Renegades

by Darkpenn

This collection consolidates the four stories Return of the Wanderer, Calibration Unit, Sanctum, and The Renegades. It follows the collection Superhero Landing.

Renegades

[Author's note: This collection consolidates the four stories Return of the Wanderer, Calibration Unit, Sanctum,and The Renegades. It takes place after the collection Superhero Landing.]

Return of the Wanderer

Ellie – Negasonic Teenage Warhead – returns to the Xavier mansion. But something has changed. Her.

Anna Marie – Rogue – and Colossus were conducting an outdoor class for the new class of trainees in the grounds of the Xavier mansion when she heard the throb of a heavy engine. Everyone looked towards what was coming through the gate.

"Whoa," said Jubilation Lee – known in the class as JL – as the bike pulled up at the door of the mansion and the rider dismounted in a swirl of leather. "Who's that? Can we go and see?"

Anna knew when she was beat. "Okay, ten minute break," she said. Everyone started towards the newcomer.

The rider removed her helmet.

"Wouldn't you know it," said Anna. "The wanderer returns."

"Oh dear," said Colossus.

"I suppose it's good to see you too," said Ellie, with a smile.

"Negasonic Teenage Warhead!" squealed JL.

"Call me Ellie."

"Thanks, it's a lot to say. Hey, this is a cool bike. What is it?"

"Harley-D Street Glide Special. 3.87 inch bore, 103 cubic inch displacement. It's alright."

"I bet it goes fast."

"Fast enough, I guess. I'll take you for a ride later, if you like."

"Aren't you too young to have a licence?" said Anna.

"A what?"

Anna sighed. "Never mind. Ellie, are you back? As in, back back?"

"Not sure. But I wanted to let you know I was still alive. And kicking."

"Kicking, yes," said Colossus. "We have followed trail of destruction on television. You and big lady. Is she ... well?"

"Last time I saw her. And sexy as hell. I, er, gave her your number. Hope you don't mind."

"You ... gave her for my number?" said Colossus. "My ... telephone number?"

"No, your make and model number. Of course your phone number. So expect a call."

"A call," said Colossus. "A ... call."

Anna and Ellie exchanged looks, and both rolled their eyes.

"We have to finish this class," said Anna. "We'll de-brief you later."

"Sure," said Ellie. "I need a shower and a couple of hours of sleep. And a new uniform. Desperately." She opened her coat, showing that her X-Man uniform was tattered, torn and filthy.

"A ... call," said Colossus.

"Although why, I have no idea," muttered Ellie to herself.

They were in the office Anna used in her job as leader, while the Professor was away. She was leaning back in her chair. "Sounds like you had some adventures," she said. "When I mentioned Rumspringa I had more in mind a period of quiet contemplation and consideration of the future."

"Perhaps you should have put that bit in," said Ellie.

"Instead of contemplation we have fights and bodies," said Colossus.

"If I hurt anyone there was a good reason. And Colossus, I ... had a moment. One of the four or five moments you talk about."

"And you did ... ?"

"What I believed was the right thing. I ... spared an enemy. I could have killed her. I ... chose ... not to."

He nodded. "Good. Good, young one."

Ellie looked at him. "Please don't call me that any more. You can call me Negasonic or Warhead or Ellie. But not young one. I think I've earned it."

"Ellie!" said Anna. "Respect for your trainer, please."

Colossus held up a hand. "No," he said. "Is right. Has earned it."

"Hmm," said Anna. "Ellie, do you have anything further to add?"

Ellie considered. "Yes, I do," she said. "I know that the focus of the X-Men has always been on helping people who were born mutants. But now we have these others. The ones who were not born as mutants. The ones who were forced into it, or tricked into it. By the people who ran the Factory. The book I have suggests that these people were made to do ... all sorts of things. Awful things."

"But these people ... are not like us," said Anna.

"They have the gene. That's what the X stands for. We should do what we can to help them. And the consortium that built the Factory might still be around."

There was a long silence in the room. Eventually, Anna said, "That is not the mandate that the Professor established. For this school, the mandate is to find, assist and train young people. And the role of the X-Men is to protect the entire community, mutant and human, against major threats. What you are talking about goes way beyond that. Trying to do it would expose us to a whole new level of danger. The government barely tolerates us as it is, and there are powerful people who are constantly searching for an excuse to move against us. If we start getting involved with this new group ... well, that would just provide that excuse."

Ellie was silent for a long, long moment. "So the mutant women forced into prostitution and the people being worked to death for their powers ... can just stay there," she said.

"I do not see a way that the X-Men can be involved."

Colossus gave a grunt. "Anna is right, young – I mean, Ellie," he said.

"You should get some rest," said Anna to Ellie. "Things will seem clearer to you when you've had some time to recover. You've been through a lot, after all."

Ellie shrugged. She pulled on her coat and left.

Anna and Colossus looked at each other. "Has a point," said Colossus after a while.

"Yeah, I know. And as for destroying the source of the control collars, well, you have to give her all credit for it. But I have to look at the bigger picture. Damn, sometimes I hate being leader."

Colossus left the room. He was walking along the hall when his phone beeped. Text message. He read it.

Hi, big guy. Remember me?

It was the next day. Ellie and Colossus were in the Training Room. She had just hit a series of targets with pin-point accuracy. Colossus gave a grunt of appreciation.

"And I learned how to do the Superhero Landing," said Ellie.

"Is hard on knees."

"I have my own version which makes it easier. I push some kinetic energy downwards and pass through it so I can land a bit more softly. I don't think I could ever use it to fly or anything but at least I can jump off buildings and stuff. By the way, thanks for teaching me the hand-to-hand combat stuff. I had never really seen the point – but then I did."

Colossus set up another target – one made of steel. He watched as Ellie neatly smashed it in two.

"You have become more powerful," he said. "More control."

"The main problem I have is that the energy takes a few seconds to build up, and then a while longer to build up again after I've used it. So there are periods when I'm vulnerable. Is there a way around that?"

"Unlikely. Even Cyclops needs time to recharge. Just have to be tactical." He studied her closely. "You are different."

"I grew some. Sorry if I was a bit of a bitch before."

He shrugged his metal shoulders. "Seen worse."

She looked at him. "So?"

"So ... what?"

"So, what did she say?"

"Who?"

"Ha!"

He lowered his voice. "Have date planned," he said.

Ellie laughed. "Maybe she won't hit you in the balls this time," she said.

"I hope not ... wait, you should mind your language!"

A line of targets rushed towards them. Ellie destroyed them with a wide-angle burst of energy.

"She is ... beautiful woman," said Colossus.

"You should see her n – er, I mean, yes, I suppose she is quite attractive, in her own way. But she is ... well, she has a bad streak. Not evil, exactly, but she certainly plays by her own set of rules."

"Bad streak is not necessarily a bad thing."

His phone rang. He looked at the number of the incoming call. He said to Ellie, "Training session is over. Out of targets."

"Out of targets, sure," she said, with a little laugh.

She left and headed towards the Library. She could use the computer equipment there to design a new uniform for herself. She had decided that the old one was beyond any hope of repair. And it was time for a new one.

She was working on it when JL appeared and sat down beside her. She was, as usual, wearing her bright yellow jacket. "That's pretty good," she said, looking at the screen. "Not exactly party wear, though. Very dark grey and very very dark grey. Blast-proof material?"

"Has to be. I burn off anything else. I ended up fighting in undies at one point. I don't really have the cleavage to make that work."

"Speaking of built, the word around is that you teamed up with the Angel Dust woman. I thought she was a bad guy."

"She has her moments. I saved her, she saved me, you know the sort of thing. There, what do you think?"

"Looks good. Says tough. Serious. And just a little sexy, without going S&M."

Ellie entered the command that would see the new uniform assembled by the automated equipment downstairs. Several of them.

"But there's no X," said JL. "Not on the shoulder, not on the belt, nowhere. You have to have an X."

"No," said Ellie. "I don't."

Part II

Two weeks later. Anna, Colossus, Hank McCoy – Beast – and Ororo Munroe – Storm – were sitting in Anna's office. This was the leadership group of the Xavier College and the X-Men.

"The matter of Ellie," said Anna, "is becoming serious. She believes that we should act to help the people who were turned into mutants at the Factory and sold as slaves, and several of the students have begun to say similar things. She has indicated that she doesn't care about collateral damage. I have told her that pursuing that course of action would expose the X-Men and the college to serious danger from the authorities."

"True, Senator Caldwell will have a wonderful time with it," said Hank.

"As if we don't have enough problems," said Ororo.

"There is something I should make clear," said Colossus. "Negasonic has grown stronger. She is still young but her powers are well beyond those of a child. If they continue to grow – and I believe they will – it might not be possible to ... contain ... her."

"How powerful is she at the moment?" said Hank.

"She could probably raze this building if she put mind to it."

"Great, another re-build," muttered Ororo.

"And soon she will be able to destroy, say, a city block. Then ... who knows?"

"Why is she so intent on helping these new mutants?" said Hank.

"Because we taught her that there is obligation to help those who need help."

"Uh, yeah, we guess we did do that."

"I've noticed that that occasionally she vanishes," said Anna. "Do you think she had anything to do with the trouble at the power plant? Caldwell has been very happy to imply that the blackouts had something to do with mutants in his media statements."

"Possibly," said Colossus.

"Can we simply tell her that ... she's, er, not allowed to get involved?" said Ororo.

"We can try. I would not rate the chance of success highly. And after all, she is – "

"Right," finished Anna. "Yeah, I know. But the X-Men can do nothing about it."

"So," said Hank, "she's on her own?"

"Perhaps not entirely," said Colossus.

It was the next day, in the gym of the Xavier mansion. Ellie was working out on a punching bag, with chops and kicks. Colossus – Nikolai – was holding it in position for her.

"You know," said Ellie between punches, "that I can't stay."

"I know," said Nikolai.

"There are things I have to do."

"I know. Eventually, we will be on different sides. That is how it will have to be."

Ellie stopped punching.

"I won't fight you, Nikolai."

He grunted. "Because you would lose?"

"No. Because I would win."

He grunted again. "Perhaps," he said.

She went back to slamming the bag.

"Authorities contacted us," he said. "Said that they were not happy with the recent troubles. They said they had heard there were mutants involved. They asked if they were X-Men. We told them no. The truth. But they told us if these disruptions to the orderly life of the city continue, we will be obliged to take action against the mutants responsible. So I am giving you a ... what do you young people say ... a head thing – "

"A heads-up," said Ellie.

"Yes. Your actions will have ... consequences."

She stopped punching. "Thank you, Nikolai," she said. "But you know that I can't stop. Not now."

"Yes, I know. In your position, I might do same."

"You could join us, you know."

He shook his head. "No, I could not," he said.

She was silent for a long time. Then she said, "How are things with Christina?"

He gave a shrug of his metal shoulders. "We will be friends, I think. No more. I believe she loves another. She might not know it yet."

Ellie was quiet again. Then she reached up and kissed him on the cheek, tenderly. She turned and left.

"Goodbye, young one," said Colossus softly.

That night, Negasonic Teenage Warhead left the mansion. Rode away. She crossed the line. She went dark. They lost her.

END

Calibration Unit

To put old demons to rest, Christina has to face her past. But she doesn't have to do it alone.

It was a memory of something that had happened years before. She was lying on a narrow bed, strapped down. The plastic bag of liquid anaesthetic that had been brought with her from the hospital, with the tube going into her arm, was almost finished. When it was gone the pain would return. From her shattered limbs, the smashed organs, the burned skin. She began to cry, tears welling in her eyes. For herself, for her brother, for ... everything.

From the next bed, there was a soft voice. "Do not cry, pretty," it said. "Have courage."

It took her a moment to realise that the words had been in Italian. Through the growing pain, she felt a surge of gratitude. The few words in her old tongue were like a lifeline, thrown to her as she was going under in a storm.

She did her best to turn her head to see. It was a man, middle-aged but frail, his skin the colour of ash.

She tried to speak. "Not ... pretty ... anymore," she rasped.

"Pretty enough from where I am," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Car ... accident. You?"

"Motor neurone disease. Slow paralysis. Death by inches. Maybe this place can help. That was the offer. But I don't know. Doesn't look much like a clinic to me. Looks more like some sort of factory."

Soon enough, they had found out what sort of place the Factory was. They had found out what the Recruiter had meant by 'cure'.

She had thought that nothing could be worse than the injuries from the accident. She was wrong. But occasionally, just occasionally, when they brought her back from a session, there would be a voice drifting out of the darkness next to her. "Courage," it would say. "Be strong." Once, the voice had sung a little song to her, an Italian song she had heard from her Nona when she was a child.

Sometimes they would talk, if they could. The man said he had been confined to a wheelchair for many years, and then a bed. He had run his own company. He had had a family. Wealth, friends. No more. She told him that her name was Christina. He had said it was a lovely name.

And then one night he was gone. No more voice in the darkness. She had wished she had tears left to cry.

The next session had been the one when her mutant genes had activated. She had become ... something else. And then Francis had appeared, and called her Angel Dust, and made her an offer she could not refuse.

That was four years ago now. But she had not forgotten.

Unable to sleep, Christina got of bed, aiming to make herself a strong drink. She went into the kitchen of the little house she had rented for herself and her brother. As she passed Pietro's room, she heard him moaning in his sleep. At least he no longer woke screaming. She took that as a sign of recovery.

As her drank her whiskey, she leafed through the black-covered book again. She could not find what she wanted to find. She cursed herself; she had never been smart, even ... before. She could fight things, break things, hammer them into submission. But the simple task of locating a name on a list was beyond her. She needed help. Someone ... clever.

She knew only one clever person. She located her phone and found a number. She called it. She realised she was pleased to have a reason to do it. Or an excuse.

"Hello?" said a bleary voice.

Christina felt a little pop in her chest. She suddenly realised it was three o'clock in the morning. She wondered if she should simply hang up.

Then the voice said. "Damn, it's good to hear from you, Christina. Tell me where you are and I'll come."

Christina smiled. "Good to hear your voice too," she said. She gave her the address.

"On my way," said Ellie.

Part II

They were sitting on the roof of the little house, once more watching the sun rise.

"And then?" said Ellie.

"And then I became Francis' assistant. I asked Francis if he knew what had happened to the guy but he didn't know, or wouldn't tell me. I asked other people but no-one knew. I've tried to find him in the book but I can't work it out. Maybe you can."

"I'll try. No promises, some of that information is pretty sketchy. Maybe I can tap into some computer databases that might help."

Christina nodded. "And what have you been doing?"

"I'm staying at the Xavier mansion. I don't think I'll be there much longer. I'm trying to decide how to tell them I'm not going to be an X-Man."

"Oh, Nikolai – Colossus – already knows that. I think he just likes having you around."

"He has a real name? Huh, I never knew that. That's right, you two have been on a couple of dates, haven't you? How's that working out?"

"So-so. I don't think I can commit to anything until Pietro is better. And I don't think Nikolai is for me. He's sweet but very ... how can I put it ... "

"Upright?"

"Yeah. But we'll see."

"Got to the sex yet?"

"I'm not telling you that! Damn, you're just a kid!"

Ellie laughed. She put her head on Christina's shoulder, and Christina put an arm around her.

"Missed you," said Ellie.

"Whatcha doin'?" said the girl known around the mansion campus as JL to Ellie, who was working at a computer terminal in the Library. She glanced at the screen. "Why are you looking at the website of the Motor Neuron Disease Association?"

"It has a list of people who suffered from it. I'm trying to locate one. Tough going, without a name."

JL lowered her voice. "This is about the Factory, isn't it?"

Ellie said nothing.

"Maybe I can help," said JL. "Cross-referencing is my middle name. I'm actually Jubilation Cross-Referencing Lee. What else do you know about the person?"

"Italian background. Had a company. He ceased to officially exist about four years back."

They called up various databases and sites, narrowing the search.

"Here it is," said JL finally. "Enrico Pucinni, listed as deceased by his family but no record of a funeral."

Ellie scanned through the photocopied pages of the Factory book. In one case, there were initials: EP. But the timing matched. She wrote down everything they had found.

"Thanks," said Ellie.

"It will cost you, you know. Another ride on the back of that great Harley-D bike of yours."

Ellie laughed. "Sure."

"One more thing," said JL. She pressed the command for DELETE BROWSING HISTORY.

"Here it is," said Ellie, handing the notes to Christina. "I had some help. A lot of people at the mansion don't much like the way the X-Men leadership has decided that the Factory mutants don't exist."

"Ah, the X-Men. You can always count on them to be assholes." She looked at the line which showed where Enrico had eventually gone. CL&E. "What does that mean?" she said.

"I looked that up too, and there's only one thing it can mean. City Light and Electricity."

"You mean ... ?"

"Yes. The power company."

Part III

George Milson, the head of Human Resources at CL&E, wondered why the two women had asked specifically to meet with him. It was not a usual part of his job but he was not complaining. The tall woman in the Armani suit was stylishly attractive, and so was her young assistant, even with her über-cropped hair. Seemed a bit young for the job but appeared to be competent.

Now the three of them were sitting in one of the meeting rooms of the main building of the company. Even here, you could hear the background hum of the turbines.

"We have been through your performance data and we are very impressed with the efficiency gains you have made in the past few years," said the tall woman, who had given her name as Tina Polvere. "We are interested in acquiring the asset that has helped you with those improvements."

"Well, everyone in the company has been working very hard – " he said.

"I'm sure, but I mean the special asset you acquired four years ago."

"The special asset," said the young woman.

Milson's eyes flicked to the security camera in the corner.

"Yes," said the tall woman. "The ... very special asset."

"I ... I don't know what you mean," he said.

"Sure you do," said the young woman.

"Well, I don't. And I think you should leave. It was a pleasure to meet you." He stood up and put his hand out, a goodbye handshake.

The tall woman smiled and stood. She took his hand.

The young woman walked over to the camera. There seemed to be a flash of something from her hand. The light that showed that the camera was on blinked out.

He suddenly realised that the woman in Armani was not only tall but strong. And she still had his hand in hers. He tried to pull it away. It was like trying to pull it out of solid concrete.

And now the concrete began to squeeze.

And squeeze. The woman smiled.

He thought he could feel the bones in his hand start to crack. "I ... I'll scream," he said through gritted teeth.

"Quite a lot, probably," said the young one.

"Now, about the ... special asset," said the woman who was grinding his flesh into shredded meat.

He went down on his knees. There was a crack! as something in his hand broke.

"That's one," said the young woman. She was now perched, almost playfully, on the edge of the table. "205 left."

Another one went.

"204 and counting."

"Alright!" he shouted. "Just ... stop! I'll take you to him!"

The pressure ceased. The big woman let the hand go. She gestured towards the door. And she put her hand on his shoulder. Not gently. "Just in case you are thinking you can call out to anyone we pass," she said, "bear in mind that it will take me just one whack on the spine to turn you into a quadriplegic."

He nodded. He led them to an elevator and they all went in. He punched a code into a keypad. The elevator went down, and down. Eventually, it stopped and they got out and walked along an empty, concrete corridor. They came to a door marked CALIBRATION UNIT.

Milson punched in another code. The door opened, revealing a room like a cell.

There was a grey-haired man in tattered clothes walking on a treadmill, staring at a series of screens. One of the screens began to beep, and a green line began to drop. The man walked faster, almost running, making the speed of the treadmill increase. He pushed buttons on a console in front of him. The line returned to its position and steadied. The beeping stopped.

"Hello, my friend," said Christina softly.

The man started. He turned to face them, still walking. He looked at her face, as if trying to remember something. He was wearing a control collar.

Christina took hold of the collar. She broke it, and tore it away.

She stepped back, and looked again at the man, who was still staring at her. She began to sing a little Italian song.

He gasped. There was a flash of recognition in his eyes. He leaped off the treadmill and embraced her, weeping.

Ellie turned to Milson. "Explain," she said. He saw that her eyes were glowing.

"He ... is ... an asset. He never gets tired, never needs to sleep, doesn't need much food. He keeps the turbines calibrated. All the time. If the turbines become unbalanced, they eventually stop and have to be re-started."

"You know, there are computers that can do that."

"But ... this is cheaper. Much cheaper. Efficiency gains."

"Huh," she said. "Well, Mister HR, here's what you're going to do. You will return to your office and transfer every cent of company money you can lay your hands on into this account. Think of it as back pay." She handed him a card with a series of numbers. "If you don't, we will ... hmm, let me think ... "

"You won't ... tell the media, will you?"

"Of course not. But we will take you – and don't imagine you can hide from us – to a very dark place, and kill you very, very slowly. It would last weeks, perhaps months. You think your hand hurts? It doesn't."

She put her hand on his arm. There was a surge of heat. He could feel the skin under his shirt begin to blister. He gave a cry of pain.

"Clear on this?" she said.

He nodded.

One of the screens began to beep. "Don't worry, I'll fix it," said the young woman.

Then she blew every piece of machinery in the room to scrap.

Part IV

"What will you do now, Enrico?" said Pietro. "You can stay here, if you want." The four of them were at the little house. Ellie's motorbike was parked outside; she had said she would return to the mansion soon.

"Thanks," he said. "But ... before the Factory, I owned a property, a sort of farm, in the country. I never told my family about it, so when they sold off all my assets they probably missed it. If it's still standing, I'd like to go there. Maybe you three would come with me, it's big enough. Might need some fixing up."

"Well, as it happens you just got paid," said Ellie. She held up her phone, which showed a bank account that had just received a very large transfer.

The others looked at it. "Marone!" said Pietro.

"And then some," added Christina.

"This farm," said Ellie. "You say it's pretty big and out of the way. Is it the sort of place where people could go if they needed to recover?"

"I ... I guess so, if it was set up for it."

"In the meantime," said Ellie, "you need a mutant name, Enrico. It's part of claiming your identity. That's what some people say, anyway."

"A mutant name? But what? The mutant transformation got rid of the disease but I'm not strong like Christina or Pietro, and I can't generate energy blasts like you. All I can do is ... endure."

"Then maybe that's it. N-dure."

He smiled. "That's ... well, that's perfect. But ... what do you mean, about the farm? What are you thinking?"

So she told them.

END

Sanctum

To rescue a group of mutant slaves, Ellie and Christina need a new ally.

Ellie stopped in front of the apartment where, she had been told by the guy who ran the bar, Deadpool lived. She hammered on the door. "Open up, Douchepool!" she shouted.

But it was Vanessa who opened the door. "Hey, I know you," she said. "You helped me out of that glass tube at the ... well, you know."

"Call me Ellie. Where's the asshole?"

"Out fighting evil, I think. Or possibly at the store."

"Good. Because it's you that I came to see."

"Really? Well, I guess I should invite you in then. I don't know any of Deadpool's friends."

"You still don't. I'm not what you would call a friend. Guy pisses me off no end."

"He does that to most people. Part of his charm."

"If you say so. Anyway, I thought you might be able to help me track something down. You used to work in a strip club, right?"

"Still do. As a waitress. Before that I was a stripper and before that a hooker."

"Then you might be able to tell me if there is a brothel that specialises in mutants. Heard of it?"

"You looking for a job?"

"My understanding is that the mutants who work there are effectively slaves. My plan is more like getting them out, blowing the people who run it into small pieces, and then burning the whole place to the ground."

"Well," said Vanessa. "That's ... interesting."

"Do you object to the concept?"

"Not at all. I have always said that if someone wants to be a hooker or a stripper they should be able to do it, but no-one should be forced into it. You think that these mutants came from the Factory?"

"I think so. Has Douchepool ever mentioned it?"

"No, but he never talks about the Factory. Understandably. You can call him Wade, you know."

"Wade!? His name is Wade!? Now there's a stupid."

Vanessa shrugged. "I heard ... rumours ... about it. About a place that offered ... unusual services ... for specific tastes. I never heard where it was. But I can quietly ask around if you like. I still have some contacts in the profession."

Ellie nodded. "Good enough, and I appreciate it," she said. She handed Vanessa a card with her number.

"And once you've burned it down, what will you do with the slaves? Are you going to just say, you're free now, off you go and have a nice life? I can guarantee that they will be back in the prostitution business within a week, either because someone else snatches them up while they're wondering what to do or because they have to eat."

"I have some thoughts but nothing I'm willing to go into at the moment. As for the brothel, if you can get a location I'll take it from there." She rose to leave, and Vanessa walked with her to the door.

As she reached the street, she encountered Deadpool – Wade – going in. He was wearing a hoodie, with a mask over part of his face and dark glasses. He was carrying a bag of groceries.

"Chicken Noodle!" he said. "You look suitably embittered and estranged by life's rich tapestry of experiences."

"I've missed you too. No, wait, I haven't. Not at all."

"When are you going to grow some hair?"

"When are you going to grow some personality?"

"Funny, you are a funny teen girl. Hey, was that you who caused a bloody swamp of destruction at a piece of freeway I once called my own?"

"It's mine now." She straddled the bike.

"Oh, I am impressed," said Wade, looking at the bike. "And I'm not easy to impress. Oh, look, a blue car."

Ellie sighed. "At some point, Homer," she said, "I would like us to sit down somewhere pleasant so you can tell me all about the Factory."

"Uh, how can I put this, no fucking way."

"Way."

"No. And why do you ask?"

"The more I know about it, the more I know how to help the people who went through it."

"Well, in that case, definitely most certainly no. Which is to say, possibly. Or are you talking about a date on the sly? You young devil, you."

Ellie grimaced. "Such an asshole," she murmured. She started up the bike and was off.

Wade watched her go. "Huh," he said.

Part II

Ellie had to admit: Vanessa had style. Deep cool. As she came across the cafe the crowd cleared a way for her, and then watched her walk by with admiration. Ellie sighed. She knew she would never have ... whatever it was.

Vanessa saw her and came over. She was about to sit down ... and then she saw Christina, who was also seated at the table. She visibly started. For a moment Ellie thought she was going to turn and run. Or pull out a gun.

"The last time I met you," said Ellie to Christina, "you locked me in a torture tube. The time before that, you beat me senseless."

"Maybe you were senseless before I beat you. And it was my job."

"Which you did with a great deal of enjoyment."

"When I saw you in the club one time, you were taking your clothes off and men were throwing money at you. You looked like you were having a pretty good time. Nice rack, by the way."

The two of them stared at each other, thinking unpleasant thoughts.

"Please sit down, Vanessa," said Ellie.

Rather reluctantly, she did.

"So you've switched sides," said Vanessa to Christina. "Is this how you get redemption?"

"Why do people keep saying that?" said Christina.

"Vanessa, you said in your message that you had located the mutant brothel," said Ellie.

"I guy I used to know from the club did some temp work as a bodyguard there. He gave me the address. The bad news is that there is heavy security. The guy who runs it is just a manager, not the owner. My contact didn't know much else."

"So we break down the door and beat everyone who isn't a mutant to pulp," said Christina.

"You heard me say there was heavy security, right? But, no, go ahead, get yourself shot to pieces. Please."

"How heavy?" said Ellie.

"The guy I spoke to is former Army. That means at least a squad of guards, with big guns and solid training. Probably surveillance everywhere. Generally, the security level goes up with the hooker price. And these ones will be expensive. Not that they would see any of the money, of course."

"How many are likely to be there?"

"Probably seven or eight. More than that, it gets hard to manage. "

Ellie was thinking. "Yeah, you're right about a frontal assault being out. At the least, the slaves are likely to get smashed up in the crossfire." She glanced at Christina, who gave a little nod.

"Uh, I have a plan for us," said Vanessa.

Ellie shook her head. "There is no 'us'," she said.

Vanessa sighed. "So aside from the fact that I haven't told you the address, you think you can handle everything, do you? You know how to talk to hookers? And bodyguards? You know what a brothel looks like? Ever been in one?"

"Yes, I have," said Christina.

Ellie and Vanessa stared at her.

"And I gave a big tip," she added.

Ellie and Vanessa both rolled their eyes.

"No choice, eh?" said Ellie to Vanessa.

"Not really, no."

Ellie considered. "Tell me more about this plan of yours," she said.

John Fortescue had problems. The people who owned the House of M did not like to be told that there were ... issues ... with the business. But what could he tell them at the next meeting? After all, the sudden disappearance of control collars from the market wasn't his problem, was it? Nothing to do with him. Perhaps they would understand.

There were no collars left in the storeroom. The ones currently in use had only a few weeks of power left. After that ... what?

He had considered other options. Getting the workers addicted to drugs was an option, but pushing dope onto Factory mutants could cause problems. Something to do with the serum used on them, maybe. The last time he had tried it the hooker had, well, exploded. Made a horrible mess, they had hardly been able to get the room ready for the next client.

Another option was to use collars which gave off electric shocks. Like you used on dogs. He liked the idea but mutants could be tricky. Damn things could start to think that the fact they had powers made them special somehow. Nevertheless, the plan might give him enough time to cash out of the business and make a clean departure before the owners decided that he was somehow responsible.

The intercom that connected to the front desk buzzed. He pushed the button.

"There's someone here who wants to talk to you," said the guard. "She says she has the solution to your problem."

He put the phone on speaker, so the people at the desk could hear it. "And what problem would that be?" he said.

"I am Ms Katt," purred a woman. "And I mean the problem about a shortage of collars for the pets."

He jumped. What ... !?

He tried to steady himself. "We don't have any problems like that," he said. "But I'm always happy to meet with someone with such a sexy voice. I'll send some people to show you the way."

"And I look forward to meeting a man of such ... acumen," said Ms Katt.

In the foyer at the front desk, Vanessa glanced at the Ellie. "Remember, keep your head down," she said. "You're a slave, remember. Hey, I just thought of something. Christina, are any of the workers here likely to recognise you? They might have the same reaction I did."

"No, I was never in that part of the Factory. Never heard of it, didn't even know it existed. Damn, this shirt is tight around the assets." She tried to adjust the uniform she was wearing, working around the large box she was carrying.

"Perhaps you should try not breathing for, like, forever."

"Skank."

"Freak."

"Shut up, both of you," said Ellie. "It's game time."

A group of four men – heavily built and heavily armed – appeared. One directed them to walk along the corridor. Then the men took up positions around them. Cover formation.

Ellie, while keeping her head down, looked around as they walked towards a door at the far end. She had expected the place to be more like brothels she had seen in movies, with over-elaborate carpets and crappy, sleazy music. But this place, with its white walls and polished floor, looked more like an expensive medical clinic. She reminded herself that they were on a high floor of a city skyscraper.

She wondered what happened behind the doors that lined the corridor. She thought that perhaps she didn't want to know.

There were no clients in sight but Vanessa had said that around eleven o'clock in the morning was always a slow time in the skin business. That was why they were here now.

They eventually reached the door at the end, which led them into an ante-office. There were more guards here, including some at a security station with a bank of video monitors, and a secretary. They went into the inner office, where Fortescue showed them to a meeting table which looked out over the city. The four guards took up positions around the office. Vanessa took a seat, with Ellie next to her. Christina, with the package, remained standing.

"Now, I believe you have a business proposition," said Fortescue. "Or is it the other sort?"

"I'm not averse to either," said Vanessa. "I appreciate a well-run business when I see one, Mister Fortescue. You have a good reputation in ... certain circles."

"It's always pleasing to hear that my efforts are appreciated," he said. "As well as my efforts to keep ... this species ... under control. And to give them the opportunity to be productive."

"I agree entirely. Such as this one." She pulled the scarf that Ellie was wearing away from her neck. There was a control collar. "She has her uses. She remembers things better than any tape recorder. Good for business purposes. But she also has other functions. She takes the strap well. I think she even likes it. Don't you, eh?" She poked Ellie in the ribs.

"Yes sir, I do," said Ellie, not looking up.

"You know, I think they all do," said Fortescue. "In their hearts, they know their place."

"True, although it is always prudent to have insurance. Hence the collar. But really, this is not what I am here to talk about. Putting it simply, I would like to invest in your business. Invest quite a lot of money. And I have these." She gestured, and Christina put the box on the table. Vanessa opened it.

A dozen control collars.

Fortescue fought to maintain his cool demeanour.

"As you probably know, no more are being made," said Vanessa. "But before the company that made them was ... wound up ... I took the precaution of laying in a good supply. These are just a small part of that. I will give these to you as a sign of my goodwill. And to show what a useful addition I would be to your group of directors."

"I am not sure that the consortium is considering new members," said Fortescue, "but I would be pleased to put your application for membership to them."

"And just who are they?"

"Uh, I'm not really at liberty to say. But I can tell you that the board includes people with the highest levels of influence. The very highest."

"Sounds good."

"But tell me, how can I be sure that these collars are the genuine article? They could be fakes."

"Don't be silly. You've seen how they effective they are with my pretty little whore here."

"I think I would need something else before I went to the board. A demonstration. On one of mine. In fact, there is one that has just finished with a client."

Vanesa smiled. "Certainly. And in return, I will take the opportunity to ... have some fun ... with her as well. Gratis."

Fortescue considered. "Very well," he said at last. He took one of the collars from the box and handed it to Vanessa. "This way. But I think your assistants can stay here. They won't be needed."

Vanessa smiled again. "Of course," she said.

He led her out of the office and to one of the rooms, accompanied by a guard. There was a mutant there, a woman, waiting.

"Silva," said Fortescue to her, "show our visitor what you can do."

The woman began to change colour, her skin becoming a shade of gleaming silver. She held up her hands, and they started to transform into a substance like mercury.

"You can see the potential, I'm sure," said Fortescue. "But if you prefer something else, we have a delightful young man who can grow whips from his palms and a woman who can make herself look like a pretty child. There's another that we call Vacuum, and I'll let you imagine why."

"Interesting," said Vanessa. "But for the moment I'll stay with this one."

She put the new collar onto the woman. Then Fortescue unlocked the old one and removed it.

Vanessa looked the woman in the eye. "You are really something," she said to her. "If you weren't working here, I'd take you away."

The woman shook her head, as if to clear a blur from her vision. "Wh ... what?" she said.

"I said that I would take you away with me if you weren't working here."

Silva stared at Vanessa.

"But of course, with a control collar working you don't have much choice," said Vanessa. "You should thank me for giving this new one to you."

"You heard the lady," said Fortescue.

"Thank you for giving me this collar," said Silva.

"And now, for the other part of the deal," said Vanessa to Fortescue. She began to remove her studded leather belt. "But I would prefer privacy. I'll join you in your office when I'm finished. I promise not to break her. Too much."

Fortescue smiled. Then he and the guard left. But Vanessa heard the guard take up a position outside the door.

Silva looked at Vanessa. She opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, Vanessa pulled her into her arms and kissed her, to prevent her from making a sound. She pulled back a little and whispered, "There might be microphones, so keep it low. How many more of you are there?" She took the collar off.

"Seven. The others are all in the dorm, I think. It's on the next floor down. But entry to that area is restricted. Only Fortescue can open that room. There's a thing that he puts his thumb on."

Vanessa grimaced. Her careful plan was unravelling. Now she was separated from the others, in a guarded room, and there were large men with guns everywhere.

She gulped. Maybe, she thought, she should stick to serving drinks and taking her clothes off.

She looked at Silva. The woman was trembling. "Please help us," she whispered. "Please."

Vanessa gulped again. She realised she was still holding the fake collar. Carefully, she hung it on the doorknob, and then led Silva to the other side of the room. They crouched behind the bed.

"Scream," she told her. "Like someone is beating the crap out of you. Can you manage that?"

Silva screamed.

Christina and Ellie were in the office when Fortescue returned.

"Well, the collars seem to be genuine and your boss is having a good time," he said to them. He gestured for one of the guards to pick up the box of collars. "Take these to the storeroom."

The man picked up the box and left. Christina put her hand into her pocket, touching the device there. She estimated that the man would be in the middle of the ante-office, where most of the guards were, in five seconds. Four. Three.

"Hey you," said one of the guards near the window to her. "What – ?"

Close enough. She pushed the button on the device. There was an explosion in the next room, and another one somewhere else.

Ellie stood up and threw off her coat. She generated a blast of energy that swept across the room. The window blew out and the three guards went tumbling through. There was a hurricane gust of wind.

"Oops," said Ellie. "Didn't mean to do the window."

Christina unbuttoned her shirt, thankfully drawing a breath. She watched the bodies spiral earthwards. "Meh, seemed to work well enough. I'll go and check the other room. If there's anyone still alive there, well, I'll fix that. As for you, Mister Asshole: stay. Not a move, not a sound." She went into the ante-office, and in a few moments there was the sound of her trademark brutality. Ellie went over to the desk and began to sort through documents. She found a file marked CONSORTIUM.

Vanessa came in, with a silver-skinned mutant. When the bomb in the fake collar had gone up, it had blown the door and taken out the guard. "This is Silva," she said. "And there is a problem. To get the others out, we need the asshole. There's a thumb-print security lock."

"Then actually we only need the thumb," says Christina, returning. She picked up a piece of glass from the shattered window. Then she grabbed Fortescue by the arm. She forced his hand down onto the desk. "Don't worry, this won't hurt."

He screamed as she sliced.

"Huh, guess I was wrong about it not hurting," said Christina.

Fortescue nursed his mutilated, bleeding hand. He turned to Silva. "You have to help me," he said. "After all I've done for you."

"Yes," she said. "After all you've done to me."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. Her skin of her face began to turn liquid. It ran over his nostrils, over his mouth, down into his throat.

He tried to struggle, tried to push himself away.

No.

Ellie had found a large briefcase and was cramming files and papers into it. She stopped as she read one. "Hey, this says that the most recent arrival was six months ago," she said.

"Yes, that's right, a guy called William," said Silva. "Not much more than a kid."

"That can't be," said Vanessa. "The Factory was destroyed nearly two years ago. Unless ... "

Ellie, Christina and Vanessa all looked at each other. "There's another one," said Ellie.

Christina dragged Fortescue's body to the window and threw it out. Just to make sure he was, you know, dead. "We have to move," she said. "There might be more guards. There always are."

They went to the dorm room. There was a guard station with two men outside the dorm room. Not for long.

Christina put Fortescue's thumb on the pad and the door opened. Inside, there were seven mutants, four women and three men, sitting on their beds with the blank-eyed look that control collars induced. Christina set about breaking the collars off.

When the mutants had begun to recover, Vanessa gathered them together. "We can get you out of here," she said. "To a safe place. If you have any possessions, anything you want to bring with you, get it now."

Watching her, Ellie realised that having Vanessa here was, really, the best thing. She knew how to talk gently, knew how to speak to people who were just emerging from dark shadows.

When everyone was together Ellie led to way to the elevator. It took them to the basement carpark.

"And there's our ride," said Christina. She pointed to their getaway vehicle: a mini-bus. The sign on the side said Western Shopping Mall Courtesy Shuttle.

"How did you get this thing?" said Silva as the mutants climbed aboard.

"Western Shopping Mall donated it to our cause," said Ellie.

"We stole it," said Christina.

Then the stairwell door opened. One of the guards stepped out. He was a heavy man and he had a heavy machine gun. He aimed at Christina.

There was a shot. The man's head exploded, and he went down.

Vanessa was behind him. Holding a smoking pistol. Big mother.

Ellie and Christina stared at her.

"What?" she said.

"Nice fucking weapon you've got there," said Christina.

"Desert Eagle 50 cal. You don't think I'd use some girlie-gun Remington, do you?"

"Guess not."

Vanessa looked down at the body. "I really should have let him shoot you. But ... oh well."

They climbed aboard. They set off.

Part III

The bus pulled to a halt and Christina opened the door. The refugees, blinking in the unaccustomed sunlight and the open space, got out.

There were two men waiting for them. One had a bone claw where a hand should have been. The other, an older man with grey hair, was smiling.

"Welcome," he said to them. "Welcome to Sanctum."

END

The Renegades

For Ellie and Christina, this is the end of the road.

Ellie looked around the garden, at the grounds of Sanctum. In the seven months since she had left the Xavier mansion, much had happened. Aside from Enrico and the eight from the brothel another seventeen mutant slaves had been located and rescued. They had all been brought to Sanctum, the farmhouse owned by Enrico. Most of them, after a period of recovery, had left, hoping to re-connect with their former lives somehow. But some had stayed, and a few had participated in other rescues.

The farmhouse, once dilapidated, had been resurrected, with the money from City Light and Electricity and whatever cash they had been able to grab on various missions, plus a lot of sweat. Gardens to grow vegetables had been established, and a tribe of chickens clucked about. Enrico had said that working on the farm would be good therapy and he had been right. She smiled: it had been therapy for her as well. Her life, prior to going to the mansion, had not had much joy in it. The mansion had been a better place than any other she had known but she had nevertheless felt that she didn't really fit in. Now she felt she had a purpose. She had a home.

It was, she readily admitted, hard work. The rescue missions were always dangerous, and she had been hurt several times. She had the scars to prove it. Some of the refugees recovered faster than others. There had been plenty of times when she had spent hours, or days, holding someone tight while they cried and screamed and vomited. It was physically and emotionally draining but there was no other way. Despite the fact that she was a teenager she had found grey hairs on her head.

Christina walked past, carrying a huge amount of timber, on her way to the site of the new barn. She smiled at Ellie. She was sweating; her thin shirt was stuck to the contours of her body. As she started to work, a few beads of perspiration dripped from her dark hair and rolled down her chest. Her breasts swayed rhythmically as she worked. Ellie sighed.

Enrico came up to her. "Well," he said. "When are you going to do something about it?"

"About ... what?"

He nodded in Christina's direction.

"Uh, er ... I'm sure she wouldn't ... she might like me but not in that way ... "

"Huh," said Enrico. "You don't even see it, do you? When she's done everything but stand in front of you and do a striptease. For someone smart enough and tough enough to be the leader of our little community, you can be very stupid."

Ellie stared at him. "Leader? No, I'm not – "

"Of course you are. But don't change the subject. And the subject is ... over there, with a hammer."

"I ... I ... she ... "

Enrico shook his head. "Stupid," he said. He walked away.

Ellie was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Fuck, she thought. Fuck fuck fuck ...

She got out of bed and headed for the farmhouse kitchen. Enrico and Pietro were there, sitting at the table with cups of tea. She stopped in the doorway.

"Wrong room," Enrico said. "You want the one at the end of the hall."

She hesitated.

"Do we have to drag you there and throw you in?" said Pietro.

She began to walk along the hall. She reached the door. She realised she was trembling. But she gathered her courage and went in. In the semi-darkness, she pulled off her the long shirt she slept in.

Christina lifted the sheet. Ellie climbed into the bed. She felt Christina's muscular arms go around her.

"About fucking time," whispered Angel Dust.

It was the next day. Ellie was up a ladder, nailing planks on the roof of the barn. She looked down, and saw Christina at work. From this angle, the curves of her body were ... particularly voluptuous.

I am a lucky, lucky girl, she thought. I wonder if she would be up for –

Then a movement on the dusty track that connected Sanctum to the main road in the distance caught her eye. There was a figure walking towards them. Wearing a yellow jacket.

She climbed down and went to meet JL. Christina joined her. JL, not an especially large human being, looked up at Christina. "I'd heard you were big," she said. "But ... whoa."

"Jubilation Cross-Referencing Lee, meet Christina, aka Angel Dust, aka world's best fuck," said Ellie. Christina laughed.

JL looked at them in surprise. "Yes, I said 'world's best fuck'," said Ellie. "Do I need to say it again?"

"I've got the concept," said JL. "But Ellie, I've got a message for you. From the X-Men. They say: stop."

"Thanks for delivering the message," said Ellie. "Fuck you. Uh, that's my message to them. Not you. I'm really glad to see you."

"That's what they thought you would say. Although perhaps not in those words. The follow-up message was that if you won't stop they'll stop you. Take you in. It's either them or the authorities. The Special Forces will be much less gentle."

"No-one takes my girl anywhere she doesn't want to go," said Christina. "By the way, how did you find us?"

"I think Caldwell used a military satellite. Well, he's a senator, so I guess he can do that."

"So now the X-Men are getting into bed with Caldwell," said Ellie. "JL, you can tell them that if they want to do the job they should be doing – saving mutants from slavery and worse – we can give them some pointers. Until that time, well, I've already said 'fuck you', haven't I?"

"I don't think it's the saving part that causes them concern. It's the amount of damage that goes along with it. Bodies. Explosions. Blood on the floor. Subtle as ... something really unsubtle."

"Heh, yeah, that's pretty right," said Christina. "The fun part."

"There's a purpose to it," said Ellie. "It's a message to anyone who's thinking about doing some slave purchasing. Don't."

"The X-Men see you and the ones helping you as renegades," said JL.

"Hey, we should use that name," said Christina.

Ellie was thinking. "When?" she said to JL.

"Soon."

"Bring it," said Christina.

Part II

"Yeah, I thought she would refuse," said Anna.

"Actually," said JL, "what she said was – "

"Unfortunate," said Nikolai. "But if we do not act, others will."

"I should say," said Ororo, "that a lot of people around here are not happy with the idea of moving against her. They see that she is doing something that we should be doing. Kurt, for example. Warren. Elizabeth. They understand that if we don't do it the Special Forces will be called in, but still ... "

"And Scott and his team won't be back for a while," said Anna. "That means me, Hank, Kitty, Joanna, and you two." She looked at JL.

JL looked straight back. "No," she said.

"So, six of us," said Ororo.

Nikolai grunted.

The X-Jet landed a half-mile from the Sanctum farmhouse. Rogue, Beast, Frenzy, Storm, Shadowcat and Colossus walked down the ramp and started for the farmhouse. There was a group waiting for them, Negasonic in the middle. A grey-haired man stepped forward.

"This is our home," he said. "If you have come to cause trouble, you are not welcome."

"You know why we are here," said Rogue. "We have to take her."

"Don't think so," said Angel Dust.

"You really intend to fight?" said Storm. "Fight ... us?"

Christina looked at the Renegades. Aside from herself and Negasonic, there was N-Dure, Silva, Talon, and the boy, Robert, who had taken the name Gener8. An untested team – not even a team. A bunch of amateurs. Against seasoned professionals. Yet they had an advantage. The X-Men didn't want to be here. Didn't want to be doing this. You could see it in their faces.

But, thought Angel Dust, the Renegades had their hearts in it. They all owed Ellie. The X-Men would not have her. Not this day.

"We do."

"Then ... fall!" shouted Storm. She was in the air, riding a current of wind, lightning sparking around her.

"Talon!" shouted Silva. In a moment, Talon lifted Silva and threw her. At Storm. Silva whacked into her, and immediately wrapped her arms around her. Storm gasped in surprise. But she conjured a bolt of lightning, and directed it at her opponent.

But Silva was liquid metal now. The bolt struck her. "Heh, that sort of tickles," she said.

Thrown off by the extra weight, Storm lost control of the wind under her. She started to go down.

Frenzy charged at Talon. She smashed into him, punching. He went sliding backwards. Then someone picked her up from behind – by the hair. She gave a yelp of pain. "That's my brother you're slapping around, and I'm the only one allowed to do it," Angel Dust said. She hurled her. Frenzy landed with a thump a hundred metres away.

"The hair?" said Talon.

"Maybe she should wear it short," said Angel Dust. "Short hair is always sexy."

And then Beast slammed into them.

Shadowcat was looking at the boy.

"I hear you can walk through walls," he said.

"Through anything," she said. "What can you do?"

"Well, I used to have a job, sort of, in a swish apartment building."

"Doing what?"

"This."

Shadowcat felt her skin start to tingle. Then her hair began to crackle. And then, suddenly, there was an electrical field around her. Yes, she could phase through matter. Energy, however, was a different thing.

N-Dure walked up to Rogue. "Pleased to meet you, young lady," he said.

"I don't know what your powers are but I can copy them." She touched him.

"Huh. Did that work for you?"

She examined herself. No sudden surge of strength or energy. She merely felt a bit ... odd.

"The thing is, I don't have much in the way of powers," he said. "I don't need to sleep or eat. That's it. Which isn't that big a deal when it comes to a fight. You agree?"

Desperately, Rogue glanced around, hoping to reach one of the other X-Men. But then she looked down. And realised that N-Dure had handcuffed them together.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. "Sorry."

Storm felt metal wrapping around her, encasing her. A silver hand flowed over her face, over her nose and mouth. "You might be able to control wind and lightning," said Silva, "but you still have to breathe."

Storm tried to prise the metal away from her. But when she did, her fingers merely sank into the liquid. And then stuck there. The more she struggled, the more she became entrapped.

And the next breath was becoming an issue.

Beast was agile and strong, and he pounded Talon and Angel Dust with his feet and his fists. To no apparent effect. He managed to dodge the swinging punches from the woman – and then the man's bone claw whacked into him. He went flying.

Colossus was striding towards Negasonic. He pulled the cuffs he carried from his belt. Then he stopped.

"Ellie," he said. "I do not want to fight you. Come quietly."

But her eyes were glowing. "Do you remember that time in the training room? When I smashed a steel target dummy in two?"

"Yes. I remember."

They both looked around. All the other X-Men were down or neutralised.

"Will you yield?" said Negasonic.

"I cannot. You know that."

Balls of energy appeared in her hands. A swirling field began to form around her.

"I can kill you, Nikolai."

"Then that is what you will have to do."

She stared at him.

Slowly, the field began to fall away. The balls of energy vanished.

A tear ran down her cheek.

She held out her wrists.

"I am sorry," said Colossus. He stepped forward, the cuffs in his hand.

And then Angel Dust jumped between them. She struck out.

Klong!

Colossus went sailing through the air, landing with a crash fifty metres away.

"Sorry, Nikolai!" shouted Angel Dust.

"I'm not," said Talon, as Colossus skidded to a halt at his feet. He picked up the metal giant and threw him again.

N-Dure and Rogue were watching the spectacle. "I think it might be time for you to admit that this day is not yours," said N-Dure.

"Yeah, I agree," said Anna. She called out to the X-Men. "We can't win this! As team leader, I am signalling that we yield!"

Storm, gasping behind a layer of metal that all but covered her face, gave a sigh of relief. Colossus, Frenzy and Beast limped back. As Gener8 lifted the field, Shadowcat slumped to her knees, her skin smoking. He helped her up.

"So now you can get rid of the cuffs," said Rogue to N-Dure.

"Uh, yeah, about that. The key is ... somewhere. I think."

Angel Dust sighed. She took hold of the cuffs and snapped the chain.

"Now what?" said Shadowcat.

"Now, you go home," said Angel Dust. "And you might want to, I don't know, put out a media release or something saying that you got beat by the Renegades."

"Let's not push our luck," said Negasonic.

Colossus was looking at the horizon. "Perhaps no longer relevant," he said.

There was a squadron of large, dark helicopters coming towards them.

"Someone must have been watching," said Rogue, pointing to the sky.

"They're not marked," said Storm. "Mercenaries. Caldwell's private anti-mutant army."

The helicopters stopped, hovering a few metres from the ground. Their guns traversed towards the Renegades. Rockets, cannons, machine guns, lasers.

One of the helicopters peeled away from the others. It landed. Senator Caldwell, flanked by guards, stepped out. He came over to the X-Men and the Renegades.

"That worked out well, I think," he said. "It means that we have to act. To protect the community."

He pulled a radio out. "Kill them," he said. "Then destroy the farmhouse. In fact, destroy everything."

But now Negasonic was running forward, charging for the choppers. The shield around her was glowing, growing, burning with energy.

"Everybody down!" shouted Christina.

Negasonic.

Teenage.

Warhead.

She was a nuclear fireball. The fireball exploded, a wave of flame-hot destruction spreading upwards. Engulfing.

And then it was over. Ellie slumped down. Christina ran to her. She lifted her and carried her back to the others, through the smoking wrecks of the seven choppers.

Ellie moaned and opened her eyes. "Did I get them all?" she said.

"Oh yeah," said Christina, as she put her down.

"Now that," said Kitty, "was pretty impressive."

There was a shout. Caldwell. He had grabbed a machine gun from one of the guards and was aiming at Ellie. He fired.

There was the sound of bullets slamming into flesh.

Christina, who had leaped in front of Ellie, sagged to the ground.

"Fuck me," she gasped. She touched the wounds, where blood was flowing from her.

Caldwell was struggling to put another clip into the gun.

Nikolai stepped forward. He stared at Caldwell. He raised his massive metal fist. "Screw the five moments," he muttered. He punched.

Anna turned to the guards. "Go," she said. "And forget absolutely everything that happened here."

No need to tell them twice. They jumped into the chopper and it lifted off.

Ellie was cradling Christina as her life leaked away. "You can't die," she husked. "Not now. You can't."

"Oh, I think I can," rasped Christina. "Would you give me ... a last kiss?"

Ellie kissed her on the lips, tenderly.

Christina smiled at her. She squeezed Ellie's hand. "My redemption," she whispered.

Coda

"What will you do?" said Enrico as Ellie loaded her bike.

"Go ... somewhere," she said. "I don't know where. I can't stay here. Not now. And I might bring more trouble down on you. It sort of follows me around."

"What will you do about the mutants who are still slaves?"

"What I can, I suppose."

"I'll be here, if you need a place to send them."

She got onto the bike. She looked at him. "Thank you, Enrico. Thank you for showing her compassion when she most needed it."

He nodded. "Goodbye, Ellie."

She started the bike. Then she rode down the dusty track, and away, leaving behind Enrico, and Sanctum, and the people there, and what she had loved.

END AND AMEN

Note to readers: Darkpenn recently published a novel about a female superhero (sort of). Anyone who is interested can find it on Amazon. Title is I, Viridian: Supervillain. E-copy and hard copy. Author name is Derek Parker. Book blurb is:

This is the story of Viridian: supervillain, fan of Shakespeare, owner of many sexy shoes, carefree and irresponsible at the competitive level, bearer of a mystical gem that gives her incredible powers.

Raised by thieves to be a thief, she was never really a child, or never grew up, she doesn't know which. When she washes up on the shores of Oklahoma City, pursued by shadowy forces and an unknown enemy, she links up with an oddball gang of would-be supercriminals: mastermind Monk, samurai Tantō, strongman Cave, and the remarkable Flux.

And through them she discovers what it is she is looking for: a reason to fight, a reason to stay, a reason to care, and, most of all, a reason to love.