The Masters of Evil

[Persephone]

Alternate Persephone


:: As Persephone circled around the crater there were no signs of Rampage...maybe he was just that easy to kill, but something made the goddess doubt that he would go down that quickly. Coming to a stop, before she knew it, DC had appeared out of nowhere smashing a fully alive Rampage 100 feet in the other direction, stopping his attack on her. DC soon appeared by her side indicating she wanted to beat him down then feed him to her demons...sounded like a great plan to Persephone! More than eager to go forward with it, suddenly plans changed as the ground dropped from under her like she had entered the mouth of an animal while instantaneously two walls of concrete snapped shut like a venus fly trap. THere were no other signs of the goddess as the towering concrete 'jaws' remained shut..::


----


Alessandra

:: Morningstar's attempt to distract Alessandra as she unleashed a laser attack on the siren failed. Diving out of the direct path of the laser 'claw', the woman disappeared in mid roll in a puff of red smoke... ::

"Shhhhhh...."

:: A soft voice echoed softly around Morningstar...every noise and sound of chaos melting away as the battlefield around the mutant seemed to dim into darkness with only a single beam of white light falling upon the blonde haired woman. Alessandra, a very skilled and deadly decendent of Aphrodite had ENTRANCED Morningstar into submission. Her body was very much still present at the battle, yet motionless, as if she had entered a deep daze. But in Morningstar's mind she was gone from that fight, her body tired and weak, her mind confused. ::

"I sense fear...."

:: Alessandra's voice echoed around the vast black void. The siren not only could entrance victims and 'persuade' them to do whatever she wanted them to do, but she could FEEL their emotions...every deep and hidden emotion that no one every dared to drudge up. ::

"You feel inadequate among your team....you're confused and angry...not comfortable in your own skin...."

:: The sound of healed shoes clicking echoed until finally Alessandra came into view. ::

"You fear you're not worthy enough for them.."

:: Alessandra's image faded and reappeared behind Morningstar, her hands slowly stroking the blonde's hair before tucking some strands behind her ear. With her glossy red lips inches from Morningstar's ear even Alessandra's warm breath would feel real to the mutant. ::

"Don't fight what you already know.....stop hiding behind false hope that they truly understand you....that they truly love you...because deep down you know they don't....you have no one...you're alone..."

 

[Darkchilde]

<<As the ground quaked and trembled, DC looked down at her high heeled boots.>>

what is going on here?

<< as she looked back up, she gasped as she was staggered by the rising ground which opened and SNAPPED Persephone up like the jaws of a crocidile!>>

Persephone!!

<< DC was preparing to free her when she found herself being confronted by what looked like....>>

SNAKES!?

<< her sapphire blue eyes widened with fear as she stepped back and shadow of the giant snakes loomed over her. the sorceress was tall, strong and powerfull to be sure. her eldritch armour and headdress gleamed as she clenched her fists but beneath her armour....there was fear rising up in her.>>

<< as the first snake struck, DC screamed, she back pedaled and fear motivated her need to PROTECT herself at ANY COST!>>

GET AWAY FROM ME!

<< in that moment she sound JUST like Morgan as she screamed. she thrusts her armour covered hands forward , palms out as a large violet halo of dark magick forms. chimes sound off and thunder crashes!>>

<<ZARK!>>

<< She fires upon the golem serpent with a MASSIVE Eldritch Bolt at the upper part and HEAD . the bolt of mystical power SMASHES through it, punching a hole and causing cracks to move all down it's body, compromising its structural integrity.>>

<< she CONTINUES the blast, lowering her hands as she directs the blast to continue blast THROUGH the body and pulp it.>>

You CAN'T hurt me!

<< she was talking to Nicolas....he had just opened himself a TREMENDOUS can of worms, provoking the fear from her which in turn brought forth ANGER.>>

<< his NEXT Snake "vomited" a TORRENT of BUGS! creepy crawly things of a variety of sizes and species....DC screams with shock as she covers her face with her armour covered arms and crouches down. the bugs encompass her. it seems that she's been swallowed up by them!>>

<< the flash of a stepping disc can be seen as she TELEPORTS. a stepping disc frees Persephone as well but whatever damage she may have sustained, she will have to deal with. Because DC is preoccupied. in the blink of an eye...she appears before Nicolas.>>

HOW DARE YOU!

<< her teeth now fanged, her face completely enshrouded in shadow save her glowing white eyes. she LUNGES at Nicolas at point blank range, grabbing his neck and hositing him up with her armour covered hand and choking him....while in her other hand, the SOUL SWORD manifests, she's ready to strike. the mystic flames of the sword swelled and licked out, burning Nicolas to the touch.>>

I'll KILL YOU!

 

[MorningStar]

Delilah felt her body go numb, as if she were falling asleep. The melee around her seemed to fade into the background of her subconscious. Her mind grasped at it, like a memory she couldn’t quite remember. She knew it was there, but she couldn’t focus on it. She was alone in blackness, no one around but the voice in her head…

She couldn’t think, couldn’t move. Fear gripped her like a vice. She couldn’t control it, couldn’t do anything but feel it wash over her like waves crashing against a rocky shore. Her breath came in shallow bursts, her pulse quickened.

Suddenly, it wasn’t dark anymore. She was back in her old apartment at Illustra. No battle had touched this place. But the rooms were nearly empty, save a number of cardboard boxes. She then noticed herself, packing her things carefully.

“I remember this…”

She had been crying. It was to be her last day at Illustra. She hadn’t known at the time that it would be Illustra’s last day as well.

She picked up the photo album from the bedside table, and sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor. She flipped through the photos: most of them were she, Morgan, and Alison. Some of Karen, even some of Haleigh and Alexis. None of Ava. She regretted not having had enough time to have a picture of them together. She put the album carefully in a box beside her and looked around. Things looked so bare, not like her home at all. But it would be good to get away from all this, she supposed. Perhaps she would even move to another city, make a fresh start. Somewhere where no one knew her.

Alison appeared in the blink of an eye, angry and cutting an imposing figure.

Every last one of us has been exposed....and do you know why?

Delilah looked up at her sheepishly as Alison crossed her arms and looked down at her.

Alison: “BECAUSE OF YOU. You sit there, mealy-mouthed and simpering, never doing anything USEFUL. And now…you couldn’t even keep your mouth shut, you couldn’t even stay out of the WAY. You’ve DESTROYED US ALL. I want you to GET OUT. Don’t ever come back here and don’t ever contact any of the Six again.”

Alison went to leave then turned back.

Alison: “I hope the government captures you and dissects you piece by piece.”

She turned her back on Delilah and then blinked out.

Illustra faded, the setting changing to the city streets of New York. Where was she now? She saw the overturned bus, the destruction all around her. Master Mold being sucked into the Siege Perilous…

She watched again as Darkchilde attacked Master Mold.

<< Master Mold SCREAMS as he is pulled into the vortex of the Siege Perilous. His head seems to be SUCKED away side ways. Morgan struggles to reach the unconscious Guardian, to pick her up and carry her back to the bus..... But at the last moment...a tentacle wraps around MORGAN'S ankle...another one around her waist.. Master Mold's face reappears inside the vortex and then another tentacle around her NECK and all together they PULL HER IN AS WELL.....the image of Morgan screaming as she is sucked into the vortex, pulled deeper in until she fades out of site is one that will now haunt The Six as she is GONE. The Siege Perilous begins to deactivate its unforgiving vortex and shrinks down....a badly hurt and unconscious Guardian lays near by...and the rest of the Six and Alycia are left there...>>

Haleigh, who had fought so hard against Master Mold, was visibly shaken by the events that had occurred.

Haleigh covers her face in her hands... and for the first time since any of them had MET Haleigh, they can all hear her audibly sobbing, apologizing to Morgan and then to Blaze... it is a soul chilling and most heartbreaking sound... and it goes on for several seconds before dying off...

But where was she? Then Delilah remembered…

Slowly she left the bus. She looked to Alison's broken body...Alexis solemnly nearby...Jasmine softly crying...and Haleigh, Haleigh sobbing. But no Morgan. The pieces fell together in her mind. She was gone...

Delilah silently fell to her knees, staring blankly into nowhere.

Haleigh, now silent, turns, angry, and points at the kneeling Delilah.

Haleigh: “YOU! Where were you?! Hiding like the coward that you are! Where were you when Morgan needed you? ANSWER ME. How could you just sit there and do nothing? How could you just watch Morgan die?! She’s dead because of YOU!”

The scene changed once more. She now was standing in Club XS in their timeline, and she saw herself walk through the door, a little shy in one of Blaze’s designer dresses. She saw Morgan across the room, and waved.

Morgan’s eyes narrowed. She stormed across the room to where Delilah stood.

Morgan: “How DARE you show up here, and in my dead sister’s clothes! You were NOT invited. You don’t BELONG here. You aren’t one of us, you’re a NOBODY. So go HOME and wait for US to call YOU.” She paused, then laughed as she added, “You can’t pull off that outfit either, honey – you’re no Blaze.”

Morgan turned on her five-inch heels and left her standing alone, humiliated.

The scene around her faded once again into blackness, the only things she could feel was fear and Alessandra stroking her hair.

 

[Rampage]

As DC fell upon him, lifting him into the air, he paused as he thought of a way to disarm her. He thought of what had been said.

"THERE they are! Just like DC said they would be! Now it's time to pay the rabble back IN KIND for what they did to Betrayal, to US!"

Wha...that wasn't us!!

Nicolas reached up, breaking her grip on him and teleported quickly to the midst of his team, pulling each of them to him before they could attack or be attacked again. The time for fighting was long past; it would only lead to more pain and ultimately death for someone, maybe all of them save DC herself. That couldn't be the way. In spite of the pain that it gave him, Nicolas struggled mightily as he lent his own psi-defense to Delilah, seeing quickly that she had been mesmerized by Alessandra.

STOP!! You think WE did THAT to Betrayal?!! Indeed, we did not. Look Darkchilde, we are here to simply help Alison and Persephone get home, where they belong. I know that I am far from their favorite person, but I cannot simply leave them to a fate that seemed worse than death from what we saw of it. Do not assist us on our accounts, help your Sister Dire Wraith and the Harbinger!!! Surely you did not leave her to us to abandon her now...and if you must satisfy your anger...take me. The others are far more important to the team than I am right now, maybe more important than I ever could be.

Nicolas approached Darkchilde, head held proudly, then knelt before her, his head LITERALLY on the chopping block.

I would not have them suffer another moment if I could. I cannot seem to show them how I feel, show them how important ALL of them are. So I am now hated; it matters not anymore. What matters now, the ONLY thing that matters, is that Alison and Persephone are safe, and that Morgan and the others are happy. That is all that has ever mattered here. Please send them forward, I BEG you.

Niciolas did not even look up at her, waiting for whatever end she would have for him. He was no longer willing to fight simply for fighting, he only wanted them to all be happy. He did not care if they ever trusted him, or if Alison picked on him forever, he was simply trying to get his family back together, even if he was not there to see it.

 

[Seer]

Pause

<< it seemed that Nicolas' plea would fall on DEAF ears as Darkchilde gave the signal and Perspehone, Alessandra, Sati, Titania, Inferno and DC herself all converged upon them and unleashed a unique, diverse and yet CONCERT BLAST of power upon The Six....but at the moment the blast would connect...everything once again began to slow to a halt, the scene's color drained to black and white and shades of gray and everything was frozen in motion.>>

<< after a few moments, the six could see they werent being burned, blasted, frozen, wind whipped or anything else. the members of the MoE were frozen in time with looks of pure evil and hatred on their faces and if the battle HAD continued, the Six would have suffered more casualties than the MoE. The MoE represented MORE than just the "ANTI" Six.>>


<< Darkchilde, as she is NOW, moves through the frozen temporal phantom. in her body conturing eldritch armour, which looks slightly varied form the way it did in the phantom, with a V plunge down the chest to reveal cleavage. she also bears a more demonic yet still beautifull aspect...with red h orns sprouting from her forehead and through her eldritch armour head dress. a TAIL , fanged teeth and solid red eyes with dramatic, dark eyelashes. she also gripped her soul sword.>>

<< one threat may have been replaced by another but even ALONE, Darkchilde in Limbo was quite capable of dispatching EVERYONE she now came upon and without Persephone as the only bridge between them like last time...their chances were SLIM that she WOULDNT attack them herself.>>

 

[Darkchilde]

Limbo

<< the sorceress waves her armour covered hand and the scene shifts and swirls to reveal them back in Limbo, as it manifests in HER timeline. DARKER, colder, more elemental. they are all on a large, slowly drifting land mass that floats across the seemingly infinite expanse.>>

<< in an icy voice>>: SAVE your blustering, mutant. I KNEW what i was doing. I placed you all in a temporal phantom...to show you just how pathetic and INEPT you are. You spent so much time tearing each other down while in XS, you didnt realize how STUPID you looked trying to hide in plain sight...from ME. I have LITTLE respect for a man, a TELEPATH that would treat a woman as YOU did.

<< pointing at Haleigh.>>

and YOU. I TRUSTED YOU to help Persephone...and LOOK how you reward that trust...I sent her to your timeline...to give her a CHANCE to LIVE AGAIN. she would have DIED in Limbo with me and she was the ONLY other MoE to SURVIVE the massacre.

<< she shakes her head as she sneers with contempt at the team.>>

you're PATHETIC. you dont know how LUCKY you are! you still have your family....but some of us... ARENT SO LUCKY!

<< she stands aside. the team has moved again. they are now in the cold, sleepy, wilted garden that was once ororo's oasis. its OBVIOUS that Ororo is not here anymore...and the Six see way.>>

<< grave stones. in the same area where ALEXIS' statue stood in the Six's timeline.>>

<< the final resting places...of many of the MoE, including:>>

Karen Victoria- "Beloved natural mother";
Ororo- "Honoured mother", .
Titania, Brenthon, Ikaris and Elektra - " Loyal, Devoted Friends".
Alessandra- "Fallen Dire Wraith- Sister"
Betrayal- "Beloved sister, brave warrior"
And finally, Morpheus- "Boldest Titan; Fallen Love"

<< a large, wilted weeping willow stood above the graves, its sagging leaves flow in the bitter wind. and as the Six look upon the graves, some of them covered with vines. a dark fearie (the small sprite ) flits about , glowing intermitedly as she flies around the six...inspecting each one...before darting away and hiding behind DC.>>

I don't HAVE the LUXURY of bickering to no end with those that claimed, which is ALL you did while you were in XS. and NOW, you expect me to help you AGAIN? after YOU allowed this to happen?

<< referring to the team being so wrapped up in squabbling on Aerie until Alison and Ava fell through a disc.>>

Well I am NOT in the habit of handing out favors. I'm not Ororo. I'm NOT a caretaker. If you want ME to grant you passage...you will BUY it...with HIS soul!

<< she points at Nicolas...as sparkling, jagged energy flows around her armour covered hand. and she WAITED to see what the would say.>>

 

[Black Widow]

Haleigh was so busy trying to run Ti down with the car [fast redheaded bitch, she was] that she wasn't acutely aware of her other teammates..... but suddenly, everything stopped.... Haleigh looked around... DC was moving... and she was moving in to Nicolas for THE KILL. But first.... she had something to say to Haleigh.

Darkchilde:and YOU. I TRUSTED YOU to help Persephone...and LOOK how you reward that trust...I sent her to your timeline...to give her a CHANCE to LIVE AGAIN. she would have DIED in Limbo with me and she was the ONLY other MoE to SURVIVE the massacre.

"Well I'm SORRY you think I let you down, Darkchilde, but with all due respect, YOU'RE WRONG. She HAS lived again. And she's MISSED YOU, but we're helping her through.... because WE are a FAMILY. WE may FIGHT sometimes, we may not always AGREE.... but we're STILL TOGETHER. So you kill us if you MUST, but you do it knowing YOU'RE the ONE taking her family AWAY this time. Hell, it'll sting for a minute but it's really HER you'll be hurting. [gesturing angrily, suddenly yelling] SHE'S OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE! WAITING FOR ME! WAITING FOR US TO FIND HER, HELP HER! AND YOU'RE STANDING IN OUR WAY!"

Haleigh finished, silence falling over them all. She noticed they were now standing in Ororo's garden, surrounded by statues. DC vows that she doesn't grant any favors, and wants Nicolas to pay with his life. Haleigh lunges forward, moving for Nicolas, pushing him back, out of the way. Nicolas may have been willing to pay the price, but Haleigh wasn't.

"You may not think very highly of him, Darkchilde.... but I do... and so does Spellbinder. You wouldn't want HER just up and kill MORPHEUS, now would you? I'm not asking for your CHARITY here, Darkchilde. I'm not asking for a favor. I'm asking you to assist your ALTERNATE... and your former friend. They need OUR HELP.... and we haven't let THEM down yet.... and we aren't about to set a precedent. Now if you want to KILL SOMEONE.... you can START with me.... because you aren't going to be killing any of the rest of MY FAMILY, NOT while I'M around."

Haleigh said firmly. It could easily be mistaken for insolence... but to Haleigh, it was just plain fact. She was going to say and do whatever she HAD TO in order to get them through this, and Haleigh had always felt diplomacy was for politicians..... not warriors. The best way to get something CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD was to be straightforward.... and candy-coating words WASTED TIME. And OBVIOUSLY..... DC was oblivious to them pleading, because Delilah and Nicolas had both tried it in XS, and now Nicolas was trying it AGAIN.

 

[MorningStar]

They were now in what could have been Ororo's oasis, but it was clear Ororo didn't live here anymore. Everything around them was dead and brown, not the peaceful haven Delilah had known in their timeline. Darkchilde revealed the statues of her fallen comrades, all of them gone now except for their Persephone and the dark sorceress herself.

Delilah moved to stand by Haleigh, as she says her piece. Darkchilde wasn't interested in listening to reason, that they had learned back in the "club". Just standing here, bowing to her whims as she toyed with them, was getting them no closer to their goal. She stepped forward.

"We didn't intend to, but we saw you with your team. You were a family. You may be the masters of evil but you cared for each other deeply - we all saw that. We have lost teammates - some were returned and we will be forever grateful for the part you played in doing that - but some are gone forever. We know what it is like."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Our Alison, our - yours and ours - Persephone, are out there. And they are OUR family. And we will do whatever we have to, sacrifice everything if need be, to find them again. Because that's what family does. Yet they would not accept the loss of one of us in exchange for their lives."

She glanced sideways at Haleigh.

"Put us back. Let us fight for our freedom. If nothing else, let us die fighting as your family did. But there will be no seperating us."

 

[Rampage]

As DC spoke to him, stopping the temporal phantom, her tone was derisive and cold at best. But she did-however unwittingly it seemed on its face- have a point. THEY were lucky. SHE was the ruler of a realm, and yet had no one to share her time with, and they wasted time arguing over what he could scarcely now remember. DC lost everyone with whom she obviously shared a bond.

Finally, she makes her demand. His soul...for delivery of the rest of them to the others. he was about to step forward to take her dark offer when Haleigh intervened, saying simply that the offer was rejected and that keeping them here only endangered the only person she had left. Nicolas stood up as Delilah spoke of family, and of how THIS one would not be separated. Nicolas was heartened by her words, even though he realized that he was at best the Black Sheep of said family. he remained silent, waiting for what DC had to say...he had no other words to give.

 

[Arsenal]

Mike was having a time of it with Sati. he was preparing to move on her reaction when Nicolas puled them together, pleading with DC to stop this, offering his own life for safe passage for the rest of them.

Out of the question, son. Now is not the time to gi-

DC dispelled the temporal phantom, stopping him in mid-sentence as they were back in Limbo. Or had they EVEN left. Mike was still getting his bearings as they descended on Ororo's place. But this time, the place was dead, and filled with graves. As he silently read them, he realized that everyone from this timeline was gone. No survivors save DC and Persephone, who was now with them.

DC lectured them on family and then proceeded to demand Nicolas' SOUL for passage. Mike stepped up as the ladies rejected her demand, speaking on sticking together and being a family. Mike grasped Nicolas' shoulder as he spoke.

Nicolas belongs with us. ALL of us. Even with Persephone and Alison. That is why we ALL came wherever we are to find them, and why we stand together to continue our search. We may not be the family that we should be yet, but when the call comes, we ALL answer it, we give our all FOR and TO each other. Today is no different.

 

[Darkchilde]

goodbye

<< as the soul sword's silver mystic flames seemed to swell in anticipation of claiming Nicolas, Haleigh boldly stepped forward, followed by Delilah. DC showed no outward reaction as the two women rejected Darkchilde's demand and defended Nicolas.>>

<< Arsenal then came forward and offered his backing of the rejection.>>

<< all four of them together were STILL no match for Darkchilde in Limbo...but their bravery and their conviction, it stood out INSPITE of how messy they were to her.>>

<< she stood there for a moment, wavering on whether or not to BLAST the others away and claim Nicolas' soul for her own...or to let them pass on their journey....and finally she spoke.>>

and NOW , in this moment where you stand to lose someone, do you realize how you should regard EACH one of your family at ALL times. It is that which allows me to carry on...in the absence of my own family...knowing that we lived and loved with all our hearts.....hearts....

<< DC placed her armoured hand over her breast as she took a moment to remember her fallen team mates.>>

I can't, in good conscience, do anything to harm the life of either of my cross time alternates [spellbinder, magik] and OF COURSE i want Persephone to be found and rescued. I would go MYSELF, but it is not for me to be involved or to interfere...i know that deep down. I sent her to your timeline so that she would live a NEW LIFE apart from this timeline...and though i miss her terribly...I can't see her....not now at least.

<< it pained her to say this. but she knew the bigger picture already.>>

remember this time here...not just in the short term but in the LONG TERM before you give in to another of your petty squables. You never know when you might lose EVERYONE you care for..no matter HOW hard you try to save them.

<< and with that, DC releases them from being stuck in LIMBO, as she extends her hand and crash of thunder, followed by chimes heralds the opening of a disc beneath the Six. DC does not bid them farewell, instead she quickly sends them on their way....and as they leave...>>

Pesephone......hang in there....your friends...your new friends are coming for you...

<< she closes her eyes...and sheds a tear as she rests her hand on the grave stone of her mother....once again, standing alone in the now wilted garden that was once HER Ororo's pride and joy. all she had left now were memories...>>

 

[Seer]

onward

<< Darkchilde and the expanse of Limbo soon fade in a flood of white light as the demon sorceress grants them passage from this realm onto the rest of their journey. They do not see her close her eyes, whispering words of encouragement across time and space to Perspehone...nor the tears that fall from her sapphire blue eyes as the pain of her own reality sets in once again.>>

<< she taught them a lesson, one they NEEDED to be reminded of, and in doing so, she sewed the seeds of CHANCE. a CHANCE for Nicolas to avoid Alison's prophecy from coming to pass after all.>>

<< and as the Six passed on from Darkchilde, their next stop would proove be no less unpredictable than the first two. they would carry the memories and experiences form this timeline as well, having gained a glimpse into Persephone's time with Darkchilde, and seeing basically another facet of MORGAN herself.>>

<< where they would arrive would be no less easy than the first two places.>>

<< and so we watch>>