ryan Jensen. He never did know who those people were who were after his wife and children. For all he knew, Ryan could have hired them himself. Then again… that would not have exactly been beyond Ryan's limits, either…
What intrigued him right now was that young man who's been following him. He was positive that the man was a member of that Hellfire group that Khalid was. The man had gone through an extremely traumatic experience. As far as Cougar could tell, the man was headed down a dark and stormy path that he had once been free of.
"Excuse me, sir, would you like anything to drink?" The flight attendant set her eyes on Cougar.
Cougar smiled at her. Not bad… but a little old for my taste…"Yes… How about a Coke?" The flight attendant poured the coke, setting it down on the tray along with a bag of peanuts. "Excuse me… Can you do me a favor?"
The flight attendant opened her eyes wide. "Yes, sir… What can I do for you?"
Cougar tried not to laugh. "The young man across the aisle… The blonde one. He is my grandson. Right now, he is on medication for narcolepsy. If he takes alcohol, that interferes with it. I need him to drive me home when I drive, so if you would not mind… Kindly inform him when you serve him that you are out of alcohol."
"Yes, sir."
Cougar watched the situation play across the aisle. The young man needed to work on his surveillance skills. He saw the brief look of rage flare across Michael Breslin's face… and then the embarrassment. Havok looked over across the aisle… and caught a smile from Robert Cougar.
Havok could do nothing but lean back in his seat and try not to die from shock. Well… His cover was blown…
"Mr. Jameson, I think that we need to talk… This was blown way out of proportion…"
J. Jonah Jameson shook Khalid's hand firmly. "This is the way it should be… No costume… No powers… Honest. I like that. Some might take the Kente vest as a gimmick, but I don't. This is an example as a New York citizen who is taking charge of his city, by taking on some of the most dangerous foes."
Khalid really wanted to strangle this guy… but he figured that he'd just let him die from lung cancer. "Well… I really did not do that much fi…"
Jameson tapped his cane at the bandage around Khalid's leg. He was oblivious to Khalid's wincing action. "Ah… a battle wound. Was it from when you fought the Scorpion hand to hand?"
"Hand to hand? Look, I mean…" A bright light shined in his face. He was immediately blinded.
"We're going live in five, four, three…"
Khalid blinked his eyes. The spots still were in his eyes. "Wait a minute! I thought this was a Newspaper Company!"
"This is J. Jonah Jameson here with an exclusive interview with Mufasa… the humble citizen who was instrumental in the apprehension of three of New York's most notorious fugitives… Dr. Octopus, the Rhino, and the Scorpion. As you can see, he stands before us with no mask… no costume. Mr. Hunter, I salute you. You are a true American hero…"
Khalid held his hands up. This was out of hand… WAY out of hand! "Mr. Jameson… Please, I must insist that my involvement in yesterday's… incident was minimal. I…"
Jameson was on a roll. "Do you see this character? Humble… just as a hero should be. Let me read off a list of figures…" He took a sheet of paper from the man next to him. "$872,431.56 damage to the Norris Bakery building. $256,346.29 damage to the Yancy Book Store. $1,925,789.47 damage to DEEC. $673,452 damage to the Maxwell Coffee House. As you can see, Mufasa, the damage to the area was quite extensive."
Khalid suddenly understood that coming to the Daily Bugle was a bad mistake. "What are you getting at, Mr. Jameson?"
"The damage for which you were liable for… a $3.00 tray at the Maxwell Coffee House. $114.00 damage to the electric meter. I congratulate you not only for apprehending those criminals, but being mindful of the surrounding property. In recognition of your efforts…" He pulled out a check. "I am writing a $117.00 check to the Maxwell house to cover your expenses. The bill for the Yancy Book Store is being sent to the hero SuperGrover. All the rest is the sole debt of that masked vigilante…"
Khalid knew right then that he better leave. How does he get into these situations? "Excuse me… Now that you are done 'hailing' me as a hero, I have some errands to run." Without another word, Khalid walked out of the Daily Bugle. "I hate being used…" He stumbled on the steps leading out, his crutches dropping to the ground. "Great…"
Peter Parker picked up his crutches, handing them back to him. "All right, Mufasa?"
Khalid took his crutches, fitting them snugly back under his arms. "Yeah, just fine… Spi…" He looked directly at Peter Parker. "Oh… I'm sorry. I must be really out of it. For a second there, I thought your voice sounded exactly like Spiderman's."
Peter Parker smiled at him. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone." As he went inside to deliver his recent collection of photos, a thought crept into his head. Hmmmm… He does have a point… How come no one else picked up on that?
End Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Silver glared at the television. Nemesis, Deadpool, and Harbinger sat at the table behind him. "I tell him to clean this up… This is how he does it? By giving an interview? What's he trying to do… ruin everything that we have worked so hard to build?" As he turned back toward the officers in the room, the television collapsed right behind him. That was a rare display of his powers… "I have spent countless time, energy, and money helping to build up this club. I'll be damned if I'm going to have it torn down by some man who can't stay out of the public spotlight. Hell… I don't mind if he wants to be known as a professional musician. That's fine. But I am not going to put up with some 'hero' seeking attention!"
Nemesis looked at Silver, smiling. "Silver, I don't know… He seemed to be kind of hesitant on camera. Perhaps he didn't know how to handle the situation. After all, not everyone can go in and erase minds." She sighed. "Besides… I'd hate to lose someone with an ass like that…"
Harbinger sat up in his chair. He regretted the day that he helped get that damned Khalid Hunter in the club. Ever since he joined, he has been one headache after another. Then, of course, there was the thing about him fooling around with Nemesis. One of his spies informed him that Khalid had modeled leather pants and swimming trunks for her at the meeting for her spring line. Before he had come out of the dressing room, she had gone inside for an hour… presumably to make sure they fit. He knew better… "Your boy-toy has caused considerable damage to Hellfire Club property." He dropped down a packet. "Here is a packet that lists damage done to the infirmary, the library, the training room, his apartment, and least but not least, the Hellfire Clubhouse on the outskirts of town. This guy is a fiscal nightmare!"
Silver nodded. "After that stunt in Manhattan, we have no choice but to place him on probation for the rest of the month. One more incident and we tell him that he's gone. Simple as that. Agreed?"
Deadpool and Harbinger nodded in agreement. Nemesis looked down at the table, shaking her head. "Silver… I think that you are going about this the wrong way…"
"Nem… I need your support…"
Nem stood up and began walking toward the door. "You have enough pull to make that proclamation anyway. It stands. Now, I have work to do…"
Silver watched as Nem left the room. She seemed upset… almost as if she were going to…
Beneath the table, a diminutive figure listened… Unfortunately, he had seen this coming. Without another word, he slipped through the shadows.
Silver picked up the phone. "Meeting adjourned." He dialed a number. Havok had gone out of town… Earlier today, he had overheard an argument between a father and a son. He hated to be nosy, but there were things that he had to know. Gomurr had said something to Grover that pissed him off. He needed to get to the bottom of that statement…
"Nice to hear that you're Khalid's grandfather, but I have just one question… What are you doing?"
Robert Cougar hung on Havok's back as he scaled the wall. "For a young man who claims to be an expert, you sure do ask a lot of questions at the wrong time."
Havok was almost near the top. Damn… What was he thinking by telling the old man he would carry him to the top? The old man nearly two hundred pounds! Earlier it was fine… but now, the old geezer was feeling awfully heavy. "Normally, I like to hear what I am risking my life over." He reached the top and pulled himself over. He did not want to let it out now, but he wanted to drop dead from that little stunt.
"Perhaps after you rest. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Cougar slipped in through the attic. He had the feeling that he should have ditched Havok after he found him, but something told him that he would be useful. Such a task could only end up in death…
Tyrone Leland, the target of the job, had been known for years as one of the pre-eminent brain surgeons of the world. Any brain cancer patient that had been to him had walked out with absolutely no traces of malignant cells left in their bodies. However, there was a dark secret to it that only Jensen was privy to. Robert Cougar could feel no energy emanating from a demon, so that was not it. Leland was not a vampire or a werewolf… He had no ties to any voodoo hounfor. A witch? Possibly… but Cougar did not know. Unfortunately, witches were the only things he could not detect… As he reached a corner of the wall, he could barely make out a conversation at the end..
"Tyrone, I am worried about you. This cannot go on forever." Mrs. Leland was scared. It was if she were confronting Tyrone about something.
He dropped his head into his hands and wept. "What am I going to do? How was I supposed to know that my powers would kick in right there. Look… Relax. The armed thugs in the house are courtesy Monte Malone… He owed me a favor for saving his mother's life."
Mrs. Leland slapped her husband right there. "You call THIS a favor? The guy's a member of the mob! HELLO!!!! What convinced you to go up to Jensen in the first place just because you detected his DNA was different? Mutants are nothing but…"
"He's NOT a mutant. That's the thing… It is something else. I think he is in league with something powerful… like I am…"
"I don't care!" She was bawling. "I simply do not care… Because of you, our lives are forfeit!"
All Cougar had to do was disconnect the life aura from the vessel, or more accurately the body, and Leland's life would be gone. It was a simple case. Then, Cougar would be freed from Jensen… and more importantly, Khalid would be freed. The lengths I go to for my grandchildren… This was about as bad as the time I had to neutralize the werewolf curse in my nephew… There was only one problem… It would be cold-blooded murder.
Havok whispered in his ear. "So… Why does Jensen want them dead? Can you understand what they are saying?"
Cougar shook his head, lying. If he had heard what he thought he heard, he was not one to air Jensen's dirty laundry… no matter how much fun it might be. "Leland's has something else inside of him… Something that's not quite possession. I'm not sure what it is, though. It is almost like a sinister force is using him. There is something about him… and all his patients. Other than that, I am not aware."
"Great… I am here on a wild…" A cell phone began to ring. Havok started patting all over him, and then reached into his coat pocket, answering it. "Silver? This is really not a good time… WHAT? Look up something on Grover? WHY!!?? I don't give a…" He heard clicks all around him. The armed thugs had them surrounded.
Cougar glared at Havok. "A tip, young one. Next time, leave the cell phone at home."
Khalid walked into his apartment at Strong Towers. He had a feeling that Silver did not like that interview one bit. How had he let his life get so out of hand? It didn't make sense at all… How long had he been in the Hellfire Club… seven… eight months now? What did he have to show for it? A bunch of fan mail from people who thought that they saw him fight the Scorpion hand to hand. "Great… I wonder if there is any real mail in this bag." Off-handedly, he tapped the answering machine button…
"BEEP! Hey, Khalid… This is Silver back at the BHC. I saw the interview and I was not pleased. Some of the Inner Circle have met. You have been placed on probation. If you mess up again…" Khalid tapped the next message. He knew that he did not want to hear that one…
"BEEP! Tovarische, it is Nicolai. I heard about your recent publicity. I finally talked my record label into signing you on for a solo recording. I know that you did not want to break in that way, but I thought it would be as good a time as any after the incident at the concert last year. Give me a call."
"BEEP! Khalid, this is Stefan. I'm coming up to look at SUNY. You wouldn't mind putting me up for a couple of days? Hotels are really expensive. By the way… You better call Mom. She was worried sick after seeing your face plastered on CNN…"
Khalid dropped the mailbag. He'd look through that stuff later. He didn't know why he was looking at it anyway… It was not like he was actually considering becoming a superhero named Mufasa. He had too many problems to work out. Hell… If he was not careful, he might be unemployed too! He picked up he phone. "Yeah... Mom? Yes... I'm fine. The press blew it all out of proportion. I really did not do nearly… Yes, I know… I promised that I would stay out of trouble. No, Mom… Really… I'll be okay. Stefan is coming up? Sure… He can stay here for a little while. Grandpop told me to tell you hello. No, he left yesterday. He never did tell me where he was headed. I know about the 'business'. Relax, Mom. There is no way that I'm going to follow in his footsteps. How are the others? Okay? All right… I'll call you later. I have to get back to work. You wouldn't believe what was going on if I told you… Take care. Tell everyone I said hello. See ya later." Khalid hung up the phone. His relationship with his parents has always been a little on the strange side. Other people shied from their parents trying to establish independence. He felt no need to prove anything…
"Khalid… We need to talk." Khalid saw SuperGrover sitting on the balcony. "I didn't tell you this, but I knew you were following me yesterday. I want to know why."
Khalid turned around. Oh well… at least Grover was nice enough not to beat the shit out of him in his apartment… Yet… He could not go around telling SuperGrover that he might be a reincarnated megalomaniac. "I had a bad dream… Grandpop once told me that if I had a bad dream, look out for something." It wasn't the entire truth, but it would probably work as well as anything else.
SuperGrover stood up, approaching him. "You're lying to me."
Gee… That went well… "Grover, a thought had run through my head. That's all. It's nothing to worry about."
Grover held up his arm, showing the gauntlets. "I noticed something before when we went at it. For some reason, you kept on getting distracted by the gauntlets. You know something about them that you aren't telling me. Start speaking…"
Khalid stepped back. Grover was pissed about something… He was sure about that. He might want to tell him what he knows. "All right. Let's see… The other day, Grandpop cancelled out Mufasa for the time being. For some reason, that night, I suddenly remembered nearly everything that happened in that past life. I've seen that metal before."
Grover was momentarily satisfied… or so he seemed. "What do you know about it?"
Khalid sat down in the chair, taking a break off his wounded leg. "The metal is capable of responding in nearly anyway the wearer desires. It is fluid… almost alive."
Alive? "Khalid… what aren't you telling me?"
Khalid drummed his fingers on the chair. "5000 years ago, Prince Mufasa had a mentor named Jhakar. One day, Jhakar found a strange metallic asteroid. Without thinking, he convinced his mentor to mold it into the shape of two snake bracelets. After he started wearing it, Jhakar started dabbling in the black arts. Then, he became this tyrant named Mjimbe and nearly took over northern Africa. In short…" Khalid took a deep breath. There was no way he could say this lightly. "I suspect that Jhakar was corrupted by the bracelets. I had followed you to see whether or not the gauntlets were of the same metal."
Grover dropped onto the sofa. His worst fears were confirmed. "Is that it? Am I damned?"
"Look… Don't jump to conclusions yet. From what I can tell, the metal seems kind of dilute, as if it were mixed with something else."
"I stabbed you in the calf… I almost killed…"
Khalid gritted his teeth. This had gone downhill REALLY fast… "Look! I don't think that it was you, necessarily… The metal had been used to almost kill Mufasa before. It might be reacting to me… or what it perceives to be Mufasa. It doesn't mean that you are damned… necessarily. Don't jump to conclusions…" Great… This was going well… NOT!
Another thought crossed his mind. Jhakar embraced the dark powers of the metal… and became Mjimbe. SuperGrover did not… at least it seemed that he didn't. Still, the possibility exists that SuperGrover might eventually be corrupted. After all, SuperGrover had almost killed the Rhino… Whatever the case, Khalid was sure that he was overlooking one thing… one very important thing… It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't figure out what it was…
He never did remember that Akeem and Gomurr were one and the same.
End Chapter 11
Chapter 12:
The armed thugs had been easy to take care of. After all, they were just thugs. The 78-year-old Cherokee grandfather and the blonde 20-some-year-old alcoholic warlord waded through them easily unscathed. Mrs. Leland ran from the house in a panic after she discovered the true nature of her husband. Hell… Right now, Michael Breslin wished that he did the same. "Let me get this straight… Not only are you possessed by a demon, but you are a witch to boot?"
Leland shot out a substance from his hands that pinned Havok to the wall. "You forget… My day job is a brain surgeon. The pay is pretty good and I get to convert plenty of souls to my path."
Damn old man, it figures. Had no business slapping Leland with the chair in the first place. I still don't know what happened to you… The first sign of trouble, what do you do? Run into the wife's study. Coward. The goo exploded outward, propelled by the photovaltic energy. "Sounds like WWF to me." Havok ran at Leland while he was distracted. His already-morphed hands ripped into Leland's stomach. He hated to do this up and personal, but there came a point when… "AAAAARGH!!" He dropped to the ground. "What the hell…"
Leland stood over him. "Didn't you notice it before? The old man hit me with the chair, but his head was the one that hurt. You can't do anything to me. No one can hit me! You see… You liberated me when you drove off my wife. She couldn't understand, anyway…"
Shit… That was why Leland didn't fight before. There was something about his wife… something that kept the demon at bay. That was why during the day he could convert his patients… and at night he became a blithering idiot. Not your stereotypical hell demon… "How about I bore you to death?"
Leland picked him up in a field of Hellfire. Havok screamed as it seared him. No… physically he wasn't hurt, but mentally… "I think I shall mark you as a hellhound. Your skills will be of more use to me than in that Black Hellfire Club. Then, of course, there are good benefits. Work in warm climates… Free health care for eternity…"
Cougar walked in. "Hey, Leland." He threw a book at him. "Catch."
Absent-mindedly, Leland caught it. Almost immediately, Havok dropped to the ground. "What is this?"
"It's called the Bible. Your powers are negated while you hold it." Cougar slapped him on the back and he fell over, dead. "I lucked out finding one in Japanese."
Havok looked at the man… he was bubbling mass of goo. "Cougar… Do normal hell demons do that?"
Cougar wiped his shoes off on the carpet. He hated it when that junk got on his shoes. "Not quite. They usually explode into flames. However, I think that is someone else's doing… Whatever the case, the job is done. Khalid is safe. There is only one thing left to do…"
Havok turned toward him. "What is that? Hey… what the hell…" He fell down, out as a light.
Nonchalantly, Cougar reached down, slinging Havok over his shoulder. "Jensen would have blackmailed me if he learned that you knew his precious secret. So, I had to make sure that you didn't remember. Sorry, son… " His back cracked as he straightened it. "I'm too old to be playing those kind of games."
He was stopped by a voice. "Well played, Cougar. How did you know that I had tricked you?"
Cougar looked toward the Red King standing in the door. "How? I may not be able to detect a witch, Jensen, but I can tell when something is off. He had cast a spell that prevented him from being directly assaulted. The frontal way is not always the best way. You were expecting me to walk in, kill him, and be done… therefore killing myself. I am done with your games. Whatever your designs were for my grandson, forget them. My debt is paid."
Ryan angrily blocked the door. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was not having his way. "Old man, I can disintegrate you where you stand."
Cougar stepped around him. What's he talking about? He's older than I am!"I suppose you could… but what fun would there be to that? Besides… From what I've heard, you have other problems to be worried about. Do not cross my path again, Jensen." The next step that Cougar took, he fell to the ground with Havok's weight on him.
Ryan bent down, whispering into his ear. "Do you feel that, Cougar? That is the icy cold feel of death approaching. Your major systems are shutting down. One by one, your brain cells are turning off. You are paralyzed… Your heartbeat is slowing down. Respiration is minimal. With but a thought I can rot your body away, piece by piece. Better yet… Maybe I could have you die from an orgasm-induced heart attack. I could just have mercy on you and make my friend here so fat that he crushes you to death. You have no idea who you are playing with, Cougar…"
Unexpectedly, Cougar's hand went up to Ryan's neck. Havok slid off his back as he stood up. In his other hand, a knife appeared out of nowhere. Cougar held it directly in front of Ryan's throat. "Never assume that you know everything there is to know about your opponent, Mr. Jensen. If I remember correctly, you first told me that in 1948. Now, I won't do anything to you, because I know it would be rather pointless with your… 'business partner'. However, this is a warning… Stay away from me and my family." He picked up Havok and left.
Unbeknownst to Cougar, that was merely another test by the Red King. "Interesting display, Mr. Cougar. I'm not an easy man to surprise. No, Mr. Cougar… my manipulations have only begun…"
"Sharon, thanks a lot for driving me down here. With my leg messed up, I couldn't push the gas pedal. It's extremely sore."
Blackfire parked the car in the parking lot. "Well… You're going to have to exercise it sooner or later. Better do it now, because it is going to get stiff."
Khalid picked up the crutches. "Well… All I can say is that their plane had better be on time. I didn't even know Havok and Grandpop knew each other. What are they doing going off to Chicago?"
Blackfire wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer. "I don't know. Let's hurry up and get over there. How fast can you move on those things?"
Khalid shook his head. "Not very fast. Sorry." Just as they were about to go, a psionic arrow struck Khalid in the head, knocking him off his feet.
"Khalid!" Reflexively, a ball of black fire shot out toward the source of the attack. Danielle Moonstar dropped to the ground. "Of course… Too chicken to come alone, so you brought your friends!"
Theresa Rourke landed fifty feet away from Sharon Stokes. "They're just insurance that yuir friend didn't try to stop me from taking ye in! Would ye like to go about this the easy way or the hard way?"
Blackfire flew at Siryn, kicking her square in the chin. "The hard way! Bring it on!"
End Chapter 12
Chapter 13:
Well, Sharon. It looks like the secret is out, even if you do win this fight… which you will! Theresa Rourke did not have a chance. Blackfire not only had pyrokinetics and martial arts experience on her side, but she also had knowledge of many different types of weapons. Get her in the air and Theresa was outclassed and outgunned. "Theresa, I'll give you this opportunity to turn away right now and not come back. You'll not win."
Siryn shrieked at her. "No! I'll nae stop until I have ye where I want ye! Ye destroyed me life, Sharon Stokes. Ye took everything that I ever held dear after ye left me for dead in the bayou!"
Blackfire grabbed her by the hair throwing her toward the ground. "Po baby… You were too busy drinking yourself to death anyway!"
Truth to tell, Blackfire had not forgiven herself for what she did. After the assignment where she refused to assassinate the civil rights leader in New Orleans, she had to get out of the CIA. It was important that she provide documents to nail them. Of course, they were eventually arrested, but in the meantime, Blackfire needed to change her identity. She had broken into the SHIELD computer, looking for anyone who resembled her. Theresa Rourke was a perfect match. It had been simple to kidnap her… beat her within an inch of her life and leave her to die in the bayou. Sharon had used a watch-sized device to mask her brainwaves as those of Theresa Rourke and a special earring to produce the vocal shriek. No one suspected a thing. Two years later, she quit X-Force and joined the Black Hellfire Club with Wade Wilson. Slowly but surely, she started acting less like Theresa Rourke and more like Sharon Stokes again. A while ago, she had discovered that the real Theresa Rourke was alive and comatose as Jane Doe in a hospital in New Orleans. Blackfire had visited her, masquerading as her twin. She was going to finish the girl off… but she could not bring herself to do it. She left…
Several questions beckoned at her… How did Theresa discover her identity? How did she know that she joined the BHC? She had faked her death in order to join… Somehow, somewhere, Theresa Rourke got access to something she shouldn't have. Later on, Blackfire was going to have to look that up.
Siryn flew back up, tackling Blackfire around the waist. "Have ye no shame? No compassion? Me very friends… me very family believed me dead!"
Blackfire's knee hit her chin. The fist came down, striking Siryn full in the eye. Before Siryn could move, the leg was already in the stomach. Before Blackfire could make another strike, a blast of heat struck her. "What…" Both Siryn and Blackfire were knocked out of the sky.
"No, Bobby… We can't do anything. Theresa said that she wants to handle this herself."
Sunspot glared at Cannonball. "Look! That woman took Theresa's identity and nearly killed her! Her power is similar to mine… I can withstand it. Besides… We never cared much about playing fair before!"
The two of them dropped to the ground. Khalid stood behind them with the broken crutch. "Me neither, assholes. That was for the sucker attack!"
Moonstar was on her feet with another psionic arrow trained on him. "You went after the wrong people, because I shot the arrow. Stand down before I do something you'll regret."
Shatterstar had his swords out. "As my friends would say… Ditto."
Khalid considered his options. Hmmmm… Blackfire is occupied. The one with the glowing arrow pointing at me is probably the most dangerous of them. Common sense says stay out of it. One thing that caught his eye was Blackfire… The woman she was fighting looked EXACTLY like her! What the hell… "You don't suppose we could talk this out, do you?"
Rictor shook his head back and forth. "When you mess with one of us, the time for reason has gone."
Khalid shrugged. "I guess I'm really asking for it…" He swung his good crutch up, striking Moonstar down. Shatterstar's swords moved like lightning, leaving Khalid with nothing but the ends of the crutches. "Shit…"
"Such language is not necessary!" A busty, dark blonde appeared on the scene. With little else but a thought, Moonstar was out. "Really… The girl needs to practice her telepathy."
Sunspot flew at her. "I'll take you down for that!" A telekinetic bolt reached out, slapping him across the head.
"I am warning you now, X-Force. My power surpasses that of everyone in your pathetic group. Leave and I shall be merciful."
A sphere exploded next to her as Meltdown ran up to Sunspot. "Look here, Blondie! This is a private party. You aren't invited!" Several spheres of explosive energy exploded around her.
A bolt of orange energy jolted Meltdown off her feet. "You are hopelessly outclassed. Your pathetic orbs do nothing to me…"
Khalid took advantage of the distraction. Two quick punches and Rictor was down for the count. Shatterstar had his swords leveled at his neck. "Do not move."
Khalid's aura flashed, blinding Shatterstar. Interesting… that was the first time he ever consciously called on his aura… "I was never one for following directions." He brought his bad foot upside Shatterstar's head and started hopping. "Ouch…"
Shatterstar took advantage of it and kicked him in the leg. "You should not try that with a warrior born…"
Khalid grabbed him by the arms and fell on him, using his weight. That's right… Knock the wind out of him… His aura flashed again, jolting Shatterstar with the energy.
What he didn't expect was Proudstar picking him up like a ragdoll and throwing him. "Damn! You don't look like you're on steroids!"
Proudstar ran around, allowing Khalid to crash into him. "You could say I'm gifted."
Khalid hit the ground. Damn… The guy was like a bull. Slowly, he got to his feet. "Whatever." He took his fist and hit him square in the gut. He grabbed his shoulder and started screaming. "DAMN! Are you wearing a metal-plate or something!?"
Proudstar picked him up by the back of the shirt using only his thumb and forefinger. "Interesting… You don't act like much of a fighter, but that punched marks you as one."
Khalid shrugged. He needed to get out of this mess, somehow. "Hey… I can't make a living if I mess up my hands." This guy had super-strength and invulnerability. There didn't seem anyway he could take this guy. Khalid flashed his aura on again, releasing him from Proudstar's grip. He could at least become too hot to hold on to… Khalid hated to do this, but Gomurr had called it the move that puts all men on the same playing field… His foot kicked out.
Proudstar dropped to the ground, huffing and puffing. His hands gripped the ground, easily breaking off the concrete in his hands. The worse part was coming up… The part where the pain starts slow and spreads… incapacitating… "Give me a second to get over this… Then, I'll kick your ass…"
Khalid shouted out. This was not good… "Sharon! SHARON!"
The interfering blonde stood amidst the middle of the unconscious bodies of X-Force. "Don't worry, she's finishing up. We're quite done here. Sad… I kind of thought the Brazilian one was cute…"
Blackfire walked back over, dropping Siryn on the ground. "The girl's lucky. I'm not up for killing today. Khalid, are you okay?" She saw Proudstar grabbing at the ground. Khalid must have really been backed up a against the wall in order to do that one… "Jimmy… Please… I'm begging you… End this fight."
"Sharon… You have to understand… We had already been through this with Domino. Then… to find out that history repeated itself… I thought I got to know you. I thought that you were my friend. Then… to find out that it had been a lie… You not only used Theresa, but you used all of us. Tell me… Did you use Wade, too?"
Tears dropped down Blackfire's eyes. "Jimmy… Yes, I was playing the part. I'll admit that, but… There was a part of me that enjoyed being in X-Force. I suppose that I knew this day would come around, but…" She kissed Proudstar on the cheek. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Jimmy."
Proudstar slowly got up. "This fight is over. I suppose that you could have killed us if you wanted to. And…" He shook Khalid's hand. "Most people would have taken advantage of a man when he was down. The others won't be pleased, but I'm calling this a truce. I can't condone what you did, Sharon, but… I read the file. I understand what you did."
Khalid shook his hand out. "Didn't I say that I make a living with my hands?"
"HEY! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" Proudstar reached into a duffel bag and pulled out a compact disc. "You used to tour with Nicolai Guriyev! Mufasa, isn't it?"
Khalid couldn't believe this. He never had a fan, before… Well… except for fighting in New York… "Please… Call me Khalid. I'm not on stage." He signed the liner notes. "Too… James… What's your name again?"
Blackfire noticed the blonde girl with the Ray-Bans. "What the… Rachel!"
The blond took off the sunglasses. "I don't go by Rachel anymore. I call myself Byron, sweetie. " She smiled as she walked over. She looked over Proudstar. "Hmmm… This one is kind of cute… Of course, that would make my husband jealous…"
"You're married?" The phone began ringing in the car.
Byron dusted off her shoulders and pulled out her hand for Blackfire to see. On it was a golden ring with large, oval red jewel that resembled nothing Blackfire had seen before. "Long story… Believe it or not, I came out for an interview."
"What kind of jewel is that? That isn't anything like any ruby I've seen."
Byron put her hand down. "Ruby? No… This is no mere ruby. This is a Hellstone."
Khalid reached in the car and pulled out the phone. "Hello? Oh… Okay… Thank you." He hung up the phone. "Sharon, look in the sky."
She turned her head toward the sky. Helicopters were circling that area. "Oh shit. The media." Sirens were heard in the background.
Proudstar tucked the CD back in his duffel bag. "Great… We're in trouble, now."
Byron shrugged. "Nonsense. I'll teleport you to Central Park. Surely you can stay out of trouble there." Quicker than a flash of an eye, X-Force was gone.
Khalid gritted his teeth. "Let's go pick up Grandpop and Mike. I have a feeling that this is not going to go well…"
End Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Khalid tapped his foot nervously on the ground. They had been in there for hours, debating. "I've certainly made a mess of things this time…"
Cougar stretched his calf back and forth. "Khalid, worrying yourself to death out here will do you no good. Whatever they decide, I will support you."
Khalid looked down. "Grandpop, I really don't even know what I am worried about. I never chose to be a member of this club. I just had no choice. Nicolai said that if I called his agent, I could be recording next month and touring in a year. Other than this, my life is finally getting on track. Granted, it is artificial, right now. However, this is still a killer opportunity. If everything looks so damned clear, why do I feel like I'm waiting in the operation room?"
Cougar did not know what to say. Khalid's gut reaction the Hellfire Club was exactly as Cougar's had been fifty-some-years ago. Just as it was then, circumstance had both driven them to contact with the club. "Look at the Hellfire Club right now. Tell me what you think right now."
Khalid leaned over, grabbing the sides of his head. "Conniving… back-stabbing… manipulative… deceitful… spoiled… stubborn… power-hungry…"
"Does that apply to everyone?"
Khalid shook his head. "No. It doesn't. Hell… it doesn't even apply to one person all the time. Since joining this organization, my life has been turned upside down. Yet… I just don't know what to think. Has it been for the better or for the worse?"
"I think, Grandson, that perhaps you are recognizing that there is just as much good here."
"You have been in a sure shitty mood, Silver. Is it really Khalid? Believe it or not, he did exactly what you guys hired him to do. So, what are you mad about? Are you pissed because he's not the martial-artist supreme? No… Let me guess… it is because he does not consider the mastery of his powers a priority. The fact is that you didn't get what you thought you were getting… and you were looking for any excuse to get rid of him!"
Silver was on his feet. "Sharon! You are being too difficult. Look at it from the point of view of the club…"
Monet had a killer headache. Ben, I will never go to any party with you again… Well… at least for a little while. "Silver, I really think…"
Silver glared at Monet. Despite her rank, her age was a tremendous influence on the way he treated her. She did not like it, but Silver did not respect her rank. Hell… She was still pissed when he drove her out of the interview before. That would have to be something she'd work out with Silver herself… if she didn't kill him first! Damn, he's acting like a jackass! If he is acting unreasonably, why is everyone else supporting him? Nem hasn't said a word… Gomurr refused to even come.
He turned back toward Blackfire. "You are already well-aware of the hundreds of thousands of dollars damage he has done. Then, of course, there is the matter of him being a glory-seeker. Thanks to that little party you had yesterday, the media is again after Khalid." Silver tossed a newspaper at her. "Read it. Every other page is about how Khalid put a stop to that fight in the airport. They are calling him a peace-keeper! What if the attention he is drawing shifts toward the club? Thanks to Nemesis, we averted the last situation. This one is not that easy to solve."
Shockwave shivered when she heard that. Even though it had been over for months, she was still having nightmares about it. The worst part about it was the blood... the blood....
Blackfire paced back and forth. "What about the person, Silver? Hmmmm? Doesn't he count? Not everything is numbers. Hell… of all people, I thought you knew that. That is WHY you sent Havok and I to go rescue him from the Pentagon… I am assuming? If I remember correctly, he told you 'no' before."
Silver pounded his fist on the table. He was getting sick of this. As far as he was concerned, the debate was pointless. "The 'person' does not respect the wishes of the club. Yes, it might not seem as cut and dry, but look at it. At what point do you stop holding 'Mufasa' accountable and start blaming Khalid for his actions? He can't stay. The longer he's here, the more shit that happens. Eventually, something is going to happen that we can't dig ourselves out of."
Blackfire turned back toward the table. "You are going to get rid of someone because he possibly could cause problems? Why not Gomurr? I'm sure that if he wanted to, every one in the BHC could be walking around with pudding in his/her underwear. How about Avalon? He has connections to two of the most dangerous people on the planet! I could keep going on."
Avalon was on his feet. "That was hardly appropriate."
Blackfire whirled her head toward him. "Sit down, 'prince'. I'm in no mood for your theatrics. The fact is that everyone in this room has a story to tell. I've sat back and watched. If I wanted to, I could bring out skeletons in EVERYONE's closet that they would rather keep buried!"
Deadpool finally spoke. "Since we are on the subject of dirty laundry, what about the little thing about you deceiving everyone in this club? For years, Sharon, we thought that you were Theresa Rourke, immigrant from Ireland. Hell… you had the looks, the accent, the attitude, and even could yell. Now, we find out that you are actually an agent for the CIA? I'd hardly consider you trustworthy… and I thought I knew you!"
Sharon reached up, taking her earrings off. "Well… Guess what? See this things? One allowed me to disguise my psi-pattern as Rourke. The other allowed me to scream like she could." She melted thin in her hand and slapped them on the table. "Believe it or not, the person who has been a member of this club is the real me. I am neither Theresa Rourke, a CIA Agent, or a member of the IRA. I am Sharon Stokes. The rest of those people were just part-time jobs. There. Now you know my business."
Harbinger clenched his fist back and forth. "Perhaps your membership in the BHC should be questioned as well."
Blackfire leaned on the table. She glanced at everyone else before her eyes set on Harbinger. "Go to hell. What was it you said, Maxwell? 'I owe you no answers.' You haven't given us any, either. Guess what? I don't owe you… I sure as hell don't owe anyone in here. I have lived here… worked here… laughed here… cried here… kicked ass here… alongside each and every one of you. My loyalty to the BHC should not even be an issue. The issue here is simply… Can you weigh the person with the product? As far as character goes, I would consider Khalid among the top. Yes, he got on my nerves at first, but I can trust him with my life. That is more than I can say for some of the people in this room."
Silver was pissed… unusually pissed… uncharacteristically pissed. Then again, he has been rather on the irritable side ever in the recent months. Then, after what he got in the mail two weeks ago… It was all stacking up on him… "Sharon, we have voted and made our decision. It stands. Khalid is out of the Black Hellfire Club. Hell… he should have never been in it. He just didn't have what it takes."
Blackfire walked up, standing directly in front of him. If anything else, everyone has respect for the royal positions. To violate his personal space like this was an affront… It was forbidden… It violated protocol… Right now, Blackfire did not give a damn. "That is a bunch of bull-shit and you know it. I don't know what the hell you got stuck in your craw, but you've been jumpy… irritable. I don't know. For you or anyone else in here to make that judgment about someone who had dropped everything to be in the club… You know I used to look up to you… admire you… Now I see you exactly for what you are." She grabbed the walkie-talkie off her belt, tossing it on the table. Never did her eyes leave his face. "Consider this my resignation." She opened the door, walking out. "Khalid… Cougar… Let's eat. I'm hungry."
Five minutes later, everyone filed out of the room. Soon, there were only two people left. Nemesis stood up, looking at Silver. With everyone gone, she finally had the chance to speak. "Jack… I think you need a vacation."
Silver turned toward her. "What? Are you going to start in on me, too? Thanks a lot, Nem… Thanks a fucking lot."
Nem sat on the table, crossing her legs. "Really? Is that what it is? Let's see… You've been going stir-crazy. You chewed out Khalid for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You barged in on Gomurr while he was in a meeting. You flattened out the television. You've been snapping at everyone. Hell… You called Havok while he was out of town to get him to do some snooping… Well… I'm not supposed to know about that one… This entire exchange with Blackfire? On the hole… unnecessary. I'm not even going to get started on how easily you let Maxwell influence you to kick Khalid out of the club."
"Nem… You don't understand… No one understands."
"I'm not done… I should have talked to you earlier, but I thought you would get over it. Whatever it is that is bothering you, you've let it cloud your judgment." Nem stood up and approached the door. "Think about what I've said. You might consider apologizing to everyone." The door shut behind her.
Silver dropped back in his chair. Reaching in his briefcase, he pulled out a letter he received two weeks ago.
"Dear Mr. Silver,
My name is Jennifer Renault. A few years ago, when I was 23, I had worked for the International Hellfire Club. I was walking back to my car one night when I was dragged into a van and attacked. After waking up three months later from a coma, I found that I was pregnant and paralyzed from the waist down. My attackers had left me for dead next to Carnegie Hall. As a disabled former employee of the black court of the IHFC, I am asking a favor. Three months ago, I was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Please, I am begging… Can the BHC please see to the well-being of my child? My only living relative is my mother, an Alzheimer's patient at Crystal Lakes Nursing Home. My friends have all distanced themselves from the situation. Please… I have nowhere else to turn. Can you help me? I am including a photo of my daughter Alison and me. Please feel free to call me…
Jennifer Renault
The woman was beautiful. She was about 5'6''… Had raven black hair. Green eyes, and in a wheelchair. Her eyes were full of hope. Standing next to her was a healthy, lively young girl… at least 10 years old. What stood out the most was the face. The girl had piercing blue eyes… her mother's nose and ears… and bright white hair.
Alison Renault is his sister.
End Chapter 14
Chapter 15:
"Sharon… thank you for helping me move out. I really appreciate it." Khalid carried the to the elevator.
Blackfire walked behind him, carrying a duffel bag. "It was no problem. I had nothing else to do. I would have at least thought that Daemon would give you more than 24 hours to move out."
Khalid showed her the eviction notice. "Take a look at the signature. That was the building manager, not Daemon. He's probably out kicking someone's ass. I doubt he knows anything about my employment status."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I really hate to say this, but… I'm probably going to send my stuff back to Indiana. Nicolai's agent, Victor Grosin, will be meeting me at the Lazy Divey later on tonight to iron out the record deal."
Blackfire dropped the bag in the elevator. "You might want to take Byron with you. Believe it or not, the girl has a law degree. Where are you staying?"
Khalid shrugged as he set down the trunk. "Motel 6. With the amount of money I have in the bank, it was the only thing I could afford."
"What about the rats?"
"Relax… I can talk to rats, remember?"
Cougar came in behind them, carrying another bag. "What about you, young lady?"
Khalid sat on the trunk. "Good point… Are you going to go back and talk to Silver like I suggested? I mean… I appreciate you standing up for me, but you didn't have to quit…"
Blackfire shook her head. "No… I'm not apologizing. Perhaps I was a bit harsh, but he had it coming. Besides… after the other day, I'm not sure how well I fit in the Hellfire Club. I never thought that my closest friends would turn on me like that."
Havok stumbled into the elevator huffing and puffing. "Geesh! You guys are the ones holding up the elevator… I never thought I'd get up here. That was twenty-five flights of stairs! You need to be more considerate…"
Khalid pulled in the rest of the stuff from the hall. "Well, all that is left is to turn in my key. So, Havok… if you came to help, you arrived just in time for the ride down."
Havok leaned back. "Damn! By the way, guys… The word's gone around the club like lightning. Are you guys sure you want to do this?"
Khalid hit the elevator button. "I wasn't aware I had a choice, Michael."
Havok shook his head. "There are always choices, Khalid. It just depends on which one you choose to take." He stopped… as if he were listening to what he said. Well… isn't THAT the pot calling the kettle black… "I'm sure that if the two of you went back… made an appeal…"
Blackfire held her hand up. "I've kept silent about the inner-goings too long. I'm not taking anything back. Hell… I'm not kissing up. I'm done."
Khalid nodded. "I don't want this to come out wrong, but I think that this is a sign that I need to go on with my life. I put it on hold while I was in the BHC. I spent so much time teaching… writing… that I never tried to get my professional life back in order. I locked myself in. I think that I am going to concentrate on doing what I intended to do. The last eight months were great, but… I need to start living life and not locking myself away from it. Besides… I could not live with myself if I started licking boots." The elevator stopped.
It only took five minutes to load the trunk of the car. Khalid came out after returning the key. "Well, guys. It's been real. Thank you for helping me move my stuff. As promised, I will buy lunch. You guys ready?"
Cougar put his suitcase in the backseat. "Yes, I suppose… but I think you better wait. I have a feeling that someone else has something to say to you."
Khalid's head was still inside the trunk arranging stuff. "All right… who else would have…"
Havok turned toward Khalid. "I'll see you later. I have a dentist appointment."
Khalid hit his head on the trunk door pulling it out. He saw Havok's motorcycle race off down the street. "Gee… What was bugging him? Anyone else would have at least waited for the handshake. What are you talking about, Grandpop?"
Blackfire pointed upward. "I have a feeling that I know the answers to both questions." SuperGrover was hovering outside the twenty-fifth floor balcony window that used to be Khalid's. "Don't worry… I'll get his attention." A small fireball whizzed up past Grover. Within a second, he stood on the ground next to the Grand Am.
Khalid shook Grover's hand. He had remember hearing earlier that Havok and Grover did not like each other. He didn't know why and he was positive that he didn't want to know why. Ignorance is bliss. Well… most of the time, it was bliss… "Mr. Grover, what can I do you for? Sharon, Grandpop and I are about to get something to eat. Care to join us?" Why not? Hopefully I don't have to worry about arachnids flying through the window…
"Come on, Grover. Tomorrow morning, he's leaving for Indiana. I have a plane ticket to Ireland to visit my mother… She still believes me dead…"
SuperGrover got into the backseat with Cougar. "I don't mind if I do. Besides… Believe it or not, I've come to talk the two of you into staying."
Blackfire's eyebrow went up. "Let me get this straight… the White King… came to convince the two of us to stay in the Black Hellfire Club?"
SuperGrover shook his head. "No. The White King came to convince you to stay in New York… You could say that there have been some… developments…"
THE END