Uncanny New Mutants

Chapter 52: Payback Time- Part 3

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to Marvel.


Somewhere in Utah-

Rahne slowly entered into Cameron Hodge's inner sanctum, her lupine senses ready for the slightest sign of danger. The red-haired mutant wasn't getting anything from all this bloodshed that her team had wrought against the Right, she just wanted to get it all over and done with so she could go home and spend some time with her children. It almost seemed like Rahne had hardly spent any time with the triplets. The Scottish mutant made a mental note to remedy that. When she got home, she was going to step down from leading her team so she could spend some time with her family. Sam could take over as leader while she was gone.

Rahne was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed that something wasn't quite right about the room that she was standing in. She should have been met with a hail of gunfire, or something. The blindingly-white room was practically bare. The only thing inside the room, apart from Rahne herself, was a black desk and a swivelling chair with its back to her.

Rahne walked over to the swivelling chair and spun it around so she could see who was sitting there. The sight that greeted the redheaded werewolf made her step back in surprise. The person that was sitting in the chair was Cameron Hodge, or at least somebody that used to be Cameron Hodge. The person smelled like they had been dead for some time.

'I was wondering when you muties would get here…' The decayed Hodge croaked hoarsely.

Rahne just gawked in shock. The decaying corpse sitting in the chair was actually alive? How could that be?

'What, no witty repartee?' The half-dead Hodge attempted to laugh, but only succeeded in sending a course of hacking coughs through what remained of his body. 'You disappoint me, Ms Sinclair.'

Rahne finally managed to find her voice.

'How…?'

'That's something that I'd like to know myself.' Hodge rasped. 'I don't know why they didn't leave me to rest in peace.'

'Who do ye mean by they?' Rahne blinked.

'Why, the Right, of course.' Hodge responded. 'They needed a strong leader, so they brought me back from the dead. The dark arts are a wondrous thing, you know.'

'Ye know that I've come to stop ye.' Rahne told her foe. 'Those of yuir soldiers that haven't already ran away are dead, or dying.'

'Hmm, yes, I know.' Hodge nodded. 'You know, Ms Sinclair, I would have never thought you to be a person that liked needless bloodshed. I thought that the X-Men frowned upon such things.'

'I'm only doing it to protect my family from monsters like you.' Rahne snarled.

'Then why don't you do it?' Hodge challenged her. 'Go on, kill me! Make this all end now!'

Rahne reached out with a clawed hand, intending to tear out Hodge's throat, but pulled back before she made the killing blow.

'Just as I thought.' Hodge snorted in derision. 'You're afraid.'

'Do ye want to see fear?' Rahne growled once more. 'Then I'll show ye what being afraid is really like!'

'Oh, please!' Hodge rolled his eyes. 'Enough with the hyperbole. You don't have it in you to kill me, Ms Sinclair. You're not a killer. You're just a meek little girl that's afraid of who she is. No matter how much to try to hide it, that's exactly who you are.'

Rahne clamped a furry hand around Hodge's throat and shoved him up against the wall.

'People change, Hodge!' Rahne snarled angrily. 'I'm no' a little girl any more! I'm a grown woman. I've changed, unlike you! Yuir still a hateful little peace o' scum!'

Hodge just laughed back in Rahne's face.

'You keep telling yourself that, my dear.' The undead bigot taunted her. 'The truth is painful, isn't it?'

Rahne threw Hodge across the room with all the lupine strength that she could muster.

'I've killed lots o' people here today…' The redhead told her prey. 'I'm sure that one more wilnae hurt…'


Outside-

Warlock waited nervously as Rahne did her thing with Hodge. The techno-organic alien hoped that his wife was going to be okay. Hodge's return had shook the Scotswoman to her core. She had suffered at his hands, it was something that she still refused to talk about. The Mutate process was not a pleasant thing.

Warlock was brought out of his daze when he heard the rest of the team approach.

'Lock! Where's Rahne?' Sam asked as he ran up with the rest of the former New Mutants. 'Y'all didn't let her go inside, did you?'

'She insisted, Sam.' Warlock sighed heavily. 'You know how stubborn Rahne can get sometimes.'

'Are y'all mad?' Sam spluttered in disbelief. 'She could be getting herself killed in there!'

'If you want to step between an angry werewolf and her prey, then you can be my guest, buddy.' Roberto shook her head.

'Besides…' Amara chipped in. 'Rahne is our leader, and we must follow her orders.'

The discussion was cut short as the door swung open and a blood-covered Rahne strode out. The former New Mutants were taken back at the sight of the blood-stained redhead. Doug was the first one to break the silence.

'Did you… you know…?'

'He wasnae worth my time.' Rahne answered simply, not even turning to look at Doug. 'I had him in my hands, but I couldnae do it. I'm just fed up o' all the killing.'

'It looks like he's half-dead, anyway.' Illyana covered her mouth with her sleeve as she peered into the room and took a look at the thoroughly beaten Hodge. 'Do you want me to finish him off? Make sure he's dead?'

'Do whatever ye want.' Rahne shrugged as she began to walk away. 'It doesnae make any difference to me.'

Warlock started after his wife.

'Rahne, hey, wait up!' the techno-organic alien tried to catch his wife's attention. Thankfully, she stopped. Rahne's shoulders slumped before she turned to regard her husband.

'I'm tired, 'Lock.' Rahne sighed heavily. 'I just want tae go home and see my children.'

Warlock nodded in understanding. Now wasn't the time for talking. It had been a busy time for the former New Mutants. They all needed a rest and some time off. It would take Cameron Hodge and the Right some time to recover from the beating that the team of mutants gave them. Mutantkind could rest easy for the moment.

TBC…


Next: Time Off

Rahne and Warlock take some time off from X-Men business and spend a little time with their children.