The rose fades to black

[Black Widow]

The Hellfire Club -- Red Knight's Quarters

Alek: She certainly is…care to take a whack at the ‘unbreakable’ trophy this evening?

Oh, was he still singing that song? She really couldn't blame him though, at least he had good taste..... but she should probably tell him.

"I hate to break your heart, but she told me quite specifically that your little fantasy was never going to happen."

She wasn't particularly interested in that combo either, but she did pause to consider how long it had been since her last threesome.

"But maybe we could get Mystique.... who's name I would love to learn.... or perhaps Amanda, who is likely to be extremely flexible.... or even Gia, that little Italian who just inherited the White Bishop position. SHE would be easy, considering she fully presented herself to me at the Blackout Party."

She suggested casually while she watched him drop his shorts. He began to work his way up her body, as she tried to be patient and let the anticipation build. She bit her lip and ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her neck.

Alek: So.... is it always rough and tumble with you? Don't you ever want..... passion?

She looked up at him, a bit surprised by the question, and the unexpected tenderness in his touch. She ran her right hand over his chest, and reached up with her left to stroke his jawline.

"I wouldn't have been with an Empath for several years, or nearly married him, if I didn't like some passion in my life. Is that what you're in the mood for tonight?"

She kissed him again, with an urgency that was less aggressive than before. She went towards him, a gentle cue, and he leaned so she could roll onto him. She laid her chest on his, and began to speak in his ear.

"I'll show you passion."

She breathed as she moved on top of him.

 

[Firebird]

The Parthenon- The War Room

Blaze, Isis says that its kill on sight for your girls. Fair warned.

"If Haleigh is stupid enough to go back to Rose's sanctuary after this, she deserves whatever she gets. She DRAGGED Frost. But Frost NEVER pulled ANY of the SHIT that she's pulling right now. Frost never tried to KILL our friends or family, and she didn't SHOOT A CHILD IN THE BACK. "

" Frost needed our HELP, HALEIGH REJECTED my mom's help, rejected ALL of us, and gave herself to Malice. Whatever happens now...whatever happens to HER? She's brought it on HERSELF."

Blaze said coldly as she looked at Richard and Cass.

"It's time Cameron and the others opened their eyes. "

Soon, Karen arrived with Mike and Cameron.

Mike looked at the three and spoke quickly.

Someone attacked Cam, that was where we were when you contacted us. Please tell me you have good news.

"Sorry, Mikey. I'd be lying to you if I told you that."

Blaze just looked at Mike for a moment. Cameron had been attacked? If it was Haleigh, it would've been apparent, but clearly it wasn't her. Still, after he crashed and burned with Alycia AND Vivica...Cameron had been scarce. It must've been serious if Mike AND Karen had been assisting him. Still, Blaze couldn't help but look coldly upon Cameron.

She then sensed Morgan's return in the hotel.

Morg, I know you can hear me...you need to come down here too. You've wasted ENOUGH time tip toeing through the tulips with DEREK.

A violet glow of light could be seen outside the doorway of the warroom. Spellbinder had teleported herself and Nicolas down to join them. As they entered, Blaze stared her sister down with a very disapproving look. It would be easy to confront Morgan right now, via their sibling rapport, but now was not the time or the place. Nic didn't know. NO ONE knew the truth about where Morgan had been, except for Blaze. How long it stayed this way, would depend on Morgan's behavior, and Blaze did not like one choice her sister had just made. She'd SAY something to her before too much time passed and she made anymore bad choices.

:: He looked over at Blaze. ::

"What's the situation, Blaze? How bad is it?"

For NOW though, Blaze fixes her face, and allows herself to look around at those gathered. It was time to discuss their former teammate.

"We have problems...big ones. Since Black Widow and Persephone betrayed us, they've wasted no time getting to work for MALICE. Persephone tried to kill Simon and Vivica, and Black Widow nearly murdered Bishop. After that, she attacked Rose's sanctuary, the same Rose who lost 42 mutant orphans to the Purifiers. Black Widow tried to kidnap a child from the Sanctuary, and when Rose confronted her, she shot the child in the back! "

" We can't let this go on. We can't them hurt anyone else. They BOTH need to be dealt with, and if WE don't handle this, Isis, Rose or someone else we know WILL."

"Anybody in this room that is still feeling some kind of way about Haleigh and Ava needs to get past that now because they're SHOWING us who they are, and we need to believe them. Whatever consideration they may have deserved before, they've forfieted. Our friends, our loved ones, and those children...."

Blaze still couldn't believe how Haleigh had gone to RETRAUMATIZE those surviving children! that was BEYOND low, even for HER!

"...they deserve protection, and those two TURNCOATS deserve a good ass whooping...at LEAST."

She looked at Cameron.

"You were worried about the WRONG sister."

She said bitterly

"Frost never did ANYTHING like this."

"I hope that you'll agree that it's time for US to CLEAN UP this mess, before somebody else get's hurt...or DIES."

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion – Red Knight’s Quarters

"I hate to break your heart, but she told me quite specifically that your little fantasy was never going to happen."

He chuckled.

“I actually just meant that you have quite a reputation as unbreakable yourself…and nobody breaks my heart.”

He looked thoughtful.

“Still…I think under the right circumstances, Persephone’d cave.”

Probably after she killed a bunch of people...

"But maybe we could get Mystique.... who's name I would love to learn.... or perhaps Amanda, who is likely to be extremely flexible.... or even Gia, that little Italian who just inherited the White Bishop position. SHE would be easy, considering she fully presented herself to me at the Blackout Party."

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Interesting. [pause] Whatever you want, baby.”

"I wouldn't have been with an Empath for several years, or nearly married him, if I didn't like some passion in my life. Is that what you're in the mood for tonight?"

“I’m in the mood for, whatever you’re in the mood for. I’d be a fool to be particular. Just curious…”

She kissed him, with quite an uncharacteristic show of restraint on her part. She rolled so she was on top of him, the length of her body touching his, as she whispered into his ear.

"I'll show you passion."

He made a noise low in his throat as she moved on top of him.

“Yes, please.”

He kissed her again, more tenderly this time. His hips moved in time with her, his hands stroked her back, her arms.

He threw back his head onto the bed, a moan of pleasure escaping his lips.

“God, you’re good at this…”

 

[Orion]

From The Hospital To Little Italy

He could hear her on the other end, ragged breathing, and he made a beeline for the hospital exit. He could hardly bear to listen to her crying.

"Ava, please say SOMETHING."

Ava: I'm sorry...I don't know why I called you.

"Tell me what's wrong, are you hurt?"

Ava: I h-have no one...I c-can't do this.... I can't do this anymore...I can't...I can't... I can't live like this anymore.

His heart thundered in his chest as he listened to her. She sounded so broken, it pained him, and the way she was talking, it sounded like.... it sounded a bit fatalistic.

"I'm coming to get you, where are you?"

Ava: Gi-gi-giovanni's.

"That place that closed down in little Italy? I'll be there in 10 seconds."

He said, as he shouldered his phone and reached for his watch. Despite being one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, Giovanni's had been badly burned by a kitchen fire and the whole building was boarded up. He and Ava used to get lunch here sometimes, when the weather was perfect for sitting out on the rooftop patio.

He re-materialized on the rooftop, still holding his watch. Her hair blew in the breeze, as she stood looking out over the edge, her hands gripping the railing tightly. Even in the dim light, he could see bite marks on her neck and bruises on her wrists. His eyes flashed in anger as he was struck by the memory of the Red Knight, and how rough the asshole had been with Haleigh. At least in THAT case he'd known Haleigh gave as good as she got, and was tougher than most men in any case. But Ava..... she looked utterly abused, and that was only part of it. He was hit by her emotions, and almost staggered by the grief, and he looked at her gravely, fearing the worst.

<<FLASH>>

Consulate General of Italy in New York, Autumn 1997

"Mamma!"

He said breathlessly. He'd searched the entire embassy when the chest pain started, that heart burn that regularly afflicted him. Now he was winded, and it felt like his heart was on fire, and he wanted very much for his mother to hold him. He couldn't explain why exactly, but being with his mother always made him feel better. Sometimes he pretended he was too old for her to call him her 'baby boy', but right now, he needed to feel loved. So after several minutes of intensifying pain and a growing sense of dread and urgency, he'd discovered his mother Adriana on the rooftop in the cool night air.

She didn't turn to look at him right away, she just continued to lean over the stone balustrade, so far over it that he thought she might fall. He let the door close behind him as he moved closer to her, clutching his chest and wincing as he tried to catch his breath.

"Mamma, il mio cuore fa male di nuovo."

She looked over her shoulder at him, her mascara streaked, her expression one of anguish. This was not unusual. She was always crying when he got his chest pains, as if she knew he was hurting and she felt it too. Usually she was laying on the bed in her room, or sitting quietly on the sofa, or curled up in an armchair by the fireplace in the library. Of course, he normally got his chest pains at home, and they were very far from home today. Today they were visiting his father at the embassy in America.

Adriana: Miniera fa male anche, amore, il dolore è troppo questa volta.

"Non lo sopporto."

He groaned. He wanted to go to her, he wanted a hug, but he stumbled and the pain in his heart was so debilitating, so overwhelming, he didn't even notice that he scraped his knees when he landed on them. His mother put one leg over the balustrade, and then the other. He sat back on his heels, rubbing his chest as if that would help. Why wouldn't she come to him? What was she doing, turning away from him, looking out over the ledge? Couldn't she tell he needed her badly?

"Mamma, aiuto per favore, fallo smettere."

Adriana: Il mio bambino, che finirà presto. Mi fermerò esso.

She leaned again, and he was suddenly gripped by cold terror. Even at ten years old he knew something was very wrong with the way she was acting. It looked like she was preparing to jump to her death. He began to crawl towards her, tears streaming down his face.

"Mamma, NO!"

But she was gone. He heard a scream, the squealing of tires, and some other horrible sounds he would never be able to forget. He began to sob loudly, calling for her desperately as he crawled to the edge. He stuck his head between the columns to look, and wished very much that he hadn't. It felt like his heart was being crushed, and he felt dizzy. He retreated from the edge, then laid on his back, weeping at the sky, asking the gods why. It had been Zizi's father, Officer York, who found him, wrapped him in a blanket, and spent hours patiently trying to coax him away from the last place his mother had been alive.

An awful memory from his youth, that day had left him forever changed. He VERY RARELY ever talked about the experience, and how he had not been able to save his mother from herself. He hadn't known then that his chest pains were caused by his empathic powers, and that heart burn he'd been feeling was his mother's broken heart. He didn't have control of them then, or he would have known how to help her.

But he was strong now, and knew how to use his powers to help people struggling with intense, overwhelming emotions. He'd be damned if he was going to let Ava fall. He'd rather go over the edge with her than lose her that way.

"AVA!!"

He called as he rushed to her, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulled her into his chest, and away from the railing. He took a sharp, deep breath and absorbed her pain, tears falling rapidly as her guilt and grief amplified his own. He shut his eyes tightly, focused on her, transitioning from taking her misery to giving her love.

 

[Artemis]

Charope, LLC - Conference Room

:: Charope and Silver Swan returned to Charope, LLC. They had much work to do. ::

:: The contact with Rae Reynolds was both unsettling, AND eyeopening. The sobering fact that both Alycia and Sharon had known and worked with Rose for so long, but never REALLY knew her was weighing heavily on both their minds and hearts.::

:: Not only had they learned the truth about Rose's dark and tragic past, her status as an orphan, but she was also a woman possessed of INCREDIBLE psionic power. This opened up all kinds of questions, most were not appropriate to address now, but what was very important was that they change their approach and methods for helping Rose, especially now that she was facing scrutiny and threat of trouble from CPS!::

:: If anyone could fight this kind of battle, it was Alycia. In Sharon's previous life as a Senator, she would have had considerable clout to lend to solving this problem as well, but now...as far as the city and the world at large was concerned, she was DEAD, and for all her raw power as the Silver Swan, there was little she could do in THIS kind of fight, still, she would stand by Alycia AND Rose in whatever way she could, even if it was just to protect those children.::

:: Rose, apparently had PLENTY of power to protect herself, and when it was UNLEASHED, the consequences could be DEADLY.::

:: The Two amazons were inside Charope, LLC, in Alycia's office on the top floor. Alycia called Delilah and Bishop to her office to talk with them, and when they arrived, Sharon excused herself for a moment, to check on her silver gryfalcons, who were currently housed in the aviary on the roof of the building.::

:: Delilah and Bishop registered the coldness of Sharon, and saw Alycia sitting at her desk, with her head DOWN on the desk for a few moments, before she sat back up, and looked at both of them.::

Haleigh attacked Rose's sanctuary tonight. She tried to kidnap one of Rose's children, and when Rose confronted her to stop her, Haleigh took a shot at Rose, and ended up shooting the child in the back.

The child is at the hospital now, in emergency surgery...and Rose was just cnofronted by an arrogant, bloated CPS case worker named Dennis Nedry. Between this incident and the attack by the Purifiers that left 42 of her children dead, she's now being faced with the threat of scrutiny on a level that she's never faced before. I've got to HELP her, and I'm going to... I'm going to STOP this.

I heard from Xavier. I know he's at the Sanctuary with Oracle, Isis and the others, helping to safeguard the children. It's VERY important that they stay there because that's one of the things Nedry touched on his "list of findings."

It's...it's VERY odd, that HE showed up even BEFORE the police! By the time we left, THEY still hadn't come. But then again, if somehow they KNEW the child that was shot was a mutant...that would explain their slow response. They don't care about those orphans in Rose's care....hardly anyone does.

:: She looks at both of them::

Haleigh is going to PAY for what she's done. In less than two days, she has systematically enegaged in psychological AND physical warfare with the intent to hurt, kill and destroy. She needs to be STOPPED.

 

[Wallflower]

The Hellfire Mansion

:: The others spoke of Haleigh as if she were a nuissance or the new girl in school, and initially Amanda had given into that line of thinking as well. When Scion first arrived at The Hellfire Club, Cobra's immediate concern had been to back her Queen when nobody else wanted to. Talisman had tried to show Haleigh that in order to survive her, that she WOULD have to 'curtsy' so to speak. Haleigh refused to do that and now here they were about to bare witness to a public lynching. However, Amanda's feelings about Scion had shifted in recent days. She was enthralled by the way the woman operated. She was a threat to everyone around her yet she always managed to find allies. She was a master at the concept of "leather and lace". Both soft and hard, depending on what the scenario was. Due to Amanda's enigmatic nature, she was for the most part left alone in the mansion. Her court was all but empty and while she enjoyed the company of those like Heidi and Domino, it was clear that they came from different cloths. Heidi was a snob, not necessarily in the bad sense, but it appeared to Amanda that Heidi kind of was happy where she was, assumed that she had made it. Domino took her power in the sense that she had a set of skills, power and knowledge that gave her the freedom she had, though she wielded it a bit too wildly for Amanda's liking. ::

:: On The Red Court, it was clear that Helena's court appointments were well calculated. They were capable, effective and loyal. Despite the methods they employed in order to get the upper hand, their power couldn't be denied. She watched the curious interactions between Alek, Ava and Haleigh, never quite sure which of the three of them were trying to pull the wool over the others eyes, and she was a bit convinced that they didn't know this either. But her eyes always went to Haleigh. This was a woman who was the daughter of Malice - the woman who held the keys to the kingdom in this club. She was coveted by The White Queen...and part of that was because of her savvy, of her incredible ability to maneuver herself where she needed to be. Even now, to know that she had failed miserably in her mission, that she was about to receive what was shaping up to be a BRUTAL punishment, she knew that Haleigh would land on her feet...and THAT was a skill that Amanda wanted to learn for herself. She would give her life for Talisman and defend The Black Court as best as she could..but this was a new world for her. Sure, she was now well read and incredibly educated, and she had the kind of scrappy intelligence that a drug addict willing to do ANYTHING to get her next fix often possessed, but Amanda wasn't necessarily satsified to live out her days within the walls of this mansion as The Black Knight. She was loyal to Hellfire, but she was beginning to see that her loyalty to the club and to her queen would not be enough. She needed something for herself. It was why she had done what she did to Archer Fairchild. From that encounter, she had received connections a number of black markets, to a number of "contracts" that could help her get where she needed to be. She had taken the way that Malice had operated to heart, Amanda wasn't here just to be in the moment. She had been reborn as a COBRA, and she wasn't going to waste the opportunity throwing around pointless insults and trying to sit at the cool kid's table. ::

Malice: "BEHOLD what happens, when you do NOT follow direction."

:: To watch in wonder as Ravena and Malice restored Haleigh was incredible, but the irony was not lost on her. If they could bring her back in this way, they could also destroy her in this way. She knew that first hand from what she experienced under the surgical knife of Dr. Shaw. The operatic quality of the entire scene was actually quite beautiful to Amanda. Impressed, she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, two of her ringers resting under chin as she watched. ::

"What a beautiful way to prove a point..."

:: A revived Haleigh was obstinate as ever and for a moment, Amanda felt a tinge of sympathy for the woman. She just absolutely refused to let anybody see her sweat...even if it was clear to everyone around her that she was in fact...sweating. Malice admonished her for what she had done in Times Square, for violating a cardinal rule of The Blackout Party. It was a Mexican Standoff. Haleigh wasn't going to back down and any further indignation towards Diana, The White Queen couldn't suffer to allow. Things were about to ugly. And then they were. ::

:: Amanda did agree on the presence of Silver Swan. Her ties to The Hellfire Club were bleak at best. She had proclaimed herself a total enemy of the club. To have her freely walk around the halls because of some kind of inherited membership seemed silly, unless it was to keep the temptation of bringing Sharon over to them an omnipresent option, and judging by the way that Maxine was peacocking up and down the halls of the mansion as of late, perhaps the door was still open for that. ::

< Enchantrah's power activates, and The entire Inner Circle finds themselves in the BIO SYSTEMS LAB>>

<< For those that have never been here before, right now, this is as REAL AS LIFE for them, courtesy of Enchantrah's power. It's a terrifying place of tests and trials within the citadle, and now, with Haleigh little more than a ZOMBIE, Malice addresses the Inner Circle>>

Malice: What would you do, if a member of the inner circle, REGARDLESS of the court, became a LIABILITY, a THREAT not only to the security and GOALS of this cabal, but your personal safety?

<< She looks at Berserker and Persephone in particular. as Haleigh now comes LUMBERING toward them, SAVAGE as ever, with NO real memory of either of them. All she wants from them NOW is their FLESH.>>

<< She SNAPS and CLAWS at Berserker, missing him by a HAIR, before the sound of TALISMAN'S power can be heard activating, and she ensnares Black Widow in mystic chains, pulling her back to "more COMFORTABLE" distance, but still giving them a frightful EYEfull of the woman they once knew.>>

Malice: would you STRIKE her down? Or would you be WEAK and FALTER? Would you ERR on the side of foolish sentimentality? Or would you DISPOSE of her like the BIO HAZARD that she IS!

<< Talisman "parades" Haleigh around the assembled Inner Circle>>


Malice: Fortunately for all of you, who are so faint of heart, that deciscion will NEVER be yours to make!

:: It was a seemingly impossible question to answer, but Amanda had done just as much for drugs in her life. Turned her back on her brother, let go of everything in her life because there was something she wanted more than all of them. Malice was trying to scare them, but this moment empowered Amanda - in order to survive here..or rather THRIVE her, she would have to become an addict again - but this time...instead of drugs, she would need to go after POWER. She would understand power the same exact way she understood heroin, how much got you high, how much caused you to overdose, the best way to use it. All of these skills that she had once assumed made her living human garbage, she could use to her advantage, she could wield in a way that wouldn't be expected of her. ::

<< Once again, courtesy of Enchantrah, they are NOW in the AQUA RING in all of its operating gloring. with Malice, now in diamond form, standing on the large metal platform, holding Haleigh by her neck>>

Malice: Those who cross that line, from being an ASSET to being a LIABILITY are DISPOSED of, WITHOUT hesitation. Many BEFORE her have learned this as their FINAL lesson. DON'T let it be YOURS.

<< She TOSSES Haleigh letting her fall toward the dark, evil waters, where NEPTUNES await her, but as she falls toward their gaping jaws...>>

<< And in a testimony to Malice's power, as SLOWLY as she made Haleigh's deconstruction happen, she SNAPPED Haleigh's mind "BACK IN PLACE" within the twinkling of an EYE, leaving her FULL AWARE of what appeared to be her final fate when...>>

:: Her eyes blinked as she adapted to these new surroundings. She had never really ascertained the powers that Helena possessed. She was an enigma to Amanda within The Hellfire Club. She reminded her of the character Becky Sharp from the book Vanity Fair. An unmatched social acumen. A moral vacuum..but a very intelligent one. In short, one of the more memorable bitches in literature. To experience Helena in such a way was very eye opening and telling. It was clear that Helena EARNED her keep around this place in ways that were far deeper than her social game. Amanda took NOTE, but STILL used her mutagenic physiology to remain as cold blooded as possible during this scenario. She needed to show the others that she wouldn't be phased, not in front of the others like this. She could HANDLE this world. More than some might give her credit for. ::

Malice: "Get this creature OUT OF MY SIGHT! Let that be a lesson to ALL of you. Class dismissed."

:: Amanda nodded and was about to leave when... ::

Helena: "Enjoy the show?"

Persephone's eyes found Helena's--the Queen's were gleaming with utter satisfaction at what had just happened. Persephone kept her expression even.

"Riveting."

Helena's grin grew as she stepped closer to Persephone.

Helena: "Good."

The Red Queen purred.

Helena: "Now it's your turn. KILL Zachary Armani. MUTILATE him. I want remnants of his blood found in QUEENS by the time you're finished with him. And if you fail--"

[evenly] "I won't."

Helena: "I surely hope not for YOUR sake. Get it done by TONIGHT."

:: Amanda was FASCINATED by Persephone. An AVID lover of greek mythology. The Greek Gods and Goddesses were the ONLY characters that were as vapid and self serving as the mission logs she had read on The Six. Persephone was a GODDESS. It was clear in watching her during this event that Ava Cassadine had taken a back seat. Amanda wanted to know EVERYTHING...but if she came to The Red Rook gushing like a school girl, asking her to confirm which stories were true..what she thought of the Eleusinian Mysteries, it would be a mistake. She would learn this in her own time. Before long...once AGAIN, The Red Court had enveloped everything and Amanda was once again left alone. ::

:: Persephone had been dispatched to kill Zach Armani. This was knowledge and knowledge was power. But what to do with it? If she mentioned it and Haleigh tried to stop Zach, Amanda might incur a bit of that wrath. If she didn't say anything and it caused the unwraveling of Scion, Amanda would have missed an opportunity to create an ally in Scion. Walking towards the Black Court, she pulled out her phone. All of their numbers were connected. They were in EACH of each other's phones for business purposes alone. She knew that most likely Haleigh was recovering with Persephone or in the arms of Berserker, but she took a risk anyway. What was power without a bit of danger. ::

<< The Red Court is not the only one that exists, Scion. The Black Court is here to play as well...scarce as we might be. The Black Knight requests your presence. When you receive the amount of esctacy that satiates you..meet me in The Black Parlor. Or not. Up to you."

:: Clacking her heels on the ground, Amanda made her way to The Black Parlor, a wing of the mansion she knew well and sat down at the bar, receiving a glass of blush wine as she sipped on it lightly, cracking her neck back and forth and taking a moment to process what she saw. Talisman hadn't lied. Her life was about to get a lot more interesting. ::

 

[Rose]

Communication from the Hospital

"Regardless of the reasons..and our anger, and the RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE that is deserved for that little boy in the hospital, this problem won't be solved quickly..neutralizing her powers could help..but honestly? We need to hold off the domestication process as long as possible. We have to keep making sure that she fails, that she doesn't pass the tests, that she retains hope that somebody will try and save her...it's only going to make things worse for Haleigh, only going to hinder her further. The more she incurs Diana's wrath, the more we are going to see what the ultimate goal of her decision has been. We just have to try and figure out what the next "test" is...and ensure that she fails..."

<< systems in the monitoring room begin to activate, and Sable, who was napping on Oracle's lap, perks up with a soft mew and looks toward the largest, central monitor, while various visual feeds of the children sleeping shift to smaller monitors that surround the largest center one in a square pattern.>>

<< Rose appears on screen, with Danny and Rae on either side of her.>>

<< Oracle can't quite register the link between Rose and the system broadcasting her image right now, but it's clear that this is live communication and interaction is live.>>

You speak of tests and failure.

The only FAILURE is in the thought process of anyone who thinks that Haleigh Davidoff is a woman worth saving.

She killed my children. She made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL.

<< this was the SECOND time she said this, but the pieces of that puzzle weren't ringing true to Zach or the others that she'd said this to...YET.>>

Tonight she tried to kidnap one of my surviving children, and because of her, he nearly DIED, and now lies in this hospital.

She has no decency. No compassion. She said so herself when I confronted her.

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER.

Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

<< This was no bluff, and the look on Rae and Danny's faces indicated they were in full agreement with Rose.>>

<< As Oracle, Steel, Titan, Recall, Isis and Tachyon all get the closest look they've had of Rose since the purifiers incident, they see the woman's countenance. It's darker , like the footage that Oracle and Recall viewed of her smashing the Purifiers at the Parthenon. They couldn't help but remember what Zach said about her power signature shifting up the spectrum from purple, to WHITE.>>

<< After a few moments...Rose bows her hand, placing her hand to her forehead. Rae places a hand on Rose's shoulder, in a sign of concern and support.>>

<< Rose looks up again, addressing the birds of prey at the sanctuary. THIS time, she looks more like she did at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The dark countenance was gone, she seemed less scarey, more human.>>

Thank you...ALL of you for coming to the aid of my children tonight.

Jake's life was nearly lost and there was little time to think of anything as I rushed him to the hospital.

Isis: No thanks are necessary, Rose. I am prepared to stay here with your chidlren as long as it takes.

 

[Persephone]

Ava and Zach knew each other for a very long time. They were close....closer than most people in either of their lives aside from Haleigh. In fact, Ava even felt more inclined to go to Zach than Haleigh in certain situations....situations that she might not want to look vulnerable in front of her older sister. To say that Ava loved Zach was an understatement, and the same was easily said for Zach about Ava. Persephone knew this. She knew exactly how to lure Zach in--how to convince him so undeniably that Ava was in trouble that he HAD to come. She took out the one bone in Zach's closet of skeletons that would blindly lead him to her without debating whether or not it was a trap or truthful. His mothers suicide was the greatest pain in his life, and the greatest reason why he grew up to be as compassionate and loving as he was. Her death assured others lives. And her death would assure his own demise.

Persephone stood in her chambers listening to the fear in Zach's voice as he asked her what was wrong. She smiled knowing that in that moment she had him. Disappearing in a tornado of winds, she reappeared on the rooftop of an old Italian restaurant that they used to frequent before it burned down. It was the perfect place. It used to be a beautiful getaway filled with green hedges, flowers, and lanterns. If it wasn't 12 stories up in the heart of Manhattan, people would truly believe they were in Italy.

Zach: "I'm coming to get you, where are you?"

Climbing onto the edge of the building, Persephone grasped the railing as she looked over the edge to the busy streets below. She knew the moment she said where she was Zach would be there in seconds. The only way for him to truly believe her once he arrived was to let Ava out. To let the grief of what was about to happen to her oldest friend be what the empath felt. Otherwise the moment he arrived he would know everything was a lie.

"Gi-gi-giovanni's."

Lifting her midnight eyes, Persephone lowered the phone away from her ear not hearing what Zach had said next. It didn't matter, she knew he was already on his way. Gasping in, Persephone clutched her chest as she let Ava surface, feeling everything from pain, to guilt, to misery and horror. Everything hit Persephone at once, like being stabbed by a thousand knives. She heaved in shaky breaths as tears streamed down her cheeks, sobbing without restraint. She gripped the railing in front of her, her head hanging forward and eyes shut tightly.

"Please, please!....PLEASE don't do this. PLEASE don't do this....Please...."

She choked out, BEGGING for reprieve as her voice trailed into sobs.

Zach: "AVA!"

Her head turned seeing Zach. Mascara staining her cheeks while strands of chocolate hair blowing across her face in a picturesque pattern.

"NO!"

She shouted, wanting so desperately for him to leave.

"PLEASE GO...."

She pleaded, her voice cracking as he rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her from the edge of the building. She shook her head, hands cupping her face as her body heaved in anguish. But she could immediately feel his powers working, taking the pain and guilt away from her and transferring it to him. But she didn't want the pain to go. She wanted to feel it....ALL of it....because she deserved it. She wanted to feel some form of pain for the pain she was causing Zach....for what she was about to DO to Zach. Even if it only lasted for a brief moment before Persephone regained full control again.

Zach spun her around and she grabbed onto him, holding him tightly. Her face buried in the crook of his neck, her fingers gripping the short hairs by the nape, and her eyes filled with tears and pain.

"I'm so sorry....i'm so sorry...."

She murmured.

Then it was over. The pain was gone from her eyes in a split second--a dead even stare remaining. All emotion, all sense of guilt or agony evaporated instantly. He would IMMEDIATELY feel the shift in emotions, his empathy picking up her apathy. Persephone's lips moved to Zach's ear.

"Say hello to your mama for me....."

She whispered before feeling him pull away just enough for her to slam her elbow into his face causing him to stumble away, his back now to her. In one swift motion Persephone leapt into the air and unholstered her Mystic Dagger before she SLAMMED it into Zach's lower abdomen from behind, DRAGGING it across his torso and up to his chest literally CUTTING him in HALF. She watched as he fell to the ground, his blood instantly pooling around his body and staining the terracotta stones.

With a blood splattered face, Persephone slowly rounded Zach, listening to him choke out bloody breaths of air. She squatted down next to him, a satisfied grin on her face.

"Aww Zach......always trying to rescue the damsels in distress."

Persephone ran her bloody hand down Zach's cheek, her midnight eyes falling upon the necklace he had worn religiously since the moment his mother had given it to him as a child. Her finger looped under the blood stained chain as she yanked it away from his neck and gripped it in her hand.

"You should of learned the moment your mother took a SWAN DIVE off the top of a building that you were no hero."

Tilting her head, she smirked.

"Silver lining? Ava didn't need saving. She was already long gone."

Giving him a wink.

"Nice to formally meet you Zach......I'll see you in hell."

 

[Orion]

Giovanni's

Ava: I'm so sorry....i'm so sorry....

"It's alright, it's alright, you're safe now, I've got you."

He said, guiding her away from the railing. In an instant, he sensed a disconnect, a shutoff of emotions colder than any he'd ever felt from Haleigh.

Ava: Say hello to your mama for me....

She whispered in his ear, and he pulled back, aghast. She struck him, and he realized, much too late, that he'd rushed right into a trap. He staggered away, turning from her, hot tears spilling, as he tried to stop feeling the grief and start feeling something more powerful, like rage. He had plenty to be angry about. What had Hellfire DONE to Ava?!

As he tried to retreat, she leaped onto his back. He saw the glint of a blade as she brought it down in an arc towards his abdomen. He did the only thing he could, grabbed the blade itself and tried to redirect it to one side. He felt the dagger get slippery, as it sliced his hand, but he only gripped it tighter, gritting his teeth through the pain. She stuck him in the left hip, but with his fist wrapped around the knife, he kept her from cutting any deeper than a couple of inches. She raked him with the tip of the dagger, from his hip up across his torso diagonally, all the way to his right shoulder.

"Aaaaaaggggghhhh!"

His pained roar scattered a murder of crows from the rooftop. He careened away after she yanked the dagger out of his grip, and collapsed a step later, half on his side, half on his stomach. He was bleeding so badly, the front of his shirt was soaked already and his blood was beginning to collect in a pool underneath him. He couldn't crawl away, he was so dizzy from blood loss that he could barely lift his head. As he looked forward, he saw a single crow hopping across the patio, only a few inches from his face.

"Help me..... Silver Swan...."

He rasped quietly, and the bird took flight as Ava started talking.

Ava: Aww Zach......always trying to rescue the damsels in distress. You should of learned the moment your mother took a SWAN DIVE off the top of a building that you were no hero.

She touched his face gently, and he stared up into dark eyes, trying not to move except to hunch over so the slice across his chest wouldn't gape open. He was in a great deal of pain, physically and emotionally.

"Ava, stop..... why..... are you..... doing this?"

Ava: Silver lining? Ava didn't need saving. She was already long gone.

She yanked away the necklace his mother had given him, the pendant of the staff of Hermes that he always wore under his shirt. This was not the Ava he knew and loved.

"Per.......Seph.......Oneeeeee......."

Ava: Nice to formally meet you Zach......I'll see you in hell.

He gripped her wrist tightly with his cut and bloodied hand, and BOMBARDED her with his grief and the rising fear of his imminent death. He charged up his other hand with pure rage and slammed it into her sternum, an open palm strike bolstered by his powers, and released his grip on her as she went flying backwards into some abandoned patio chairs. It took everything he had left, and he slumped over afterwards, praying silently to the old gods for help. He thought about his mother again, and wondered if he was about to join her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to finally get to see her again.

 

[Black Widow]

The Hellfire Club -- Red Knight's Quarters

Alek: Yes, please.

She smirked, and they kissed again. She grasped his neck, his shoulders, his pecks, pushing herself a bit more upright as he groaned.

Alek: God, you're good at this...

She acknowledged him with a moan, and closed her eyes for a moment. When she did she saw the knife again, buried deep in Bishop's chest. Shock and pain in his brown eyes, her own hand twisting the blade.

No...

She thought, opening her eyes and locking that memory away again. She looked down at Alek, not even a pause in her rhythm as she lowered to kiss him again, a little more intensity in her slow, deliberate movements.

Cobra>>The Red Court is not the only one that exists, Scion. The Black Court is here to play as well...scarce as we might be. The Black Knight requests your presence. When you receive the amount of ecstasy that satiates you..meet me in The Black Parlor. Or not. Up to you.

The text scrolled across the bottom of her HUD. Anyone else might have been distracted by this interruption, but Haleigh never missed a beat. She was an expert at multi-tasking. So, Cobra wanted to talk. How very interesting. Still, she had about the most inconvenient timing. Haleigh nibbled on Alek's neck playfully, and sent a 'text' back to Amanda.

>>You're welcome to join us in the Red Knight's bedroom if you'd rather not wait. Otherwise..... give me about an hour.

 

[MorningStar]

Charope – Alycia’s Office

Alycia and Sharon had returned to Charope, and Delilah and Bishop had been called to Alycia’s office. Maxim had been given new clothes to wear, much to his relief. As soon as they arrived, however, Sharon left to check on her birds. Delilah internally shuddered – those birds gave her the creeps, though she’d never say that to Sharon. Sharon seemed very cold, and Alycia had her head down on her desk. Was this just the situation, or something more?

“Alycia?”

Delilah said gently.

Haleigh attacked Rose's sanctuary tonight. She tried to kidnap one of Rose's children, and when Rose confronted her to stop her, Haleigh took a shot at Rose, and ended up shooting the child in the back.

“We know – Xavier filled us in. How is the boy doing?”

Alycia filled them in on the status of the child, and the incident with the case worker.

I've got to HELP her, and I'm going to... I'm going to STOP this.

“If there’s anything I can do…and contacts at the NYPD…or FBI…just say the word. Even…even Bianca.”

It's...it's VERY odd, that HE showed up even BEFORE the police! By the time we left, THEY still hadn't come. But then again, if somehow they KNEW the child that was shot was a mutant...that would explain their slow response. They don't care about those orphans in Rose's care....hardly anyone does.

“John Steele may be flexing his muscle, trying to keep heat off of Rose…I mean, WE know who did it.”

Haleigh is going to PAY for what she's done. In less than two days, she has systematically enegaged in psychological AND physical warfare with the intent to hurt, kill and destroy. She needs to be STOPPED.

Delilah put her head in her hands.

“Why is she doing this? WHY would she kidnap a child? This all makes absolutely no sense.”

She picked her head up.

“How do we take her off the playing field?”

 

[Bishop]

Charope – Alycia’s Office

Delilah had sat with him all evening, until one of the people there – he didn’t know what the guy’s job was and he didn’t really care – brought him some clothes to wear. Thank god. He considered asking Delilah to set the hospital gown on fire. THIS was why he didn’t go to hospitals ever. But it was nice of her to stay with him – and without too many bare ass hospital gown jokes even.

They were informed that Sharon and Alycia had returned – joy – and they were asked to go to Alycia’s office. Sharon quickly excused herself in her usual aloof manner, but Alycia looked the worse for wear, head down on her desk. He felt a tinge of sympathy, remembering their earlier conversation. Part of him hoped this was about something else, rather than Cameron fucking King.

Delilah said Alycia’s name, and she picked her head up. She told them about Haleigh’s attack on the sanctuary.

Haleigh attacked Rose's sanctuary tonight. She tried to kidnap one of Rose's children, and when Rose confronted her to stop her, Haleigh took a shot at Rose, and ended up shooting the child in the back.

Bishop’s jaw clenched. He had known about this from Xavier, but hearing it again made his blood boil.

“That bitch needs to be made dead.”

Delilah ignored his statement, telling Alycia that Xavier had filled them in and asking after the boy.

I've got to HELP her, and I'm going to... I'm going to STOP this.

“If there’s anything I can do…and contacts at the NYPD…or FBI…just say the word. Even…even Bianca.”

“Unless you’re going to have Bianca pay someone to kill the bastard…why not let me pay him a visit. He won’t bother her again if he values his pitiful life.”

It's...it's VERY odd, that HE showed up even BEFORE the police! By the time we left, THEY still hadn't come. But then again, if somehow they KNEW the child that was shot was a mutant...that would explain their slow response. They don't care about those orphans in Rose's care...hardly anyone does.

“John Steele may be flexing his muscle, trying to keep heat off of Rose…I mean, WE know who did it.”

“Haleigh.”

He almost growled the word. Uncharacteristically, he reached out and put a hand on Alycia’s.

“We care, Alycia. And I promise you, she will be taken care of. She won’t get away with this.”

He looked at Delilah. He knew that despite everything, she would have misgivings. But this had to be done. For her.

Haleigh is going to PAY for what she's done. In less than two days, she has systematically enegaged in psychological AND physical warfare with the intent to hurt, kill and destroy. She needs to be STOPPED.

“Fuckin Aye.”

“Why is she doing this? WHY would she kidnap a child? This all makes absolutely no sense.”

He stood up, and started to pace the floor.

“No, it makes perfect sense. You just don’t want to see it.”

He looked down at her.

“Haleigh is a killer. That is what she’s always been. You tried to make her something else.”

His expression softened.

“And it worked for a while. You did a good job, babe. But she will do whatever is necessary to accomplish her aim, and she’s proven that over and over. YOU know that to be true, even when she was with the Six. She’s a broken arrow and we need to take her down.”

“How do we take her off the playing field?”

“You and your team knows her better than anyone. You know her weaknesses. Now all we have to do is exploit them.”

 

[Tachyon]

Surveillance Room, The Sanctuary​

The team had agreed: as an existential threat alone, Black Widow was to be attacked mortally on sight. There was too much risk to do otherwise, and that risk had extended to innocents as well. He said nothing about it, enough was being said, but he did place a hand on Isis' shoulder as comfort as she expressed herself about this.

Next up, Rose appeared on the monitors in the Surveillance Room

Being a speedster and a archaeologist/paleontologist/sociologist gave Xavier a unique perspective when seeing people as they spoke. Rose was no different, and time seemed to slow as she made her appearance onscreen.

You speak of tests and failure.

The only FAILURE is in the thought process of anyone who thinks that Haleigh Davidoff is a woman worth saving.

She killed my children. She made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL.

<< this was the SECOND time she said this, but the pieces of that puzzle weren't ringing true to Zach or the others that she'd said this to...YET.>>

Tonight she tried to kidnap one of my surviving children, and because of her, he nearly DIED, and now lies in this hospital.

She has no decency. No compassion. She said so herself when I confronted her.

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER.

Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

<< This was no bluff, and the look on Rae and Danny's faces indicated they were in full agreement with Rose.>>

<< As Oracle, Steel, Titan, Recall, Isis and Tachyon all get the closest look they've had of Rose since the purifiers incident, they see the woman's countenance. It's darker , like the footage that Oracle and Recall viewed of her smashing the Purifiers at the Parthenon. They couldn't help but remember what Zach said about her power signature shifting up the spectrum from purple, to WHITE.>>

<< After a few moments...Rose bows her hand, placing her hand to her forehead. Rae places a hand on Rose's shoulder, in a sign of concern and support.>>

<< Rose looks up again, addressing the birds of prey at the sanctuary. THIS time, she looks more like she did at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The dark countenance was gone, she seemed less scarey, more human.>>

Thank you...ALL of you for coming to the aid of my children tonight.

Jake's life was nearly lost and there was little time to think of anything as I rushed him to the hospital.

Gemini...a sign of two faces. Rose was exhibiting almost a MPD affect that was expressed by her powers. Her face, her power signature, they changed in just this one soliloquy, even as her voice seemed to. And what was she referring to with the 42 children? How was Haleigh complicit in that, as she seemed to be suggesting. No better way than to ask, as diplomatically as possible.

• Isis: No thanks are necessary, Rose. I am prepared to stay here with your children as long as it takes.

• Xavier stepped up beside Isis, his hand rubbing her arm reassuringly. He knew how important the kids were to her, and that made any other shit about her pretty much null and void in his book.

• As am I, Rose. I am at your service to keep the children safe.

• He paused for a second, then continued on with what could be a tougher conversation.

• I know you have a had an unfathomably difficult night, but I was hoping to ask you: what did you mean when you said that Black Widow "made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL." Did she specifically have something to do with that attack's outcome as well? And I realize that you have endured a severe trauma from the bus accident and the last week's events combined. Have you had a chance to speak with someone about it? I am concerned that you are being personally negatively affected in a more emotional or spiritual way. Have your cards spoken to you about this as well?

• Rose was too powerful not to engage on this front if there was a question of stability. The children could be at risk from HER as well. And there was no way to sugarcoat this particular issue so he tried to be diplomatic but up front about his concerns.

 

[Rampage]

Nicolas had just returned and was checking on the production of the second satellite when the alarm came in. He sensed Morgan's body reappear back at the Parthenon and she was quickly moving to his location. He stepped outside his suite as she teleported the rest of the way to save time. She was looking sexy as hell, but the outfit was different. Oh well, her and Madonna could not be bothered with just ONE outfit per night. He grasped her hands and gave her a greeting kiss on the lips but something seemed...off.

You OK, baby? I know the last few have been hell but I have some good news for you. I will tell you after this meeting if we have time.

Holding her hand made this seem like they would get past it somehow. So she teleported them the rest of the way and he held the door as she entered. His face was all business as he saw the assembled. Even Auntie D's pool boy was there. And he was holding Blaze's hand. WHAT. IN. THE. HELL. WAS. GOING. ON.

Nicolas looked puzzled for a second, but the look quickly passed as he waited to be briefed. His eyes met Mike and he knew that the recipients had not yet been contacted as Mike rolled his eyes and almost imperceptibly shook his head in the negative.

 

[Persephone]

She could see the strain in his eyes, the life slowly slipping away as the pool of blood got larger and larger around his body. He looked pitiful, it was almost sad. Almost.

"Slow, deep breaths my love. It'll make it quicker."

Persephone coaxed with a smile. As much as she would of loved to stay and watch Zach be ushered to the afterlife, it was stupid to stick around and savor the moment. As she was about to stand Zach suddenly grabbed her wrist and instantly began to bombard her with nothing but grief and fear--everything that he was feeling in that precise moment. Screaming out in horror, he took the opportunity to SLAMMED his palm into Persephone's chest, amplifying the hit with even more of his powers, causing her to fly back across the patio and into some chairs.

Rolling onto her side, Persephone's breathing was labored as she felt the emotional onslaught leave her body as quickly as it came. Her midnight eyes fell upon Zach once again, pure rage flashing within them.

"I was TRYING to be nice."

She growled, pushing herself up off the ground before storming back over to Zach's body.

"You had to go an ruin that, now didn't you?"

Kicking him across the face, it forced his body to roll over to his back and causing his wound to start to pull open. Putting the handle of her blade horizontally in her mouth, Persephone held it with her teeth as she straddled Zach and grabbed both of his wrists forcing them over his head, stacking both hands on top of each other. That act alone caused his wound to painfully pull open even more. She then took the dagger from her mouth and SLAMMED it into the palms of his hand, directly into the stone patio floor.

"Ahh memories. You enjoyed when she was on top.....watching her grind you like you wish you could of before that day."

Lowering herself to Zach's mouth, Persephone licked up from his chin to his lip, tasting the metallic blood that dripped from his mouth.

"I like it a little dirtier."

Her hand began to push into his wound, separating the flesh that held everything in.

"I'm going to pull your insides out....."

Her hand pushing hard now, breaching the muscle barrier.

"And SHOVE them down your THROAT."

His screams were like a symphony as her hand slipped deeper. But suddenly she stopped, looking up from Zach. There were birds, everywhere. She could feel their eyes on her--feel their thoughts going back to none other than Silver Swan.

Her eyes shifted down to Zach.

"Looks like it's your lucky day."

Withdrawing her hand from Zach's stomach, Persephone pulled the Mystic Dagger from his hand as she stood, stepping across Zach's body and seeing a flash of silver streak across the sky. He wouldn't survive, she would keep Silver Swan distracted enough for him to DIE in front of his teammate.

"I HAVE been craving roasted duck."

The skies above cracked with a thunderous roar, Persephone standing covered in Zach's blood awaiting the arrival of the Silver Swan.

 

[Rampage]

"We have problems...big ones. Since Black Widow and Persephone betrayed us, they've wasted no time getting to work for MALICE. Persephone tried to kill Simon and Vivica, and Black Widow nearly murdered Bishop. After that, she attacked Rose's sanctuary, the same Rose who lost 42 mutant orphans to the Purifiers. Black Widow tried to kidnap a child from the Sanctuary, and when Rose confronted her, she shot the child in the back! "

" We can't let this go on. We can't them hurt anyone else. They BOTH need to be dealt with, and if WE don't handle this, Isis, Rose or someone else we know WILL."

"Anybody in this room that is still feeling some kind of way about Haleigh and Ava needs to get past that now because they're SHOWING us who they are, and we need to believe them. Whatever consideration they may have deserved before, they've forfieted. Our friends, our loved ones, and those children...."

Nicolas leaned back against the wall, his face growing dark. It had come to this, and now there was no going back. It was obvious also that Blaze was still upset over Frost. But that would need to be tabled. This had spilled beyond emotional pain to actual open warfare.

OK...time to put everything on the table and see how to proceed. We need all available intel and any protocols anyone might have to deal with this going forward. I have a hunch, but I want to see where everyone is first.

 

[Artemis]

Charope, LLC- Alycia's Office

“Haleigh.”

He almost growled the word. Uncharacteristically, he reached out and put a hand on Alycia’s.

“We care, Alycia. And I promise you, she will be taken care of. She won’t get away with this.”

:: Alycia looked at Bishop, and recalled their "bonding" experience earlier in the evening. It was significant and substantial, and she no longer viewed him in the same lense she once had. He could be a valuable ally to her again. But not just now. he was still in recovery::

I'll outfit you with that EMP wand, Bishop. But not just now. You're still in recovery, and the safest place for YOU right now, is here within these walls. But rest assured...I'm going to need all the help I can get! This is a two front battle that I'm facing.

“If there’s anything I can do…and contacts at the NYPD…or FBI…just say the word. Even…even Bianca.”

“John Steele may be flexing his muscle, trying to keep heat off of Rose…I mean, WE know who did it.”

:: Alycia nodded with appreciation::

If that's so (regarding John), I am truly grateful. That was going to be my first move.

:: She looks at Delilah::

I've given Ana-Leigh some time off. After the Purifiers attack on her, and that incident at the hotel where Rose saved her and Richard, I don't want her anywhere near this place while Haleigh and Persephone are on the loose..

There IS a favor I'd like to ask of you, Delilah.

See if you can dig up ANYTHING on this creep, Dennis Nedry.

When I confronted him in the hospital, several things became apparent to me. He's a chauvanist pig, and I think he engages in perverse behavior with women.

:: An indication that Alycia was aware of the way he had been leering at her during their confrontation::

Delilah put her head in her hands.

“Why is she doing this? WHY would she kidnap a child? This all makes absolutely no sense.”

She picked her head up.

“How do we take her off the playing field?”

He stood up, and started to pace the floor.

“No, it makes perfect sense. You just don’t want to see it.”

He looked down at her.

“Haleigh is a killer. That is what she’s always been. You tried to make her something else.”

His expression softened.

“And it worked for a while. You did a good job, babe. But she will do whatever is necessary to accomplish her aim, and she’s proven that over and over. YOU know that to be true, even when she was with the Six. She’s a broken arrow and we need to take her down.”

:: Alycia nodded, solemnly, in agree with BISHOP, but there's more to it...::

He's right. We're not dealing with "OUR" Haleigh anymore. Even at her WORST moments in the past, she NEVER would have hurt a child. But considering who's DAUGHTER she is...i guess the old saying, "the apple never falls far from the tree" is very true.

But there's more to this. I met a woman tonight, a mysterious, ill tempered PSYCHIC named Rae Reynolds. She's been friends with ROSE since BEFORE Sharon and I met her apparently.

Suffice it to say, she provided a...SOBERING experience for Sharon, Zach, and myself at the hospital tonight. She made it realize...how...SMALL and PETTY our internal conflicts with each other, in light of the BIGGER problem, the BIGGER threat to ROSE. We learned that although we'd known and worked with Rose for many years, we didn't TRULY know her.

:: She looked at Delilah and Bishop.::

Rose herself is an orphan. She was born to parents in a doomsday cult. Her powers manifested almost immediately after birth, marking her as an OMEGA LEVEL mutant. Her parents beleived she was their messiah reincarnated, but before they and the rest of the cult could do anything to...with her...the infighting and other rampant problems within the cult lead to them destroying themselves, leaving Rose orphaned.

She was adopted by an older italian couple, and raised in Genoa Italy. Her adoptive mother was clairvoyant, and a fortune teller, and helped Rose refine some of the..."quieter" aspects of her power, including her mystical tarot abilities. But a psychic monster simply known as "The Unloved" became aware of her, and sought to possess her for his own purposes. He KILLED her adoptive parents , and then attacked her, forcing Rose to use her power on a level that Rae referred to as... "PSYCHO power." It is apparently the opposite of her normal "SOUL" power. Both are manifestations of her tapping into the very energy of the astral plane itself, but PSYCHO power is vastly destructive, CRUSHING even. She destroyed her family home, and a 50 square mile radius around it in her efforts to stop the creature from possessing her.

She was orphaned AGAIN but she escaped being placed in the system. Rae doesn't know ALL of her backstory, and so there's still a gap between that time, and the time she first met Zach, and then the time she appeared before sharon and myself. We never realized that she could be carrying this kind of TRAUMA! Add to this, what happened with the purifiers!?

:: Alycia looks visibly pained::

And now, She's being harrassed, STALKED by the Hellfire Club. She was attacked earlier in the week by the Black Knight, Cobra, who was ALSO trying to steal one of her children. And we know that because she's some sort of PSI, that means she's going to be in MALICE'S crosshairs.

The reason why she's always been so...SERENE is because the level of POWER she commands is such that there's FEW people that could actually THREATEN her. Cobra and even Black Widow were NO MATCH for her, but now...this asshole jerkoff Nedry is trying to DESTROY her in a way that not even HER power can defend her and her children against!

Too much time has been wasted. And thanks to HALEIGH, the spotlight is back on Rose. I've GOT to fix this, and I'm going to need all the help I can get!

:: She looks at Delilah and Bishop::

Speaking of Bianca....


:: Alycia had not been present for the original "Bianca Caper" several months ago, but she'd learned all about it from Harbinger on Aerie, and the files that the Six kept.::

Isn't she a member of the Hellfire Club?

I think at this point... :: she wasn't bad mouth Sharon with this, just expressing a clear observation::

... with the revelation of Sharon and Domino, Sharon will be too much of a lightning rod to surveill the Hellfire Mansion's activities, even with her membership. But if BIANCA was willing to play the role of spy...a role I'd be easily able to compensate her for...with her powers, we'd be able to gain some valuable intel!

 

[Arsenal]

And ALL Blaze had was bad news. And a grip on Matrix's hand. Tonight was getting more and more strange.

It was apparent that Haleigh and Ava were no more as they knew them and that they would have to have contingencies. Nicolas voiced it first.

OK...time to put everything on the table and see how to proceed. We need all available intel and any protocols anyone might have to deal with this going forward. I have a hunch, but I want to see where everyone is first.

Mike pressed a button on the central console and gave a input he had been working on.

Bedtime protocols - Black Widow and Persephone.

The computer produced 3-D models of each of them with stats on them both as Mike began to speak.

Haleigh is a technopath and has metallokinesis of some sort. Nonmagical metal weapons are not useless, but can be appropriated or easily disarmed by her. She is EXTREMELY durable and almost without peer in fighting prowess, only Rampage or Sharon can destroy her by physical power alone. Blunt force trauma by anyone else is a waste of time. Explosives and penetrating damage is much more effective. Her weakness is electromagnetic energy because it disrupts the techno-organic virus that powers her. Richard can generate that with his powers, the magic users can do similarly with magic power and I have some EMP weapons for anyone who wishes to utilize them, including wands and fired tracer rounds. She should also be susceptible to extreme

<<<looks at Blaze>>>

heat.

Mike continues.

Next is Persephone. She is far less durable, but her status as an actual goddess gives her remarkable healing power and she does not tire in conventional ways. She is a skilled combatant who wields mystic daggers that are - and I would know - VERY effective. She also has powers over the elements that seem to have an extremely high climate changing threshold and powers of influence over animals, making her even more deadly. She can be killed by conventional means but it will require a severe dismemberment, perhaps a beheading to be effective. Another major weakness is to mental manipulation and attack.

Neither should be engaged alone. The risk is too great. Suggested kill teams are: Firebird, Spellbinder and Rampage for Black Widow and Morningstar, Cassandra, Silver Swan and Prophet for Persephone.

 

[Oracle]

The Sanctuary – Monitor Room

"We can't kill her. The White Queen won't let us - and to try would be foolish. It would only incur us the rage that Haleigh says she was trying to have The Six avoid…And personally? I think she's trying to kill HERSELF. She has a death wish."

“That may be so, but we can’t assume defeat. That’s what it appears Black Widow did when she left the Six. I’m not interested in what Malice will or will not allow.”

“I've known Haleigh for years…and I know THIS…the only person equipped to destroy Haleigh Davidoff IS Haleigh Davidoff, so maybe we should LET her do the job for us."

“We’ve taken the passive approach thus far, and where has it gotten us? If Malice or Haleigh destroy Haleigh for us, that’s great, but we can’t keep being reactive. If we just keep playing defense, eventually we’ll lose.”

Oracle sat up in her chair suddenly as the monitors in the control room began to shift, seemingly on their own. Sable’s sleep was disturbed as well, and the cat mewed softly.

ROSE was then on the monitor, with two others: Danny Donnelly, and a woman who Zizi didn’t recognize. Rose was angry (justifiably so) and was responding to what had happened with vengeance.

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER. Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

Rose looked so different than the woman they had seen previously – though she looked similar to how she did in the footage of her fighting Persephone. Rose paused, touching her head as if she had a headache. When she spoke again it was softer, kinder.

Thank you...ALL of you for coming to the aid of my children tonight.

No thanks are necessary, Rose. I am prepared to stay here with your children as long as it takes.

“We’re here for you, and the children, Rose. Stay with the young man as long as you need – we’ll be here.”

I know you have a had an unfathomably difficult night, but I was hoping to ask you: what did you mean when you said that Black Widow "made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL." Did she specifically have something to do with that attack's outcome as well? And I realize that you have endured a severe trauma from the bus accident and the last week's events combined. Have you had a chance to speak with someone about it? I am concerned that you are being personally negatively affected in a more emotional or spiritual way. Have your cards spoken to you about this as well?

Zizi watched Rose’s face carefully. She wouldn’t have come right out and said that in this particular setting…but Rose was very preoccupied with the children that died because of the Purifiers…not that she shouldn’t have grief for them…but it was almost as if she was seeing what was happening now as her way to get revenge for those children…and Zach had been worried about her…

 

[Steel]

The Sanctuary – Monitor Room

"Failing to get that child? It's going to garner punishment. It's just a step further along in the domestication process. She wants to break Haleigh…and Haleigh can't be broken. I know that...I've known Haleigh for years...and I know THIS…the only person equipped to destroy Haleigh Davidoff IS Haleigh Davidoff, so maybe we should LET her do the job for us."

“We’ve taken the passive approach thus far, and where has it gotten us? If Malice or Haleigh destroy Haleigh for us, that’s great, but we can’t keep being reactive. If we just keep playing defense, eventually we’ll lose.”

“She’s not a GOD, she’s human. Playing her up to be indestructible is what has gotten us into this mess – we’re just psyching ourselves out. Using Malice against her is fine, but I agree with Oracle – we have to take this fight to her. Or there just will be more people hurt…”

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER. Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

Steel looked at Oracle pointedly. This woman was dead serious, and very possibly coming unglued. Evidenced by her apparent 180 a few moments later.

Thank you...ALL of you for coming to the aid of my children tonight.

Tachyon asked Rose about her earlier comments about the 42 children. Though it was less than tactful, Steel was wondering about that too. He was beginning to think there was a problem here – and they were going to need to warn the others, and the Six too: if any of them even appeared to be interfering in Rose’s vendetta against Haleigh, they would be a target.