Angel's Requiem (Part Two)
By TheLostMaximoff
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. R/R.
Matthew Risman had never believed in God. As a child, he had been what most would call a "hard-luck case". His father had walked out on the family when Matthew was a little boy. His mother had worked two jobs to support him and his siblings. Matthew had a history of violence that his mother thought the military would fix. It, regrettably, didn't. Instead it gave Matthew the skills he needed to make a better life for himself and his girlfriend who was going to have his child. That, of course, meant that she was destined to become his wife. There was no white picket fence for Matthew though. Bills still needed to be paid and, in the absence of honest work, Matthew delved into the fast-paced, high-risk world of contract-killing. Suffice it to say, Matthew's life wasn't one where he could afford to believe in God. That was, of course, until he met Reverend William Stryker.
"How did the purification go?" Matthew looked at the young boy in front of him. The Purifiers that had remained after Stryker's botched attack on the X-Mansion had relocated. Matthew had put Stryker's affairs in order and had secured the reverend's estate, including his hefty bank account. Matthew, of course, had little concern for money. He kept his eyes turned towards greater pleasures than Earthly wealth.
"It went well, Father," assured Samuel. Matthew had set about recruiting new members to his flock. Samuel had shown great promise so far. Matthew only hoped that he could have as great an influence on Samuel's life as Stryker had on his own.
"You made absolutely sure that the spawns of the Devil were dead?" asked Matthew.
"Of course, Father," assured Samuel, "Saul, Thomas, and I are always eager to do the work of the Lord. We have always done just as you and He have asked of us."
"Praise God for your success then," said Matthew as he attempted a smile. Considering that half of his face was scarred due to energy burns sustained in the attack on the X-Mansion, Matthew's smile was more hideous than heartening.
"Praise God indeed," echoed Samuel, "What would you have us do next, Father?"
"Nothing for now, Samuel," assured Matthew with a dismissing wave of his hand, "You may return to your usual patrol. When the Lord needs your services, He shall call upon you." Samuel graciously nodded and left the room. Matthew turned from his desk and moved to his bookshelf. He removed the Bible from it, activating the switch for the hidden door. The bookcase slid away to reveal a staircase that allowed for easy access to the basement of the condemned church the Purifiers were using as a hideout. While Matthew may have acquired Stryker's riches, he was not so fortunate enough to also acquire Stryker's celebrity status. Matthew had decided that it was better to keep a low profile and meet in secret, much the way early Christians did in the days of the Roman Empire. The world was simply not ready for The Truth but they would be again.
"Brother James," said Matthew as he greeted the man in the lab coat, "How are you and Sister Ruth progressing?" James sighed and shook his head sadly.
"I'm afraid God isn't being too merciful," said James, "We have failed yet again. It seems that for all our technological and scientific prowess, God's miracles are still out of our grasp."
"Do not lose faith, James," assured Matthew as he studied the liquid-filled tank that kept the body of William Stryker in suspended animation, "I assure you that with more time and prayer we will be able to resurrect our Savior. You cannot lose hope."
"I'm beginning to suspect it will indeed take a miracle," said James, "We can set up the chamber for another run but Sister Ruth and I are both running out of ideas. We have prayed for divine inspiration and guidance but it seems that we are no closer to accomplishing the task."
"Stay the course," ordered Matthew, "God will grant us the wisdom we desire."
"Father Matthew," said Ruth suddenly as she came up to him, "I have some glorious news."
"Tell me, child," prodded Matthew.
"Our scouts have been keeping watch on Xavier's school," explained Ruth, "While their security measures have increased, we have managed to learn something very interesting."
"Go on," ordered Matthew.
"The Guthrie boy is back," informed Ruth. Matthew stared at her quizzically. He could only recall one Guthrie boy and it was the one who was arrogant enough to flaunt his so-called angelic gift. Matthew knew what devils those that dwelt in that school really were. They were all unholy abominations that needed to be wiped from the face of the Earth.
"The one that Reverend Stryker shot," explained Ruth, "Our scouts say he somehow turned up on their doorstep."
"Blasphemy," muttered Matthew venomously, "No doubt he was resurrected through Satan's trickery."
"Don't you see what this means?" asked Ruth, "If Brother James and I can be allowed to study him then we might make a huge breakthrough in our own research. That boy might be the key we need to resurrect Reverend Stryker." Matthew's face seemed to lighten up and once again he attempted a smile.
"The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways," proclaimed Matthew, "My Purifiers and I will bring him to you and then you'll discover what dark powers Satan has used so that we may turn it against him."
XXXXX
"I'm sorry." Julian Keller gave his team leader a sour glare that prompted her to either elaborate or kindly piss off. Never one to back away from a challenge, Noriko Ashida took the glare to mean she should kindly elaborate on what exactly her apology was for. Julian could think of a number of things that Nori should be "sorry" for so in his mind the simple declaration did little to help him understand.
"What I said about Brian last night," explained Nori, "It wasn't called for and I'm sorry I said it."
"Forget it," replied Julian as his eyes returned to their sweep of the Danger Room, nervously flitting about as if he was expecting danger around every corner. This action wasn't derived from mere paranoia. The illustrious Wolverine was scheduled to be their drill-instructor today and Logan always did have "unusual" teaching methods.
"How do you think Jay's doing?" asked Nori idly in an attempt at small-talk before they proceeded to get the crap knocked out of them by Wolverine.
"Miss Frost said they managed to stabilize him," replied Julian, "That's all she would tell me." Nori nodded as Logan made his way into the room. The team's collective attention was focused on him as he gave them a surly look.
"Alright," stated Logan as he glared at the group, "I'm tired, I'm grumpy, and I ain't in the mood for crap. Laura, take a seat on the bench."
"Why?" asked X-23.
"Because I'm not in the mood to fight you today," replied Wolverine, "I can't teach you anything but maybe watching these other kids can. Besides, I wanna see how good they are when they're not relyin' on you ta just kill everything." X-23 shrugged her shoulders and moved off to the side, taking a seat on the floor and leaning back against the wall.
"Great, there goes the master plan," muttered Rockslide.
"Now," said Logan as he looked at the others, "gimme whatever ya got."
XXXXX
"Hank says they're doing everything they can." Paige Guthrie removed her forehead from the glass window and turned to look at Emma Frost. The Kentuckian barely registered the words from her former teacher and simply regarded her with a sad half-smile.
"Your kids are pretty restless," replied Paige, "They wanna help."
"The best thing they can do now is continue with their combat training," assured Emma, "It won't do them any good to stand around and worry."
"That some of your famous backhanded advice?" asked Paige with a grin as she realized Emma was no longer speaking exclusively about her students.
"Still the fast learner," said Emma with an amused smirk, "Yes, it is. I doubt we give family discounts on medical care, Paige. Get out of here for a little while before you end up in there with him."
"Still got that old charm," said Paige with a shake of her head.
"It's trademarked, dear," assured Emma, "We can take care of your brother. You need to take care of yourself."
"You know me well enough, Miss Frost," reminded Paige, "I've always been an over-achiever."
"That you have," agreed Emma, "If you'll excuse me, I need to run a check on his head. His body may be healthy but I think a look into his mind will give us some more information. Why don't you go and supervise my children? I believe Logan is their instructor today and you know how he is with children."
"The same way he is with everyone else," replied Paige with a nod, "I'll make sure he doesn't rough 'em up too bad as long as you make sure my brother's okay."
"You have yourself a deal," agreed Emma with a nod.
XXXXX
There was always darkness. Sometimes he felt like his whole life had been about fighting against the darkness. He was, after all, Icarus. Wasn't his whole existence based around going towards the light? The light could burn though, burn so hot and bright that it stripped you of everything and showed you the true ugliness inside you. Sometimes going into the light was just as bad as falling into the darkness. So where was he supposed to fly to if he couldn't take comfort in the light or the darkness? Joshua Guthrie stared into the inky depths that surrounded him. He couldn't be sure but he almost felt as if the darkness was somehow alive. It was like he was in the belly of the beast, in some giant monster that had swallowed him whole. The strange part was that he got the feeling he wasn't exactly alone in here.
"Don't look back," whispered a voice in his ear. He knew the voice too well. It was the voice of his fair lady, his muse, his heart.
"Julia?" asked Josh. The darkness morphed around him and formed into a tunnel. There was a light at the end. Josh could see it burning brightly in the midst of the darkness. It was . . . home.
"Home," whispered Josh, "Julia, it's home."
"Don't look back," repeated Julia's voice. Josh moved towards the light, almost sprinting towards his home. He could smell the fresh grass. He could hear the laughter of his siblings. He was going home and when he was home he would be fine again.
"Isn't it beautiful, Julia?" asked Josh as he stood at the threshold and stared in awe of how wonderful everything looked on the other side. There was no answer in the darkness behind him. Josh felt the nervousness inside him grow.
"Julia?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the image of home. Again, there was no answer. He hesitated, fighting the impulse to turn around and make sure she was still behind him. It wasn't worth it unless she was with him. All the beautiful things in the world didn't compare to her.
"Julia?" asked Josh a third time. A white-gloved hand suddenly leapt from the portal and grabbed his hand, trying to jerk him back home. Josh panicked and in that panic he did what his lover had told him never to do. He looked back to see if Julia was behind him so that he could grab her hand and pull her into the light with him. There was nothing behind him but darkness and now Josh felt the darkness swarm all over him, breaking his grip with the hand that would pull him back into the light. The portal that would take Joshua Guthrie home vanished. He was now confronted by a monster with blazing, fiery eyes and fangs that could cut into a man's very soul. The dark beast sprang at him and he screamed as it enveloped him in its suffocating clutches.
XXXXX
Paige stood on the sidelines and watched Logan have a field day with the New X-Men. She had spent enough time with Jubilee to know that Logan favored this style of "teaching". A class with Logan wasn't one where you sat at a desk and stared at a textbook.
"How come you're sitting out?" X-23 didn't register Paige's question immediately. She watched her teammates continue throwing themselves at Wolverine while the Canuck critiqued them as he dispatched them with his usual gruffness. She understood what Logan had meant earlier. She had the skills to take him one-on-one but she lacked the ability to work with the rest of the team. Watching the fight for X-23 was like watching an unfinished puzzle. She could see exactly where she could fit if she were part of it.
"He thinks it would be unfair," replied X-23 as she looked at Paige. Paige nodded and watched the New X-Men pick themselves up and go for another run. Wolverine let out a growl of pain as the electricity from Surge coursed through his metal bones. He powered through the attack and slammed his knee into Nori's gut, grabbing her and spinning on his heel to throw her into Hellion.
"Do you think you'd win?" asked Paige.
"He would not really fight," explained X-23 as Mercury wrapped her liquid metal body around Wolverine, locking him up long enough for Rockslide to deliver a couple bone-crushing punches at Logan's chest, "We are . . . family."
"I know about things like that," assured Paige, "God knows I grew up wanting to kill a couple o' my siblings but I'd never really hurt 'em." Paige saw X-23 suddenly wince slightly.
"Your brother is in trouble," said Laura, her enhanced hearing picking up the sound of the alarm seconds before it reached the Danger Room.
"Class is dismissed, kids," said Logan as he looked at the New X-Men, "Ya done good today. I think we made some real progress." Logan quickly excused himself to check on the alarm. Paige ran after him, both of them sprinting towards the elevator that would get them up to the medical wing. She wasn't going to lose Josh again.
"I'd rather have another go with Nimrod," muttered Surge as she picked herself up off the floor.
"I think my head's ringin' too," said Rockslide as he picked up the arm that had been broken off and reattached it, "What's the noise about?"
"Jay," replied Dust as she quickly took off after Paige and Logan with the rest of the team behind her. In the past 24 hours, Sooraya had prayed more times than in possibly her entire life. She didn't know exactly what forces were at work here but she prayed now that Allah would not undo the miracle He had created. She did not believe for a single second that Allah would bring Josh back to them only so they could watch him die for a second time.
"What's wrong?" asked Paige as she almost slammed through the door and into the medical wing. Logan quickly grabbed her and held her back. He could smell something foul in that room, something unearthly and unholy. Whatever it was, Emma was already in the room with it and he wasn't going to let anybody else just waltz in there and become prey for it.
"Nobody go in," warned Logan, "The kid doesn't smell right." There was suddenly a scream, a painful howl that sounded like it came from some wounded animal. Paige stared through the glass window and could see what was happening but only barely. It was dark in the room. The darkness seemed to be spilling out of her brother like water, sloshing and splashing out onto the floor of the room.
"I hafta get in there!" snapped Paige.
"No," growled Logan, "I do!" He quickly moved Paige aside and slammed through the door. He sniffed the air and tried to discern what this darkness was. Whatever it was, it seemed to be alive. It registered Wolverine's presence and suddenly stopped its movement towards the unconscious Emma Frost, surging now towards Logan like a pack of hungry wolves.
"Turn it off," ordered Logan as the air rang with the sound of his adamantium claws popping from their housings. The mass of living darkness paid no heed to the demands of the mighty Wolverine. It continued its charge and slammed Logan up against the window, the inky tentacles quickly swarming all over him and threatening to choke him out. The darkness was ice-cold to the touch and would've probably frozen the bones of ordinary men. Wolverine, however, was not an ordinary man and he proceeded to hack and slash at the ebony blob that threatened to engulf him.
"Damn idiot," muttered Paige as she quickly began peeling off her skin to reveal a layer of steel underneath. She managed to tackle her brother from his standing position back into his bed. Sensing this new, more dangerous threat to its apparent master, the darkness snapped backwards to reel itself in like a fishing line until it could get to Paige.
"Josh, it's me," said Paige as she tried to get her brother to speak to her. His eyes were devoid of pupils and black as a cloudy midnight sky. Paige stared into them and felt the bone-chilling, mind-numbing cold envelop her.
"Josh, listen to me," ordered Paige. She could barely talk as she felt her teeth chatter. It was like every ounce of heat in her body was being sucked straight out of her and every bit of light in her soul was being snuffed out by the all-encompassing blackness she now found herself in the epicenter of.
"She warned me," moaned Josh, "She tried to save me."
"Dammit, Joshua," snapped Paige as she forced herself to look into the abyss his eyes had become, "Look at me. I'm not losing you again. Do you hear me? Come home!"
"Home," said Josh as he latched onto his sister's voice. Paige saw the darkness in his eyes begin to recede. She felt the blessed warmth in her body return as the darkness continued to flow back into her brother until it vanished completely.
"Home," repeated Josh as he registered his sister's presence for the first time since she found him on the doorstep, "Am I . . . home?" Paige smiled as she cradled her brother while Josh let out a gut-wrenching sob and hugged her tightly.
"Yeah," assured Paige quietly, "You're home, little brother. You're home."
XXXXX
"Do you think he's alright?" Noriko Ashida looked through the window at the scene before her and then returned her attention to the rest of her team.
"Did a pretty good job of smackin' Logan around," cut in Rockslide, "Didn't know the kid had it in him."
"He didn't," said Surge, "No, Cess, I don't know if he's alright."
"Looks to me like he finally grew a pair," said Hellion, "I say we get him on the team."
"Might as well, "agreed Rockslide, "Auditions have sucked anyways. All I got is Victor and Hamil. Something tells me the amazing duo of Lizard Boy and Flame Head can't exactly bring the pain like Jay can now."
"I really think I liked it better when you were in a coma," said Surge as she looked at Hellion, "Jay just woke up and the first thing you wanna do is draft him?"
"You said it yourself last night," countered Hellion, "He used to be a Hellion and he used to be a New Mutant. I don't know about your sorry-ass squad but we take care of our own." Surge's eyes flashed with electricity. She couldn't believe Julian's nerve. Even when he was basically agreeing with her, he was still an absolute prick about it.
"We should let him get some rest," advised Dust, "Then we must deal with . . . whatever that was."
"Yeah," agreed Rockslide, "We need to find a priest 'cause that was totally something out of The Exorcist. Hey, Cess, you're Catholic right? How do we score a priest?"
"Santo," replied Mercury with a roll of her eyes, "just because my family's Irish doesn't mean I'm automatically a Catholic."
"Sooraya's right," cut in Surge, "I'm all for having Jay on the team but he's dangerous right now. We need to find out whatever that was and whether or not he can control it before we let him on the team." Nori looked at her teammates for suggestions on their next course of action. The silence was deafening.
"Seems like we should do what we always do when we need some info," spoke up Hellion, "We go ask the man with the big brain."
XXXXX
The others had gone in search of answers. Sooraya was confident they would find the truth. She knew that both Surge and Hellion could be extremely stubborn when they tried. She, however, had a different course of action to take. Now that things had finally calmed down and Josh was conscious, Dust needed to speak with him. While she blamed herself for his death, Dust had not forgotten the address Josh had given her that would've led her into Stryker's trap. While she could forgive him for this mistake, she still wanted answers. Sooraya wasn't exactly the aggressive type but when push came to shove she could be forceful enough. Now was going to have to be one of those times.
"I would like to speak with your brother," said Dust as she stood outside Josh's room. Paige was in the doorway and looked to be standing some sort of guard although at this point it was slightly unclear as to who she was protecting. She still hadn't husked back into her normal form although she had managed to keep her clothes on. Dust wondered what it would be like to have Paige's ability. By the standards of most, Sooraya wasn't exactly very "comfortable in her own skin" as she had heard Americans put it. She wondered what it would be like to be able to change your skin if you weren't comfortable in it.
"He's had a hard day," explained Paige, "I mean last night he just came back to life and all. You can understand that I'm going to say no."
"Yes," agreed Dust, "but I need to speak with him."
"Sooraya, he needs to rest," said Paige as she started peeling off her steel skin and began returning to normal.
"It's alright, sis," said Josh as he sat up in his bed, "I got it covered." Paige gave her younger brother a worried look before stepping aside to let Dust in. Josh watched as Sooraya came into the room. He was surprised to see her and happy to discover that she was alive. However, he knew this was going to happen sooner or later. He didn't think any of his friends knew the full truth but he had a feeling that Sooraya would be the one to confront him about it if any of them did. He had been responsible for the bus attack. He was the one who had allowed himself to believe Stryker's lies. He was the one who had given the preacher the time and the place. It was only by chance and good fortune that Sooraya was even standing before Josh at all considering he had sold her out to Stryker.
"How are you alive?" asked Josh as Dust took a seat beside his bed, "I saw you die."
"Laura took my place," explained Dust, "She believed Allah did not want me to die." Josh simply nodded. He wasn't exactly sure about God anymore. His experiences with Stryker and the darkness in his own soul left him too jaded to really place his faith in God again.
"Why?" asked Dust simply. He supposed it was a fair enough question. It wasn't as if more needed to be said.
"Do you believe God plans everything out ahead of time?" asked Josh quietly, "I mean do we still make choices about things?"
"I believe we have the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong," replied Dust, "However, I do not believe anything good or evil happens without the permission of Allah."
"I'm not even sure He's up there anymore," admitted Josh, "What kind of god lets a person like me come back to life when there are so many others who deserve it more?"
"Why did you give me that address?" asked Dust, "It was the address to Stryker's church."
"I never meant for anyone to die," replied Josh, "least of all you." He felt a cold chill crawl over him and his hands began to glow as the living darkness welled up in them. He couldn't tell her the whole truth, not yet. He couldn't let her know how much of a monster he had become.
"You couldn't have known," assured Dust, "Whatever mistakes you made, you couldn't have known it would lead to this." Dust reached out her hand to touch Josh's. The darkness enveloped her hand and she felt its icy touch before Josh reeled it back in. He was starting to understand more about how his new power worked. The darkness was an extension of himself. All he had to do was think and it would happen.
"What is it?" asked Dust as she flexed her fingers.
"I . . . I don't know," admitted Josh, "It's part of me somehow but it's hard to control."
"The others are looking into it," assured Dust, "They would like to have you on our team. I would as well."
"None of you would want me if you knew the truth," stated Josh coldly.
"You died for whatever crimes you committed," said Dust, "Now, you are born again with a chance to have a new life. Is this not what your religion teaches?"
"I don't really have a religion anymore," assured Josh, "There's no reason for me being alive again."
"There is reason for everything," replied Dust as she took his hand and squeezed it gently, "You are welcome to join our team, Jay."
"That name doesn't belong to me anymore," said Josh, "I'm not Icarus either. I should get a new one."
"I should catch up with the others," said Dust, "You can tell me your decision next time." Josh suddenly leaned forward, taking Sooraya's hand in his and gently kissing her on the forehead.
"I look forward to next time then," assured Josh. Dust blushed under her veil and was glad that Josh couldn't see it. She simply nodded and got up from her chair, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts.
