Chapter 10
One week later in Metropolis...
It had taken the team longer than they expected to get to the bottom of the disappearing mutants but got there they had...with a lot of trouble and violence and almost losing Stacy. They had had to pull off a last minute rescue before she got shipped out the country to God only knows where.
They had stopped it here but the men involved...diplomatic immunity. If you can believe that crap. How do scum like that have diplomatic immunity? How high does it go? Pretty high...somewhere. That's just one of a hundred questions they still need answers to.
Right now the important thing is that Stacy wouldn't be joining the ranks of the vanished...and speaking of Stacy she was just saying her farewells to Logan down an alley out of sight. Thing about her is despite her appearance she's never shy to show off her body. Her appearance being that her skin is scaled and patterned, like a snake's. In fact she sheds her skin periodically like a snake. Also this mission involved her posing as a stripper so she's in little more than bra and panties coated to her lithe, athletic and rather busty frame. Apart from that she also had short black hair and green snake-like eyes.
Of course her appearance was the whole reason Logan called in that favour she owed him because it was mutants with distinct physical mutations that were vanishing, making Stacy perfect to...well lets face facts she was bait, to lure those responsible out into the open where the X-Men could identify them. It did work...more or less.
"Well Logan this was fun as always," Stacy says in a tone that makes it hard to tell whether she's being serious or sarcastic. Either is possible. She always does like a good adventure every now and again. She holds her hand out and coughs.
Logan rolls her eyes. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rolled-up bundle of notes. Ok, called in favour and paying her was how Logan got her to agree.
Stacy grins complete unabashed as she does a quick count to check it's all there.
"Ya goin back to that place in Nevada?" Logan asks about her next move. Back to the place she works in.
"Pays well so yep," Stacy confirms.
Logan chews this over for a moment. "Ya know I don't judge your choices but if ya ever feel like doing something different I could swing it with Chuck to get ya a room."
Stacy looks at him surprised he made the offer. "Me? An X-Man?" she queries before doubling over in laughter. "Oh yeah I can see how that would play out in the press. The Whore in the Team."
"Snake-eyes," Logan says sternly.
She waves him off. "Hey, I'm not ashamed of it."
"And I'm not judging ya, like I said. Also why do you play up to it?" he asks her. "There's far more to ya than that," he argues. She seems, on purpose, to like to act like there is nothing more to her than being the whore as she phrases it. Logan doesn't get why because he knows there are far more layers to her than that. She throws off this image of almost every prostitute cliché you can think of...again seemingly on purpose.
"Maybe because that's all anyone can see," Stacy says, her tone soft and weighed down with emotion.
Logan shakes his head and sighs. She's damaged. Who isn't. He wishes she would just stop and be herself...whoever the hell that really is. He can guess under it she's just as beautiful, complicated and messy as every other human being. She just doesn't let anyone see it.
"Besides even if you don't judge me your Professor would, as would that team of yours. From what you've been saying they all sound far too straight-edged to accept someone like me."
"You're wrong," Logan tells her.
Stacy shrugs. "Tell you what since I like you so much I'll think on it."
"No you won't."
"No. I won't," Stacy confirms with a smirk. "Feel like a freebie?" she offers him.
Logan gives her a look.
Stacy snorts with laughter. "I'm just messing with ya. I can taste the pheromones you and the white weather witch send each other," she tells him. That's one part of her powers. She can detect pheromones but she can also produce them which is what allows her to give her clients the time of their lives without her ever having to actually get intimate with them. "You take care of that one," she advises, sounding far more serious, like a good friend.
"I intend to," Logan assures her. "You take care of yourself."
"You know me," she says with a lop-sided grin.
"That's why I'm saying it kid."
Stacy makes a theatrical bow...which only goes to allow Logan a really good look at her cleavage.
Logan shakes his head. She never changes. They depart their separate ways and Logan meets up with Domino, Storm and Banshee.
"So say goodbye to your friend?" Dom asks with a snigger. The fact Logan's friend was a prostitute...well it raised some interesting questions Dom had been using to tease him for days.
Logan growls at her and gently punches her on her injured shoulder.
"OW! Son of a...It was a joke!" Dom complains rubbing the still very sensitive wound.
"Dom sometimes..." Banshee starts but doesn't finish. Sometimes she needs to realise when not to open her mouth. Especially since whatever history Logan has with this Stacy woman hasn't been exactly good for his relationship with Storm.
"Sean, Domino, can Logan and I have a minute alone?" Ororo requests.
"Sure," Sean agrees...and then has to drag Domino away who hadn't wished to leave. She wanted to hear this, dammit!
"Ro..." Logan says.
"I've tried not to judge Logan. Really I have...but that woman!" she huffs having had to put up with her for over a week. The flirting, the endless innuendos, the seemingly deliberately pushing of her buttons.
"She's alright," Logan defends Stacy.
"She works in a brothel, Logan!"
"Ro...you've got not to be so judgemental. You have to realise the life she's lived looking like she does."
"I'm perfectly sympathetic to the fact it can't have been easy but there are other ways she could use her powers."
"She doesn't want to use her powers in any other way."
"It's beneath her."
Logan groans and rubs his head. "Ro...what she does is a show. The real person...I don't think she's ever shown it to anyone. She's...more complicated than she first seems. Trust me on that," he feels he needs to defend Stacy.
Ororo folds her arms in a stern pose. "You know, you never said how you know her," she returns to a topic he's been avoiding answering.
"Ro...you know I ain't a saint. You said you accepted that I'm not," he reminds her.
"I do!" she insists.
"Look...the place she works in...I was the one who got her in there because I knew they'd accept her. It was a better, cleaner, safer place than where I found her. That is as far as I'm willing to discuss the topic today, ok."
"No. It's not ok. We're in a relationship Logan. What about trust?"
"What about the trust I have with Stacy to keep promises I made?"
"I'm not asking you to break your promises to her."
"Ain't you?"
"No. No, Logan. I'm not. I'm...I don't know," she says, her whole posture falling
"Jealous?" Logan asks amused.
"No."
"Intrigued by her offer of a threesome?" he asks in jest.
Ororo snorts with amusement. "No! Though she wouldn't be the first woman I've dallied with."
Logan's eyebrows rise. "Since when?"
"Hey, you have your secrets. I have mine," she enjoys turning it round on him.
That's...oh come on. Now he's got the image in his head he's never going to get it out.
Ororo sobers. "I trust your judgement on her...and you were right. She was a big help in this," she'll concede.
"At least we got something out of it."
"Did we?" Ororo asks sceptically. "We learned there is an organisation that is abducting mutants out the country. It's clearly well funded and structured but for what purpose and who its leaders are we don't know."
"We got a name. It's a start," Logan argues.
"U-Men," Ororo states the name they got.
"I feel like we should sue," Logan quips as how similar that is to X-Men.
Ororo smiles at his jokes but still she's worried. What are they, whoever these U-Men are, kidnapping all these mutants for?
At the Institute...
Outside the wall, out of sight sits a car and in that sits a reporter determined to get to the truth...and this place is the only link she has to get to the person she needs to talk to.
Lois Lane sits there, peering through binoculars, sipping on coffee.
The person she is looking for?
That lying alien dubbed Superman.
For months she tried to get to the bottom...to uncover...to expose what happened the day of the 2nd meteor shower with that alien ship and its two occupants who killed so many...and Superman...
Ugh, all those times she thought he was a hero.
She's an idiot.
And he's a big fat liar.
He is clearly the same species as them.
Lois had somewhere noted before how those two had had similar abilities to Superman but she never put it together. Not until he came out in front of Congress. Somehow she had allowed herself to be blinded, not put two and two together. Maybe she just assumed he was a mutant...which was sloppy journalism. To just assume.
Lois bets Chloe would never have done that.
Her heart sinks a little as she thinks of Chloe.
Not only did she lose her cousin the hospital somehow lost the body!
Lois was so steaming mad at them...and at Superman.
Yeah she may have been a little sloppy but he lied. She looked into his eyes and he lied about himself to her face.
So Lois is going to expose him. Lois is going to get the truth. She promised JJ that.
"Your ass is mine Superman," she mutters under her breath.
There is then a 'tap-tap-tap' on her window making Lois jump...and who is it but the man who is the focus of her attentions; Superman.
Lois rolls the window down.
"You know I rather not give you my ass. I'm rather fond of it," Superman jokes.
"How did you...?"
"Hear you? I hear everything. So there a reason you've been here for 3 days straight?" he wonders.
"You knew I was here?"
"See everything too," he quips, feeling in a lighter mood this evening.
Lois is flustered. She's let him get control of this conversation. "You want to know why I'm here?" she asks, her tone full of anger.
"I'm curious," Superman admits. That and it has meant Chloe has locked herself away for 3 straight days, still not wishing for anyone she knows to know she's still alive. Clark's tired of arguing with her and trying to get her to change her mind. It seems he's just got to give her whatever length of time she needs to come to terms with her change.
Lois steps out the car, stands right in Superman's face and jabs her finger into his chest. "I'm here to expose you for the big, fat liar you are!"
Superman arches an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You said you were the last of your kind."
"I am."
Lois snorts. "Rubbish. I was there that day in Smallville. I saw the ship. Those two were aliens just like you."
Superman's face and tone grow serious. "No, Ms Lane," he contradicts her flatly. "Not like me. Nothing like me. They are not of my kind," he says that because he doesn't consider them to be his kind. They were the ones that followed the monster who is responsible for making his species virtually extinct and leaving him all alone so no. Under no circumstances will he consider them his kind. "And even though it's none of your business I will say I was the one who dealt with them. I was the one who has made sure they are no longer a threat."
"And I'm suppose to believe you?"
"I don't care whether you believe me or not," Superman says. "What I do care about is that you seem to be spying on my friends who have nothing to do with this whatsoever. You want to be angry at me, blame me for something, fine. I can take it but you leave my friends out of it," he warns her.
"Or what?!" Lois demands to know.
"That's a very interesting question."
Both Lois and Superman stiffen. That was a new voice. Suddenly two white beams smash into Superman from behind sending him flying and rolling across the ground.
Clark's head snaps round just in time to see a woman with white skin and hair, dressed in black, grab Lois' arm, her eyes glowing brilliant white, an indication where those beams came from. She's so stealing his bit.
"Let me go!" Lois demands struggling uselessly against the much more powerful woman.
The woman chuckles. "Oh Superman!" she coos. "I'm taking your little problem away. Catch me if you can!" she dares him with a playful tone and a joyful smirk on her face. The space behind her then cracks open and she yanks Lois in with her.
Clark moves in a blur but too late as he catches nothing but air. "Dammit!" he swears. He puts his hands on his hips...and then frowns. Space cracking open, a white skinned hand? That was who took Piotr's sister. It's her. This mysterious woman. He suddenly just realises it.
He better let the Professor kn... "Ahhh!" he cries out as a high-pitched tone hits his superhearing hard.
"Only one creature with less than 4 legs can hear this frequency Superman and that's you."
It's her. How did she...he never gets to finish that line of questioning.
"Now listen to me carefully. If you value Ms Lane's life you will follow this sound and come right now on your own. Don't try and be smart and get help from your X-Men friends. I'll know if you do. I can see the patterns of the future so don't even try it," she warns him. "And oh in case that isn't enough to get your focus on me I've hidden a bomb in Bayville filled with poison gas. You have 5 minutes to find me before I detonate it. I conservatively estimate it'll kill a good third of the population. I'm waiting!" she taunts him.
Clark's hands clench into fists.
"Ooh ho, she's a fun one isn't she," War chortles as he appears in Clark's vision ahead of him.
"Not now," Clark says from between gritted teeth.
War looks smug. "We both know you're losing, Clark," he boasts. "It's only a matter of time now until I win and get control of our body back. Then the work of the Great Apocalypse will be completed."
Clark shakes his head. He doesn't have time for this. He zips off, following the tone.
It brings him to an old abandoned warehouse where he finds a gagged Lois tied to a chair in the middle of the space with a light illuminating her and keeping the rest in darkness...not that that impedes Clark's vision in the slightest. There's no-one else here that he can see.
"Wow, an old, abandoned warehouse!" he mocks. "You've been reading my favourite book haven't you? Villainy for Dummies!" he calls out trying to get his mysterious woman to appear. "And where's the sign?!" he asks. "You know the big one in Neon that says 'This is a Trap!'"
Because it's so obviously a trap.
"Sorry. Next time I'll remember to buy one," a silky, seductive tone whispers in his ear from directly behind him.
Superman spins round, grabs her by the arms and shoves her up against some crates.
She throws her head back and makes a noise of almost pleasure. "Ooh, I love my men big and strong," she says suggestively with a lustful smirk on her face.
"Who are you?" Superman asks her, his gaze intense.
"Someone who's not as fragile as they appear," she replies before she surprises Clark by breaking free of his grip...by kneeing him between the legs.
"Son of a..." Superman swears with a pain-filled grimace. Even on a Kryptonian, he can assure you, that hurts.
The woman grabs him and literally throws him across the entire length of the warehouse. By the time he's recovered she's already by Lois, her hands on her Lois' head, held in the perfect position if you were going to snap their neck. Clark comes to a stop out of his blur about a dozen paces away.
"Don't even try it," she warns him. "I promise that even you can't move fast enough to stop me snapping Ms Lane's neck here like a chicken."
Superman's hands clench and unclench. A habit that happens more and more and a sign of how close War is to the surface. "Where's the bomb?" he asks.
"Somewhere," the woman smirks. "Somewhere in the back of my mind actually. Just a little idea I was toying with," she says with a laugh. "Got your attention though didn't it," she explains the real purpose of her statement.
"Is that how you get your kicks? By plotting the death of innocent people?" Superman wants to know, trying to figure out just how disturbed a person he is dealing with.
"No. By killing innocent people," she replies...before snorting with laughter. "Sorry, sorry, can't keep that up. No. I don't really go around killing people...unless it's necessary for the grand design," she conditions that.
"What grand design?"
"Ah, now that is the question isn't it," the woman says as if that is the question to end all questions. The one that nails it on the head.
"Who are you?" he repeats his question, his tone laced with much more anger now.
"I'm the Black Swan," she introduces herself.
Superman cocks his head.
The woman carries on. "Take that last name as the one I inherited from my father. Mr Swann...well actually Dr Swann would be more accurate.
Superman's eyebrows drop as something twigs inside his mind. "Virgil Swann?" he queries.
The woman smiles and nods. "Keep going," she encourages him.
"Patricia?"
"And Bingo!" she cheers.
Superman's jaw drops a little. He means he knew she had been transformed into a mutant but he had never seen it.
"Hello Kal-El," she greets him formally. "It's been a very, very long time...at least from my perspective."
Superman blinks.
"Tell me...do you like my look?" Black Swan asks.
"It's...uh...you're lovely," Superman decides to go for flattery as a tactic. Perhaps he can still talk her down or if that fails get her to lower her guard and give him an opening to rescue Lois.
Black Swan smiles rosily. "Why thank you," she accepts the compliment.
"What are you doing?" he asks her. "Why are you doing this?"
"Carrying on my father's work," she answers.
"You're going to have to explain that to me," Superman says, not following the logic.
"No. I don't," Black Swan refuses. She has no intention of being 'talked down' which she knows he is trying. "Her on the other hand..." she says nodding to behind Superman.
He stiffens as he hears...he spins out of the way of what appears to be a flaming sword...only not quite as it catches his left arm on the bicep. He hisses in pain and grabs at his arm with his right hand. He draws his hand back to see red blood smeared on his palm.
"Well, will you look at that. The Man-God bleeds!" Black Swan comments.
Superman's very blue eyes, ringed currently with fire in anger, flicker up to who it was that attacked him. It was a young woman...he thinks, perhaps his age, with long wavy blond hair and eyes that glow red. Curved black horns adorned her head and a red spaded tail swished back and forth in a menacing manner. Her lower legs were cloven, like goat's legs, red in colour. She was dressed in a black bikini top held together by looped chains. On both arms were long black gloves, over which was spiked pieces of armour on her elbows and her wrists. Around her waist more looped chains which held up flimsy black tattered triangles of fabric. Attached were two black tattered stockings covering her upper legs down to where they transformed into goat ones and on her knees the same spiked pieces of armour.
And of course she wielded that flaming sword.
Superman snorts in disdain as he can practically smell how it cut him. "Magic."
"Of a kind beyond your understanding," Black Swan tells him. "By the way this is Darkchylde. The instrument of your death. Her shadow will snuff out your light," she does the introductions in a ridiculously light tone as if introducing someone over dinner.
Superman chuckles darkly. "You think that is suppose to scare me? Death. Been there. Met her."
"It's not a threat just a statement of fact."
"With all due respect to your father Patricia; Bite me!" Superman snaps...assuming that was him at all. He's angry now...and anger brings War to the surface.
"Maybe later," she replies with a salacious smile. "What say you Darkchylde, shall we bite him later?"
Darkchylde's eyes glow brighter and her tail swishes in eager anticipation. "Sounds like fun," she says with a smirk. "I've been so looking forward to this Star Child," she tells him.
"Really?" Superman asks with an eyebrow arched with scepticism.
"I have lacked a challenge for so long. Your death will be legendary."
"I'm not dead yet."
"You cannot avoid it. It is your destiny to be destroyed at my hands."
"I make my own destiny lady...if you are a lady," he hedges his bets.
"I am the Darkchylde. Servant of Belasco, Lord of Limbo."
"Oh I see," Superman gets it now. "A man sending a little girl to do his dirty work...that says something don't you think."
Darkchylde's eyes flash brighter still at the insult of both her and her Master. She raises her sword and aims its point at him. Her Soulsword, the forged essence of what remains of her own soul into a weapon of immense power. She charges at him, swinging with all the skill of the hardened warrior she is.
Clark steps backward dodging the blows. He flips backward from one, hovers and kicks a crate from the top of a pile at her.
With not even an uttered word required for a spell a mystical bolt erupts from Darkchylde's hand and blows the crate into bits. She inhales, opens her mouth and blows a stream of hellfire at him.
Clark inhales and blows out his freeze breath back.
It becomes a question of whose power is greater.
Answer; right now it seems to be Superman as he blows Darkchylde's fire back and blows her back in an icy wind. He lands on the floor. "You want to play with fire...I'll show you fire," he vows as his eyes glow deep crimson.
Superman sends out a blast of his heat vision...only for his target to vanish into a round portal.
"Sneaky isn't she," Black Swan remarks at Darkchylde using what she refers to as her 'stepping disks'. That, as matter of fact, is Illyana's mutant power; essentially teleportation. Oh yes, she's a mutant and those stepping disks are her means of teleportation. They use Limbo as a short-cut allowing Darkchylde to get anywhere she wants to really in time, space and dimension.
"One of my best friends is a teleporter," Superman says. "You'll have to do better than this," he points out that he knows how this trick plays out as he spins round and easily catches the wrists of Darkchylde as she tries to take him from above and behind.
The girl-demon growls as she tries to match strength with Superman. While she may be stronger than your average human a match for a sun-kissed Kryptonian she is not. He twists her round, taking one hand behind her back with him, the other with the sword he brings to her own throat.
"Now," Superman says. "Are we going to release Ms Lane or do I have to lose my temper?" he asks Black Swan, his threat all too clear as he brings the flaming sword that tiny bit closer to Darkchylde's neck.
The white-skinned woman smirks. "We both know you're not a killer, Kal-El. Besides...Darkchylde has you exactly where she wants you."
Superman frowns...and looks down as he sees her tail wrap around his waist. Underneath him and the demonic sorceress a stepping disk opens and up it rises consuming the two entwined foes.
That leaves Black Swan and the still restrained Lois all alone. "Ah I love it when a plan comes together," the white-haired, wrapped in mystery woman says as she rips Lois' gag away.
"What was that?" Lois asks. One question asking many.
"If you mean Darkchylde she is a demon sorceress. If you mean what was this about...isn't it obvious. It was about getting my hands on Superman. Speaking of which now I've got him out the way..." she unclips a phone from behind her back and dials a number. Waits for the person to answer. "You remember I promised to get rid of Superman for you...well it's done. I promise he won't be a bother. Have fun with your crusade," she says before ending the call and crushing the phone in her hand. Her work is done. Let Graydon Creed have his fun. It's all part of the plan...the one known only to her.
Lois looks at the woman through narrowed eyes.
Black Swan proceeds to lean on Lois, resting her arm atop Lois' head. "You know Lois...I can call you Lois right, you're really good at being bait," she comments with a smirk.
"Screw you, lady," Lois bites back.
"Don't tempt me. I'm not fussy," Black Swan says back with a worrying smile.
Lois is actually worried now. She's pretty helpless right this second.
"Well thanks to you Superman will meet the destiny I've spent literally decades mapping out. Not that you'll ever thank him. No. You blame him, don't you, for what happened that day of the meteor shower. Let me tell you a truth Lois. You're an idiot."
Lois chokes on the insult.
"If it wasn't for Superman by now you'd either be enslaved or dead. He chose you...the human race over his own kind. He chose loneliness, to be forever shorn from his people for you and how do you thank him, hmm? By leading the hate mob and why? For the truth? No. For revenge? To find someone to blame for that crappy day? Here's a fact from someone a hell of lot older than you. Life is crappy by default. Take my advice Lois. Look in the mirror and really ask yourself why you're doing this. Is it really in the search of the truth? Or because of some personal vendetta, a need of yours to assign blame to someone...oh!"
"Oh?" Lois queries that sudden odd remark.
"I just realised. I can't have you going off and warning anyone of what has just happened," Black Swan explains her sudden revelation.
Creeping fear crawls up Lois' spine. What will this woman do to her?
Black Swan snaps Lois' restraints and hoists the woman over her shoulder...with Lois trying to fight her way loose. Time and space crack open in front of them and Black Swan steps through with the young wannabe reporter.
Next thing Lois knows is being thrown down on a beach and spitting sand out her mouth. She looks around...it's a beach alright. Palm trees at the back.
"Ever watch Cast Away with the delectable Tom Hanks?" Black Swan asks Lois.
"Yeah..." Lois demurs.
"Enjoy the real life experience!" Black Swan cheers. "There's fresh water thataway," she points in the direction. "I'll be back for you later...maybe," she hedges. "Look at this as a growth experience. You get some quality alone time to think over what I said," she advises before turning around and re-entering her portal.
Lois jumps to her feet, runs and leaps...but the portal closes leaving her to eat sand once more.
Limbo...
Superman crashes down onto a blackened rock surface...and immediately starts to flinch and scratch at his crawling skin. He presses his head into the ground and closes his eyes due to...he doesn't know what. This place...ugh, it feels like it's infecting his every pore or something.
"Give it a minute. You'll get use to it."
Clark's eyes crack open and he turns his head. There's Patricia...and Darkchylde...and some guy with red skin trying to look intimidating or something because he sorta looks like the Devil.
Superman rises to his feet warily.
"Welcome to Limbo...Star Child," the man greets him.
Superman's blue eyes narrow. "And you are?"
"Belasco. Lord of all you see."
Superman looks around. There's not much to see. It's like a rocky desert under a twilight. "Which is not much of anything...which is more than you have going for you," he quips with a smirk.
Black Swan chuckles. Even Darkchylde's lips quirk up in amusement.
Belasco, on the other hand, is not amused.
"Patricia...you're not keeping good company these days," Superman advises her.
"Oh you'd be surprised," Black Swan argues that.
"Anyone care to tell me what this is about?" Superman asks.
Belasco does. "Your death, Star Child. To avert the prophecy."
Superman groans. "Prophecy?" he snorts. "You have any idea how much of that crap I've been putting up with lately? Next you're going to start talking about Destiny. Here's some advice. The last guy who spouted that garbage around me is now currently lost in the cracks of time."
"Ah but we have what he doesn't. The instrument of your destruction," he holds his arm out at Darkchylde.
Superman arches an eyebrow.
"But before she does," Belasco says as he strides forward until he is eye to eye with the Star Child. "I wanted to look in the eye the being of prophecy. The one suppose to bring light to the darkness."
Superman rolls his eyes. "Oh, that prophecy," he gets which one they're on about. "I recall Dr Strange and I having a long debate over that."
The corner of Belasco's lips curls up. "Strange cannot help you here, boy."
"Who said I needed his help," Superman declares darkly...and before anyone can react he smashes a massively powerful punch across the Hell Lord's face sending him flying back until he impacts a rocky outcrop, shattering it. "Now I see why you sent a little girl to do your dirty work," he mocks the fallen Hell Lord.
Belasco lies amongst the shattered rocks, rubbing his lips with the back of his hand and finding dark red, almost black blood smeared there.
"You pathetic little wannabe," Superman states angrily...and very condescendingly. "You dare stand there and talk about prophecy and destiny. I served one who was Destiny manifest. Who was beyond Gods and Demons and Good and Evil. He was a force of the universe...and his work will be completed. I will see to that. I...what...what I am saying?" he asks, staggering backward, unable to believe what he is saying.
Patricia brings her right hand to her lips and playfully bites the end of her index finger. "Oh dear. Yes so, sorry," she falsely apologises. "I should have explained. This is a Hell dimension. It's very nature pulls the evil inside someone to the surface. You don't happen to have evil inside you do you, Kal-El?" she asks with a knowing smile.
"War," Superman breathes in horror. Oh no. He can feel him now. The walls of his prison they're flimsy, like paper. It's taking all Clark has to keep War back.
Belasco is by now back to his feet. "Interesting," he remarks, not as angry as he could be. "You have such anger inside you don't you," he can plainly see.
Of course Clark does. His whole life for the last 2 freaking years has been one where he was used, manipulated and lied to. What Apocalypse did to him after capturing him...Clark has had dreams of pummelling the ancient mutant until he was nothing but a bloody smear on his fists for nothing but the satisfaction of revenge.
Belasco must admit to being surprised. The Star Child who should bring light having such intense darkness inside him. Of course it seems Black Swan isn't surprised at all. He will have to have words with her about keeping information from him. For right now lets us see what happens if the Star Child is pushed more into losing his temper. He raises his hand...and from the sky a gargoyle like demon soars downward. His 'lieutenant' N'astirh.
N'astirh wields a sword in his hand.
Superman's eyes glow bright red and he fires his heat vision. N'astirh tires to dodge but he gets winged anyway. As the demon falls out of control in a swift movement Superman snatches the sword from its hand while grabbing it round the throat and smashing it hard into the ground, so hard to carve out a shallow crater and no doubt shattering bone. Superman now stands there, the sword tip at the throat of the helpless demon.
For a minute Clark's actually thinking...he stops thinking as he hears movement all around him.
It's all very swift, very smooth, very brutal, very...War. The next thing Clark knows is standing there, half a dozen demon corpses around him, their blood dripping off the sword in his hand. He drops it in shock.
Black Swan slow claps him. "Impressive," she congratulates him. "However that was only the warm-up act. Darkchylde be a dear and summon the players for the main event," she requests.
Darkchylde brings her flaming Soulsword to a vertical in front of her face as she chants a spell in a language no human tongue could hope to pronounce. She then jams the sword, point end into the ground. The flames around it flare up bright...and the ground tears opens, creating a chasm.
Superman peers down...and sees hordes...virtually endless hordes of demons climbing up the sides.
"If you want some advice," Black Swan says. "Run," is the advice. "Run, run as fast as you can. Thataway is my best pick," she points.
If Clark fights...the more he fights, the angrier he gets and the more likely the certainty War will get free...and he can't do that. Even here, if it is what Patricia is claiming...he can't let War out so she's right.
He has only one option.
Run.
"You were saying something about wanting a challenge," Black Swan idly mentions to Darkchylde as Superman blurs off across the desert. "And as I recall you do love a good hunt."
Darkchylde smiles, her tail swishing eagerly. It's a mixture of enthusiasm, of demonic bloodlust...and just good old plain lust. The way he struck those demons down...ooh she's got goosebumps. And that glimpse of his inner darkness...how could she not be turned on?
"Hunt him down," Belasco orders. "He can't escape my realm. Hunt him down, kill him and bring his body before me," he directs his apprentice.
"Yes, Master," Darkchylde says obediently as she personally leads the demonic hordes of Limbo in pursuit.
The Great Hunt is on!
Author's Note: I know a lot of people didn't like Stacy-X(course her name was suppose to be X-Stacy, get it, ecstasy, X-Stacy, because her that is what her powers would bring but they kept mistyping it and it ended up stuck as Stacy-X). The problem with her wasn't that she was a prostitute on the X-Men because lets face it they don't judge. Wolverine's killed how many people? Emma was once pure evil and hey, highly over-sexualised too and X-23 was created to be a living weapon and that's just a few examples yet they're all X-Men. No, that whole idea could have worked and been interesting. The problem with Stacy was that she was made into a walking cliché of what everyone assumes a prostitute is like. She needed some depth and complexity that never came before they wrote her out. Though to this day the way she left is just hilarious, leaving a videotape of herself jumping rope naked to Warren to show him what he rejected. He chose Paige over her...which gets into a whole other issue of the older man/teenage girl, student/teacher impropriety. Chuck Austen's run...ugh. Though I'm just giving Stacy a cameo here and essentially it's an off-screen version of Exposure with mutants vanishing instead of just normal strippers and it allows me to name drop the U-Men who abduct mutants to steal their body parts and 'enhance' themselves. Jerks. Oh dear. It seems I've trapped Clark in Limbo to be hunted down and killed...and if you really think that's Black Swan's real aim you don't know her very well. At least I gave Lois some alone time to think her life over. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark may be being hunted but he's not going down easily nor without a fight...and back on Earth the FOH prepare to make their move.