Marauders #1: Homecoming

[Domino]

Several Months Ago:

Ava: "I have no ill intentions towards you, Max...and any help you give me I will repay you tenfold. I'll text you a debriefing of the last 24 hours and we can go from there."

"Until we meet again, ma beauté mortelle."

Maxine watched as Ava could not get out of there fast enough. Domino exhaled deeply, downing her drink in one fell swoop, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. This was bad, and she couldn't help fighting the feeling that she had traded one mess for another. The discovery of Jessica Marcus had shifted her priorities. When the dust settled in Hellfire Europe, she thought for a moment that she would finally be free. But Viper was still a pawn in their games. She had felt like she had no choice but to follow Ravena and his new lover to New York. She had struck a deal for Jessica's safety, and now she was wondering what good that deal had done her. From the way Persephone was speaking, it felt like American Hellfire had just gone down in flames, and all of her work had been for nothing. She felt stupid. Stupid for allowing herself to get close to people like Alek. But her bleeding romantic French heart could not stop her from rooting for star crossed lovers. She had been there herself, with her own Red Knight, what felt like centuries ago. Maxine didn't know much, but she knew that she would take care of the people who had taken care of her. If she could find Alek, she would, despite the wrath it might incur from the courts. Enraging the court system of Hellfire was her specialty anyway.

With a heavy head, she left the bar and immediately got out her phone. An expert hacker and computer expert, Domino had embedded a number of security protocol overrides at Hellfire. Despite how smart their Inner Circle was, being tech savvy was not a skill that many of them had. Much to her chagrin, when Domino attempted to look in on Hellfire, she couldn't find it anywhere. It was as if the mansion itself no longer existed. She didn't have the time or the luxury of solving this problem herself, and Gabe was dead, and Oracle was too good of a person to assist her, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. Pulling her leather jacket over herself, she began to walk down the street, intent on heading to a cyberpath she knew in Queens who might be able to get her a lead while she waited on Ava's information. For several minutes she walked in the cold, until the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand still.

"I'm being watched..."

Domino was a knight in every sense of the world, and a decorated killer. She could sense the slightest changes in her environment, and immediately she went on high alert as she rounded a corner, creating a decoy path towards the docks as she figured things out. There were several flashes of energy she had felt surrounding her at various points of her walk and as she got closer to the docks, they got even stronger. Whatever it was, she was going to have to fight her way out of it.

Male Voice: "Target acquired. Engaging power suppression tactics."

"UGH!"

A vibrational field filled her senses as she winced, kneeling to the ground and grabbing her head as her vision blurred, only making out the dozen black forms around her shimmering onto the scene.

"Blackjackets."

They were The Black Queen's pet project, a synthetic army she had engineered to be her brutal task force. Equipped with intense mutant defense systems and combat capabilities, they all looked like the same exact man in a black 'Mad Men' style suits. Maxine had witnessed several preliminary field tests in Talisman's alpha testing of the group, and they were not to be trifled with. She had put a lot of work into this military force, but Maxine couldn't understand why they were after her of all people...especially now.

"Well Bonjour messieurs, surely you realize my mutant powers are the least deadly thing about me?"

Her mutant ability was to decay organic matter with her touch, but she was also a mutate. A living experiment of the TO Virus in the vein of Jessica Marcus and Haleigh Davidoff. And try as she might, Talisman had not figured out a way to turn off someone's genetics. Domino clapped her hands, unleashing a vibratory wave of strength, knocking the Blackjackets off their feet as she turned into a fighting stance.

Blackjackets: "Target is escalating. Initiate techno organic warp field."

"Uhhh. WHAT?"

Working in tandem, the blackjackets clasped their hands at the same time as a piercing scream RIPPED through Domino's mind. She couldn't focus, she could barely see as warm blood dripped from her nose. It felt as if each of her individual cells were having a seizure as she gritted her teeth, attempting to fight through pain she hadn't experienced in decades, lashing out like a wet and feral cat.

"Stand.....[gritting her teeth] BACK!"

In a flash of red, she ignited the energy powers of the Crimson Shroud, a mantle she had taken from Rebecca Everhart, deceased Red Queen of Hellfire Europe, blasting the energy in a circular pattern around her, her eyes widening as it appeared the blackjackets were actually ABSORBING the energy, increasingly slightly in size as they did. The SCREAMING vibration ripped through her mind knocking her to her knees. Her brain was on fire.

Blackjackets: "Commence extermination per The Talisman Protocols."

She couldn't get a hold of herself. She couldn't stand, which for somebody like Maxine...that just didn't happen to. She had clawed her way through hundreds of people stronger than her. Hell bent on destroying her. But she had been caught off guard. This couldn't be it. But it seemed like it was. The Blackjackets formed a single line in front of her as they released a FURIOUS blast of bio-electric energy that overwhelmed the techno organic parts of her, BLASTING her back with incredible force off the pier, plummeting towards the water. Her mind faded to black before she even hit the water. The former Black Knight was down for the count.

 

[Longshot]

< To say that Simon was in a bad place was an understatement. In a few short months he had been reintroduced to old friends, thrown into a world of mutants, espionage and armageddon, had a whirlwind romance with a goddess who ghosted him before trying to kill him in Brooklyn after becoming evil, found out his entire family was deeply connected to Hellfire, given up his fortune and notoriety for noble pursuits only to have them crushed at every turn by his family, and was now sleeping above an empty office space he had rented when his ambition was high, on a mattress on the floor, with barely enough money to keep himself afloat and purchase bourbon and gas station quality sandwiches from the bodega down the street everyday. For a guy who always used to have luck on his side, these days he wondered where she had gone. So he found himself at Danny's bar, where he could drink for free as long as he didn't cause any trouble. And trouble was the last thing that Simon Pratt wanted these days. >

"Hey Angel. I'll have the usual."

Angel: "Sure thing, Si."

< The bartender prepared his usual three fingers neat and slid it down the counter, as Simon took a long sip, setting his glass down on a cocktail napkin next to him, shuddering a bit. There had been a time when Simon wouldn't dare to drink well whiskey, but times, like him, were changing. While he was down on himself, he couldn't help but to think it was for the better. His entire being was changed after The Purifier Event. He had lived such a charmed life, in incredible wealth and privilege. Even his mutation was something that benefitted him. He didn't have to worry about a god damn thing. And then he met Rose...and all those children. Many of whom had been murdered in cold blood as pawns in some larger game. He couldn't turn his back on that. He wanted to use his privilege to help, but quickly realized that nobody cared what a rich, blonde white guy with rich parents had to say about the suffering of others. So while his soul may have felt better about the direction his life had gone, he felt deeply and hopelessly lost. So for now he was taking a beat to feel sorry for himself and to drown his sorrows. >

< He downed his drink quickly as he gestured for another, tapping his fingers on the counter along to the music playing from a jukebox in the corner, embracing the irony of a Greenwich Pratt hanging out in a bar in Brooklyn...with a jukebox. And then he saw her walk in. >

"Ava..."

< The strong buzz he had going stopped him from bolting from the place immediately. He had not seen her since she had attacked both him and Vivica months ago near Rose's orphanage. Much to his chagrin, he was just as attracted to her as he had always been as his mind went back to their many encounters in various rooms of The Parthenon. He knew she was just wasting time with him, but there had been intimacy. For weeks she had cried out in her sleep, spoke words about Hades...and the amazons. And he had held her. Comforted her. They had bonded over art, and expensive champagne. And then...nothing. When he needed her the most, after The Purifier Event, she was nowhere to be found. He still carried a bit of a torch for Ava Cassadine, so despite the sting of her not even noticing he was there (likely due to the fact that he presented himself almost nothing like the way he used to), he listened in on her conversation with a woman who looked like she ran some kind of emo version of the T-Birds from Grease. >

Ava: "Alek's gone. Helena has him."

"As in he did something to stoke her wrath has him? Or he left you has him?"

Ava: "Helena took him. He chose to leave Hellfire with me and that BITCH couldn't handle being second best. She disappeared with him before I even knew what was happening in front of me. Now she's dropped completely off the radar."

Ava exhaled as Maxine took a moment to admire being in the presence of Persephone's vulnerability when there was strength behind it.

Ava: "Haleigh hasn't found anything on her end: no pings, no information, nothing that could lead me to where they took him."

It was likely thanks to Kelly or some kind of Ahadi technology being harbored in the states.

Ava: "Alek considered you a friend, Max...is there anything you might know that could help?"

Domino appreciated the refill, taking a sip to her lips, enjoying the fire in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. She wiped the very corner of her lip with her finger delicately as she set her glass down on the table.

"If I'm being honest mon amour, it doesn't look good for our little knight in shining red armor."

< So it seemed as if things had gone as bad at Hellfire at Simon could have told her they would. To add insult to injury, it appeared she was down bad for somebody named Alek. Part of him felt jealous, but another part of him felt bad for her. In their short time together, Ava had made it fairly clear that things normally didn't go well in her love life, and if this man was associated with Hellfire, he was sure any answers she was going to find from this Max person, were not good. >

"This is gross..."

< He didn't want to appear to be some kind of creeper listening into his ex flame's love life problems, and that was exactly what he was doing. But he didn't want to go home either. Prompty Simon paid his check and took off down the street, decided that what he needed might just be a bit of fresh, cold New York air. As fresh as it could be in Brooklyn. Pulling his jacket over him he walked for a few blocks before heading into a small park like area, taking a seat on a bench, exhaling deeply. It was at this moment that Goth Barbie from the bar walked past him, looking a bit nervous, a contrast to how collected she had seemed earlier. He watched as she curious began to alter her walking path, heading towards a dock area. He didn't know this woman, but he couldn't help but to feel as if she was in trouble. Despite his better judgment, he followed after her, several hundred yards behind. >

< Simon rounded the corner. >

Domino: "Stand....[gritting her teeth] BACK!"

< A red energy signature filled the scene as his eyes widened in horror, watching as..... super strong cyborg advertising executives? encircled Domino. >

"What the fuck?!"

Blackjackets: "Commence extermination per The Talisman Protocols."

< The men formed a line in front of her as they BLASTED some kind of sparkling electric energy from their chests, completely enveloping Domino as she was all but catapulted brutally off the edge of the pier fence as Simon's eyes began to glow a light green, running with all of his speed as the men dematerialized in front of him almost instantly. Simon made his way towards the obliterated railing and down into the water as he could make out the dark form of Domino sinking quickly. He didn't think. He jumped, cursing the gods as the ice cold water chilled his entire body, barrelling down. Thanks to years of wasp type sports, his body was well suited for swimming as he bridged the distance between them quickly, grabbing her by the arm and swimming towards the surface. >

"AAHH!"

< He screamed out gasping for breath as he pulled Maxine along, making his way towards a dock, propping them both onto it as a flock of seagulls cawed and dispersed on their arrival. His luck hadn't been working for him lately, but he was praying he had reached her in time. Simon attempted mouth to mouth to no avail. >

"Shit shit shit...."

< Simon decided a hail mary was necessary. There was so much about his power that he didn't understand. Most of it was subconscious, but there were times where he was able to channel a sort of kinetic aspect to his power. He had experienced while fencing, like there was something he wanted to release from his hands but couldn't, and still his hands had guided him towards victory. So he made it up as he went along. Placing one hand on Maxine's chest he tried to tap into his power, the feeling he had when he knew he was using it but couldn't see it. He thought good thoughts. Puppies. Caviar. The feeling he felt when he had won the USA National Fencing Championship at 17. He pictured her heart beneath the warmth of his hands as he could feel pins and needles throughout his body. >

"Start.....start......start.....start...."

< He watched as his hand slowly became outlined in the same light green energy his eyes manifested as a crackling electric feeling could be felt from beneath him. >

"Start! Start! Come on...fuckin' START!"

<< VOOM! >>

< A crackling soon could be heard as a small BLAST of energy expelled from his hand blasting him back as in his mind's eye he saw it connect with Domino's heart. >

Bum bum. bum bum. bum bum.

< Maxine shot up like she had just got a GIANT shot of adrenaline, gasping for air and already trying to get to her feet, her hands moving into defensive poses. >

"Calm down, calm down! You're safe! You're--I..you were going to drown. The guys in the suits...they tried to kill you, but you're safe."

 

[Domino]

:: So many people talked a bright white light, of being in a tunnel, of hovering over fields of wildflowers as they drifted towards the heavens. Maxine had several near death experiences in her life, and none of hers were like that. In fact...there was nothing. No light, no fields...but all encompassing blackness. Stillness. Part of her wondered if it was because so much of her body had been mutilated and altered by science and technology that she no longer possessed a soul to go anywhere. But the nothing terrified her. It was why she was such a survivor. Maxine Dupont had tasted death and it had no taste. Despite how many people she had sent to their deaths, Maxine wanted to live. Even in her darkest days, she had never thought of taking her own life. Her existence was a perversion of nature, and she wanted to spend eternity reminding others that the laws of the universe didn't apply to her. None of this stopped the loneliness from filling her. It was something she had all but smothered in her waking life. But here, in the nothing. She felt it deeply. She prided herself on being a lone wolf. On tearing through any and everything that ever dared to love her or care about her. But when she was here...in the nothing, sometimes it made her wish she had not even a white light, but a familiar face. Somebody waiting for her. ::

"Jessica..."

:: From the moment she had met Jessica, she felt an immediate connection. She was the progenitor. The virus that was created within Jessica was the same that coursed through her own veins. She was a noble daughter who's love was manipulated to such a degree that it completely broke her. And it had broken Domino too. But Maxine was allowed to live. To work through it. Jessica's life was just a series of sleeping and awakening, without any context, without any information. Only to be manipulated into killing yet again. When Domino had liberated herself some Hellfire Europe, she told herself she would not rest until Jessica was safe and Hellfire was utterly destroyed. But she hesitated. Her fear of being nothing more than a failed experiment and a failure of a daughter caused her to make a stupid alliance with a man she didn't trust and a woman she would have rather seen dead. She had lost her way. And she decided in that moment, that this was not the end of her story. She would not be some bookend in Hellfire's war. If she were to ever die, it was going to be doing whatever it took to spill as much of their blood as possible. ::

"UGH!"

<< VOOM! >>

:: Domino felt her heart sieze and PULSE with an unknown energy, sending her "spirit"...her "soul"....whatever catapulting back to the bitch of reality, as the nothing, the black began to fade around her as the cold white sun of Brooklyn FILLED her vision, her body revolting against the unknown and her mouth coughing up water she had swallowed. ::

Simon: "Calm down, calm down! You're safe! You're--I..you were going to drown. The guys in the suits...they tried to kill you, but you're safe."

:: She blinked several dozen times trying to acclimate to the light until she made out the form of a nervous and scared Simon Pratt in front of her. Simon Pratt. Son of Kristen and Thorn Pratt, two people firmly in the pocket of The White Court. Domino INSTANTLY was set on edge. ::

"Get the fuck away from me!"

:: With a fraction of her strength she delivered an uppercut to Simon's chin, catapulting him down the dock several yards as she tried to regain her barings. From what she knew of Simon, he was in no way involved with his parent's machinations, but Hellfire was sinking, and she didn't have time to think about whether or not he was friend or foe. She needed information and she needed it FAST. ::

 

[Longshot]

Domino: Get the fuck away from me!"

< His reassuring words seemed to have the opposite effect on Domino as she delivered a brutal uppercut to his chin, catapulting him back several yards as he collapsed onto the wabbling dock for dear life. Simon's head wringed with pain. He mustered his courage and pulled himself together, walking closer to her carefully, his hands out in front of him, like somebody attempting to calm a stray dog. >

"Jesus you're scary. But please, try to calm down. I--I don't know you, but I promise...I'm friend. Not foe. I'm Simon Pratt...I kind of know a lot of the same people that you do. You were walking...and something seemed off so I followed you. Saw these guys in suits blast the shit out of you off the pier, and..I rescued you."

< This was insane. What the fuck was he thinking? Why did he save her? Why in God's name did he have to go and get himself involved with Hellfire's games? He was more lost than he thought. >

"Look...I promise. I don't want anything to do with whatever you've got going on. I just--wanted to help...mostly. Shit's been going down in the city a lot lately, and I got dragged into more than a few times. I know Ava --"

[pausing]

"Well...like..I don't like [air quoting] "know" her, but I spent some time with her...and The Six. But I didn't even know about my mutant abilities until a year ago, and didn't know what my parents were up to until a month ago. I don't know if saying that means anything...but I'm thinking...I heard something about the 'Talisman Protocols'. I know her name...and what she tried to do Rose. And I'm thinking if Talisman wants you dead...then you might not be a bad guy, right?"

< Maxine did not seemed please. >

"Look...don't hit me again. I'm man enough to know when I'm outmatched. I just need to know...for safety's sake...why does The Black Queen of The Hellfire Club want you dead?"

 

[Domino]

Simon: "Jesus you're scary. But please, try to calm down. I--I don't know you, but I promise...I'm friend. Not foe. I'm Simon Pratt...I kind of know a lot of the same people that you do. You were walking...and something seemed off so I followed you. Saw these guys in suits blast the shit out of you off the pier, and..I rescued you."

She hissed.

"Va te faire foutre! Rescue me?! I was basically dead before I hit the water!"

Simon: "Look...I promise. I don't want anything to do with whatever you've got going on. I just--wanted to help...mostly. Shit's been going down in the city a lot lately, and I got dragged into more than a few times. I know Ava --"

He was trying to placate her like some kind of animal. But she had to admit...there was something a bit earnest and charming about Simon. It didn't take long to size up that he was a guy that tried...really hard to be a hero. a good man. She had hardly experienced anything like it in her life, and speaking to her as if she didn't already know all of his intimate moments of history was amusing. So she let him continue.

Simon: "Well...like..I don't like [air quoting] "know" her, but I spent some time with her...and The Six. But I didn't even know about my mutant abilities until a year ago, and didn't know what my parents were up to until a month ago. I don't know if saying that means anything...but I'm thinking...I heard something about the 'Talisman Protocols'. I know her name...and what she tried to do Rose. And I'm thinking if Talisman wants you dead...then you might not be a bad guy, right?"

God he was precious. Right but precious. As if it were as simple as simply no longer being a bad guy to be considered one of the good ones. Still, there was something she identified with in Simon. She too had tried to craft a persona about herself to escape where she came from. It was like watching her younger self in real time.

"I know your relationship with Ava Cassadine, Pratt. And The Six. But it's refreshing to my pride that there are people out there who conversely know abolutely nothing about Hellfire, despite how big of a part it's life they are."

She calmed herself down. Simon Pratt was not an enemy of hers. It made no sense to kill him. Which really was growth on Maxine's part. She slowly bridged the gap between them as she sauntered over him, more playful than she had been since coming back to life.

Simon: "Look...don't hit me again. I'm man enough to know when I'm outmatched. I just need to know...for safety's sake...why does The Black Queen of The Hellfire Club want you dead?"

"Oh don't for a second sight the recognition that I could obliterate your ass as some kind of keen man wisdom. Real men don't think they have any matches. But as a gift...for saving me...I'm thinking I'm not the only one she wrote a burn notice for. They presented a united front but Kelly was no fan of Diana. My guess is that she's issuing security protocols. She's taking the opportunity to completely murder The White Court, politically and physically...Which..I hate to scare you, garçon d'or...."

Maxine looked at him somberly.

"But you might want to call your parents while you still can."

She quickly continued.

"Look...you clearly are in desperate need of something to do, and I? Well...I could probably use a bit more luck on my side these days. Getting gangbanged by cyborgs tends to change a person, unless you're Sharon Kelly or something...."

She wasn't always razor sharp. Max took loyalty seriously...as well as acts of service. She extended her hand. And besides, now was not the time to be a bitch. Now was the time to build armies.

"I'm Maxine Dupont. I'm going to destroy The Hellfire Club. Care to help?"

 

[Longshot]

Maxine: "I know your relationship with Ava Cassadine, Pratt. And The Six. But it's refreshing to my pride that there are people out there who conversely know abolutely nothing about Hellfire, despite how big of a part it's life they are."

< Simon furrowed his brow and snarled a bit as he spoke. >

"oh fuck you. I know plenty about Hellfire."

< He didn't, but he was mad. >

"Look...don't hit me again. I'm man enough to know when I'm outmatched. I just need to know...for safety's sake...why does The Black Queen of The Hellfire Club want you dead?"

Domino: "Oh don't for a second sight the recognition that I could obliterate your ass as some kind of act of manhood. Real men don't think they have any matches. But as a gift...for saving me...I'm thinking I'm not the only one she wrote a burn notice for. They presented a united front but Kelly was no fan of Diana. My guess is that she's issuing security protocols. She's taking the opportunity to completely murder The White Court, politically and physically...Which..I hate to scare you, garçon d'or...."

< He cocked an eyebrow. >

Domino: "But you might want to call your parents while you still can."

< Simon's blood froze. She was saying things that made sense. His parents had a close relationship with Diana. She had helped his father become a politician and she had saved his mother from the ashes of something that destroyed her. Something she had never told him. If Kelly was trying to exterminate people close to Diana, his parents were on the list. He was shocked and a bit horrified at how little he felt about that idea. After knowing even a quarter of what they had done in the name of Hellfire, he couldn't help but to think they deserved it.

"I'm afraid whatever call I make to them is gonna go straight to voicemail."

Domino: "Look...you clearly are in desperate need of something to do, and I? Well...I could probably use a bit more luck on my side these days. Getting gangbanged by cyborgs tends to change a person, unless you're Sharon Kelly or something...."

"Wait a minute is Sharon Kelly some kind of secret robot sex freak?"

"The Plot Thickens..."

Domino: "I'm Maxine Dupont. I'm going to destroy The Hellfire Club. Care to help?"

< He eyed her up and down for a moment, a bit in awe. Simon was so unsure of who he was at the moment, but this Maxine Dupont seemed to know exactly who she was. Still, being nice to him didn't seem like outwardly it would be a personality trait of hers, so he was cautious. He couldn't deny that being asked to be a part of something felt really good. He had no real connections anymore. Vivica and Cameron were wrapped up in their super dramas, and his parents were evil. And it was probably a good idea to have the butch goth lesbian who could throw people through walls on their side. >

"Simon Pratt. Nervous but ready, Sir. What comes first?"

Domino: "First we need information. Tech is a bust. They'll have wiped everything. We need to find somebody who might have been in communication with the Queens since their dissappearance. Their Inner Circles are out. We have to look deeper and I know just the guy. Daniel Reed. He's a social pariah of both the European and American branches. Former Red Bishop...He's close to Helena. He's vapid but he's smart. And the way she trained his powers...he could very well end up being a reality warper."

"Do you even know where he is? And why would he talk to you? And what the hell are you trying to do anyway?"

< Simon smirked at Domino as a hellish grin appreared across her face. >

Domino: "Oh he's in town. And he's going to talk to me because if he doesn't I'm going to beat the shit out of him. And then after he tells me where Helena is...I find Kelly...and I kill her.."

< It was an insane plan, but Simon had no plans. >

"Sounds good... do you wanna...maybe change clothes? Take a shower? Get something to eat? Or is just like a...and we're OFF! kind of thing?"

< Domino was silent. >

"Right...well...lead the way..."

 

[Seer]

An Adventure Begins...

<< Despite their difference, it appeared that Domino and Longshot were, for now, forming an alliance out of need and convenience. While neither was sure of the other's true intention, in times like these, one had to find allies where they could. Right now, both of them needed answers and Domino was the man with the plan. >>

<< Wanting to waste no time, Domino headed quickly into a boutique for a change of fresh and dry clothes, and the two began to head towards the nearest subway station, knowing that any private mode of transportation was likely to be tracked by whoever out there was still monitoring things for Hellfire. >>

<< As the unlikely duo made their way towards Daniel Reed's apartment in Manhattan, they begin to take stock of each other. >>

 

[Domino]

From Brooklyn to Manhattan...

:: They walked down the crowded street and down the steps into one of the many subway stations in the area. Heading into the midway, they began to wait for the next train. ::

Simon: "So why do you think Daniel knows anything? I feel like Kelly and Helena wouldn't reach out to anyone."

Maxine smirked.::

"Gods only exist if they have people to serve them. Rest assured both of them likely reached out to whoever would stroke their ego the most in the midst of such fallout. Daniel is that kind of man."

:: The train arrived and they sat on the subway side to side as they whizzed through the city. Domino had far faster means of transportation through the city, but she didn't dare to use them at this point. She had to be a ghost. The best thing she could do was let Talisman's army report her as dead. ::

Simon: "But would they tell these people where they were? Seems so reckless."

"Simon....you're here by the skin of your teeth. I really don't have the time nor the desire to explain to you how Hellfire works. All you need to know....better than you will EVER know...and the sooner you just accept that...the sooner I can move on from wanting to throttle you..."

Simon: "Jesus...it was just a question. You asked if I wanted to help. Wouldn't kill you to let me."

:: She sighed. Whatever had happened to her during her most recent stay in America seemed to be permanent. She wanted to bisect him and yet, it felt really good to not be alone in this. ::

"Look, I know who the Queens trust. I didn't just hop the pond to be some kind of groundskeeper. I was watching. Even if he doesn't know where she landed, Daniel is smart enough to track her. He's far enough removed from the courts at this point that Helena would reach out."

Simon: "You sure you want to destroy Hellfire? The way you talk about it...you sound like a jilted lover."

"I'm sure you know by now it's possible to both hate and love something at the same time."

:: The train stopped for a moment, a broken speaker announcing the next stop. They had some time to kill, and it was apparent that the softening of her heart was infecting her like a cancer. She was curious about Simon and his connections to all of this, and she was going to get better answers asking questions directly than going through dossier files about him. And from what she could tell, he seemed to be an open book, which was both a blessing and a curse. ::

"Tell me..I'm curious. Did you really think a guy like you could tame somebody like Ava Cassadine? I mean...I've met her...and i've met you....And I know the guy she actually loves...who is our secondary mission by the way. Alek. The Red Knight. He was my only friend in Hellfire America. I promised to help. If we can't figure out where Helena or Kelly are we need to figure out a clue as to where he is. He's too important for Helena to kill outright. But she'd most certainly love to have us believe him dead."

The subway station beeped once more as Domino's pale blue eyes narrowed, taking a moment to squint to read the Subway map in front of her.

"This is our stop. Daniel's hotel is a few blocks away..."

Domino smirked at him, nudging her with the shoulder of her leather jacket as they walked in an energetic pace.

"Just enough time for you to answer my questions...."

 

[Longshot]

An Uncomfortable Ride...

Simon was a bit aghast at Domino's questions and words. She was so severe, in her interactions and her physical presentation. He'd known her only for a few hours, but she didn't seem to be the kind of person who wanted to genuinely know anything about anyone unless it was for a specific reason. He had already decided to trust her, so he had no reason to lie. And besides, the more she knew about him personally might make him harder for her to kill later on if things turned to shit. They began to walk down the street.

"Did I ever think somebody like Ava Cassadine would ever be interested in someone like me? No. Do I think she just kind of latched onto me because I was hard and right in front of her? Maybe. But do I think we touched each other in such a way that it meant something? Yeah. We survived a traumatic experience together. I held her as she wept in her sleep. She gave me something to forget what I was going through. And I really needed it at the time. I like to think I provided the same thing for her. It probably wasn't love...but to know that not only is she evil that she has an evil boyfriend she gives way more of a shit about than me?! Well...it fuckin' hurts."

Simon closed his eyes for a moment. He still had nightmares about The Purifiers. It was the worst thing he ever experienced. Longhsot charged the battlefield, killing all righteous humans in his path. Killing. Murder. He was no better than these people. They were willing to kill for their cause, and he was apparently willing to kill for his.

"Hurts worse to know that you want to save him so bad, but I get it. Ava kinda makes you want to feel loyal to her without her ever really having to make good on that promise. Nevermind. I don't really want to get into anymore. Suffice to say...I never thought I could tame her. But I never wanted to. I just wanted to know her. And I thought I knew her...[painfully] way more than I ever actually did."

He shook his head. The last thing he needed was to feel sorry for himself. He'd been doing enough of that lately. Simon may have been a vulnerable person, but he couldn't let Domino continue to view him as some kind of brooding whiny soft boy.

"Look...none of that matters, so I hope you really got your rocks off, because I'm not talking about it again. The reason I'm walking with you down this street? Is because I'm really sick of this shit. All these hot rich mutants fighting each other...no matter how just or unjust their causes, the fallout is too much. I watched forty kids burn in fucking bus, Domino. I saw a group of people radicalized by their fear of mutants to the point in which they were ready to kill us. And that was me barely scratching the surface of what's gone on. The dust has to settle at some point...and I.... need to be a part of the solution.

[bitterly]

"As long as Hellfire exists, there can be no peace. So..if I have to get my sword bloody now in order to stop future bloodshed, I will, without hesitation."

She never made eye contact with him, keeping her hauntingly beautiful blue eyes in front of her as they went, which put Simon on edge. Still, she wouldn't have asked him about himself if she wasn't curious or figuring out if she could actually trust him. He had no punches to pull and her continued silence would have to serve as tacit approval for him as she stopped them in front of a private brownstone building. Her blue eyes met his green as she smirked.

Domino: "Good to know, Pratt....We're here."

 

[Discord]

Manhattan - Private Residence

Daniel Reed loved his life for the most part. He was attractive, had excellent bone structure, good teeth, an impeccable sense of fashion and no credit limit. He had an international pedigree, and parents that people liked on both sides of the pond. He was perfect in every sense of the word. And that was very important to Daniel. He liked perfection. Cleanliness. Order. His diagnosis as obsessive compulsive at the the age of nine was neither a surprise or a set back for Daniel. He made it work for him. His counting, his obsessive grooming, his visual ticks. All of them had led him to where he was in Hellfire. But for the life of him, he just couldn't get to the next level. His father had once served as Red Prince, and his mother was an official inter court liasion between London and America, for Helena Quartermaine. His family had been part of the original charter of Hellfire. His ascension to King should have been a no-brainer. But here he was, watching the less deserving take his throne in Europe and Hellfire America imploding from within. Everything he had ever worked for...had been for nothing. And it had curious effect on Daniel Reed. While he had his compulsions under control, every now and then, he experienced bouts of mania. Times when he knew he couldn't be in the public eye. He normally checked himself into a fancy hotel and let himself ritualize until he bled. And that's what he was doing. His dreams were up in flames and he couldn't see a way out.

"You're a maggot, Reed. And that's all you'll ever be."

He had showered seven times in the last three hours. Everytime he stepped over the threshold of the shower door into the bathroom, he felt dirty again. Parts of his skin weren't clean. Part of him wasn't clean. If he could just clean the stink off of himself, he could figure out a way to navigate his part in this. But his concerns weren't just based in his mental health, they were based in his powers. Naturally, he had never been a very popular boy, and that never sent right with him. So he used his powers. Gave himself fans, gave himself people so inspired by who he was. And he extended that ability to The Red Court. They exploited it deeply. To the point of which that Daniel didn't know who he was anymore. He incited riots, sparked passion, instilled fear. And none of it was real. All of it was his doing. It made him not know who he was or how anyone felt about it him. And his stiff upper lip required him to pretend to not care. But with everything that was happening, he couldn't pretend any longer. He was lost. And he was spinning out.

The phone rang.

Operator: "Reed, we have visitors. Just entered the elevators. Not sure if they're hostile. But it doesn't seem good. They're about ninety seconds out...."

"It's fine. Send them in. It's not often I get pursued like this..."

Daniel eyed himself in the mirror, and he couldn't help but focus on the skin under his eyes. He was young so why did he look so tired. Why did he look so puffy and exhausted? He began to mindlessly pick at his face for several minutes until he heard the doorbell of his penthouse call out. He hated the tone of the doorbell. It was only seven bars and it ended on an odd number of musical counts. He took a moment to look at his own security feeds: Maxine Dupont and Simon Pratt. One he had known his whole life and the other he had but a faint memory of. If Maxine was headed his way, it was because she had as little information about what was going on as he did, and he couldn't allow that. Gaining his composure, he stared at himself in the mirror, something he often did with digust. Until he tuned into the Daniel Reed that meant something. The superstar. The former Red Bishop. If Domino wanted information. She wasn't going to let her get it easily.

 

[Domino]

Manhattan - Private Residence

"Hello, Daniel."

Maxine delivered a brutal uppercut to Daniel Reed, watching his jaw break and his body fly across the room, her anger unable to be contained for reasons that were more personal for her than she would have liked to admit.

"Where the fuck is Helena Quartermaine?"

Daniel Reed. Looking as perfect as ever. Her stomach turned. He looked so much like his father. Dr. Nathaniel Reed. The man who often ushered in her nightmares as a child. He was Jean Luc's best friend in Hellfire, and depending on who you talked to a brilliant "doctor". Maxine jusremembered him as the guy who poked her with needles, prodded her body and invaded her mind. When she had returned to Hellfire London, she had been on a rampage. She had a cause that allowed her to ignore so much of the trauma she experienced within the walls of the mansion that was her on official deed and in title. She wanted answers for the death of Evelyn Pierce, and then she wanted to save Jessica Marcus. But now? She had a burn notice on her name, no allies alive to speak of, and a burning RAGE inside of her that getting hard to control.

Simon: "Jesus Max! Calm down!"

She watched as Daniel slinked from the floor and back onto his feet, clutching his jaw. He was a bit more durable than she remembered. She faced him, her eyes enshrouded in shadow and her hands encased in a crimson red shadow. Daniel was weak. All it would take is a bit of good old fashion ass beating and he would sing like a canary. Or so she thought.

Daniel: "I would say it's good to see you, Maxine...but it isn't. You're barking up the wrong tree, like usual. Any information I have dies with me."

<< BANG! >>

Her anger and rage had caused her to forget how much of a sharpshooter Daniel was as she watched him replaced his revolver in the holster of his immaculately tailored pants. He was often the prize pupil of Hellfire's pheasant hunts, hunts that the "girls" were never allowed to go on. She looked down at her shoulder as blood began to stain the shirt she had swiped from earlier. Maxine gritted her teeth. Whatever her reason for meeting Daniel here was gone. It was replaced only by anger and vengeance. She would not allow another member of Hellfire to get the jump on her!

"I guess that's a good enough reason to DIE as any, Daniel."

She was on him in an instant with her enhanced speed as she BARRELED through him, knocking him into a wall, her hands FIRMLY grasped around his neck as she met his gaze with her wild cobalt blue eyes which were flickering with hints of red.

Simon: "You want information, Domino! You don't want THIS!"

"Shut up, PRATT! This is PERSONAL!"

Daniel: [coughing] "Listen to your friend, [mockingly] mon amour."

"Don't you DARE mock me, REED! I'll KILL YOU!"

And so she went about it! Her grasp TIGHTENED as her native mutant ability to decay organic matter activated within her hands, and the process of decaying Daniel Reed's beautiful little face began to happen rapidly. She didn't see him anymore. She only saw his depraved father as her RAGE caused her to tighten her grip. She wondered what Dr. Reed would feel upon hearing the news that she had destroyed his perfect little boy. She decided she didn't care. His father and her father wanted to create a weapon, and they had...the ramifications of that were beyond her control. Death was her gift. And she always brought a gift.

Simon: "Maxine! STOP!"

He was going to try and use his power to stop her, and she was too angry to allow allow it. Splitting her focus very slightly she sweeped Simon off his feet with her leg and watched as his head smashed against an end table in the foyer, knocking him out cold before returning her gaze to Daniel, who's face was in a grotesque decaying state. She hissed at him at she spoke.

"Your father...VIOLATED me...ASSAULTED me on every fucking level there is. And now, I'm going to do the same to his little boy. Forgive me, Daniel. It's not your fault...just a consequence of BIRTH!"

Most of his head was gone as his body began to shrivel in her hands, dust particles of his skin and bone exploding in her face as she continued with her power, completely lost in her pain in rage. She consumed him until there was absolutely nothing left. And she fell to the floor as his body exploded beneath her in a cloud of dust.

It had been a mistake to kill him. Her anger had gotten the best of her as it always did. All she knew was that she had about ninety seconds before security reached Daniel's penthouse. She could steal his tech, but she hadn't anticipated on carrying an unconscious partner to safety as well. Taking a deep breath, she tried to re-focus, trying to ignore the positively euphoric feeling she felt at ending his life. She only had time to figure out to survive what's next.

 

[Discord]

"I have to say, Maxine, I'm bit offended at how easily you were able to murder me. I've known you since we were both in diapers, and you didn't even give me so much as a remorseful glance."

The entire room shifted instantly as Daniel stepped forward from the shadows and his dead body dissappeared from the floor. Discord was an omega level empath and illusionist, and this had been but an example of his power. As soon as he saw her on the security feeds, he had gone to work, needing to know what her intentions were.

"Not that I'm suprised. You've always had been a bit from ends, despite your upbringing."

Daniel walked closer to Maxine and her associate, Simon Pratt - a man he only really knew by name and legacy of Hellfire America, who was just barely regaining consciousness. His power gave him a preliminary sense of what was going on.

"So..you're properly pissed at Talisman for getting the jump on you and you want answers. What makes you think I have any for you? Did I miss my own coronation? Or have you forgotten exactly how soiled you left me in London? I helped you pull off a good and proper rebellion, I killed Camille Rowe myself, and you put a bloody fairy and an absolute bellend in control of The Red Court. My family was on the original charter of this club, my father was a Red Prince, and you would have me serve the likes of [mockingly] Bretta and Alistair? Fuck off, Domino."

He poured himself a scotch from his bar as he swiveled it around in the glass, looking at it intently before looking at Maxine intently once more. Cautiously moving closer to her.

"I'm not going to join your crusade to destroy Hellfire and neither is anybody else, because it's not going to happen. And because it's brilliantly stupid. Hellfire isn't going anywhere. The sooner you realize that, the better."

Daniel took a celebratory sip. Maxine may have been much stronger than he was, but there was no limit to the ways in which he could torment her if he wanted. And his pride came into play. He was a Reed. A legacy member of Hellfire. He was not about to let his family name be tarnished by the likes of her.

"Shit's hit the proverbial fan and you're looking for something to focus your RAGE on. It's not Hellfire. It's MysTech. I mean...that was the start of all your problems wasn't it?"

Her smirked as he walked closer to her.

"Jean Luc met Adam and Christopher and he wanted to BE them. Offered you up like a stock option. Without a second thought, just like Christopher did with his dear "daughter". THEY were the ones who ruined this club. Father always talked about how fun this place used to be. How it used to be so simple. A place where mutants obtained and exerted power through politics and economic influence INSTEAD of outward conquest and domination. There was an ART to it. We didn't WANT to be a part of flatscan games. But THEY did...and they ran us all into the ground in their pursuit of it."

Daniel was disgusted by the way that Hellfire ended up over the last few years. Growing up in this place, it was sold as something different. But his adolescence had shown him that the people in charge had lost their way. They wanted to play human games. They wanted military power. They wanted to get in bed with the very people that Hellfire used to make fun of, and it killed him. It had been why he joined the rebellion in London to begin with. Ravena had promised them something different. Maxine had promised them power. And when the dust settled, Daniel found that nothing changed, and he had no more power or influence than he did before. He was a fixture in the face of these new characters that wanted to rule the world instead of enjoying the parts of the world that they owned as mutants. He took another sip of his scotch.

"The Americans came in with a new game, and it trumped everything. It became our OBSESSION. And why?! Why would we supply the government with weapons to kill us? WHY would we deign to hobknob with flatscan world powers who wanted us dead? We were supposed to be ABOVE humans, not play their games. But here we are. For Christ's sake Maxine, what was the point of the rebellion you led in London if not to focus us on our truer purpose? I believed in you...we all believed in you. And you walked away. Hopped across the pond and got in bed with The White Queen. Now, don't mistake me. I love Helena. She's been more of a mother to me than my own, but they played a game with no winners. They always have. And we let them. We let them shape the future of Hellfire, and we are all now paying the PRICE."

He entertained the idea of flexing his power around her. Of watching her devolve into a huddled mess. Crying and begging him for forgiveness. For as strong as she was, Daniel could make her his little bitch with no trouble. But he did care about Maxine. He remembered the days leading up to her "capture". He remembered who she was BEFORE everything that happened to her, and he ignored what part his father might have played in it.

"I'm not a monster, Maxine. I know what you've been through. My power lets me MORE than EMPATHIZE with you. But I won't let you destroy Hellfire. You're a part of it's origin. You want true revenge? You go after the things that TAINTED your BIRTHRIGHT. Helena is no fool. She's told me nothing. I've heard NOTHING. You want answers? The only place you can go is...home."

[smirking]

"We can survive this, Max. But it's finally time for you to get your head on straight. You can't cut your way through this. You can't MURDER your way to victory. You need people...and you need a PLAN. Not whatever [gesturing] "this" is you've started."

 

[Longshot]

Domino: "Hello, Daniel. Where the fuck is Helena Quartermaine?"

Simon had tried to convince himself that things were going to well, but he could sense trouble from the moment he walked into Daniel Reed's building. For months, Simon's power was growing, and he realized after spending time in the field with The Six, that there was something about his power that was decidedly psionic in nature. It was very low level, but Simon had developed a sense for the mood of things. He could tell if things were going to go good or bad, and for some reason, he could see Maxine's hands in the future. He didn't know how, but he knew she was about to do something bad with them. And then she uppercutted Daniel with ease. Longshot watched Daniel's jaw pop out of place as he fell to the ground.

"Jesus! Calm down!"

Maxine didn't listen. She was lost to her anger.

Daniel: "I would say it's good to see you, Maxine...but it isn't. You're barking up the wrong tree, like usual. Any information I have dies with me."

This was not good. The two were peering at each other like hooded cobras poised to attack. He couldn't understand Maxine's anger, but he didn't dare intervene. If she sensed he was going to use his power, she might just kill him next.

Maxine: "I guess that's a good enough reason to DIE as any, Daniel."

She pounced with cheetah like speed, throttling him against the wall as Simon froze in place. The Purifier Event as well as nearly dying at the hands of Persephone had given him a case of PTSD that came and went in waves. Mostly, he had been drinking to avoid it altogether, but it had been a good few hours since he had left the bar, and he was alarmingly sober. He began to sweat and breathe heavily at the violence in front of him, and it was all he could do to speak, but he did.

"You want information, Domino! You don't want THIS!"

Maxine: "Shut up, PRATT! This is PERSONAL!"

Daniel: "Listen to your friend, mon amour."

Maxine: "Don't you DARE mock me, REED! I'LL KILL YOU!"

It was horrific, the way her power worked as Simon could smell burning flesh in the air as she decayed him. He swallowed hard in his throat. He couldn't let this happen. She wanted to destroy Hellfire, but this was just outright murder, whatever her reasons. He had to do something. He had to WILL himself to do something. Mustering up his now shaking strength, he pressed forward ready to sway luck in Daniel's favor.

<< VOOM! >>

His feet fell out from under him as he chaotically fell into a display table head first as his mind went black with pain. Everything went black, he was out cold....

A Few Minutes Later....

Daniel: "I have to say, Maxine...I'm a bit offended at how easily you were able to murder me...."

The blackness began to fade as Simon blinked through the fuzziness of being unconscious to see the foyer in complete and perfect condition as if nothing had just transpired. Instinctively he tried to shoot up to his feet as fast as he could, confused as to whether or not he needed to get the fuck out of here.

Daniel: "Not that I'm surprised. You've always been a bit from ends, despite your upbringing."

"What the fuck is going on here? You were dying!"

Daniel: "So...you're properly pissed at Talisman for getting the jump on you and you want answers. What makes you think I have any for you? Did I miss my own coronation? Or have you forgotten exactly how soiled you left me in London? I helped you pull off a good and proper rebellion, I killed Camille Rowe myself, and you put a bloody fairy and an absolute bellend in control of The Red Court. My family was on the original charter of this club, my father was a Red Prince, and you would have me serve the likes of Bretta and Alistair? Fuck off, Domino."

"Great. A fucking monologue."

Simon took this time to listen peripherally and reflect on some of his more recent choices. Why had he followed Domino? Why was he here? Ever since The Purifier Event, he had felt compelled to do...something, and he quickly figured out that he was willing to do anything besides face the trauma he experienced. The people in this world, for as human as they appeared were really something else. He had watched children burn in a bus right in front of him. Saw the dangers of mutant hate right in front of his eyes, of what it looked like when weak minded people were galvanized by what they felt to be a righteous cause. He would never be the same person ever again. But these people? They moved so quickly forward that they never gave themselves a chance to process things.

Daniel: "Father always talked about how fun this place used to be. How it used to be so simple. A place where mutants obtained and exerted power through politics and economic influence INSTEAD of outward conquest and domination. There was an ART to it. We didn't WANT to be a part of flatscan games. But THEY did...and they ran us all into the ground in their pursuit of it."

It was jarring to hear these people speak of Hellfire with such familiarity. It had been in Simon's life, but always in the background. He was told it was a social club, and he never gave it much thought outside of that. They threw crazy and often salacious parties, some of which Simon had attended over the years, but he never suspected what they were really up to. When he did know, what they were capable of, he confront his mother, and saw the undying loyalty that people of Hellfire had in action. Leaving wasn't an option to her. Wasn't a choice she considered in the slightest. She was in this to the death, which gave Simon more questions than answers. Why would she ally herself with people like this to begin with? To his knowledge, she was not a mutant. Why did she have such loyalty to Diana? It seemed like she would die for this club, which made Simon sometimes feel like there was something about the place he didn't know. And the way that Daniel spoke so poetically about the place didn't clear anything up for him. Maybe it used to be a social club, one that protected mutants. Maybe it became something different and everyone was too afraid to let go?

Daniel: "The Americans came in with a new game, and it trumped everything. It became our OBSESSION. And why?! Why would we supply the government with weapons to kill us? WHY would we deign to hobknob with flatscan world powers who wanted us dead? We were supposed to be ABOVE humans, not play their games. But here we are. For Christ's sake Maxine, what was the point of the rebellion you led in London if not to focus us on our truer purpose? I believed in you...we all believed in you. And you walked away. Hopped across the pond and got in bed with The White Queen. Now, don't mistake me. I love Helena. She's been more of a mother to me than my own, but they played a game with no winners. They always have. And we let them. We let them shape the future of Hellfire, and we are all now paying the PRICE."

This was the Hellfire he came to know. A perplexing organization that seemed to just want power without consequence. Not caring the source from which it came. They sold out their own to be the biggest person in the room and there was no community. It was kill or be killed. And often in the most grotesque way. They willingly sacrificed children for sport..but it was honestly comforting to hear Daniel speak about how this wasn't always the case.

Daniel: "I'm not a monster, Maxine. I know what you've been through. My power lets me MORE than EMPATHIZE with you. But I won't let you destroy Hellfire. You're a part of it's origin. You want true revenge? You go after the things that TAINTED your BIRTHRIGHT. Helena is no fool. She's told me nothing. I've heard NOTHING. You want answers? The only place you can go is...home."

He wondered what kind of place Maxine might call home. It wasn't a comforting image.

Daniel: "We can survive this, Max. But it's finally time for you to get your head on straight. You can't cut your way through this. You can't MURDER your way to victory. You need people...and you need a PLAN. Not whatever [gesturing] "this" is you've started."

"Plan. I like that idea, Max. a PLAN. We aren't going to get far decaying every body we come across. I followed you because I trust you, Sir. You're better than this. Listen to the man."

He braced for impact from her fists.

 

[Domino]

Daniel: "I have to say, Maxine, I'm bit offended at how easily you were able to murder me. I've known you since we were both in diapers, and you didn't even give me so much as a remorseful glance."

And suddenly, all of it was gone. The entire scene faded away before her eyes and reset to it's perfect beginning. It was then she realized that she had fallen victim to one of Daniel's illusions and she hated herself for getting so angry that she allowed it to happen.

Daniel: "Not that I'm suprised. You've always had been a bit from ends, despite your upbringing."

"What can I say? America has changed me, salaud."

He began to walk closer to her as she was immediately on edge and worse, caught off guard. He had gotten the jump on her, and she was only slightly relieved that the only person who had witnessed this was Simon Pratt. She eyed him with ferocity as he continued to speak.

Daniel: "So..you're properly pissed at Talisman for getting the jump on you and you want answers. What makes you think I have any for you? Did I miss my own coronation? Or have you forgotten exactly how soiled you left me in London? I helped you pull off a good and proper rebellion, I killed Camille Rowe myself, and you put a bloody fairy and an absolute bellend in control of The Red Court. My family was on the original charter of this club, my father was a Red Prince, and you would have me serve the likes of [mockingly] Bretta and Alistair? Fuck off, Domino."

"You were a last minute addition who only joined when they realized the cards were stacked against them. Say what you will about the fairy and the dumbass, Daniel. They weren't afraid of Rebecca...You were. And you got exactly what you deserved."

He'd always been like this. So careful. So afraid to make a choice that might "other" him. They had grown up together, attended some of the same schools, been coronated into the courts at the same time, but something she always remembered about Daniel, was his desperate need to be "perfect". To make all the right choices...and when she needed somebody to advocate for her, to be there for her, he was too busy being at the heels of Jean Luc and Nathaniel to notice. And she had never forgiven him.

Daniel: "I'm not going to join your crusade to destroy Hellfire and neither is anybody else, because it's not going to happen. And because it's brilliantly stupid. Hellfire isn't going anywhere. The sooner you realize that, the better."

"You can't murder an idea, I guess..."

It had been a tenet of Hellfire engrained to them all at a young age. Who they were, what they stood for. It could never be killed. Still, after everything they'd been through, after everything that had transpired, to see Daniel still hold Hellfire in such a romantic gaze, it unsettled her.

Daniel: "Shit's hit the proverbial fan and you're looking for something to focus your RAGE on. It's not Hellfire. It's MysTech. I mean...that was the start of all your problems wasn't it?"

"Don't act like the two aren't married, Daniel. MysTech IS Hellfire. It's ideals fully realized."

Daniel: "Jean Luc met Adam and Christopher and he wanted to BE them. Offered you up like a stock option. Without a second thought, just like Christopher did with his dear "daughter". THEY were the ones who ruined this club. Father always talked about how fun this place used to be. How it used to be so simple. A place where mutants obtained and exerted power through politics and economic influence INSTEAD of outward conquest and domination. There was an ART to it. We didn't WANT to be a part of flatscan games. But THEY did...and they ran us all into the ground in their pursuit of it."

She felt the wind taken out of her, a proverbial gut punch as Daniel spoke. He was right. It had been why Maxine returned to Hellfire. After she had murdered her father and installed Evelyn Pierce as the ruler of The Black Court, she felt things coming back to a sense of normalcy. Little did she know Rebecca and Camille were trying to revive the MysTech machine with Meridian Industries. They wanted to further her father's work. To move it into the future, and when Evelyn resisted, they had her killed. She had been so angry at them that she didn't stop to think about what she was doing. She wanted change. She wanted a new Inner Circle, and she wanted a new Supreme Council, which was why she murdered all of them outright, save for Cordelia. She always felt like Hellfire was hers. Her family was among those signatures on the first charter, as were Daniel's family. They held court in a house that she owned. Maxine had been so lost in her anguish and her protection of Jessica that she felt like she was losing sight of the bigger picture. Her father may have, but maybe she could right his wrongs? It was what she spent most of her adult life doing anyway.

"And like you all didn't follow like SHEEP. I DID my part, Daniel. I put Evelyn on the throne! Things were getting better! They were actually CHANGING! It was YOUR Queen who wanted to play God. My hands are clean. YOURS aren't."

Daniel: "I'm not a monster, Maxine. I know what you've been through. My power lets me MORE than EMPATHIZE with you. But I won't let you destroy Hellfire. You're a part of it's origin. You want true revenge? You go after the things that TAINTED your BIRTHRIGHT. Helena is no fool. She's told me nothing. I've heard NOTHING. You want answers? The only place you can go is...home."

She recoiled at his words. Daniel had nothing to do with what happened to her. He was just as innocent as she once was. But everytime she looked at him, she saw his father. And she remembered his silence.

"You speak so eloquently...of my assault..of my RAPE...You could never hope to EMPATHIZE with me on that...."

[begrudgingly]

"But you also speak the truth...."

Was she REALLY about to say this? Was she REALLY this easily persuaded?

"We have to fix things, Daniel. This CAN'T be what we offer to the future...."

Daniel: "We can survive this, Max. But it's finally time for you to get your head on straight. You can't cut your way through this. You can't MURDER your way to victory. You need people...and you need a PLAN. Not whatever [gesturing] "this" is you've started."

Simon: "Plan. I like that idea, Max. a PLAN. We aren't going to get far decaying every body we come across. I followed you because I trust you, Sir. You're better than this. Listen to the man."

"Everybody SHUT UP! Give me a minute to think!"

She was coming up blank. Maxine hadn't relied on anyone in her life. Everyone had let her down. Everyone had betrayed her. But this was something different. Maybe destroying Hellfire wasn't the answer. Maybe fixing it was.

"What's your plan, Daniel?"

 

[Discord]

Maxine: "You were a last minute addition who only joined when they realized the cards were stacked against them. Say what you will about the fair and the dumbass, Daniel. They weren't afraid of Rebecca...You were. And you got exactly what you deserved."

She wasn't wrong. Daniel loved Rebecca. He knew her differently than the others. She was like the prettiest girl in your highschool who was finally giving you attention. He was infatuated by her, and he really saw himself ruling The Red Court with her at some point, despite how ridiculous that might have sounded. She was beautiful. She was brilliant. And she was smart. But so was Daniel. As soon as Maxine entered the mansion so many months ago, he knew that Rebecca had an expiration date. He had known many of the details of her dalliance with Camille and Meridian Industries. Because his father was the Head of Research. Because his father was unlike his mother in the sense that his father could never leave well enough alone. He followed Rebecca willingly into the web of Dr. Kelly Shaw. She had given them insight. She had given them purpose and the promise of power. It was a recipe for disaster, and while he may have cared a great deal about Rebecca, he cared about Hellfire more. It may have been too late, but his joining of the rebellion was one of the first acts of defiance he had ever committed in his life. He betrayed both his father and his Queen because he knew this was all careening towards disaster. Daniel had been in America because he didn't trust Kelly. Or Diana. Or Maxine. They were too eager for an alliance out of the blue. So Daniel used his dual membership to the club to his benefit. To keep an eye on him.

"I was your comrade. I delivered a killing blow to The White Queen, exponentially increasing your position in this little cold war we've got going on, I gave you intel far more valuable than anybody else in our alliance. And I got nothing in return. Don't insult me like that."

He made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would NOT aid her in any attempt to destroy The Hellfire Club. Daniel had dedicated his life to this, to fail would make it all meaningless. And while Maxine had been manipulated and brutalized enough for one lifetime, Daniel did not feel bad about employing similar tactics in this instance. There was a part of him that cared about her deeply, and felt bad that when she was taken, disappearing from Hellfire for two years, Daniel didn't step in. Mostly he was just glad that his father hadn't chosen him as Meridian's primary subject. But he was sick of her throwing her dick around the place like judge, jury and executioner as she saw fit. She needed her anger redirected, and Daniel didn't need his powers to get the job done. Just some good old fashioned finessing.

"Shit's hit the proverbial fan and you're looking for something to focus your RAGE on. It's not Hellfire. It's MysTech. I mean...that was the start of all your problems wasn't it?"

MysTech and Meridian Industries may have been biproducts of Hellfire, ran by Hellfire, managed by Hellfire and essentially owned by Hellfire, but they were still separate entities with separate goals. Most members had no clue these corporations were even affiliated with the club. And what he was saying was true. He was a young boy when it happened, but he remembered when things started to change. Maxine disappeared, and Jean Luc was drunk with power. And while he wished it had been the Red Court that had seen the folly in these changes, alas it had been within the black court itself. Evelyn hated the biotech aspect of Hellfire. She hated the fact that we were creating things that seemed specifically designed to kill mutants. Killing flatscans was easy. Hellfire didn't need to get involved. It was not like they needed the money. Evelyn primed Domino to kill her father, gained her trust, got her loyalty and stoked her infamous anger right at Jean Luc's head. And it worked. For a moment he felt bad for Maxine Dupont. Every relationship she ever had was superficial, was someone using her to get what they wanted. Even the ones she cherished the most. Maxine needed a cause. She needed someone to follow, to please. She needed a purpose, and unfortunately for her, Daniel was not above exploiting that to get what he wanted.

Maxine: "Don't act like the two aren't married, Daniel. MysTech IS Hellfire. It's ideals fully realized."

"Jean Luc met Adam and Christopher and he wanted to BE them. Offered you up like a stock option. Without a second thought, just like Christopher did with his dear "daughter". THEY were the ones who ruined this club. Father always talked about how fun this place used to be. How it used to be so simple. A place where mutants obtained and exerted power through politics and economic influence INSTEAD of outward conquest and domination. There was an ART to it. We didn't WANT to be a part of flatscan games. But THEY did...and they ran us all into the ground in their pursuit of it."

He knew even saying her father's name would stoke the flames where they needed to be. She hated him so much, and so much of her drive and gusto was to prove to herself that she was a better man than him. That she was smarter, more insightful, truly everything he wasn't, she wanted to be. If he could just inspire her and play to her hatred of her father, she might be willing to move in the direction Daniel was looking to go.

Maxine: "And like you all didn't follow like SHEEP. I DID my part, Daniel. I put Evelyn on the throne! Things were getting better! They were actually CHANGING! It was YOUR Queen who wanted to play God. My hands are clean. YOURS aren't."

Daniel smirked. It was actually her father who wanted to play God. Everything that happened after that was consequential, but he ignored it. She was getting there. It had been over ninety seconds and she hadn't sprung into violence like she normally did. She was confused by her anger and like normal, was looking for someone to guide her. She truly was a weapon. And that weapon belonged to Hellfire. He could sense his own personal feelings fluttering about his mind, though thanks to his power, he was often able to view them and experience them with an almost medical lens. He cared about Maxine, he knew she would never serve on another court, and he knew he was trying to use her for his own personal gain, but his personal gain could be very healing for her. He felt good about things going forward. He just needed to give her an inch that she would emotionally take for miles, in her own way.

"I'm not a monster, Maxine. I know what you've been through. My power lets me MORE than EMPATHIZE with you. But I won't let you destroy Hellfire. You're a part of it's origin. You want true revenge? You go after the things that TAINTED your BIRTHRIGHT. Helena is no fool. She's told me nothing. I've heard NOTHING. You want answers? The only place you can go is...home."

She recoiled at his words, but absorbed them. Her battle wasn't with Hellfire. It was with specific people in Hellfire who had gotten in over their heads. That was easily remedied, and with Hellfire America seemingly in shambles, it was a good idea to start taking care of those loose ends before they became gaping wounds.

Maxine: "You speak so eloquently...of my assault...of my RAPE...You could never hope to EMPATHIZE with me on that...."

His face remained like stone, but he felt that one. He could never make up for not being her. He could only offer her what Maxine Dupont desperately needed...a new path.

Maxine: "But you also speak the truth..."

"There's our girl..."

Maxine: "We have to fix things, Daniel. This CAN'T be what we offer to the future...."

He wanted to feel bad, but there was no time to. This wasn't just an uprising. This was war. And Daniel had decided that this time, he would not just be a private...but a general.

"We can survive this, Max. But it's finally time for you to get your head on straight. You can't cut your way through this. You can't MURDER your way to victory. You need people...and you need a PLAN. Not whatever [gesturing] "this" is you've started."

Simon: "Plan. I like that idea, Max. a PLAN. We aren't going to get far decaying every body we come across. I followed you because I trust you, Sir. You're better than this. Listen to the man."

Daniel looked over at Simon, who was slowly regaining his composure, and smirked. He was handsome though his scruff and unkept hair stoked a adverse reaction within him. This was not the Simon Pratt that Daniel knew, but then again, neither was anybody else these days.

Maxine: "What's your plan, Daniel?"

"That's more like it."

"They were headed to Europe to begin with and my bet is both Helena and Kelly made a pit stop to save some face and shore up any stray alliances they might have had going on for protection. And with good reason. There's no way Haleigh or Ava will let the dust settle before they try to stake their claim. They sacrificed too much not to. They were more comfortable in Hellfire than they'd like people to believe. We set our sights on Talisman. She's the wild card in this scenario. It was tense between her and Diana in the days leading up the battle, and what intel I do have has alerted me that while Enchantrah may have gone MIA, Kelly has been hard at work. First, we will go to Hellfire London, I will challenge both Alistair and Bretta's claim to the throne, and I will take it from them. Then we seek out Kelly, and we kill her and any living remnants of Meridian Industries OR MysTech. If and when The Six invade Hellfire? They'll be grateful, I'll get what I deserve, and you will get your revenge. And when all is said and done, you can help guide us back to our truer purpose."

Maxine: "Is that all?"

Simon: "Yeah, look man, this all seems to benefit you a hell of a lot more than it benefits us."

"That's a rather variable concept at the moment. What exactly is it that you have to lose? Or gain for that matter? One of you just sided with a woman declared dead at the scene, and the other has no bloody clue how to navigate waters this deep. Neither of you can destroy Hellfire, but together, perhaps we can fix it. The club isn't going anywhere. So you can either be involved in the process of it's rebirth, or you can die trying to kill things that are already dead. The choice is yours. But do not underestimate the weight of that choice."

Simon: "Max...this seems suspect as HELL...but, I trust you. You want to follow him to Europe, I'm down. You want to waste his ass and high tail it out of here? I'm game. I have your back, Sir."

Maxine: "We'll go to London. I've been gone for too long. It's time they were reminded of my presence there. But Daniel?"

She leaned in close to him.

Maxine: "This is probationary. You have a way with words, but a track record with actions. If I think for a second you're about to move against blondie or I, I'll burn the whole house down, and I won't give a flying fuck who's inside."

"You never have, Maxine. That's what I like about you."

Maxine: "Also, we're making a stop before we leave for London."

[curiously] "Oh yeah? Where exactly?"

Maxine: "We're going back to the mansion. I'm taking back custody of Jessica Marcus."

"And how do you expect to pull that one off, Max? The mansion is buried. We don't even know where it is."

He didn't like the devilish smirk on her face.

Maxine: "You're gonna call that little scruffy chav of a bartender you like to "swordfight" with when you touch ground in New York, Danny Donnelly. And you're gonna tell him you need a favor."

 

[Mockingbird]

Meanwhile in Connecticut....

Kristen Pratt loved her home. sixteen-thousand square feet. Six bedrooms. Ten bathrooms. Almost 30 acres of pure luxury and wealth. Pratt Manor had been her dream home. The perfect place to raise her son, care for her husband, and entertain world powers. So it was strange to her, to have so much square footage and be only concerned with the three hundred feet in front of her, where her husband's body was splattered across her crystaline white marble countertops. It had been her fault. She never went jogging on Tuesday...and she didn't alert her security team of the changes in her schedule. Her mind couldn't stop furiously juxtaposing Thorne Pratt's very red blood against the all white minimalistic room. The amount of bullet holes in the room let her know that these bullets weren't just for Thorne, but herself as well. How had he not seen something like this coming? He was a decorated veteran. He'd faced more actual war than anybody she had ever known. It was his strong hand and eagle eye that had attracted her to him in the first place, and he died like a patsy. She had tried to warn him, the moment she learned that Diana was presumed dead. People would be coming for them. Talisman would not hesitate to act. She tried to convince him to disappear somewhere for a little while, but he refused. He was convinced that things were fine. And now he was dead. Her eyes fluttered at the carnage before her gaze fixated on a bottle of half drank Chardonnay on the kitchen counter she had started drinking last night. She walked over his body, pulled a stem glass from a bloodstained cabinet and poured herself the rest of the bottle, taking a long drink before she looked back over at her dead husband. She rose her glass in a toast like manner.

"To General Pratt. You were the first man that ever actually loved me, and the only man who didn't beat me like an untrained dog. Rest in Peace, Thor. I love you..."

She took another long drink. Kristen had been on autopilot for quite some time now, but with Diana gone, she had responsibilities to Hellfire that she was obligated to fulfill. She pressed a button on her diamond encrusted custom Cartier watch, outfitted with Hellfire tech as she spoke into the com link.

"Mockingbird to White Guard, I need a cleanup crew. We're being hunted. I'm enacting Ghost protocols from this moment forward. Assemble the task force and send me status reports on our recovery efforts at the mansion. Three of our teleporters are still missing in action."

She exhaled deeply as her mind went to Simon. Her beautiful but troubled only child. Kristen had mortgaged her soul to have him, and give him the life she had given him. She was a human who willingly got into bed with Hellfire knowing exactly what they were doing, and what's worse, she gladly helped them. She had been instrumental in helping Diana take down Christopher and Adam, and it have given her safety her entire life. All that they asked for was her loyalty. So much of her had been stripped over the years, and her loyalty was the one thing she could willingly give. Simon didn't understand that. Diana had saved her. Without her...there would have been no Simon. She would have died at the hands of her abuser. Simon had admonished her for doing what she had to do in order to survive. Burst into her office like he had a single clue as to how deeply he owed Hellfire his life. So perhaps, if he felt so easily swayed into turning his back on her, he shouldn't be privy to what was really going on. And she really didn't have time to emotionally walk her son through his father's death at the moment. She had things to do. Malice may have been able to turn into actual diamond, but Kristen had her own proverbial diamond form. It was what allowed her to operate in the capacity that she needed to.

"And so it begins..."

Kristen walked over to the Matisse hanging in her dining room, and pulled the painting open like a cabinet door, entering a four digit code on the safe that hid behind it. She grabbed her Linebaugh Freedom Arms revolvers and slipped them into the side pockets of her yoga pants, grabbing her blue crocodile Hermes Birkin bag that had a cool million in cash as well as a number of different passports and visas. Sliding around on her trainers, she pulled another handgun from underneath the dining room table and put it in her bag as her mind went through a list of things. The primary concern had been the lab with the Scion clones. It's destruction seemed to be a foregone conclusion so proactively, Kristen had several clones moved to a secure location. Nobody was sure how Scion's consciousness chose a new host body, so there was always a chance she could one day wake up in a room full of clones that Kristen had stolen from her, but she had to take the chance. This was a part of the protocols. She had sent the word out to key members of The White Court, including Heidi Scarborough, who she had yet to account for. Grabbing a set of keys by the back kitchen door she headed into their ten car garage and clicked the beeper on a nice little all white Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. She hopped in, revving the engine and barreling out of the garage doors as soon as they opened.

"Mockingbird to home base. I don't know when I will be back. Increase security by three. This is my haven, boys. Die in pursuit of it's protection or resign from the job now. I will send updates as needed. Nobody gets in or out unless they are absolutely essential, and in case of a breach, we'll move to extraction protocols. Stay safe."

She spoke to the speaker system in her car. Kristen barreled down the suburban street at lightning speed. She had a rendezvous point to get to, and a hell of a lot of work ahead of her, but this was what she signed up for. This was the least she could do for Diana. Despite what had just occurred, The White Court would thrive. They would remain the power they were for Hellfire. Or they would have to go through her. Her mind went on autopilot as she turned the radio up to full blast and accelerated even more. It had been a long time since she had to move at this speed, and she had never felt more alive.

 

[Seer]

Into The Night....

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter."

- Ernest Hemingway

<< The Battle at Hellfire was epic, but it created more problems than it solved. As The Six and The Birds of Prey took a moment to recover, the other, many pieces on the chessboard began to make their moves. In a world with so many main characters, this felt like the right opportunity for many of those who had taken a back to seat to move into the driver's seat. Diana was supposedly dead and it seemed like Talisman had all been but waiting for this very moment, writing burn notices for more than one member of The White Court and it's allies. She was all but declaring war, and certain voices began to rise on just how to exactly solve that problem. >>

<< Maxine Dupont aka Domino had been attacked in broad daylight by Talisman's "blackjackets" a cybernetic, synthetic army of sentinel like creatures who wore tuxedos and worked in tandem to all but kill her, before being rescued by lost boy Simon Pratt aka Longshot. Using his powers, Simon was able to restart Maxine's heart and agreed to join her mission to destroy Hellfire. They were looking for information, and their first stop in pursuit of that would turn their mission on it's head before it ever really began. Daniel Reed aka Discord had been prepared for his guests, and used his clever words and past relationship with Domino to convince her to work with him in restoring order at Hellfire, something both Maxine and Simon were not convinced that Daniel wanted. But still, they agreed to ascend him to power in Europe, and go after Kelly Shaw. Something that would become increasingly harder as the days went on. >>

<< For now, Maxine had asked Daniel for a favor. She wanted to recover the stasis tube of Jessica Marcus AKA Viper from the Hellfire Mansion. Daniel had not wanted to contact Danny Donnelly, his infrequent lover, but knew he needed to show Maxine a bit of vulnerability if she was to truly trust him. And this was important to Maxine. He had watched her throw her whole life away to try and protect Jessica. So he agreed. An hour later, the unlikely group of allies found themselves in Heritage bar, owned by Danny Donnelly aka Citadel, an urban elemental who was deeply connected to NYC. >>

<< He was the one who had buried Hellfire, placing it so deep beneath the city that only he could find it. If Maxine had any chance of recovering Viper, she would have to go through Danny. And so as the moon rises high in the sky, and our antiheroes sip on nervous beers, we WATCH. >>

 

[Citadel]

Heritage Bar - Brooklyn

"Sorry, Danno. The answer is no."

Danny handed the surprising part their drinks, ignoring the massive headache he had. From the moment he buried Hellfire, he had felt ill. He had extracted The Birds of Prey and buried the mansion deep beneath the city before it's inevitable destruction cost more lives than it needed to. He could feel the mansion in his stomach, like a tumor. He was clammy, and jumpy, and quite a bit grumpy, and couldn't even appreciate a bit of poetic rhyming in his internal dialogue. The last thing he was resolved to do was to let a bunch of Hellfire members loose on the place.

"I won't. Nobody needs to be in that place, Daniel. And while I've enjoyed the many generous sexual favors you've given me over the years, I don't really trust you...and neither does the city."

[he smirked]

"And the city wants me to tell you that she shares that sentiment among the THREE of you, not just Daniel."

Splitting his focus he greeted a few patrons, and tried to remember their orders. His head bartender Angel was on paternity leave and while he had ran many a business in Brooklyn, he was not the most operationally savvy guy in the city. As a biproduct of his power, his endeavours usually worked out without much work on his part. If he was working this hard at the bar it meant that the city really was sick. And that really didn't lend him to give Discord and Domino the keys to the place. And then there was Simon.

"Pratt, I don't know how the hell you got yourself mixed up with these two, but I can tell ya, it ain't the smartest fuckin' decision I've seen you make..."

He handed Simon a cocktail napkin. Danny had found the young man very dapper, and his recent lack of committment to any civilized hair products was admittedly kind of sexy. But more than that, Simon Pratt was exactly the kind of guy the city needed. A man of privilege who was willing to face it and desperate to make positive change. He was at a crossroads, and it made Danny a bit more generous with his money and time than he normally was.

"But you've also got the best heart out of the whole damn crew. If you're with 'em, they can't be all bad. So you tell me what you think, handsome. Why should i let these guys into Hellfire?"

 

[Longshot]

Heritage Bar - Brooklyn

He didn't like any of this, but he also wasn't leaving. Simon trusted Maxine. She was emotional in a way that also made her very honest. She was pulling no punches, and while she had a propensity for violence, he could tell Maxine had a sense of honor. It seemed like Daniel Reed had a sense of honor as well, though that didn't mean Simon trusted him. He seemed manipulative, and after what Longshot had just seen him do with his power, he would always be on edge around Daniel. Despite all of that, Daniel seemed to really know how to navigate The Hellfire Club. He spoke like they did. He had a british accent. And he looked like a cologne model come to life. Domino had decided to reform Hellfire, so it seemed like Daniel would be a good person to keep around.

Maxine: "Also, we're making a stop before we leave for London."

Daniel: "Oh yeah? Where exactly?"

Maxine: "We're going back to the mansion. I'm taking back custody of Jessica Marcus."

Simon was in no way interested in going to the Hellfire Mansion, despite how energized he had become upon hearing Daniel's plan for their next steps. Maybe Simon could right some of the wrongs his parents may have done in Hellfire. Perhaps he could find out what they had done for Hellfire.

Maxine: "You're gonna call that little scruffy chav of a bartender you like "swordfight" with when you touch ground in New York. Danny Donnelly. And you're gonna tell him you need a favor."

His eyes widened with both humor and disbelief? Danny the gritty but sassy Irish Catholic bartender and Posh Spice were fucking? For how long? Simon realized in this moment that what the others had been telling him was right - he didn't have a fucking clue about anything. About Hellfire. About The Six. About Ava. His Parents. Not a goddamn thing. So he very relieved that Danny had told them no when they arrived at Heritage. Simon was in desperate need of a beer.

Citadel: "Pratt, I don't know how the hell you got yourself mixed up with these two, but I can tell ya, it ain't the smartest fuckin' decision I've seen you make..."

Simon smirked. Danny's accent was in full bloom. He really was the sentry of the city. His voice was both comforting and aggressive, patient but impulsive.

Citadel: "But you've also got the best heart out of the whole damn crew. If you're with 'em, they can't be all bad. So you tell me what you think, handsome. Why should i let these guys into Hellfire?"

He paused for a moment, taking a long sip of his beer, which felt good against the humid night they were having.

"I don't know that you should Danny. But...I'd like you to. I can't speak for my colleagues, but I promise, we have a specific mission, and it's personal...not business."

[thinking]

"We are trying to clean up a mess, and we gotta start there."

Simon looked at Maxine for a moment, their gaze locking before he shot it back to Danny.

"She could probably tell you better than I can."

 

[Domino]

Heritage Bar - Brooklyn

She was surprised at how easily Daniel had agreed to contact Danny. She couldn't be sure if it was a genuine gesture, or a power play. Maxine thought perhaps he was trying to show her some loyalty and vulnerability, which was a good sign. Even if it was fake it mean that Daniel was at least willing to play ball. It had been the first and only gesture of good faith she had received in a while, so she decided to go with it. Plus she knew Daniel very well. He was trying to manipulate her like he did everybody and as long as it served her purpose, she would let him pretend. Despite his intentions, what Daniel said made sense to her. She had her own reputation in Hellfire. She was a legend. And legends never died. She had an opportunity to rid Hellfire of it's cancer, and reset the board. She would be foolish to pass that up. If all it took was getting Daniel Reed a crown, that was a price she was willing to pay.

They found themselves at Heritage Bar. It was a bit of a hipster millenial haven, but it had a chill vibe. She enjoyed seeing what the place looked like at night as she had only been for drinks in the day. Sitting there waiting for her beer, she remembered her conversation with Ava. She had promised to try and find Alek, but that had been before she was killed by Kelly's goons. More than that, something had been pulling at her. She and Alek had made an alliance, she would back his plays and he would help her get certain materials from Hellfire that were important to her. One of the terms of their alliance was that Alek would have safe haven should he return to Hellfire. She was in no position to do that in the American Branch, but helping Daniel secure the throne could allow her to gain Alek diplomatic immunity. and likely put him in line to be Red Prince, something he seemed to want very much so. She agreed with Daniel to help her friend, but she still very wary of Discord. But she forgot all of that when Danny Donnelly all but refused to help them.

Danny: "Sorry, Danno. The answer is no."

"Oh fuck off! Really?!"

Danny: "I won't. Nobody needs to be in that place, Daniel. And while I've enjoyed the many generous sexual favors you've given me over the years, I don't really trust you...and neither does the city."

Maxine took a sip of her beer and rolled her eyes. She needed to get to Jessica. What she didn't need was some aging twink acting like the city's Sir Lancelot.

Danny: "And the city wants me to tell you that she shares that sentiment among the THREE of you, not just Daniel."

"Tell the city that she can fuck off. I prefer London anyway."

Danny: "Pratt, I don't know how the hell you got yourself mixed up with these two, but I can tell ya, it ain't the smartest fuckin' decision I've seen you make..."

She cocked an amused eyebrow.

"So you haven't known him for very long, have you?"

Danny: "But you've also got the best heart out of the whole damn crew. If you're with 'em, they can't be all bad. So you tell me what you think, handsome. Why should i let these guys into Hellfire?"


Domino wasn't worried. She'd known Simon Pratt personally for just under four hours, but what she had summized was that he the best of people. Confused. A bit scared. But ultimately good. He trusted her and Maxine didn't take that lightly. She had never been one for teaching, but there was something about him that she felt drawn to. If he could only begin to view the grey as easily as he viewed the black and white, he could really do some big things.

Simon: "I don't know that you should Danny. But...I'd like you to. I can't speak for my colleagues, but I promise, we have a specific mission, and it's personal...not business. We are trying to clean up a mess, and we gotta start there."

Their eyes met for a moment, his light green with her cobalt blue before she realized she was going to have to be the one to convince Danny. Perhaps Simon wasn't as virtuous of a man as she thought he was.

Simon: "She could probably tell you better than I can."

"I'm dying to."

She HATED asking for help, but she knew the way to get to Danny would be brutal honesty.

"Look, I'm just gonna operate under the assumption that you know more things than we think you know about Hellfire..."

[pausing]

"So here goes. I am the result of a genetic experiment at the hands of my father and this guy's father [pointing to Daniel]. For a long time I felt really alone, and then I met a girl who was a lot like me. She was an experiment that gave a different outcome than mine. They keep her in stasis, constantly waking her up and putting her back to sleep whenever they want to threaten someone or piss them off. They've clone her body and sold her to people. She is a sister to me, and I promised to protect her. I cannot let her down like this, Danny. Please. I hate asking for help, and I'll kill you if you ever told anybody I asked, but I can't get to her without you."

[pensively]

"Please. You can tag along if you want. Supervise us. I just need to get her out of there."