Dark Zodiac Saga Pt. 6: The Demon Made True and The Torn Queen (2 of 2)
Legolas stumbled into his room his legs wobbling fiercely under him. As he entered his room Vyper was there waiting for him. Derrick knew he was screwed the moment he saw Cory, but he was too damn drunk to do anything about it. He could imagine the lecture he was going to get now.
"Where the hell you been Derrick?" Cory said moving close up to Legolas seeing the hickies covering his neck and his wrongly buttoned shirt. Derrick's pants weren't zipped up all the way and his belt wasn't even on. He had probably lost it at the club. Vyper could smell the alcohol all over Legolas. Not just that but the smell of sex was all over Legolas. Even without his enhanced senses Vyper would have been able to smell it.
"I was just hanging out. Having fun you know," Derrick said as he leaned on Vyper's shoulder. He knew he was so screwed, but he had to try anyway. If Exodus or any of the teachers found out about this they would surely remove him from the Exiles. An alcoholic on the team was just too much of a liability. He couldn't really blame them either if they got rid of him. Derrick hated himself for doing what he did tonight. For so long he had managed to not succumb to his addiction. He had come so far to just fall into the hole all over again. Why did he keep doing this to himself? Was he worth anything? Had he been fooling himself into thinking that he could make it in the Exiles? Of course he had. If he couldn't even have the willpower to stop himself from drinking then how would he be able to stand up the foes that the Exiles face? Maybe it would be better if he just quit and spared the team from too much turmoil. He didn't want to create problems especially since Gaia was gone. Another failure on his part because Fontanelle had asked him to go with Exodus to Australia before she asked Gaia. He refused and suggested that Gaia go. It was his fault that she was gone. He had already failed one teammate. Could he bear to fail anymore?
"Don't even try and lie to me. I can smell the beer and sex all over you Derrick! Damn it what were you thinking? You're so much better than that stuff," Vyper said as he led Legolas to his bed and began to take off his clothes for him.
"That girl was better than that stuff too. We gotta go and help her," Legolas said sounding as if he was speaking out of his head.
"She chose her life so let her go," Cory said as he tried his best to sober up Derrick.
"Doesn't mean she deserves it," Legolas said as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Are you sure it was her?" Exodus asked staring at Gloria intensely. He could sense the overwhelming fear coming from her mind, but he also knew that Fontanelle's powers were still expanding. They had been expanding since the formation of the Exiles. So he had to be sure she wasn't seeing some hallucination. Bennet would be lying if he said he trusted Dayne completely. Ever since he found out that she was withholding her prophecies from him Exodus had found him less and less confident with the woman. There was no doubt she was committed to the cause of the Exiles, but it was obvious she didn't trust du Paris so he couldn't trust her. Sure she had plenty of good reason not to trust him. He was the Horsemen of War after all, but nonetheless he would think he had earned her trust by now. Though Bennet had to ask himself why he was being so particularly harsh with Fontanelle. Maybe because he had expected her out of everyone to be the one who would trust him? Somewhere under there he probably felt some sense of resentment towards the woman. Could he really be that petty or perhaps that hurt? Maybe that was the weakness he needed Ever to protect him from. The weakness of emotion.
"Without a doubt it was her," Fontanelle said angered that Exodus would even question that what she was saying was true.
"Then we'll handle her threat accordingly and this time it won't be like the Magus situation," Exodus exclaimed. He held Fontanelle directly responsible for every foul up that happened during that attack. She was his second in command and he expected her to be able to handle the mission. Especially since he trusted her judgment and claims that he would die if he participated in the battle.
"I did the best I could during that situation and…"
"Stop! I need no excuses. Only action. We'll handle Onset in the morning. Go to bed," Exodus said forcefully.
Fontanelle left the room angered and made sure Exodus knew it by slamming the door. Du Paris shook his head and walked back to bed. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, but he would feel better if he tried. As he lay in his bed Bennet tried to work out battle strategies in his head. Onset was far from a regular foe and he had to be treated with extreme caution. Foolishly challenging her would only create more problems. He couldn't and wouldn't have another battle like the one with Magus. That was an utter failure and he blamed himself for it just as much as he blamed Fontanelle. He was the leader of this team and should have been there during the battle despite what Gloria claimed would happen.
"All I'm saying is how come Cory can't get no booty? I'm a pretty nice guy, keep myself clean, but lo and behold the alcoholic gets to screw the fine chick," Vyper complained as he played with the runny eggs on his plate. Helping Derrick take a shower was definitely a tiring experience and it was one Cory had no intention of doing again. The exercise had drained his appetite out of him. Besides Chemistra had made the eggs and she never ever used enough salt. It was like eating melting plastic, but he never told Megan that. She would probably beat his ass and then McGee would try and beat his ass too. So he just kinda played around with eggs and dumped them in the trash when no one was looking.
"You'll get some sooner or later man. Just gotta call the right person ya know? There have to be some mutant brothels out there somewhere," Alex said as Megan put two more pancakes on his plate. Hearing his comment she huffed and went back to cooking.
"Probably," Cory sighed. "Hey Meg where is Harmonious Tom at?"
"He's in the toilet," Chemistra replied casually as she cracked a couple of more eggs for Osman and Plazm.
"So that's who be leaving them big…"
"Cory! Cut that junk out man. Trying to eat here," Alex said through a mouthful of pancakes. With Mutant Forger's help Alex was finally able to push away his toxic waste layer to reveal his regular skin though only for about an hour at a time. Though with Alex all he needed was an hour to devour his food. That kid ate like a madman. Torrent would just sometimes stare at Alex while he ate though it wasn't meant to be mean. The kid was truly in awe. He got a couple of harsh words from Toxicwaste usually for the stare, but Exner took them pretty well.
"Anybody notice who's missing?" Megan said stopping her cooking temporarily.
Cory looked around idiotically and said with a smile, "Yeah…but the teachers always come late. That's just what teachers around here do."
"Never this late," Megan said looking over at the clock above the microwave.
"They're having a meeting," Derrick said walking through the door holding his right hand close to his forehead. Pain was filling throughout his body like an overflowing cup.
"She has directly challenged us. How do we handle it?" Exodus asked posing this difficult question to the four others seated around the table with him.
Ever was the first to speak up, "I say we accept her challenge and take her out before she decides to hit us where it hurts!" The Morlock was very much for action against Onset as soon as possible. She was too great of a threat to just leave alone. Her power was definitely not something to be messed if Magus was any indication. They needed to hit hard and fast. Even if she knew they were coming.
"Jumping into this battle head first could be extremely deadly Ever. I say we wait and let her come to us," Mutant Forger said.
This caused him to get instantaneous disagreement from Osman, "Have you forgotten about our students Forger? To let her come to us would put them in harm's way. I agree with Ever. We need to accept this challenge if simply just for the sake of our pupils."
"What say you Gloria?" Exodus said glaring at the woman. His stare made her uncomfortable.
"I say we fight Exodus. We have no other choice," Fontanelle said almost under a hushed breath.
Du Paris rose up from his chair, "Then it is decided. I want everyone suited up and ready to go in 30 minutes. We have a war to fight."
"Hold up Exodus! We can't do this alone. There are only five of us and…"
Exodus quickly unleashed some of his built up anger at Dayne, "The students are not coming with us! I refuse to allow you to put them in harm's way again. That's final!"
"I wasn't even going to suggest the students you ass. What I was trying to say was that we need to contact the Tans and get them in on this. Ricki gave me a way to contact them after the fight with Magus. We'll need their help. I know it," Fontanelle said.
"Fine. Go ahead and contact them. Have them rendezvous with us in the desert. I'll teleport us all to the Sahara from there," Exodus said wearily as he walked out of the room. He had allowed his anger to get the best of him again. Why did he keep letting that happen to himself? According to Fontanelle it was rage that recklessly would have caused him to be killed by Magus. She had managed to prevent that though and yet he for some reason resented her for it.
Exodus looked at the eleven mutants before him. This was the force that was going to head into battle with the madwoman Onset. Would they be enough to defeat her? He could only hope so. The Tans and Exiles joined as one united force. Bennet hardly expected to ever see the day especially considering he had mind-wiped all of the Tans not too long ago in another of his fits of anger. Du Paris regretted committing that act of mercilessness, but at the time he felt it had to be done.
"Are we ready to depart yet?" Ricki Tan asked with his arms folded and an impatient look on his face. Whatever Ricki might have once been he was now bound to the will of Sinister so completely that there could never be an escape. For Sinister were all that Ricki and the rest of his family. Another reason to regret mind-wiping them. He had given Sinister another band of flunkies. The last group of his henchmen, The Nasty Boys, played an integral role in the destruction of his first team of Exiles.
"Yes. Everyone brace yourselves! I have a feeling that Onset will be there waiting for us the moment I teleport us there," Exodus commanded. Everyone nodded and Bennet knew at that moment he was surrounded by true warriors. Whatever happened once they faced Onset he was sure they could come out on top in the end. Then he closed his eyes and everyone was surrounded in a brilliant pink light. With that they were gone and off to face a foe who they had absolutely any idea of how to beat.
"It's about time you showed up Exodus? And I see you bought Sinister's pathetic little servants with you as well. How delightful," Onset laughed as eleven mutants arrived in front of her.
"Release all the people you've kidnapped now and we might go easy on you," Exodus threatened with a devilish smile on his face. He knew Onset wasn't going to budge, but it never hurt to try. Bennet hadn't faced an opponent of this kind for quite some time. The stakes in this added to the power of his opponent almost gave du Paris a feeling of exhilaration.
"Come now my Demon Made True. You know I won't back down so easily," Onset laughed.
"Enough talk!" Nawon Tan shouted as he unleashed a barrage of electricity upon Onset. Her body was covered in the pure onslaught of Nawon's attack. She let out a scream that rocked the desert and knocked Amethyst Tan and Tawana Tan to the floor. Onset's cry had been a sonic one and Exodus managed to shield almost everyone from it with a telekinetic shield.
"Keep up the attack Nawon!" Exodus said as he used his telepathy to increase Nawon's powers. He hadn't done that his with telepathic abilities since his group was on the Hill facing Mikhail Rasputin. With his boost Nawon was putting out electricity that could be seen in Cairo, which was quite a bit of distance away.
Onset's body twisted and withered in agony at Nawon's blast. To the surprise of everyone watching below Onset's body began to twist around in a circle until it became a purple rip in the sky that all the electricity channeled through. Exodus knew exactly what was about to happen, but he wasn't able to put up TK shields in time.
A portal opened up right behind Mintaka Tan and Nawon's entire outpour of electricity hit him square in his back. There was a loud inhuman roar and seconds later Mintaka was on the ground his body burnt and smoking.
"Damn!" Exodus yelled as he clenched his fists. Someone was now dead. There was no way Mintaka could have survived that massive electric blast. Nawon grabbed Exodus's shoulder. "Don't worry about Mintaka. He'll be fine. Part of the master's DNA is in him. Let's focus on Onset."
Looking up to the sky everyone saw the purple portal return to its original form of Onset. The woman waved her arm and a bunch of sand monsters appeared from the ground. Exodus couldn't believe that Onset was going to through some Goliath wannabes made of sand at them. He soon wished he wouldn't have thought that when the monster's bodies turned into metal.
"Giants made of titanium all for you and yours Exodus. I hope you enjoy them!" Onset cackled.
"Trust me Onset. We won't enjoy them too much," Proteus said as his eyes turned a dark orange and he outstretched his arms. The giants turned into lava and they disappeared only to reappear all over Onset. The woman cried out in pain as her armor, which was effectively her skin, was burned away.
Osman looked over in the direction of Exodus and smiled. Bennet reveled in the appearance of a soon to be victory. All his hopes were soon dashed away as the lava that was burning Onset began to meld with her and heal her wounded body. She shook a finger of disapproval at Proteus as tentacles ripped themselves from the ground and wrapped around Proteus.
The Exile was helpless to fight against these tentacles Onset had unleashed upon him. The very touch of these vines seemed to drain away his mutant abilities. They were strangling him and he could feel the air being sucked out of his lungs. He fell slowly into blackness. Consciousness slipped away from him.
Exodus watched as Proteus hit the ground. The tentacles then lashed out to wrap themselves around Bennet next, but Ricki Tan jumped in the way and barraged the tentacles with heat knives. To help him in his assault Exodus used his telepathy to increase Ricki's powers.
"Ever hit her next! Amethyst get ready to move in!" Exodus yelled.
"Back down Exodus. You really think the measly Morlock can harm-AHH!"
Onset doubled over in agony at the telepathic assault of Ever. She had underestimated the Morlock greatly. His power was a great deal fiercer than she had expected it to be. Ever was assaulting all the weak points of her mind. In trying to combat his psychic battering Onset didn't see Amethyst move in close to her. She was being held up in the air by Exodus's telekinesis.
"Time for the big boom!" Amethyst exclaimed as she phased a stick into Onset's body and solidified it. The obvious reaction was a massive explosion since matter is never meant to occupy the same space. Amethyst Tan was taken away from the blast by Exodus's teleportation.
Walking up to Exodus while shielding her eyes Fontanelle asked, "Do you think Onset is gone? That was a pretty big stunt you pulled off."
Ever came up behind Exodus and gripped his shoulder with a smile, "I'm far from gone!" A blast erupted throughout Exodus's body and he fell to the floor. His nervous system had been shut down.
Seeing the apparent danger they were all in everyone tried to attack the Onset possessed Ever all at once. Their attempt was in vain for Onset was gone before they even had a chance to attack. The body of Ever lay on the floor crumpled up, but Exodus was gone.
"Shit! Tawana see if Onset is out of Ever's mind," Fontanelle commanded. Even though Tawana was a meager telepath she should be able to feel out if a being as powerful as Onset was still hanging around in Ever's mind.
Tawana bent over and touched Ever's forehead. Almost immediately she looked up at Fontanelle and shook her head, "Onset is all gone, but some of her thoughts were still lingering around in Ever's mind. I picked up on a couple of them. She's kidnapped Exodus."
"Forger make a mutant and take us home. We got wounded to attend to," Fontanelle commanded with a deep sigh.
"I will not use my powers in such a manner," Mutant Forger said sternly. Fontanelle got up from her kneeling position and got only a few inches from Forger's face.
"Look Forger! I've bout had it with your woe as me crap! If you would use your gift perhaps we could have been able to beat Onset! And just maybe Exodus wouldn't be gone! You ever think about that?" Gloria questioned as she held an accusing finger in his face.
Mutant Forger slapped away the finger and grabbed Fontanelle with a firm hand around the throat, "Now you listen! How dare you act as if I put my own personal needs before the team? I refuse to create HUMAN BEINGS for you to use as cannon fodder against this battle with Onset. Do you honestly take creation that lightly? I've been down the road you want me to start down again and believe when I tell that it is not pretty. I won't do it. No matter the case."
Gloria hit the ground wheezing from breath after Mutant Forger released his grip on her and went to attend to Proteus.
"Quite the team they have there," Nawon whispered to Ricki.
"Yata mo chong la nagat sunn ti meed naw. S'kin delo non-ka loyola. Give me Astra! Give me Astra!"
Just as was done with Legion and Mastermind a prison bubble hovered above the kettle pot. Astra flew out of the kettle pot and went straight into his maroon prison bubble.
"Welcome home my Torn Queen! Only one more piece remains to captured. Exodus came to me so foolishly and in turn I was given my Demon Made True. Now all that remains to be captured is The Host of Power. And he will come to me just as easily. Then all shall be mine!"
"You're a mad woman. You know that?" Exodus exclaimed in a bitter voice as he hung suspended in his white prison bubble.
"I doubt she cares about your opinion," Judas Traveller said somberly. He felt it in his bones. A deciding battle was coming and more and more thing s seemed to be in Onset's favor.
"Well said Judas. And to think Exodus you were my last hope," Sinister sighed.
Exodus's eyes flared with psionic energy as he stared at Essex with rage, "The Exiles will come! They'll defeat this woman. I know they can do it."
"With the pathetic leadership of Fontanelle? HA! We might as well consider ourselves doomed."
"They sent you back didn't they Magus?" Gaia asked mockingly.
