Author's notes: Thank's to all who reviewed. This chapter will finally have some action in it.
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Fighting In the Dark
The five captured X-Men were chained to the wall in the torture chamber. Both Vonce and Hennin were setting up a table for one of the prisoners.
Two guards stood at the door, ready to attack whichever mutant tried to escape. After the table was set with chains and shackles Vonce turned to the guards and said, "go and tell my men to watch for the intruders. If they find the Puppet Master I want him brought to me alive."
The guards nodded and headed off to do their deed. Hennin picked up a long and slender dagger and shoved the blade into a tub of hot cols.
He looked over to the five X-Men and asked, "which one of you would like to go first." They stood silent. "Oh come now. I imagine you all would like to get this over with and let sweet relief overcome you afterwards."
He pulled the dagger out of the cols. It glowed a fiery red. Hennin walked over to Kitty and held it in front of her face. "How about you," he asked as Kitty began to shake, "would you like to just have this done with."
He began pushing the dagger closer to her face. Kitty closed her eyes tight hoping that it would make it less painful. Before the hot blade could touch her flesh Logan yelled, "get away from her!"
Vonce walked over to Logan and held his hand out to Hennin. Hennin put the dagger in his hand and Vonce jammed it into Logan's arm.
As the gruff man tried to hold back the pain Vonce said, "nobody orders me when I'm in a torture session."
He yanked the dagger out of Logan. Scott looked angrily at the cloaked man. "Why are you doing this?"
"Agony is our pleasure," said Vonce. "Plus if I torture you then the Puppet Master will try harder to find you. I wanted him here, and now that he has arrived I am closer to the magic, and immortality."
"Immortality," asked Jean, "I knew you were the kind of man who only cared about living a long life."
"That is not the reason I want the formula," said Vonce.
He walked over to the table and jammed the knife into it so it stood perfectly upright. He then said, "I have lived a long time. Over a century that is. I am surprised that my health is still as good as it once was.
I have ruled the Hanzain Cult for many decades. They have always said that I was the best ruler that had ever commanded them. If I am to pass on then there would be no other ruler that could administer this society as well as I. All of my followers know this."
Kurt struggled with his chains and said with no kindness, "then why don't you just teach someone else how to rule like you. Have you ever thought of that? Instead chasing after Andre for all this time you could have had a qualified ruler."
"If only it were that simple," said Vonce. "We have been after the secret of Toulon even before I ruled. And when my reign began we never really thought of a replacement ruler until now. And time for me is growing short."
Vonce then held his hood and slid it off of his head. His face was now completely exposed.
Jean and Kitty gasped at the horrible sight. Vonce had mutilated his face. His skin was very badly burned. He had filed his teeth down to sharp points and his eyes were pitch black. But there was something else in his face besides the ugliness. A sign of age.
Vonce said, "I know that it is hard to see what I am really like because of my complexion, but under my fearful features I am old and sick. It may not look it, but as a matter of fact I am dying."
The X-Men were all wide eyed. Vonce seemed very healthy for a dying man. The cloaked man continued. "The reason that I am not weakened by my condition is not surprising to any of my followers. All members the Hanzain Cult keeps their strength and health until they are in the grave. Until I am finally dead and rotting I will still be as strong and fit as ever. But I still need the formula that can give life. With it every one of my followers will live on. We will walk the Earth even after the youngest of you four has passed on."
After a long time of silence Logan spoke. "That speech of yours still hasn't proven us wrong. You are only doing this for your own immortality."
"Oh that is not the only reason," said Vonce, "I am also doing this so the Hanzain Cult can rise above and become the leading race in the world. And to do that we need to raise fear into the hearts of others, we need to become even stronger then the people that walk the Earth above us."
He then walked over to the wall on the other side of the torture chamber. He pulled on a small lever and a small portion of the wall opened up revealing a large hidden compartment.
Inside stood a big tube full of a frozen liquid, and incased in the liquid was some sort of horrible creature.
It was covered in brown hair and stood upright life a man. It had long muscular arms with five fingered claws at the ends that looked like they could snap a man in two.
Its face was shaped like a normal human head, but was still far from human. The eyes were as black as Vonce's. There was no nose, just two holes for nostrils. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth.
Vonce walked up to the tube and said, "this creature is not alive. It is a puppet made of flesh like the Totems that Suetek controls, only much bigger. It was made of human and animal parts, manly wolves and bears. Before I became ruler the people of the Hanzain Cult planed to create many of these creatures. If the formula was ever in our grasp we would bring these creatures to life and set them loose on the world. Sadly after many years passed this beautiful specimen was forgotten until now."
He began to rub his hand against the tube. "I have managed to preserve it. And soon when I became the ruler I tried hard to find the formula and bring it to life. But then I learned that the formula could not only help you to live forever, but it could also transfer you into a new body."
He turned back to the five mutants. They all looked at him as if he was crazy. He then said, "and that is what I plan to do. I will transfer into this creature. The I will create more like it and have my men do the same. When we have all become these strong creatures we will set forth on the world until we are the master race."
The X-Men thought about his words. This madman's dream of having his race superior almost similar to Magneto's dream of mutants being superior over humans, but Vonce was more mad then Magneto.
Jean shook her head at the man and said, "you're insane."
"Am I," said Vonce, "or have my eyes just been opened to a new future. The answer is no matter to you. You will soon be feeling to much agony to care."
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Rogue and Andre followed the puppets down the stairs. There was no noise around them except for the clacking of Andre's cane against the ground.
Rogue looked over to Andre. "Could you try and stop making so much noise with that thing."
Andre tried hard to stop the cane's clacking.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs they were surrounded by darkness. As they walked forward Rogue said, "Ah can't see a thing."
Andre grabbed onto her gloved hand and put it on his shoulder. "Hold on to my back," he said.
He began walking forward tapping his cane against the ground like a blind man. The puppets followed them in the dark. The smell of rotting flesh filled the air.
Andre stopped when his cane hit the front o a wooden door. He felt along it until his fingers slid across letters formed on the door. "Torch, could you give me a little light," he asked.
Torch let out his flame-thrower only a little bit. Andre red the words upon the door. "Follow the footsteps of Hanzain, let sweet pain become your joy."
Rogue swallowed hard. Those words sent chills down her spine. 'How could any one find joy in pain,' she thought.
Andre turned the knob on the door and opened it. They entered into a larger hall. The only light here came from large torches along the walls.
Rogue closed the door quietly. When the door closed she heard a horrid scream coming from the far reaches of the temple. Rogue knew the scream immediately. "That's Kitty," she said rather loudly.
Andre looked sadly to the ground and said, "she's being tortured."
Rogue began to run in the direction of the scream. Andre stopped her by putting the head of his cane around her neck. Rogue gagged as her brother pulled her back.
"What are you doing," she said angrily. "Ah gotta help Kitty. You just said so yourself, she's being tortured."
"That's true," said Andre, "but you're not gonna help her by just running through this temple hoping that you'll eventually find her. We have to be quiet or else we'll get caught."
Rogue knew Andre was right. She could not just run aimlessly around the temple. She just couldn't stand hearing Kitty in pain. She was so innocent.
Andre then said, "look we will find her. I don't want your friends to get hurt any more then you do, but we've got to be smart about this."
Rogue nodded and said, "alright."
They began to move cautiously through the hall again. Each step they made was quieter then the first. The puppets stopped in the middle of the hall when they heard something strange.
Rogue looked down at them, "what's wrong guys?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong," a hidden voice said to them. "It appears that we have some intruders in our mitts."
Rogue and Andre froze in their paths. Andre whispered to himself, "oh shit."
The voice spoke again, "prepare for a battle in the dark."
Just then one of the torches puffed out as if hit by a gust of wind. Rogue looked at where the flame was with wide eyes. Then the second torch went out. Then came the third, the fourth, and the fifth. Soon all the torches were out and blackness surrounded the two mutants and puppets.
"What'd they do this for," Rogue asked Andre. She tried her best to find her brothers location when he spoke.
"The members of the Hanzain Cult can see in the dark," the boy said, "we're sitting ducks now."
The voice came again. "That is correct. I assure you that you will not escape us."
Andre turned to the sound of footsteps on his side. Then another pair was heard near Rogue. "This is bad," said Andre, "we don't even know if we're facing one guy or twenty."
The sound of footsteps soon faded away. The puppets each separated to protect the two Toulon children. Torch, Blade, and Tunneler went to Rogue's side. Six-shooter, Jester, and Pinhead went to Andre, and Decapitron stood in between the two ready to help who ever needed it.
Rogue listened for any sound, but heard nothing. "Do you think they're gone," she asked. She then rolled her eyes at her stupid question. She knew the Cult members would not just leave when they had the upper hand.
Andre said, "be very cautious, they're cloaks make them as dark as the blackness around them."
The silence around them was too eerie for Rogue's liking. She had never had to fight an enemy that she couldn't see or hear.
The Goth then felt something brush against her side. She froze where she stood. She said quietly, "Torch, start your flame-thrower."
Torch did as commanded. He held out his arm and let loose a huge ball of flame. The fire made it so Rogue could clearly see five Hanzain Cult members surrounding her. Each one was only two feet away from her.
The fires bright light caused them all to retract a few feet away from Rogue. Andre turned and saw all the cloaked men around his sister. "Hold on Rogue," he screamed as he began to head over to her.
With out any warning a choke wire went around Andre's neck. Another cloaked man had snuck up behind him while he wasn't paying attention.
The choke wire cut off Andre's windpipe. The boy dropped his cane as he was dragged deeper into the darkness before his puppets could help him.
"Andre," Rogue yelled as she heard her brother choke and gasp.
She turned just in time to see one of the cloaked men lunging at her. Torch defended the girl and hit the man with his flame.
The man fell to the ground dropping his knife. He stood back up ignoring the fire burning his flesh.
He made another attack on Rogue. She dodged it swiftly, but the man came around again and hit her in the side. She fell to the ground as a hole burned through the shoulder of her shirt. She quickly managed to put out the flame with her gloved hand.
The enflamed man stood over her and said, "if I am to die then so shale you."
Rogue looked to her side and saw the knife that the man had dropped. The man held out his arms. He prepared to fall on top of Rogue so the flames would engulf her to.
As the man began to fall Rogue grabbed the knife and swung it at him. The flaming body flew away from her and the man lay dead on the ground with a huge gash in his stomach.
Rogue ran an stood next to the flaming body. This provided her at least a little light.
Blade, Torch, and Tunneler stood beside her while the other puppets ran blindly through the darkness to find Andre. All they could her were his gasps.
Within the darkness Andre fought the man that was strangling him. The choke wire remained tight around his neck.
He managed to slip his fingers under the wire, but all that did was make his fingers bleed.
Everything began to turn red around him. He thought that he was going to die.
Andre made one last attempt to free himself. With his good leg he kicked out the left shine of his attacker. They both fell to the ground.
Andre landed with his back on top of the man, but the wire was still around his neck.
He reached around the floor frantically hoping to get one of his puppet's attention, but instead his fingertips slid across something cold. It felt sort of metallic and curved slightly. Andre knew immediately that it was his cane.
He tried to reach it. His fingertips barely touched the silver snake head. His attacker said, "don't bother fighting me, give in to your upcoming death."
Andre didn't give up. He made one last lunge for his cane and just managed to grab it. He sung it in back of his and hit the cloaked man right in the face.
The man's grip on the wire loosened and Andre slid out.
He stood over the man and continually hit him in the face with his cane. In no time the man was dead.
Mean while Rogue called for her brother as she stood near the flaming corps. She didn't hear him gasping any more and was afraid he was dead.
Suddenly a dark figure came running into the fire light. Rogue turned around with her knife ready, but it was only Andre. He had his hand up to his neck and he was coughing up a storm.
"Andre, your alive," Rogue said as she helped the boy keep his balance.
Andre coughed again and said, "yeah barely." He then yelled for the other puppets, "every body regroup at the flaming corps."
They waited for a while, but the puppets did not come. Andre looked down at Tunneler and said, "Tunneler go find the others."
The puppet nodded and ran into the darkness. Andre then turned to Rogue. "Did you take anybody out?"
"Only one guy," Rogue said.
She looked down at Andre's hands and noticed they were bleeding. "Oh mah God, what happened," she asked.
Andre looked at his hands and said, "it's nothing, forget about it."
Rogue ignored his words and picked up one of his hands. She seemed to have forgotten about her fear of blood. She saw the cuts on each one of Andre's fingers and asked, "are you alright, how did this happen?"
"Oh how touching," a voice said from the shadows.
Rogue and Andre looked and saw four cloaked men walk into the firelight, each holding large knife.
Rogue held her knife in a stabbing position and Andre held his cane ready to swing. "Brave children you may be," said one man, "but it appears that you are out numbered."
Blade and Torch then stood in front of Rogue and Andre. They looked ready and willing to fight.
The first cloaked man just laughed and said, "you think those two little puppets will be able to protect you? I think not."
All of a sudden a volt of electricity came out of the darkness and hit the man that spoke. Decapitron came running into the firelight followed by the other four puppets.
Pinhead and Jester each grabbed one of the ankles of one man and pulled him to the ground. Tunneler walked onto the man's chest and drilled a hole in his face.
Decapitron electrocuted another man and he fell to the ground. Six-shooter then held out his six guns and shot the man until he stopped moving.
It was now Andre's turn to attack. He ran up to another cloaked man and hit him dead on with his cane. The man retaliated by punching the young Puppet Master hard in the face.
Then the first man that was electrocuted stood up from where he laid. He turned to Rogue and ran at her with his knife in hand.
Rogue stopped the man's attack by grabbing his arm, but at the same time the man grabbed her other arm. They fought with each other trying to gain control over the other.
Andre saw what was happening and took his attention away from his opponent. He was once again punched had in the face. The cloaked man that he fought grabbed hold of the boy's collar and threw him down to the ground.
Andre looked back up and saw his enemy coming at him. He swung his cane upwards and hit the man right in the neck. The man stumbled backwards, but kept his balance. Andre hooked the snake head of his cane around the man's ankles and yanked him off balance.
The man fell to the ground. Andre stood over him. He raised his cane in the air and slammed it right into the man's face. A small bit of blood came splashing out from the man's hood and went right to Andre's face.
He didn't mind the blood. He raised his cane again and bashed the man's face in.
Rogue continued to battle her enemy. The man seemed to be much stronger than she was. Her arms were about to give into the man's strength when Andre came and hit the man right in the back with his cane.
The man let go of Rogue's arm. The Goth punched the man in the face and then stabbed him in the gut, but he didn't die.
He pulled the knife out of his body and threw it at Rogue. She fell over backwards in order to dodge the blade.
The Man stood with blood dripping from his stomach and his knife in hand. He was about to attack Rogue again, but he saw the seven puppets were standing around him.
He knew he was out numbered now. Blade swung his knife in the air and ran at the man. The cloaked figure kicked the puppet across the room and made a break for the door at the end of the hallway.
Six-shooter aimed to of his guns at the man as he ran. He fired them. The bullets flew through the air, but only one of them hit the man in the back, but still he didn't die. He passed through the door and ran for the torture chamber.
On the other side of the door Andre helped Rogue to her feet. "Those guy's just don't quit," she said as she breathed heavily.
"No," Andre said. "We better move quickly, Vonce will have this temple crawling with his men by the time he hears what happened."
They quickly ran out of the room, prepared to find their friends.
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Kurt fell weakly to the floor when Hennin released his grip on him. He had been tortured after Kitty had been. Vonce stood over him and looked at the burnt fur on the blue mutant's back.
"I trust you're finding just being alive to be sweet right now," Vonce said.
Kurt wanted to break the man's neck, but he was still right. Just laying on the floor felt very good right now. Anything would have felt better than what had happened to him.
Vonce and Hennin had held him over a tub full of flame. It felt agonizing. He was surprised that he remained conscious during the whole thing.
Hennin turned to the other five X-Men. He had allowed Jean to be unchained so she could hold Kitty as the young prep leaned helplessly against her.
"Which one of you shale be next," he asked them.
Suddenly, the man that had been fighting Rogue and Andre cam barging into the chamber. He had lost so much blood and he struggled to breathe.
"What happened," Vonce asked. Behind him the X-Men showed a small amount of hope.
The man spoke, struggling as he talked, "the Puppet Master and his sister we tried to capture them They had brought the puppets that the first Toulon had made years ago. They killed five mean already.
Vonce was angry at this news. "Do you know where they are now," he asked the man.
Before he could speak again he fell to the floor, dead from the loss of blood. Vonce stood over him and said, "Hennin, get two of my men to tend to this man properly. And then have the others search the castle. I want all the intruders alive."
Hennin nodded and left the torture chamber. Kurt took a few deep breaths and said, "it looks like our friends are more than you bargained for."
He kicked Kurt in the stomach and chained him back up to the wall. He then grabbed a dagger and held it up to Jean's neck and said, "get on the table."
Jean's eyes turned wide. She left Kitty's side and was guided to the table by the dagger. Vonce had her lay on the table and he strapped her down. Jean then began to be, "please don't torture me. Please."
Vonce said, "oh relax girl, you won't feel any pain. I'm Just using you as bait to trap two intruders."