Into the Fray
DISCLAIMER: Although this story is mainly about an original character, the Marvel© characters within are not mine!
A Brief Introduction
Under the city of New York is a vast subterranean sewer system and miles of disused subway tunnels. Within this labyrinth are groups of individuals, small pockets of society, wildly different from those above ground. Amongst these various groups is a protector, an individual hunted for his differences like so many others down there. He prowls the tunnels, the junctions, and the farthest recesses ceaselessly.
"Where are you going today, Mister?" asked one of the children of this underground city in a small, hopeful voice. The man did not often speak to anyone, preferring to roam without ties to anyone, according to her mother.
He looks toward her diminutive form and smiles with a small, brief flexing of his facial muscles. His long powerful arm and beautifully sculpted fingers gesture towards one of the darkest tunnels. He turns and begins to walk away with a long, powerful stride. He pauses before the tunnel entrance and looks back, "Just making sure of things, little one. Go back to your family." He turns away and moves off, his low voice resonating in the girl's ears for several moments after he had been swallowed by the darkness.
Hour after hour he prowls the tunnels, seeming to search but never finding what he seeks. On one day he hears a commotion from somewhere ahead of him and begins to move with purpose. His long strides move him with a speed only matched by certain super-powered beings above ground. He reached the area where the sounds became a war under the city in moments. His eyes, onyx and feral, take in the turmoil and he nods to himself. He moves into the fray with no hesitation and begins dispatching the interlopers with a minimum of movement or effort.
The fight became a retreat and he swung around to move off, "Wait! I want to thank you, stranger. I have seen you before but I don't know who you are?" asked a stern-faced woman with a commanding voice. She stood tall and proud looking towards him, her multicolored hair the most memorable thing about her.
"You have no need to know me, Madam Calisto. I merely exist here and help where it is needed. I leave everyone alone and I ask that they do the same for me." His back was to her but she sensed loneliness in his voice, a need for someone to care. It made her need to reach out to him in some way.
"You are the one who brings down food, clothing, medical supplies, other sundries, and toys. The children are grateful for that, as are the parents. We may not have a lot but we would welcome you anytime you care to be among people. All I ask is that we can call you by your name, to greet you as one of us, please," she spoke quickly, determined that he hear her and not become a shade once more.
"A name? It has been a long time since anyone asked, madam. You and your group may call me Ceries," He said in a thoughtful tone. As he finished speaking he moved away down the tunnel. He did not see her smile of pleasure but she also did not see his of relieved joy.
Chapter 1
Through the months and years of existence the one called Ceries remained wary of others. He did not like people getting close to him, thought those he watched over. He was always moving, always helping from the background. He did not require accolades or acknowledgement. His was the most solitary of existences, yet everyone in the underground loved him from afar.
"Have you seen him lately?" Calisto questioned of her people. No one had and even those with psychic abilities could not tell her where he might be. She fretted as she had been told that there was danger coming and that the one called Ceries would be needed.
She posted sentries around her area with instructions that if he approached she was to be told immediately. The time of danger was approaching and she became more and more nervous that he had not yet appeared. 'Where are you? Please, we need you!' she thought again and again.
The days merged into one long day. Time meant little to him and he paid little notice to the other denizens of his domain. He knew that the Morlocks were watching for him but it meant nothing to him. He fed, clothed, and cared for the pockets of people under New York but he had minimum contact with them. He had been hurt and betrayed by one human and he gave no others a chance to do the same.
He was roaming near the Morlock tunnels when a sound alerted him that there was someone in his tunnels that did not belong. He turned his sensors to full and heard a woman's voice, "Blockbuster, be sure to capture Calisto. The others mean little."
"Right, Lady. What about the kids?" a rumbling voice answered.
"I don't care. Mister Sinister only specified that we take Calisto alive," she snapped. There was a grunt in reply and footsteps moved towards the Morlock tunnels. Ceries moved after the pair, making no sound and growing very angry.
A few minutes later, the sentry sounded the alarm and there was a short struggle. Ceries growled and moved in. He quickly dispatched of Blockbuster and Lady Mastermind, immune to so many things that they did not stand a chance. Lady Mastermind died first, her neck snapped like a wishbone. Blockbuster's strength would have caused a lesser being problems but to Ceries it was an easier matter. He stepped inside Blockbuster's swing and drove his stiffened hand into his throat. Even one such as Blockbuster could not survive that assault. He checked the sentry, snarling when he found that the young man was dead. He moved towards the other entry tunnels, being more knowledgeable than any about the layout and the shortcuts.
"Hey, girlie, what's the rush?" sneered a higher pitched male voice.
"Quiet, Scrambler! We need to get into position" replied a soft feminine voice.
Ceries smirked and dispatched them with little effort, using his blade from far back in the shadows on the one called Scrambler. He had seen them kill the second sentry and he was not getting close enough for that mutant to affect him. The young woman, he snapped her neck as he was in a hurry now. He moved to the third tunnel, enraged now that these interlopers had arrived.
As he stealthily moved into the third tunnel he stopped and assessed the next pair. The male was seemingly made of crystal and the female was beautiful. He watched as this pair approached the sentry and heard the woman speak softly, "There now. We can do this the nice way or I can let my friend here kill you. Which will it be?"
Stuttering, shaking, the young man answered. "Wha… what's the n…nice wa…way?"
"You run away now. Let us pass and forget about your friends," she replied with a silky voice.
"OH!" the young sentry yelped. He looked around, confused and frightened. He spotted Ceries who held a finger to his lips. "I guess I'll run away. Please, don't hurt the little ones!" He whispered as he began heading away from the entry way.
"See, Prism, I can be nice," she teased her crystalline friend.
"I see. Can we get on with this? Mister Sinister was adamant that we get in and out quickly, Vertigo," he replied in a soft, deep voice.
Ceries could hear the sounds of fighting and he could also hear the cries of the wounded, the dying, and the children. He was enraged by those cries and followed the pair into the fray. He knew these were more mutants and that their leader was elsewhere but he did not know why they wanted Calisto. He did not care about their motive; he only cared about stopping this.