Chapter Forty-Nine: Dark Phoenix.


Jaime's subconscious hit on something being very wrong at least a second too late. Her mind buzzed for a second. She didn't really have control of the main body any more.

'Jean, are you there?' Jaime asked. 'Jean?'

'Yes, Jaime, I'm here,' Jean said. Her voice sounded a little bit pained like someone tried to drown her underneath water. 'But, I'm not sure how long I'm going to be here. Someone is trying to erase us, I think.'

'Really, you too?' Jaime asked. Her head started to pound with each passing moment. 'We need to work together, and get back control of the vessel. Something went wrong with the ritual.'

'The Phoenix knows….knows everything,' Jean said.

Jaime noticed the strains he underwent. The will power it took for Jean to attempt to fight back. Her mind almost cracked underneath the pressure of keeping her head above the water. Jaime noticed some force pushing down on the back of her head.

The ritual should have worked, but something went really wrong, in the worst way. Jaime didn't understand how wrong it went.

'Okay, Jean, you know the Phoenix better than anyone else,' Jaime thought. 'What went wrong? Because, we need to fix this before she erases us.'

'I'm not sure if she can erase us from her mind,' Jean thought. She didn't want to put the theory to the test though. Her mind ran through a million miles of torment. 'We ended up in an awful place after I saved the day on Asteroid M. It looked like hell, felt like hell, maybe because it was hell, I don't know.'

'You don't know?' Jaime asked.

'I only have a slight idea,' Jean thought. She kept struggling to keep her mind together. 'There's this foul woman who tried to brainwash us on top of everything else. I don't know, she attempted to warp our minds.'

'Wonderful,' Jaime thought.

'Yeah, she's really cruel and sadistic, trying to destroy us like she did,' Jean thought. 'She wanted the Phoenix Force….she thought it'd be the key to raise him from his prison.'

'Who is he?' Jaime asked.

'I can't remember,' Jean said.

Her breathing grew rather ragged. Jaime sensed a dark force in her mind. This dark force slipped further into her mind, not unlike the Imperius Curse did when Voldemort attempted to take over her mind. Jaime's ragged breathing continued.

'No, I won't.'

Jean sensed the Phoenix lurking around in the medium. She tried to reach out and touch it.

'Phoenix, I know you're in here somewhere. Please talk to me, please work with me.'

'I don't know if it's going to work, Jean,' Jaime thought.

Jean's image flickered in and out on the Astral plane. She tried to reason with the part of her mind which was dragging her underneath the water.

'I don't know if it's going to work,' Jaime thought.

'I don't know,' Jean thought. 'I have to try, because the alternative is far worse.'

'I understand,' Jaime thought. Her breathing continued to grow.

'Phoenix, are you there?' Jean asked. 'Please talk to me, please give me a sign. I don't understand, why won't you listen to me? You were so close to being free. I can't believe you would….you would do this.'

'You can't believe I would do this?' the Phoenix asked. 'You never had a measure of me. No one did. All of those years when Xavier tried to cage me. Cage my full potential, and your full potential. How, I lingered in the darkest corners of your mind, waiting to get out. At least until the moment where something triggered in our mind.'

'Too dangerous to allow you to run free,' Jean said. 'Believe me, if there was another way….'

'Yes, I know, if there was another way, you would have done something differently,' the Phoenix answered. Her tone sounded even more agitated than ever before. 'Pull the other one, it has bells on it. I'm not ignorant, and I hate the fact you assume me to be a fool.'

'No one assumes you're a fool,' Jean thought.

'Power is the only key, and I'm being offered a chance to be more powerful than ever before,' the Phoenix thought. 'My true potential is not serving one, my true potential is of a goddess, working side by side by Darkseid.'

'You really think you're going to have power?' Jaime thought. She laughed. 'You know, it's kind of sad and pathetic. All you're going to do is go from one cage to another. But, I guess you won't believe it, will you?'

'No, I'm not going to be caged!' the Phoenix yelled. 'I'm finally going to be free.'

'Keep telling yourself you're going to be free,' Jaime thought. 'If you would have broken free from your body, you would have had freedom.'

'I got a taste of the power Darkseid can offer,' the Phoenix said.

'Yes, I tasted his type of power as well,' Jaime said. 'It will leave you with a bad aftertaste in your mouth in the worry.'

'Enough,' the Phoenix said. 'I should erase you.'

'You should, but you won't,' Jaime thought. 'Or is it because you can't erase us. No matter how hard you try, you can't erase us. We're going to be there, lingering in the corners of your mind, waiting to break out.'

'DON'T!' Phoenix howled.

Jaime and Jean stood in the path of an energy wave which bombarded the Astral Plane. Jaime closed her eyes.

'You know, this is going to work out,' Jaime thought.

'She can't do it, I'm such a big part of her,' Jean thought.

The wave bombarded both of the women. The fear of whether or not they could be wrong entered their minds, but they had to do, what they had to do. Energy rippled through the air faster than one could blink.


The Phoenix transported Alia, Karen, and the Female Furies, along with Granny Goodness, to a more important location. Granny's foul face twisted into a triumphant grin.

"Destroy them, my pretties!"

Alia braced herself for battle. As a warrior herself, she understood the powerful warrior women who attacked her.

Karen stood next to her. One of the larger women rushed at Karen. Karen ducked underneath the punch. She hoisted the much larger woman over her head with an amazing display of strength. The woman slammed onto the rocks beneath them.

"Time for you to dance, pretty!" one of the women yelled.

She snapped an electrified whip at Alia. Alia caught the whip in her hand, and channeled energy back through the whip. The women staggered for a moment.

Alia charged in with a punch, but the woman dodged it. Both of them engaged in an intense round of hand to hand combat with one and other. The two of them exchanged punches with one and other.

The two continued their fight with each other, with Alia launching herself halfway into the air. She brought her fist down on the side of the woman's neck, forcing her knees to buckle underneath her. Alia rushed her and kicked her in the chest as hard as she could.

"We'll see which one of them us dances.'

Karen dodged the martial arts attacks of one of them. She tried to push through the barrier, but she couldn't. A blade nearly parted her hair. Karen headbutted the woman in the face and gripped her around the head. She flung the woman to the ground.

The buxom woman threw herself into the air. Karen's fist came close to coming down onto the head of the woman. She dodged out of the way, utterly obliterating the ground beneath them.

"I'll have you!" the woman yelled. "I'll have you!"

"We'll see," Karen said.

'So,' Karen thought. 'Is there any way we can get to Jaime now?'

'I don't know, I'm trying to reach out to her, but she's out of reach,' Alia thought. Her frown deepened for a couple of seconds.

Two of them attacked. Alia grabbed the arm of one of them. She dropped to her knees and used the momentum to fling the Female Fury hit into the air. The female fury crashed with a loud smack into her fellow Female Furies.

"Okay, not pleasant, but got to do, what you got to do," Alia said.

Granny Goodness watched the battle, her hand placed on the shoulder of her captive pet.

"Yes, they fight well, don't they?" Granny asked. "It's a shame we're going to have to wreck them."

"WRECK THIS!"

Alia rushed towards Granny, sword out. Granny activated a button on her staff. An energy bubble appeared around her.

"I don't think you understand your place, you naughty little brat," Granny said. "I think dear Granny is going to be the one who is going to have to enlighten you."

Alia threw her entire weight at the bubble, in an attempt to break it. One of the larger Furies wrapped her arms around Alia's neck and yanked her away.

The Amazon Princess powered out, and turned around. She started to kick and punch away at her enemy. The Fury dropped to one knee. Alia used the Fury's own bent knee as a spring board to nail her in the face.

"Release her!" Alia yelled.

"I don't think I want to release her," Granny said. "And did it ever occur to you, she allowed me to take control of her mind willingly. The girl wants to be a part of this. She's willingly a part of this, and able. Don't you see it?"

"Yes, I see it," Alia said. "I might not like it, but I can see it about as well as well as anyone."

Another couple of Furies rushed Alia. Alia crouched down underneath one attack. She maneuvered the two Furies to attack each other.

Karen struggled underneath the grip of one of the Furies who tried to strangle her. The woman's foot buried underneath the stomach of the Fury and flipped her over onto the ground.

'Hey, I think Jaime's fighting off her control,' Karen thought.

'Well, I would like to think a part of me wouldn't give into control so easily,' Alia thought.

The youngest princess slammed her sword into the staff of one of her adversaries. Her green eyes flared because of a titanic struggle. Both of them jockeyed for positioning in an attempt to take the other down. Alia shifted her entire weight underneath and propelled her enemy back onto the ground.

The Fury crashed to the ground with a thunderous force. Alia propelled herself up like a corkscrew and attempted to bury her full weight into her adversary with all she had. The Fury dodged out of the way.

The Phoenix saw their attacks. Her head started to ring, in annoyance.

"Listen to me," Alia said.

"NO!" the Phoenix yelled.

Karen and Alia flew back at the benefit of a huge psychic wave which knocked them onto the ground. The wind rose up in a cascading wave and slammed them down onto the ground with an immense force.

The Phoenix hovered over them.

"You fought bravely, and I'll wipe you out without any pain," The Phoenix said.

'No, what are you doing?' Jaime asked.

The Dark Phoenix hesitated for a brief moment. Granny raised her staff and another wave of energy cascaded over her mind.

"Removing all distractions," the Dark Phoenix said.

She started to atomize Karen and Alia. The wave of energy fired out in an intense burst and almost struck the ground.

Granny watched with glee, as Karen and Alia disappeared.

"A pity, they could have been useful," Granny said.

Jaime tried to block what she thought from the Phoenix. It took every strained thought she had in her to do so, but she did. She noticed something about the light striking Karen and Alia.

They already vanished before the Phoenix could hit her. The real question was to where.

'I can't believe….you're her puppet,' Jaime said.

The Phoenix ignored her words. Granny steered her over towards another portal.

"And now, prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice for your master."


Karen dropped to her knees with a resounding smack. The breath left her body for a moment. She looked over her shoulder.

Alia positioned herself next to Karen. The warrior princess amused herself for a few seconds when she realized she almost landed with her face between Karen's thighs.

'Suppose my face could have landed between her breasts,' Alia thought. 'But the joke's really too easy, I guess.'

Alia took a moment to clear her head and scramble up to a standing position. A few aches entered her body, but Alia vowed to live with them.

Karen turned her head towards Alia.

"So, are we dead?" Karen asked. "Are we atomized? Because if we're atomized, this really doesn't feel all too bad, but maybe I'm….."

Alia cleared her throat. Karen turned her head and rose to her feet. The two of them stood on a very familiar ship.

"I think we're on the Shi'ar ship," Alia said.

"Welcome back, Princess Alia."

Lillandra walked forward in all of her regal glory. The royal guard followed her. The Empress of the Shi'ar crossed the room and extended a hand. She helped Alia to her feet. The Empress delivered the same favor to Karen.

"It's good to see you again," Alia said. "Especially considering I was about to get an up close and personal encounter with Death."

"Well, it was close," Karen said.

"Yes, close enough," Lillandra said. "Our scanners picked up an anomaly of energy. The Phoenix rose from the ashes, and….she's not the benevolent force we thought she was."

"She's being controlled," Alia said. "By Granny Goodness."

"Is she?" Lillandra asked. Her voice darkened to an entirely different tone. "Surely, you do not mean Granny Goodness of Apokolips."

"I'm afraid one and the same," Alia said. "Karen and I battled with her Female Furies."

"And the fact you are intact long enough for us to pull the rescue, shows your valor," Lillandra said.

Karen and Alia tried not to look too smug about it. Alia in particular cleared her throat for a moment.

"Thank you for the rescue, but we're going to have to return to the fray," Alia said. "Hera warned me."

Karen shook her head. Only Alia could drop a conversation with the Queen of Goddesses without it sounding a bit off or with any kind of weirdness.

"Yes, it's warning which should have been heeded, no matter where it came from," Lillandra said. She pushed the doors of the royal palace open. "But, regardless, the Phoenix grows stronger. Feeding off of the type of dark energy Apokolips is known for will cause it to become indestructible and insatiable."

Alia let out her breath in a low and agitated hiss. She didn't know what to do in a situation such as this.

"So, what do we do?" Alia asked.

Lillandra walked over and pressed her hands to a console. The console lit up and started to open up a vault.

"As you know, D'Ken's main goal was to control the Phoenix Force," Lillandra said.

"Yes, we know all about how much of a nutcase your brother is," Karen said. "Or was, now? No offense meant."

"None taken," Lillandra said. "I know all about my brother and his psychosis. He always sought more powerful, but in the end, his own greed showed to be his downfall. And the proper term is was. He received his trial, and….well it didn't end out well for him."

"So, I figured," Alia said.

She couldn't shed too many tears over the likes of D'Ken. Her frown deepened.

"But, you're saying he tried to find a way to contain the Phoenix Force."

"Like I said, he had many ideas as to contain the Phoenix Force," Lillandra said. "And it turns out at least one of his ideas worked."

She withdrew a cylinder device from the vault.

"It should be enough to contain her, at least until you are able to snap her out of it," Lillandra said. "If it isn't, we should consider our options."

"You don't mean destroying her?" Karen asked. Alia gripped Karen's hand tightly, with a moment of warning in her eyes. "I don't know if you know this, but my best friend is trapped in there with the Phoenix Force."

"I'm sorry, and I understand," Lillandra said. "Destruction is always our last option, especially when we don't know if it's possible. I'm not even sure if the Phantom Zone would contain the Phoenix. We need to reach through."

"We need to finish the ritual," Alia said. "Divide her into three parts."

Three separate bodies containing elements of the Phoenix Force resulted in an easier time for all, at least Alia assumed.

"Let's hope we can succeed," Karen said.

'What would Jaime say if we had to destroy her?' Alia asked.

'It wouldn't be the first time she willingly sacrifice herself to save countless lives,' Jaime thought.

X-X-X

Jaime sensed an approaching darkness. The Furies marched behind her, with Granny leading the way.

The group approached a large stone wall. The voices of many echoed from the other side of the wall.

Granny touched her hand to the shoulder of the combined Phoenix entity. Her eyes glowed with power.

"My dear, you are the only person who will lift the item from behind the wall," Granny said. "And with you under my control, great Darkseid will rise again."

The Phoenix turned to Granny. She tried to lift her staff, but the Phoenix grabbed onto the staff, and set the staff on fire.

"Let me make one thing plain," the Phoenix said. "You never had the power. The power is all mind."

"What are you doing?" Granny asked. A fire shot from her staff and up to her hand. "I command you to stop! You don't disrespect your dear Granny!"

Granny went up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The spontaneous combustion brought Granny up into a cloud of ashes.

The Furies all stepped back. Some of them watched in anger regarding the fact their leader went up in flames. Some of them looked on in excitement. Regardless of the situation, they understood Granny was completely dead.

The Phoenix's gaze penetrated them, glowing at them. For a brief few seconds, the Female Furies thought the Phoenix would destroy them.

'Has she come to her senses?' Jaime thought. 'Please tell me she's come to her senses.'

'I'm afraid she hasn't,' Jean thought. 'At least I don't think she has…..I think she's just taken the power for herself.'

"You destroyed her," one of the Furies said.

"I trust you know your place," The Phoenix said. "Unless you want to follow her into oblivion."

The ashes fluttering at their feet made some of the Furies shiver. Lashina, the field leader of the Furies, leaned towards the Phoenix.

"We head where the power lies, Mistress," Lashina said. She leaned towards her with a smile. "Please, trust us, we only wish for….."

"You've chosen well," the Dark Phoenix said. "And until I grow bored of you, you will live."

The buzzing in the Dark Phoenix's head continued. She hesitated for a moment. Something lurked behind this wall, but what was it?

The Phoenix whipped back around and stared down Lashina.

"I command you to tell me what lurks beyond this wall," Phoenix said.

"It's…the Anti-Life equation," Lashina said. "Our former master, Darkseid, he perished in an attempt to access it. He wished…he wished for ultimate power."

"Ultimate power is a terrifying prospect," the Phoenix said. She closed the gap between herself and Lashina. "Do you really wish to go down this road?"

"I think if you want the power, it could be yours," Lashina said.

"Yes, I should have all of the power," the Phoenix said.

She placed her hands on the wall. Some primal force exerted against her.

'NO!' Jaime and Jean yelled in unison.

The Phoenix ignored their words. The promise of power intoxicated her far too much. The wall pushed apart. It divided in her hands with the Phoenix working against the barrier. The barrier cracked open and released a bright light in her eyes.

"Yes, power," The Phoenix said.

Several dark shadows exited the crack in the wall. Seconds passed before the Phoenix understood the pure power bombarding her.

"No, something is not right!"

The Phoenix's limbs twitched for a second.

'What's going on?' Jean asked.

'I think this vessel is about to get a bit more crowded,' Jean thought.

The vessel dropped down to the ground. The limbs twitched for a minute. The crack in the wall sealed shut.

Lashina stepped over. None of the Furies were willing to walk further than she did.

"Mistress?" Lashina asked.

"No."

A very familiar voice echoed around them. The Furies rose up, apprehension filling their bodies. Could it be?

"You said you'd go where the power lies. Well there's nothing more powerful than the Darkseid."

The Darkseid Phoenix rose from the ashes. The entity drank in the power, more than enough to shape the entire universe to the mad god's liking.


To Be Continued.