Surrounded by darkness

[Shadow Weaver]

Personal

<< She was MAD for doing this, but what else did she have to lose? She'd lost her husband to greed and dark allure, she lost her daughter to an evil entity that her husband was devoted to. She'd lost so much.>>

<< But while she seemed much better in the last year following the loss of her daughter...in her heart...her SOUL...festered thoughts and desire for REVENGE against the woman who stole her husband from her. The woman she was CERTAIN had a direct hand in turning her husband against her and her daughter!>>

<< She appreciated her time at Illustra. She loved Delilah as she would her own daughter and being with her as she took over Illustra was important to Karen, but there were some things that could not be forgotten or let go of.>>

<< it was such an easy thing to slip past Sharon, Richard and Ana-Leigh and listen in to Delilah and Connor's conversation about the HELLFIRE CLUB.>>

DIANA!

<< Karen's mind and heart CHURNED with bitterness...with ANGER.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< A large, elegant house on Windmill Pointe. A dark, stormy night...both outside and inside.>>

Karen: That's what it's ALWAYS about isn't it!? You and this relentless pursuit of STATUS and POWER. And now you think You've found a means to an end with this Hellfire Club....and that WOMAN, DIANA!?

Christopher: What do you mean by that? << he says with a scowl as he looks up from a medical journal>>

Karen: Oh COME ON Christopher! I am many things...NAIVE is NOT one of them. You're HARDLY home and you claim its because of research projects. I have access to the SAME hospital roster YOU do. I'm a doctor TOO remember? You're NOT there as often as you say!

<< thunder claps outside>>

Karen: Your demeanor, your manner of dress, EVERYTHING about you has progressively changed since you joined with this...HELLFIRE CLUB and that "networking" opportunity with the consortium of doctors!

Christopher: I've told you before you're welcomed to join me at their functions. YOU'RE the one who insists or being a home body.

Karen: A HOME BODY?! I have a FULL client list. I don't always finish my day at 5 pm. My profession is about HELPING people...not playing Dr Moreau with people's genetic structure like you. and in case you've FORGOT...we have a DAUGHTER. You know what THAT is don't you? you have ANOTHER one of those [Blaze Fielding] with a ANOTHER woman too

Christopher: << slamming his hand down on a table>> I don't have to listen to this. ANOTHER night of your nagging...

Karen: Oh YES you do! You're NEGLECTING your daughter, your WIFE, your FAMILY. Chasing after that woman!

Christopher: Now you're just being paranoid...

Karen: << flinging a file folder with the logo for Clandestine Inc on the front containing surveilance photos on the same table>>...I KNOW, Christopher. A picture is worth 1000 words... << photos of Christopher with Diana come flying out of the folder>>

<< a split view of Karen's glare and Christopher's stone faced expression>>

Karen: ISN'T it Christopher!?

<< Christopher turns his back.>>

Karen: If you walk out that door again...don't EVER come back.

<< Christopher SUDDENLY spins around and BACK HANDS Karen with such force...she cries out with pain as she falls to the floor>>

Christopher: You think you can cast me out of my OWN HOUSE, WOMAN!?

<< lightning strobes and thunder crashes outside as Christopher's dark form looms over Karen who is reeling from being STRUCK by her husband.>>

Christopher: All that I do, all my work is to make sure MORGAN AND BLAZE will have secure, comfortable lives. But you don't care about THAT. You AND Morgan are SO UNGRATEFUL. NEVER SUPPORTIVE.

Karen: Get out. GET. OUT! Or BY THE GODDESS....I WON'T BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS!

<< Karen slowly gets to her feet. Her look of utter contempt is clear to see>>

Karen: Who ARE you!? You're NOT the man I married. You're NOT the father who once doted on his daughter...You're some kind of twisted, inverted CHARICATURE of him! WHATEVER it is...You've hit me for the LAST TIME!

I AM casting you OUT! You'll NOT take the peace away from this house AGAIN. Go to DIANA! Go to the Hellfire Club! Be ALL that you think I'm holding you back from! But know that you've just cost yourself your FAMILY!

Christopher: << he lunges forward for Karen>>

Morgan: << who came running down stairs to see the commotion>> Father, STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!

Karen: BEGONE! << gesturing furiously, a chime sounds off as she ingites magick and BANISHES Christopher from the house and then BARS his return with a POWERFULL warding spell.>>

<< Christopher rages. His eyes almost GLOWING with demonic fury as he launches himself at the door, then throws a chair at the window. His form is illuminated by the strobing lightning outside.>>

<< A shocked and dismayed Morgan holds on to her mother, who returns her embrace>>

Morgan: MOM! you're bleeding!? He HURT you!

Karen: He's been hurting us for far too long. I've only NOW come to see the REAL source of his 180 degree personality turn. I am sorry....for not doing this sooner...

Morgan: No, Mom! It's NOT your fault!

Karen: Our lives are not going to be the same from this moment forward. Your father...my husband...is now our ENEMY. We're going to have to leave this place. TONIGHT. I know who to call that will help us....

<< Karen and Morgan both look at a nearby table. Next to the phone there lies a business card>>

Clandestine Inc. ; Haleigh Davidoff, CEO

DIANA!

<< Karen was now outside the Hellfire Club. Along the side of the building. No one took notice of her, as she was wearing a black cloak with a large hold covering her head and walking with a large umbrella. She appeared to be an old woman but when no one was watching, she drops the umbrella and looks up at the mansion.>>

you've lived...TOO LONG...while my daughter...my FAMILY lays in ASHES. I'll see you DEAD for it!

<< With that, she disappeares. REAPPEARING inside the mansion via her "movement power." She casts a cloaking spell to hide herself as she cautiously moves about...taking in the interior and decor.>>

this is where he was...this is what he PREFERRED over me...our bed...our FAMILY

<< yes it was a place of regal splendor but it reeked of excess and wanton debauchery as well.>>

<< eventually she slips pass another interior, heavily guarded foyer and up some stairs to the private chambers of the mansion's elite inner circle and soon, she found DIANA, who was BERATING a young girl and a man laying on a bed near by with a blank expression on his face.>>

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Club

:: Brenda's cries and winces of pain find no sympathy from Malice, who stands before her.::

:: Brenda herself is now shackled up against a wall, with a computer and monitor system near by. For the last hour, Diana has been subjected Brenda to deep, VIOLATING psi probes that have been turning her mind INSIDE OUT with pain as Diana REWRITES parts of her psyche's "wiring" to mold her into the "white princess". complete with, among other things, "dumping" extensive martial arts and hand to hand combat skills into her mind. The deep, multi level assault and CHANGE is seemingly more than Brenda can bare and in the short time she's been here, she already wonders if she's gone insane and wishes for the "comfort" of DEATH.::

My dear sweet child...you are making this FAR more difficult than it has to be!

:: Malice steps back and twirls her hand a bit as she looks over her weary captive::

I am simply grooming you to become my white princess, but we haven't the TIME to do this the way flatscans do. I'm doing it MY way. See how wonderous it can be to be an EFFECTIVE telepath?

But... the harder YOU resist, the more it will HURT.

Unless of course, like your FATHER, you ENJOY pain.

:: Malice laughs softly.::

Soon I'll begin removing those parts of your personality...that will hinder you from functioning effectively as my personal assassin. Mainly your attachment to your parents and other annoying little things like scruples.

But, I musn't go too far too fast. Your mind, while very malleable is still housed within a BODY and the body reacts to the mind. I don't want to cause your body to shut down from this so I'll give you a BREAK.

:: turning away for a moment, she looks at Vincent, UNAWARE she's being watched by someone else herself.::

Poor dear. It appears that his greed...his LUST is far more than what he can actually handle. He's STILL stuck in euphoric overload. And when he snaps out of it...he'll only crave MORE. In that, he's not unlike Christopher Victory.

:: that name was lost on Brenda, but not the OTHER unknown person in the room::

HIS greed was only matched by his over inflated sense of self worth. His mistook his genetic genius for something other than what it was...a TOOL...a means to OUR END and ultimately...when he prooved to be too much of a PEST, I made SURE he met his end in a most...POETIC way.

:: Referring to how MorningStar cut him down with her laser blast during their confrontation in the Citadle.::

His WIFE was more challenging than Marilyn though. That WITCH was too smart for her own good. For all THAT availed her...now that her precious DAUGHTER is dead right along with her over eager husband!

:: Turning back to Brenda.::

If YOU'RE not careful...YOUR family will end up in much the same position.

 

[Shadow Weaver]

The RAGE

<< Karen saw and heard ENOUGH. Shutting her eyes tightly as tears fell from them, she shakes her head. When her eyes OPEN again, there is nothing but RAGE.>>

DIANA!
<< She screams! Catching Malice AND Brenda off guard.>>

You've lived TOO LONG!
<< she appears in a swirling column of golden orbs, wearing her flying suit and looking quite ANGRY.>>

Malice: KAREN!? You're ALIVE! How the devil did YOU get past security!

<< Karen ignores her and points at her.>>

Hellspawn demon creature of DEATH
FIRE shall take your BREATH!

<< A golden halo forms around her pointed hand, energy chimes and sparkling orbs flow around the halo, making a trail as she circles her arm in a clockwise gesture.>>

<< the spell ASSAULTS Malice with a SAVAGE fire elemental attack.>>

<< For Brenda, to see this woman that has been terrorizing and torture her NOW being on the receiving end of an obvious brutal attack...it has to come as some kind of relief.>>

<< Karen rushes past Malice, her heart RACING. She didnt expect to find a young girl in Malice's clutches like this, but she can't help but be reminded of her OWN daughter, MORGAN. She was powerless to save Morgan. It will not be that way for this girl.>>

<< Karen quickly bombards the chains with a tight force beam of magick. breaking each one at a time.>>

Come, child. We must leave this place!

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Club

:: Malice transforms into DIAMOND form. Negating the frailties of her fleshly body or even the need to breath! That and her DEFLECTION power are the only thing that save her from the vicious elemental onslaught and certain explosive death.::

:: Still, the shock of it sends her staggering, FALLING and smashing the equipment on the wall nearby Brenda, causing a massive feedback and sounding off an alarm.::

:: Karen is attempting to FREE the girl!::


You're ALIVE after all. Hmm this changes things quite a bit.

You're often underestimated in your power for you, like me, keep your powers secret from the general public..you blend in with society..HIGH SOCIETY at that.

You made a truly worthy foe of Helena's for 20 years and you two had some of the most DELICIOUS battles i've ever seen. Even though you were thought dead...somehow I senesed this moment would come eventually.

A woman scorned by her unfaithfull , abusive husband, a mother mourning the loss of her daughter.

How EASILY that you would attempt to place the blame on a single person...the person who stole YOUR MAN AWAY FROM YOU. Ironic...that a noted psycho therapist is now functioning in a most selfish and irrational manner....dont you think?

:: Malice smiled wickedly as she flashed her gleaming white teeth and lightning flashed in the window behind her. She was doing it again..using the TRUTH ..even if it was skewed.. as a weapon in concert with subtle empathic manipulation.::

 

[MorningStar]

They parked a few blocks away from the brownstone, then hurried up the Upper East Side street. Delilah was in the lead, with Connor uttering protests from behind the entire way.

Connor: "Delilah, this is crazy! You cannot just march right in there. Do you expect her to just be right there in the open?! Please THINK about this."

Delilah snapped back at him.

"I'm been doing this a LONG time - a long time before I met you. I KNOW what I'm doing."

Bishop was getting angry now.

Connor: "NO you don't. You have no plan. We have almost zero intel on this place. What if you get trapped in there and can't get out?"

"Then don't come with me."

But he followed her, unzipping the black bag of weapons he carried as they made the door. Today was as good a day to die as any.

Delilah made ready, took a deep breath, and pushed her way through the front door.

Well, no time like the present...

 

[Shadow Weaver]

Grudge Match

<< Karen struggles to help free the girl, who doesn't want to leave her parents.>>

There's NO TIME. You have to TRUST me if you want to escape this woman and have any HOPE of...

<< Malice begins taunting her and clearly survived the attack, now in her diamond form. Karen looks over her shoulder to see the telepath approaching.>>

<< Karen stood...as the cape of her flying suit flowed ever so slightly behind her. she stood with her hands on her hips..glaring at Malice just as Malice glared at her.>>

Did you think i would ever TRULY forget Diana? did you think i'd EVER forgive?

<<Malice retorted and Karen spoke ABOVE HER. her tone was dripping with hostility and sharpness>>


SELFISH? if THAT isn't the pot calling the kettle black!

<< thrusting her arms forward and sweeping them outward...a rushing "harp" sound is heard.. Karen begins to walk forward>>

You took my husband...you sunk your psychic hooks into him and lured him from his family and into the arms of MysTech....It is YOUR FAULT that he turned on his WIFE AND HIS DAUGHTER...you bed hopping harlot!

<< Karen's hair and cape began to flow a bit more>>


My life was forever changed...RUINED because of YOU and while I may not have immediately realized it then, I am MORE than aware of it NOW. My husband is dead. My daughter is dead...and now..its time for YOU TO DIE!

<< taking a battle pose, as five golden orbs swirl into view around her body, Karen gestures. a chiming sound goes off as the orbs spin faster and transform into mystic daggers>>

You ruined my life...you lead my husband from his family to his DESTRUCTION and I KNOW you're responsible for my daughter's death!

Rational or NOT....i cant think of any MORE FITTING REVENGE than to see you DEAD!

<< thrusting her hands out...the daggers charge madly for Malice, sparkling and gleaming as the split through the air. they will not only CUT THROUGH anything EXCEPT adamantium, they also have concussive power behind them...the equivalent of being hit by high velocity cannon balls>>

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Club

:: as Karen flooded the room with her enchantments, Malice's face showed a hint of annoyance. how DARE this woman just come in here like this! She had no time for a widow with an axe to grind.::

My my,Doctor. If this is how bad your temper is, no wonder your husband became BORED with you and sought something BETTER elsewhere.

You play at being an elegant, enlightened woman but in the end, you have just as violent a temper and can withering an effect on a person's time and lively hood as any disease you might treat. Perhaps your "beloved" Christopher left you because he couldnt STAND LIVING WITH YOU?

::Karen might not be as easily manipulated as Alison was..for Karen FREELY owned her emotions and how she felt. THAT coupled with her PSI SCREEN and the fact that she was an experienced, accomplished sorceress would make this more difficult than Malice thought. even as she attempted to use her empathic power to manipulate Karen, the doctor lashed out with a very offensive display of magicks.::

:: Malice wasted no time as she displayed surprising agility as she dodged to the side to avoid two of the blasts, dropping down to avoide ANOTHER...and finally extending her hand to use her power of DEFLECTION to REPELL the last two..causing the mystic daggers to richochet and slam into a wall...setting off a security alarm::


Well, i can see that you are definately NOT as impulsive as some of my other foes when i touch theirever so guarded emotions. You've been in the game for far longer than what people give you credit for.

::looking over at the wall::

But you're an TRESSPASSING my dear Doctor and you're damaging private property...property of a WELL KNOWN and CENTURIES OLD ESTABLISHED social organization. What will the POLICE or the American Psychological Association think if they find out a noted psycho therapist BROKE INTO this this building and engaged in wild acts of violence and vandalism? hmmmm well I suppose if i were on the up and up, we'd find out but since I'm not. I'll just take YOU at your MEASURE!

::touching her index and middle finger to her forehead in a "salute" like pose, a strange sound is heard as a glowing white orb forms around the posed fingers...she lowers her hand as large, glowing white JAVELINE now flickers into view in her hand. gripping the javeline and taking aim at Karen::

I'm not just "the other woman", Doctor. I'm the WHITE QUEEN and I'm FAR from helpless! even against one such as YOU!

:: with splendid form, Malice throws the javeline at Karen and Brenda. with the sound of roaring thunder...the Javeline charges for the sorceress and Brenda...intending to assault them with a RAW "psycho blast" that will test the limits of Karen's psi screen as well as Brenda's psychic defenses. It would bombard their bodies to the point of making them seize with extreme pain and lock up before sending them crashing into the nearby wall.::

 

[Shadow Weaver]

Standing her ground

<Karen's sapphire blue eyes widened with surprise as Malice manifested the javeline and hurled it>>

OUT of here, young woman! RUN! Go out in the hall & turn right. Down the stairs and out the front door! Don't stop...DON'T look back! I will keep this wench HERE.

<< Karen commands to Brenda as she pushes her OUT of the doorway and out of harm's way.>>

<< she quickly turns back. She WELCOMED Malice's retaliation. She wanted the woman who was responsible for so MUCH PAIN to fight back...and show just how "strong" she thought she was.>>

Your psi powers are considerable to be sure...


but i'm sure you know that as a sorceress...i'm IMMUNE to ALL forms of telepathic attack!

<< she braced herself, sweeping her cape back as she planted her feet firmly. an energy sound is heard she extended her hand and FIRED a mystic force bolt directly at the javeline....the force bolt and psi javeline collide with a loud explosive effect...the lighting from the explosion RADIATES out all around and through the windows out into the street where unbeknownst to her, Bishop and MorningStar were just now.>>

 

[Malice]

Surprise

::even as Karen deftly countered Malice's attack, the White Queen was already on to her next move...as she tapped Karen on her shoulder from BEHIND.::

Karen: <<GASP!>>

Arrogant woman, did you think i would rely on my PSI powers against a magick user such as yourself? I KNOW about the psi screen. You have it, your daughter had it...but as SHE learned....there are OTHER WAYS to burn a witch at the stake!

Karen: Just WHAT are you...

:: now in her indestructible organic DIAMOND form, Malice possesed a high level of invulnerability and super strength as well as completely immunity to all forms of telepathic contact. with excellent form , Malice BACK HANDS Karen across the jaw with a closed fist::

I believe THAT was Christopher's FAVORITE way of SHUTTING YOU UP.

 

[Seer]

Intruders

Intruder Alert! top floor- sector 8! Intruder identified as Doctor, Karen Victoria. High level sorceress. all available WILDPACK to sector 8 immeidately!


<< They saw the impressive light show from windows far above. they now KNEW without a doubt Karen HAD to be here. MorningStar and Bishop arrived in a most traditional way, but their entrance wasnt IMMEDIATELY noticed as there was an ALARM already going off...probably because Karen was busy attacking Malice. MorningStar was able to survey the splendor and opulence of the vestibule before making her way inside and down the main hall. It was her first time ever having been inside this establishment although NYPD had some files on the place due to suspicious activity over the years.::

Intruder alert! main floor, main hall way. Intruders identified Mutant: MorningStar; Mercenary: Bishop Intruder Alert!


<< Their seemingly easy entrance would quickly be forgotten as all the windows were now sealed shit by carbonium steel sheets and insulated against a variet of energy attacks...and they know found herself confronted by oncoming Mystech Soldiers, They were armed and their faces covered with masks with eye slits and a mouth slit to give them a more featureless/intimidating facial look. they wore state of the art body countouring armoured suits that highlighted their lean, toned physiques and brandished small yet high powered plasma cannons>>

<< the soldiers were taking aim when from her immediate left, a LARGER soldier lunged forward...preparing to TACKLE Bishop from the side>>

<< at the same time, a disoriented Brenda Castle comes staggering into view at the top of the stairs, nearly about to tumble down those stairs. The effects of Malice's work on her still quite evident as she was not sure which way was up yet.>>

 

[MorningStar]

MorningStar entered the Hellfire Club to the sounds of the alerts going off because of Karen's presence. A stroke of luck, as it informed them of Karen's exact location. The place was certainly lavish, she had to admit it, though tasteful. She had heard the stories, of course, but she had never actually dealt with the mysterious Hellfire Club before.

As she walked down the hall the alarms went off - she and Connor had been discovered. Not that they'd tried very hard to hide, and not that Delilah cared. She raised her arms to attack the soldiers rushing towards her. But just at that moment she glimpsed something coming at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Bishop! Nine o'clock!"

Turning her attention back to the Mystech soldiers. With both hands out on front of her and her fingers splayed, she made a sweeping left to right motion, a focused laser beam shooting from each fingertip, and shredding the soldiers as they were hit.

And then ANOTHER figure came into sight. At first she thought it was Karen, but then noticed it was someone much younger and in obvious distress. She was staggering such that it looked as if she was about to fall down the stairway. Delilah's portable cerebra started it's alert sound - the girl had to be a mutant.

Bishop had by then taken care of the soldier, and Delilah called to him.

"At the top of the stairs - the girl! I'll cover you."

Bishop: "Thanks, but I got it."

Bishop had an assault rifle strapped to his shoulder, and he was able to pick off the remaining soldiers in his path. He took the stairs two at a time, and made it to the top just in time to catch the disoriented girl as she passed out. Bishop put her over his shoulder and carried her back the way he'd come. Reaching MorningStar, he moved to set the girl down but she stopped him.

"Get her out of her. MOVE! I'm going after Karen."

Bishop: "Delilah..."

"She's a mutant, she needs to get away from here. I can take care of myself. Now GO!"

After a seconds hesitated, he nodded and shifted the girl's position in his arms, and let MorningStar cover his exit.

Now alone, Delilah could admit to herself the ridiculousness of her predicament.

"I hope this place has an elevator."

 

[Bishop]

Of all the pig-headed, stupid moves he'd ever been a part of, this one won the prize. He didn't mind lost causes, or suicide missions, but this? That girl was crazier than the bird lady and he couldn't quite understand just why he was following her on this exercise in failure. But he was. Aw hell.

HE had sense enough to pick up his supply bag on the way out of the War Room. Now that they were reaching the door, he unzipped it and put his hand on the barrell of the M16 .223 caliber. No need to start a panic in the street. Delilah went in first because she of course wouldn't listen to him when he told her to wait.

The shit was already hitting the fan, or so it sounded. Alarm bells were ringing like Fort Knox was being robbed. Karen. He had to give the old girl credit: she certainly could kick up a shitstorm.

But they only had a few precious seconds before THEIR presence too was announced and a bunch of soldier boys started rushing them. He had the rifle raised and sighted when Delilah yelled to him.

"Nine o'clock!"

He quickly looked to his left where a large soldier was lunging at him. The guy hit him hard, and they both went down. They struggled, but he was able to get a hand free and pull the Gerber Mark II from his boot. He plunged the knife into the weak spot in the guy's armor, beneath the chest plate and cut horozontally. The guy loosened his grip enough that Bishop was able to bring the gun around and smash it into his face, sending the bleeding man flying backwards. Back on his feet, Bishop fired a round into his opponent from above.

Delilah was making quick work of the soliders AND their plasma cannons.

"At the top of the stairs - the girl! I'll cover you."

Bishop looked up to see a young blonde teetering at the top of the stairs. She didn't look like she belonged - she actually looked like she'd been through a war. He raised the automatic rifle.

"Thanks, but I got it."

He sprayed a path in front of him and ran up the stairs, Delilah covering his back. He didn't have to look behind him - he knew she would. Reaching the blonde, she tried to say something but collapsed. He picked her up and put her over his shoulder, leaving one hand free for his gun, and retreated back down the steps. He made it to Delilah, and was about to set the girl down so they could regroup. But Delilah had other plans.

"Get her out of her. MOVE! I'm going after Karen."

"Delilah..."

"She's a mutant, she needs to get away from here. I can take care of myself. Now GO!"

He didn't want to, but he nodded. She was right. As much as he didn't want to leave her, getting the girl out of harm's way was the top priority. He made it out the front door, then shifted the girl to a more cradling position. Reaching the car, he set her gently into the back seat and slid into the front, making sure no one had followed them.

Then he pushed the com button on his wrist.

"Sharon? I know you're not a taxi service and all...but I've got an injured girl here. I think it might be the one Rich was looking for. I can't leave without Delilah. How fast can you get to these coordinates?"

 

[Ana-Leigh Moreau]

The events of the night continued to get stranger as it was revealed that the person who made Alycia crash was a mutant as well. But what was even more strange was the fact that it was the boy that she danced with on stage at the club a couple nights earlier. And as he revealed, his friend Brenda Castle was ALSO a mutant who was captured by some White Queen. Apparently New York City wasn't as low key when it came to mutant affairs as Ana-Leigh first anticipated.

Delilah suggested that everyone head back to Illustra to figure out what the next step would be in trying to rescue Brenda. Hesitant to leave Alycia so vulnerable, Delilah reassured her that she would be okay with the numerous body guards placed in her hospital room. Nodding, she headed off with the others and left the hospital. Strangely enough she began to open up to Richard during their car ride home, telling him everything about MysTech and how Delilah and Alycia had been helping her. She could tell that he felt guilty about causing Alycia's crash, but considering the circumstances, it really wasn't his fault. They seemed to hit it off pretty well, almost like kindred spirits.

After returning to Illustra, Delilah suggested that everyone head to bed and that nothing could be done at the moment for Brenda. Feeling guilty that they were all just going to relax in a gorgeous skyrise while Brenda could be getting tortured, Ana-Leigh reluctantly agreed. I guess it would be better to go in fully rested and minds clear. If this woman was as crazy as Richard described her, they definitely needed to be at the top of their game. Nodding, Ana-Leigh, Richard, and Sharon all headed up to the top floors of Illustra.

-- 30 minutes later --

Knocking on Richard's door, Ana-Leigh was carrying a reusable shopping bag full of food that was stocked in her fridge. Apparently this boy could eat enough food to satisfy 3 football teams in one sitting. He probably needed it more than her. But even moreso, she was just excited to be able to talk with someone her own age who knew exactly what she was going through. Sure Delilah was helpful and could relate, and Alycia understood Ana-Leigh's drive because of her own personal tribulations with MysTech, but it just felt different knowing that Rich could of went to high school with her...that only hours earlier he was as "normal" as she was in this city hiding a huge secret.

Hearing shuffling on the other side of the door, Ana nibbled her bottom lip deciding maybe after his ordeal tonight, it would be better to announce who it was.

"Hey...it's Ana-Leigh. I brought you some extra food I had in my apartment.."

 

[Matrix]

Rich had DESTROYED the fridge already and he was FINALLY cool, but he still could eat. He had showered already and had on some sweatpants bottoms he found that seemed to fit OK (no shirt needed). As the washed his hands and decided whether he would go for another round of food he saw hiding in the crisper there was a knock...

Hey...it's Ana-Leigh. I brought you some extra food I had in my apartment.

Rich went to the door and opened it, seeing the petite girl weighed-down with food. LOTS of it. He grabbed the bags easily from her and held the door for her with his foot as she walked inside.

Thanks. I guess you heard I could put it away...I appreciate it. Here, I'll lay some out for the two of us.

Nodding, he placed most of the food quickly into the fridge, leaving some cold cuts and chees with crackers and fruit out for the two of them. In truth it was enough for 10 people, but the two of them (OK, mostly him) could EASILY put that away.

He turned back and sat across from her in the dining area on the bar. Smiling, he gave her a quick look-over before speaking.

I am glad you came through...hard to be by yourself in a place this big. How are you doing? How is Alycia?

Rich was genuinely concerned as he ate a couple of crackers quickly.

 

[Brenda Castle]

Brenda had never experienced such pain. Malice was digging so deep into Brenda's mind that she could feel it in her SOUL. She would not beg for relief but could not stop the involuntary sounds of pain that escaped her. Her brow glistened with sweat but she felt chilled to the bone. Her whole body trembled under the stress. She doesn't know how long this has been happening, or if it will ever end. She just wants it to stop. Death would be easy, it would be welcomed.

Malice: My dear sweet child...you are making this FAR more difficult than it has to be! I am simply grooming you to become my white princess, but we haven't the TIME to do this the way flatscans do. I'm doing it MY way. See how wonderous it can be to be an EFFECTIVE telepath? Unless of course, like your FATHER, you ENJOY pain. Soon I'll begin removing those parts of your personality...that will hinder you from functioning effectively as my personal assassin. Mainly your attachment to your parents and other annoying little things like scruples.

Brenda's nose starts to bleed. She stirs at he mention of her father, but manages no response. Time seems to move in jumps and stops for her. Malice is talking, but most of it sails right through Brenda. Suddenly there is intense, close heat, like the sudden opening of a furnace. FIRE.... MALICE IS ON FIRE!

No, she can't be on fire. That's not right. The fire is gone. Was there a fire? There's someone else, there's shouting. The shackles holding Brenda in place suddenly release her.

Karen: Come, child. We must leave this place!

"Leave..... I...... I can't leave.....my parents....."

Karen: There's NO TIME. You have to TRUST me if you want to escape this woman and have any hope of--

"My PARENTS!"

She can't be any more eloquent than that at this point. All she knows is that if she leaves her parents, they will surely die. Her legs feel like jello, though, and the woman doesn't have too much trouble shoving Brenda out into the hallway. There is an earsplitting bang. Sirens are sounding off. There is gunfire in another part of the building.

Her royal blue, silk dress is torn, split up to the hip from an earlier fall. Her heels must have been taken from her at some point, as her bare feet sink into the plush carpet. She becomes more aware of the pain her body is in. Her wrists are bruised and bleeding from the chafing shackles, her body aches, there are drops of blood on her chest and she realizes for the first time that her nose has bled recently. She wipes it with the back of one hand, then the other. There is an overwhelming pressure in her brain that intensifies with each heartbeat, reaching such a peak of pain that she sees stars and feels like she's going to pass out.

Down the hall, more of the creepy faceless guards are coming for her. One appears much closer, as if he stepped out of a nearby door. He reaches for Brenda, who catches his wrist, collapses his elbow, kicks his right knee out from under him and chops his windpipe, dropping him to the floor in a matter of seconds. She barely has time to realize what she's done, through newly deposited instinctual muscle memory, when plasma blasts hit the walls around her. Self-preservation kicks in. She must run. She careens away from them, into the walls, reeling like a drunk. All this movement has the world going topsy turvy. She stops just in time to avoid going head over heels down a staircase. There is more fighting going on here, and this is where the gunfire came from. There is a man suddenly in front of her, his thoughts assaulting her mind. He's with the other lady, the one who helped her.

"Save my parents...."

She mumbles, before the floor rushes up to greet her.

 

[Ana-Leigh Moreau]

Rich: Thanks. I guess you heard I could put it away...I appreciate it.

"No problem."

Ana-Leigh made her way into the apartment Rich was staying in and took notice of the decor. It was different than "her" apartment; noting that whomever lived here before were definitely opposites in what they liked. However it was still a beautiful space. More manly and fitting for Rich. Walking over to the dining room table that was opened to the large kitchen, Rich began to empty the bag full of food, offering to set something up for them.

"Oh--thanks."

Unlike Rich, Ana really didn't have much of an apatite. Her diet consisted of mostly Ramen noodles and cafeteria food; typical college diet. But it suited her well. Taking a seat, she smiled as he presented the LARGE amount of cheese, fruit, and crackers for them to eat. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're going to have to help me out here."

She joked as she picked up a piece of cheese and a cracker.

Rich: I am glad you came through...hard to be by yourself in a place this big. How are you doing?

"Yeah, it's a little strange....but it's also oddly comforting. I don't feel as exposed in here as I did before; despite the fact that everyone knows i'm a mutant now."

Popping the cracker and cheese in her mouth, Ana began to chew it as Rich asked about Alycia.

"She's doing good. I just got off the phone with the body guards Delilah put in place and they said her vitals are getting stronger. She even woke up for a few minutes."

Ana-Leigh could tell that Rich was still feeling horribly guilty about what happened. Letting her head tilt to the side, she gave him a sincere look.

"She'll be fine, Rich. She's a damn strong woman. And honestly, i'm positive she wouldn't change the outcome of tonight if she knew what was going to happen to her. MysTech is after you....if this didn't happen, you would be dead right now. Just....don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault. It's theirs [MysTech's]."

 

[Silver Swan]

Outside the hellfire club

"Sharon? I know you're not a taxi service and all...but I've got an injured girl here. I think it might be the one Rich was looking for. I can't leave without Delilah. How fast can you get to these coordinates?"

[ Bishop only had to look UP and HEAR the sound of metal cutting through air. He sees Silver Swan streaking into view, swooping down to land in front of him.]

Is this fast enough?

And DON'T call me Sharon in public!

[ She bellows.]

I overheard you two at Illustra. [ Her superhuman hearing] and I decided to follow you...just in case.

[ Silver Swan looks down at the girl]

This IS her. The night she was attacked by mystech goons, I saved her then.

Bishop: Get her back to Illustra, I can't leave Delilah.

Why don't YOU take her back? I'll go in there and kill EVERYBODY and get MorningStar and Karen out myself!


[ While she certainly wasn't going to allow people she knew to be beat up on, the chance to be VIOLENT was something that APPEALED to her. It was part of her nature now, courtesy of all the changes wrought in her body, mind, even her soul.]

[ Neither one of them realized that THIS was in fact the CROWN JEWEL of Mystech. If they had, Sharon wouldn't have bothered to address Bishop at all. She'd just STORM in there and lay waste to ANYONE she saw!]

 

[Matrix]

"She'll be fine, Rich. She's a damn strong woman. And honestly, i'm positive she wouldn't change the outcome of tonight if she knew what was going to happen to her. MysTech is after you....if this didn't happen, you would be dead right now. Just....don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault. It's theirs [MysTech's]."

Well, at least she is doing better. I always seem to manage to survive, so it is hard sometimes to see the situation the way you do. Besides, I've been dead before I think and...my family think I am dead now, HAS to.

For a moment Rich was very sad, then he pushed it out of his mind and smiled, winking at Ana. He jumped up quickly and grabbed her hand, leading her to the large open living area.

So...what is it that you do? I mean, your powers? You show me yours, I'll show you mine.

Rich smiled as he used an old saying in a brand new way, though what he asked for was in some ways just as intimate as the original meaning of the request.

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Club

:: Malice laughs softly as she looks upon the fallen sorceress.::

what's the matter, dear Karen, no witty retort? no vicious spell to cast?

::kicking the doctor, who laid face down....the doctor seemed to be unconscious::

ah well, I guess that takes care of the avenging widow.

:: scoffing as she stepped over Karen to a hidden control panel in the wall, she pressed a button to get a visual to see what was happening elsewhere in the building.::

Well, Wellll...Delilah Trelevan has entered the building. No doubt to rescue the doctor. Being wheelchair bound has not taken any of her resolve away. She's as bold and brazen as ever.


::watching as MorningStar dispatched several guards and held her own against more with the plasma cannons...she nodded slowly. She was being aided by a man, a large man who possessed skill and weaponry to rival that of the mystech agents but he was a flatscan.::



MorningStar is quite powerfull. Perhaps I underestimated her several years ago. she's an energy wielder/manipulator whose mutant power is to transduce any sound into LIGHT of any form. The limits of her power are ...apparently non existent. Despite being physically infirmed...she's as powerfull and dangerous as ever.


:: Malice was aware that Delilah was essentially the sole survivor of the motley crue of supers that wouldve been known as The Six. She did NOT expect this, nor did she readily suspect Dr. Victoria was still alive. Both developments were interesting and significant.::


::smirking as she saw MorningStar find a service elevator and enter it::

She's coming up HERE, to rescue the doctor. Karen is far from helpless...she's as deadly a foe as any I might face directly but her impulse to set Brenda free was the opening I needed. Her maternal instinct was her DOWNFALL and I'll not let ANY of them escape this place tonight. CERTAINLY not Brenda!

Already the changes I have made to her psyche are taking effect as she reflexively defends herself with brutal skill against the guards attempting to recapture her.

Once the changes and mental conditioning are in place...I fully intend to exploit her.


::as she turned away from the monitor that was covered again by a moving picture on the wall, she found herself on the receiving end of a surprise::

 

[Seer]

and so

<<ILLUSTRA- 103rd floor>>

<< Ana-Leigh and Rich, weary as they were from a day of tremendous discovery, change and danger, sat together in what was now Rich's first real HOME in quite some time. The style and splendor of Illustra was not lost on either of them. Neither of them knew the former residents of the private floors of this buillding and even though Alycia had told Ana-Leigh the story about the loss of her and Delilah's friends at Mystech's hands, and she knew this was the headquarters of the fashion empire of the fallen Morgan Victoria, she did not realize that these private luxury apartments belonged to those same people Alycia spoke of. Not yet anyway.>>

<< Change was never easy and could often lead to uncertainty, anxiety or worse. But when one finds a point of familiarity or common ground...that can make all the difference in the world. Ana-Leigh, who bravely chose a new path for herself after meeting Alycia and Rich, who had been accustomed to uncertainty and seen the darker side of life now found themselves facing the dawn of their trust destiny. The fact that they would do it together, in a place that made both of them feel safe made all the difference in the world.>>

<< As they talked now...it was clear that Delilah had but insured that The Six would still come to pass, though in a slightly different way.>>

<< Speaking of Delilah...>>

------------------------


<< The Hellfire Mansion>>

<< MorningStar scrambles some surveilance cameras with a burst of light as she makes her way down a hall. She takes down several more guards with well placed photon blasts before finally finding a service elevator that will take her to the floor where Karen is.>>

<< Upon arrival and exiting the elevator. She hears the tail end of a pitched battle between Karen and Diana. After Karen fell and Malice gains a better sense of the situation in the mansion, she gloats about Brenda and how they'll ALL be captured shortly. Delilah comes to see Malice receiving one HELL of a surprise attack from Karen.>>