Hellfire and Brimstone Part II

"This is where the Hellfire Club has their headquarters?" Cobra Commander scoffed as he looked at the building from a van parked across from the Black Friar's Building. "It looks like a retirement home for wealthy bankers!"

"You must admit it is a rather clever cover," Destro told him. "Are our troops ready?"

The Crimson Guard twins Xamot and Tomax were in the same van as well. "All is ready…" Xamot said.

"And awaiting your orders," Tomax told him.

"Sir! We're getting a signal of some kind on our mutant detection devices," A trooper in the van pointed to a device.

"Considering that the majority of the Hellfire Club is composed of mutants that's pretty likely," Cobra Commander said sarcastically.

"No sir, the signal is coming from underneath us," The trooper explained. "A large number of them in the sewers."

"Engage Cobra Bugs," Destro ordered. "Switch to visual mode."

They watched as the mutants were encountered by several robot troops underneath he sewers. "Attack robots in the sewers," Cobra Commander thought. "That's not a bad idea. Should remember that. You know what this means?"

"The Hellfire Club watches a lot of Star Wars movies?" The Clueless Trooper asked. "Cause seriously those things look exactly like the battle droids used in Episode Three on General Grevious's ship."

"No you fool!" Cobra Commander snapped. "While the mutants are distracting the Hellfire Club we shall burst through the front door unopposed! And besides looking at the markings those things look more like they were in the original series than the newer batch of the saga. I mean seriously, who paints a destructive robotic death machine gray nowadays? It's such a monotonous color!"

"I have a better plan," Destro stopped him. "Why not let the mutants do all the fighting? We follow them from a discreet distance. Then when they make their way to where the crystal is being held we swoop in and grab it while those fools fight amongst themselves?"

"Brilliant plan," Cobra Commander smirked beneath his cowl. "I'm glad I thought of it."

"Yes it is…" Destro sighed.

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"This does not look good," Hank gulped as he dodged the laser fire from one of the attack droids.

"No it doesn't," Logan sliced one droid open with his claws. "Okay! Everyone…Use basic attacks and stay together! We gotta outfight these things!"

"AVALANCHE! MANUEVER 25!" Althea shouted as she readied her powers, gathering up a huge amount of water from the sewer floor. "READY?"

"GOT IT!" Lance steadied his focus. Both mutants prepared to use their powers at the same time. The others saw this and quickly got out of the way.

"HIT THE DECK!" Todd yelled.

"What are they gonna do?" Rina asked as Angelica yanked her out of the way.

"Trust me, you don't wanna be on the wrong end of this!" Angelica told her. "Okay! Let it rip!"

"EARTHQUAKE TSUNAMI!" Both yelled as they let loose a huge combined force of a tidal wave and earthquake at the same time. The combined power crushed every machine in their path. When the water receded away all the machines was destroyed.

"Or we could just let Wavedancer and Avalanche do…Whatever it is they just did…" Hank blinked.

"Works for me," Roadblock shrugged.

"Okay, I admit it," Logan said. "I'm impressed."

"Whoa…" Kurt's jaw dropped. "Since when could you guys do that?"

"We've been practicing combining our attacks," Lance told him. "We came up with that one the last time Quicksilver doused us with some water balloons."

"Note the fact we come up with more ways to destroy things when we're trying to destroy each other," Roadblock mentioned. "Now let's go get our brothers! And…Jean."

"Look! I think that attack broke through a wall over here!" Todd hopped towards the end. A burst of laser fire forced him to hop back. "AAAAHHHHH!"

"Something tells me we found the Hellfire Club's basement," Logan groaned.

"What was your first clue?" Rogue snapped as she charged ahead, tacking several surprised and wet guards. The mutants soon joined into the fray.

"Hey guys! Chill out!" Bobby said using his powers to freeze the water covering the room. Several guards slipped and fell. Bobby also used his powers to freeze the water on the guards.

"Can't…move…" One guard gasped.

"Well that was fun," Wanda sighed. "These guys didn't last ten minutes."

"Either we're getting better or these guys are just plain sloppy," Fred remarked.

"What is this place anyway?" Kurt asked. It seemed to be a sterile white room filled with a lot of plans, computers and equipment.

"Looks like their lab," Angelica remarked. "And isn't that…?" She pointed to a half-completed very familiar device.

"A Bio-Pulse prototype," Althea frowned as she looked at the device.

"And plans too," Fred took the plans from a desk and stuffed them down his shirt. "Finder's keepers!"

"Here," Althea gave Hank one of the devices Forge gave them. "Find a computer and put this in it. Maybe Arcade can figure this out and find our friends."

"I will comply," Hank nodded. "Ah here's one now." He put the device into the computer. "And presto…All right Arcade the rest is up to you."

"And hopefully this thing won't blow up in our faces like Forge's other experiments," Kurt remarked.

"And if that fails I've got a more practical solution. Okay," Logan grabbed one frozen guard by the neck. "Where are our friends? You know the mutants you captured from Neverland?"

"I ain't telling you nothing, dirtbag," The guard snarled.

Logan just grinned and shot out his claws very close to the guard's face. Two seconds later…

"They're in the Ceremonial Chamber on the Third Floor," The guard squealed rapidly. "Second door on the right, it has a big phoenix carved in wood on it. Watch out for the fifth step it squeaks and there's also an infrared laser so it'd alert the 120 guards stationed on that floor. They're armed with lasers with a 123 repeat caliber and bayonets fixed on the end. They've also got grenades, knives, and some of them have tasers. There's also some electrified panels three feet in but can be deactivated using the security code 9171666 on the pad hidden by the picture of this really ugly old woman in black. A guy named Doug has the manual key around his neck and there are some guard dogs we keep around the perimeter but as long as you feed them something they won't bother you."

"See what happens when you are polite?" Roadblock smirked. "Okay creep say goodnight!"

"Huh?" The guard blinked. Logan drew in his claws before punching the guard in the face. "Goodnight…" He passed out cold.

"Hey guys!" Arcade's voice came in through their communicators. "I've managed to hack in the schematics of the building. I can even shut down a few security sensors. The coordinates should be patched into your wrist communicators."

"Yup," Rogue looked at her device. "This map's clearer than spring water. Our friends are straight above us."

"And all that's standing in our way are about a dozen Hellfire Club members and a bazillion guards," Bobby said. "No pressure."

"Come on!" Logan roared. "We're taking this place down!"

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"Oohh," Cover Girl stirred. "What hit me?" She found herself bound to a large altar with most of her teammates as well as the first squad. "What the…?"

"Welcome back to the Land of the Living," Shaw smirked. He was wearing large red and black ceremonial robes. "For the present anyway."

"Xavier?" Cover Girl looked around. "Remy! Xi! You guys okay?"

"We're trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey on an altar and are about to be killed," Remy told her. "Just fine, how are you?"

"This place looks like a rejected set from Raiders of the Lost Ark," Scott groaned. The walls were covered in hieroglyphs. There was a huge stone floor with several marks within a large circle. Many members of the Hellfire Club were taking their place within the circle. The M'Krann crystal was in the middle of the room on a pedestal.

"I told you I felt an earthquake!" Leland said to the others.

"It's probably your own feet after scarfing down the buffet," Pierce snapped. "Although I admit you had more competition than usual this time."

"Is that a fat joke directed at me?" The Kingpin glared at him.

"No, I was referring to another two ton criminal mastermind!" Pierce snarled.

"Boss, can I hit him?" Steve asked.

"Later Steve," Kingpin told him.

"What is this?" Ororo looked around. "My powers!" The mutants were all wearing restraining collars."

"What are they gonna do to us?" Betsy struggled to get free.

"You don't want to know," Roberto called out to them. He and Pietro were tightly restrained and on the sidelines.

"I believe the Hellfire Club plans to kill us in a ritualistic fashion," Xavier frowned.

"Oh is that all?" Betsy groaned.

"Except for Sunspot and Quicksilver," Shaw explained.

"Why not him?" Pietro indicated Roberto with his head. "He doesn't do much."

"Neither do you but we keep you around," Xi glared at him.

Roberto explained to Pietro. "My Dad over there is one of the Hellfire Club's Elite. I just found out a few hours ago!"

"You have my deepest sympathy," Pietro told him. "But why me? Not that I'm not grateful…"

"Odds are you probably aren't," Roberto grumbled.

"To use you as a bargaining chip against your father of course," Shaw snorted.

"Of course," Pietro sighed. "You sure there's not enough room for one more sacrifice over there? I mean I could probably squeeze in there somehow."

"Sir!" A guard ran in. "We have reports of fighting in the corridors! The X-Men and Misfits have entered the building and they are almost to the third floor!"

"What?" Shaw shouted.

"How did they get in the building so fast?" Pierce snapped.

"I knew your stupid machines couldn't cut it!" Leland glared at him.

"We have to start the ceremony now!" Shaw told him. "Bring in the Oracle!"

Jean walked in led by a female guard. She had a blank look on her face. "JEAN!" Scott called out.

"Jean it's us! Can't you hear us?" Ororo shouted.

"Don't bother," Shaw said as the female guard guided Jean to stand in the middle of the circle right behind the crystal. "She can't hear you."

"It's amazing what a little telepathic mind control combined with some powerful drugs can accomplish," Emma grinned.

"Let the ceremony begin," Shaw called out.