Psychic Showdown Part II

"Typical," Ray grumbled. "We finish one battle with one psychic nut job only to be attacked by another!" He shot out a blast of electricity. Astrid simply made a telekinetic shield and then psychically redirected the energy back at the mutants.

"Who the hell is this?" Logan yelled as he ducked for cover.

"Astrid Bloom, my old college roommate," Emma told him. "We had some issues in college."

"Some issues?" Scott dodged a blast of solid psychic energy. He tried to blast Astrid with an optic blast only to have it deflected.

"Pathetic," Astrid snorted as she used her enhanced powers to blast Scott and Ray to the wall.

"Forget them Astrid," Emma growled. "It's me you're after! Or are you afraid to take me on directly?"

"Please! I've been dreaming of this moment for the past seven years!" Astrid focused her attention on Emma. "And I'm not going to wait a second longer! Especially after what you did to me!"

"You?" Emma shouted. "What I did to you? I never would have done anything to you if you hadn't tried to ruin my life! Maybe I did go too far back then, but you're the one who struck the first blow! You were never exactly an innocent victim! I may have hurt you but you hurt me first!"

Emma sent out a stream of psychic energy but Astrid deflected it. "Is this still about Ian?" Astrid mocked as she sent another psychic attack at Emma. This time the psychic force turned into sharp knives that flew through the air.

"No, I got over him a long time ago," Emma dodged the knives. "By the way you were right about his initials."

"Well obviously!" Astrid hissed. "Ian Chester Kendall? I.C.K.? ICK? If that's not a warning sign I don't know what is!"

"That still didn't give you the right to do what you did!" Emma sent a psychic attack back.

"It is about Ian isn't it?" Astrid sent out more psychic knives.

"No," Emma created a psychic shield that blocked the psychic knives. "It's about Max, Christine and Ian! And all the times you used me!"

"Don't get all high and mighty with me!" Astrid shouted temporarily stopping her attack. "Like you never used your powers to get what you wanted?"

"Maybe, but I never used my powers on my five year old sister to force her to kill my parents," Emma told them. "Although I admit in hindsight that may not have been a bad idea."

"Celandine?" Xavier asked. Emma nodded. "My god…"

"You're going to pay for what you did to me!" Astrid hissed.

"You left me no choice!" Emma told her. "You were sick then and you're still sick now!"

"Sick? Sick? I you haven't seen sick yet!" Astrid laughed as she created long psychic chains, binding Emma and the other mutants. "Oh I can't wait to destroy your mind! No matter how long it takes!"

"Could somebody please explain what the hell this is all about?" Logan shouted.

"Short version: My dear old college room mate tried to manipulate me by manipulating my friends and boyfriend," Emma told him. "She wanted to keep me weak and dependent on her so she'd always have a friend. When I found out the truth, she tried to trap me in her mind. I turned the tables on her by trapping her in hers."

"Manipulation? I was trying to save you!" Astrid shrieked. "Notice how you conveniently forgot to mention that your so called boyfriend was also your professor and he was ten years older than you! And he was dating your first room mate too before I broke it up!"

"Yeah by forcing them to attack each other and driving Christine to the nuthouse!" Emma snapped. "Although admittedly the last part I kind of had to do myself. It's a long story."

"You used to date your teacher?" Scott looked at Emma. "Why does this make me very nervous?"

"It doesn't shock me," Jean snorted.

"Astrid! Stop this!" Xavier tried to use his psychic powers to stop her. "It doesn't have to end like this!"

"Fighting the Shadow King has tired you out, Gramps," Astrid deflected his attack with ease. "None of you are strong enough to break my psychic chains. They don't just hold you, they drain your psychic energy and use it against you. Besides, your human loving philosophy kind of conflicts with the folks I'm running with. And quite frankly, traitors like you deserve what they get."

"My sentiments exactly," Emma's eyes flashed. She transformed into her diamond form. "You're not the only one that's learned a few tricks." With a flourish she broke her psychic bonds.

"HOW?" Astrid hissed.

"Simple Darling," Emma told her. "My diamond form inhibits psychic powers. I simply cut off the chain's power supply. And now I am going to cut you!"

"Not if I cut you first!" Astrid created more psychic knives and threw them at her. They bounced off Emma's body but tore at her clothes.

"This outfit was specifically designed for me," Emma growled. "Now I am really upset!"

"Boo freaking hoo…" Astrid snarled. "Try wearing nothing but a hospital gown for seven years! I am going to…"

That's when something slammed into her back. "Uhhhh!" Astrid grunted as she fell to the floor.

"How the mighty have fallen," Emma wasted no time in removing Astrid's helmet. Immediately the psychic chains disappeared around the others. "Then again you were never really mighty in the first place. Just pathetic."

"Who…?" Astrid growled and saw who hit her. "Y-Yvonne? But how…?"

"My backup," Emma grinned. "I was planning on using her in case our battle with the Shadow King failed. Oh well, I guess she'll have to settle for you."

"Hello Sister…" Yvonne stood there using her powers on Astrid. "You went into my mind once and destroyed me. Now it' s my turn to destroy you!"

"You're a mutant?" Astrid gasped in pain. Blood started to come out through her nose. "No, please…Don't do this! Yvonne…We're sisters!"

"That didn't stop you from forcing me to kill our mother," Yvonne hissed. "You took everything from me, my parents, my mind, my life! All of it because you couldn't stand sharing mother with me! Well dear sister…I like to share…I'm sharing with you all the pain and torment I suffered all these years. All my memories…All my emotions…All my pain… are being transferred to you!"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Astrid screamed clutching her head. She shook violently before she collapsed to the floor in a heap.

"Goodbye Sister," Yvonne said simply. "Burn in hell."

"Well done darling," Emma said proudly.

"Is she…?" Jean gasped.

"What do you think?" Emma looked at Jean. She looked down at Astrid. "She was my friend once you know? Part of me almost feels sorry for her. Almost…"

"You didn't have to…" Jean began.

"Yes she did," Evan glared at her and put his arm around Yvonne.

"Astrid was no more than a rabid dog that needed to be put to sleep," Emma agreed. "Using one's powers against humans when you have to is one thing, but she went beyond the pale."

"What's the thing she was wearing?" Ray asked as he took it from Emma. "It looks kind of like that portable Cerebro we have in the Blackbird."

"It's almost exactly like the portable Cerebro," Xavier had returned to his wheelchair and took it. "There are some modifications but the design is clearly the same."

"You mean somebody knows how to make a new and improved Cerebro?" Logan frowned. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I," Xavier admitted. "Although as far as I know only one other person has these exact specifications."

"Magneto?" Ororo asked. Xavier nodded. "But how did Astrid get them?"

"Are you okay?" Evan asked Yvonne.

"Better than I've been in a long time. I did get some information from her," Yvonne told Emma. "It seems the Hellfire Club has a spy or two in our midst. And your son Xavier is right in the middle of it."

"And Legion works with Magneto…" Scott put it together.

"Or pretends to work for him," Jean folded her arms. "I wouldn't put it past him to try and double cross him."

"Interesting," Emma raised an eyebrow. She had a quick telepathic exchange with Yvonne. "Come Hellions we have to go clean house."

"But what about…?" Ray pointed at Astrid. "You can't just leave her here! What are we supposed to do with a dead body?"

"As far as I'm concerned you can weigh it down with cement and throw it in the ocean," Emma scoffed. "Whatever you do I suggest you do it soon. It's going to be nearly ninety degrees tomorrow. It won't be pretty if you just leave her there."

"Look why don't we just use our influence to just have the coroner take it away?" Evan asked. "It's the least we can do."

"The very least," Scott grumbled.

"I think we've all had enough fighting for one day," Ororo said. She looked at Emma. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes," Emma nodded. "Evan get your mother. We're leaving. I think we've worn out our welcome here. But I might as well call the garbage men to pick up the trash. No one can say I am not a gracious guest. Besides, I have a feeling we're going to do a lot of cleaning today!"

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"Oh that was a brilliant plan Legion!" Mastermind snapped as he grabbed all the files he could from the filing cabinet. "Just brilliant!"

"Stop whining and keep grabbing the files," Lucas snarled as he downloaded evidence from the computer.

"Like that's going to do any good!" Mesmero snarled. "Luckily we sent Empath and Mystique on other errands before Frost and her brats got back."

"Not so lucky for us," Mastermind snapped. "I told Astrid not to attack them directly! But did she listen? Nooo! And I know that her little sister found out that she was in league with us and our plans to take over the Hellfire Club!"

"So?" Blackjack took over. "Astrid didn't see me."

"And I don't know what you're complaining about Mastermind!" Mesmero snapped. "At least you can go back to Magneto and simply tell him that your cover was blown! I'm out in the open with nowhere to go!"

"Yes you do," Blackjack sighed. "Go to Base Delta and await my instructions. I'm sure you can use your powers to escape easily. It's not like we didn't plan this escape out in advance. Remember the little drills Cyndi made you practice?"

"How could we ever forget?" Mastermind grumbled. "I've got all the paper evidence."

"And here is the hard drive," Blackjack handed it to him. "All right you know the drill. Go out the back tunnels and split up. Mastermind you rendezvous with Empath and go back to Magneto. Tell him our plans to infiltrate the Hellfire club have hit a slight snag but I am still undercover. You know the drill. Mesmero you lie low for a few weeks until I send for you. I'll stay behind, set fire to our little inner sanctuary here, cause a few little diversions, tell the Inner Circle that you were plotting and you got away…Blah, blah, blah…"

"You actually sound calm about all this!" Mastermind snapped.

"It helps to keep a cool head in these trying times," Blackjack said cynically. "Besides this works to our advantage."

"And how do you figure that?" Mastermind growled.

"Simple," Mesmero told him. "Now that they've uncovered one plot to overthrow them they won't be expecting another."

"Precisely," Blackjack nodded. He heard footsteps approaching. "You'd all better run now so I can start this fire."

"I am so tired of running for my life every other week," Mastermind grumbled as the two men pushed a hidden panel on the wall and escaped through a tunnel.

"Pity, I just redecorated," Blackjack conjured up one of his psyche's powers and started a fire. "Oh well…"

Next: It's Prom time again for the Mutants! A night of romance, unexpected couples and one huge disaster that has everyone fighting for their lives against an evil that wants to take over the world! What more can you ask for?