Title: Power Behind the Throne

Author: Ethiercn

Disclaimer: Marvel owns all recognizable characters. I am not making a profit.

Rating: MA

Note: This story is not connected to any of my other fics. It starts during the "Child's Play" arc of New Warriors.

Justice opened his eyes. He tried to move but couldn't. Okay, I'm restrained and in a dimly lit room, he concluded calmly. He gave a tentative jerk at the restraints that pinned him against the wall and tried without success to use his telekinesis. Power dampers as well, he thought, studying the small room with one door and no windows, and no one else in the room.

No, he thought, that had to be wrong. He remembered delivering Angel to Shaw, Shaw touching her with his oily paws, commenting on her beauty, and then, well then he didn't remember anything.

And Firestar was not in the cell with him.

She's in a different cell, Justice told himself as he pulled violently against the chains, trying as hard as he could to override the power dampers. He had to get out.

Stupid bastard, he raged at himself. He should have never agreed to this part of the plan. Never should have pressured her. Never should have said that her life was worth less than justice. How had he been so stupidly blind to the risks? He yanked hard, felt his muscles straining, and no give at all from the restraints. What had he been thinking? He knew it had been a mistake the minute Shaw cupped her face in his hands.

Panting, Justice sagged in the restraints. Think, he told himself sternly, don't panic. She's in another cell that's all. What other cell, he asked himself realizing that there was just this one, which meant that Shaw . . . Frantically, Justice struggled again.

Later, his head pounding and his body covered in sweat, Justice looked up in hope as the door to the cell opened.

But it wasn't Angel. Just two members of X-Force, Cannonball and Boomer.

"Did you see Firestar?" he asked when the two other mutants woke up. They shook their heads. As Justice filled them in on Thrash's plan, the only image he could see in his mind was Shaw raping Angel.

His high price hair cut ruined, Shinobi Shaw struggled against the force that pinned against the wall. This was all the Gamemaster's fault; he thought to himself as he struggled to breath, never should have listened to that bald-headed bastard.

"Where is she" Justice demanded.

Nova and Nita exchanged glances. Justice's anger was too cold; it scared them. Hot anger they both could understand, but not this. Super-Tights had been like this since they realized Angel was gone.

Shaw didn't say anything, just smirked.

This, it turned out, was the wrong thing to do. Shaw could felt a sudden increase in the pressure on his bones.

"Where is she?" Justice asked again.

Nova looked over at Thrash who hadn't said anything since X-Force left. Why didn't Thrash say something, Nova thought, this had been his stupid plan to begin with.

"Did you touch her?" Justice asked, and Nova swore. He hadn't thought of that, though, judging from her face, Nita had.

Shaw coughed, "No," he struggled for to breathe, "Someone paid for her."

"Who? Why?" Justice punctuated his questions with another push.

Shaw grimaced in pain, "Don't know, don't care. Though considering her looks, I can think of quite a few reasons. Come to think of it, I should've sampled her myself." His head snapped back as telekinetic punch knocked him out before Nita, who had moved forward, could lay a finger on him.

"So who would pay for her?" Speedball asked.

"How many enemies do we all have?" Nita replied. "Any of them."

"I think," Thrash said quietly, "that we should consider the fact that Firestar is dead."

Justice's power slammed into Thrash, sending the armored man against the wall with a loud thud. Well, Nova thought to himself, we all have wanted to do that to Thrash at one point, just never thought it would be Super-Tights, thought it would me or Nita.

"She's not dead," Justice stated as Thrash pushed himself up, and for the first time Nova could hear the desperation, fear, and anger in his friend's voice. "She's missing."

"We don't know that," Thrash replied coolly. "If she's gone, considering her background, she is most likely dead."

Nova took an involuntary step forward, unsure if he was going to try to hold Justice back or punch Thrash himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nita do the same.

"We don't know that either," Justice countered. "She's out there, and we owe it to her to find her. Stay out of my way if you aren't going to help."

The first thing that Firestar saw when she woke feeling foggy and hazy was the back of someone's head. Immediately afterwards, she became aware of the rhythmic movement and feel of a car on the road. Soon after came the realization that Justice was not in the vehicle with her.

She raised her head slowly, shaking it slightly to get her long hair out of her eyes. There was no new car smell, and the car itself was not car, but a van. She was on the floor, hands bound with something that stopped her from using her power. Her eyes fell on the closest foot. Booted not shoed. She raised her eyes to study the leg, recognized the colors on the uniform, ones she had seen for years at the Hellfire Academy, and her mouth went dry.

Fuck, she thought, surprising herself. If I get out of this, she promised herself, I never, ever will be passive about anything so stupid as Justice and Thrash's plan again.

She raised her head a little more so she could see to whom the foot belong and how many people were in the van with her. It couldn't be, she thought, and she couldn't help the surprised gasp.

"Sir," someone said behind her, "She's awake."

"Can't have that," he said. The voice was different, but that face. "At least not yet," he continued.

Hands pulled her up and held gently but firmly against her struggles as a foul smelling rag was pressed over her mouth and nose. Slowly the world went black again.