Casualties of War

The White Wing

They were moving into position. Alek was starting to think maybe he hadn't thought this whole thing all the way through.

Haleigh: “Don’t worry. Cameron is shielding your thoughts from them. Stick with me. When we’re done with Malice you can tell Helena that I made you think I was playing the Six, luring them to the trap, and that I double-crossed you in the end.”

"Thanks. It will be my pleasure to throw you under the bus to Helena."

It didn't take long for Helena to see him. And he was concerned she might have a coronary right there in front of them by the look on her face. Though if she did, he might be able to get her out of here alive.

Helena: "After everything I've done for you...After EVERYTHING I GAVE YOU!"

Still, it gave him a pang to hear her speak like this. But he kept his tone of voice casual.

"I'm just here to keep Scion alive."

Helena: "You chose the sweets of an ancient pussy over someone who gave you a second chance at LIFE, you repugnant LITTLE BOY! I never would have thought YOU of all people would turn on ME. ME! I will make you SUFFER for playing me a FOOL!"

He looked at her then. Really looked at her. He hoped that maybe she would see in his eyes all the mistakes she had made. But he knew that was asking too much of her.

"Well maybe you should have just let me have her."

But he had to switch focus to Haleigh, who had clearly become Scion again. She was ordering him to take out the flatscan, which was no skin off his nose, but in respect for Haleigh who had gone to so much trouble not to kill the guy so far, he gave him a chance to remove himself from the playing field. If he took it, he might just survive. And then (will no small amount of pleasure) he rammed the EMP wand into Scion's back. She jerked and then fell into him, and he bolstered her, looking for signs that she had become herself again.

Prophet: [to Alek] "I think I can keep Diana out. But stay alert. And find cover. Delilah's about to light this place up like the 4th of July."

Having someone speak in his mind was damn unsettling, and not completely because it was something he associated with Malice.

"Cause you've been doing such a bang up job so far?"

Haleigh: “Shield your eyes or she’ll scorch your retinas!”

And then he didn't know what the hell was happening, because shit was going down with MorningStar and he was just glad it wasn't directed at him, because just being in the room was enough. But after a time there was pushback - darkness. He recognized Helena's work in it.

His connection to his bear totem allowed him to see as well as they did in the dark, so he registered the motion next to him of Haleigh raising a weapon that could only be a gun. He reached out and grabbed the end of the barrel, smashing it together and bending it upwards. Of course, Scion could remanifest the rifle easily.

He thought as hard as he could - not for Prophet's sake, but for Haleigh's.

Hey Jean Grey, get control of Scion now or she's going to shoot your ass.
 
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Hellfire — The White Wing

Every millisecond that passed was exponentially more painful than the last. It was like a brain freeze so Intense she could hardly see straight, one that spread down her spinal column, a sharp cold spike driven down through her vertebrae. Her system alerted her to hemorrhaging. Blood was seeping continually from her nostrils, her ears, even her eyes. It put a haze on her x-ray vision and the loss of fluid was making her dizzy. Her muscles trembled with the effort she was expending to keep the rifle aimed on target and squeeze the trigger, the action required to obey the ordinance set forth by her Queen.

Scion knew if she satisfied the edict she would be relieved of it, and the pain would stop. Something was holding her back, though, some faint voice. Some weak part of herself. Some errant program named Haleigh. A recent thought refreshed itself. If she shut down her emotional core, everything would be easier. She accessed the dissenting processor, and turned it off. She regained complete control of her nervous system. She shut off her pain sensors too, as they were overloaded and providing useless, distracting feedback. The buzz in her brain quieted enough to focus on what needed to be done.

>>ALL ENEMY COMBATANTS MUST BE EXTERMINATED.
>>IDENTIFYING ENEMY COMBATANTS.
>>CAMERON KING, AKA PROPHET: PRIORITY ONE.
>>DELILAH TRELAVEN, AKA MORNINGSTAR: PRIORITY TWO.

The Red Knight reached for the barrel of her rifle, crushing it closed and bending it upwards. Scion released the foregrip, tilting her rifle back and reaching for his throat with her now free hand. Instantly she felt the cartilage of his trachea in her palm. Her fingers closed around his windpipe like a hydraulic vise. She wasn’t tall enough to lift him off his feet, but she was plenty strong enough to pull him down to her until his face was level with hers. He had the strength to resist but if he did she’d take half his throat out. Her eyes glowed red as she stared into the dark hollows of his skull where his eyes would be if there was enough light to see them.

“You are interfering with my mission, Berserker. The last time you interfered with my mission, I nearly killed you. You failed to assimilate the principle, but you are still coded as an ally. I have no intention of killing you unless you continue to obstruct my success. Your survival depends on your assistance in my mission. Further hindrance of my efforts will result in your fatality. This is your final warning. Do you understand?”

Scion asked, making sure the pressure her fingers were applying was enough pounds-per-square-inch to keep him locked in her grip, but not so much that he couldn’t rasp out an answer. The barrel of her rifle straightened out and internally reformed as she waited for him to respond.
 
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Scion: "Further hindrance of my efforts will result in your fatality. This is your final warning. Do you understand?”

CRACK!

A loud crash of thunder shook Hellfire as a torrent of winds swept through the White Wing. Within seconds Ava appeared behind Haleigh, her arms immediately wrapping around her sisters neck in a tight choke hold. Ava knew Scion's processing system well enough to know that she would divert her attention to the highest threat of the moment, which was no longer Alek. Ava used her enhanced strength to squeeze even tighter, her mouth by Scion's ear.

"I don't think so."

Ava's dark eyes lifted to Alek and gave him a little smirk before both she and Haleigh disappeared in a tornado of winds, Alek now released from Scion's deadly hold. Within seconds, Ava reappeared with Scion only a few feet away, releasing her before sending a hard kick into Scion's lower back. Ava watched as Scion robotically gathered herself, the halo flickering brightly above her sisters head while blood poured from her nose, eyes, and ears. It killed Ava to see the struggle Haleigh was going through to try and fight her mother's powers, but in that moment, this wasn't her sister; this was Scion. Ava couldn't talk sense into her, and she couldn't reason with her, so the only thing she could do was distract Scion long enough in hopes that Delilah and Cameron could kill Diana and release Haleigh.

[tauntingly] "Common...take your best shot! I know that bitch [Diana] is in there watching."

Electricity coursed through her fingers as she stood at the ready.
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Scion was just asking Berserker if he understood when a crack of thunder threatened to split her ear drums. Wind blew through the corridor and whipped through Scion’s short hair. She gave no indication of distraction initially. But in the darkness she could see a skeletal hand cross in front of her face, and that meant someone attempting to grab her from behind. She tucked her chin to protect her throat. She was successful in preventing the threat of a blood choke, but as the hold closed around her she was still in danger.

Ava: “I don’t think so.”

Voice recognition identified Persephone. Another ally interfering. What was the Red Court’s joint malfunction? Scion did not respond, though her grip on Berserker loosened as Persephone’s choke tightened.

>>WARNING! EXTERNAL PRESSURE EXCEEDS SAFE TOLERANCES. CERVICAL VERTEBRAE STRESS FRACTURES IMMINENT.

Scion didn’t have the opportunity to reason with the Red Rook. She needed to employ defensive measures. In one hand she had Berserker, in the other a rifle, pointed up at the ceiling. She squeezed the trigger to fire a three round burst. The rounds hit their target, breaking the chandelier loose. It came down on top of them in a shower of shattered crystal.

They were gone before it struck, though. Persephone moved them both out of the way and they reappeared a few feet down the hall. Then she released Scion, before kicking her roughly in the small of her back. Scion staggered forward a couple of steps but then drew herself fully upright before she rotated to look at Persephone, who was taunting her. Scion blinked at her neutrally.

“Negative. You are not the mission—”

She began, but then her head gave a small jerk. She stared back at Persephone, awash in the glow from the electricity being emitted.

“Correction. You are not the primary target.”

There was the hint of a grimace on her face.

“Your time will come.”

She added coldly, before turning back to Prophet and raising her rifle once more. The electricity in the air was making her skin crawl, but her mission was paramount. Enemy combatants must be eliminated in order of priority.
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Scion reached for his throat. That motherfucker Cameron. Alek didn't know why the hell he'd tried to help the guy out. Her grip was solid: she could crush his throat if she wanted to. Better make sure she doesn't want to.

Her eyes were glowing red, which was part damn unsettling, and part strangely sexy.

Scion: “You are interfering with my mission, Berserker. The last time you interfered with my mission, I nearly killed you. You failed to assimilate the principle, but you are still coded as an ally. I have no intention of killing you unless you continue to obstruct my success. Your survival depends on your assistance in my mission. Further hindrance of my efforts will result in your fatality. This is your final warning. Do you understand?”

This wasn't going to end well for the Six if they didn't get their act together. Not that Alek really had believed Prophet when he'd said he could keep Diana out of Haleigh's head. Too big for his britches, that one. But still, it wasn't like the Six had to survive this for it to be a win for him, as long as Haleigh was okay and free of Hellfire at the end of it.

And then there was a loud crash of thunder, it suddenly got very windy. He recognized that wind.

Shit.

He put her on the helicopter, got her the fuck out of this place, and here she was, right back where she started. Unbelievable.

Ava: "I don't think so."

Of course, the fact that Ava now had Scion in a choke hold meant that she loosoned her grip on his throat. Which put him in considerably less of a position to yell at her.

"Are you sure you two aren't biological sisters, cause you're both stubborn as hell."

And then Ava actually smirked at him. He narrowed his eyes back at her but she and Scion were already disappearing in a tornado of winds, reappearing nearby. He dove out of the way of the crashing chandelier, and rolled back up onto his feet.

Ava: "Common...take your best shot! I know that bitch [Diana] is in there watching."

Hmm. How pissed would Ava be if he killed her sister while she was watching? He had promised, after all. Better not seem too eager, though. He spaced himself a little apart from Ava, so Scion would have to pick between them. But Scion still seemed focused on Cameron, though with words that chilled Alek.

Scion: “Your time will come.”

His hand moved to rub is throat where Haleigh had held him. Would serve Cameron right if Alek let Scion shoot him. After what he'd done to Seph? Definitely deserved it. But that would mean she would come for her sister then, and that option was off the table. If Seph had just stayed "dead", he could have just stayed on Scion's side and ridden the wave until he could extract her. But no. So he played the idiot. Which he really hated having to do. He rolled his eyes. Then he shouted at her.

"Hey, Scion, what can't take a joke? You don't think I'm going to let that whole strangulation thing go, do you Princess?"

He flipped the EMP wand still in his hand to on, and let it hum.
 
Ava watched as Scion robotically gathered herself, taunting her a bit to try and divert her attention away from whomever was trying to attack Diana. Scion looked at her, the halo of Diana's control creating an eerie light along her sisters face.

Scion: “Negative. You are not the mission—Correction. You are not the primary target.”

Ava could see the jerk reaction of Diana correcting Scion, causing Ava to glare toward where the Queens were hiding.

Scion: “Your time will come.”

That made Ava look back at Scion before shifting her glance to Alek. He was now standing near by, notably upset by her return. But Ava couldn't leave Haleigh here to die, not when everyone looked at her as the enemy too. Ava watched everything that was happening via Alison's scrying pool so she knew that Alek was helping Haleigh as much as he could, but he was only one person. He couldn't help her alone...and Ava couldn't stand back and do nothing.

Alek: "Hey, Scion, what can't take a joke? You don't think I'm going to let that whole strangulation thing go, do you Princess?"

The EMP wand began to hum loudly as he turned it on, but Scion was focused on Cameron, aiming her now manifested rifle at him. Given what Cameron did to her, Ava should of let Haleigh shoot the asshole, but unfortunately he was the only telepath strong enough to give Diana a fight and hopefully unlink her from Haleigh.

[scoffing] "You have two targets right here and you're still focused on King?"

Ava snapped her transfiguring whip at Scion, the end wrapping around the rifle's barrel. She yanked the rifle, pulling it away from Scion's targeted shot.

"And this is why Red is superior to White."
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

Berserker: "Hey, Scion, what can't take a joke? You don't think I'm going to let that whole strangulation thing go, do you Princess?"

Scion heard him address her but didn’t acknowledge it. He would be wise to take the opportunity she had extended him, but she didn’t care either way. Persephone continued to attempt to provoke her, taking umbrage with her focus on Prophet. Persephone didn’t understand, eliminating the target was the only thing that would relieve the debilitating pressure that was building in Scion’s skull.

Only the activation of the EMP baton gave her pause. Berserker suddenly posed a much more significant threat; he instantly made himself the highest priority target. Her pulse was already racing to redline, her breathing labored. She had to take defensive action before the effects of the weapon overwhelmed her. Scion pivoted at the waist like a turret to take aim at him and she squeezed the trigger as the reticle lined up on the EMP baton in his hand. Persephone’s whip snapped into action, pulling Scion’s shot off target.

The bullet ricocheted off the marble floor as Scion let the gun be ripped from her hands. She backpedalled away from Berserker’s position immediately, trying to get enough distance from the baton. Her HUD was flickering, her systems attempting to reset sequentially. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her, her heart stopped for several seconds before restarting. Her blood pressure dropped to zero and then returned readings that were dangerously low as her heart began an erratic, sluggish rhythm. Scion swayed on her feet and collided with the nearest column. She caught herself and held tight until her legs responded to her commands. Persephone’s voice echoed in her ears, claiming the Red Court was superior to the White.

“Negative... traitors.”

She responded, but her own voice sounded far away and roughened. Her world went silent as her X-ray vision dimmed down and tunneled narrowly. Her mouth filled with a bitter taste and then went uncomfortably dry. She staggered further away, half bracing herself against the wall. She had no option left except to meet their escalation of deadly force. She pulled the pin on a smoke grenade and dropped it in her wake to obscure her position. The hall filled with the acrid smoke billowing from the canister, a thick white substance that choked the lungs and burned the eyes. Then she pivoted, manifested a belt-fed machine gun, and sprayed a constant volley of hot lead back into the smoke and their general direction.
 
The White Wing

Alek tried to bring Scion's attention onto himself. If Ava was target number two, he was going to make sure that it took as long as possible for Scion to eliminate target number one.

Ava: "You have two targets right here and you're still focused on King?"

Of course Ava was set on saving Prophet. She didn't get that Alek's plan was to prevent Scion from fighting her. And she was royally mucking up that plan. The EMP wand hummed in his hand.

"Forget about her. You know I'm your favorite sparring partner."

Scion turned the gun on the wand in his hand, but in an instant, Ava had used her whip to pull her gun off target, the bullet ricocheting somewhere on the floor nearby.

Ava: "And this is why Red is superior to White."

Scion: “Negative...traitors.”

"Could you maybe stop trying to antagonize her?"

Though Scion didn't look good - she was definitely unsteady on her feet which was as unlike Scion as she could get. He was about to sprint forward, itching to give Scion a good wack with the EMP, when there was a clink and their part of the hallway filled with smoke. And then from the smoke, the sound of a machine gun and a rain of bullets. He dove for Ava, knocking her down with him onto the floor into cover. He sheltered her with his body, dipping his head to speak in her ear.

"Can you get me behind her?"

The pretty boy wasn't holding up his end of the bargain, so Ava or no Ava, he was going to take care of this.
 
She didn't know what else to do other than to try and distract Scion for as long as possible in hopes that Cameron and Delilah would actually succeed in killing Diana. It was a long shot, one that Ava didn't particularly believe in considering the person [Cameron] whom she was trusting to do so had tried to kill her less than an hour earlier. But she couldn't sit on Aerie and do nothing while her sister and the love of her life were battling within these walls. So Ava baited, trying to appeal to Scion's loyalty to White by saying Red was better. It was stupid and childish, but it was something.

Scion: "Negative...traitors."

Alek: "Could you maybe stop trying to antagonize her?"

"I'm trying to give him [gesturing in aggravation at Cameron] a chance to actually help her."

The aggravation aimed toward Cameron and the fact Ava was forced to trust him in the midst of everything that had happened. But if it meant that he could do what he said he was going to do and kill Diana? It would be worth it knowing her sister would come out of this alive. That was the moment Ava's eyes shifted to Scion...they widened in horror seeing Scion began to stagger and lean on the wall, looking like she was on the verge of collapse. It made Ava's heart stop and breath catch in her throat. This was Scion's 'mind', but that was her sister's body and she was being held hostage.

"Haleigh!"

The taunting and distractions were over with as Ava moved to help her sister, but it was then Scion unleashed a smoke grenade in the hallway, enveloping everything in a thick, dense, cloud of grey. Coughing out, Ava was prepared to unleash a wind blast to sweep away the smoke, when all at once Alek dove into her as a spray of bullets began to rain down upon them. Ava grunted out as they both hit the marble floor, Alek covering her protectively as she gripped onto him, burying her face into his shoulder. The noise of the machine gun was deafening, but Alek's words rang clear as he whispered into her ear.

Alek: "Can you get me behind her?"

Ava moved her head back enough to look him in the eyes, her own portraying fear. Ava knew he would kill Haleigh if it meant it would protect her. She also knew Haleigh would have told him to do it if Haleigh couldn't fight Diana's control.

"Alek..."

But Ava didn't have time to question him...she didn't have time to beg him not to hurt her sister...she had to trust him, like she had trusted him from the moment she walked into Hellfire. Gripping onto him, they were both enveloped in a tornado of winds, disappearing from the onslaught of bullets and reappearing behind Scion. The residual winds from her tornado swept throughout the hallway, clearing all smoke from the grenade to show her sister clearly.
 
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The White Wing

Ava was calling pot shots at Scion. Not that he disagreed with what she was saying...but he wasn't really looking to get Ava killed while attempting to save her sister. So he suggested maybe she stop trying to antagonize the woman.

Ava: "I'm trying to give him [gesturing in aggravation at Cameron] a chance to actually help her."

Alek scoffed at that one. Rich.

"Like he helped you?"

He almost laughed. The Six - even Ava and Haleigh - would forgive anything their "teammates" did to them. Though in truth, he was hoping for the same courtesy.

It was clear Ava's ability to treat Scion as the enemy was wavering, not that that surprised him. Ava wouldn't even be here if Haleigh wasn't stuck in this place. It made him angry. If Haleigh had just gotten the fuck out with her, Ava would have stayed away. If she had left earlier, or never come here at all, Ava would never have been put in danger. Or, more importantly, at the whims of people like Diana and Ravena.

And once again, how long were they supposed to sit here and vamp before the Wonder Telepath did what he was supposed to? Alek wasn't going to let Ava die for that asshole.

Scion was nothing if not practical, and she took away their ability to see her while firing at them from a machine gun. A year ago he would have charged her, but now he dove to protect Ava. Which gave him the opportunity to ask if she could move him behind Scion.

Ava: "Alek..."

She was afraid, and he wasn't used to seeing that in her eyes. But she did what he asked anyway.

She knows.

He crouched, ready, and they disappeared from their position, reappearing behind Haleigh. The winds did their job and cleared the smoke, so he could see her clearly. Not that he really needed to, as he sprang forward.

He slipped one arm around her pinning her body to his and her arms to her sides. And with his other, he reached up and snapped Scion's neck.
 
Hellfire — The White Wing

She had to eliminate the targets, or her skull might just explode. Persephone was trying to command her attention, but she wasn’t the only distraction. Berserker asserted that he was her favorite sparring partner.

“You ARE designated preferred, for more than just sparring.”

Scion coldly acknowledged as she pivoted her upper half to adjust her aim. Preference wouldn’t have mattered, but he wielded an EMP baton, which he activated. The first quick zap he’d inflicted earlier had been jarring enough, but now he left it on. The effect of sustained exposure threatened to systematically and completely shut her down. She tried to shoot the baton from his hand but Persephone intervened, yanking her shot off target.

She threw down her rifle, adjusting her tactics to gaining enough distance from the weapon to regroup, but she was unsteady on her feet. It was all she could do to try to stay upright and online as she staggered away. Even her life support systems were cycling off, requiring hard resets. She dropped smoke to cover her retreat, and turned a machine gun on them in desperation. Her vision tunneled and her peripheral sight darkened. The sound of the gun thundered in her ears like an unrelenting cannon. Then suddenly, there was utter silence. From the deep circuitry of her mind, Haleigh made a logical suggestion.

This unit is damaged beyond repair. Destruction is imminent. Allow it. We need a new unit.

The gun felt incredibly heavy, the recoil painful on her shoulder. The smoke cleared, revealing an empty corridor. Instinctively, she anticipated their strategy was to attack her rear flank. She stopped firing, letting the barrel drop as she turned. She got half a turn before she felt Berserker wrap an arm around her, pinning her to his chest sideways so tight that she could barely take a breath.

She turned her head to look up into his face and saw his determination. He was a killer who wouldn’t hesitate, he would end it quick. She could pull a blade from anywhere and run it through him, or manifest a grenade between them to blast herself free. She could kill him a number of ways, all of which blazed a continuous scroll across her HUD, blindingly bright in the ever encroaching darkness of her sight. Ultimately though, Scion acknowledged that Haleigh was right. Berserker reached his free hand to get a grip. Scion relaxed her neck.

“Do it.”

She said, before her neck snapped. Her body went limp and the light left her eyes as the halo around her head flickered off.
 
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The moment the smoke cleared and Scion was visible, Alek took grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her tightly to keep her from fighting back. But as Ava watched, there was no fight coming from Scion. It was almost as if she had completely given up, which was unlike Scion OR Haleigh. It gave Ava pause, seeing Alek's other hand move around to Scion's neck, an action to kill not subdue.

Haleigh: “Do it.”

Her breath hitched in her throat...

"NO!"

A sickening crack was heard as Alek twisted Haleigh's neck unnaturally, snapping her spine like a twig. Tears immediately filled Ava's dark eyes as her sister's body went limp within his arms, a shell of what it once was. Ava rushed to Alek, her chest rapidly rising and falling as she looked panicked into her sister's lifeless blue eyes, staring blankly forward. There was no halo of light anymore, there was no red tint to her corneas, it was just Haleigh. Ava knew Haleigh's consciousness would transfer to another clone, she knew that her sister wasn't really 'dead', but the pain was no less real to her. The pain of knowing she couldn't protect her the way she had planned to from the moment she walked into Hellfire. The pain of knowing that this person she went through hell with the past few weeks was mere shell of flesh and bone in her lovers arms. The pain of realizing that despite Haleigh 'killing herself' to get away from Diana, the moment her consciousness moved to another body, Diana would regain control and turn her into Scion again -- the cycle continuing. Haleigh was alive, but her own mother raped her mind which in turned destroyed her body, an act Ava understood viscerally.

Ava didn't look at Alek as she wrapped her arms around Haleigh, taking her sister's body from Alek's arms and slowly lowering her to the ground. Ava hugged her close, shutting her eyes tight.

"I'm sorry..."

She whispered softly before letting her go. The ground beneath them began to tremble, the marble looking almost liquified as Ava transformed it into quicksand. Haleigh's body began to sink into the ground, disappearing from Hellfire. She wouldn't allow her sister's dead body to be trampled on during battle. She wouldn't allow anyone to use it as a weapon against them or defame her very existence. Ava wanted to give this part of her sister a bit of peace and finally let her be free of this hell.

Ava remained on her knees as the ground turned solid once again, her hair hiding her face.

"I....trusted you."

Her voice was deep in vibrato and even. She stood from the ground, eyes filled with fire as they finally met with Alek's.

"And you had me bring you to her to KILL HER!"

She shoved Alek in the chest hard, the fire mixed with pain.

"I was supposed to PROTECT HER!”
 
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The White Wing

Alek could tell, just by the way she felt in his arms, that Haleigh was already a shell. She wasn't even Scion anymore. She was a husk.

Scion: “Do it.”

He didn't need her to give permission. Haleigh had already done that, if he had. But he wasn't a man to let emotions cloud his judgment. Not usually, anyway. He was a man who did what needed doing. And taking Scion off the board was one of those things.

Ava: "NO!"

It wasn't the first neck he'd snapped, not even the first woman's. And there was a certain satisfaction in the way her body relaxed, in the sound of her neck snapping. He felt it the moment the life left her body, a last intimacy between them. There was no moral dilemma here: he knew she wouldn't think twice about doing it for him. He supposed that made them a sort of friends.

Alek had given the telepath a chance before; but Ava hadn't been here then. He wouldn't let them make poor tactical decisions because of sentimentality when Ava stood to get hurt. He let Scion's body pass to Ava without argument. He could see that she was crying. And he supposed it wasn't an easy thing for her to witness. But better a gruesome scene than being dead...

Ava buried the body, still kneeling as it sank into the ground - more sentimentality. But if it made her feel better...

Ava: "I....trusted you."

She stood up, and he saw a bit of Persephone's fire in Ava's eyes.

Ava: "And you had me bring you to her to KILL HER!"

She shoved him in the chest.

Ava: "I was supposed to PROTECT HER!”

Alek was annoyed. This whole situation made him angry. The wrong decisions had been made; he and Seph should have left long ago. Haleigh too, if that's what was needed to get Seph to leave. He shouldn't be here now trying to protect Ava and her sister in a battle that didn't need to be fought.

"STOP this. You know she's not dead."

He caught her hands before she could do anything more to him. He pulled her closer so their faces were inches apart, his eyes boring holes into hers.

"I gave her my word. How do you think she'd feel, if I let this go on until she killed you all?"

He scoffed and let go of Ava's hands.

"She'd kill ME, assuming I was still alive. Away from Diana, she is SAFE."

He threw up his hands, turning back towards the battle that still raged a short distance away.

"And you KNOW that. So get a hold of yourself, Ava."
 
Sheena Island — Arklay Replica

She jolted awake, but it was less jarring now than it had been the first time. Her mother had tried to sow the seeds of doubt in her mind, tried to convince Haleigh that Diana had been the only reason she’d transferred to a new body the first time, but Haleigh was stubborn and refused to believe it. She thought she knew how she’d done it, too. People kept countless exceedingly complex files and programs in the cloud. Why not her memories, her consciousness?

All she needed to do was die and she could confirm it, but that was easier said than done. Her mother wouldn’t kill her, in spite of Haleigh’s provocations. Only a precious few others even could kill her, and none of them had the motive, not even Delilah, which had been a surprise. Haleigh had expected Delilah to be beyond vengeful, in fact she was kind of counting on it. She would’ve been shit out of luck if it weren’t for Alek. She was grateful to be able to count on him.

Even still, she had to reason with Scion in the end, or it was likely the machine would kill somebody Haleigh cared about in the fight. Scion didn’t care about anything but success. She had no qualms who her targets were, or who was giving the order. She lacked even a basic desire for autonomy and good or evil made no difference to her. But even with her emotional core resetting at its baseline, Haleigh knew she had to do something. It was a long shot, but it was true. This body was weakening. Scion would need a new one if she was going to succeed.

Alek’s arms around her were comforting, in a strange way. There was strength in them, enough to squeeze the air from her lungs, enough to get the job done. Scion had no counter-argument, and deployed no defenses, just looked up at him and coldly bid him to do it. The last thought that crossed Haleigh’s mind was that if Alek’s face ended up being the last thing she saw, she figured she didn’t have much to complain about.

The death wasn’t painless, but it was quick, and that was a kindness she probably didn’t deserve. Now here Haleigh was again, in a big glass vat of neon green goo, hooked up to a respirator and a bunch of tubes and wires. She had succeeded in downloading herself into a pristine new body, but best of all, she was free of her mother’s control, and Scion was just a program running in the background. For now, at least. Distance was her ally. She hoped Cameron could take care of the problem now that he didn’t have the distraction of trying to protect her from her mother’s mind control.

She looked around, though her vision was blurred by the suspension fluid she was steeped in. She was still able to spot the big red ejection handle at the top of her tank. She reached up and pulled it. The tank drained quickly, flushing its contents through the floor grate. Haleigh reached for the back-strap to her respirator and pulled it over her head, then pulled the air and nutrition tubes out of her throat slowly.

She shook the liquid from her hair, slung it from her fingertips and wiped it from her face before looking up at the ejection handle again. Pull to drain, it said, along with: twist to open. She twisted it, and the glass of the tank rotated a quarter turn before lowering out of sight. She stepped down onto the floor of the lab carefully as she looked around. Alice was not here to greet her this time, there was someone else coming through the door.

Jessica Fucking Marcus.
 
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The way Alek was looking at her as she yelled at him was so different than how he looked at her before. Even when he was angry he had a love in his eyes that made Ava knew his anger was fueled by passion. But here, he seemed annoyed and distant that she would react with anger at the fact that he killed Haleigh right in front of her. He didn't understand that yes, she knew Haleigh wasn't dead, but that didn't make watching him kill her any less horrifying. It didn't make the spike of fear that maybe she wouldn't transfer into another clone any less terrifying. It was her fucking sister and he was acting like he just offed a pawn. Ava was furious and hit him in the chest, trying to get some kind of reaction from him, which only lead him to grab her by the wrists.

Alek: "STOP this. You know she's not dead."

"No she's not, but I trusted YOU not to kill her."

He pulled her closer, their faces mere inches from each other. There was a darkness in his eyes that mirrored her own.

Alek: "I gave her my word. How do you think she'd feel, if I let this go on until she killed you all? She'd kill ME, assuming I was still alive."

"So your word to her trumps your promise to me, is that it?"

Ava countered with a bitter tone.

Alek threw up his hands and turned away from her. The battle was still going on in the distance, but for a moment it was a chaotic calm where they were.

Alek: "Away from Diana, she is SAFE. And you KNOW that. So get a hold of yourself, Ava."

Ava grabbed Alek by the shoulder and spun him around, fire in her eyes. How he was speaking to her, how he was treating her right now was not the Berserker she knew.

"Don't talk to me like i'm a fucking child, Alek. Ava may be present now, but i'm still PERSEPHONE, and I can still knock you on your arrogant ass."

Ava snarled, venom dripping from her words.

"You are right about one thing, away from Diana she is safer. But we have no idea where these other clones are, we have no idea WHO Diana has keeping guard of them, and we have no idea if Haleigh will even be HALEIGH when she wakes up. There are too many variables in this fucking situation that BOTH of you gambled on, and THAT is the point i'm trying to make!

She shook her head in disbelief.

"But instead of understanding why i'm upset, you're standing here looking at me like i'm a stranger and telling me to suck it up? I'm still ME, Alek. And even if Ava wasn't present, I would STILL be pissed at you for breaking my sisters neck."

Ava huffed out, frustrated and hurt.

"And for gods sakes don't call me Ava. I will always be Seph to you."
 
The White Wing

Helena began to warp Delilah's attack as Morningstar attempted to fight through it. He could feel Diana leave Haleigh's body for a moment as Cameron immediately attempted to seize hold until he could sense The White Queen in Delilah. His teeth gritted with rage. Delilah's attack slowed as Cameron could feel Haleigh's proverbial bullet on the back of his head, Malice fully back in control with Haleigh fighting it with all she could. She had been toying with him, feigning letting him in. He had to make a choice. The mission was to kill Diana. Everybody had their own duties - Haleigh had tasked Alek with the job of protecting/killing her should it become necessary. Cameron could TK a bullet away, and although he was banking on Diana continuing to try and take hold of Haleigh, if she died, she'd be safe. Prophet had grown embitteringly used to seeing Haleigh's dead body over the years. But he hesitated. Just for a second on what to do.

Diana: "Okay Disco Ball. I think it's NAP TIME for you, little girl!"

It all happened so fast. Prophet clicked his mind back in front of him a split second too late as The White Queen ignited a PSI Bolt aimed right at Delilah's face. He did his best to try and FORCE Malice out of Delilah's mind, but he wasn't going to be able to deflect the blast at all. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

<< VOOM! >>

A translucent shield appeared in front of Delilah and Cameron, meeting the PSI bolt at the exact right time, stopping Delilah from getting fried and catapulting them both back in a huddled mess on the floor, their limbs wrapped over each other for a few moments. But it didn't stop there as the Queens suffered a hit as well, tossing them across the room. And there there was violent winds, that swept away the darkness as Prophet could make out Alexis in the distance, going RIGHT after Helena.

"Thank You, Alexis."

Prophet was grateful he had extended an olive branch, no matter how poorly it had been received. Cameron recognized the look in her eyes. He had spent a great deal of time in Limbo himself recovering from his torture at the hands of both Malice and Barbas. He would not be alive if not for Ororo. There was a certain fear of not rising to the occassion, of wasting the second chance, of making Ororo regret her decision. Alexis still had a long road ahead of her, outside this vengeance scheme, and Cameron would be there for her, pending she did not attack The Six. And she had bought him time, or at least he thought she did as violent winds began to sweep through the area, clearing the blackness to reveal Ava in all her glory.

"Hey Jean Grey, get control of Scion now or she's going to shoot your ass."

He could hear The Red Knight's words as both him and Delilah got back off the ground. He was incredibly pissed that Ava had returned while also knowing the entire time that she would come back. She was as stubborn as her sister. He wouldn't hesitate again.

[to Alek] "You have to keep her occuppied. She told you what to do should it become necessary. So do it."

Cameron turned back to Delilah, his mind keeping up with the tussle going on behind him.

"Take two? This time ALL at Diana, and the SECOND you get your shot let me know and I'll --"

Snap. He could feel Haleigh fade from the mansion and away from the room as drama continued to ensue between Ava and Alek. He couldn't manage everything. He could only focused on what he needed to do, and NOW? He was going to have to face Diana with her full attention on him. Helena was tied up and the only variable was Talisman, but he couldn't worry about her. It was showtime. Prophet flexed his PSI Blade wildly as he called out to The White Queen.

"Now it's just us, but before we begin? You took something that doesn't belong to you, and I'm taking it back."

Prophet had logged a great deal of field time with Rampage. They often worked in tandem in the field, always attempting to compliment the other's power without stepping on each other's toes. It may have not always been successful, but Cameron knew Nicholas' energy signature pretty intimately, and it didn't take long for him to lock it down. It was bittersweet, because he knew he could siphon that power off of her, but he also knew it was never going back to Nic. Not if he was going to pull this off.

His eyes began to glow red as his blade gave off an explosion of psionic energy from the tip of the blade, moving with the speed of a bullet train, hitting Diana in the chest as Delilah began to ignite her stellar display of blinding lights and pure unadulterated fire power. She would either need to go into Diamond Form or die from the energy projection, which meant her mind powers would be cut off. He needed to drain her as quickly as he could before that happened and he wasted no time. Prophet's power connected with Nicolas as he began to pull his blade back, his power display looking as if Diana had been caught on some kind of psychic fishing line as he began to force her forward, her feet sliding across the floor as she went. The energy he pulled from Nicolas he began to store, holding off on unleashing it until the exact right moment. Red flares and sparks of his energy began to decorate the area, ebbing and flowing all around as Cameron himself became outlined in the chaotic electric red buzz. This was it. The second Delilah pulled the trigger, it would be on and Cameron would begin the battle of his life. And he had never been more ready.
 
The White Wing - What's Left of It

Shimmering out before getting knocked into a steel beam thanks to Mystique, or whatever she wanted to go by now, The Black Queen found herself on an awning above the fray, as she surveyed it from the shadows, her cobalt blue eyes smuldering with anger. This was embarrassing. Grabbing her pistol from her garter, she continued to watch.

Talisman had two bullets left in her chamber - one for Cameron and one for Alexis Quartermaine. The second The Black Queen realized that Alexis had somehow circumvented her Omni Sight, it had become personal. Kelly's own ego and arrogance would work in Helena's favor. The one for Cameron she had loaded as a fail safe, should it become necessary - and it had. The displays of power she was seeing between them confirmed it for her. One of them (Diana or Cameron) would die in this encounter. Conversely, she could tell that if Helena didn't get a timely assist, she too might die. It was suddenly black and white, or white and red rather. And she was running out of seconds to make a decision. She exhaled, spinning the chamber and stopping it at the bullet reserved for Alexis, clicking it into place.

"I'm sorry, Diana."

Helena was the more reliable ally. They were in this mess because of Diana, because she couldn't help but to flop her dick on the table to prove how big it was. And that ego had finally become a blindspot, with Lord Ravena being the glaring example. There was no telling what Diana would do after this if she survived. Things couldn't go back to normal after this. She knew she could work with Helena. They had just destroyed a country together. Kelly had worked too hard to get to this timeline to have this be the end. Not when she still had so much left to do.

"Dulce periculum." (Latin for "Danger is Sweet")

<< BAM! >>

She fired her Omni Pistol as the mystical cylindrical bullet blasted out of the chamber, leaving a ripple effect as it cut through the air, zooming into Alexis' right shoulder as she almost immediately dropped the shield she was using to absolutely crush the life out of The Red Queen. The bullet was like the magickal version of a virus, poisoning her entire system with psionic energy, draining her ability to channel heavy energies and tearing brain through her brain at a rapid rate. She shimmered by Helena's side.

"I made sure not to kill her outright. I figured you deserved those honors."

The Black Queen ignited a hearing thoughts spell between her and The Red Queen.

"If you want to kill her do it fast, but...Helena, we have to get out of here. It's about to blow and not even my magicks or your warping abilities are gonna be able to stop it. I can get us out of here, but we have to go in the next thirty seconds or we're toast."

Kelly had no choice but to lay cards on the table. There was no time to craft a plan to get Helena and her out of there without it being obvious they were leaving Diana. This was a defining moment for Hellfire. She would give Helena thirty seconds and then she was getting out of here.
 
Black Widow
Black Widow
Yessssssss!
Sheena Island — Arklay Replica

Viper: “Oh FINALLY, you’re awake. It’s SO BORING here, but Diana said if you woke up here I’d get to make you my personal PLAYTHING! I’m going to have SO MUCH FUN! I can hardly decide what game I want to play FIRST!”

Haleigh matched the maniacal smile Jessica Marcus was giving her. No doubt Diana had assumed Viper would zombify Haleigh to keep as a pet, trapping her in the new body until the battle was won and Hellfire had a chance to regroup, at which time Diana could come collect her Princess once more. But Hellfire was going to be destroyed, there would be no regrouping, and Haleigh wasn’t in the mood for games. Well, maybe just one:

“How about POP Goes the weasel?”

She suggested, as she released a Bouncing Betty mine right in front of Viper. The mine sprang up to hover a few feet in the air and then blasted over 300 pieces of shrapnel into Jessica’s body, slicing her to bits of gore instantly. As if that wasn’t enough, the concussion of the explosion sent her remains splattering everywhere.

“Bit of a messy game, but more fun than you can shake a stick at!”

She assured Jessica’s drippings in a voice that was still a bit hoarse. The lab responded to the blast by triggering instant sprinklers and other safety measures. Haleigh silenced the alarms and checked the cameras. There were no guards here. The security was handled by the mansion itself, which made it easy for Haleigh, who merely needed to hack in and deactivate the protocols that might treat her as hostile. Then she looked back at the dozens of tanks behind her, grateful for the shower from the fire sprinklers to rinse the stickiness from her skin as she decided what to do. She walked up to the next tank down the line and looked over an identical body in suspension.

Her mother had kept her from this place. Diana had known that the second Haleigh got back here, the tables would turn. The contents of this lab kept Haleigh trapped at Hellfire, no matter how bad it was there, no matter how much she wanted to be free of it. She couldn’t just ignore the fact that Diana had these copies of her hidden away here, or that every death would just bring her right back to her mother’s control. She was stuck playing her mother’s game until something could be done about her extra bodies.

The memory from her first visit to the Arklay Replica had been corrupted in her mind, courtesy of her mother. Try as she might she could not recall the exact location of this place. But now she was here, and the GPS coordinates of Sheena Island were no longer hidden from her. And with all of Hellfire burning in New York, with the Queens busy fighting to survive, Haleigh could take control of her own life again. She could liberate herself from the Hellfire stranglehold.

She scanned the exterior control panel on the nearest tank. It had a touch screen for most inputs and informational reports. Next to that was a red switch under a clear protective plastic cover. The switch had two positions: SUSTAIN, which was selected, and ABORT, which Haleigh suspected would terminate the life support systems in this tank. There was an easy way to verify that suspicion. Haleigh lifted the plastic cover and gripped the switch.
 
The White Wing

Ava was coming at him like he'd actually killed Haleigh. As if Haleigh was still Haleigh. He held her wrists to stop her doing something worse than hitting to him and reminded her that she knew her sister wasn't actually dead, with more than a little annoyance.

Ava: "No she's not, but I trusted YOU not to kill her."

"When it's a choice between you and her, she'll lose every time. You put yourself in danger, so I did what I had to do."

She was safe, and alive, and she chose to come back here for Haleigh. Again.

"I'm a killer, Ava. You used to know that."

He pulled Ava's face close to his, so she could see the burning seriousness in his eyes. He wasn't about to let Haleigh kill them all. He felt enough for Haleigh not to ask her to live with that.

Ava: "So your word to her trumps your promise to me, is that it?"

He almost lost it right then. All of this, all of it, had been for her.

"I'm HERE right now for you. I'm doing what needs to be done to protect you AND her."

Exasperated, Alek threw up his hands and turned away. Haleigh was safe now, somewhere Diana couldn't control her mind. Anything, anywhere, was better than here.

He felt Ava's hand on his shoulder, and she turned him back towards her.

Ava: "Don't talk to me like i'm a fucking child, Alek. Ava may be present now, but I'm still PERSEPHONE, and I can still knock you on your arrogant ass."

She was angry now, which was good. It wasn't a time to cry over the bodies, it was time to fight, to survive.

"Then stop ACTING like a child and turn that power towards getting us out of here ALIVE."

Ava: "You are right about one thing, away from Diana she is safer. But we have no idea where these other clones are, we have no idea WHO Diana has keeping guard of them, and we have no idea if Haleigh will even be HALEIGH when she wakes up. There are too many variables in this fucking situation that BOTH of you gambled on, and THAT is the point iIm trying to make!"

He waved a hand in the air.

"You don't think she calculated all of that? It's what she does."

Ava: "But instead of understanding why I'm upset, you're standing here looking at me like I'm a stranger and telling me to suck it up? I'm still ME, Alek. And even if Ava wasn't present, I would STILL be pissed at you for breaking my sisters neck."

"If Ava wasn't present, you'd be UNLEASHING HELL ON DIANA RIGHT NOW for what she did to Haleigh. AND you."

He shot back at her with just as much fire as she'd given him.

Ava: "And for gods sakes don't call me Ava. I will always be Seph to you."

THAT made him stop. He looked at her quizzically and blinked.

"I thought..."

He saw in his mind's eye the psionic blade cutting through Seph's chest.

"I thought he killed her."
 
The White Wing

Suddenly all of Delilah's powers became darkness.

Everything that she had poured out was now overtaken by a thick black cloud, a sea of inky shadow. A thought flitted briefly through her mind.

This is what Alexia's powers will be like.

Her daughter's name boosted her, reignited her anger, her determination. Malice must die. They could allow no other outcome to come to pass.

And then Malice's voice. Delilah's jaw clenched.

Malice: “Okay Disco Ball. I think it’s NAP TIME for you, little girl.”

It was like she was inside someone else's body. Her attack halted, her shields lowered. She wasn't in control. She couldn't even yell, when she wanted to scream out. Get out of my mind bitch!

Just as quickly as it had come it was gone. But she hadn't noticed the psi bolt coming straight for her. And now it was too late.

The bolt hit something, but it wasn't Delilah, the psi energy spreading like over a shield, but it wasn't one of her own, her mind registered as her body was thrown backwards by the force of it. She and Cameron landed in a tangle, bruised but otherwise unharmed. They picked themselves up, Delilah holding out a hand to help Cameron up.

"Well that sucked."

The darkness had gone, and the queens were now separated. Malice was alone.

Prophet: "Take two? This time ALL at Diana, and the SECOND you get your shot let me know and I'll --"

"Got it."

They both knew what needed to be done.

Prophet was almost cocky, showing off. He was enjoying this. He seemed whole, in a way Delilah had never seen in him before. If nothing else came of this, it would be worth it for that. He was taunting Malice now, with that blade, with his words.

Prophet: "Now it's just us, but before we begin? You took something that doesn't belong to you, and I'm taking it back."

He sent a blast from the psi blade at Malice, and Delilah followed his lead, sending a concentrated version of her previous attack, this one just for the White Queen. Sonic booms and bullets, light bursts, strobe lights - all occurring directly around Malice. Closing her eyes wouldn't block out the lights, plugging her ears wouldn't diminish the sound. She would have to do something or her brain would liquefy, not to mention the damage to the rest of her body.

Prophet was pulling Malice towards them, his eyes glowing red beside her. He was brimming with energy, apparent even to Delilah. She knew that feeling, of being about to burst. She was feeling it now, the sounds of destruction around them fueling her. And it was exactly what they needed.

Delilah's vision was now laser-focused on Malice. Who had just shifted into diamond form.

Go.

MorningStar thrust her hands forward, her eyes pure white. There was a brightness that seemed to start at her toes and work its way upward on her body, until her entirety was blinding white.

This was for everything. This was for her daughter.

And then she unleashed all of her energy, all of that noise converted into light, all for Malice. Her full, unbridled power. Laser streams shot from her fingertips, each one coalescing, ten lasers combining into one massive beam which raced at the speed of light towards Malice. Towards a diamond.

"And you know what happens when you hit a diamond in exactly the right spot with a laser?"

Delilah murmured, shifting the beam ever so slightly.

"Boom."

Shards exploded outward in all directions as the diamond shattered, the noise it made almost like the sound of chimes in a church.

Malice, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, Diana who preferred no last name. Who thought she was invincible, no matter what reality she came from. Who used her power to torture, to destroy. Whose heart had no love in it, not even for her own daughter.

A monster. But just a woman. Not invincible, not at all.
 
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