Casualties of War

[Malice]

Hellfire — The White Queen’s Chambers

Diana woke, feeling groggy and lethargic. There was some disturbance outside her door, and shouting voices. Whoever was carrying on THIS early in the morning was about to die. Diana reached out with her mind to punish the culprits — and heard nothing. She sat up suddenly, and as she moved she felt something tight around her throat like a choker. She reached up to touch it.

A suppressor. She looked down at the floor next to her bed, where Scion SHOULD have been but wasn’t. WRETCHED GIRL. She was supposed to have remained in her sleep mode until Diana woke her, but something must have happened to wake her, and Diana had slept through it. She laughed, bitterly, that Haleigh had been too soft to attack her in her sleep, and had instead thought she could disable her and... do what?

There were more noises out in the hall. Diana rose from her bed and went to a nearby painting, behind which was a wall safe. From it she retrieved a suppressor master key, which would match itself to the collar and deactivate it. It took too long in her opinion, but no doubt Haleigh had thought to make it difficult.

When the collar clicked off she could hear it all again, and she cast her mind out to determine just what the hell was going on. Heidi and the White Bishop were out in the hall, scuffling with Spellbinder and Firebird. The mansion was overrun by all their little friends, the Six and the sidekicks that called themselves Birds of Prey. FOOLS, all.

Diana sought one mind in particular out there in the fray. She seized it with a vengeful laugh, as the girl began to panick and struggle to fend her off. It took a few seconds to gain control, both because of the distance between them, and the fact that the stubborn little girl was learning how to better resist her dominance. It really was too bad Christopher hadn’t given the girl more telepathic gifts. She would’ve been a world class telepath.

You belong to me now, Scion. You will KILL my enemies. Start with little Lite-Brite there. Then the rest. DO IT, NOW!!!

 

[Black Widow]

Hellfire — The Red Wing

She got a hold of him, trapping his arms against his body and holding him, just as a preventative measure. She told him she loved him, in case her mother got a hold of her again and she never got the chance to tell him again. Then she warned him that she couldn’t let him hurt Persephone, who’d already sacrificed so much for her being here at Hellfire with her.

Seph opened the door, calling Haleigh’s name and she looked at Seph, smiling slightly, knowing her sister was just as relieved to see her in control of herself again as she was herself. Cameron took that little distraction as his opportunity to break free. He didn’t take it as easy on her as she did on him, sticking a sharp elbow into her abs and sweeping her to the ground, where he landed on top of her, breaking her hold on him, and then he was holding her down as Delilah told Haleigh to give it up.

Cameron: “She makes a lot of sense, Hales.”

Haleigh braced her hands against his chest, threw her hips up against his and rolled them both over until she was laying on top of him.

“You know, I don’t disagree, how about we all go after the actual enemy?!”

Haleigh suggested, while everybody else was arguing about who was going and who was staying and who was gonna save who. Haleigh, still locked in an embrace with Cameron, stared down at him. He felt solid underneath her, and she could feel his muscles moving under his clothing. It made the corners of her mouth twitch up into a little smile, as thoughts she shouldn’t be having at the moment distracted her from the present dangers. Had he just made some comment about foreplay?

She was gonna reply, but a giant green glowing hand grabbed her, crushing the air out of her lungs and lifting her off of him before throwing her down the hall like a rag doll. She crashed bodily into an indoor tree of some kind, knocking it hard into the wall and getting tangled amongst the branches.

“Okay Delilah, I’m not gonna hold that one against you.....”

She groaned as she slowly extracted her limbs from that of the plant, falling haphazardly out of it and hitting the floor with a second thud. That was went she felt the cold start to creep in.

NO! NO, No, noooo.....

She thought desperately, shutting her eyes tightly and clutching her head as she tried to resist. The pain in her head increased exponentially, until she gave out a loud, enraged cry. There was a white noise in her ears that blocked out all other sounds, and her vision seemed to pulse a bright white and throb in and out of focus. She felt the blood leaking out again, as vessels burst inside her skull. She grit her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter, and her whole body shook, then seized, then suddenly relaxed, still as a corpse. The halo returned with an ominous steady glow.

Diana: You belong to me now, Scion. You will KILL my enemies. Start with little Lite-Brite there. Then the rest. DO IT, NOW!!!

Scion pushed herself up off the floor, getting to her feet as she finally looked directly at Delilah.

“Morningstar. You have been marked for termination. Say ‘goodbye’.”

She commanded coldly, drawing her pistol. But even as one hand brought it up to aim with the speed and precision of a machine, the other hand grabbed the gun by the barrel and slide, trying to wrench it back down and prevent a good shot. Half her face was a mask of calm determination, the other an expression of furious focus, slowly becoming a grimace of pain. The halo flickered off and on.

“NO.”

She said hoarsely. In her hands the firearm twisted as the barrel crushed and frame bent under opposing pressures, just as she pulled the trigger. The thing exploded in her face, sending shrapnel back at her and ten feet in every other direction like a little grenade. The concussion nearly knocked her unconscious. She stumbled back, then managed to catch her balance, and turned back to fix her stare on Delilah. A new weapon appeared, this one a rocket launcher. Then she took aim.

 

[Valkyrie]

Hellfire Mansion - Main Entrance

Ashley already had blood on her, but she intended for there to be much more before the day was done. They took care of the low-level fucktards flooding to the door, Zach amplifying her power in the guards to an impressive degree. She wanted to kiss him, but didn’t think that warm fuzzy bunny feelings would help him right now as he was being badass.

Speaking of badass, Vivica looked super sexy, cutting down Hellfire soldiers left and right. Then Bishop made an appearance, turning things into a real party. She remarked on his gun.

Zach: “Yeah, just try not to blow your whole load right away.”

Ashley laughed, as she grabbed a guard’s gun and used it to shoot one of his fellows in the head before using her power to disintegrate it. She looked icily at the guard, who didn’t seem to know what to do next.

“Here, try some.”

She touched his exposed face with her hand, creating an energy field which made the guard seize up, clutching his chest before crumpling to the ground.

Zach: “You lead the way to the Red Wing, babe.”

She turned to face him, now walking backwards towards the hallway, and smiled at him with a glint in her eye.

“Maybe I should let you lead so I can watch you in that sexy armor."

She grinned, and kissed her ring, before pulling a serrated throwing knife from a strap across her chest and flinging it behind her, where it sunk directly between the eyes of an oncoming guard. She turned face front and headed towards the Red Wing.

"This way."

 

[Titan]

Hellfire Mansion - Main Entrance

So, shit was getting real.

Zizi's voice in his ear was comforting, but he still wondered if maybe she should have sat out of this mission. At least she was safe at the Clocktower, and hadn't insisted on coming. Andrew thought that Helena should be thankful - she had a better chance of survival with Zizi miles away form her. And that was WITH Ash gunning for her on Zizi's behalf. Though he suspected that Ash had other reasons as well.

Andrew followed the others inside. He thanked Danny for helping them, and offering a quick exit later which Andrew especially appreciated. No less when what seemed him like about a hundred arseholes were coming right for them. The others were fucking amazing, bringing the pain to these langers who had clearly chosen their friends and employers poorly. It was enough to make Andrew feel inferior. If that were possible. But if there was one thing Andrew knew how to do, it was scrap. And it wasn't like he hadn't been in a battle with the Six before.

He got in some good hits here and there, but mostly leaped around, over and between their foes, drawing their fire, leading them into shooting their own by accident.

When most everything in their path was dead or injured, Andrew took a moment to look around him, surveying the damage. And then he jogged to catch up with the others who were heading deeper into the mansion.

Things were quiet for a time, and then they came upon a fight in progress up ahead. He recognized Haleigh and Ava, the big dude from the sex video, the captured guy from the Cathedral, and Delilah. She looked sexy as hell, all angry and not at him. But he had promised Steel to give her space. Did that include during a battle? Maybe she and Haleigh would fight some. That would be hot. Not that he wanted either of them to get hurt. But maybe they could rip each others' clothes a little. Yeah. That would be awesome.

He knew they were supposed to be splitting up, but he followed Ashley and Zach closer to the fighting. Ashley seemed pretty much ready to pummel any one of the people in front of them. Andrew stepped forward.

"Uh Black Widow? Er, Scion?"

Andrew gave her a sly smile.

"Haleigh."

Oracle [via com]: "Titan! What are you doing!"

He gave Haleigh the eye a bit. The ladies loved that. He ignored Oracle.

"There doesn't have to be a fight. You know, there's a coffee shop down the street. Or there's about-"

He started to count on his fingers.

"-four pubs in this block. We could sit down, have a drink, talk this whole thing out."

Steel had come up beside him, and leaned over to whisper.

Steel: "Dude! Did you just ask her out?!"

Andrew whispered back out of the side of his mouth, and shrugged.

"Well I might never get another chance."

Oracle: "Titan, Recall, Steel: proceed to the Black Wing. To your right. Rampage and Ruby need assistance there. We need to keep their forces spread. Orion and Valkyrie can back up the Six at your current location."

Zach and Ashley moved forward, and Andrew dejectedly followed Recall and Steel off to their right to find the Black Wing.

 

[Nogitsune]

Hellfire - The White Lounge

Everyone was running. Here and there. There and here. Running running running.

Not Emiko. She let out a loud belch, and laughed. They had been drinking with the Snake Eyes. And then it was only Emi. But there was chaos all around, and she liked that. She breathed in deep, and let it soothe her, intoxicate her, more than the drink ever could.

There were people in the building. Intruders. Emi was pretty sure she was allowed to play with them all.

She clapped her hands together and then reached up and held her nose, puffing out her cheeks. She feigned popping them, and then with a *POP* blinked out of the lounge. She re-appeared at the end of a dark hallway. The Cold FIsh was at the other end, playing with her dollas. Emi wanted to play too.

She crept down the hallway, her small steps like a dancer's. Carefully putting one foot down and then the other. Occasionally she spun around in a graceful turn. And when she was close enough, Emi snapped her fingers, and a spotlight seemed to appear, lighting her face. And it erupted in a smile that was somehow macabre. Emi noticed the playthings' hair, one blonde and one red. She wondered what she could make with that hair, once they were dead.

Emiko scrunched up her face in thought, and then lifted her index finger and pointed as she had an idea. With a *POP* she blinked next to the blonde one.

"Snakes."

She whispered it.

"There are snakes everywhere."

Morgan would see, feel, the snakes all around her. They filled every surface, the entire hallway, slithering over one another. They covered the floor and walls. They dropped from the ceiling. They were wrapped around Morgan's arms, legs, torso...only her head was left unexposed but they were moving up her neck even now...

 

[Berserker]

The Red Wing - Outside Persephone's Suite

The girl - MorningStar - told Seph they were after the same thing.

Seph: "Tell that to Cameron! He came here to tear me apart!"

Alek turned narrowed eyes on Cameron.

"Oh, did he?"

Alek began to rethink the wisdom of letting Seph leave with these people. They didn't seem to be acting much like the team he was led to believe they were. Though, he supposed if Haleigh and Seph were able to leave and come to Hellfire, what kind of team could it really be? He just wanted Seph safe, and he had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be with these two.

Suddenly MorningStar was no longer held by Seph's whip and a giant fist made of green light was about to squash Seph. He blocked it, then rolled out of the way.

Prophet: "This is foreplay Alek. We know what we're doing."

"The hell you do!"

He stomped and sent a shockwave towards the two members of the Six. The winds picked up around Seph, and she hit the woman back, slamming her against the wall.

Seph: "Take her! Hate her, but TAKE HER and GO, Delilah!"

Seph disappeared but only for a moment, and then she was at his side, her hand in his. The winds swirled in a barrier around them. He whispered to her, the roar of the winds loud in his ears.

"You should go with her."

Haleigh could protect her. They had to go together.

Cameron: "You let Ava go, you fucking traitor."

Seph: "I AM AVA YOU IDIOT!"

"You're not going to touch her."

Cameron flung him against the wall.

Cameron: "My beef is with YOU, Persephone. Not Ava. Don't get her tangled in your web."

Alek pulled himself up off the ground.

"She doesn't have a split fucking personality, you moron!"

Who was this guy?

Seph: "You are an IDIOT if you believe I was never apart of Ava from the beginning! I am her backbone and she is my conscious, but she needed to be SILENCED in order to SURVIVE in here!"

Cameron and Seph continued to argue.

Cameron: "So what's it gonna be, Persephone?"

Seph: "Give my regards to Ravena."

He could feel Seph's power rise and attack, her physical blow coupled with an elemental one. It made him proud as hell, to see her this way, in all her majesty. He wanted to take her right there and then.

"That's my Seph."

Alek pulled a stone column from its berth and swung it at Cameron like a bat, breaking it over him.

"You don't dictate to a queen, asshole."

 

[MorningStar]

The Red Wing - Outside Persephone's Suite

Delilah clutched at the whip at her throat, telling Ava to stop being so stubborn.

Ava: "Tell that to Cameron! He came here to tear me apart!"

"He came here to save you!"

Delilah freed herself from Ava's grasp, then used her light powers to fling Haleigh away from Cameron.

Haleigh: “Okay Delilah, I’m not gonna hold that one against you.....”

"Oh, fuck you Haleigh."

She had turned her power on Ava, but the Red Knight blocked her attack.

Alek: "I wanted you to save her, not try and kill her!"

"Tell her to stand down, and we won't have to."

He stomped his foot, causing something like an earthquake in the floor and Delilah was knocked from her feet. Winds whipped around the hallway, strangely seeming to help Delilah back to her feet - just in time for Ava to slam her against the wall.

Ava: "Take her! Hate her, but TAKE HER and GO, Delilah!"

Ava disappeared in a tornado of winds, and Delilah thought she was fleeing them, but in a second she was back and standing next to the Red Knight. She even clutched his hand. Delilah was beginning to understand some things.

"Look, I know a thing or two about loving the wrong man. But we can figure it out, Ava. Just come with us now."

She glanced at Haleigh, not able to mask the look of derision on her face as she did so.

"Both of you should come with us now."

Haleigh was looking at her strangely, and the oddity of her movements caught Delilah's eye, taking her focus off of Ava.

Scion: “Morningstar. You have been marked for termination. Say ‘goodbye’.”

Haleigh pointed her weapon at her. Delilah held up her hands, calculating a move to get her hands on that gun. But Haleigh seemed to be fighting with herself.

Haleigh: “NO.”

The gun in her hand exploded, sending shrapnel flying. Delilah had paused, watching Haleigh, seeing her not hurt her.

"Haleigh..."

There was a softer edge to her voice than before.

And then Haleigh manifested a fucking rocket launcher.

"Are you kidding me? You fuck my boyfriend then point a rocket launcher at me? I am going to KICK your ASS!"

Delilah clenched her fists, and inhaling deeply exhaled unleashing an ultrasonic scream. She poured all the hurt, the hatred, the bitterness into that scream. It felt like she'd been silent for a lifetime, and just now she was finding her voice.

 

[Firebird]

The War Room to The White Wing

In the War Room, Blaze told Morgan that she had talked to Karen, and chuckled saying that she had clearly wanted to return from Aerie to fight alongside them.

Morgan: "We should be so lucky. Our mother would blow a hole through any of these bitches. I mean really, Blaze. This whole thing is just offensive to our LEGACY!""

"It makes me feel better that she and Mike are out of harm's way, though."

She leaned in to whisper.

"And you'll always be this team's leader, Morgan."

Morgan: "Cameron truly believe that he can defeat her on his own. SPOILER ALERT?! He CAN'T!"

Blaze gave her a small smile.

"That's why we're going WITH him. He knows he needs you, Morgan, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

Morgan: "Look, Blaze. Im not being a bitch here."

Blaze smirked. Bitch was what her sister did best.

Morgan: "I wanted to do this MY way for a reason. I just need to hear you say that you have my back when shit hits the fan. Because it's going to."

Blaze put her arm around Morgan.

"I'll ALWAYS have your back. You're my sister, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Morgan used her stepping discs to transport everyone to Hellfire, finally moving herself and Blaze to the White Wing. Things were quiet, and strangely empty, until a woman seemed to materialize in the hallway where they stood.

Heidi: "Are you two Girl Scouts here to sell cookies?"

As the woman came closer, Blaze gasped.

"It's her! The one who killed Frost! Er, who we thought was Frost!"

It hadn't really been Jasmine, but it had felt like it at the time. And this...PERSON, had shown up with Talisman. Morgan gave her a taste of karma, knocking her on her ass with an eldritch wave.

Morgan: "Look you little bitch. Either I'm going to kill you and you'll die a failure, or SHE [pointing to Blaze] is gonna kill you and you'll die a failure. The choice is yours..."

Blaze smiled cruelly.

"Oh, pick me. I DARE you."

Blaze's attention was drawn at the moment to the other end of the hall. A girl with dark hair was moving towards them. She was childlike, but moved with a certain grace. The girl came closer and closer, until she stopped and smiled. There was something grotesque about it, and Blaze shivered. Finally the girl blinked out of sight, only to reappear near Morgan.

"Watch out!"

But all the girl did was whisper to her about snakes.

At first it seemed that only Morgan could see them, but then she cold do, crawling everywhere, all over Morgan.

"You get those OFF OF HER!"

Blaze screamed at the girl, who was laughing. Giant belly laughs where she had to cover her mouth. Blaze's apple green eyes seemed to burn with fire - and then they really did twist into orange flame. Her body became pure fire, taking the shape of a giant bird of prey that moved in a column of fire down the corridor towards the laughing woman, burning the snakes as it went. The woman blinked away at the last moment, reappearing next to the one that was called Fathom.

"Well, I'm not scared of snakes, bitches, and I'm not afraid of YOU!"

 

[Mina Harker]

Across from the Hellfire Mansion...

Mina's driver had taken her where she needed to go, then waited down below as she ascended to the roof. He knew her world was less than normal, but they had a no questions asked policy: she didn't involve him in the strange things that happened to her, and he pretended he didn't see them. It worked for both of them.

She carried a bag containing the items needed for the spell. Vivica Lennox and Xavier Winston had spent hours in her husband's library, scouring the books and objects for something to use against Persephone. Mina was not optimistic; Persephone was next level, a goddess - these people who sought to contain her were not magick users, or schooled in the arcane even. How could they possibly prevail?

But this was for Oracle, so Mina had helped them. In fact, she would never have even let them inside Jonathan's library if Zizi had not asked it. And that was the only reason she was here now. Well, not the only reason. She knew the things that the Sisterhood and their minions were doing, that there were using children, not unlike the incident with the Purifiers what now seemed like ages ago. It did not sit well with Mina, the hurting of a child.

She knelt on the rooftop, trying not to think of what it was doing to the knees of her slacks, and spread out the materials in front of her, each with its own place. First she removed her long black gloves, putting them into the pocket of her black leather belted coat. Next she poured sand out in front of her to make a space for the spell, an altar if you will, smoothing it out until it covered an area a couple of feet square. Then she drew a circle in the sand with her index finger, moving clockwise.

But then she stood, on alert. Maybe her sensitive ears had heard the movement, or maybe she had just felt the stirring in the air around her. She moved her head from side to side, trying to glean information about her assailant. Her hand felt the vial of blood in her pocket.

Seraph: "Be well, Mina Harker, I am a friend."

Mina grasped her cane at each end and pulled the ornamental head from the shaft, revealing a long blade hidden within. She held it out in front of her, as if feeling the space there.

"You will forgive me if I do not take you at your word."

Seraph: "Then take my hand, and see for yourself."

Mina did not lower the blade, but after a moment did extend her free hand. Her breath inhaled sharply as images flashed through her mind. A slender woman at the counter of a small shop. The woman drawing upon her own skin with an instrument that seemed to emanate a silvery light. A battle with a demon, and the woman cries out a name before killing it with her blade.

Mina pulled her hand away, more questions than answers in the pictures in her mind's eye.

Seraph: "I'm Alix Osborne. Karen Victoria sent me. She thought you could use some assistance."

Mina's lips pursed together, skeptical. However, she lowered her blade. Mina respected Karen Victoria, and there were few she would say that about.

"How did you know where to find me?"

She could hear the woman chuckle. It did not amuse Mina.

Seraph: "Your man came to my shop for the ingredients for your spell."

Alix picked up a container that contained goats blood.

Seraph: "You should have told me what you were doing. I could have gotten you a live goat."

"Yes, well, needs must."

Mina decided she had been distracted long enough. If the girl was going to attack her, she would have by now. And in truth, she had seen nothing when she'd touched Alix that made her think she was in danger from her. At least not today. So Mina knelt once more and continued setting up.

Seraph: "Let me see the spell."

Mina handed her the piece of parchment.

Seraph: "Everything you need seems to be here."

Mina didn't turn her head towards her.

"I know."

Seraph: "If it works, it will return Persephone to her true self."

For Seraph, it hadn't taken more than Karen Victoria's call to get her to join in this fight. There were forces at work, she could sense it all around her. The Sorceress Supreme had returned to this plane of existence, but there were still dark things afoot - darker things than Morgan Victoria even. And they were coming from the Hellfire Mansion. There was a balance to be kept. That must be kept.

Seraph: "Well, it's not my kind of magick, but being as it isn't yours either, perhaps I can boost the signal a little."

Mina sighed.

"I suppose it's worth a try. As you are here already."

Mina would have preferred to work alone. The women of this age knew so little, and focused obnoxiously on things that decidedly did not matter. But this Alix was right: Mina wasn't a magick user per se, and even if spells were not the type of magick Alix practiced, one magick user was better than none. But Mina didn't have to like it.

Oracle [via com]: "Mina? Do you read me? Are you in position?"

[via com]: "Yes, Oracle, I hear you. Ready to begin on your say so."

Oracle [via com]: "Persephone has attacked Prophet. It's time."

[via com] "Understood."

She handled the carafe of goat's blood to Seraph.

"It's time."

Alix knelt facing Mina, and filled the circle she had drawn in the sand with the blood. Mina sprinked the correct herbs over it. And then the two in unison began to chant in the language of the Maasai.

"L-makúí, a-níŋkɨ..."

Ancestors, hear me...

 

[Oracle]

The Clocktower

Zizi wanted Gabe sitting next to her for this, weaving his beautiful patterns through cyberspace, taking control of Hellfire's systems, using their own against them, and destroying them in magnificent fashion. Leaving a stream of empty Big Gulp's in their wake.

But Oracle couldn't think about that right now. For her, there were only the voices on the other end of the coms, the faces on the feeds from hacked security cameras.

Citadel transported the others to the very doors of the Hellfire Mansion. But that was not Oracle's place. She belonged here. She watched. She was their eyes where they could not see.

[via com]: "Steel, Breach."

It had begun. Her team were inside, and taking on resistance. She focused on what she could do to help, what systems she could disable to help them on their way. She was so focused that she didn't even bother to censure Recall for her use of bad language.

Oracle was troubled by the lack of any resistance to her efforts to take over the Hellfire systems. She was patched into all their security cameras - and they had a lot of them. She could read their internal alerts. Hear the voices on their coms, their phones. It was too easy. It felt like a trap. But they had to use every advantage, so while it lasted, Oracle was going to to do so.

[via com]: "The Six are already inside. Spread out the way they planned, in each wing. Let's find the footballs."

That was the primary objective: rescue Ava and Haleigh. Secondary was the destruction of the mansion and its inhabitants, especially Helena, and helping the Six. The team were facing numbers in the entryway of the mansion, but no real resistance. So they moved on through the common areas towards the individual courts' wings. Oracle had inputted the information and maps from Zach's contacts into the computer, so the information was at her fingertips.

[via com] "Be advised, Prophet and MorningStar are engaging Black Widow and Persephone in the Red Wing."

She paused, checking the other feeds.

[via com] "Orion and Valkyrie, give them backup. The rest of you proceed on to the Black Wing. Rampage and Ruby need your assistance there."

"What is he doing?"

Andrew was following Zach and Ashley into the Red Wing.

"Oh, really Andrew?"

He clearly thought he was going to help "save" Delilah. She'd thought he'd gotten over that. She flipped to the closest camera. He was talking. He was talking to Black Widow.

[via com] "Titan! What are you doing!"

They needed to get back on plan. She raised her voice, sterner this time.

[via com] "Titan, Recall, Steel: proceed to the Black Wing. To your right. Rampage and Ruby need assistance there. We need to keep their forces spread. Orion and Valkyrie can back up the Six at your current location."

She was relieved to see the team split. There were too many to fight in that enclosed space, when the objective was capture not kill. And she knew that Zach was their best option, to talk to them rather than attack. That was how Black Widow and Persephone would leave Hellfire, if they were lucky. Under their own power.

But the altercation in the Red Wing was quickly unfolding. Delilah and Cameron's words were falling on deaf ears, it seemed. Though Oracle felt they might have been a tad kinder with their words. Things were escalating, and Persephone had just unleashed a powerful attack on Prophet.

She switched over to her link with Mina.

[via com]: "Mina? Do you read me? Are you in position?"

Mina [via com]: "Yes, Oracle, I hear you. Ready to begin on your say so."

[via com]: "Persephone has attacked Prophet. It's time."

Mina [via com] "Understood."

Oracle sent up a silent prayer that the spell would work, that they could capture Persephone without bloodshed and get her out of there with her sister. That no one else from their teams had to die.

 

[Bishop]

The Hellfire Mansion

Bishop wouldn't have missed this opportunity for the world.

He had been watching her since Malice's threat on her had been delivered. He knew they were planning this rescue. Because it was the Six, even when they called it "kill teams" in the end it would be a rescue. That's how they worked.

Luckily, that wasn't how he worked.

So when Cameron King arrived at Delilah's place looking grave. When Delilah was awake before the sun the next morning. When Delilah left her apartment to go meet her so-called teammates in their super secret double probation War Room - he knew something was up. He went to the Mansion, and he waited. And the Birds of Prey delivered.

They opened the door wide, and Bishop stepped right in. The curtain of gunfire was his calling card.

He came up behind Ashley, a place he'd been many times before, he thought to himself with a smirk.

"You didn't think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you?"

Ashley: "Nice gun."

Zach: “Yeah, just try not to blow your whole load right away.”

He chuckled.

"I'll let you hold it later."

He let them decide which one of them he was talking to.

He continuing spraying fire into the Hellfire guards that seemed to come out of the woodwork more than a nest of carpenter ants. Then Ashley was leading their group down into the Red Wing. But that was not Bishop's objective.

He broke away, heading himself for the White Wing. He had captured low-level Hellfire peons and beat information out of them until he had a good understanding of the layout. Malice was the White Queen. Haleigh as her daughter was the White Princess. So the likeliest place for her to be, therefore, he calculated, was the White Wing.

He was there to protect Delilah, of course. And the best way for him to do that was to remove the most difficult piece from the board for her before she had to face it herself.

 

[Rampage]

The Black Wing

Cass was doing a great job draining energy off the soldiers. He was able to cut through whole swaths of them with his axe, and could tell they were not responding as rapidly as they had started off doing.

He spoke in her mind.

Cassie, let's sandwich them between us. No mercy.

Rampage shunted himself across the astral plane, arriving on the other side of the remaining soldiers, so that he and Cass were like two bookends. She had erected a psionic shield in front of her to block the bullets the guards were firing. Nicolas reached out with his mind to the soldiers between them, pulling their short term memories out of them, leaving them confused and wondering what they were doing there.

Now Cassie!

Ruby, full with psionic energy after feasting on the guards, raised her hand and pushed her power out into the debris from Nicolas's rampage. The stone rubble rose and collected into a wall which pushed down the hallway away from her, forcing the guards back towards Nicolas. At the same time, Rampage unleashed a powerful psionic blast upon the guards from his side. Those that weren't immediately killed were crushed against Ruby's wall. She closed her fist, and the stone wall warped and shifted around the guards and contracted, grinding what was left of them into dust.

"That's my girl!"

Nicolas grinned at her, but then suddenly his face became serious. He looked past Cass down to the other end of the hallway. A dark figure stood there. Cass turned, and Nicolas pulled from her mind recognition. This was Ben. Nicolas called to him.

"Stand aside. Let us pass and you will be spared."

 

[Goliath]

Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

When Ahadi was destroyed, Talisman had let him out of his cage. For days he had been trapped there, beaten and severely tortured by Cobra for his ties to Ruby. He shouldn't have gone to see her, but he couldn't help himself. For years he had kept away from her. She had ruined his life. He could have likely been a King in Hellfire Europe if not for his failure to capture her. His father was killed. All because of her. Kelly had given him one mission in the wee hours of the morning - find Cassandra and kill her if he wanted to remain in these walls. And he did. He was ready to be the man his father Finn never could be. All he had to do was to squeeze the life out of her and he would finally have a path into the world that had been denied to him.

So he stalked her. As a contract killer in his years post Mystech London, he was good at doing so, and his power allowed him, much in the same way as Bianca, to appear completely conspicuous at a moments notice. She was with a tall and very physically fit man who appeared to be her teammate. A tinge of jealousy washed over him, even after all of this time. Had she fucked him? Was this her boyfriend? Why was it just the two of them? But it wasn't his job here to ask questions.

Ben watched as Cassandra dispatched many members of The Black Guard with her power, and it impressed him for a moment. This was not the girl who left him for dead in London. She seemed so much more sure of herself. So much more refined. It would make it harder to kill her, but not impossible. Her teammate celebrated her victory.

Nicholas: "That's my girl!"

Ben snarled for a moment, still a great distance away until he was unwittingly spotted. The tall dark man called out to him like he knew him.

Nicholas: "Stand aside. Let us pass and you will be spared."

He exhaled deeply. It was now or never. Ben quickly bridged the gap between them, his harrowing blue eyes piercing into both of them as he watched Cassandra's surprised expression. He spoke to them succintly, his english accent thick in the air.

"You tell nobody where to stand in this place, chap."

His right arm shifted into it's near inpenetrable stone form as he WHACKED Nicolas over the top of the head, moving immediately towards Cassandra, GRABBING her by the neck before shifting into his stone form completely, looking almost like a marble statue, his blue eyes still piercing into her. If she caught them for too long, as with Nicholas, she would find herself painfully and irreversibly turning to stone. It was also in this form that Ruby would find herself UNABLE to drain him.

"I tried to play cat and mouse with you, love. But if I want to survive the morning, it looks like I'm going to have to pounce."

Ben's hand and massive strength flexed against his grip on Cassandra's neck as he could see Nicholas making a speedy recovery. Gritting his teeth, he manifested his giant stone wings, and in the process, they catapulted right into Nicholas, blasting him back several feet as he turned to the man, his grasp firmly on Ruby.

"You're welcome to try and stop me pretty boy. But i'm not leaving this hallway until I see this bitch take her final breath."

His cold eyes returned to Cassandra - BEGGING her to stare at him. His speech became ever more dark and twisted.

"I lost EVERYTHING because of you. My FATHER. My LIFE! GONE. And now I'm going to TAKE...from YOU!"

He tightened his grip, watching her suffocate beneath him, her arms flailing wildly as she tried to escape from him. He lifted her from the ground, watching her, FORCING her eyes on to him. He didn't have much time, the bald man was primed to attack, and he could smell his energy signature - a telepath. If only he could turn his own brain to stone.

"LOOK at me. LOOK at me you BITCH!"

And there it was. She locked eyes with him, unable to turn away. A devious smile curled up in his lips. Her face began to flicker. From skin... to stone. She screamed. CRIED for him to stop with what little breath left she had in her body, but she was fading, quickly. She could feel her internal organs, shifting and contorting, as they were converted into hard stone. She was getting heavier now. It was getting a bit harder to hold her up, but he could carry the load easily. He watched as tears streamed down her face, and for a moment, he felt bad. He had loved her before. Wanted to marry her.

"NO. No. She got in your head. She took your world. Now you TAKE HER LIFE!"

Her tears were turned to stone as he watched her breathe her final breath before her lungs were rendered useless. She was nothing anymore. A statue. A remnant of a life that used to be. Cassandra Johnson was dead and the feeling was euphoric. ROARING like a Goliath (TM), he HURLED her body against the adjacent wall watching it SMASH into a million pieces, scattering all throughout the halls. He dropped to his knees for a moment, wanting to vomit, wanting to cry, wanting to laugh. It was over. Ruby was dead. And now, the telepath. Goliath rose to his feet, SLAMMING his fists to the ground, cracking the marbles floors under his feet, sending a shockwave through the hall way, hoping to buy himself some time - telepaths were tricky.

[mockingly]

"Step aside. Let me pass and you will be spared."

 

[Recall]

Hellfire Mansion - To The Black Wing

They were making a lasting first impression, and Vivica was happy to see it. They had a skin in this fight, and it was time that Hellfire knew that. The Six were not snowflakes. Well, that's not true - MOST of them were snowflakes, but not in the unique sense of the word. And then Andrew went into full Andrew mode. She was both shocked and humored by him. He really was a funny guy, regardless if it was intentional or not. And he played sports. And his body. She resolved herself to thinking that she was just missing male companionship in the biblical sense as Oracle, as their leader, reminded them to focus.

Oracle: "Titan, Recall, Steel: proceed to the Black Wing. To your right. Rampage and Ruby need assistance. We need to keep their forces spread. Orion and Valkyrie can back up the Six at your current location."

She thought of what Oracle had said earlier, about the more communication the better. She looked at Zach and Ashley and gave them a nod.

"Please keep me posted. You know how I hate being left out. Which spoiler alert is going to make your honeymoon a bit more awkward than you anticipated."

"To your right."

While she would have preferred to stay with Ashley and Zach, she did as she was told. Steel and Titan were the two members of the team she knew the least about personally, and she headed into the wing of Hellfire ran by her oldest friend's mother, but not really her mother. As they moved through the entrance of The Black Wing, it was mostly dark, and eerily quiet.

"They're planted. Keep your eyes open. There's no way she's left her wing unattended."

Drawing on her field ops experience she began to make out different exit points, vents, things that could be false doors, trinkets that didn't belong, decor that made no sense, and yet again it made her feel for Zach and hurt for Haleigh.

"If you think a place is too obvious for someone to be hiding, that's exactly where they are. Let's not be afraid to fuck shit up. The decor is tacky anyway."

It was an ominous feeling, being in Kelly's space. She was fractured from but Cameron but she wasn't inhuman. She knew this would be a big problem for him. Vivica had known Cameron since she was fourteen years old. They were now two decades into their relationship. And things had changed, gone up and down over the years, but there was something about Cameron that remained constant - he wanted to be loved. He wanted the approval from others, and if she was being honest, there was nothing he wouldn't do to get that. Sacrifice his happiness. When he thought he knew what he wanted, he just let go of anything else around him and went for it, no matter the consequence. If The Six thought Cameron was going to try and have his cake and eat it too, they were correct. He wouldn't not try and forge a relationship with his mother, and from Vivica remembered, about their actual mother in the days leading up to him killing her with The Six in Los Angeles, is that it would not sit well with his sister, Alison. What's worse is that he wasn't just here for Haleigh. She had seen Ava and Cameron over the last year develop a very deep relationship. He had made her his business partner, given her full claim over a venture that he had a lot of stake in. The only ever woman he had done that for was Vivica herself, and that was only born after his remorse for having her take the reign for him for so many years when he was where the fuck in the world doing who knows what the fuck. He was not only trying to save the woman he loved, but the woman that his sister loved the most - Ava. Suddenly she was grateful to be in The Black Wing.

She became aware of something. She put her hand in the area, signaling to Andrew and John to hold still.

"There's a laser grid down this corridor. I saw it last night in the Hellfire blueprints. It has a sixty second recharge."

Vivica looked to her right for a moment, grabbing her left side boomerang and cocking it in her hand, using it as a knife as she SLICED to the side of her, watching a bleeding member of The Black Guard to suddenly shimmer into existence. Kelly was cloaking them. Her memory was unparalleled and constantly recalculating. Which meant she was constantly memorizing everything around her to almost a subconscious cellular level. She could sense shifts in energy, she could sense when something didn't make sense - when the air didn't make sense. And she was right. Grabbing the body, she used her peak human strength to easily lift the dead Black Guard member from the ground and HURLED it at the space in front of her. And for good reason.

As she suspected, the laser grid reacted, effectively slicing and dicing the man in a beautiful geometric pattern as it became dormant soon after.

"Run run run!"

They had sixty seconds. Thankfully, they knew how to move their asses. They cleared the first set of hallways. They found themselves at a main room that had four hallways on either side. It was a crossroads.

to Zizi via com link: "Oracle, how far are we away from Nicholas and Cassandra? It's like a labrynth in here."

: Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss :

"What was that?! It sounds---"

She was immediately thrown into the black marble wall with a HARSH thud as her periphal caught a menacing and tall woman to her right.

Cobra: "A snake?! Perhaps you are smarter than my Queen lets on. And that little grid move was impressive. It's a shame you've moved past your clearance. Means I have to kill you now. Can't have you knowing our secrets now can we?"

 

[Wallflower]

Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

She had been sent to The Red Wing, but things changed when she realized The Black Wing was under attack. She never made it to The Red Wing, and she didn't care what happened. She had a territory to protect. She readied herself for battle, arming herself with the sais that Kelly had given her upon taking mantle of The Black Knight - her graduation. They were forged of adamantium and bathed in the venom that coursed through her veins. She was a venomous snake of the highest order and she liked to bite at long distances. And thanks to The Black Queen, she now could.

Amanda couldn't fight a bit of nerves. She had yet to be faced with Cameron King and she was hoping tonight she might get to play with him a little. He had killed her mother and he now sat on a Golden Throne. He was incredibly rich. He was the leader of The Six. Cameron had taken everything from her, guided her as she plunged herself into one depraved situation after the next. He was responsible for what happened to her, and soon he would know it first hand. And if he was smart - he would repent. But still, duty had to be pursued over passion. Kelly had cloaked every member of The Black Guard, allowing them to act in ways that the other courts couldn't. The Black Court made Hellfire money. Move them along. Opened doors for them. They had secrets that needed to be protected, and it was Amanda's duty to protect those secrets.

So Vivica getting past the laser grid was troubling. Just down the hall she had witnessed Ben Lewis killing a member of The Six, set to square off with Rampage. He had been such an easy torture subject, but to watch him kill Cassandra with such passion, she found herself intrigued to see just how he would deal with a telepath of Rampage's caliber.

The Birds of Prey reached a crossraods, and The Black Knight went to strike. Her stereophonic and signature hiss echoed throughout the corridor.

Vivica: "What was that?! It sounds --"

The Black Knight decked Recall in her face and sent her catapulting into the adjacent wall hard. Amanda laughed to herself for a moment as she made herself known to the others.

"A snake?! Perhaps you are smarter than my Queen lets on. And that little grid move was impressive. It's a shame you've moved past your clearance. Means I have to kill you now. Can't have you knowing our secrets now can we?"

She looked towards the men. As a Cobra she could spike at upwards of fity miles an hour, and her hands could work as fast as well. Unholstering her sais, she cast them out hard and fast, aimed both at Andrew and John. John unwittingly and narrowly avoided, but she connected with Andrew as her right sais sliced right into his knee. Amanda smiiled as Steel cried out despite his best efforts to keep quiet.

"You've got right around forty five minutes or so with that venom before the necrosis starts happening. Two hours tops and that beautiful thick thigh of yours will rust off."

[flatly]

"I don't know what exactly you thought you were doing in The Black Wing, but I'm here to tell you, you got the short end of the stick. The other colors might bleed on a whim, but we don't waver like that in The Black Wing."

 

[Rampage]

Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

Nicolas knew that Cassandra had feelings for this man, and he for her. He would not wish to cut the man down in front of her, so he gave him to option to let them go without a fight.

Gorgon: "You tell nobody where to stand in this place, chap."

This punk obviously wanted to dance, and Nicolas would be happy to oblige.

"I just told you, didn't I?"

Nicolas found himself hit over the head with something incredibly hard, as if the guy's arm was a stone block. He staggered and fell backwards, blackness threatening to overtake him, his mind fuzzy. Nicolas shook his head to clear the cobwebs, and looked up to see Gorgon holding Cassandra by the neck.

"Cassie!"

Nicolas climbed to his feet, only to be knocked back as stone wings grew from Gorgon's back. Ben looked like a statue now, as if he was completely made of stone.

Gorgon: "You're welcome to try and stop me pretty boy. But I'm not leaving this hallway until I see this bitch take her final breath."

Nicolas' eyes flashed with psionic energy.

"Let her go."

He pushed the energy into Ruby, bolstering her powers and giving her a power boost.

"Fight him, Cassie!"

Why wasn't she attacking?

Gorgon: "I lost EVERYTHING because of you. My FATHER. My LIFE! GONE. And now I'm going to TAKE...from YOU!"

Rampage mentally picked up anything that wasn't attached, and began flinging them at Gorgon, but still he kept his grip on Cassandra. Rampage raised his axe, and lowered his head, preparing to bull rush the stone man in front of him. And then he saw Cassie's body turning grey, the flesh becoming stone before his eyes, and Gorgon THREW her body. Nicolas changed course mid attack, leaping to intercept her. They both crashed against the wall, and Ruby crumbled into rubble.

"NO!"

He tried to send more psionic energy into her, allow her to heal. His hands grasped at the pieces of her in front of him. It was no use. He could see the tears on her stone face. Her beautiful face. Nicolas pushed his sadness away lest he be overtaken by it, and instead unleashed only ANGER.

He turned towards Gorgon, and raised to his full height.

"She loved you."

Nicolas fingered his axe, spinning it in his hand.

"And now YOU'RE going to answer for her death."

Gorgon slammed his fists on the stone floor of the hallway, and the ripple knocked him off balance. Rampage went into a crouch, stabilizing himself. Gorgon mocked him.

Gorgon: "Step aside. Let me pass and you will be spared."

"Fuck. You."

Rampage's mind was working, even as his body was on the defensive. He could perceive Gorgon's power, that it was to do with the eyes...

Nicolas closed his own.

"Telepath, bitch. Don't need eyes to see."

Runes glowed on Rampage's skin. He ran at Gorgon, LEAPING into the air with his axe stretched out behind him. As he landed on the ground, he brought the Astral Cleave down, slamming it into the floor. Psionic flames shot across the floor forward towards Gorgon, blasts of psionic energy going off like firecrackers as the attack hurtled to its target.

 

[Prophet]

The Hellfire Mansion - Red Wing

Persephone: "Give my regards to Ravena."

She SLAMMED her palm into his chest unleashing an amazing display of lightning. He was thankful to know Ava and her M.O. and adjusted accordingly. He used his TK to embrace the attack and flew backwards, spiraliing into a wall and hitting it with a large THUD.

"So you liken me to Ravena, now? I'm the enemy? Good to know. But don't get confused. You may be a goddess...but I can throw lightning too."

Prophet cast his hands out igniting a PSI lightning attack as his psionic energy crackled and attacked the corridor like a natural disaster, blasting into Ava's shoulder, knocking her back.

Alek: That's my Seph."

The Red Knight ripped a stone column from the wall and BASHED him with it a he fell to his knees, his vision blurry as he tried to regain his composure.

Alek: "You don't dicate to a queen, asshole."

Cameron laughed.

"You know nothing of The Six. I cut my teeth on Queens."

He was so focused on Alek and Persephone that he didn't notice Delilah's attack until it was piercing his eardrums. This was one of the most powerful manifestations of her power. Haleigh would recover, but it had bought him some time. He gritted his teeth. His rage taking over.

He was done.

"ENOUGH!"

The entire area seemed to become BATHED in red light as Cameron flexed his power around them, mentally taking control of the situation. He had come this far, and he wasn't going to be stopped. Not by any of them.

"I KNOW you're the same person! I'm NOT a fucking idiot! But YOU are, Ava! A FUCKING IDIOT AND IT BREAKS MY HEART!"

Tears flooded from his eyes.

"You FOLLOWED her. So EASILY. Made yourself so comfortable here. In this fucking place. After everything they've done. You've practically put down roots."

Prophet looked towards Alek with an icy stare, ALL of them for a moment completely paralyzed, frozen where they stood.

"How much of this can you blame on your sister? How much of this can you sit here and say to all of us was in defense of Haleigh?! Was to protect her!? I'm not new to biological revelations, Ava. And neither are you. Family isn't BUILT on blood alone! I TRUSTED YOU. I LOVED YOU. I gave you my HEART you fucking bitch. Loved you like my sister! Made you my partner! And you fucking LEFT me when I needed you the most. LEFT ME, AVA!"

He moved towards her with force, his PSI blade FLARING with power in his hand.

"Fifty kids die. And you walk right into the house that plotted their murder and you DEFEND them. And Persephone was ALL too willing to come to the forefront. To "protect" you. She's not your SPINE, Ava. She's your fatal fucking flaw. You wanted to know? About me having to turn darker to defend my family? That's not the case at all. I've ALWAYS been this dark. And I have built my FAMILY on trusting those who understood that darkness!"

[loudly]

"Do you see her?! [pointing at Haleigh]. Look at her! She's a robot! A machine! You think you're BETTER? You think what's happening with you is any different?! At the end of the day, possessed or not, Persephone in the driver's seat or not, you are going to HAVE to be accountable for what you've done Ava. I thought I KNEW you. I thought you would rather die than betray the ones you love. Or do you only love HALEIGH!? Was my heart not ENOUGH for you!?"

[somberly]

"I'm over this. I'm over feeling so fucking bad for letting you leave while you sit there and SHIT all over my trust. You've chosen this life. You've chosen HIM."

[pointing to Alek]

"And..."

[pausing for a moment]

"I've made some choices as well. I'm sorry...but this is going to hurt."

And that's when he took his PSI blade and JAMMED it through Persephone's chest with a mighty force as chaotic feedback warped through The Red Wing. He was so mad. So upset at everything she was sacrificing to save Haleigh, as if he had meant nothing to her. He needed her to know - before he killed her, how much he had loved her. How much he had wanted to walk out of here with her. He had given her a chance, and she had attacked him. She had betrayed him, but he wouldn't let her die a traitor to the others. He wanted her malfeasance to die her.

"Ava! I need you!"

The entire group was enveloped in a maelstrom of their memories. Of times Ava and Cameron had encountered each other. From their early days of hating each other, to their renewed relationship in the past few years. Of the closeness they had and apparently before had experienced.

Montana - Many Years Ago

Handler: "Miss Cassadine! No! Please, it's dangerous!"

Midnight was circling the outer half of the ring, charging straight for her. She stood, calmly, watching the black stallion gallop, his nose flare, his eyes wide. Everyone witnessing the event began to scream out as the horse charged closer and closer until suddenly he slid to a halt a mere foot from Ava. Unfazed, she kept her eyes locked on Midnight's, her hand out stretching to his bridle, grabbing a hold of it.

"Shhhh...."

Midnight huffed out a gently neigh, moving his head up and down almost as if saying 'yes' to Ava. She smiled, running her hand down the length of his nose.

"I know...it's okay."

The fear in Midnight's eyes disappeared as he stood calmly with Ava, nuzzling her hand. The witnesses were in awe, mouths opened with shock at what they just saw. Ava glanced over seeing the handlers slowly walking to her, unsure of what they just saw.

"He's okay...just a little scared."

Handler: "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Ava smiled, her arm hooking under Midnight allowing her to pet his neck.

"A spooked horse? That's surprising."

She joked, handing the reigns off to the handler.

Handler: "How did you--"

Cameron: "Ava Cassadine?"

Hearing her name, she turned to see a man standing a few feet away on the other side of the ring. He didn't look familiar, but he looked far too polished and dressed up to work for the lodge.

Cameron: "I'm Cameron King.. a friend of your sister's...I need to talk to you immediately...please. It's about Haleigh."

Ava's heart immediately dropped and the blood disappeared from her face. Midnight began to fidget again causing Ava to look back over to him.

"It's okay....it's going to be okay."

She softly whispered, though at that point she wasn't talking to the horse. Ava made her way over to the gate, exiting the ring as Cameron met up with her. She knew this was bad....she could see it on his face. And she knew Haleigh would have never sent someone to her that she didn't know....that wasn't Zach or Cassandra. Ava didn't say a word to Cameron as they exited the barn, away from prying eyes. The cold bitter winter air hit her exposed skin as she slowed her pace before turning to Cameron.

"What happened."

He hadn't thought about it in years. It was something he had for the most part completely blacked out. After they had killed Kelly King, Morgan had encased Haleigh in a tomb of amber, removing her skeleton from her body and nearly killing her instantly. Cameron had gone to Montana where Ava was staying to deliver the news in person. Ava's pain was undeniable as SCREAMED in pain throughout The Red Wing.

"PLEASE...AVA... Just...just show me you aren't GONE."

He extended his arm as Ava wrapped hers around it and the two strolled down to the shore of the lake which was frozen and calm, but none the less beautiful or powerful looking. Cameron stood there looking at the beautiful surroundings around him.

"I've never...seen a frozen lake before. Grew up in Los Angeles. Definitely didn't have the kind of upbringing that would allow me to go to a place like this..do you..you think we could walk on it?"

He smirked for a moment.

"I'm gonna try."

He looked at the shore and tapped the ground with his feet. It was firm and cold. Hesitating for a moment, he stepped onto the lake. And he remained. Cameron flashed a somewhat jovial smile as he looked at Ava, almost in disbelief that this was happening.

"Holy hell! I'm walking on water!"

[extending his hand]

"Ava...you gotta try this."

Cameron could see her hesitation. The way that she tried to remain kind faced because he had delivered the news about her sister in person, while also being angry at her death and him for not just getting on with it. But as an empath, he could sense that she was feeling the same way that he was feeling. She had only but a few moments to process the death of her sister, but she felt the same way...the sudden urge to feel alive. To find comfort in something. To not think for a while. Cameron would do whatever Ava wanted, but he decided upon viewing that lake, that he needed something more from this experience..from her. He found himself wanting to know more about Ava from her own perspective, and not the various and vague references Haleigh had made about her. Did they have the same fire. Were they both just as withholding, unable to say how they felt? Did she have her own triangle going on.

"Did her lips taste the same.."

He shook his head at the very thought! What was happening to him!?

"Come on, Ava...walk on water with me. Just for a moment. Then we can go and drink ourselves stupid."

The lost memories began to come back to him, if not at an embarrassing time. Ava and Cameron had evolved so far beyond that, but to remember it? It was a moment in time that only they had experienced. They had leaned on each other when it was necessary. And it didn't make Cameron feel better about jamming his PSI blade through her. But he did feel good. Remembering her like that. Before everything she had gone to. She'd experienced concentration camps. Infant mortality. Just about everything fucking bad one could imagine.

"Please come back to me."

"You go, I'll handle Haleigh."

And then Seph pulled him towards her, her lips almost touching his, as she whispered to him.

Seph: "And you. I can't leave you, Alek....I love you with everything I am....And if that means I have to suffer here a little longer, until I can get my sister out of here and leave with you? I'll do it....I'll do it..."

He looked into her eyes with his own, then started to shake his head. He buried his face in her hair, so he could whisper back in her ear.

"Leave me, Seph. Leave her. I can't lose you to this place."

He pulled back so he could touch his forehead to hers.

"I won't let you die here."

And then he kissed her softly, not caring who was watching. The jig was up anyway, and if this was the last bit of time they had together, he wasn't going to waste it hiding.

This was a side effect of Cameron's power flex. They were all experiencing these memories in real time. Cameron hated it. It made him respect Alek. Somebody had been taking care of her on the inside. The dark recesses of his mind began to paint a story, one he hadn't thought about in over a decade.

Cameron: "Death has a really sobering way of showing you all the things you lack."

"Well, i'm not ready to be sober yet."

She added grimly, the thought of truly realizing all her faults that lead to Haleigh's death suffocating. She wanted to stay in cloudy haze of drunkeness for as long as possible. The wolf howled once again, the sound calming as it echoed along the quiet expanse of the snowy forrest.

Cameron: "You're beautiful, you know that?"

That snapped Ava back to reality, her eyes shifting to meet with Cameron's. So he did think she was beautiful. He was as good at controlling his emotions as he claimed to be. Ava could see in his eyes he wanted her just as badly as she needed him.

Cameron: "I know this is...every shade of wrong. I know this is just...chaotic emotion trying to process a traumatic event but..."

"Cameron..."

Ava's chest began to rise and fall as her breathing began to pick up, not having to be a telepath to know where this was headed. She wanted so badly for him to make her forget everything from today, but she also knew this was her sister's best friend. That he loved Haleigh above anything else, and likely Haleigh loved him just as much. What kind of sister would she be if she allowed this to happen?

Cameron: "I have wanted nothing more in the last thirty minutes than to kiss you like you have never been kissed before."

...The kind that abandoned Haleigh and sided with her father. Ava met Cameron's kiss half way, their lips locked together with heated intent. Her mind was dizzy and body flushed with adrenaline. She parted her lips to taste him, deepening the kiss as her hand slid along his jawline to hold him in place. She arched her body into his, pulling herself closer to him while her hand slid down Cameorn's neck to the collar of his button down shirt. Breaking the kiss, her breath was rapid and hot against his lips, keeping their faces close. She let her fingers delicately undo the first button of his shirt, then the second. Her eyes smoldered as they remained locked with his.

"Tell me to stop..."

Ava offering him one more out. One more chance to leave. Because if he didn't stop it? She wasn't about to either.

He had been through so much with Ava, his heart almost could not take it. But he pressed on. Maybe he couldn't separate them, but he could still get her back. He could still throttle Ava into the driver's seat. He needed jher more than he cared to admit. They had gotten each other through some very rough times. But Ava wasn't the only one. They'd ALL shared pain.

"Alexia...honey come out, I promise it's safe. I'm Cameron...I'm your godfather. Are you here? Let me see you, sweetie."

:: Her mind was dark and swirling, in line with the pain that she was experiencing. He felt chaotic as if he were moving through a forest at peak speeds, winds brushing past his face. Before long, a shimmering orb appeared brightly in front of him before the form of Alexia manifested. This was her psyche. Her face was red and puffy with tears, her hair caked to her face with sweat. She looked up at him, with the same eye as Delilah. ::

Alexia: "What's...what's happening?"

:: Cameron enveloped her in his arms and picked her up, holding her tightly. As she held on to him, he began to flood her psyche with times that Delilah and himself had shared. Laughing and dancing, all the good memories that would prove to her that he was friend and not foe. ::

Alexia: "Am..am I still alive? I feel weird.."

"You're a smart kid, you know that? And sometimes people don't like smart kids. But I promise you, you're mommy.."

:: Alexia chimed in. ::

"And daddy. My dad is here...He's holding me."

:: Cameron smiled. Though Alexia was consciously aware of the situation, as was Cameron as he watched with mind's eye the arrival of Spellbinder looking decidedly like she did when she tried to destroy the world. Cameron was occupying Alexia's psyche, allowing her to somehow psychically compartmentalize what was happening to her, not alerting Badiane to what he was doing, and keeping up appearances. Morgan ignited her attack after locking onto Badiane's power source. The display was brilliant, and though at first, Cameron was nervous that Morgan had tapped into the power of Darkchilde to save Alexia and wouldn't be able to come back this time, something about her was different, and decidedly "lighter". She didn't seem lost...she seemed determined. ::

"That's right. Alexia. We are fixing this whole mess I promise, so for now, I need you to focus on me, and let that other stuff go. Just focus on my voice and keep yourself here with me. Can you do that?"

Alexia: "I can try.."

"Good..now, why don't you tell me a story?"

It may have been a dream. But to The Six it felt real, Haleigh and Cameron fought so hard. To save Alexia. It was a bond that only they shared, because it had all been washed away. But they remembered. He wielded his PSI blade surgically still, threateneing to split Perspephone LITERALLY in half!

"STOP.....[gritting his teeth] FIGHTING....ME!!!!!.."

Cameron: "Don't tell them my capture is a certainty...let them work on whatever they are working on...and you? Find something you can tell the group you are doing on your own...a fake mission for Alison, whatever...take some time and be with yourself...try and figure some things out...I'd help...but I know the team is going to be all over me in an attempt to keep me safe..."

As sweet as it was for Cameron to be looking out for HER even though HE was the one in danger, Ava shook her head.

"I'm not going to stand by and do nothing while you're taken, Cameron. I'll figure this out..."

Cameron: "We can't mention anything about Delilah either. Haleigh will try to stop her....and we need her focused...."

That one Ava agreed on. The looming factor of Delilah going awol was scary to say the least. Everyone knew Delilah was in a...."special" place, but Ava honestly never thought it would go as far as her defecting from the six. If that information got out now, everyone would be destracted and torn different directions as to what to do.

Cameron: "I'll do whatever I can to help you while i'm still here, Ava..."

Ava looked at Cameron for a moment...he really was an amazing person. His life was on the line and he didn't care. He seemed to care more about HER than anything. That caused Ava to pause, realizing how much Cameron had grown as a person, and how close they had really become. Watching as Alison took Cameron's hand, he was trembling. Ava's eyes softened realizing how much of a strong front he was putting on for everyone. He was terrified of being taken--and frankly, it was a terrifying thought KNOWING you were going to be kidnapped and tortured, and not be able to do a damn thing about it. Alison and Cameron had a moment together, one that only a brother and sister could. It also showed just how much Alison cared for Cameron as well. People didn't give Alison enough credit for being a loving person. They just assume she was a heartless bitch. Maybe it was because Ava could relate--EVERYONE either thinks or thought she's a heartless bitch too. But there were so many more layers to Alison Marble. Ava knew this even before now; but witnessing this tender moment between Cameron and her solidified that even more.

They both had grown into amazingly strong people. Alison was truly her best friend, which was strange because Ava always had such a connection with Morgan because of her ties with Darkchilde. But with Alison, she understood her methods of doing the things that she does. She understood why she was so stealy and cold. And she surely understood just how much this woman could endure....because they endured the worst together. So as Alison looked upon her now, Ava didn't try to hide the pain that was radiating from her eyes.

Alison: Ava, time and again, you've shown how POWERFUL and precise you can be. You and I are NOT that different. We've come to know that over the passing years and now, you face a moment, similar to one I have faced in the past. Struggling with a deep, personal issue that HAUNTS you and even causes you to waver in other areas of your life. You and I have BOTH shown that we can LIVE with the HARD CHOICES we make. But we've ALSO known the pain, the CHAOS of having the rug pulled out from under us and losing the power of choice.

Ava's eyes became glassy. She blinked a few times, trying to keep the welling tears at bay.

Alison: The purifiers have spilled so much blood already...don't let them add these children to it. and when this is over and we have Ruby and Prophet BACK? COME TO ME or KAREN...SOMEONE and let us HELP YOU, before it's TOO LATE.

Looking down, Ava took in a few even breaths trying to calm her growing anxiety. She gently nodded, acknowledging Alison's warning.

"I'm not going to let those children die. And i'm not going to give up until you're safe, Cameron."

It were the only words she could think of saying. Because at this point, all Ava wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs until they burned from lack of oxygen.

Alison: I love you. Both of you....and i'll see BOTH of you soon.

Hugging Alison, Ava softly responded.

"Love you too, A."

Ava watched as Alison left, heading back to the conference room to speak with Haleigh. Ava stood there silently for a moment...her eyes staring blankly at the empty doorway.

Cameron: "I love you too, Ava."

There it was. His pain splattered across all of their minds now. She had loved Cameron. She had loved Alison. They had protected her for as long as either could remember at this point. It had to mean something. Or rather, Cameron NEEDED it to mean something to Ava/

"AVA! PLEASE! Leave with me! Stop FIGHTING ME! PLEASE! Don't make me BURY YOU!""

He turned to find comfort in Haleigh and found only shallow banks.. And it pissed him the fuck off. He FLEXED his power, and for a few moments, he SHUNTED Malice's control of Haleigh's brain, showing her that he came to play, and that he wasn't about to back down from anyone. He turned to Haleigh.

"Haleigh. I know they're the same person....but I NEED Ava. I want to walk out of here with her on my arm. PLEASE. Persephone needs to go to SLEEP!"

 

[Steel]

Hellfire Mansion

They had gotten into the Mansion and through the first wave. But Steel knew these were the cannon fodder, not the elites of Hellfire. Bishop joined them, clearing many of them out of the way. He hoped Andrew wouldn't do anything stupid because of his presence.

He stayed ready and on his guard. They followed Ashley deeper into the Mansion. They came to a point where several hallways diverged. They could see fighting ahead in one of them, and Ashley and Zach moved closer to it. Andrew followed them, even though they were supposed to be splitting up.

He caught up to Andrew, and was aghast that he was speaking.

Titan: "Uh Black Widow? Er, Scion? Haleigh."

Oracle was in his ear. All their ears. This was NOT the plan. Steel hissed at him.

"Titan, come on. Shut UP."

Titan: "There doesn't have to be a fight. You know, there's a coffee shop down the street. Or there's about- four pubs in this block. We could sit down, have a drink, talk this whole thing out."

He was not hearing this. Yes, he'd wanted Andrew to get over Delilah. But now he'd just gone fucking MENTAL.

"Dude! Did you just ask her out?!"

Titan: "Well I might never get another chance."

Definite Andrew Logic.

Oracle was being more insistent now, and Steel grabbed Andrew by the back of the neck, pulling him along back towards the Black Wing.

Recall: "They're planted. Keep your eyes open. There's no way she's left her wing unattended. If you think a place is too obvious for someone to be hiding, that's exactly where they are. Let's not be afraid to fuck shit up. The decor is tacky anyway."

"Copy that."

He said it with conviction. There was nothing more he wanted than to fuck this entire place up until it was rubble.

Recall signaled for them to stop, and he did, looking to her for further explanation.

Recall: "There's a laser grid down this corridor. I saw it last night in the Hellfire blueprints. It has a sixty second recharge."

"How do we bypass it?"

If they could identify a control panel, he could get to it and disable the thing allowing the others to walk through unharmed. And then suddenly Vivica was STABBING a Black Guardsman who came out of nowhere, and then lifting him and throwing him down the hallway. Lasers sliced the man like an egg.

Recall: "Run run run!"

And they did. Steel let Titan and Recall go in front of him, just in case they didn't make it in 60 seconds, trusting on his organic steel frame to save him. But thankfully, they made it, but found themselves at a crossroads..

Recall: [to Zizi via com link] "Oracle, how far are we away from Nicolas and Cassandra? It's like a labrynth in here."

Oracle: "About a hundred meters. Keep going."

And then, there was a noise, like a lot of air being let out of a tire. But louder. And he didn't think it was a tire.

Recall: "What was that?! It sounds---"

Out of nowhere, Vivica was thrown against the wall.

Cobra: "A snake?! Perhaps you are smarter than my Queen lets on. And that little grid move was impressive. It's a shame you've moved past your clearance. Means I have to kill you now. Can't have you knowing our secrets now can we?"

Steel looked at her, with an amused glint in his eye.

"You can try."

The snake woman was fast, and threw her blades at them, which Steel easily deflected off his metal skin.

"Strike one."

And then he registered a grunt from Andrew; the sais had slashed the skin of his knee.

“Titan!”

Cobra: "You've got right around forty five minutes or so with that venom before the necrosis starts happening. Two hours tops and that beautiful thick thigh of yours will fall off. I don't know what exactly you thought you were doing in The Black Wing, but I'm here to tell you, you got the short end of the stick. The other colors might bleed on a whim, but we don't waver like that in The Black Wing."

Steel's eyes narrowed, and he responded coldly.

"We're here to kill you all. And I've heard the best antivenom comes from the dead snake that did the biting."

Steel rushed her, unafraid of blade or bite. He bull rushed her into the wall before grabbing her by the arms and slamming her to the ground. He raised his leg to STOMP the life out of her.

 

[Persephone]

Persephone sent Cameron flying back with a powerful hit, igniting lighting in her strike to really send him the message that she was done playing. She knew many people in the six would be upset with her for what she had done and how she defected to be with Haleigh, but she didn't expect Cameron to do it NOW of all times. To call for her to disassociate herself and go back to being Ava in the midst of a massive battle and possible destruction of Hellfire. In the midst of SAVING her sister. But there they were, and Persephone was pissed. Time had been wasted and Haleigh was now back to being Scion. Cameron didn't listen to her, NO ONE listened to her when she pleaded for them to get Haleigh OUT.

Cameron: "So you liken me to Ravena, now? I'm the enemy?"

"When you threaten me, you are."

She stated matter of factly.

Cameron: "Good to know. But don't get confused. You may be a goddess...but I can throw lightning too."

Alek: That's my Seph. You don't dicate to a queen, asshole."

She wanted to smile at Alek's absolute confidence in her, but she was too focused on Cameron. He sent a Psi bolt flying at her, Persephone dodging enough for it to strike her shoulder and send her stumbling back. Gritting her teeth in pain, she held her shoulder blade as she stood to her feet. That was when Cameron literally stopped everything. The room was red, appropriately enough, and everyone was frozen.

Cameron: "I KNOW you're the same person! I'm NOT a fucking idiot! But YOU are, Ava! A FUCKING IDIOT AND IT BREAKS MY HEART! You FOLLOWED her. So EASILY. Made yourself so comfortable here. In this fucking place. After everything they've done. You've practically put down roots."

"I followed Haleigh because I KNEW she would be destroyed here! I KNEW she would die here, whether it be by Malice's hand, The Six, or because she just fucking GAVE UP! I wasn't going to LET THAT HAPPEN! I wasn't going to SIT BACK and WAIT until it was too late!"

Persephone screamed back with anger and frustration. No one understood why she came. NO ONE. They thought she was a fool for succumbing to Hellfire and giving into the darkness. They thought she was a fool for not staying behind and going with the six to rescue Haleigh as a team effort. But they six waiting too damn long. WEEKS. And weeks within Hellfire destroys a person, and it destroyed Haleigh. She had already wanted to die - admitting it to Persephone herself. The Six didn't take action QUICK ENOUGH, so Persephone was there to hold the pieces together.

Cameron: "How much of this can you blame on your sister? How much of this can you sit here and say to all of us was in defense of Haleigh?! Was to protect her!? I'm not new to biological revelations, Ava. And neither are you. Family isn't BUILT on blood alone! I TRUSTED YOU. I LOVED YOU. I gave you my HEART you fucking bitch. Loved you like my sister! Made you my partner! And you fucking LEFT me when I needed you the most. LEFT ME, AVA!"

"HALEIGH NEEDED ME MORE! You have NO IDEA what being within these walls is like! What living under the rules of Diana and Helena is like! So don't you DARE stand there and assume like you do, even if you can mind fuck me and Haleigh right now to try and see! You had the six to back you up! You had your sister to help you! Haleigh had NO ONE. And not ONE OF YOU took steps to help her until NOW! WEEKS LATER! So I adapted and I learned how to live here. *I* took over to keep myself safe! I tried to make a home in a pit full of snakes and found solace in ONE PERSON [Alek], so fucking SUE ME! But the endgame was always clear in my head!"

Cameron: "Fifty kids die. And you walk right into the house that plotted their murder and you DEFEND them. And Persephone was ALL too willing to come to the forefront. To "protect" you. She's not your SPINE, Ava. She's your fatal fucking flaw."

"FUCK YOU, CAMERON. You know NOTHING!"

Cameron: "You wanted to know? About me having to turn darker to defend my family? That's not the case at all. I've ALWAYS been this dark. And I have built my FAMILY on trusting those who understood that darkness!"

"I understood that darkness because it coursed through my veins since birth! I never judged you like YOU are judging me NOW! I never tried to RIP IT OUT OF YOU! Do you not HEAR YOURSELF?!"

Cameron: "Do you see her?! [pointing at Haleigh]. Look at her! She's a robot! A machine!"

Persephone snarled.

"I SEE her. I HAVE SEEN HER, asshole! THIS is the very reason why I CAME to Hellfire!"

Cameron: "You think you're BETTER? You think what's happening with you is any different?! At the end of the day, possessed or not, Persephone in the driver's seat or not, you are going to HAVE to be accountable for what you've done Ava. I thought I KNEW you. I thought you would rather die than betray the ones you love. Or do you only love HALEIGH!? Was my heart not ENOUGH for you!?"

"Don't you stand here and tell me you wouldn't have done the EXACT same thing for Alison, Cameron! I loved you, I loved ALL of you, but I spent my life with Haleigh and I would not lose her to Malice! TO HERSELF! I did what I thought would save her because no one else would step up and do it themselves. Not even her "REAL" sisters. SO FUCK YOU for standing here and expecting me to beg for forgiveness! I am sorry for a lot of things, Cameron. I am sorry that those children died. I'm sorry that I attacked and hurt people that I never wanted to attack and hurt. But I am NOT sorry for coming here, because Haleigh would have been GONE by now and the only thing YOU would be rescuing today is a corpse or a shell!"

But Cameron was beyond trying to make understand her point of view - why she did what she did. He was thinking only of his feeling and of his pain. Persephone wasn't a fool, she knew she hurt a lot of people by coming to Hellfire, but in the end she did it to protect and help her sister so they could BOTH get out of this alive. She thought Cameron would understand that above anyone else, but she was wrong, and he was standing there proving it so vividly.

Cameron: "I'm over this. I'm over feeling so fucking bad for letting you leave while you sit there and SHIT all over my trust. You've chosen this life. You've chosen HIM. I've made some choices as well. I'm sorry...but this is going to hurt."

"Cameron, DON'T!!"

The pain was immediate as Cameron struck her with the psi blade, Persephone SCREAMING in agony as the power overtook her body. She fell to her knees, grabbing her head, so similar to when Diana hit her with a psi javelin and caused the split in the first place. The room began to shake and everything was loud and chaotic, her brain feeling like it was being shredded in two and pulled apart. She saw flashes of memories between her and Cameron amongst the pain, her screams never faltering as they flashed rapidly within her mind. Persephone's eyes were tightly shut, her teeth gritting as she tried with everything she had to keep from being destroyed. His memories soon began to pair with her own. Flashes of her and Haleigh as kids playing hide and seek in their family house, memories of Haleigh coming to a crying Ava in the barn when she was 15 and had just lost her virginity to a boy who broke Ava's heart, memories of Stavros tearing a crying Ava away from Haleigh when he decided they needed to stay apart and forced Ava to move to Greece. Memories of the day Ava and Persephone merged. A rapid onslaught, too chaotic to stop because Persephone's mind was being torn into two. Memories of holding Alison in the concentration camp, memories of laughing with Delilah over dinner, memories of hugging Cameron after the merger of Cassadine and Zenith, memories of finding out that Haleigh was Malice's daughter. Memories within the walls of Hellfire. Ravena attacking her, Diana attacking her, Helena attacking her, the fight with Vivica and Simon. Memories of attacking Zach and the overwhelming pain it caused her. Memories of Alek being there every step of the way. Holding her while she cried, helping her after she had been attacking, loving her when she wanted to give up. Memories of holding a crying Haleigh in Persephone's chamber room in the Red Wing. She pushed back with her memories as Cameron continued his attack on her.

Cameron: "STOP.....[gritting his teeth] FIGHTING....ME!!!!!.."AVA! PLEASE! Leave with me! Stop FIGHTING ME! PLEASE! Don't make me BURY YOU!"

Each memory was intertwined and interweaved between Ava and Persephone. Each memory was them experiencing it as a joint entity. Persephone was Ava and Ava was Persephone, together they lived each other's lives and remembered each others memories. Persephone's eyes, nose, and ears began to bleed, exactly as Haleigh's did when she was being taken over by Diana. A red translucent image of Persephone's head began to appear, like a double of her was fighting to reconnect with it's other half. It was in that moment the red within the room began to turn gold, Persephone's screams stopping immediately as if she had been overpowered by something else [spell]. Her body began to lift into the air, hovering for a moment, before finally SMACK! An explosion of gold light hit Persephone like a wrecking ball, her body catapulting backwards like a rag doll in the air until it slammed into the opposing wall. Her body fell to the floor crumpled and motionless...and everything within her mind was now silent.

 

[Fathom]

Hellfire — The White Wing

Heidi took up post outside her Queen’s door, ready to make a stand. She was alone, against two, but that wasn’t really a problem. She asked the little Girl Scouts if they were here to sell cookies, with a mocking smirk on her lips.

Morgan: "Bitch, I haven't eaten a cookie since 1996. I wont be tempted by you."

“What a depressing quarter of a century it must have been for you.”

She replied, though her tone was devoid of true compassion, and sounded more like boredom.

“Fret not, I’ll put you out of your misery shortly.”

Blaze: “It's her! The one who killed Frost! Er, who we thought was Frost!"

Heidi smiled wickedly. The blonde one threw something at her, a wave of some strange energy which slammed into her and sent her flying back towards the door she was guarding. As she soared through the air she turned to water, splashing against the door and flowing out across it, then reforming on her feet right where she’d been before.

“Is that the best you’ve got?”

She asked, the boredom still in her tone. She’d clearly have to toy with them to get any enjoyment out of this. Some sort of portal opened nearby, snapping shut like an animal’s jaws. Heidi glanced at it, unsure of what to make of it, though she understood that the blonde was trying to intimidate her with it.

Morgan: "Look you little bitch. Either I'm going to kill you and you'll die a failure, or SHE [pointing to Blaze] is gonna kill you and you'll die a failure. The choice is yours..."

Blaze: “Oh, pick me. I DARE you.”

Morgan! "Come and get it ASSHOLE!"

Heidi raised her hand, but held, as she saw Emiko pop in.

Blaze: "Watch out!"

The brunette called, as Emiko moved in with a ghastly smile that probably chilled the Girl Scouts to their core. Heidi herself smiled with anticipation. Emiko convinced the blonde that her greatest fear was slithering all over her. Heidi laughed cruelly, sharing Emiko’s mirth. The brunette got motivated then, and turned to pure flame. Now a big fiery bird, she swooped at Emiko, who popped out and then back in right next to Heidi. Blaze turned to face them.

Blaze: "Well, I'm not scared of snakes, bitches, and I'm not afraid of YOU!"

“Pity. That makes you stupid, not brave.”

Heidi said, raising her hand again. She drenched the fire elemental in sea water. At first there was the hissing of liquid turning to steam, which filled the hall with humidity. But then Heidi raised a second hand, and poured it in from the other side, trapping Blaze in between the two blasts of rushing liquid. The water flowed around Firebird until she was completely surrounded, and then closed in to drown her. Heidi added more and more water, until it crushed in on Blaze with the density of oceanic depths.

“Fire has always been the weakest of the elements.”