'This bus better get there quick.' I thought as I saw on said bus, in the middle. I was with a large group of people, with each of us going into Hell's gate, or the facility just outside of its main entrance. 'This is a bad idea just waiting to explode in someone's face.' I thought with a yawn.
"Do you think it's true?" The woman next to me asked, with me glancing at them with a confused expression. "You know the one, where you can regain whatever it is that you lost, if you're willing to pay the price in return." She said, with me looking at the large wall that was getting closer and closer by each second. "What is the price I wonder?" She asked, with me looking down as I wondered about the things I lost.
My mother, my birth mother, taken from me too early. She had been killed by my own hands, just as I awakened my mutation. I had been haunted by her, my father and baby sister from then on, and it was the help of Decay that I was able to overcome that trauma.
My baby sister, someone who never had the opportunity to experience life because of her older brother. She would be thirteen or fourteen right about now. It's crazy to think about, that all of this, my life as a mutant started around that time. What would she look like, what would she be like? Questions I would never know, questions I wanted to know.
Mystique, someone who took me in when all of this went down. They gave me a home, they taught me how to take care of myself, in a weird way. She had recently died. I had failed to protect her, to get her out of here. She was human, having lost her powers somehow after the explosion.
Charles Xavier, the man who took me in when everything went south for me on more than one occasion. He wasn't a father, but more of an uncle that I could look up to and would teach us right from wrong. The explosion had been centered around him, and his death wasn't something that I wanted to repeat.
Jean Grey, my best friend. She was someone I could talk to when I needed advice or needed to get something off my chest. With her gone, things started building up inside that I have become null to it all. It pains me to think of her vanishing along with the professor.
Rogue, the woman I love. She wasn't dead, but that is something that I cannot break. I tried once, tried erasing myself to break our connection, but it failed. I had been drawn back to her, and remembered everything because of her, the only person in the world I can touch without special means.
"The price?" I said, thinking on what I would give up for them to come back.
"You don't believe a word of it, do you?" She asked, with me shaking my head. "Neither do I!" She said, with me looking back at her. "Maya Kaya!" She introduced, with me looking at her hand that she held out. "I'm a student in college!" She said with a smile.
"Dante Formost." I said, taking her hand in mine and shaking it. It was right then that we entered the facility. She leaned over me to get a better look, with me ignoring her as I had seen the inside of Heaven's Gate as well, only that was filled with blood now.
Flashback
"You are to infiltrate the Hells Gate Research Facility." Yoruichi said, with me nodding as that was my new mission. Its right next to the gate, and the closer you get, the more it has an effect on your mind.
"So, I've heard, but that's the job." Argo said as she sat behind me.
"In any event, I don't think he can get past the first security check point." Yoruichi said, with me looking at her. "They will be on the lookout or mutants like you." She said, with me shaking my head.
"I have a way." I said, gaining their attention. "My time in S.H.I.E.L.D., I learned that they found a way to suppress mutant powers with a patch, but only for a few hours. I will undergo tests while I am there, so I will use it them. It's see through and can't be spotted." I said, looking forward once more. "What do they want me to do once I'm in?" I asked, wanting to know the details.
"Recovery." Argo said, confusing me on what he meant.
"Recover what?" Yoruichi asked before I could.
"There was an explosion in the facility two weeks ago. Two guards died when they were caught in the blast. They investigated and said that it was a short in the electrical system. A spy from the CIA said that they discovered that the explosion was deliberate, a way to steal some sort of cane handle that was found in the center of Hells Gate." Argo informed, with me getting a flash to the cane I used to have, but it was only for a second.
"And who ever did it still has not brought this thing outside the wall?" Yoruichi asked, wanting to make sure that it was still inside to retrieve.
"Unknown, but it's our mission to find out and if it is, we are to take it." Argo informed, with me nodding as the mission was simple enough.
Flashback end
"Do you think of yourself as the patient type?" A doctor asked me as I was hooked into a machine that would find out if I was a mutant or not.
"No, I hate waiting." I answered, and it was true.
"Have you ever seen a UFO?" He asked.
"No." I said, and it was true. The ships I saw in space were not Unidentified Flying Objects if I knew what they were.
"Do you believe in the existence in god?" He asked.
"Yes." I said, which was true as I believed that if there was a devil, then there was a god.
Later
Standing in line, I looked to my right and saw Maya looking at the wall with a crazed expression on her face. 'She is seeing things this far out.' I thought with a frown.
Seeing some guards stepping towards us, I watched as it got the attention of Maya, who calmed herself the best that she could. "You need to come with us." One of them said, with her moving past them, but they grabbed her arm and she started fighting against them, that was until she was tased. "Take her back to the check point." He said, with me watching them drag her away, back the way we came from. "Move it!" He said, with me looking at him and them forward, not wanting to go back there.
The next day
"It's common to see ghosts or phantoms around here. Things will suddenly vanish and reappear somewhere else. hallucinations here are an everyday occurrence. You let stuff like this get to you, you will never be able to do your job. You have to adjust. Some of the greatest scientist minds are here and they are leaning on our support to get things done. It's up to us in the Janitorial services to make their workspace as spotless as it can be to make their work environment more comfortable. You better do your best because there is no way that you will be allowed out of here for the next thirty days." Our boss said, with all of us standing at attention like soldiers, only we had mops and buckets in hand. "Do I make myself clear?!" He yelled, glaring at us as he crossed his arms.
"YES SIR!" We responded as one, taking this seriously.
"Good, now let's begin the tour of where we all will be working."
Later
"This is block three, this is our most important area to keep clean. This is the busiest block, so we usually wait to clean it until nightfall." He said, with me looking over at another room, with me seeing a bunch of telescopes, confusing me on why they would have so many.
Flashback
"Hey." I heard Rogue, with me turning to her, seeing her walking over to me with a package. "I got a gift for you!" She said, setting it down.
"I can see that." I said, standing up from the chair and walking over to her. It was Christmas break, and she wanted to go camping, so I went with her into the woods, away from everyone else. We didn't get to do things like this, and I was only in my first year of college. It didn't feel right not spending it without the others, so I came home for break. "Christmas is a few days away, are you sure that you don't want to wait till then?" I asked, with her shaking her head.
"Naw, if I did then, then you would have never used it." She said, gaining my interest on what it was now. Placing a hand on it, she jerked it back, giving me a teasing smirk while she did. Narrowing my eyes at her, I reached for it again, getting the same response. Grabbing her, I pulled her closer, with her looking at me with a look of superiority before giving me a peck on the lips, before kissing me.
Breaking the kiss, I pulled the box away from her. "Ok, what is it?" I asked as I tore off the wrapping, seeing a telescope. "You're right, I wouldn't use it." I said, with her taking it and holding it up.
"Why don't we use it now, seems like a good time as any?" She asked, with me shrugging as I wouldn't mind watching the stars with her.
Flashback end
"Are you paying attention?" I heard, with me looking at the boss.
"Yes sir, sorry sir." I said, not wanting to get on his bad side, where he then sighed.
"That's the only room on the block that we don't have to clean." He said, pointing at the room with the telescopes.
"Why is that, sir?" I asked, curious.
"Because the guy in charge is very picky about who goes in there!" The boss said, with me seeing the door to our right open.
"Excuse me?" A man with brown hair asked, with the boss freaking out once he saw him.
"Mr. Richards!" He said, with me remembering who this man was. He worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., a true man of science. Reed Richards. Judging by the blonde girl beside him, that was Sue Storm.
Seeing him look at me, I knew he knew who I was. We had bumped into each other a few times, same with Sue. There was another person, but if he was here then it was possible that the two would argue with each other. They were two of the brightest minds, they even put Beast to shame, as well as Forge. As he walked out, Sue followed, looking at me as well, with me knowing that they were the ones who had hired me to come in, as she had slipped a note into my hand as she walked past.
"Moving on!" The boss said, with me following them.
Later, equipment room
"So, even you two needed my help with this type of matter." I said, going through inventory with both Reed and Sue.
"When we got word of the Black Reaper, we asked a friend of ours to do some digging up on you. She knew who you were because you had already crossed paths with her." Reed said as I moved over to some books.
"Are there any other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents here?" I asked, because I was supposed to have a team before S.H.I.E.L.D. went dark.
"Some, but we haven't crossed paths in some time." Sue informed, with me nodding as that would make information gathering a bit hard.
"Tell me about the artifact!" I said, wanting to clear up some suspicions I had on it.
"I've read your records, and I know what you're thinking." Reed said, with me glancing at him. "Yes, it's the same one that you used to have." He informed, with me narrowing my eyes at this bit of information. "The blade was found in South America, your team killed everyone there, and we used that time to retrieve it, only someone beat us to it. Using that blade, they created those known as Contractors, even created new life with it. Zero is what they call the blade, Zero One is what they created with it. An alien life form, blue in skin, and a taste for blood. She had to be put down, and they cloned her to create an army, only they failed and created Zero Two." He informed, with my eyes widening at this bit of information.
"I've... encounter her." I said, gaining their attention. "You know that I can't make skin contact with others, she can, much like Rogue. I take it that because she was of the blade that she is able to touch me, seeing as I had my hands on it for quite some time." I said, wondering if that was why I could touch her, because she wasn't alive but an object.
"She can touch you?" Sue asked, with me nodding. "An interesting situation, seeing as you absorb the life force of anyone you touch, by force in Rogue's case if you really wanted to." She said, with me remembering when I forced my way past Rogues power to absorb the life force she has stored up. "In any case, she should be affected, but maybe there is something that is preventing her from being killed?" She asked, with me shrugging as I didn't know.
"I would like to run tests, but first we need to focus on the task at hand." Reed said, with me nodding as this was a change in subject. "We believe that the artifact might be able to tell us more about the gates. If we can get our hands on it, then we can find out how these phenomena occurred and how to prevent them from happening again. I don't want there to be any more gates appearing." Reed said, with me nodding as I remembered that the Hell Gate caused a huge explosion once someone came in contact with the gas on the inside. If it worked like Heaven's Gate, then Mutants would be immune to the effect and wouldn't cause an explosion.
"Any idea where or who has it?" I asked, with them shaking their head. "Ok, then I will investigate each person, starting with the scientists." I said, turning around and taking an employee file with me while I did.
Later
Entering the room with the telescopes, I started walking around and looking at each of them. The handle was the size of a hand, so it would make sense to store it inside one of them, the only room where no one is allowed to enter. Walking up to one that said STARK on it, I saw a dent on the side, with me knowing I had seen this one before.
Flashback
"When we get the chance, we're taking a ride with my aunt." I said as Rogue was looking through the telescope.
"Where, the countryside?" She joked as she looked at me. "You aren't one to drive, let alone ride." She said, smirking at me.
"One, ouch, my pride, and two, not that kind of ride." I said, pointing at the stars. "I mean, up there." I said, with her looking up at the sky. "Seeing the planet from out there, it's something to look at. It makes you feel small, but not alone at the same time." I said, smiling as I looked up at the stars.
"You know, that doesn't sound too bad." She said, looking back inside the telescope. "Then it is settled, our next vacation, when she is free, we will take a family vacation through space." She said, with me smiling at that.
"Family, does that mean we're bringing Kurt and Mystique?" I asked, with her looking at me with a blank expression.
"Mood killers, both of them." She said, making me laugh as she was right. Kurt would interrupt us and get us to do something that would be fun, and Mystique would try to recruit/fight us. "No, Just Carol, You, Me, and the little one." She said, confusing me on what she meant by that.
"Little one?" I asked, with her standing up straight and placing a hand on her stomach. "LITTLE ONE!?" I yelled in both shock and Joy at hearing this. This was big news, news that I wanted to spread to the world. I was going to be a father; Rogue was going to be a mother! We did have sex around Thanksgiving, but this was something completely unexpected!
"Yep, we're expecting!" She said, with me charging at her and tackling her into a hug, getting a scream from her as we knocked the telescope over, putting a dent in the side as I kissed her with all my heart. We were starting a family, and it was one hell of a gift.
Flashback end
That was the first time she got pregnant, and a few months later she had a miscarriage. We learned from Beast that due to her powers, she ended up killing them, meaning that she was unable to have children of her own. It broke us, and I spent more time at school because of it. I couldn't look her in the face, because I put her through something like that.
Reaching towards the telescope, I was stopped by a voice. "Don't touch that." I heard, with me looking over at them with a surprised expression on my face as I didn't feel them. The person was Victor Von Doom, the third person and Rival to Reed Richards. We had never met in person, but from the word around S.H.I.E.L.D. he well-earned his right as a genius. Was I that too drawn in on the past that I couldn't feel one person's life force? "The experiment is still running; they were supposed to tell you guys that there was no need to clean up in this area." He informed, with me looking back at the telescope for a second.
"Sorry, it's just that I used to have a telescope exactly like this one, same dent too." I said, with him nodding at this.
"A STARK Telescope, so you were a star-gazer?" He asked as he walked over to me.
"No, I learned that I was going to be a father when I got it. It was on a camping trip. It was a good memory." I said, staring at the telescope, frowning as it was a good memory that led into a bad one.
"What is your name?" He asked, with me looking at him.
"Dante Formost." I answered, seeing him smile.
"It's nice to meet you." He introduced, with me nodding as I looked back at the telescope, knowing he didn't give me his name, and most likely wouldn't.
The next day
"SHUT UP, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Maya yelled, with everyone in the cafeteria looking at her as she yelled at the wall, before running away.
'She has it bad.' I thought as she ran past me. 'She will become desperate to get out of here and will do anything by any means to do so.' I thought as I walked over to an empty seat and started eating.
The next day
"What is everyone doing?" I asked as I walked up to a large group of people at the door to the room with the telescopes.
"It's that crazy girl, Maya, they are saying she was murdered." Someone answered, shocking me at the news, but something was off. The same room I was going to look for the cane handle she ended up dead in, and not only that, but Victor stopped me from continuing my search. If she was from another company, like AIM or H.Y.D.R.A., then it was a good possibility that she was after the artifact as well.
"Sir." I heard, with me looking in the room and seeing the guard from before walking up to me. "I need you to come with me." He said, with me nodding and following him, knowing I was about to be questioned.
"This is going to be a pain." I said, rubbing my neck in annoyance.
Later
Getting a bright light flashed in my face, I leaned away from it as well as squinting my eyes. "I understand that you and she talked now and then, some would say that you were close." He said, with me looking at him as he stepped in front of the light. "A lot of things can happen here for no apparent reason; you could have become romantically involved with her and killed her." He said, with me rolling my eyes at his statement. "Who else was she talking to, did she say anything to you before she was murdered?" He asked, with me looking at the man who had me strapped to a computer to detect any lies.
"No." I said, as I had only talked to her twice the entire time I was here.
"Did you murder her?" He asked, looking over at the one on the computer.
"No." I answered, with the man turning to him and shaking his head.
"Are you a contractor?" He asked, looking back at me.
"No." I answered, with him frowning at this. Why were they worried about contractors, how did they know about them? Did they not care about mutants, were they not important to this project?
"Put him in the special program." He said, confusing me on what the special program was.
Later
Sixteen people, each tied down with a device placed on their head, facing one large TV. In the front of the room, was one Victor Von Doom. "I've gathered you all here today so that we can gather data from each of your observations. These devices will record what you see, hear or feel according to each person."
'That's a bit terrifying.' I thought with a frown.
"Let us begin." He said, with us watching a footage of a robotic prob moving into the gate.
I sat there for hours watching the footage up until it reached an edge. It zoomed in and showed some destruction, before coming back to normal view and retreating. That was when it started flickering, and my eyes widened at what I saw, no, WHO I saw. Crawling out of the creator, like a zombie rising from the grave, was a skeletal hand, that soon pulled themselves up to a standing position, staring at the probe with their blank eyes. Muscle and bone formed around them, taking form of someone I would never have expected to see again.
This person, was Lady Death.
I would recognize her skull anywhere, and the body shape she had taken, was that of my mother who birthed me. Everything was going in and out, sound only focusing on her as she mouthed two words. Two words that had no audio, but I heard them as if some ASMR video had whispered them in my ear, sending chills down to my very soul, two words that sent me into a panic.
"My Champion."