A HIGH PRICE TO PAY

Prologue

The chess board lay open on the table. The sunlight coming in from the window made the pieces gleam.

"This promises to be an interesting game," a woman in a wheelchair said. She extended a hand and touched the edge of the board facing her.

"Yes, it does," a man replied. He stood near the window, gazing out at the garden below. He could see the grounds keeper and his assistants working studiously, knowing well how exacting their employer was. "I believe this may well be the most interesting game that we've played in a long while, Cassandra." He stepped away from the window and went over to a side table where a decanter of brandy and some finely-cut snifters awaited.

"Oh, yes, Sebastian," Cassandra Nova said. The sunlight fell away from where she was, making her just a silhouette—a small, somewhat hunched figure sitting in a modern wheelchair. "That it will be...and one of the most important, as well."

Sebastian Shaw's chief butler entered the room and announced the arrival of his son and a guest. He told his servant to let them enter.

Shinobi Shaw, looking dapper in his custom-tailored suit, walked in with a smile on his face, as always. "I've brought Mr. Essex with me, father," he said. Behind him followed a man who was dressed up like a doctor who'd been called away from the daily rounds at his hospital.

"Ah, just the man we've been waiting for." Sebastian took a sip of his brandy. "Welcome, Nathaniel. I trust you had an uneventful journey?"

"Most uneventful," Nathaniel Essex said. "And since I'm here, I might as well make myself comfortable. May I, Sebastian?"

"Of course," Shaw replied. Nathaniel Essex began to shed his doctor's whites, along with much of his physical form, and change into his true shape and identity. His skin turned a deathly white, his eyes became a pupil-less red, and his clothes were replaced by dark-blue armor that sheathed his entire body save his head. As a final touch, his armor sprouted streamers of a clothlike material that served as his cape. He adjusted the high collar around his neck.

"Much better," Nathaniel Essex—the man called Sinister—remarked. His unnerving red eyes turned towards Cassandra Nova. "Ah, Madame Cassandra. It pleases me to see you again." He bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.

"And it pleases me to see you, Sinister," she said, moving out of the shadows. Her appearance belied the refinement in her voice. Cassandra Nova was bald, somewhat shrunken, and withered as if with great age. Despite that, her eyes radiated terrible strength and vitality. "How goes the work for which I commissioned you?"

"Almost complete, Madame Cassandra," Sinister reported with a sharp-toothed smile. "I simply need to purge some extraneous and unnecessary memories."

"Ah, so she retained some, did she?" Cassandra asked.

"Indeed," Sinister replied. "But it won't be a problem to erase them."

"Excellent," Cassandra said.

"You couldn't have done better, if I might say so, Madame Cassandra," Shinobi said, handing a goblet of red wine to Sinister. "Imagine—the combined powers of two of the most powerful mutants in the world! I daresay you'll have the potential to change the course of history." He finished his own drink and put it back on the side table. "Well, father, if I'm not needed here any longer, permit me to take my leave. There's much that's important to attend to at the company."

"Of course, Shinobi—you're an important player in this game as much as we three are," Shaw said to the young man. "Have a safe journey, son."

Shinobi bowed respectfully to his father and said goodbye to their two guests, then left them to discuss their plans among themselves.

"Are all the pieces in place?" Cassandra asked moments later.

Sinister approached the board. He counted off pieces, touching each one lightly as he did so: "The Black King is in place, as is the Black Bishop. The Black Queen will be ready soon. And the White Queen—"

"What about the White Queen?" Cassandra asked. "What's Emma been doing since we last saw her?" She fixed a stern gaze at Sinister. "That young lady had better be ready. I expect much from her."

"The White Queen will be ready, according to our plans, Madame Cassandra," Sinister said. "And so will her consort."

Sebastian laughed. "Then we control all the pieces! It seems almost a disappointment that there's no chance we can lose."

"Almost," Cassandra said. "Well, shall we begin the game then, gentlemen?"

"I think we should," Sinister agreed.

"Let the first move be made," Shaw seconded him.

Cassandra wheeled herself towards the board. Without laying a hand on any of the pieces, she set a black pawn in motion. Sinister and Shaw joined her at the table, watching with barely contained glee as the game began to unfold.