Casualties of War

Everything was dark and the pain was unbearable, like a red hot knife slicing through her head. But she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She was unconscious yet conscious at the same time, feeling trapped in an abyss of pain. She didn't realize what had happened or if she was dead. She didn't know Haleigh and Alek had evacuated her from Hellfire. She didn't know she was on a helicopter headed to safety. She was unaware of everything....

"Ava..."

The voice sounded so familiar, even through the pain she recognized it.

"Ava...wake up."

She wanted to, but everything hurt too much. The effort too much to undertake. But soon, the searing pain that filled her consciousness began to dull until finally, everything was still and quiet. The darkness not as dark anymore, as a cobalt light began to wake her.

Alison: "Ava?"

Ava's eyes slowly began to open, everything blurry around her. She saw a figure with dark hair standing over her as she blinked to clear her vision, then two bodies being carried away which Ava didn't realize was Morgan and Blaze. As her vision cleared, she then saw her.

"Alison?"

She softly asked, her voice husk from screaming earlier. Was this real? Or a dream? Was she still in Hellfire? Was this Helena's doing? Or Diana's? Nothing made sense because one minute ago she was in the Red Wing being attacked by Cameron, then the next she was waking up next to his sister.

Alison: "Easy...."

"Alison? Where...what..."

Alison: "You're on Aerie, Haleigh's helicopter just arrived."

That made Ava quickly sit up.

"Haleigh!"

She instantly regretted sitting up, the whole world spinning and making her groan and grab her head.

Alison: "Ava, stop...you need to rest. You're not quite healed yet."

Ava's eyes were still shut as the dizziness began to subside.

"Because of your brother. He nearly killed me, Alison."

Alison: [evenly] "Yes....even *I* didn't see that coming..."

Ava opened her eyes finally, looking over at Alison with such pain in them. She felt such freedom being back on Aerie, with her friend, away from Hellfire....but Haleigh was still there, and Alek.

"I need to go back."

Alison: "Absolutely not."

"I can't leave them there!"

Alison: "You can, and you will. Cameron nearly killed you, WHICH i'll be SPEAKING to him about later, mind you....You're not fully healed yet, Ava. Your mind is still fractured and any attack from Diana OR Cameron WILL kill you, do you understand? That spell that Mina Harker did on you saved your life, but it will be in vain if you go back now. Your mind is complete now, two halves of a whole - something not even the Seige Perilous was able to do for you. You need to let your mind heal in order for it to permenently hold."

Ava's eyes were filled with tears as she shook her head. Haleigh could have been dead already for all she knew. And Alek. ALL of them. And she was supposed to just stay on Aerie and hide? How could she live with herself knowing she didn't go back to help destroy the very people that had destroyed her and Haleigh? Alison embraced Ava tightly, and as soon as she did, Ava began to bawl. She clutched Alison, shakily trying to breathe as the overwhelming emotions of the last few weeks began to pour out of her. Alison's hand was in her hair, stroking it softly. Ava could hear her sigh sadly, even through her cries.

Alison: "I should have never let you go that night....I knew what would happen to you....and I let you go anyway..."

"You wouldn't have been able to stop me."

Alison: "I know....but even I can't help but wonder if I had tried, maybe the timeline of events could have changed. I could have saved you so much pain....saved Haleigh so much guilt..."

Ava pulled back, her face streaked with tears to see Alison's own cobalt eyes glassy with them. Ava gently shook her head, seeing the guilt within her best friend's eyes. The guilt of seeing the future but not being able to change it.

"Don't....Alison, don't do that to yourself. What happened....what's happening is because WE [Ava and Haleigh] chose this path. Haleigh was trying to save The Six....and I was trying to save her..."

Ava's eyes slowly lowered, tears filling them again.

"Is she...are they..."

Ava couldn't even say the words 'dead', the thought of losing Haleigh and Alek unbearable.

Alison: "They're fine...for now."

Ava's eyes flicked up as Alison said 'for now', concern apparent even through the tears.

"Then I NEED to go back. THEY kept me alive, I can't abandon them now, Alison!"

Alison didn't say anything at first, her eyes stern and steely. But Ava could see behind her cold marble expression, there was concern and conflict. It wasn't until Alison sighed that Ava knew she was conceding to something.

Alison: "You have time before you're needed again. Use that time to let your mind heal, Ava. LISTEN to me for once, and understand i'm telling you this as a friend AND as the Harbinger. Do not go in now otherwise it WILL end in death."

It wasn't what Ava wanted to hear, but it was better than Alison saying no and Ava taking it upon herself to leave anyway. She gently nodded, anxiety filling her body at the thought of having to sit on the sidelines for even longer while Gods knows what was happening at Hellfire.

"Okay...tell me when. The SECOND you know, Alison...tell me when."
 
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"FUCKING CUUUUUUUUUUNT!!!!!!"

Helena screamed as she picked up one of the conference room chairs and threw it across the table, it crashing into the wall of monitors. Sparks flew as a few monitors cracked and fizzled, Helena huffing out breaths of fury as she stood bloodied and beaten. Alexis was alive. No, Alexis was alive and had been masquerading as MYSTIQUE. She had been under Helena's nose for YEARS. She had been promoted into Helena's court. She had been FUCKING TRUSTED to be Helena's eyes and ears to all things Hellfire. Helena had made a grave mistake and was actually duped by her own fucking niece.

"I'm going to kill her.....I'm going to WARP her little world.....make her go CERTIFIABLE....turn her brain into MUSH AND CRUSH IT OUT OF HER SKULL!"

Helena screamed, kicking another chair closest to her and sending it flying into the rest. Alexis had been a thorn in her side since birth....a reminder of times Helena had long wished she could forget. Times that DEFINED who Helena Quartermaine became. Alexis was a product of everything she hated in this world - everything she FOUGHT to change within Hellfire. Helena was evil, yes. She was cruel, yes. But even SHE had lines she never crossed, and those lines were the reason Alexis was even BORN. Helena hunched over the metal conference table, her hands gripping the edge of it until her knuckles turned white. Her heart was racing, chest rapidly heaving in and out. She shut her eyes trying to calm herself, but only memories flashed into her head.

FLASH

1980 New York

Helena grabbed Diana's hand, pulling her down the sidewalk and past the line of Hellfire members waiting to get into the Blackout Party. It was the biggest event of the year and EVERYONE wanted to attend, but not everyone could get in. Only the most elite of members - those with the biggest pockets and the highest status. Helena Quartermaine was that person.

Diana: "For God sakes, Helena, i'm going to break a heel."

"Then twitch your nose and turn them to diamonds. I am NOT missing my date with Adam."

Diana audibly groaned as they both reached the black velvet ropes that blocked the entrance to Hellfire. There were two Black Guards placed in the front, both giving Helena and Diana the once over before opening the ropes to them. Helena gave them a cheeky grin while Diana rolled her eyes. It was very apparent to all within Hellfire that Helena was the partier while Diana went along with the flow. They were both so different yet had been friends since they were teenagers; a ying and yang so to speak. So once they turned 21, Helena was all about going to the biggest events while Diana was more interested in her studies. Helena separated from Diana upon entering the ballroom, running into Adam's arms with a giggle as he lifted her into the air and twirled her around. Diana always hated Adam, but Helena was head over heels.

The party had been going on for hours and Adam was getting bored with it. He began to nuzzle Helena's neck making her smile devilishly.

Adam: "Lets get out of here, Hels. Go upstairs...my dad's suite is empty since he's gone on Hellfire business."

"You don't have to ask me twice."

She chuckled seductively, grabbing Adam's hand and leading him to the grand staircase. Diana was talking to Christopher in the corner and Helena gave her a little wink before disappearing up the stairs. It wasn't long before Adam was pushing her up against the door, kissing her hard, his hand fumbling to open it. Helena moaned as he bit her neck, the door finally unlocking causing Helena to move backwards into the room while still kissing Adam. Adam shut the door behind him, breaking the kiss.

"What? What's wrong?"

He was grinning from ear to ear then looked past her. That was when Helena turned around to see a room full of men standing in the suit. She recognized some, others she did not. There were about six total.

"Adam...what.."

Adam: "You're always down to party, right Hels?"

"...Yeah but--"

Adam: "My friends like to party."

Helena's mouth was dry as she swallowed, knowing exactly what Adam meant by 'party'. This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't who she was. She wasn't a whore. She began to back toward the door.

"I should probably get back to the party. Diana's going to wonder where I went.."

As she turned to open it, Adam's hand slammed against the wood, preventing her from opening it. She could feel his mouth inches from her ear.

Adam: "But my friends wanted a show, and we wouldn't want to disappoint my friends....now would we?"

FLASH

Helena sat on the floor next to the bed, the hem of her black dress torn and the straps hanging broken from the neckline. Mascara stained under her eyes as she stared forward silently, her legs huddled up against her and her arms holding them to her.

Diana: "Helena?"

Helena didn't answer but Diana must have seen the top of her head peaking above the mattress because once she rounded the bed, Diana was on her knees in front of her gasping.

Diana: "Who....WHO did this?! WHO did this to you!?"

Diana was grabbing a throw blanket from the bed and pulled it to cover Helena quickly, as if that would somehow help. Diana's eyes were murderous and filled with rage.

Diana: "It was Adam wasn't it?! That smarmy low life son of a bitch! I'LL KILL HIM!"

Helena didn't answer, her eyes filling with tears. She put her forehead onto her knees and began to weep. Adam had raped her and his friends watched, egging him on, telling him to 'teach these Hellfire bitches who's boss'. That 'he was the man' and the 'future Red King'. That women had no place but in the bed of men at Hellfire. Helena had never felt more worthless in her entire life. Had never felt less powerful than she did in that moment. Diana moved closer to Helena and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Diana: "We'll make him pay. We'll make him pay and show EVERY man in this club they can NEVER touch you or anyone else like that again, do you hear me?"

FLASH

"Pregnant?"

Diana: "We have options."

"It's his isn't it? The timing adds up!"

Diana: "Calm down, we will take care of this."

"How, Diana? His father is the RED KING."

FLASH

The blood stains and cuts all began to disappear from Helena's body as a red light swirled around her body. Her torn nightgown was now replaced with a pressed red pant suit, and everything about her impeccably groomed. While she looked like she hadn't been attacked, she still felt like she had been hit by a truck; her glamouring doing nothing to actually heal her. Helena opened her sapphire eyes, the same eyes that her daughter had. Those very eyes she wanted to snuff the life out of. Alexis was a product of rape and a forced birth, all because of the power of a KING. In the end, Helena HATED Alexis because she was nothing more than a memory of one of the most horrific times of her life. And now, she was back. She was back and she was ALIVE, and she knew all of Helena's secrets within Hellfire because of her roll as Mystique.

"I know you're here."

Helena spoke with a low, even voice.

"I'll give you credit where credit is due. You got me. You got me good."

Helena opened her eyes, lifting them to see Alexis standing across the conference table from her.

Alexis: "That's quite possibly the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Yeah well, don't get used to it you insufferable little shit."

Helena hissed, finally lifting her head and pushing her weight off the conference table.

"You have been the bane of my existence since before you were even born. Yet, I can't ever seem to get rid of you. You're like a cockroach that won't DIE. A RAT that lives through the plague unscathed. You are every bad habit someone prays to break. Do you not understand that NO ONE wants you here, Alexis? Not even your little friends whom i'm assuming knew nothing of your return? They're too distracted trying to kill US to give a damn that you're alive. Alexis Quartermaine? HA! An afterthought! An affirmation of their failures! So why are you still bothering to even SHOW UP? You had your chance to kill me, and you STILL FAILED. You ruin EVERYTHING you TOUCH. You have since you were BORN!"

Helena's power began to flicker around her, the walls behind her bleeding to red like melted wax.

"I will make sure you REGRET THE DAY you decided to COME BACK!"

Two red tendril like arms shot out from the wall behind Helena, wrapping themselves around Alexis' body like serpents.
 
She had revealed herself to her old team - to people within Hellfire. There was no hiding behind the 'Mystique' persona anymore. There was no undercover operation anymore. It was now the Endgame and Alexis couldn't waste any time with questions and answers. As soon as Emiko disappeared with Helena, Alexis disappeared herself, running through Hellfire on coms with the Red Guard. They informed her Helena had been taken to the Queen's conference room, a bold choice considering Diana and Kelly were both in the White Wing. Either Helena was extremely confident that she could kill Alexis herself, or she was extremely stupid and underestimated Alexis' prowess and desire to disembowel her aunt. Either way, she was down in the catacombs within minutes, ready to engage. She heard crashing and screaming coming from the room, Alexis invisible as she entered. There was Helena, hunched over in deep thought, her appearance being glamoured as she stood there. Alexis studied Helena in that moment, watching the pained expression on her face as she shut her eyes tightly as if she was trying to rid her mind of a bad memory. It was strange, but frankly Alexis didn't care. Helena was going to be in a world of pain soon enough.

Helena: "I know you're here."

Smirking, of course she did. Helena was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

Helena: "I'll give you credit where credit is due. You got me. You got me good."

Now THAT surprised Alexis. Helena had never given her credit for anything EVER. As Helena lifted her eyes, Alexis' body materialized for her to see.

"That's quite possibly the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Alexis didn't take it as a compliment, nor would she want to. Helena was being her true Helena self and immediately began to go in on Alexis with a venom that many couldn't match. Her words were scathing and relentless. Her tone filled with a disgust that only came with true hatred. She began to tear Alexis APART verbally making the mutant's sapphire eyes narrow with a hatred of her own. Helena had no boundaries when it came to Alexis and never minced words. Today was no exception, but there was a certain spice to them that was different than any verbal lashing she received from Helena before.

Helena: "You had your chance to kill me, and you STILL FAILED. You ruin EVERYTHING you TOUCH. You have since you were BORN!"

Alexis' hand curled into a ball, a blue orb of energy surrounding her fist.

"Keep talking you miserable bitch! I DARE YOU!"

Helena: "I will make sure you REGRET THE DAY you decided to COME BACK!"

Then Helena attacked her with some sort of red tendrils, her body immediately being wrapped and crushed by them. Alexis gritted her teeth as they began to squeeze her tighter.

"And you'll....regret....the day....you ever....."

A blue light began to pulse around Alexis.

"UNDERESTIMATED ME!"

The blue light pulsed outward pushing the tendrils from Alexis' body as if some kind of force field was pressing against them. Her body was freed of the tendrils despite them still being 'wrapped' around something. Helena's face was priceless as Alexis pushed her powers outward even more until the tendrils exploded outward and broke in pieces.

"I'm done with the games!"

Alexis heard voices over Mystique's com alerting her that Valkyrie and Orion were approaching the conference room.

"And so are they."

Alexis WOULD kill Helena, but if Zach and Ashley wanted a few good licks in, who was she to deprive them of that? As they entered, Alexis didn't bother to look at them, her eyes focused on Helena as the table rose from the floor in an invisible force field before flying toward the Red Queen, slamming her against the wall and pinning her there.
 
Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

"UGH!"

He was on her far quicker than she anticipated, wrapping his hands around her neck and throwing her hard into a wall.

"Steel! The Black Court has NO reason to oppose you! You have stormed my wing! Unless you back down, we willl be forced to use it's resources against you. Do NOT burn a bridge where you don't have to. The folly of every cop."

She hissed.

Steel: "That's officer."

His strength surprised her as he hurled her against another wall, this time pinning her tight. She flexed and contorted around his grasp, doing her best to fight back, to make herself small enough to attack, but his grip was tight.

Steel: "You chose to associate with murderers of innocents, of children. Now it's time to pay the price."

[gritting] "Coming from a man who wears a badge BUILT on those very things. Don't you dare judge me. All cops are dirty, and you're just being...[grits] a martyr because of some FUCKED up things you probably did YOURSELF back in the day.."

She wasn't supposed to be letting all of this get to her so personally. She needed to shut off her brain. So she could focus only on killing her prey - she would know the taste of metal soon enough. And then her mind went wild.

<< ZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP !! >>>

A crackling, electrifying pulse began to course through her body, invading her mind and even her cells. She felt in a word...scrambled. She couldn't make sense of her thoughts enough to stop the pain.

"AAAhhhhHhhhhhh!!!"

And that's when she found she had taken a knife to the throat from the man she had poisoned, to add insult to embarrassment. She was dying. And worse - she was a failure. Kelly would never forgive her, nor did she deserve to be forgiven. Her eyes flickered from snake form to human as she began to choke on her own blood as Steel squeezed through her, tearing her into pieces with sheer force. Her mind went black. It was over. She had lost and it seemed as her promises would be left unfullfilled. She let the darkness consume her as she faded away from the Hellfire Mansion and into somewhere else unknown.
 
Hellfire Mansion - The White Wing

"Cobra!"

She felt the woman's soul leave the mansion and fade into obscurity. They had killed her precious Cobra. And worse than that - Amanda had failed one of her first times out. It was equally embarrassing considering the amount of work she had put into the girl. But not everyone was a Black Widow, so to speak. Still, The Black Queen realized that while her sisters were occupied she would take control of this mansion and show those little brats some good old fashioned discipline. Revelations froms her omni sight poured through her as she watched the mansion. Alek was a traitor and he was going to help Persephone's friends get Haleigh out of there. Alexis Quartermaine was hell bent on killing Helena, as much as Cameron and Delilah were on killing Diana. She needed to get this under control, especially considering the actual bombs going off in the Red Wing!

The Black Queen reached out to the White Knight via her power and spoke sternly and somberly.

"Fathom..you are the only Knight left still loyal to Hellfire which means you are now in control of The Sisterhood's armies. Our guards will serve under your command. Your mission is to protect these walls, minimize damage to our strongholds and eliminate the enemy. The enemy, of course, being The Birds and The Six. Show no mercy and show them what it means to mess with Hellfire."

She needed to rally the troops and she knew that Heidi would rally them for Hellfire. Next she spoke to her own team.

"I want all sorts of horrors to be thrust upon them. Tyrants, Leech's...Jessica Marcus if necessary. We're hitting them hard. I want a group of guardsmen sent to The Conference Room, prepared to swarm in and get Helena OUT and into safety if I say neccessary."

She turned to Diana.

"You let me know when you're ready to attack, Malice. I've got it covered on my end."
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Scion’s ‘friend’ asked if Adriana had seen her. She replied that she hadn’t since last night, to which he boorishly quipped another question that Adriana wouldn’t have dignified with a response, even if it hadn’t turned out that he was on Scion’s Black-list. She set about capturing him, which was made a lot more challenging by the requirement that he remain alive.

He wasn’t a pushover, which Adriana should’ve known. After all, a woman with the reputation of the White Princess wouldn’t associate herself with men of inferior quality. So a little bit of resistance would’ve been quite in order. Despite his loutish demeanor, Adriana wouldn’t much have minded a little fistfight. Grenades, however, were a rapid escalation she hadn’t been anticipating. The guardsmen decided to immediately disperse at the introduction of explosives. Cowards.

Adriana was left to do damage control, and in spite of the surprise, she made short work of his attack. Strangely, despite watching her contain a grenade blast, he held her at gunpoint, as if he thought that still gave him the upper hand. Adriana held up her hands and feigned surrender, more out of curiosity than anything else. She asked him, somewhat casually, what he might’ve done to gain his ill-fated status. He shot back that Adriana couldn’t know Scion very well if she thought that him cheating on her would bother her.

Adriana pursed her lips, glad that the mask would hide her agitation. She decided to shift the subject away from his suspicion, asking him just what he thought would happen when he did find Scion. It was comically easy for the White Princess to kill him, given that he brought along a bunch of ‘weapons’ well-suited for Scion to turn against him. He retorted defensively that he’d taken Scion out of commission before.

“Color me impressed.”

She replied with a mirthful tone. She was no less amused to tell him that he had the ‘drop’ on her. She asked him what he wanted to do, then, and offered to take him to Scion. He told her to keep walking, directing her with the barrel of his gun to proceed deeper into the White Wing. He told her not to try anything stupid, advice she categorically dismissed, wondering what his powerset might be. He asked her what ‘they’ called her.

“A vast number of unsavory things, I’m sure.”

She replied as she started to walk, turning her back on him and dropping her hands slowly. He picked up his other gun and followed her, and she deliberately slowed her pace until she could feel his weapon pressing against her back. She sensed movement behind her that wasn’t him. It closed in steadily, a group that was overtaking them. Four distinct sources of kinetic movement.

They got quite close before Mr. Handsome finally heard them. So clearly he didn’t have enhanced senses. Adriana didn’t have to look behind her to know when he turned his head, but as soon as his attention shifted, she sprung into action. She did half a pirouette, turning on him and wrapping her arm around his gun, she pinned it flat against her body and used her momentum to throw a punch at his chin.

She was a small woman, but athletic, with decent speed and slightly above average strength. A shot at his jaw would do little more than surprise him, and only mildly hurt. But she augmented the punch with her abilities, packing it with enough extra kinetic energy to give it a golden glow. The connection would hit him like a hammer, if she managed it. As he reeled backwards in reaction, she opened her fist to catch him, sapping his own kinetic energy until he was stuck in place.

“Princess!”

She greeted with a perky tone as she saw the group round the corner.

“I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested.”

She knew the Red Knight on sight, but the other two were unfamiliar to her. She looked them over, and then turned her gaze back to Scion for further direction.
 
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Hellfire Mansion - To The White Wing

Prophet had a lot on his mind - most of it Diana related, some of it related to Ava. He had nearly killed her, and he would have had something not had intervened. He thought it was him, but it couldn't have been, by the time his PSI Blade started to drain her completely, he couldn't have stopped himself. Ava was a powerful woman. And she had always been no matter the nature of her power, but she had been on his mind a lot lately. After he saw Haleigh's dead body in his office, before knowing of her 'clones' he was reminded of the first time she had died. When her body had been encased in amber her skeleton promptly ripped out of it in front of him. He remembered driving to Montana to personally tell Ava Cassadine. Back then she was an animal whisper, he watched her whip a wild horse into shape with a kind glance. She was so normal then. She still had her signature sense of mystique and danger, but he couldn't help but feel partly responsible for everything Ava had been dragged into because of them. They threw a goddess into her body and never truly checked to see if it was okay with her. It was a last ditch effort in Greece, when Erika was murdered by Ororo. He lost a sister that night, still under the custody of Diana, and he ended up gaining Ava. The woman who would be by his sister when she was tormented. A woman who was by Alison's side when he couldn't be, the frequency of which that occured was something Cameron didn't like to think about. She had taken care of his sister, and she was Haleigh's sister. She became his sister, and when he thought of her...as his sister, he always went back to Montana. He'd gotten to see a very real part of her, and he hadn't seen that Ava Cassadine in quite some time. He was also at his wit's end, and he wasn't sure he wasn't trying to convince himself that he needed to separate Persephone from Ava, or if he was just pissed at Ava and truly wanted to kill her.

Thankfully, the teams began to break off. While Alek was not his first choice in a teammate, the fact that he was still there was telling. Cameron had read him inside and out the second he knew The Red Knight would be joining them, and try as he might, Prophet could not find one reason not to trust the man. He was gritty. Broody. The exact amount of sexy that women who want to ruin their lives went straight for - the inexplicable man bun. He was going to have to answer to Ava for trying to kill her, and Alek had said as much to him, but Alek was a man that Haleigh and Ava trusted, and that meant something to Cameron. He wouldn't get in The Red Knight's way, but he also wasn't going to let Alek bring Ava down. And then he locked eyes with Haleigh as she was talking to Alek behind him and Delilah, who were walking side by side, and everything just didn't seem to matter anymore. There had always been everything in the way of them, no matter how self placed it was. But there wasn't anything anymore. There was nothing worse that could happen. They had finally reached the max. She was Diana's daughter. Progeny of the woman who had destroyed his entire family. And Cameron could get over it. And he knew, that if he could get over this, he could get over anything. And this was her thing, really, not his. Every founding member of The Six had learned or would eventually learn that their ties to this thing always ran deeper. Morgan and Blaze's father, Alexis' aunt Helena, his and Alison's mother Kelly. He would not be surprised to find that Delilah's mother was somehow a member of MysTech at one point. It would be par for the course. Haleigh was going to need him after this. Because he knew she was never going to be the same and she was not going to come back "online" without one hell of a push. And he wasn't leaving her this time. He would never leave her again. Ever. His gaze shifted back towards Delilah, who's hand he grabbed for a moment, interlocking their fingers as they walked.

"Might make us look like pussies walking in there hand in hand, but you know me, i'm needy."

He smirked at her.

"I'm sorry if I've been fucking this up so far..It's a lot. BUT - I want you to know that there is nobody I would rather have by my side right now than you Delilah."

He squeezed her hand with his.

"We're finally gonna do it. We're going to destroy Diana. And then, god as my witness either Haleigh or I will find a way to get your daughter back from Limbo and BACK into your arms...."

He leaned in.

"And then whatever the fuck you want to do, I'm making sure you get to do. You AND Alexia."

[sighing]

"I know. I'm getting way ahead of myself...How are you? Are you okay? I...I sensed Bishop was in the mansion..."

As if on cue..

Madame Masque: "I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested."

"Oh for fuck's sake."

"Oh for fuck's sake. No no no."

Cameron gestured to Haleigh in a "fix this" motion as he continued to speak.

"We do not have time for this."

Prophet looked at Bishop a bit exasperated but not unfriendly.

"Seriously, dude. We're trying to kill the blonde bitch that keeps threatening your baby."

He had a rough go of Bishop. He didn't really know the man, but there was not a person close to him that had a nice thing to say. They were quite literally star crossed lovers, destined to fail everytime. The only constant for them would be pain - lingering or otherwise. But Bishop had never proven himself unworthy of Cameron's trust in the few times they had met. In the dream, he had connected with the man psychically, gotten to know his true aura and spirit, though he didn't mention it to Delilah, because things were complicated enough. This wouldn't help. And they would always find a way back into each other's arms anyway. Bishop was a good man in a lot of pain. So much that he had just learned to live from it. It had changed him. Cameron knew how that alone would draw Delilah to him. He was her dark edge. Just as Haleigh was his. Everytime they tried, they had failed. All they had known was the pain of never being on the same page at the same time, or disaster striking just when they were about to figure things out. He was now in The White Wing of Hellfire, and he realized that he would choose Haleigh one thousand times, even knowing it would end badly. Because he loved her that much. It said something to him.

"Can we count on your help to fuck shit up? In the way that only you can?"

It wouldn't do Delilah any good to see Bishop in a good light, but if they were destined to fail over and over, he might has well try to show her that it wasn't all bad, no matter how bad it ended. He could feel her easily tense up. Cameron looked over to Delilah, casting her a serious glance.

"There's strength in numbers Delilah, and you know he won't go against us. But I promise you have my full support to take him out at any second you deem it necessary."

[pleading]

"I'm begging you.. Please. Let's sort this shit out later."
 
Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

It was beautiful. Steel, Titan and Recall had used their powers in perfect unison to completely destroy The Black Knight from the inside out. This meant something. It definitely raised them on the radar of The Black Queen, but it also showed that they were not to be messed with.

"John! Stop! She's gone...she's gone."

In fact she had been burst into pieces under his weight. It was both remarkable and terrifying. She never thought a man like Steel could have been capable of such a feat, but here they were. And still she had never felt safer.

"She's dead...now where's her head?"

Vivica was serious about the whole de-fanging idea as she searched around the room for Cobra's head, grabbing it by the hair and calling out to the universe the same way Cobra had just tried to do to Oracle a few moments before they killed her.

"This is to the whole fucking lot of you. You come at The Birds of Prey? We will DESTROY you!"

Without so much as a second thought, Vivica gathered Cobra's head into her side underneath a decorative table valance she had found a few moments earlier.

"There's a lab less than fifty yards ahead. It's our best option to keep Titan alive."

Vivica turned to Andrew.

"That whole knife thing was very impressive, Drew. I might lift my no fly zone sooner than I anticipated."

[to Oracle via com]: "Oracle, I'm getting us to an exam room. I can mitigate this, but I'm not sure I can fix this...surely you've got some kind of magickal card to play? Dominique perhaps?"
 
Hellfire — the Red Wing

After their primary target fell almost into their laps and then disappeared again just as quickly, Zizi’s voice came over the comms to tell them where the Red Queen had gone next. Zach volunteered himself and Ash to go after her, knowing that the rest were focused on the White Queen. Ash offered that she knew how to get there from their position, which was good because despite studying the maps last night, he still thought this place was a labyrinth and didn’t trust his tired brain to navigate well.

Oracle gave them a status update on everyone else, which Zach relayed to the Six. Haleigh did precisely what she always did, battle tactics. Zach observed her warily, sensing her irritation with Ash, but Haleigh had always been possessed with an uncanny ability to override her own feelings on a particular matter if she needed to get something done, and that was exactly what she did here, advising Zach and Ash to go after Helena, and to watch out for each other. Ash replied that they always do, and Zach glanced at her with a warm smile.

There was a little exchange next, where Ash reminded Alek that he’d promised to kill Haleigh, which provoked a flash of anger and aggression that prompted Zach to shift protectively towards Ash. It was only a joke, he was about to say, when Haleigh reined in her own temper and instead of resorting to the violence Zach had expected, shot another retort back at Ash. Zach glared at her, but before he could say anything, Haleigh was pulling the fire alarm and planting bombs.

“You’re giving the enemy a chance to escape?”

He asked, shaken from his previous irritation by the confusion. It didn’t make sense to him, that Haleigh would warn Hellfire before blowing it up. She replied calmly that they weren’t all evil incarnate, that some people just worked here. He considered that, but doubtfully. She seemed to cast them as innocent, but how could people working for Hellfire, even as a maid, not be somewhat complicit in what went on in these halls?

He wondered, not for the first time today, about how stockholmed Haleigh might be. She was friendly with the Red Knight, a man who eagerly agreed to kill her. And strangely, she’d asked Zach and Ash to distract the Red Queen, when Zach might expect her to call for her death. All this on top of the things she’d done while she was here, some of which made sense, even if it was decidedly disturbing. And other things, like with Jake, were just plain horrifying. He was still upset about it, though now wasn’t the time to hold her accountable, he wasn’t ready to just forgive and forget. Haleigh had always lived in shades of gray, was comfortable with lesser Evils, but Hellfire wasn’t that. The good people in Hellfire clawed their way out, like Ash had.

Haleigh gestured to him, a little salute, as she wished him happy hunting, and he tipped a salute back at her, wishing her the same. Regardless of her possibly comprised perspective on Hellfire, she did seem determined to help them, and in the end that was what mattered. They could, as Cameron insisted, sort the rest out later. Ash remarked that Haleigh and Cameron made a great couple, something so true that it was almost humorous. Months ago it had been a source of frustration for Zach, but now that he had Ash, he could be objective about Haleigh and Cameron, and how they probably did deserve each other.

"Team Zash, FTW. The look on that prick's face."

Zach smirked, clapping his hand against Ash’s in a high five.

“Oh his face always looks like that. But whatever, if they want to make each other miserable some more, it’s not my problem anymore. And YES, Team Zash. We should get shirts made.”

He replied with a smile as he followed her lead on where to go. After a bit, he looked at her curiously.

“Is it weird for you, being back here? And seeing Alek again? It’s weird for me, being here, knowing what I know about this place and what goes on here. I can’t imagine calling it home. And seeing Haleigh.... I find myself wondering why I tried so hard with her for so long.”

He admitted, as they walked down into the catacombs. It was cold down here, and creepy as hell, with skulls and other human bones lining the passageways. He was glad that Isis had gotten Gabe’s body out of this place. They may not have been friends, but he certainly didn’t wish the man killed or entombed here. He shuddered at the visual display of all those who’d fallen prey to Hellfire. There were thousands represented here. He tried to put it out of his mind, as Ashley led them into the next room.

“Helena Quartermaine, the Red Harpy of Hellfire. We owe you some PAIN, woman.”

He growled darkly. Just the sight of her provoked memories of the night before, and Zizi’s grief, which Zach wasted no time in inflicting on Helena as she was pinned to the wall by a table.
 
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The Red Wing

There was some discussion among Haleigh, Valkyrie, Zach & Alek about the killing of Helena. Delilah did not give a fuck about Helena, except as to say if someone had a chance to snuff her out, they definitely should. Delilah knew she had made Alexis' life a hell, and that was the tip of the iceberg of her crimes.

Zach: "You’re getting a rare second chance to decide where your allegiance really lies. You really want to waste it on Hellfire and the Red Queen? This place will be a smoking ruin by lunch-time, and Helena is gonna get what’s coming to her, whether you like it or not. If you love Ava, like you say, you won’t fight her friends and defend her enemies.”

"He'll act in his best interest. That's what Hellfire people do."

Zach was making this too complicated, trying to sway a guy like this to do what's right.

"Helena is secondary. Go after her if you want, but Malice is the goal."

Alek made it clear he was there to keep Haleigh alive and that's all, which was good, because that way Delilah didn't have to worry about it. Because she shortly thereafter had something else to worry about: Alexis was standing in front of them. And then she was gone.

Zach and Valkyrie went after Helena in the Catacombs, leaving Malice for the rest of them.

Haleigh: “With both the other Queens in the White Wing, that’s where the rest of us need to head. Be ready for me to turn. I’ll fight my mother’s influence as hard as I can, but the closer we get the harder she’ll be to resist.”

Alek: "Maybe you should stay away from Malice. Why deliver you right into Diana's hands?"

Delilah started walking towards the White Wing, not looking at him as she spoke.

"Malice will come for her regardless. Keeping her away isn't going to make us, or her, safe."

The building started to implode behind them. Good fucking riddance.

Haleigh: “Cameron, Delilah, you two take the lead. Alek and I will hang back. Alek, just a heads up, Delilah will likely be the first person I target after Diana mind-fucks me. Well, either her, or the man who’s holding the White Bishop at gunpoint. And here, take this.”

Haleigh handed Alek an EMP wand as if that was going to do anything. Delilah scoffed asking why Haleigh would change targets now.

Haleigh: “Well Delilah, if I could pick my own damned targets, there’d certainly be some changes. But considering it depends entirely on the White Queen’s whims, you’ll have to ask her. If I had to guess I’d say she wants to kill Cameron herself, and probably to make me watch her do it. And since her assignments for me seem invariably designed to punish me as much as anyone else, I’m fairly certain she’ll set me on you again, since it was only when I refused to kill you that she started her extra fucking fun little mind-raping game at all.”

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we meant to be feeling bad for you? Am I supposed to feel better because you didn't go ahead and say how high when Mommy Dearest said 'jump'? Oh, well why didn't you say so?"

Delilah rolled her eyes and moved ahead to walk next to Cameron. They were silent for a moment, before Cameron reached out and grabbed her hand.

Cameron: "Might make us look like pussies walking in there hand in hand, but you know me, I'm needy."

"You really are."

Delilah gave him a small smile, looking at him out of the side of her eye. Then she sighed.

"No afraid your new bestie will be jealous?"

Cameron: "I'm sorry if I've been fucking this up so far...It's a lot. BUT - I want you to know that there is nobody I would rather have by my side right now than you Delilah."

He squeezed her hand.

"Stop thinking emotionally about this. You need to be calculating, surgical. She's just an opponent. No bigger than Set, or Circe, or Badiane."

Cameron: "We're finally gonna do it. We're going to destroy Diana. And then, god as my witness either Haleigh or I will find a way to get your daughter back from Limbo and BACK into your arms...."

Delilah pressed her lips together.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Cameron. There's always going to be another Malice...but when this is over we need to find out what the hell Ororo has been up to. Ensure that she's even okay, that nothing...but I can't think about that right now. I need to focus on this."

Cameron: "I know. I'm getting way ahead of myself...How are you? Are you okay? I...I sensed Bishop was in the mansion..."

She turned to look at him at that.

"You're joking."

Dellah's hand clenched into a fist.

Probably here to fucking save Haleigh.

"Getting in the way, as usual."

And then they came upon a woman dressed all in white, wearing a mask. It didn't take a genius to figure out this was one of the White Court. Bishop seemed to be frozen where he stood, under the control of the woman in white. Delilah whispered sarcastically to Cameron.

"Hey, Cam, how about a head's up next time?"

The woman was talking to Haleigh. She called her 'Princess'. Delilah rolled her eyes. She couldn't help it.

Madame Masque: "I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested."

Your ex, is he? Treacherous bitch!

Cameron: "We do not have time for this."

There were enough of them they thankfully didn't need to pull the "Oh, these are all my captives!" bit. Both she and Cameron looked to Haleigh to handle this, since clearly this was one of her "people".

Cameron: "There's strength in numbers Delilah, and you know he won't go against us. But I promise you have my full support to take him out at any second you deem it necessary. I'm begging you. Please. Let's sort this shit out later."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Nothing to sort out. He's going to go the fuck home to the kid's table and leave this to the adults."
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Their group, now down to a foursome, headed to the White Wing to face her mother. There was some discussion regarding whether or not Haleigh should stay away from Malice. Delilah took the opportunity to be bitter and sarcastic, which was probably warranted, but by this point Haleigh was feeling defensive and finally responded.

Delilah shot that right down with a couple of sharp questions and a roll of her eyes before stalking ahead to walk with Cameron. Haleigh sighed in resignation, because what could she really say to that? They needed to have a real conversation about it, but now was not the time. And truthfully, Delilah had every right to be pissed off. Haleigh fell back to walk with Alek, noticing Cameron grab Delilah’s hand up ahead.

“I don’t remember there being so much hand-holding before I left for Hellfire.”

She grumbled to Alek as she averted her gaze, and would’ve been grateful for whatever Alek said next, except that he was asking her questions about the nature of her relationship with Cameron. Haleigh answered him, but defensively. And then things got a whole lot more uncomfortable, because she was scanning the camera feeds ahead and she knew they were about to run into Bishop. Thank fuck, Cameron warned Delilah so Haleigh didn’t have to.

Gia: “Princess! I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested.”

“He’s not my ex.”

Haleigh corrected quickly, with a glance at the mask before Cameron began to express his frustration. Haleigh’s gaze shifted to Cameron calmly and she gave him a small nod to indicate that she would indeed take care of the matter, while he tried to talk Bishop and Delilah out of getting derailed by their personal issues. Issues that Haleigh was uncomfortably involved in. Delilah had some more scorn to dish out, while Haleigh decided silence was the safest option at this point, because it seemed everything she said only pissed Delilah off more.

Too contrite to even glance in Delilah’s direction, Haleigh instead looked Maxim over. He wasn’t injured, that was good. He seemed frozen in place, but his head was turned in her direction. She locked eyes with him. Her gaze was calm, calculating. His blazed with contempt. She knew he had not satisfied his lust for vengeance the last time they saw each other. If anything he wanted to hurt her more than before. She didn’t blame him.

Before she’d only hurt the woman he loved, only helped him to ruin his chances with Delilah. When it came to that she was distinctly pitiless towards him. After all, they were complicit in that particular act together. Had he really thought he could keep the truth from Delilah forever? Even if Haleigh hadn’t been cruel in revealing what they’d done, she still wouldn’t have been comfortable keeping that secret.

But now there was something different, something more heinous between them. Why else would he be here, if not for a second attempt on her life? He wanted to annihilate the threat to his daughter, and if anything, she respected him for it. He was only human, facing certain death—true death, a final demise. But he was willing to risk it to protect his child. She felt the crush of guilt, for having driven him to such desperate measures. She broke the eye contact, her eyes shifting to the White Bishop.

“How long will he be stuck that way?”

Masque: “I can release him any time you wish.”

The girl replied, and Haleigh nodded. The White Bishop took hold of the firearms Max was wielding, and what looked like wisps of golden energy emerged from her hands, swirling around the weapons and up his forearms as well. She pulled the guns from his grip easily, and handed them both to Alek. Then she reached up with one hand, shoved Maxim’s chest gently, and the energy transferred rapidly, until he was falling at Haleigh’s feet.

As soon as it was done, Haleigh put a power suppression collar around the White Bishop’s neck, and shackled her wrists. Haleigh could’ve killed her with a snap of her fingers, but Gia was just a young girl, raised in this environment. Haleigh reached over and pulled the mask down to see the look of surprise on Gia’s face. She got a small surprise herself, to find it wasn’t Gia at all. Facial recognition databases revealed this girl was a Nefaria, though, a different one.

“Adriana.”

She said, mildly intrigued. Some questions answered themselves with the revelation, but others were left unresolved, new mysteries. Now was not the time to solve it all, though, so Haleigh filed it away for later. Adriana was positively incensed, demanding to know what was going on. Haleigh didn’t answer her, as she was mulling over the options.

“We can turn her over to Steele and Oldenburg. Maybe there’s some charges they can pin to her.”

She suggested, bolting and chaining Adriana’s shackles to the marble floor.
 
Helena was surprised at the level of Alexis' power growth, watching her destroy the tendrils she unleashed at her with ease. She must have been withholding how powerful she really was while masquerading around as Mystique.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Alexis then flipped the conference table at Helena, the metal table hitting her hard and pinning her against the wall.

"UGH!"

She cried out, her arms pinned by her side as Alexis continue to push the table harder against the wall, trying to crush the air from her.

Alexis: "I'm done playing games. And so are they."

And like a G rated child's action movie, tweedle dee and tweedle dumb walked into the conference room. Helena let out a boisterous laugh, even as she was struggling against the table.

"And what are they going to do to me? Ashley is as much of a failure as YOU are, and Zachary's only talent is falling for idiot blondes. You should have joined the Birds of Prey, Alexis. They're about as pitiful and useless as you!"

Then Zach spoke. He was so hot...such a waste of a man.

Zach: “Helena Quartermaine, the Red Harpy of Hellfire."

Helena groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"You really are a the personification of a children's special, aren't you?"

Zach: "We owe you some PAIN, woman.”

And then Helena felt something overcome her, not physical pain, but an emotional pain she hadn't felt in years. She began to scream, her eyes shutting tightly and face contorting as she gritted her teeth trying to focus her mind on anything but what Zach was inflicting on her. Dumb fucking hippy of a man, and this is what her Valkyrie fell in love with after being kicked out of Hellfire? She always knew Ashley was a weak minded push over. And THAT was exactly what was going to get Helena out of this situation.

FLASH

As Helena continued to scream, the world around Ashley began to warp, though nothing would look out of the ordinary to her. She would see no flicker in change, no signs that Helena was warping her reality. To Ashley, the scene remained as it was, until Alexis lowered her hand and the conference table fell from the wall, releasing Helena. She had a devious smirk spread across her lips as she projected an invisible shield around Helena, preventing Zach's attack from continuing.

Alexis: "See, I told you we could lure them here, My Queen."

Alexis purred as she turned to Ashley.

Alexis: "Now, let me see YOU scream."

Alexis extended her hand out at Zach as if she was holding him by the throat. He lifted from the ground choking and gasping for air, Alexis' hand closing tighter and tighter making him gasp even more for air.

Alexis: "He'll be joining Gabe soon, BITCH."

In reality, Alexis and Zach would see nothing had changed within the room, only ASHLEY seeing what Helena was projecting. Helena's eyes were teared due to sheer pain, her jaw tight and teeth clenched as her body 'melted' into the wall behind her, the Red Queen 'disappearing' from sight.
 
Hellfire — The Red Wing

Haleigh was explaining that Malice's control over her would increase as they got closer to the White Queen. So he suggested that maybe it wasn't the best idea to take the weapon to its master.

Haleigh: “Maybe you’re right, but I just can’t run away and hide while they risk everything to face her. Not when I can be the bait to distract her. If she tries to turn me it’ll require her focus and leave her more vulnerable to their attacks. If she doesn’t try to turn me I’m going to make her eat a fucking missile, and she’s gonna know that. So maybe it’s not the safest play, but I’m gonna beat her at her own game if it kills me. Just look for the halo, and don’t let me kill Delilah.”

Alek shook his head.

"I think it's the wrong play...hey, Telepath - you kicked Malice out of her head before, can you do it again?"

Delilah was being a spoiled child, making little unnecessary comments at Haleigh when they were trying to strategize. Especially when half of Haleigh's strategy was to keep her from killing the little light bulb.

"Are you here for any reason other than to run your mouth?"

Haleigh: "Well Delilah, if I could pick my own damned targets, there’d certainly be some changes. But considering it depends entirely on the White Queen’s whims, you’ll have to ask her. If I had to guess I’d say she wants to kill Cameron herself, and probably to make me watch her do it. And since her assignments for me seem invariably designed to punish me as much as anyone else, I’m fairly certain she’ll set me on you again, since it was only when I refused to kill you that she started her extra fucking fun little mind-raping game at all.”

Should have just killed her and asked forgiveness later.

He knew Malice had a fixation on this Cameron - Prophet. But he had underestimated Haleigh's connection to him and the Six.

Haleigh: "However.... I wouldn’t put it past her to have me target Max first either, given that making you suffer through me killing the father of your child was her original Bishop plan to begin with, but I failed to execute that plan too.”

Alek put a hand on Haleigh's shoulder for a moment. He thought again for the umpteenth time that Haleigh and her sister should never have come to Hellfire. They didn't belong here. Correction - he firmly believed that Seph could have thrived at Hellfire if she wasn't being used to control Scion. She had the darkness, and the power. That Helena had allowed her to be a target was so incredibly short sighted of her. And now Helena was paying the price.

Haleigh handed him an EMP wand, and he joked that he'd have brought out toys earlier if he'd known she was into them.

Haleigh: “Ah, missed opportunities. I guess it’s just too bad you didn’t make a better effort to get to know me. Too late now.”

He grinned.

"I thought I got to know you pretty well."

He made an offhand comment as they walked about how she was apparently a "couple" with Cameron and questioning whether she was afraid of breaking him.

Haleigh: “I can be gentle when I want to be, thank you very much. Not that it’s any of your fuckin’ business. Anymore.”

"Ooh, touchy."

He grinned at her. But he still thought she'd break that guy into pieces.

It wasn't long before they came upon Gia, who apparently had taken a prisoner. This one Alek had seen in the report as an associate of the Six.

Masque: “Princess! I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested.”

Alek raised his eyebrows.

"Ex? He does look more your type."

Haleigh: “He’s not my ex.”

Prophet: "We do not have time for this. Seriously, dude. We're trying to kill the blonde bitch that keeps threatening your baby."

"Smooth."

He turned his attention back to Gia.

"Well done, Gia."

It was more ambitious than usual for her, but he was glad to see she seemed to be turning a corner. Haleigh indicated that Gia should let Bishop go, and Gia handed him the man's guns. And then Haleigh took Gia as her captive. And then Haleigh took her mask, revealing that it wasn't Gia after all. Alek laughed out loud.

"No wonder you're acting competent."

She was pissed off, which Alek couldn't blame her - she'd been played to the highest order.

Haleigh: “We can turn her over to Steele and Oldenburg. Maybe there’s some charges they can pin to her.”

Alek was sure Hellfire would have her out in less than an hour. Gia might not have been able to handle herself, but this woman could. She'd be fine. He got close enough to her to speak some kind of consolation.

"Just go along, you'll be fine. Hell, you might even come out of this as a Rook, or even a Princess."
 
The Catacombs

Ashley led the way towards the catacombs, Zach returning her high five for Team Zash, prevailing over the Snobby Six.

Zach: “Oh his face always looks like that. But whatever, if they want to make each other miserable some more, it’s not my problem anymore. And YES, Team Zash. We should get shirts made.”

Ashley beamed.

"Maybe coffee mugs too. His and hers."

They were silent for a while before Zach spoke up again.

Zach: “Is it weird for you, being back here? And seeing Alek again? It’s weird for me, being here, knowing what I know about this place and what goes on here. I can’t imagine calling it home. And seeing Haleigh.... I find myself wondering why I tried so hard with her for so long.”

Ashley shrugged.

"No, it's not weird. This was just a place I lived for a while. It was never my home the way it was for Alek - he saw us ruling this place, I saw us getting out."

She held up her steps so she could come up beside him, and slipped her hand into his.

"And as for Alek? Sometimes I want to kill him, but mostly I just don't give a shit. So it's fine."

She squeezed his hand.

"But good to know you've finally come to your senses about Haleigh."

She let go of his hand and drew her weapon.

"The conference room is through that door."

They slipped inside, and Ash was surprised to see Alexis Quartermaine was already there. Though, she supposed, she shouldn't be. Ash wouldn't have let the bitch go, either.

Helena: "And what are they going to do to me? Ashley is as much of a failure as YOU are, and Zachary's only talent is falling for idiot blondes. You should have joined the Birds of Prey, Alexis. They're about as pitiful and useless as you!"

"Hey, if she kills you, she can be our president."

Helena was pinned to the wall by a table. Suddenly Ashley wished she'd brought a camera.

Zach: “Helena Quartermaine, the Red Harpy of Hellfire. We owe you some PAIN, woman.”

Zach positively growled, which was incredibly sexy.

"You know what they say, 'Payback's a bitch.'"

Helena started screaming, and Ashley knew Zach was doing his work. She added her own power to his, making her feel low, worthless, defeated.

And then Alexis let the table fall and began to shield Helena from Zach.

"Whoa whoa, what about being our president? Stop protecting her dumbass."

Alexis: "See, I told you we could lure them here, My Queen. Now, let me see YOU scream."

"Not a chance spawn of Satan."

But then she was lifting Zach off the ground by an invisible hand at his throat.

"You leave him alone!"

Alexis: "He'll be joining Gabe soon, BITCH."

Zach began to gasp for air.

Ash took a fighting stance, one hand out in front of her and the other holding her sword pointed towards Alexis. With a battlecry she leaped into the air, bringing the sword down as she descended. She was going to skewer Alexis then take her head as a trophy for her wall.
 
Hearing Helena scream in pain gave Alexis the warm and fuzzies all over. GOD it was such an incredible sound, and to see the pain on her face?! It was the icing on top of the cake. Armani didn't get enough credit for his abilities because emotional pain was quite literally the worst kind of pain for anyone to endure. Physical wounds healed, but emotional wounds lasted a very, very long time. So for him to inflict the pain of what Helena did to the Birds of Prey back at her was so satisfying to witness.

Ashley: "Whoa whoa, what about being our president? Stop protecting her dumbass."

Alexis looked over at Ashley with furrowed brows of confusion, her hand still held up and holding the table against the wall to pin Helena.

"Protect her?"

Then it dawned on Alexis, and she audibly groaned out.

"Oh fuck me."

Helena was using her abilities on Ashley, likely making her see that Alexis was the target.

Ashley: "You leave him alone!"

Alexis looked over at Zach as Ashley took a fighting stance, preparing to strike.

"Helena's warping her reality!"

And as if on cue, Ashley leaped into the air with a battle cry, striking the sword down at Alexis. Right as the sword was about to hit, Alexis crouched down and put her fore arm up to block the attack, an invisible shield of energy forming around her in a semi circle as the sword struck down. Alexis gritted her teeth, holding the shield steady against Ashley's strength, the invisible energy now flickering blue. Alexis looked over to see Helena melt into the wall, but he knew the bitch wasn't going anywhere. Zach's attack weakened her otherwise she would have said a bitchy bard and disappeared in a grandiose way. Helena was still there, hiding within her illusions.

"Hey lover boy! Get her to back off me or I WILL hurt her!"

Alexis's body disappeared from sight moments before the shield disappeared as well; Ashley's sword striking only air. Alexis went up behind Ashley, kicking her in the back and sending her flying at Zach. She then reappeared, blowing a piece of fallen blonde hair from her face as she looked at Zach with a less than enthusiastic expression.

"Flood her with calm emotions, it takes the edge off the illusion. The less you believe Helena's projected realities, the harder it is for her to keep them going."

Helena: "Is THAT so?"

Alexis was struck from behind with an Psionic Wand causing her to fly head first into the wall and cry out in pain. The 'empty' conference room around them began to 'melt' away, revealing the REAL conference room filled with Red Guards. Alexis was on the floor, coughing to try and catch the breath that had been stolen from her.

Helena: "Attack."

The Red Guards began to swarm Ashley and Zach as Alexis looked up at her aunt from the floor with cold eyes.

Helena: "So tell me, dear Alexis. Is this real? Or just a figment of your imagination?"

The rest of the guards began to charge for Alexis, one guard getting another hit across her back with the psionic wand and before Alexis could project her force field. Crying out, she fell belly to the floor.

Helena: "Stings like a bitch, doesn't it? I've learned a few things about you as well, my dear. Psionic energy zaps you as badly as an EMP wand would to Scion. Don't be fooled, Mystique, I've done my research on you too."

The guards surrounding her were about to beat her down with the psionic wands, but Alexis raised her shield around her, the guards beating at the shield relentlessly instead. The force field was glowing blue with each hit, flickering as her energy was starting to deplete.

"God....DAMN...YOU!"

Her words strained together as she struggled to keep her barrier in tact. She wasn't about to fall to Helena, not today, not EVER.
 
Hellfire — the Catacombs

They were clearly the best couple in their circle of friends and family, and Zach was amused to high five to ‘Team Zash’. He happily suggested getting t-shirts made, to which Ash offered the idea of coffee mugs. Zach had an immediate reaction of amazement and excitement.

“We could give them out as wedding favors!”

He replied with a big grin before remembering they were here on a mission, and he got a little more serious. There was a time they stalked the halls together in silence as she led him to their target. Then he ventured to ask if it was weird for her being back here, or seeing Alek. She replied that she’d never thought of this place as home, and he nodded, because he couldn’t imagine ever calling it home either, despite his father having had a membership, way back in the day.

Zach himself couldn’t remember the place hardly at all from his teenage years, just a couple of parties or meetings his father had attended. But Zach hadn’t visited personally, only heard of the place, and seen pictures of his father around in various lounges and ballrooms rubbing elbows with the other members. Zach shuddered to think of what could’ve been, if he’d followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the club. Ash brought him back to the present by taking his hand.

Ash: "And as for Alek? Sometimes I want to kill him, but mostly I just don't give a shit. So it's fine.”

He gave her a small smile and returned the gentle hand squeeze.

Ash: “But good to know you've finally come to your senses about Haleigh."

“Yeah, I don’t know, I mean.... I guess I still give a shit but...”

He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Before I felt like this satellite, orbiting around her, searching for a signal, just desperately trying to connect. And now I’m... free of her gravity. I’m over her. Seeing Cameron kissing her, for example, I found it annoying but the thought of them doesn’t hurt like it used to.”

He finished, just before she let go of his hand to draw her sword, telling him the conference room was through the door ahead. Show time, and Zach was ready. He greeted Helena by name, and gave her a title he thought more fitting than ‘queen’. She quipped that he was like a children’s special, which only made him narrow he eyes and growl that they owed her some pain.

He didn’t waste any time. He poured grief into her, and found she harbored some faint echoes of other unpleasant emotions. Guilt. Shame. Fear. Helplessness. He amplified it all to a suffocating degree. Her screaming drowned out his quiet groans. Her face was contorted in pain, but he had a grimace of his own to match. It was at least part determination, and the rest was pain. He couldn’t make her feel it unless he did too, that was the bad part.

“Makes you.....want to die....... doesn’t it? How’s that .....for a fucking .....kid’s special?”

He growled out through gritted teeth. His chest was heaving, tears streaking from his eyes, but he was going to make her sorry she’d ever even thought to hurt Zizi. Helena disappeared from sight, but Zach just narrowed his eyes and snarled.

“You can’t ......hide from me....Helena. I can still...... feel you there.”

Ashley: "You leave him alone!"

Alexis: "Helena's warping her reality!"

His concentration faltered as he glanced at Ashley in concern. Alexis called for him to get Ashley to back off, kicking Ashley towards him. Zach let up on Helena and caught Ash in his arms as she careened into him. Alexis advised him to flood Ash with calm emotions to take the edge off, but Zach didn’t think he could find calm anywhere in the tempest of the room. He did his best to comfort her, though. He had a deep well to draw from when it came to the way he felt about her, and that helped.

“Hey, I’m okay, I’m fine. Alexis didn’t attack me, she’s not the enemy. It was an illusion, that’s all. Not real. Oh shit—”

He cut off suddenly, as they were being attacked by the Red Guard. They sprang into hand-to-hand combat, Zach fighting off contenders with his back to Ash’s so neither of them would get blindsided. The sudden violence provided a much needed rush of adrenaline. Zach gouged out eyes, dislocated joints, broke bones. Behind him, Ash was making grown men cry for their mommies. It would’ve been comical except Alexis was getting beat down on the ground.

Zach hit a couple of Alexis’ attackers with an over-abundance of rage, and in seconds the men were turning on each other and trying to absolutely murder their own buddies over any slight, new or old, real or imagined. It gave Alexis a chance to escape, and Zach boosted her with a shot of exhilaration to encourage her to get up and back in the fight. Then he called over his shoulder to Ash.

“Hey, can you cover me? I can hit Helena again.... harder this time.”

He trusted Ash to have his back, and so he turned his attention back to Helena. She’d gotten a little reprieve, but that was over now. In a heartbeat, Zach took her back to that scary vulnerability, the shameful despair she’d once undoubtedly thought she recovered from. He made her feel it anew, and on top of it he hit her with every wave of grief Zizi had felt the night before.

“You know Helena.... I gave my father a heart attack like this.... you’re older than he was.... when I killed him.”
 
The Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

Nicholas really was an impressive opponent. He was a telepath but there was an unbridled strength and durability that Ben had not experienced before. Most telepaths were soft around the edges so to speak, even the ones that could fight. Gorgon knew that most of a telepath's strength lied in their ability to focus. Cut their focus and you could turn their light out. But this one seemed to be prepared for Ben's brutal attack.

"There we go."

He made a direct hit as Rampage was flown backwards. But his victory was short lived as he sensed Rampage right next to him. Ben instinctively turned towards him. And then the blasts hit. His brain was FILLED with chaotic pain and energy as the psionic blasts pummeled his body, his feet sliding on the ground against their force. It reminded him of the night that Cassandra nearly drained him completely. But he had killed her, and he would kill this one too - he just needed to wait for the right moment. Nicholas faded from his side as he saw the faint drift of shadows across from him, where he had made his initial hit. Ben cocked a curious eyebrow. He had killed many people in his life, super and otherwise, but the one thing about telepaths that he remembered was they channeled a sort of static like energy. You could feel it if you focused hard enough. You could almost tell when their attacks were going to land. It was a trait not often recognized as supers were often too consumed with managing their own energy projections. He felt nothing. Which meant that either Rampage was trying to "shut down" or his connection to that kind of power...was gone. Ever since he'd seen the man he couldn't help but to think he knew him from somewhere. And though he couldn't see him at this very moment, things began to click for Ben. And it made things all the more delicious.

"I didn't realize it was you when I first attacked. Or rather when you made some big stand about me walking out of here with my life, while losing the life of your teammate in the process...but now I do. You're Gustav's little street rat."

[Ben laughed]

"They told you he died in a plane crash, from what I can remember? Unfortunately memories are all we have left.. considering that Hellfire burned MysTech London, and my own father to the ground years ago..."

Gorgon grimaced. He hadn't been expected to face so many moments from his past tonight. Cassandra was one thing, this was another. While Agent Finn was a hopeless alcoholic and all around bastard, he had at one time been very successful. He had created The Axis of Evil, along with Kelly King, a team brought together and funded on the low by MysTech to protect their interests. And Gustav Magnussen had been in their way. Trapsing around Africa, trying to save all the little children, putting his nose squarely into their efforts at mining it's most precious resources for their research. His death had been a win for Ben's father, and Nicholas had been none the wiser, it seemed.

"Thankfully my memory is pretty good. Your would be father died much in the same way that our friend Cassandra just did - having the life squeezed right out of him. It was one of my father's greatest accomplishments. A customary holiday tale he liked to tell when the scotch hit him just enough..."

[smirking]

"Life is funny, isn't it? In a macabre, Machiavellian kind of way..."

His british accent lilted as he began to walk forward down the hall.

"One moment you're murdering your ex girlfriend, and the next your faced with your father's greatest failure. Your's being his untimely death, and mine being that he didn't think to clean you up in the mess.."

[flatly]

"But we'll fix that soon enough won't we lad?"

[pausing]

"Oh bollocks can you show yourself already? Or are you a man who prefers to deal with things in the shadows...?"
 
The Queen's Conference Room

No wonder Helena hated this traitorous bitch. And now she was attacking Zach? Ash was going to kill her for that. She came down hard, with enough force to split Alexis in two. But instead of flesh her sword hit something else, some invisible shield between them. Ashley yelled out in frustration, still pushing down against it. And then Alexis disappeared.

"FUCK!"

The shield she was pressing against dropping and Ashley landed on the floor. She turned with a murderous gaze scanning the room before growling out to the air.

"Where ARE you?"

She felt a blow to her back which propelled her forward. And then Zach's arms were around her. She didn't need to see his face to know it was him - she would know his body anywhere.

"Zach?"

She blinked.

Zach: “Hey, I’m okay, I’m fine. Alexis didn’t attack me, she’s not the enemy. It was an illusion, that’s all. Not real. Oh shit—”

Ashley looked to see more of the Red Guard coming at them like ants. A couple of them she remembered.

"Now she's just trying to piss us off."

Ashley extricated herself from Zach's embrace and flung her sword arm out to the side. She twirled it by the pommel then brought it up pointing at the ceiling and paused. Then she spun counter-clockwise, slashing through guards as she moved. Then she pivoted and turned the other way, clearing a space around herself. Now that she had enough room, she made quick work of the guards who came at her - who already felt as if they'd lost due to her power. She flipped her grip and cocked her arm so that her hand was by her ear, the sword pointed away from her. She straightened her arm in a quick burst of force, stabbing the guard in front of her clean through his forehead, the blade pulling out again clean before the body dropped to the floor. She dispatched several more like this, until she heard Zach's voice behind her.

Zach: “Hey, can you cover me? I can hit Helena again....harder this time.”

"Do it."

Ashley changed her stance so she could keep one eye on Zach and the other on anyone who might try and touch him. She kicked a guard in front of them to push him back, then ran her blade through his middle.

Zach: “You know Helena.... I gave my father a heart attack like this...you’re older than he was...when I killed him.”

Ashley was glad Zach has killed his father. If only she had been there to do it for him, when he was a child before the man could wreak so much havok on his poor son and his mother. The few remaining Red Guard were bugging out, which perturbed Ashley a little because she'd thought they'd been trained better than that. Though who knew WHAT Alek had been doing with them in her absence. That allowed her to turn her focus back on Helena.

"Heart attack, huh? Let me help you with that babe."

Ashley's face morphed into a skull as she ratcheted up her own power and moved forward towards Helena. Reaching her, Ashley grabbed her arm and slapped one hand against Helena's chest, creating an energy field around her hand that would literally give Helena a heart attack.

"You thought you destroyed my life when you kicked me out of this place. But it was really the best thing that ever happened to me."

Ashley pressed harder, enjoying Helena's suffering.

"It must kill you to know that you let a weapon like me go in a ridiculous test of Alek's loyalty."

She smirked.

"Oh, I forgot. It's us that's going to kill you."
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Bishop and his prisoner continued on into the White Wing. His eyes were peeled for any sign of Black Widow. He was quite sure she would know he was here and find him sooner or later. But if he managed to find her first and surprise her, so much the better. The black-haired chick with the mask wasn't much of talker, which suited him fine.

After a while, he heard footsteps approaching, and tilted his head to listen. And the masked woman thought she was going to get one over on him in a physical fight. She wasn't. It was almost comical, the way she grabbed his gun and then threw a punch. She was stronger than she looked, and the punch pushed him back. He was going to push off the floor, spring forward to disable her, but he never made contact. He also couldn't move. She was holding him in place somehow.

"Fucking mutants."

Masque: “Princess!”

Fuck.

And also Mask was being way too perky.

Masque: “I captured your ex for you. Alive, as requested.”

"She's not my ex."

Black Widow: “He’s not my ex.”

So here came fucking Haleigh. And Delilah was with her. His eyes flicked between their faces, trying to discern if Delilah was her prisoner. It seemed like they were together. Well that was just fucking great. And now he needed Haleigh to tell this other Hellfire bitch to let him go. That was just perfect.

His eyes locked with Haleigh's, and he said everything he needed to say to her with the look he gave.

Haleigh did in the end give the order for him to be released, even if it was stupid of her, and the masked woman let him go. Only to be put in chains by her "princess". No honor among thieves, he guessed.

Black Widow: “Adriana.”

So that was her name.

Black Widow: “We can turn her over to Steele and Oldenburg. Maybe there’s some charges they can pin to her.”

"Spoken like a true Hellfire member."

Prophet: "Seriously, dude. We're trying to kill the blonde bitch that keeps threatening your baby."

His eyes bore into Black Widow.

"She's standing right beside you."

Prophet: "Can we count on your help to fuck shit up? In the way that only you can?"

Bishop didn't answer. Cameron turned his attention to Delilah.

Prophet: "There's strength in numbers Delilah, and you know he won't go against us. But I promise you have my full support to take him out at any second you deem it necessary."

"You want Malice, so do I. And you know I'll always watch your back, Lilah, whether you want me to or not. But she is not your friend."

He pointed at Haleigh.

Prophet: "I'm begging you.. Please. Let's sort this shit out later."

Delilah: "Nothing to sort out. He's going to go the fuck home to the kid's table and leave this to the adults."

"You can't seriously think you can work with her again, after all this? That's insane, Delilah. You know who she is, what's she's done. What she threatened to do. Malice wants you dead and she'll use her daughter to do it. That's if she doesn't send her after OUR daughter first!"

He pulled an EMP grenade from his vest, and armed it.

"The Birds of Prey have a lot of nice toys."
 
Hellfire Mansion - The Black Wing

Taunting Zizi had been the last straw. He rammed into the snake woman, pinning her against the wall and slamming into her. She was coiling around him, trying to talk him out of fighting her. He wasn't hearing her excuses, and told her anyone who targeted innocents and children deserved to pay.

Cobra: [gritting] "Coming from a man who wears a badge BUILT on those very things. Don't you dare judge me. All cops are dirty, and you're just being...[grits] a martyr because of some FUCKED up things you probably did YOURSELF back in the day.."

"Keep telling yourself those lies so you don't have to face your own choices."

And then everything happened extremely fast. Recall was electrifying her in his grasp, his body amplifying the voltage, and then a knife was sticking into her neck. She was making a strange gurgling sound as she choked on her own blood. Steel's arms tightened around her, squeezing the life from her the same as she had tried to do to him. He couldn't stop thinking about Zizi crying on the floor next to Gabe's body. About little Jake in the hospital.

Recall: "John! Stop! She's gone...she's gone."

Finally he heard her voice. He let what was left of the body go. Viv had picked up the head, and was now crying out to anyone who could hear.

Recall: "This is to the whole fucking lot of you. You come at The Birds of Prey? We will DESTROY you!"

John's eyes took in what was left of his opponent.

"I'm sure she's not the only thing we'll find in here."

He turned to look at Vivica.

"Thanks for the assistance."

Recall: "There's a lab less than fifty yards ahead. It's our best option to keep Titan alive."

She turned to Andrew.

Recall: "That whole knife thing was very impressive, Drew. I might lift my no fly zone sooner than I anticipated."

Steel held up his hands.

"Oh no. No no. Ashley and Zach are quite more than I can handle thank you very much."

He slipped over to Andrew and lifted him in his arms to mild protest.

"It's best if you don't move more than you have to."

Andrew: "This is so emasculating."

Recall: [to Oracle via com]: "Oracle, I'm getting us to an exam room. I can mitigate this, but I'm not sure I can fix this...surely you've got some kind of magickal card to play? Dominique perhaps?"

Oracle: [via com] "Negative, Recall. We can't pull her away from the Sanctuary, and can't risk anyone following us there. I have another option ready. Do what you can to stabilize him and prepare for extraction."

Steel carried Andrew forward towards the lab, hoping that Zizi knew what she was doing. Sure, Andrew was annoying, but he was a good kid. Entering the exam room, Steel set Andrew down in an exam chair.

"Hang in there mate."
 
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