Domestic Disturbance

[Discord]

:: As Daniel slowly began to stir, he awoke to a grisly scene as the entire Great Hall was covered in a thick coat of ice. Rebecca was unleashing a full scale attack on the group and a white hawk who he deduced was Camille was plummeting straight towards Bretta and Alec who were both battle worn. ::

"Time for my part..."

:: As the hawk began to make it's way towards Bretta, he watched as the dark faerie grabbed an athame and prepared to jam it right into Camille's chest. She was no novice however and she managed to dodge the blade of the athame and circle back around. ::

"There we go..."

:: A twinkle and flicker of green energy flowed around Daniel's right eye as he began to work his illusory powers on The White Queen. As she circled back around and jetted down to try and attack the group once more, she would suddenly "see" Bretta and Alec running in the opposite direction with great speed. As The White Queen tried to navigate her movements in accordance with Daniel's illusion, she found herself SMACKING right into the cold ice walls of The Great Hall, falling to the ground in a thud. ::

"Bingo..."

:: Daniel got to his feet as he watched the form of Camille shift from the beautiful white animal to her form. He began to walk over to her slowly while inducing an illusion in her that caused her vision to be blurry, as if she couldn't see anything clearly. ::

"Get up, Camille. NOW."

:: Discord raised his right hand as he began to break down the walls put up by all the chemicals Camille had been feeding her body for the last few years. All of the pain she felt at being shafted by Liam, the feelings of grieving for her lost White Bishop Heidi, leaving her career as a dancer to be at The Hellfire Club...Daniel was making her feel ALL of these emotions at once and at FULL force. She SCREAMED out in pain as he continued to walk closer to her, watching her body tense and recoil as he drew near. ::

Camille: "No...no....NO!!!!!!!!!!"

:: A small smile crept across Discord's face as he stopped in his tracks a mere few feet away from her. ::

"This is your own fault, Camille. All that pent up and UNPROCESSED emotion..well, it makes you shine like a BEACON to somebody like me. You could have came to me...I could have helped you more than some pill."

:: His smile turned to a growl as he HARNESSED the INCREDIBLE amount of emotion stored in Camille's body and began to channel it into PURE and unbridled energy...BLASTING Camille with the full force of his power as her body began to convulse and her pulse began to raise. The sheer force of emotion she was feeling was now causing The White Queen to have a heart attack...and a big one. She clenched her chest as her eyes began to slowly falter back into the back of her head. He walked over next to her as he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her in the air, watching as her eyes began to slow down, before slowly closing. All the while, Daniel was able to feel everything she held in, every hurt feeling she ever had. As the life left her body, he engaged her in an intense moment of eye contact. ::

"You didn't deserve what he did to you, Camille. Take that comfort to the afterlife. You deserved better."

:: Soon, her body slumped over as Daniel released her from his grab, watching her fall to the floor in a huddle, lifeless. The White Queen was dead and as the omega level empath looked up at the BRILLIANT display caused by Lord Ravena, he saw that The Red Queen was about to be taken care of as well. That left only person left for this group to fight...and the fate of The Hellfire Club rested squarely on Maxine's shoulders. ::

"God Save The Queen...."

 

[Crimson]

In the midst of the chaos that occurred around him, Lord Ravena began to laugh. At first a chuckle, then a uproarious laugh that seemed to fill the room, impossibly louder than could seem to come from one even such as himself. At once he stopped as he saw the tendrils of the Red Shroud recede as Maxine struck a blow to come to Bretta's aid. It seemed to him that the time for play had finally ended.

As Rebecca continued her attack, she grimaced in anger as she watched Lord Ravena laughing at her as if this were some game. This was her LIFE. This was what she had been working on for the last fifteen years. She had taken the helm of Meridian Industries and turned it into something on her own, despite her own limited medical and scientific knowledge. She had done the work and she was not about to go down without one HELL of a fight.

"That little bastard! I'll CRUSH HIM!"

The Red Queen went to raise her other hand and ignite a deadly attack on Lord Ravena himself until she was stopped DEAD in her tracks at the igniting of a spell by Lord Ravena. She had no idea the words he had muttered but she could most certainly feel the effects as if her body was completely frozen in time. The gauntlet on her arm that allowed her to channel the Crimson Shroud flickered before the energy retreated back into the gauntlet. Her eyes widened in disbelief and wonder as she tried to FIGHT her current frozen position.

"You son of a BITCH! I should have offed you right along side Evelyn! None of this even CONCERNS you! Stand BACK!"

She fought with ALL of her might and for a second it even appeared as if she had somehow found a way to break free from the spell...until Lord Ravena began to chant once more, this time in a language she understood.

Dark forces of hell, of death and the grave,
A bargain redeemed, now come to my aid,
Chaos and shadow, balance unhinged,
emerge and embrace my plan of revenge!!

"What?!?"

A rift, or a gate perhaps. No matter...in any case a portal opens, revealing the deepest darkness. Any fighting
still going on in the room has by now long ended as a dread overtook the place. From the darkness a shadow,
a form can be seen. Smiling by now, Lord Ravena steps forward, turns to those gathered and takes a bow.

May I introduce to you for the final time, the Black Queen of the European Branch of the Hellfire Club, Evelyn Pierce!

And it was so. EVELYN steps out of the shadow, more beautiful than any of them could remember her. Her outfit was incredible, something from a dream, sexy and regal and terrible and wonderful all at once. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that this form was not corporeal. No...this was her spirit, her essence, in this place. Walking forward she strode past Rebecca as if she were not even there, coming at first to her Black Knight. Maxine took a knee and looked up, tears running down her face.

"Don't get too excited MAXINE...it's just an illusion..it's not really her. Trust me...I was part of the cleanup crew. I watched as her body BURNED!"

Rebecca watched as Maxine and Evelyn shared an intimate moment as the smallest semblance of a tear began to roll down her face as she looked upon her own court. Bretta. She had truly cared about Bretta and when push came to shove...she wasn't certain if she actually WOULD have been able to get rid of her. She had invested so much time and care into the dark faerie only to be betrayed in the worst of ways. Alec was the same. She had never really liked him and though she may have been firm with him from time to time, it was only to try and reign in his wildly innappropriate behavior. Everything Rebecca did was for a reason. They may not have liked her methods but she was one of the oldest members on The Court for a reason; she was effective. Even Daniel who had once been on her side was now working in tandem with this group of upstarts. Rebecca was not an emotional person..but to see every person she had ever offered power to and protected over the years completely turn on her, holding their breath and excitement to watch her die..it was hard to say the least. She gulped for a second in her own throat.

The Black Queen made her way to Archer, Juliette and Liam as Rebecca was forced to sit there and watch their beloved Queen take court with them one last time, as her own court waited for her to be exponged.

"Ungrateful...am I really that bad?! Did I really fail them THIS miserably?!"

Finally, it was Rebecca's turn to face Evelyn.

Evelyn turns to face Rebecca looks upon her with contempt before it softens to...PITY?!

"Oh Rebecca. Even in death I am your better. Because you see, you could only take my life. But there is something afterwards, and for those of us well connected enough, strong enough, those willing to sacrifice, there is Paradise."

"Have you heard of Elysium? The fields of paradise? There is a place for me there, somewhere to live forever, even my own body so as to TRULY live again. I MIGHT not pass into this dimension again, but I will never want again in my OWN."

"But what sacrifice for such a gift, you may wonder? Why my dear, it is simple. YOUR SOUL!"

Rebecca recoiled her face in disgust as she mustered up enough saliva in her mouth in an attempt to spit on The Black Queen.

"You can have my soul, you bitch...but I will NEVER bow down....TO ANY OF YOU!"

She struggled to break free from Ravena's spell, again with all of her might, a testament to the others to just how strong willed The Red Queen was. She never backed down, even when death seemed absolutely iminent. But it was too late.

And with that, Evelyn steps back as Lord Ravena strides forward, his fangs protruding. He would not give a sweet kiss or a lovers nip...NO. Lord Ravena slices open The Red Queen's throat with a fang, feeding on her for a moment and then allowing her to fall to the floor, her eyes wide with pain and the fear of impending death. Lord Ravena stands over her and gestures to the Red Shroud.

"You won't be needing this where you're going."

A portal disc opens up at her elbow, SLICING away her arm and the Shroud with it! It reappears in his hand and with a gesture he renders the stump inside to ash, pouring it out before tucking the artifact into his robe. Raising his right hand, an eldritch blade forms of pure dark magic energy and with a flourish he finishes the job, slicing Rebecca's head neatly from her body. Moving quickly, he reaches for a pouch of what appears to be sand, pouring some of it in his hand and blowing on it to reveal...

Rebecca was bleeding from her throat as she cried out in a gargling type of pain as blood spilled from her neck like a gallon of paint spilling on the floor.

[gasping, fighting for breath]

"No---I--ca..."

She felt the life draining from her body. She was confused. She was terrified. She didn't want to die.

A spirit, a ghost lifting from the newly deceased. Slowly the form coalesces and it is indeed Rebecca, bewildered and afraid and slowly realizing that she is not in her body. By now Evelyn is leaving, her message delivered, but not before she yields at the portal as shadows emerge, slim and monstrous, growling, snapping and...LAUGHING?! They fall upon the new spirit and a scream can be heard as Rebecca is dragged away, into the portal past Evelyn and towards a figure who, as she sees who it is, her screams begin anew as she somehow realizes that she has been left to a fate far worst than that of her enemy.

With an audible ring the portal closes, the smell of brimstone and the bloody shell of the former Red Queen is all that is left to herald what has occurred. The Lion of New Anatolia stands silently, his lust for revenge nearly satiated.

The next thing she knew she was standing over her own dead body. Confused.

"What...what happened?"

Panic runs across her face as she realizes...The Red Queen has been killed. She is dead. Everything she worked for. Lost and given to people who didn't deserve it. People who couldn't handle it. Everything came rushing back to her as the shadows began to overtake her. She screams in such a way that it sends CHILLS through the spine of everyone around her.

"NOOO...STAY BACK...NO!!!! AAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

The portal closes and with it, ends the brutal rule of The Red Queen.

 

[Domino]

:: Maxine was more than ready to watch the life fade from Rebecca's eyes. This had been a long time coming. For just as guilty as her father was for the things he had done to The Black Knight, Rebecca was right alongside of him, a fact that Maxine had never forgotten. Her only mistake was the assumption that Jean Luc's head rolling down The Great Hall had scared Rebecca from her work permanently. It was the only bit of credit Maxine would ever give The Red Queen. She did what she wanted and she did whatever it took to get it done. ::

"A simple HELLO would have sufficed, Maxine...but no worries. You have a history of being easily domesticated..so let's see if you still remember your commands. STAY!"

:: The Black Knight smiled as Rebecca began to ignite her shroud energy attack. Maxine was able to sense the changes in the atmosphere around her, letting her know to get OUT of harm's way. Seconds before the tendrils of crimson shroud energy began to envelop the group, Maxine jumped HIGH into the air, grabbing hold of one of the crystal and icy chandeliers. As the tendrils faded upon Lord Ravena's words, Maxine dropped back to the ground, squatting for a second before returning to a defensive fighting stance. She looked over at Ravena for a moment with an almost sharp warning to the man. ::

"Ravena...She is MINE! Let me KILL her."

:: Maxine had more than enough blood on her hands. For all intents and purposes she had met her quota, but there was a deep desire within The Black Knight that made her want to dig her fingers into Rebecca's insides and braid her intestines like a full head of hair. She wanted to see the pain in her eyes, the struggle on her face. She wanted justice in the most brutal and perverse ways..but there was something in Ravena's face that told her to stand back. It was Evelyn. In her pursuit of justice against the sins of The Hellfire Court she had forgotten just how close The Black Queen was to The New Lion of Anatolia. They had a relationship unlike any other Maxine had seen. They were truly confidents and friends. He needed to seek his own revenge. He needed this. Maxine stood back out of respect. ::

Dark forces of hell, of death and the grave,
A bargain redeemed, now come to my aid,
Chaos and shadow, balance unhinged,
emerge and embrace my plan of revenge!!

:: Maxine's eyes widened as the scene unfolded right in front of her. ::

A rift, or a gate perhaps. No matter...in any case a portal opens, revealing the deepest darkness. Any fighting still going on in the room has by now long ended as a dread overtook the place. From the darkness a shadow, a form can be seen. Smiling by now, Lord Ravena steps forward, turns to those gathered and takes a bow.

"May I introduce to you for the final time, the Black Queen of the European Branch of the Hellfire Club, Evelyn Pierce!"

:: Maxine's jaw nearly dropped from her mouth as she fell to her knees immediately, feeling a surge of emotion that she was desperately trying to fight. ::

And it was so. EVELYN steps out of the shadow, more beautiful than any of them could remember her. Her outfit was incredible, something from a dream, sexy and regal and terrible and wonderful all at once. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that this form was not corporeal. No...this was her spirit, her essence, in this place. Walking forward she strode past Rebecca as if she were not even there, coming at first to her Black Knight. Maxine took a knee and looked up, tears running down her face.

"Do not despair Max. You have never failed me and you honor me now with your willingness to fight for me. All has happened as it should and I will watch over you in paradise. Your time here, however, is at its end. Go with Lord Ravena when he leaves this place. He alone will watch over you as I have and he alone is worthy of your trust."

:: Maxine almost didn't want to look at Evelyn's face as she spoke. It was too painful. It was too cathartic. This was the woman who had helped her become who she was...even in death, Evelyn had given Maxine the courage she needed to shed the many heavy and thick layers of pain the Hellfire Club had inflicted on her over the years. She remained reverent, in a pose not unlike a Knight upon viewing her Queen. ::

:: The Black Knight's pale blue eyes looked upon her friend one last time. Her words were exactly what she needed to hear. Exactly as Lord Ravena and her had intended. ::

"There is still one battle left to fight before I leave these walls, My Queen. I cannot leave until everything has been taken care of....EVERYTHING..."

:: More tears fell from her face as Evelyn smiled warmly and moved towards the other group. The Black Knight quickly wiped her face of any evidence of her emotional outpouring and stood to the ground, once again ready to fight. ::

:: She watched as Evelyn said her final words to Rebecca. ::

"Here's hoping there's a place WORSE than Hell..."

And with that, Evelyn steps back as Lord Ravena strides forward, his fangs protruding. He would not give a sweet kiss or a lovers nip...NO. Lord Ravena slices open The Red Queen's throat with a fang, feeding on her for a moment and then allowing her to fall to the floor, her eyes wide with pain and the fear of impending death. Lord Ravena stands over her and gestures to the Red Shroud.

"You won't be needing this where you're going."

A portal disc opens up at her elbow, SLICING away her arm and the Shroud with it! It reappears in his hand and with a gesture he renders the stump inside to ash, pouring it out before tucking the artifact into his robe. Raising his right hand, an eldritch blade forms of pure dark magic energy and with a flourish he finishes the job, slicing Rebecca's head neatly from her body. Moving quickly, he reaches for a pouch of what appears to be sand, pouring some of it in his hand and blowing on it to reveal A spirit, a ghost lifting from the newly deceased. Slowly the form coalesces and it is indeed Rebecca, bewildered and afraid and slowly realizing that she is not in her body.

By now Evelyn is leaving, her message delivered, but not before she yields at the portal as shadows emerge, slim and monstrous, growling, snapping and...LAUGHING?! They fall upon the new spirit and a scream can be heard as Rebecca is dragged away, into the portal past Evelyn and towards a figure who, as she sees who it is, her screams begin anew as she somehow realizes that she has been left to a fate far worst than that of her enemy. With an audible ring the portal closes, the smell of brimstone and the bloody shell of the former Red Queen is all that is left to herald what has occurred. The Lion of New Anatolia stands silently, his lust for revenge nearly satiated.

:: The Red Queen was dead. And the feeling that Maxine felt in this moment could not be identified with words. It was a mixture of relief, release, pain and euphoria. She felt her eyes look coldly upon Rebecca's butchered body before she walked over to it herself. She only had a few moments. ::

:: Maxine straddled Rebecca's body as she rubbed her hands together for a moment and placed them SQUARE on The Red Queen's chest. The Black Knight's eyes widened as her hands became outline in an electric red energy as she began to completely decay Rebecca's body, not stopping until the entire corpse had been reduced to ash and dust. ::

"Goodbye, Rebecca...."

:: She stayed there in the pile of dust for several seconds, just looking at it. Taking the moment in. Until her sense alerted her of something...peculiar. It was a scent...a feeling that Maxine had NEVER felt before in her life but she knew immediately what it meant...in fact...she could almost SEE what was coming. She stood immediately and turned to the group. ::

"I need you all to MOVE! She's COMING!"

:: The group looked confused for a moment. ::

"Don't ask me how I know...I just KNOW. She is coming and FAST! Get to the top level of the Great Hall...NOW!"

[she looked at Juliette, Liam and Lord Ravena]

"I need you three to act as my backup..."

[looking up at Archer, Bretta, Daniel and Alec who were making their way up the stairs and to the balconies of The Great Hall]

"You guys, make yourself scarce. Do NOT interrupt unless things get dire. We need her focused on ME. I am what she wants...NOT YOU GUYS. Understand?"

:: The group nodded as Maxine looked towards the arched double doors of The Great Hall. The woman who had been calling her out since her arrival tonight was on her way, and causing a stir in Maxine that she didn't understand. The only thing she DID know...was this woman was gunning for her and she was going to have to fight her way out of this place...one more time. ::

 

[Viper]

HAH!

[CRACK!]

[A vine whip lashes out with a violent crack and wraps around Liam's waist line. A glowing green energy pattern surges through the whip and into Liam, painfully electrocuting him before he is yanked off his feet and swings around in a wide, circular pattern, becoming a human WRECKING BALL and SLAMMING into Juliette and Lord Ravena. Finally, Liam is released from the coil of the whip and left to fly into a wall and land on the floor.]

They're going to sit this one OUT!

[ Viper's voice, with it's haunting resonance, rings out as she emerges from the shadows around the great hall. Her striking green eyes glow as she smiles at Domino like a demented cheshire cat. She eyes Domino for a few moments before her smile fades and her childlike, almost PLAYFUL demeanor quickly shifts to that of a cold predator ]

You don't look so tough.

[ walking forward slowly in her high heeled boots]

And that wasn't very nice, what you and your little upstart friends did [ referring to Rebecca].

I DON'T LIKE IT when frauds interfere with MY plans or try to take credit for MY accomplishments!

[ If Domino knew of Viper's original past, she would know how DEEPLY offensive Viper actually found these things. But as it stood right now, this [nearly perfectly copied] clone was operating under misinformation provided by Rebecca. If only Domino knew how EASY it might be to turn this whole situation around...but nothing ELSE in her life ever came easy, so why should this?]

Now you're going to DIE. I'm going to KILL YOU.

[ Domino's attention is momentarily drawn to the balcony above. Cries from above can be heard. Bretta and the others were under attack, but from what??]

[ soon, the din of a SWARM of insects can be heard! that din preceeded an electric green glow before the swarm itself could be seen surging forward. Mutated WASPS. The insects were larger than any naturally occurring wasp, faster, and discharged powerful, paralyzing, even FATAL bio electric blasts. They were capable of stinging their targets multiple times and were CARNIVOROUS]

[ The swarm comes flowing, SURGING forward and the din grows LOUDER. Viper lifts her hands, like a conductor about to lead a symphony of violence, and the swarm CASCADES down from the balcony like a waterfall upon Domino!]

[ But even as Domino attempts to deal with the immediate threat, Viper wastes no time as she herself FLIES forward and through the swarm, SLAMMING into Domino. Using her super strength (lift/press 50 tons) she upper cuts Domino in the chest, then follows that with a strong right hand cross across her jaw. Any normal or most super powered beings would have experienced the pain of completely shattered jaw, if not completely rendered unconscious, but Viper knows Domino is made of sterner stuff. This is merely PLAY TIME for Viper. Too bad for Domino...Viper BREAKS most toys she plays with.]

[ Viper's super speed also comes into play as she spins around and ROUND HOUSES Domino away from her and out of the swarm, which itself spreads out wide, forming a CIRCLE around the two women, making a "ring" that will separate them from Juliette, Liam and Ravena]

Get up! and get KNOCKED DOWN AGAIN!

I'm going to have SUCH FUN BEATING YOU TO DEATH!

 

[Domino]

:: Maxine barely had time to finish her sentence as the scene was completely crashed by the mysterious woman with the bright green eyes. Her vine whip wraps around Liam as he becomes seemingly electrocuted before becoming a wrecking ball as she forces The White King to take out Juliette and Lord Ravena, sweeping them from their feet and knocking them down like bowling pins. ::

Viper: "They're going to sit this one OUT!"

:: A curious smile forms in Maxine's face as she is met with the woman of the hour. She liked her moxy and her ability to walk in and take over a room. In fact, it reminded her a lot of herself, right down to the psycopathic look in her wild eyes. Domino stood completely still as the woman stood there smiling like the bad seed that she was...and then her face shifted. Into that of a wild animal about to tear into her prey. ::

"Well now...this one might be fun!"

"You don't look so tough."

[ walking forward slowly in her high heeled boots]

"And that wasn't very nice, what you and your little upstart friends did!" [ referring to Rebecca].

"I DON'T LIKE IT when frauds interfere with MY plans or try to take credit for MY accomplishments!"

[ If Domino knew of Viper's original past, she would know how DEEPLY offensive Viper actually found these things. But as it stood right now, this [nearly perfectly copied] clone was operating under misinformation provided by Rebecca. If only Domino knew how EASY it might be to turn this whole situation around...but nothing ELSE in her life ever came easy, so why should this?]

"Now you're going to DIE. I'm going to KILL YOU."

[ Domino's attention is momentarily drawn to the balcony above. Cries from above can be heard. Bretta and the others were under attack, but from what??]

:: Although Maxine heard the screams from her friends upstairs, but at this moment, none of that was of much concern to her. This woman had been specifically calling her out tonight. Poking the bear so to speak, and although Maxine admired the woman's brute force and confidence, she was beginning to tire of so many people wanting her dead. ::

"How many people do I have to waste to get a little respect around here?"

:: She walked up to meet Viper as well. ::

"I may not look tough...but then again, neither do you..and I have a feeling we are both capable of some pretty incredible feats."

:: Maxine contorted her face in disgust as Viper mentioned Rebecca's death. ::

"Well.. Rebecca wasn't a very nice person. In fact she was a CUNT who had it coming for quite awhile. And you've made a mistake...THEY [gesturing above herself] may very well be upstarts...but I'm a professional..."

[to herself]

"What the fuck is this woman's deal?!"

Viper: "I DON'T LIKE IT when frauds interfere with MY plans or try to take credit for MY accomplishments!"

:: Maxine rolled her eyes as she began to walk towards Viper in a far faster pace than before. ::

"The only plan you seem to have is to taunt me for reasons that are beyond ANYBODY here..and the only thing you've managed to accomplish is pissing me off in record time. Who the fuck are you and what do you WANT?"

Viper: "Now you're going to DIE. I'm going to KILL YOU."

:: Domino didn't know what to do. The entire situation...after everything she had been through, was just absurd. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. ::

"Bring it on."

[ soon, the din of a SWARM of insects can be heard! that din preceeded an electric green glow before the swarm itself could be seen surging forward. Mutated WASPS. The insects were larger than any naturally occurring wasp, faster, and discharged powerful, paralyzing, even FATAL bio electric blasts. They were capable of stinging their targets multiple times and were CARNIVOROUS]

[ The swarm comes flowing, SURGING forward and the din grows LOUDER. Viper lifts her hands, like a conductor about to lead a symphony of violence, and the swarm CASCADES down from the balcony like a waterfall upon Domino!]

:: Now Domino had to worry about what was going on above her as a SWARM of insects began to fall down on her like lava erupting from a volcano. She knew this was a distraction, and Maxine was nervous to show much if ANY of her power. She didn't know how much this woman already knew about her and she certainly wasn't going to showboat this early on, unless she knew she had a KILL shot. ::

:: She closed for eyes for a split second and in doing so she began to channel the part of her power that allowed her to decay organic matter through her touch. It had taken Maxine years to be able to separately channel this ability through her hands. Before that, she had lived life as a virgin who wore a hell of a lot of long sleeve thermals and gloves. Thankfully, time had been her friend. She knew that although these wasps were potentially dangerous, her phsyiology and durability would most likely offer her a great amount of shelter from the bites and in channeling her ability throughout her entire body, any wasp that attempted to dig it's clickers into her skin would be met with a white hot burning kiss before dissolving into dust. She was also about to test Viper's durability. ::

[ But even as Domino attempts to deal with the immediate threat, Viper wastes no time as she herself FLIES forward and through the swarm, SLAMMING into Domino. Using her super strength (lift/press 50 tons) she upper cuts Domino in the chest, then follows that with a strong right hand cross across her jaw. Any normal or most super powered beings would have experienced the pain of completely shattered jaw, if not completely rendered unconscious, but Viper knows Domino is made of sterner stuff. This is merely PLAY TIME for Viper. Too bad for Domino...Viper BREAKS most toys she plays with.]

:: The Black Knight could BARELY make out Viper's form as she was SLAMMED into with a force that she hadn't been expecting, followed by a brutal upper cut to the chest and a right hand across her jaw. Maxine was jostled from her position and lost her footing for a second as her face was rocked back by the last punch. She smirked for a second. ::

"The girl's got moxy..I'll give her that much..and one hell of a right hook!"

[ Viper's super speed also comes into play as she spins around and ROUND HOUSES Domino away from her and out of the swarm, which itself spreads out wide, forming a CIRCLE around the two women, making a "ring" that will separate them from Juliette, Liam and Ravena]

"Get up! and get KNOCKED DOWN AGAIN!"

"I'm going to have SUCH FUN BEATING YOU TO DEATH!"

:: The SECOND that she was round house kicked in the stomach she feigned falling to the ground and rolled, extending her right leg out in such a quick and flawless way that Viper barely noticed it barelling through her knees, clotheslining her instantly...and just as Viper lost her balance, in that split second, Maxine WRAPPED her hands around a flourish of loose silken black hair and gripped HARD before pulling down. Had she used her full force of strength (press/lift 125 tons), she would have scalped the woman and taken more than just skin and hair tissue. As the mystery woman was FLUNG to the ground against the force of Maxine's attack, The Black Knight was instantly on top of her, her knees straddling over Viper's arms, pinning her down. She stared the wild woman in the eyes. ::

"You've been DUPED you dumb bitch!"

[headbutts Viper straight on]

"Do you think this is some kind of GAME!? You think you can just come in here, STRANGER in MY HOUSE!?WHO ARE YOU!"

[punch right across the face]

"Whatever that BITCH IN RED told you was a godamn LIE! You think that many people sit around and watch a woman die because of her tireless CHARITY EFFORTS?! ARE YOU DENSE! NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE BEFORE I DECAPITATE YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS! I've had ENOUGH bullshit tonight. ENOUGH! You wanted to poke the bear? You got it, babe!"

 

[Viper]

[ Viper's eyes widened for a second as she was YANKED down with such force and fell to the floor, but once down, she returned to her cold, predatory facial expression]

[Domino was on top of her, and for the moment, she had the leverage! But the moment she made contact with Domino and maintained that close proximity with her, something ELSE became apparent to her...]

[FLASH!]

[ Domino's internal systems, her cells, her very DNA, all of them were were different....MARKED...ALTERED by...]

the T VIRUS! I KNEW IT!

[ Viper sensed it and SMILED at this delightful discovery before...]

"You've been DUPED you dumb bitch!"

[headbutts Viper straight on]

WHAT!? what does she MEAN!?

[ Truly wondering just what Domino was saying, Viper's face contorts as Domino head butts her. Viper then LAUGHS as the woman exclaims with a mix of surprise, disbelief, offense and anger]

"Do you think this is some kind of GAME!? You think you can just come in here, STRANGER in MY HOUSE!?WHO ARE YOU!"

[punch right across the face]

[Viper's laughter is sharply interrupted by that thunderous punch as her head is rocked and her face whips to the side. Were it not for her own augmented physical constitution due to her status as a mutant and carrying the T-Veronica virus, an ultra rare, designer strain of the original T Virus, Viper's jaw would be broken or worse.]

"Whatever that BITCH IN RED told you was a godamn LIE! You think that many people sit around and watch a woman die because of her tireless CHARITY EFFORTS?! ARE YOU DENSE! NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE BEFORE I DECAPITATE YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS! I've had ENOUGH bullshit tonight. ENOUGH! You wanted to poke the bear? You got it, babe!"

[Viper slowly returned her gaze to Domino, NOW her face seemed to be enshrouded in shadow, with only her green eyes glowing]

You....

...Vain, FOOLISH little girl.

If what you say is true....then you HAVE done me a FAVOR! But that is to be EXPECTED of those destined to SERVE ME!

Do you think you've won? Do you think you've over powered ME!?

Your very EXISTENCE is owed to ME!

[FLASH!]

<< A view of Domino's internal systems once more, before zooming out to her external form, and the visible evidence of her T Virus accents>>

It was my father and my own machinations that made CREATURES like YOU even POSSIBLE.

[Indeed, Jessica Marcus had been chief of research at the original Arklay Laboratory ....at the age of 10! Her intellect was just ONE of the POWERS she possessed, but that intellect was matched by a depravity, a child like glee for violence that often obscured just how deadly a mind she had. ]

You're nothing more than a BIO HAZARD that needs....to....be...ELIMINATED!

[ Viper LOCKS onto Domino's biological signature, and ANY trace of the T Virus in her system and IMMEDIATELY causes it to evolve in a CHAOTIC pattern that only SHE can control. Domino immediately loses her vision. Blood flows from her eyes and nose & her head feels like it's going to EXPLODE as the virus begins to cause a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Viper is giving Domino a terrifying, warp speed TASTE of being turned into a CRIMSON HEAD, but she does not allow the process to complete...she only does it to deliver a kind of PAIN Domino hasn't known before, and that pain is enough to stagger her. Domino wondered EARLIER, why this woman unnerved her so? She was getting a taste of it now, and may not have realized SHE was the one responsible for it. ]

I am the legacy from which YOU are nothing more than a fleeting FOOT NOTE and it's TIME YOU LEARNED WHO IS THE MISSTRESS OF THIS WORLD AND ALL THERE IN!

[ While Domino reels from this passive attack...]

Get your hands...OFF ME!

[ Viper "spits" and from her opened mouth a TORRENT of ACID FLAME ERUPTS, BLASTING Domino in her FACE. And THEN, She unleashes a ballistic field VENOM BLAST all around her person, BLASTING Domino off of her!]

You biological MISTAKE, you DARE to compare your power to MINE!?

[Viper abruptly HALTED the passive attack on Domino's T Virus accented body]


I'll RAM IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!

TAKE THIS!

[Now on her feet and in top form, Viper is now in full on violence and destruction mode, she thrusts her hands forward, palms facing out, and unleashes a broad beamed VENOM BLAST at Domino with enough concussive power to shatter a battle tank and enough bio electric energy to FRY most bio/carbon based forms]

 

[Domino]

[Viper slowly returned her gaze to Domino, NOW her face seemed to be enshrouded in shadow, with only her green eyes glowing]

"You...."

"...Vain, FOOLISH little girl."

"If what you say is true....then you HAVE done me a FAVOR! But that is to be EXPECTED of those destined to SERVE ME!"

"Do you think you've won? Do you think you've over powered ME!?"

"Your very EXISTENCE is owed to ME!"

:: Maxine grimaced at Jessica's words as her face contorted in anger. ::

"Oh I've officially HAD it with people taking responsibility for my EXISTENCE!"

:: She dug her knees deeper against Jessica's arms, continuing to pin her to the ground. ::

"I may not have overpowered you...YET...but you are CRAZY if you think I'm going to let you walk out of here with your life intact!"

:: The Black Knight was reaching her breaking point mentally and Jessica's words were not helping. For her entire life she had been used as a pawn. She was abused mentally, physically and sexually in an effort to further her father's lackluster work. She was broken down and built up to be an asset and even then she was nothing more than a service that could enlisted whenever they saw fit. Everybody in her life had taken credit for her when all they did was provide the tools. Maxine was the one in the field, breaking skulls and slitting throats and getting things DONE. It was what she had tried to explain to Juliette and Bretta down in the catacombs. Her accomplishments were because of what they did to her, they were because she was simply the only one with enough intellect and capability to do so. If they had been capable of creating a branch of The Hellfire Club as strong as The American one, they would have already done so..and any progress they had made over the last ten years had been by her brute force and cunning ALONE. She possessed the darkness needed to get the job done. Anybody else would have broken under the incredible amount of abuse. ::

"It was my father and my own machinations that made CREATURES like YOU even POSSIBLE."

[Indeed, Jessica Marcus had been chief of research at the original Arklay Laboratory ....at the age of 10! Her intellect was just ONE of the POWERS she possessed, but that intellect was matched by a depravity, a child like glee for violence that often obscured just how deadly a mind she had. ]

"She...she's a MARCUS?! How...how is that even POSSIBLE?!"

:: Maxine was throttled with this information. The Black Knight had extensively researched the experiments done on her as a child once she had stolen access to the information. She knew the origin of the virus and it's various strains and now she was pinning down the daughter of the man who created the original Virus that brought about Maxine's torture and experimentation. ::

"James...James Marcus is your FATHER?!"

Viper: "You're nothing more than a BIO HAZARD that needs....to....be...ELIMINATED!"

:: The Black Knight braced herself for what she assumed would be one hell of a physical push back on Viper's end. ::

[ Viper LOCKS onto Domino's biological signature, and ANY trace of the T Virus in her system and IMMEDIATELY causes it to evolve in a CHAOTIC pattern that only SHE can control. Domino immediately loses her vision. Blood flows from her eyes and nose & her head feels like it's going to EXPLODE as the virus begins to cause a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Viper is giving Domino a terrifying, warp speed TASTE of being turned into a CRIMSON HEAD, but she does not allow the process to complete...she only does it to deliver a kind of PAIN Domino hasn't known before, and that pain is enough to stagger her. Domino wondered EARLIER, why this woman unnerved her so? She was getting a taste of it now, and may not have realized SHE was the one responsible for it. ]

"I am the legacy from which YOU are nothing more than a fleeting FOOT NOTE and it's TIME YOU LEARNED WHO IS THE MISSTRESS OF THIS WORLD AND ALL THERE IN!"

:: Her spine began to tingle as something began to feel very...VERY wrong. Everything suddenly went back as she could tell her naturally enhanced body try and FIGHT whatever the hell was happening to her. Normally, Maxine's incredibly high white blood cell count prevented her from really any form of disease or sickness, and multiplied themselves in times of high stress..but whatever Viper was doing...was not being fought off at all..for the first time in her life, she was experiencing a PAIN that she didn't even know she was capable of feeling. She unleashed a blood curdling scream that ECHOED through the Great Hall, amplified by acoustics of the building. It was bone chilling. ::

"AAAAHAHAHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

:: Warm blood drips from her eyes in the way that tears would flow as the amount of pressure on her head almost becomes TOO MUCH. ::

"SOM--PLEEASSEE---STOPPP!"

:: Maxine coils back as all at once the pain subsides, giving her a much needed and brief respite. She grabs her head instinctively as her vision returns but she is also IMMEDIATELY on guard, her body running on a level of adrenaline not experienced by mere humans. ::

"She---she can control the virus! What...How am I supposed to FIGHT this?!"

:: She had no time to ponder. ::

[ While Domino reels from this passive attack...]

"Get your hands...OFF ME!"

[ Viper "spits" and from her opened mouth a TORRENT of ACID FLAME ERUPTS, BLASTING Domino in her FACE. And THEN, She unleashes a ballistic field VENOM BLAST all around her person, BLASTING Domino off of her!]

You biological MISTAKE, you DARE to compare your power to MINE!?

[Viper abruptly HALTED the passive attack on Domino's T Virus accented body]

:: Domino was blasted by the acid flames as they danced across the side of her face painfully. This still was nowhere NEAR the amount of pain that Viper had just caused within her. THIS she could handle. THIS was what she was USED to. As she was CATAPULTED off of Viper, Domino rolled across the floor, immediately regaining a fighting stance as she faced the green eyed woman face on, a look of absolute cold on her face. No matter what Maxine was going through, she was a warrior. And she was not about to let even VIPER see her emotionally weak. ::

"I won't compare our POWER, Jessica MARCUS [disdainfully]. But I would bet my RESILIENCE against YOURS any day of the goddamn WEEK!"

"I'll RAM IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!"

"TAKE THIS!"

[Now on her feet and in top form, Viper is now in full on violence and destruction mode, she thrusts her hands forward, palms facing out, and unleashes a broad beamed VENOM BLAST at Domino with enough concussive power to shatter a battle tank and enough bio electric energy to FRY most bio/carbon based forms]

:: Domino sprung into action as she CROSSED her arms in an X pattern in front of her face. All at once, a thick coat of Techno Organic Steel began to coat her body as her forearms began to WARP before forming into a FULL SIZE round SHIELD, calling on her ability to warp her body while in her steel form. Jessica hadn't killed her and Maxine had decided that there were more than a few screws loose in Viper's head. Maxine had to make a decision. She knew that Viper could end this at any time. She was being played with. Viper was enjoying stalking her like she was some kind of prey...and ANYBODY who knew Maxine knew that she was nobody's PREY. She would have to readjust. ::

"Okay...so I can BEAT her into the ground like everybody ELSE....."

:: As the VENOM BLAST barrelled into her SHIELD, she curved the edges and braced herself as she was knocked back several feet by the concussive blast. A blast so great that it would have literally blown anyone else in the room apart in seconds. As it hit her, she began to try and absorb the electricity into her body, allowing the METAL of her skin to be a conduit. She was taking GREAT strain as she was inching backwards ever so slighty as the blast barreled into her. ::

[gritting her teeth]

"You think I WANTED THIS?! You think I am trying to take some kind of CROWN from YOU!? There isn't any crown to TAKE! MysTech is DEAD! Your FATHER IS DEAD and you are an OCEAN AWAY from the PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE!"

:: taking on more of the bio electric energy of the blast. Her metallic skin seemed to be glowing with a bright blue intensity. ::

"AND LOOK AROUND! All of the BLOOD on these walls are from OTHERS who thought it my mission in life to SERVE THEM!"

:: she needed to release the energy and FAST. ::

"I....SERVE....NOBODY!"

:: Domino lunged her arms forward as they morphed into something like a metal spike that acted like a WAND, directing the current of incredible ENERGY that she had just consumed, sending the feedback of the blast right BACK at Jessica. She didn't waste anymore time. ::

"I might not have any other option other than to TALK her out of this. It's the only way Rebecca could have set her on this path. She is going to kill me if I can't talk any sense into her..."

:: She charged for Jessica ::

"and...all of this will be for nothing..."

:: Domino, The Black Knight of The Hellfire Club was scared for her life, an almost unable to deal with the feeling because for a very long time she had never had to worry about it. She was able to overwhelm anybody she encountered physically, and she didn't care who was lost in the fray. But she was now facing somebody who actually had the potential to DESTROY her, and at the same time...she felt incredibly DRAWN to Viper. She may have viewed herself as a QUEEN of MysTech, but truth be told, she was a VICTIM, just like MAXINE...and after she had experienced the BIO HAZARDS earlier...she was beginning to wonder just how MANY had been subject to this group of smart men who had been left UNCHECKED. FREE to do whatever they wanted with no JUSTICE for their actions. ::

"STAND DOWN, Jessica!"

 

[Viper]

:: As the VENOM BLAST barrelled into her SHIELD, she curved the edges and braced herself as she was knocked back several feet by the concussive blast. A blast so great that it would have literally blown anyone else in the room apart in seconds. As it hit her, she began to try and absorb the electricity into her body, allowing the METAL of her skin to be a conduit. She was taking GREAT strain as she was inching backwards ever so slighty as the blast barreled into her. ::

[gritting her teeth]

"You think I WANTED THIS?! You think I am trying to take some kind of CROWN from YOU!? There isn't any crown to TAKE! MysTech is DEAD! Your FATHER IS DEAD and you are an OCEAN AWAY from the PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE!"

LIAR!

[Or WAS she!?]

[ Viper renewed her attack, pouring it on as she continued to blast at Domino with that destructive venom blast, even as the Black Knight impressively defended herself. But as Viper continued her assault, Domino's words continued to RING in her head. She couldn't HELP but think BACK to ...]

[FLASH!]

24 hours earlier at Meridian Headquarters, Viper had emerged from what seemed like an ETERNAL slumber. She was...disoriented to say the least. Something was WRONG, her memories placed her somewhere OTHER than where she had just waken up...WHY? She demanded to know where she was...where the people[The Six] she'd "JUST" been battling with were!? and the ANSWER she got?

The Red Queen paused for a moment as she surveyed the gift that had been given to her by the woman in shadow. It was incredible indeed. A haunting replica of the girl she had heard so much about. The daughter of MysTech itself, the only woman in the world who had complete control over the virus.

"They....are dead. You succeeded, Jessica. Well...not with your original plan of course...but you did manage to show those upstarts just who is boss...The chaotic energies swirling around...all of that RAW POWER in one room...well, it left hardly ANYTHING in tact...my allies and I found you, and we've kept you safe, making sure you were completely healed before awakening you..."

[ Even THEN, it didn't seem right...but Jessica had nothing ELSE to reference at that moment, so she...ALLOWED herself to believe it!]

[FLASH!]

"Whatever that BITCH IN RED told you was a godamn LIE! You think that many people sit around and watch a woman die because of her tireless CHARITY EFFORTS?! ARE YOU DENSE!"

Is it POSSIBLE that I was......was I DECEIVED!? But then...THAT MEANS...

[Viper began to FALTER in her assault, as Domino had more than planted a seed of DOUBT about what Rebecca had told her!]

:: taking on more of the bio electric energy of the blast. Her metallic skin seemed to be glowing with a bright blue intensity.


"AND LOOK AROUND! All of the BLOOD on these walls are from OTHERS who thought it my mission in life to SERVE THEM!"

SILENCE! Rebecca is DEAD, which is no more than she deserves! I would have seen through her ruse eventually. No COMMON manipulator could hope to best me and my far superior intellect!

But YOU will join her! You DARED to defile me! I AM the QUEEN of MYSTECH...of EVERYTHING! I am my father's daughter...I am PERFECT! Just as he dreamed and HOPED I would be!

[She looks UP for a moment, as the swirling RING of mutated wasps continues to circle around the two combatants. She IGNORES Ravena, Duchess & Zodiac, who by now, have all regained consciousness.]

He would be....he would be SO PROUD of his daughter now...wouldn't he?

[would he? Her FIRST question when she had awakened at Meridian was WHERE was she? WHY was She here!? Domino said that the "people responsible" for Mystech's downfall were an ocean away! THE SIX! Rebecca DID LIE. They were ALIVE. She HADN'T succeeded in destroying them on Sheena Island! That must be in part why she came to be where she was now!]

[ Viper's attack on Domino had WEAKENED due to the woman NOT focusing on her. This gave Domino the opening she needed to push back! Domino's voice snaps Jessica out of her DISTRACTION]

:: she needed to release the energy and FAST. ::

"I....SERVE....NOBODY!"

:: Domino lunged her arms forward as they morphed into something like a metal spike that acted like a WAND, directing the current of incredible ENERGY that she had just consumed, sending the feedback of the blast right BACK at Jessica. She didn't waste anymore time. ::

[Viper's apple green eyes widen as the energy blast comes charging back at HER! ]

NO!

[ She IMMEDIATELY stretches her tall, physically fit form, lifting her arms upward as she takes to the AIR, flight being another one of her powers she climbs high and then swoops down, attempting to DIVE BOMB Domino by detonating a "cluster bomb" effect of her Venom Blast right over the woman as she flies over her. But even then, her attack is not as focused as it could...SHOULD BE for someone like Viper. Something's WRONG. ]

This is WRONG! ALL OF IT! I'm NOT supposed to be here! I was on SHEENA ISLAND!

[she LANDS behind Domino, but instead of pressing her ADVANTAGE, she continues to piece things TOGETHER]

I had them...I had HER [Black Widow]...I was about to CRUSH them ALL and remake the WORLD in my image with the virus! But I....

[FLASH!]

<< SHEENA ISLAND>>

<<ZOOM IN CLOSE. SPLIT SCREEN VIEW.>><< PERSEPHONE and VIPER engaged in a vicious battle of power and WILL.>>

<< A view of Persephone lashing out at Viper with her elemental powers; Viper retaliating with her own poisonous powers. Persephone endures extreme physical punishment at the hands of Viper, far more than any mere human or even most super powered mutants could withstand. But she doesn't succumb. The life of her sister, whom Viper has turned into a ZOMBIE, and her friends, the Six is at stake.>>

<< Every time Persephone gains a hard fought victory in this escalating war, Viper comes BACK, more fearsome than the last time. But then...there's one FINAL TIME...>>

<< Viper wanted to rule the earth that she sought to remake in her image. and now she was no longer in control of her own body, indeed she had no awareness of who she is or what she was.>>

[FLASH!]

<<Viper found her END to be more like the one she planned for Haleigh. It was a shocking and most apt irony, one that she was no longer able to comprehend as her humanity and intelligence were all but completely gone by the time she was transformed into her final, most monstrous incarnation courtesy of Isis' spell. In the end, though MorningStar struck a blow of vengeance and "JUSTICE" she ALSO granted Viper a MERCY for how could this CREATURE by the goddess of a new world when she herself was LESS than the creatures she hoped to bring about with her T-VERONICA virus?>>


<< she couldn't have. she couldn't have done ANYTHING. NOTHING could live like that and so MorningStar did more than she realized just now as she unleashed her power against Viper and blasted her over the edge of the rift into the churning molten lava.>>

<< the lava GUSHED up in a chaotic frenzy as it engulfed and SWALLOWED the screaming creature. >>

"Mystech is dead. Your father is dead...."

and I!?... I FAILED in my efforts to avenge my father and to bring the world to it's knees before me! I FAILED....and I DIED!

[Her eyes WIDEN as she Suddenly clutches her chest with one of her hands, looking as if she’s just been STRUCK with a deadly blow! She was PERFECT! It wasn't supposed to END like that! But it had....which meant that NOW she was not even her original self! she was a COPY....a CLONE!?]

NO!

:: She charged for Jessica ::



:: Domino, The Black Knight of The Hellfire Club was scared for her life, an almost unable to deal with the feeling because for a very long time she had never had to worry about it. She was able to overwhelm anybody she encountered physically, and she didn't care who was lost in the fray. But she was now facing somebody who actually had the potential to DESTROY her, and at the same time...she felt incredibly DRAWN to Viper. She may have viewed herself as a QUEEN of MysTech, but truth be told, she was a VICTIM, just like MAXINE...and after she had experienced the BIO HAZARDS earlier...she was beginning to wonder just how MANY had been subject to this group of smart men who had been left UNCHECKED. FREE to do whatever they wanted with no JUSTICE for their actions. ::

"STAND DOWN, Jessica!"

UGHN!!!

[Domino CRASHES into Viper and nearly takes her down upon impact!]

NO!

[ Viper's distracted gaze snapped back on to Domino, and she looked utterly ENRAGED! Viper comes back into focus now and immediately “expands” with ALL of her physical strength as well as a concentrated venom blast field to REPULSE Domino, even if it’s just a few feet back for a few moments! That’s ALL she needs]


GET BACK!

[ the RING of Mutated wasps changed their pattern all at once, flowing high up in the air and then cascading DOWN, forming a wall between Viper and Domino, and then they began to circle around Viper, forming a sphere of sorts. The din of their buzzing was so loud now but Viper’s voice, with its haunting resonance, ROARED over even that! There was a faint TREMBLE of dismay….or maybe it was RAGE?]

It wasn’t supposed to END like THAT! And I won’t let it happen again! I WON’T!

I am JESSICA MARCUS! I AM everything my father hoped for…and MORE!

[She SCREAMS as a glowing sphere of electric green energy manifests inside the moving sphere of wasps around Viper and it swells. Finally there is a THUNDEROUS explosion of energy and FIRE as the wasps are BLOWN AWAY and mostly VAPORIZED and Viper, now standing nearly the same height as the TYRANT she commanded earlier, manifests a new, powerful and deadly form. Toxic vapors flow around her body and any human and most mutants or metahumans would fall immediately DEAD from inhaling them. Domino’s physical constitution will protect her for a substantial length of time, but the toxic vapors or even Viper’s venom blasts and other offensive powers are the LEAST of her worries…]

I’ll show him…I’ll show YOU…ALL OF YOU!

Your PETTY squabbles over clubs and status mean NOTHING to me. I am as BEYOND YOU as the human is beyond the AMOEBA!

The rabble [the Six] escaped once! They shall NOT do it again! I’ll destroy them in the same fell swoop as I do YOU and the rest of your companions!

[ she MEETS Domino head on, now substantially bigger and taller than her foe, and GRABS her wrists tightly]

The world was MINE to shape! And I…FAILED….but NOT THIS TIME!

I’ll SUCCEED because I AM PERFECT! I am the GODDESS of the T VIRUS!

[ She LOCKS On to Domino’s bio signature and the T Virus traces and accents that both alter her genome and provide her the power she uses. And THIS time, she will NOT let go]

I’ll HAVE what is mine….one way or the other! I ALWAYS get what I want and THIS TIME; I’ll make SURE that NO ONE INTERFERES

[ Viper’s hair flows, her striking green eyes GLOW once more as she ATTACKS Domino on the most intimate level she can!]

Your LIFE as you now know it is OVER. You will CRY as a newborn, as I RESHAPE YOU IN MY IMAGE! You. WILL. SERVE. ME and bare witness to the END OF ALL LIFE on this PLANET!

[FLASH!]

<< Domino’s face. Her body. A view of her internal systems and the VIRUS that is both her gift AND her curse>>

[Viper manipulates the virus, accelerating it’s growth and evolution within Domino’s body. The first thing she will begin to lose is her higher mental faculties and functions. Followed by her sense of self and memories. But as these things begin to leave her and the virus gains DOMINANCE over her, she will REMEMBER the moments of her life that lead to her being the person she was, one last time]

[ As her mental process breaks down, her BODY will begin to change as well, to suit VIPER’S whim and Viper takes special, CRUEL pleasure in TWISTING and mutating Domino's body , Like an demented artist sculpting clay with the intention of turning her into a creature BEYOND recognition of any known mystech category.]

[ Viper continues to GRIP Domino and smiles with demonic glee as the process unfolds]

 

[Seer]

<< As a BRILLIANT display of energies and fire FILLED the Great Hall, nearly blinding those in the area as Domino and Viper have become deadlocked in a deadly standstill that threatens to destroy them both. Jessica Marcus can only channel so much power until she meets the same fate that her original form met many months ago on Sheena Island, and Maxine DuPont, while incredibl resilient and quick on her feet cannot handle the amount of energy being released. If not contained, this brilliant fire fight threatens to completely DESTROY The Hellfire Estate and everything left in it. >>

"Two Sides of The Same Coin..."

<< a THUNDEROUS roar echoes throughout the Hall as the very foundation of the estate begins to shake and rumble, buckling under the pressure of Viper's attack. From atop the staircase, Lord Ravena, Avalanche, Silver, Duke, Discord, Juliette and Liam watch helplessly...unsure of how to proceed. All have seen the power that Viper possesses and know that to interfere between these two women would surely lead to death. However, there is one among them who decides to do something...anything to help save the group. >>

FLASH!

<< From atop the staircase, Daniel Reed has been watching this altercation in a way that only an omega level empath can. Their emotions SEEP from their bodies like beacons of light that he cannot help but attempt to harness and absorb. Their feedback SCREAMS to him and he is one of the few who can tell from their vantage point that this battle is one of deep seated fear and pain. Hidden from the others behind the swarm of wasps, Daniel is able to have a "play by play" of the battle, based on the unique emotions each of them are experiencing. >>

"So much pain...so much useless pain..."

<< During Jessica's crescendo into madness, Daniel heads into action, attempting to TEMPER the emotions of both of the women as they viciously attack each other in ways that showcase their truly lethal capabilities. He braces his hands HARD against the railing as he begins his work, attempting to "take in" what he can from them. While Jessica's thoughts may have been like quicksilver, her emotions were on DISPLAY. >>

"UGHH---"

<< As Jessica attempts to destroy BOTH of them, Daniel is overwhelmed by what he is feeling. He can no longer contain what he has taken in and if he continues at this pace, he will meet the same fate that Camille Rowe had just met earlier. He falls to the floor as an INCREDIBLE amount of energy EXPLODES at the epicenter of the battle between Viper and Domino, adding to the already brilliant display. In his effort to temper the situation, he has inadvertantly caused an INCREDIBLE amount of emotional feedback, to the point that he has converted their emotions into ACTUAL psionic energy that BARRELLS into the two of them among EVERYTHING else. >>

FLASH!

<< The collision of all the energies creates a GIANT mushroom cloud like EXPLOSION, BLINDING everybody in the area as The Hellfire Estate continues to rumble and shake as if in the middle of an earthquake! >>

<< Just before the whiteout, Jessica's bright green eyes meet with Maxine's haunting pale blue. >>

<< For a few seconds, there is nothing but darkness as Maxine and Jessica are knocked unconscious and sent flying backwards in the opposite direction of each other. >>

<< Suddenly, everything is still. As the dust settles and the smoke clears, the group atop the stairs are able to see the two women clearly for the first time since the battle began...and both of them appear to be DEAD. >>

FLASH!

somewhere in between life and death....

<< There are many realms of existence and time in the multiverse. The Six has visited but a few of them and yet have seen more than many ever will. In a place outside of time and space, Jessica Marcus and Maxine DuPont have been thrown into each other's consciousness. Right before Maxine was to be warped into oblivion, she began to relive her life. Her earliest memories of pain and betrayal, and in contrast Jessica was dealing with the fact that she ma have inadvertanly failed her father and fell short of becoming the "Queen" that she wanted to be. Feeling as if they are falling off of a cliff at incredible speed, they soon realize that they are falling through the mind space of one another, thanks to the emotional and psychic feedback that had been released by Daniel moments before the explosion. >>

<< Falling. Forever. Both aware of each other. Both inside of each other's consciousness. They fall together, gaining an insight to the path that has brought both of them to this moment in time. Images begin to become clear. >>

:: A child with wild green eyes watches in the lurches as a Woman in White stands over a beautiful bassinet. She surveys the woman with the wild curiousity she would soon become known for. ::

"What is Aunty Diana doing?"

:: an infants scream FILL both Jessica and Maxine's ears as the young girl's eyes widen, not in horror, not in disgust, but with a morbid fascination as she watches The Woman in White MURDER her baby brother. Silence ::

Maxine: "Your brother....she killed your brother."

<< Falling >>

Jessica: "She killed my brother..he was weak...but he wasn't hers to kill."

:: a young dark hair girl sits in the living room of a palatial british estate playing with a doll. She looks for the most part happy, but there is still a darkness about her. As she moves about the living room, bumping into tables and almost knocking a vase off a shelf, a man with no face reads a newspaper, his fingers gripping TIGHTLY at each HINT of movement the young girl exhibits. ::

"Daddy! Daddy play with me! I'm a MONSTER! And you have to run from me or i'll get you!"

:: placing his scotch glass down on the table he folds up his paper, places it on the table next to him and crouches down from his recliner to face his daughter. She smiles thinking that he is finally going to give in and have some fun with her! ::

<< SMACK! >>

:: the young girl's face is assaulted by her father's hand as she is thrown back several feet by the force of his slap. Tears well up in her eyes as she stares at her father in horror, completely shaken and unsure of how to act. Her father's thick and deep voice sends chills down her back and in turn chills down Maxine and Jessica's back as he eyes his daughter with disdain. ::

"I am the MONSTER, little girl. And you will NEVER run away from ME!"

<< A single tear begins to fall from Maxine's face. >>

Maxine: "He hated me...."

Jessica: "But...he was your father! He should have loved you like mine!"

<< FALLING >>

:: Images continued to flood the two women falling into nothingness. A young Jessica can be seen experimenting on wasps and dragons flies in her room. She couldn't have been more than 10 years old. In contrast, a young Maxine can be seen experimenting with technology, attempting to code and program at a young age as well. ::

:: Many images are shown of Jessica and her father James. Maxine can see his cold and calculating ways. His excitement at looking at her DNA under a microscope, happy that her cells are assuming dominance over his experimental strain of the T-Veronica Virus. He was a depraved man, but it appeared he did love his daughter. ::

Maxine: "He loved you Jessica....but he used you..."

Jessica: "What do you mean?! Stop!"

<< As images of James Marcus holding Jessica's hand, experimenting on her multiple times. She doesn't seem to mind, but the Jessica looking at it now seems unsure..She had looked at those times with her father with the type of nostalgia that a girl remembers summer camp with, but now...something felt off. Something didn't feel right....and then Maxine's experimentations began to playin front of them. >>

Maxine: "Do--don't look, Jessica. Please, don't look!"

<< The Black Knight barel wanted to look herself. It was already an ordeal that replayed in her mind roughly every second she was alive, but it was her own private pain. It was hers to control. As long as she could KEEP her secrets, she could carry on. She couldn't be exploited by her emotions. Nobody would have a one up on her. >>

Jessica: "Oh my god...Maxine...."

:: Flashes of a screaming and crying youn girl with a shaved head in a straight jacket throwing herself against the walls of her padded cell can be seen. She seems to be screaming for hours, unable to stop herself, desperately pulling at her jacket, trying to get anybody to listen to her...to help her. ::

<< FALLING >>

:: Her RAPE at the hands of the orderlies and a number of other sexual abuses flash before them as Maxine has started to cry with unbridled passion. ::

:: Jessica and Maxine's experimentations play again, this time at the same time. For every soft gaze and hand squeeze that James gives his daughter is in turned countered with an act of abuse and pain from Jean Luc to his. Everytime Maxine was pushed to the limits, every time James stopped when Jessica asked.

<< Two people, used and experimented on in the most opposite of ways. ALL of it came FLOODING into their minds as the pace they were falling seemed to speed up. >>

Jessica: "He used you...He hurt YOU! He took what DADDY did and he made it...he made it BAD!!! I HATE HIM!"

Maxine: [lost in tears] "James used you too, Jessica. He loved you...but you were a project."

Jessica: "His greatest project...and I failed him. I ruined EVERYTHING."

<< In that instance, Maxine used every bit of strength she had left in herself to reach out her hand towards Jessica. >>

Maxine: "I'm sorry he's dead..."

Jessica: "I'm sorry he hurt you...."

<< Jessica began to reach out her hand as well. >>

Maxine: "We can change it....we can do better, Jessica."

Jessica: "...We HAVE to do better. We have to!"

<< The two rocketed into the void of darkness, their hair blowing WILDLY from the velocity and speed, both in such an elevated state above pain and insanity and betrayal. A state that allowed the two women to see each other for who they really were, to see how similar their stories COULD have been. An understanding and a bond had occured between them in this moment that might last in reality, but would leave inexplicably and always PSYCHICALLY linked, having experienced each other in a way that nobody ever had. >>

<< As the two fade into the void, their hands touch and grab onto one another. They have been raised differently and had different experiences but they had found commonality, and with their fate up in the air, they decided they would fall...TOGETHER. >>

Back in The GREAT HALL...

<< Minutes has passed and neither Jessica or Maxine have risen. The group begins to fear the worst. >>

<< Suddenly....>>

[loud coughing]

<< Domino's chest SEIZES up as life jettisons back into her body and she sits up like a cannonball, gasping for air and coughing, trying to remember how to breathe. She is bruised and burned and bloodied...but she is alive. She looks up at the others as her vision slowly begins to return and then back at Jessica who was yet to waken. >>

"You rest...Jessica...just rest...."

<< She calls to the group. >>

"Oh no..just saved your ASSES! Please stay there and let me bleed to death!"

<< a sick and twisted smile curls up in her lips. >>

 

[Lord Ravena]

It was finished. The great work was done and Rebecca had eternity to pay for her crimes. But the work was hard and draining. Those shadows, once unleashed, can take who they will. And they only took Rebecca. Lord Ravena made sure of that, but once it was done, and the final obstacle presented itself, he was down and out from his thunderous collision with the White King before he had a chance to even react.

Coming to, he sensed the release of massive amounts of energy from both beings. The blinding nature of their blasts forced even him to look indirectly at them so as to guard his eyes. He began to 'see' in other ways, and he sensed that their powers were intertwined by their battle of wills. Even if he could stop it, he had no way as of yet to do so without killing them both and perhaps even himself.

He noticed Reed starting to do something and then there was an explosion which rocked the building and receded with both combatants laying VERY still. After what seemed an eternity for all involved...

<< Suddenly....>>
[loud coughing]
<< Domino's chest SEIZES up as life jettisons back into her body and she sits up like a cannonball, gasping for air and coughing, trying to remember how to breathe. She is bruised and burned and bloodied...but she is alive. She looks up at the others as her vision slowly begins to return and then back at Jessica who was yet to waken. >>
"You rest...Jessica...just rest...."
<< She calls to the group. >>
"Oh no..just saved your ASSES! Please stay there and let me bleed to death!"
<< a sick and twisted smile curls up in her lips. >>

Teleporting to her side, Lord Ravena sweeps Maxine up into a hug, laughing as he does so. Maxine would feel a charge as the Vampire Lord places two drops of his own blood into her mouth with his swiftly pricked index finger and then places his hand upon her forehead. He sets her down and summons the rest over. As they make their way down he begins to speak.

You will not die this day, my Knight. Not this day. Your opponent will sleep for now, I heard you at the end. She will be safe.

Looking upon her, Lord Ravena blows a kiss that the group can see land on her lips?! Viper smiles and her body seems to be more at a safe rest. With a gesture, Lord Ravena tosses a black crystal on her chest which grows quickly, eventually covering her body in a beautiful hardened black crystal seal.

Now that is done, we have more business to which we must attend. Rise Duke, your naptime is over. All of you will need your strength in the coming days.

Lord Ravena went to each of them, laying his hand upon them and accelerating their healing to match his own recovery power. At the end of it, only the clothes they wore looked the worst for wear. They had assembled before him afterwards and he continued, stopping at each of them as he addressed them. As he placed his right hand on their shoulder, their clothes would be changed to reflect what he had to say to them.

Bretta, beautiful and deadly. You will be a FINE Red Queen! Evelyn saw it as did I. Rise and reorder your Court. Use your organizational skills to complement the others and build Hellfire Europe anew.

Duke, you will be needed by Bretta. She is powerful but you two make a formidable pairing. A yin and yang as it were. As Red King, you will need to harden your resolve and be the hammer that she needs moving forward.

Juliette, ah my Juliette! You have been the White Queen in waiting for some time. Take your throne and your place alongside Liam, who I recognize as the lone King or Queen from the old regime still fit to rule.

You have two Kings to break in, Liam. They will need your ear. You will also have a Prince to groom! Daniel Reed as the White Prince will be by your side. He has already proven his worth this day and he will benefit most in your Court and under your direct supervision.

Brienne is not here, but she WILL be the new Black Queen. That is a bargain that I made and that is now paid. The support of her family will ensure no further strife or mass bloodshed necessary after today.

But she WILL have a King! Archer, you have been key in this, and loyal to Evelyn's memory. You are the King that she would have been glad to work with, and you are JUST the King that the Black Court needs.

Never forget this day, this week! Though it was painful, this cleansing was necessary. Evelyn lost her life in this struggle and I will not allow it to be in vain. My personal military corps will restore this place to its former glory straightway and provide security as you regroup your forces. The other beasts have been vanquished and they begin to cleanse this place as we speak.

Maxine will be leaving the Club as a member of the Black Court. She will join me as a Counsel to the Court and we will take GREAT INTEREST in the operation of the Club in the near future. Should you need us, we will be there. In any case we will be watching. And for YOU, my Knight, I offer a present.

Grasping her wrist lightly, Lord Ravena places the Red Shroud, now a beautiful garnet and black bracelet, on her wrist.

 

[Domino]

Teleporting to her side, Lord Ravena sweeps Maxine up into a hug, laughing as he does so. Maxine would feel a charge as the Vampire Lord places two drops of his own blood into her mouth with his swiftly pricked index finger and then places his hand upon her forehead. He sets her down and summons the rest over. As they make their way down he begins to speak.

"You will not die this day, my Knight. Not this day. Your opponent will sleep for now, I heard you at the end. She will be safe."

:: Domino was relieved to see the face of Lord Ravena by her side as she began to become acclimated to her surroundings. As the warm blood dripped down her throat and into her body, she began to feel everything returning to it's natural state...as natural as it could be. For an instant, Maxine was worried. After what she had just encountered, a loss of control over her own body, she almost didn't want to add aything ese into the mix. But Jessica was down for the count at the moment and she was beginning to realize that sometimes it was okay to ask for help. ::

"Thank You...My Lord. For Everything..."

:: Ravena nodded to her as he encased Jessica Marcus in a tomb of Black Crystal. As Ravena went over to the others, giving them words of inspiration, Domino found herself lost in thought as she gazed at her opponents serene looking body. ::

"I'm sorry he hurt you..."

:: Viper's words echoed in her mind. She had experienced something with this woman that was unparalled to anything she had ever experienced. There was now nobody on Earth who knew more about Maxine than her and vice versa. While outside of time and space, Maxine and Jessica had seen the deepest parts of each other and it became clear that there was now a bond that had been formed. Maxine could sense Jessica in a number of different ways. She could sense her breathing and her mental state. It was incredible. ::

"I'll keep up my end of the bargain...I won't let you be a victim again."

"Never forget this day, this week! Though it was painful, this cleansing was necessary. Evelyn lost her life in this struggle and I will not allow it to be in vain. My personal military corps will restore this place to its former glory straightway and provide security as you regroup your forces. The other beasts have been vanquished and they begin to cleanse this place as we speak."

:: She snapped back into reality to hear Lord Ravena finish his words to the others. She grumbled to her feet as she walked over to them herself, placing her hand on Ravena's shoulder. ::

"He's right...look around at the people standing next to you. You are united now because you have been through something awful and have come out stronger because of it. But never forget that the people who lost their lives today were once in the same exact position as you are. Excited for the future, sharing a common goal...and different ideas of how to get there. Remember this the next time there is discord among the courts. Remember how [gesturing around her] THEY were and how EASY it was for them to get there. Do NOT make their same mistakes....."

[looking down and then up for a moment]

"Because if you do...I WILL be back."

"Maxine will be leaving the Club as a member of the Black Court. She will join me as a Counsel to the Court and we will take GREAT INTEREST in the operation of the Club in the near future. Should you need us, we will be there. In any case we will be watching. And for YOU, my Knight, I offer a present."

:: Grasping her wrist lightly, Lord Ravena places the Red Shroud, now a beautiful garnet and black bracelet, on her wrist. ::

:: Domino looked down as Ravena placed "The Red Shroud" on her wrist with wonder. This had been what turned Rebecca into the woman she was. Her constant thirst for power and influence, all represented in one supremely powerful piece of jewelry. It changed her. ::

:: In a light sparkle the garnets began to glow a bright red as the bracelet became fused to her body. She felt it tighten and contort around her wrist as it seemed to dissappear from sight. The Red Shroud had a new wielder and that person was Maxine DuPont. ::

"Amazing...."

:: She could feel a surge of energy rush through her body as a tingling sensation in her fingers and toes crackled like a warm bath as the shroud became one with it's new owner. As she looked upon this group of people she hadn't been sure about to begin with, she couldn't help but feel incredibly proud. They had trusted her when they didn't need to and probably hadn't and she had led a team for the first time in her life. What was even better was that this chapter in her life finally felt CLOSED. She had succeeded in taking each and every person that had made her who she was DOWN. The amount of release she was experiencing was overwhelming, but she couldn't get Jessica Marcus out of her head. Though it would seem the future seemed wide open, she couldn't help but think that her own destiny might be linked with Viper. She just didn't know how, and for the time being...she was EXHAUSTED and couldn't care less. ::

:: She looked at Lord Ravena. ::

"So...where do we go from here?"