Chapter 10: The Halls of the Undead
Twelve Hours Later – 2:00a.m.
Besides the throbbing pain in her head, the first thing Selene was aware of was that her hands were tied.
But, it took her a few moments longer to realize they were tied around a pole behind her back. She opened her eyes, only to find the room spinning. Her eyes moved of their own accord, back and forth, almost like a typewriter. She closed them again, fighting back the rising nausea. Resting her head against the pole, she took in several deep breaths, hoping to clear her head.
After a minute, she opened her eyes again. She sighed, half in contentment, half in relief, her vision clearing, the room standing still. Craning her head upwards, she saw she was tied around a pole. Directly above her, a recessed circle was built into the roof. Etched into the circle was a large sun, its rays stretching out into every direction. Dread filled her undead heart, as she realized what was going to happen to her.
They were planning on executing her. At dawn, they would open the recess, and allow the sun to kill her as it raced across the sky. It was the traditional, and preferred, way of killing traitors.
Her gaze fell to the ground before her. Michael was on his knees, chained to the ground. Reinforced silver manacles were fastened around his wrists, a similar collar fastened around his neck. The manacles and collar were attached to chains, which, in turn, were attached to large bolts cemented in the ground. His head hung limply to the side, still unconscious from the night before.
Behind him, on her right, she saw a dozen werewolves, all chained to the wall behind them. They were all in their human forms. Andrew, the leader of the L.A. pack, and brother of Lucian, was in the middle of them all. Next to him were several of his lieutenants, all of them chained the same as their leader. She also saw the werewolf that had come with Logan and Jean's teammates.
Suddenly, the door next to the werewolves' cell opened, expelling bright light. Squinting her eyes in the sudden brightness, she could make out one of the nosferatu leading someone else into the room. It was dragging someone with it, she noticed. As they came through the door, she could see it was the female Death Dealer that had been captured with them. She didn't remember the girl's name, but she knew it began with an 'm'.
"If you don't want to answer our questions," the dark vampire snarled, "you'll die as will all your comrades."
"Better to die on my own terms," the Death Dealer seethed, spitting in the other vampire's face.
"Just for that," the nosferatu snarled, "I'll personally turn you." He opened up another cell, on the other side of the door as the werewolves', and shoved her inside He chained her to the wall, roughly grabbing her wrists in his larger hands. Her wrist chained, he snorted up snot, and with an ugly smile, spat the loogie on her face. He laughed, seeing her turn her head in disgust. Closing the door, he snarled, "I'll catch you later."
Only after he left, did Selene notice the cell had glass enclosing it outside the thick bars. "Don't let them get to you," Selene offered grimly.
"I won't," Mia replied, curtly. She wiped the snotty spit on her upper shoulder, the only place she could reach with her face.
"Where are the others," Selene asked, wondering where Logan and Jean's teammates were.
"Behind you," Mia answered. She gestured vaguely with her head behind Selene. The gathered X-Men were chained to the wall behind Selene, once again within a cell. Their arms were secured in manacles above their heads, their bound legs spread wide. In front of each was a purple sphere, glowing under its own light. Each had a beam of energy pointed at the mutant in front of it, drawing their energy from them. Their heads hung limply on their chests, too weak to hold them upright.
"They're the same energy orbs that they used before," Selene noted.
"Yeah, they are," Michael, now awake, agreed.
Casting her eyes on her lover, Selene asked, "Do you feel okay?"
"Yeah," he answered, tiredly. "I'll be fine." He looked past Selene to the mutants behind her. He noted grimly that their complexions were pale. Most of them seemed to have broken out in cold sweats, hair plastered to their heads. His medical training came to the front of his mind, as he noted that they all seemed to be exhibiting the general symptoms of malaise. That they appeared as sick as they did suggested that the orbs were not only canceling out their abilities.
"Where are we?" A male voice rang out in the darkness. Following the sound, Michael saw a man with blonde hair, and white, feathered wings.
"We're in the vampires' mansion," Selene answered. "Though I cannot be certain, I believe our enemies here have … infected … the rest of the coven." She sighed in resignation. "Unless the lycans are able to follow us, we will be on our own."
"We've been in tighter spots than this," Warren replied weakly. He seemed to regard them for the first time. "You're the two that helped Logan and Jean, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Michael responded. "I'm Michael." He gestured with his eyes. "This is Selene."
"Warren," the winged-mutant said. Looking next to him, he happened to see his neighbor awake. "And this is Hank."
"Salutations," the furred doctor greeted.
"Nice to meet you," Michael replied. As he finished his sentence, the door behind him opened suddenly.
Through the door, stepped the leader of the nosferatu, followed by his lieutenants. His subordinates went around the chamber, lighting up the various torches that dotted the walls almost at random. The leader stepped into the middle of the room, next to Michael. Smiling, he took off his hood, revealing his features. "Hello, Selene, Michael," he greeted them. Looking beyond the two, he noticed that several of the X-Men were awake, boring holes with their eyes. "And I see that the freaks are waking, as well."
"Look who's talkin', suckface," Jubilee said, her features twisted into a stubborn scowl.
"For that, my dear," the leader said, "I shall enjoy eviscerating you alive."
"Ooh, I'm, like, so shaking," she replied.
"You should be," he responded, grounding his nails into his palms in frustration. He wasn't accustomed to having anyone, let alone a human girl, speaking to him in such a tone.
Jubilee was about to make another remark, when another voice asked, "What are you planning on doing to us?"
The leader turned to the source, seeing Betsy, her eyes hard with defiance. "Oh, I don't know," he replied sarcastically. "I was thinking about turning one of you, and then having that person attack each of you in turn. And you'd be able to do nothing about it."
"Don't be so sure."
The leader looked at her skeptically, measuring her. "I doubt it," he finally said. "But, to make sure," he added, "I think I shall have to turn you." He eyed her lasciviously, taking in the curve of her bosom. "And then you can be my bride."
"I'd rather die," she replied.
"Oh, you will," he responded with a laugh. "You will." He turned from her, casting his gaze on Selene. "The great and legendary Selene," he remarked with faux deference. "Most dangerous of al female Death Dealers," he continued. "Why Viktor held you in such high regard, I will never know."
"If you let me out of these chains, I will gladly show you," Selene said icily, her eyes luminescent blue.
"Oh, I've no doubt of that at all," he replied, almost jovially. "So I don't think I'll give you that chance." He nodded towards one of the other vampires. She went to one of the walls, and began rotating an old, wooden wheel. Above her, Selene saw that the aperture in the ceiling started to open. The night sky revealed itself, stars blacked out from the pollution in the air.
"Well, Selene," the leader began, "when I return, you'll be nothing more than ash." He began moving towards the door. "So, I think I'll leave you with your thoughts, my dear. Because, you know, just as well as I, knowing you will die is worse than the act." He laughed dryly as he stepped across the threshold. "Goodbye, my dear," he said, as the door closed tightly behind him.
- - - -
Four Hours Later
Selene had been trying to wriggle her way out of the ropes that bound her. The knot holding her arms behind her back hadn't given, but the one holding her ankles together had. Yet, despite her attempts to do so, she could not escape. She had not been able to get enough slack in the knot to get it to loosen.
Looking up, she saw the sky had lightened since the last time she'd glanced upward. Though she was inclined to panic, her centuries of training allowed her to tamp down the rising feelings. Still, the thought persisted that even if she could somehow loosen her bindings, she would not be able to do so before the sun shone in the chamber.
Forcing herself to clear her mind, she looked down to her ankles again. Studying them, she thought she saw a way she might be able to get a single leg free. And, though it was only a single limb, it was, nonetheless, an improvement. Without wasting another moment, she began working on the knots again.
It was over half an hour later, when the sun was just coming up, when her leg suddenly popped free of her bindings.
"Selene," Michael exclaimed excitedly. "You got a leg free!" His features sobered as he noticed the color of the sky. She followed his gaze, seeing the slightest sliver of sunlight on the roof. "Are you going to have enough time to free yourself?"
"I … I don't think so," she replied doubtfully. Again, panic threatened to take control of her thoughts. Tamping them down, again, she moved her leg as far as she could in every direction she could. She noticed, with interest, that her foot came almost within biting distance of Michael. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Michael, I'm going to stretch my leg out as far as I can. I want you to bite if you can."
"But," he began concernedly. "You might …."
"I might," she responded. "But, there's still a chance I'll survive. And, if there is even the slightest chance, I'm more than willing to take it."
He hesitated, reluctant to try something that could very well kill her. Finally, he nodded in acquiescence, though he seemed far from happy. "Okay." She stretched her leg out as far as she could, her muscles straining. Michael, transforming into his hybrid form, struggled against the chains. They creaked, and groaned, but still held. The collar dug into his throat, threatening to cut off his air. But, yet, he still tried. He flexed his neck muscles, the tendons in his neck standing out.
"I can't," Michael rasped, changing back into his human form. He rubbed his throat, unconsciousness threatening to overtake him. But, frustration was what he felt: he'd been within a centimeter of actually being able to bite her.
"Michael," Selene said calmly, her eyes reflecting the love she felt for him. "You are stronger than you think; I know you can." She glanced upward again, a little more sunlight shining into the room. "Please … try again."
He gritted his teeth, nodding at the same time. He transformed again, his skin becoming the odd blue-gray color. He charged forward with all his strength, tensing his muscles against the chains that cut into his body. He bared his teeth, and somehow, miraculously, his open mouth found her flesh. He bit down, heedless of the strength of his jaws. He felt his teeth bite not only into leather and flesh, but bone as well. A bone shattered with the strength of his bite, a breath escaping her lips as the pain flared up her leg.
As Michael released his hold, and fell back to his knees, he saw he'd bit her higher than her foot. He saw an ugly bite mark, and blood streaming down, from halfway up her shin. But, the wound began to heal even as he watched, the skin beginning to heal up. In the background of his mind, his medical training was taking note of the fact that even vampire/werewolf healing speeds could not match that of Logan and Jean.
Selene bared her teeth, her eyes an iridescent blue. She looked up to the sky, pain flowing through her veins. She closed her eyes, biting back the pain. The sound of eerie howling filled her head, the image of a full moon on the inside of her eyelids. The howling threatened to drive her insane, the sound ringing in her ears over and over, consuming her every thought. And, when it seemed as if she couldn't handle anymore, she passed into a blissfully silent unconsciousness.
- - - -
When Selene finally regained consciousness, she looked up into the sky, and was shocked by what she saw.
The pale blue of the daylight sky smiled down on her, the edge of the sun casting its light into the room. She cowered from the sight almost instinctively, nearly six hundred years of nocturnal living having been ingrained into her. But, when she realized she didn't feel her skin burning, she looked again up at the sky. She smiled, filled with wondrous surprise, seeing the day star once again.
"Selene," Michael called, concernedly. She snapped out of her reverie, catching his worried look.
"It's been so long, Michael," she answered. "I almost forgot what the sun looked like," she continued. She closed her eyes momentarily, allowing the heat of the day to warm her face. "But, I suppose I'll have more than enough time to appreciate it," she said, opening her eyes. She looked down, and concentrated on her bindings. She played with the wrist bindings, trying to free her arms.
After several minutes, she sighed, frustrated. "I can't free them," she said to Michael.
"Selene," he replied, wondrously, "your eyes."
"What about them," she asked, her interest piqued.
"They're completely black," he answered. "You're a hybrid." He smiled widely, looking up at her. "Try again, only this time, let go of your emotions. It's how you transform."
She nodded. Going back to trying to free her wrists, she concentrated on the ropes. After several minutes, she was again frustrated. Instead of keeping her concentration on the ropes, she concentrated on the frustration she felt. Suddenly, in the back of her mind, she heard the flapping of massive wings, combined with the howling of wolves she'd heard earlier. Together, they formed a cacophony that threatened her sanity, more so than just the howling.
As the two sounds became one, she could feel bones breaking and realigning. Sinew and muscle snapped, and reattached, growing thicker, and stronger. Teeth grew in, biting pain spreading through her mouth like root canals. Somehow, through the pain that wracked her body, she had the presence of mind to tug at the ropes binding her wrists. They broke free, unable to stand against the supernatural strength of a vampire – werewolf hybrid.
She fell on her hands, the sharp nails digging into the cement beneath her. Her left leg was still bound to the pole. With Herculean strength, she pulled her leg from the rope, snapping it with a terrific sound. She stood to her full height, and closed her eyes, forcing the transformation back to her human guise. After feeling her body shift back, she opened her eyes, and looked down.
Her skintight battle gear had ripped in several places. Pale flesh showed itself just below her rib cage, stretching down to her upper abdomen. Long tears were on both of her arms, near her shoulders. And tears ran down her thighs, as well, almost as if runs in stockings.
She looked up at Michael, coming out of her reverie. "I have to free the others first," she explained. "If you didn't have the strength to break the chains, I doubt I will." He nodded in acquiescence. She turned first towards the X-Men, eyeing the purple orbs. They'd been glass last time; she just hoped they'd be glass this time.
She grabbed the first one, dropping on the floor. She smiled momentarily, seeing what was left of the glass ball sparkled on the floor. She noticed that the man that it had been holding, opened his eyes. She tried not to stare at his visage, though she was used to seeing odd things. But, she had to admit, even to herself, seeing a man with velvet-like fur, iris-less yellow eyes, and a tail was not exactly an everyday occurrence.
"Danke," Kurt said kindly. She nodded slightly, even as he felt his strength returning. When he was sure he wouldn't pass out from teleporting, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He reappeared near Selene, catching her off guard. "Pardon me," he said politely, as she stepped out of a defensive stance. "But, I thought you might need a little help?"
"Start at the other end," she replied, pointing to the far end of the block.
"Will do," he answered, teleporting to the far cell.
"I'll start helping, too," Kitty suddenly spoke up, walking through her bindings.
"Do you think any of you could get Michael out of his chains," Selene asked, gesturing to her lover.
"I can do that," the X-Woman replied. She walked to Michael, examining his bindings. "You may want to hold your breath," she told him.
"What're you going to do," he asked.
"I'm going to phase you," she replied. At his look of askance, she continued, "I'm going to make you intangible. But, you'll want to hold your breath while we get these cuffs off." He nodded in understanding. "Ready?" He nodded his affirmative, and before he knew what had happened, he was standing next to her, fully tangible.
"That … was a new experience," he said. His brow dipped as he tried to think of a logical way to explain her ability to become intangible. They both looked behind them to see that the rest of the X-Men had been freed. Logan and Piotr had already started freeing the several werewolves.
"Jean," Jake began, "close that skylight? We don't want our vampire allies spontaneously combusting." He gestured towards the cell holding the Death Dealers, the glass behind the bars having darkened in response to the sunlight.
Several minutes later, everyone was gathered in the center of the room, readying themselves for the battle they knew was coming. "Where exactly are we," Betsy asked.
"We're in the Execution Chamber, behind the mansion. It's made to look like a large maintenance shed," a male vampire answered. He pointed to the door from where their captors had entered. "Outside that door, there are, in fact, lawn care supplies, as well as a large riding mower. To the right is a tunnel that leads into the mansion."
"And you are," Betsy asked.
"Delacroix," he answered. "Richard Delacroix. I'm the former head of the Death Dealers here."
"Former," Selene asked, surprised.
"Yes," Andrew answered. "Considering these events, I've decided to provide sanctuary to Delacroix and his men in my den for as long as is needed."
"And you are just gong to trust them like that," Michael asked suspiciously.
"Yes," Andrew replied, retaining his calm. "Because I am tired of war. That my brother could love a vampire proved we could coexist as equals." He looked up at Michael and Selene. "That the two of you, one a hybrid, the other a hardened Death Dealer, can love each other gives me hope that peace is still viable."
"You are Lucien's brother," Michael asked, rhetorically. He fingered the amulet around his neck. Taking it off, he offered it to Andrew. "Then, this belongs to you."
"No," the werewolf answered. "It was originally Sonja's pendant. Lucien took it form her corpse when he escaped from Viktor." He closed Michael's hand around the pendant. "It belongs in the hands of one who would risk everything for love."
"Ever get the feeling you missed a really, really long story," Bobby whispered to Jubilee.
"Okay," Jake said, realizing exactly what his teammates were talking about. "Does anyone have any idea who we're dealing with here?"
"His name is Vincente Manetti," Delacroix answered. He turned towards Selene. "The last time you met Viktor before you killed him, he killed a lycan scientist above Markus' crypt."
Selene's brow dipped as tried to understand what he was trying to tell her. "He is a descendant of Alexander Corvinus … so he's a…." Her eyes widened in understanding.
"Yes," Delacroix. "When Markus awoke from his slumber, he was no longer vampire, but a hybrid. When the coven learned of this, there was an attempted coup." He smiled, looking at Michael. "I doubt that I even have to tell you what the outcome of that was."
"Markus won," the hybrid answered.
"Yes," Delacroix answered. "He killed his usurpers. Afterwards, he gathered to him those who had remained on his side during the short skirmish. And, he turned them all into hybrids. Manetti was one of them."
"But, how does that tie into the fact that these … things we're fighting are so powerful," Jean asked.
Marty stepped forward. "I believe I can answer that." They all turned their attention towards him. "At one time, Vincente Manetti was the apprentice and lover of a sorceress who lived over four hundred years ago. She was known simply as Dagmara, and her name was spoken with reverence across all of eastern Europe.
"Dagmara came from a long line of very powerful sorceresses. For as long as her family could remember, they had passed along a pair of books, mother to daughter, for safe keeping. They were kept in an ancient oak chest, and wrapped in silk supposedly woven by the Fates themselves. Though they had no name, these books were known to be crafted from black magic, and were thought to be able to bring the greatest evil to our plane. It was also said that any mortal who touched these books, and lacked the ability to fight their inner demons, would slowly die as from poison. And, once they did die, their spirits would be condemned to the darkest depths of Hell, where their souls would suffer their worst fear tenfold for all eternity."
"That does not sound pleasant," Kurt said, thinking aloud.
"No," Marty replied. "It does not seem pleasant at all." He looked down momentarily, getting his thoughts back on track. "We are not entirely certain what exactly happened, however, Vincente and Dagmara had a falling out. Somehow, he managed to kill her; whether purposefully or accidentally is unknown. What is known, however, is that once she was dead, he was only able to get his hands on one of the books.
"It wasn't until it was too late that he remembered what happened to those mortals unworthy of holding these tomes. Once he remembered this, he began searching for any manner of lengthening his life. It was then that chance allowed him to meet Viktor."
"He knew Viktor," Selene asked, surprised.
"Yes," Marty replied. "At the time, Viktor did not have a mage, and it had occurred to him that it would be much simpler to kill large amounts of werewolves with magic than the technology at the time." He looked around at the gathered people. "So, Viktor agreed to turn him under one condition: that Vincente never touch or open that dark book again. Even Viktor, in his relative ignorance of magic, knew they were evil."
"So how did we end up fighting him," Jean asked.
"A few months ago," Delacroix answered, "a message was sent out to all covens from Budapest." He paused, trying to remember what exactly it said. "I can't recall the exact wording. But, it basically said that Manetti had suddenly vanished from Budapest, and had taken the book. It said that anyone that encounters him should take him out with extreme prejudice." He looked to his side, where Mia stood, knowing what was coming next. "When we spotted him, we tried to kill him; but we hadn't yet known he was so much more powerful."
"What happened," Selene asked.
"He single-handedly decimated our Death Dealers," Delacroix replied. "He turned them into the … vampires that they are. Though we are uncertain how exactly, we believe it had to do with the book he has." He turned towards Selene and Michael. "When you two arrived in the city, we had only just received word from Budapest that we should be on alert for you two. When we arrived in the alley, we had been reinforced by the Death Dealers that had been following you." He smiled wryly. "I don't think you'll have to worry too much about them anymore."
"You keep on speaking about only one book," Celeste suddenly said, addressing Marty. "What happened to the other?"
"For the longest time," he answered, "it was lost to history." He stopped, wondering exactly how much he should say. "Somehow, though, it made its way to the New World. We only know this because not long ago, a woman from Texas found it in her dead daughter's possessions. At the moment, we are in the process of obtaining that book, in addition to a Grand Vicar."
"Grand Vicar," Logan asked.
"The Grand Vicar is the leader of the Order of the Elements," Zhu suddenly answered. "The previous one died earlier this year."
"Okay," Jake said loudly, hoping to get the conversation back on track. "How can we stop these things?"
"A wooden stake through the heart, severing their heads from their bodies," Marty answered. "Also, any religious symbol wielded by a true believer can work." He turned to Jake and Betsy. "The two of you have weapons that will kill the vampires with any fatal blow."
"Logan and Jean also have claws made of the same metal," Zhu told Marty.
"Really," he pondered. "Then it would stand to reason any of you that either have metallic body parts, or are able to generate metal on your bodies are going to have this same metal."
"Though I am inclined to doubt the logic which you used to come to your conclusion," Hank said, looking at Marty, "I must concur based on the examinations I have performed after the magical storm."
"So, now that we have the preliminaries out of the way," Celeste began, "what are we going to do?"
"We need to find this book," Marty said. "Whatever Manetti is planning to do with it, we cannot allow it to proceed. I can assure you anything that is called forth from this book will be … most unwanted."
"Okay, what about him, and his followers," Jake asked.
"They are soulless husks," Marty continued. "To kill them would grant their eternal spirits peace. I believe it is only humane to do so."
"And if we're unable to find the book," Logan asked.
"If that happens," Marty replied, "we may have no other choice but to burn down the mansion."
"Okay," Jake said, a final tone in his voice. "We'll split up into two teams, and search the mansion from top to bottom. Any of these vampires we meet along the way, we'll just have to take out."
"There's a problem with that plan," Delacroix spoke up.
"What's that?"
"In the basement is an entrance to the sewers in the case of a raid," the Death Dealer supplied. "It's common procedure for all vampire covens to have an emergency sewer exit. If one of the nosferatu happens to have the book, and is able to escape, then everything that we would have done here would have been for naught."
"Good point," Jake replied.
"Then, we'll have to send some people to guard that sewer entrance," Betsy said. She turned to Delacroix. "You and your people go and guard that entrance." She turned to Logan. "Logan, you're going to take Jubilee, Iceman, and Bishop, and go with them." Her gaze fell on the leader of the Death Dealers once again. If you even think about trying to get out of this, remember this. Your entire squad couldn't handle two of our people. And, one of the four I'm sending with you is an omega mutant, meaning that person can do almost whatever he or she wants, and you can do nothing to stop him or her.
Delacroix looked at her, surprised not only by her voice in his head, but also what she knew about what had happened the night beforehand. "How did you…?"
"Telepath," she replied, pointing to her temple.
Jake looked to the rest of the people with them. "The rest of us are going to split up, and scour the mansion for the book." Just as he finished his sentence, the door behind him crashed open, two vampires running through the door.
"Get your hands in the air, all of you," one of them yelled. They both carried large, malicious looking guns that gleamed in the torchlight. They were trained on Hank and Warren, who had been closest to the door. "Hands in the air, or we'll fill these two full of lead!"
For the moment, not seeing anything better to do, the group raised their collective hands. But, unseen on the other side of the group, Shadowcat quickly and quietly disappeared into the floor. She'd said only two words to Wolverine, who'd been standing next to her: "Be ready."
"It might be a good idea for you to look behind you," Archangel suggested.
"How stupid do you think we are," the second vampire asked sarcastically. "We're not going to fall for that trick."
"Actually, it's not a trick," Shadowcat's voice suddenly called from behind them. They half turned, to get a look at the woman behind them, and that was all it took. Their weapons were yanked out of their hands with a sudden, invisible, terrific force, nearly ripping off their hands. In that moment, her hands grabbed onto the back of their collars, and pulled them forcefully into the ground.
"Not bad, pun'kin," Wolverine complemented her, eyeing her handiwork. They were upside down in the floor, completely vertical. From their waists down, their bodies were exposed to the air.
"Thanks," she replied.
"How much do you wanna bet they radioed that something was wrong," Lobo asked, looking at the two vampires critically.
"Good point," Warlock responded. "We need to get on the move on." He turned to Wolverine. "Take your team; have one of the vampires lead you to the sewer exit. Be ready, 'cause once we start fighting, they're going to start coming down in droves. Be on the lookout for the book."
"We need two vampires," Psylocke said, "to help us find our way through the mansion; one for each team."
"I'll go," Mia volunteered, stepping forward.
"Anyone else," the purple-haired mutant asked expectantly.
"I suppose I'll help you as well," a male Death Dealer said, also stepping forward. He looked to be barely in his mid-twenties, with blonde hair, and trimmed sideburns.
"Good," Psylocke replied. "You'll come with the rest of us."
- - - -
Later
"Would you happen to know what this book looks like," Warlock asked.
"It is ancient," Zhu answered, walking next to him. "I'm not entirely certain about the design on the cover, but I know that it'll be made of bone."
"Bone," Beast asked. Currently, they were on the third floor of the mansion, in awe of the massive collection in the library. Floor to ceiling, the room took up half the floor. They had found books that detailed the history of vampires, and a number of first editions. The blue-furred scholar had argued, quite convincingly, that it would be a crime to burn these books. And despite the fact that they were likely to have a horde of nosferatu on their back at any time, and that they technically did not have a whole lot of time, Warlock was unable to deny that he was right.
At the moment, they were teleporting books down to the basement, to Wolverine's position. After that, they still weren't quite sure what to do with them.
"Yes," the girl replied. "Human bone, dyed black. It is said that the most powerful of black magic needs to be based on suffering, and the worst of humanity." She peered at them knowingly. "What better way than to use that of innocents killed at the hands of marauders and warlords in the service of evil?"
"That makes sense," Archangel said, sifting through a pile of books. "Anything else?"
"The pages will be made of dried, slightly reinforced human skin."
"Nice," Warlock said, with sarcastic disgust.
"The books had perhaps the most powerful accumulation of black magic on the mortal plane," Zhu continued.
"What kinds of spells…," Warlock began, only to stop in mid-sentence, his gaze becoming blank. A moment later, his eyes refocused, a grim light coming into them. "I just heard from Phoenix on the other end of the floor. We've got trouble."
- - - -
"What can you tell me about them?"
Marty looked to Andrew, pausing in his rummaging of Manetti's effects. "Never underestimate them," Marty replied.
"What's that supposed to mean," the werewolf leader asked, tearing into the elegant, king-sized bed. White cotton erupted into the air as his partially transformed claws rent the material.
"They've been in situations that would make most people, mortal and immortal alike, cower in fear."
"What are you talking about," Andrew asked, as he finished shredding the bed. Though he loathed to admit it, he didn't think they'd be finding the book anytime soon. Manetti would undoubtedly have thought of a way to hide his treasure from anyone wanting to find it, or for that matter, destroy it.
"They've saved the world more than once," the scientist replied. "They've fought ancient warlords, genocidal megalomaniacs, aliens, demons, and other things that you've probably never thought existed." He looked up, a wry smile on his face. "And if you don't believe me," he continued knowingly, "you could always ask Uatu."
"What's an 'Uatu'," Andrew asked, his brow furrowed.
"Never mind," Marty replied, laughing to himself. After several more moments, he spoke again. "I don't think we're going to find what we're looking for."
Andrew opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when something flew through the wall from the hallway. Plaster, wood, and wires went flying as a body landed in the room next the opposite wall. The man's head was bent at an awkward angle, blood pouring from a dozen wounds. But, even as the two of them were looking at the body, someone came in through the hole in the wall.
"A little help," Shift asked, surprising Marty and Andrew. She gestured to the man that was on the floor just as his eyes opened again. Marty jolted to his feet, his tattoo glowing angrily. A stream of fire erupted from his hands, encompassing the vampire, turning it to ash. "Thanks," she said, sarcasm creeping into her voice.
"Behind you," Andrew suddenly shouted.
Shift half-turned only to see a vampire with her mouth wide open, about to put her fangs into her colloidal flesh. But, before the fangs could bite her, an impressively muscled arm covered entirely in grey fur covered her entire field of vision. Lobo growled in pain as the vampire's teeth sank into his flesh.
Bearing his teeth, the lycanthropic mutant grabbed the female vampire by the back of the head and tossed her into the room. Her body created a new hole, passing through Shift's body in the process. The vampire shook her head to clear it, plaster billowing out from her body as she did so. She looked above her head, from where she'd just come from, only to see Lobo jump through the same hole. As he landed, he roared triumphantly, his bared teeth appearing almost as a grin. The vampire had enough time to register fear as the massive mutant's claws ripped into her face, tearing off the front of her skull with a single blow.
"My …," Andrew began, the rest of his sentence unable to leave his mouth. He turned towards Marty. "Who is he?"
"He's … he's the Wolf-King."
"What!" Andrew's eyes widened in surprise, seemingly taking in Lobo for the first time. "But how?" Lobo jumped out of the room, hunting for another opponent.
Before Marty could answer, Shift interjected. "That's the second time I've heard that. What does it mean?"
The two men looked to each other, and seemingly shrugged. "There's an ancient prophecy," Marty said, "that speaks of the coming of the ruler of all werewolves."
"It is said that he would be great amongst both humans and lycans," Andrew continued.
"Yes," Marty concurred. "The prophecy declared that this Wolf-King, as he was referred to, would be immune to silver, and would be stronger than any other werewolf before him. But, it also said that he would not take his throne, if you will, until after werewolves and vampires were know to the general public. The prophecy also spoke of the 'fall and rise of the bright cities', though no one is really sure what that means."
Suddenly, through the hole that the second vampire had made, Psylocke stepped through. "We've got a problem."
- - - -
Jean Grey, the Phoenix, ducked as a vampire's long knife swiped through the air where her neck had been moments before. She reached out with her mind, burying the blade in the ceiling up to the hilt, bending it at a right angle in the process. She turned to the vampire, the familiar pain in her knuckles briefly flaring, and swiped him in half. He exploded into ash even as she moved on to the next vampire.
Beside her, Seraph was making short work of the vampire's she was fighting. Short bursts of blue energy erupted from her mouth, sniping the undead as they surged forward her. Two more came forward, one of them firing a machine gun at her chest. The bullets stopped dead as they hit her skin, unable to penetrate the Kevlar-like organ. But, that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
She bared her teeth, blue energy bleeding form her mouth. She swiped the gun from the lead vampire's grasp, and with a singular movement, broke the weapon in half. The undead warriors, though momentarily surprised, moved forward, lashing out with a dizzying flurry of punches and kicks. Seraph, much to Phoenix's surprise, kept up with each and every movement, blocking it before it reached her body. Suddenly, in a blur of movement, Seraph broke the first's right arm, and the second's left leg.
The second vampire fell to the ground in agony, the first one looking to his arm in surprise. Before the first vampire could do anything, he was lifted off his feet, a strong hand around his throat. "I don't much like vampires," Seraph said, her face in his. Her grip became stronger, and the vampire suddenly cried out in strangled pain. Beneath Seraph's bare hand, his throat seemed to be smoking furiously, as if her skin was a noxious acid on his.
She realized as she looked at the smoke rising from beneath her hand that somehow her skin was eating through his. She gripped harder, her hand seemingly slipping through his neck as nothing more than rice paper. She took a sudden step back, her face a mask of surprise, as his head fell to the ground. The wound where his neck had been was a smoldering, carbonized hole. As she watched, both his body and head began to melt away as nothing more than ash in the wind.
"What did you do," Phoenix asked, just as surprised as her teammate.
"I don't know," Seraph answered truthfully.
"Do you think the two of you could get your heads back on track," Emma Frost asked, as her diamond form was thrown into a wall. She drew back a fist, and hit the vampire attacking her in the temple. He had run out of ammo earlier, and after seeing several blades break on her diamond hard hide, had decided to attack her hand-to-hand. It wasn't exactly the best of ideas.
The former White Queen threw another punch, an uppercut that caught him in the chin. Before he could recover, she planted a well-placed kick to his groin, his pale skin seemingly growing paler in the intense pain. A diamond studded head-butt finished him off, as he dropped to the floor as nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Suddenly, a heavy hand fell on her shoulder turning her around.
Another vampire stood before her, a cocky grin on his face, as he raised a knife to drive into her heart. Before he could, though, a flash of metal appeared to travel from his left shoulder to his lower right abdomen. The cocky grin had been replaced by a look of utter surprise, just as he exploded into a burst of ash. As the ash cleared, she could see Warlock standing, with the young girl at his side.
"You're welcome," he said, evenly.
"For what," she asked, her diamond form hiding her emotions.
"That knife was made of adamantium," he explained.
"And how do you know that?"
"Before I cut him in half, I tried to break the knife," he explained. "As you can tell, it didn't work."
"Break the knife," Emma asked.
"Its metal, therefore it is a part of the earth, therefore, I can control it," Warlock said. His gaze caught the vampire who seemed to be melting away. "What happened to him?"
"I killed him," Seraph explained, still seemingly wondering what had happened.
"Too bad she isn't Full Blood," Zhu muttered, though only Phoenix heard her. "She could have killed them with a single touch." The other woman looked at her momentarily, wondering what the girl meant.
Before she could ask the girl anything, she suddenly grasped her head, crying out in pain – or anger. Her teeth gritted against each other, her eyes blank, staring directly ahead of her.
Reaching out with his mind, Warlock tried to touch hers, to find out what had happened to her. But, the moment he did, he pulled back, his hand grasped on his temple. "Fuck," he screamed through gritted teeth. He stumbled back, barely keeping his footing, falling against the wall behind. He put his head between his knees, his hands on his knees, breathing in deeply. "Goddamn," he swore again, taking in one more deep breath.
"What happened," Seraph asked, her eyes filled with concern.
"Logan's pissed off," he answered. "He's on the verge of going berserker." He closed his eyes tightly, sighing. He gestured to Phoenix, who was only now seemingly regaining her senses. "She was seeing what he was seeing, almost through his eyes. Somehow, he reached out to her mind as he became angrier. When I looked into her mind, I, too, could feel that anger. And, he was attacked by one of the vampires; it tore a chunk of flesh off of his forearm." He didn't have to add that they both felt that as well. "Fuck," he added, "I don't know how he can live with that kind of anger; it …. I have that much more respect for the guy."
"But, what actually happened?"
"Something about Jubilee," Warlock answered. He turned to Phoenix. "Do you know?"
She nodded, standing, tamping down the anger that her husband's had awoken in her gut. "Jubilee was kidnapped by Manetti. He went after them. Beyond that, I've no idea."
He nodded, and was about to contact Bishop, when his lover's voice spoke up in his mind. Jubilee's been kidnapped, Psylocke told him.
What happened, he asked.
They were surprised, she answered. Manetti and five of his followers descended into the basement to escape into the sewer. They were able to kill two of them. The others were able to escape with Jubilee. She paused momentarily, her mind sending out waves of anxiety. He knew something else was up. But, in the process the vampires were all bitten. They're already turning.
Bishop and Iceman?
Bishop's okay. But Bobby apparently was almost cut in half. He's healing himself as we speak, but they need backup.
Okay, Warlock said, thinking. I'll send two people down right away, with a guide.
I'll have Colossus join them, Psylocke replied. She hoped the two he was sending would be able to get along.
Warlock turned to the part of his team with him. "Phoenix," he said, turning to the redhead. "I'm gonna have you go down to the basement after Wolverine and Jubilee. Take Mia with you.
"Emma?" The blonde telepath turned toward him, seemingly already knowing what he was going to say.
"I am not going to go with that…."
Her sentence was interrupted as his voice suddenly appeared in her mind. Don't you think you're a little old to be using such … names? Besides, don't you remember your dream?
She looked up, realization dawning on her face. Realization was replaced with confusion, though. "How…," she began. He had been able to enter her mind, despite her being in her diamond form.
"Isn't magic a pain in the ass," he asked, a gleam in his eye. As the two of them left, he turned to the others. "We don't have much time. I just spoke to Cyke, Rogue, Gambit, and Cable. They're going to join up with Michael and Selene, and meet us here."
"What're we going to do," Seraph asked.
"We can't find the book," he answered. "And we can't allow it to fall into the wrong hands. There's only one other option."
- - - -
"She couldn't spare anyone else," Phoenix asked.
"Nyet," Colossus answered. "We were knee deep in them," he continued. "I was even reluctant to go."
"What prompted you?"
"Katya phasing a wooden stake into one of their chests."
"Oh," she answered. The four of them, herself, Colossus, Mia, and Emma, were in the stairwell, and had just now passed below the first floor. She held a finger to her lips, gesturing them to be quiet. She sniffed ahead of her, a number of smells assaulting her sensitive nose. The scent of the nosferatu invaded her nostrils, rotten meat and old dust, mixed with her husband's adrenaline. And, just then, she heard a familiar sound: a burst of intense energy, fired from a certain time-tossed individual. The sudden growl echoed out from the basement, and the sound of fighting. They heard another blast from Bishop, and then a blast of ice flew out of the door, hitting the wall opposite it.
She reached out with her mind, feeling the minds of the two X-Men below her. "They need help," she said earnestly. She ran down the rest of the steps, throwing caution to the wind.
As they reached the basement, they were surprised by what they saw. Over half a dozen nosferatu were fighting Iceman and Bishop. Back to back, they were surrounded, unable to get out of the circle they were in. Looking down, the four newcomers noticed pieces of ice on the floor beginning to melt. For a moment, they were at a loss for why red-pink water was leaking from the ice. But, looking at the chunks again, they were able to see that it had been a vampire flash-frozen, and then blown to pieces.
"Are we glad you're here," the Iceman exclaimed. Two of the vampires turned, catching sight of the heroes behind them.
"Always glad to be of service," Colossus answered, grinning. The vampires charged, one for him, the other for Phoenix. The metal-skinned mutant caught the vampire attacking him in the throat, and with the effort to of an elephant lifting a feather, picked him up. "That was not a good idea," he advised sarcastically. He threw the unholy creature through the circle surrounding Iceman and Bishop, dragging two others with him. The three of them landed on the opposite wall with a wet thump. The force was so great, that despite being dead, their bodies remained on the wall as if nothing more than large insects. "Oops," the big man said, with false regret.
Phoenix, on the other hand, made quicker work of her opponent. As it leapt towards her, she held it in place with her mind. Then, unleashing her claws, she backhanded it across the midsection, its body erupting into ash almost immediately. She turned to the rest, and in her most matronly voice, said, "Unless the rest of you can do better than that, you stand no chance."
Using the momentary distraction, the two trapped in the circle lashed out. Bishop unleashed a powerful burst of energy, catching two of the vampires in the head. As the energy burst cleared, they could see two large splotches of blood behind where the heads used to be.
Even as the large man had taken out the other two vampires, Iceman had been busy against his own opponents. They moved forward, just as a massive burst of ice hit them, not only freezing them to the ground, but instantly freezing them solid. He turned towards his Russian teammate. "A little help?"
"Of course," Colossus replied. He spread his arms wide, and, moving forward, brought his massive hands together with a thunderous clap. As his hands moved through the hardened ice, the frozen bodies spontaneously combusted, carbonizing almost instantly.
"Well, that was unexpected," Emma voiced, looking down at the odd mix of ice and ash.
"What … what happened," Colossus asked, looking at Phoenix for an answer.
"Remember after the storm hit, Hank found out your metal was the same as mine and Logan's," she answered.
"Oh," he replied, his remembering.
"We can't stay long and reminisce," Phoenix said. She turned towards Bishop and Iceman. "What happened?"
"We were surprised," Bishop answered. "They came around the bend into the basement, like a blitz. We fought them off as well as we could, but somehow, the Death Dealers that were guarding the sewer with us were all turned."
"The one that you killed," Mia said, nodding toward Phoenix, "was Delacroix." She looked to the ground, saddened at knowing that the entire Los Angeles coven had been reduced to two vampires.
"After that," the red-headed telepath prompted, placing a comforting hand on Mia's shoulder.
"They overwhelmed us," the bald man answered. "In the confusion, Jubilee was kidnapped. Wolverine was bit; the vampire that bit him died … slowly." He pointed to a spot of ash on the floor. "He was on the verge of going berserker; he followed after them without even realizing we were still here. It wasn't until after he left, though, that the Death Dealers turned."
"Which way did they go," Phoenix asked. Both Iceman and Bishop pointed down a passage that sloped down towards the sewers. "Let's go after them, then."
- - - -
Led by Phoenix, the five X-Men and Mia made their way as quickly and quietly through the sewers as they could. She'd picked up Wolverine's smell almost immediately, along with the slightly older scent of Jubilee and her three captors. Even in his smell, she'd been able to detect his anger; the smell of adrenaline was almost overpowering, threatening to send her senses spinning.
"Jubilee's not scared," she said aloud, parsing the scents.
"Of course not," Emma said, close behind the other woman. "I trained my students better than that."
"I don't think that's it," Iceman commented. "I think, more than likely, she knows that at least one person is coming after her." He looked around at his comrades. "And that there'd be others coming after her, too." The blonde telepath stared him down, not enjoying being corrected. "What," he asked innocently. "It's true."
Emma was about to retort, when Phoenix held her index finger to her lips. "We're close," she whispered, pointing down a hallway to their right. And, suddenly, they heard what she had assuredly already heard. A feral roar echoed towards them, anger and pain laced together. They all recognized the sound.
"How far," Colossus asked.
"I don't know," the red-headed telepath answered. "But, I think we should switch to strictly telepathy from here on out." The other nodded in acquiescence. Good, she spoke telepathically. Let's go that way. But, be quiet; don't make any more noise than necessary.
The six of them crept forward, hugging the left wall. As they continued, the sound of fighting met their ears, snarls and roars they recognized at Wolverine's mixed in with that of two other things. The light in the tunnel increased, much to the annoyance of Phoenix. This depended more on stealth than anything else, she knew. If they couldn't surprise this Manetti, she didn't know if they'd be able to rescue Jubilee.
They rounded a gentle corner, coming into a narrow hallway that looked in on a concrete pit. The wall looking in on the pit had a large, human-sized hole through it through which they could see what was happening.
Wolverine was fighting against two of the nosferatu. The only problem, though, was that they didn't look like vampires. Instead, they had the blue-grey skin of Michael, and large chiropteran wings. The feral mutant attacked one of them, only to have it move with supernatural speed to his flank. Wolverine lashed out at the nosferatu-hybrid, managing to clip it only slightly. Turning, Wolverine came face to face with its claws, momentarily blinding him.
We need to help him, Phoenix said telepathically, moving to help her husband.
But, before she did, Emma's hand fell on her shoulder. Look over there, across the way. The blonde telepath pointed across the pit. On the other side was Manetti, looking on. A smile was etched across his face, eyes gleaming in malevolent joy at seeing Wolverine being disabled. His right arm hung loosely at his side, his left holding the young Jubilee tightly to his chest. His hand was clasped on to her chin, forcing her to watch the fight below.
Phoenix turned to her comrades. Bishop, Iceman, Mia, you go help Wolverine. She turned to the rest of her small team. The rest of us are going to work on getting Jubilee.
- - - -
As Wolverine moved to skewer one of the … things to a wall, it moved, again with the supernatural speed, out of the way. In his anger, he'd totally forgotten about the telekinesis and telepathy he'd gained. He was focused on killing the things with his claws. So focused was he, that when a blast of cold rushed past him, he was almost surprised.
Iceman had fired a burst of ice, narrowly missing his teammate, aimed at one of the nosferatu-hybrids. Wolverine didn't turn, already knowing who was behind him, and that he had his back. Instead, he focused his attention forward. He smiled; the smile of a predator who knows he has his prey cornered. The ice-blast had frozen one of the creature's legs to the ground. He walked forward, head between his shoulders, claws extended, like a giant, ultra-deadly cougar. A single swipe of his claws finished off the vampire-werewolf hybrid, cutting from its right shoulder to left abdomen.
The other nosferatu-hybrid paused, shock covering its face at seeing its comrade having been slain. It took a step back as the four combatants stood facing it.
"Wolverine," Bishop said. "Go help with Jubilee." The big man's gaze bore on the unholy creature before him. "We've got this." The other man didn't so much as speak as growl, running in the direction of Jubilee.
- - - -
Despite the fact that Phoenix, Emma, and Colossus had set out to get to Jubilee first, it was Wolverine who reached Manetti first. "Giver 'er back, bub," he growled.
"You're going to have to make me," the sorcerer said haughtily.
"We might be able to help you with that," Phoenix said, coming out of the shadows behind Wolverine, Emma and Colossus behind her.
"I don't think so," Manetti replied. He murmured something in an intelligible language, directing his right hand at the X-Woman. A dark green energy burst from his hand, flying towards her with untold speed. As the light hit Phoenix in the chest, it forced her back into the wall behind her. As her back hit, the light solidified into a black, tar-like substance; strands of it covering her arms and chest, pinning her down.
"What is this?" She looked disgustedly at her hands, moving her arms out from the wall. But, with every movement, the substance tightened its hold. After a moment of struggling, she found she could no longer even budge the slightest bit. Concentrating, she created a TK bubble between her and the substance. Pushing with her mind, she was able to make a large enough bubble to move. But, the tar began tightening its hold again, much as a massive snake. Gritting her teeth, the X-Woman stretched herself to her limits, using everything she had short of the Phoenix itself.
But, the magical tar was too much for her telekinesis. It suddenly snapped back to her chest like a giant rubber-band. She screamed, the tar not only hurting her body, but her mind as well. A migraine headache flared between her temples, momentarily distracting her from the pain in her chest. The tar was so tight that had it not been for the metal covering her skeleton, she would have been mush by now. Blood flowed from where the tar had snapped back, a crimson stain covering the front of her body.
Emma and Colossus turned to help, but were surrounded by the same dark green energy. Circling them, the energy coalesced into half a dozen warriors, dressed in Roman armor, carrying gladiatorial weapons.
"Well," Manetti said, turning to Wolverine. "It seems as if it is only the three of us now." The other man, in response, launched himself at Manetti. But, the sorcerer was ready, a blast of energy sending the feral mutant tumbling. "You will really need to try better than that if you wish to defeat me."
"Ain't ya heard, bub?" The gruff Canadian stood in a battle-ready stance, his eyes tense, and anger filled. "I'm the best at what I do." He reached out a hand, a blast of TK threatening to punch the sorcerer backward. But, the immortal was ready, murmuring something in the intelligible language once again. A continuous blast of energy met the TK field halfway between them, engaging a battle of wills.
Wolverine gritted his teeth, the strength behind Manetti's magic more powerful than he'd thought. He could feel a headache forming in the front of his head, his healing factor working as hard as it could to cure it. But, for some reason, the headache wasn't easing; in fact it was getting worse, much worse. A migraine began spreading through his mind, slowly becoming something that was far worse than any headache. He shook his head, hoping to clear it, realizing only now that the sorcerer was somehow giving him a headache, slowly breaking his concentration. Suddenly, his TK field collapsed, the sorcerer's energies enclosing him, throwing him against a wall.
"Apparently, you are not all that great, my friend," Manetti said, his eyes blazing.
"He can't do this alone," Emma said to Colossus, referring to Wolverine. "We need to do something."
"What about Jean," the big mutant asked, blocking a sword blow.
"I'll be fine," the red-head said through gritted teeth.
"What are you planning," Colossus asked Emma.
"Will you be able to fight these things alone," she asked. Even as she did so, he delivered a sudden, powerful blow to one of the warriors. It exploded in a burst of dark green gas.
"Da," he answered.
"Good," Emma replied. She looked up into his eyes, a sparkle in her own. "Fastball Special."
He nodded in understanding, catching another by the throat. Barely squeezing, he crushed the warrior's throat. "When you are ready."
She lashed out at the two directly in her way. Her diamond skinned fist broke the first's jaw, a well-placed kick taking the other in the solar plexus. "Now." Colossus picked her up as nothing more than a feather, and with just as much ease, tossed her.
Flying through the air, she could tell his aim was true. Manetti suddenly looked up, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. He cocked his head, his mouth opening of its own volition in surprise. He shook himself out of his disbelief, energy surrounding his fingers, a discharge about to be aimed in her direction. But, even as he did it, she already knew it was too late.
Her fist slammed into his face with the force of a freight train. As her fist met his flesh, she not only heard, but felt a massive, thunderous crack. His jaw shattered, unable to withstand diamond-hard skin thrown by one of the strongest mutants on the planet. Falling to the ground, she rolled with her momentum, landing on a knee, her other leg out to slow her.
Manetti was on the ground, holding his damaged jaw, blood running from his mouth. Emma's attention was suddenly drawn to a fast-moving dark object with a metallic glint. As it landed, she saw it was Wolverine, his claws fully extended, his face contorted in a mask of anger. Picking up Manetti by the shirt, the smaller man pinned him to the wall with his claws. "My turn," the feral mutant growled, his voice barely more than a snarl. His muscles rippled as he delivered an uppercut with his other arm. Emma looked on as the vampire hybrid's body burst in a cloud of ash, covering Logan in carbonized viscera.
Shifting from her diamond form, she looked to Jubilee, who was as stiff as a board. "Jubilee," she asked, reaching out with her telepathy. She smiled widely as she found her consciousness just below the surface. "You're okay."
"Yeah … of course I'm okay," Jubilee said, her voice filled with bravado despite what'd just happened. "He just … kinda turned me off. But, I already knew you guys were comin'." She looked around spotting Logan covered in a black cloud. "We won, right? 'Cause otherwise, I'd have ta think Logan's changing his profession to clean chimneys."
"Yeah, we won darlin'," Logan said, sheathing his claws, and kneeling beside her.
- - - -
Later
"Well, it's done," Marty said, walking into the werewolves' den with Zhu by his side.
"Did it burn to the ground," Jake asked, walking up to the two Order members.
"Yeah," the girl answered. "The fire burned too hot for the firefighters to put out. They kept on wondering why the fire kept picking up, and why the water just seemed to evaporate before it hit the mansion."
"Will anyone be able to figure out that it used to house vampires," Selene asked, close behind the X-Man.
"No," Marty replied. "It burned completely. Nothing's left but piles and piles of ash."
"Good," she said, relieved. The last thing they needed was for vampires and werewolves to become public knowledge.
"You know," Marty began, turning toward Jake, "the one thing I don't understand is what took you guys so long to respond to the beacon in the desert."
"You'd have to ask Kitty for the details," Jake answered. "But, as I understand it Reverend Harris Gunn from some obscure anti-gay and anti-mutant church in Kansas had one of his flock send us an extremely vicious computer virus. We were just lucky enough for it to not only affect our student computer network, but also our … other computers."
"Harris Gunn you said?"
"Yeah," Jake said, wondering what exactly he was about. "Why?"
"Why don't you give me your e-mail? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with what I have for you."
"Okay," Jake said, slightly confused, giving Marty his e-mail.
- - - -
"So, what are you guys going to be doing now," Joey asked Ana and Bryan.
"Well," the werewolf began, "I'm not quite sure." He looked around the den. "They've invited me to stay on with them. And, after everything I've seen here – I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to my life before."
"Yeah, well considering as how I didn't gain tenure, and no university's going to touch me with a ten foot cattle prod," Ana said dejectedly. "Academia doesn't look kindly on getting one of your students killed."
"So you're not quite sure," Celeste asked.
"Well, you're the only one who knows anything about this suit I'm stuck with," Ana replied. "I think that considering as how I'm not going to be an archaeologist anymore the first thing I should do is learn how to control this thing."
"I can certainly help you with that," the other woman said.
"One thing though," Ana began. "Is this the kind of thing you guys get involved with all the time?"
AN: So, I know this chapter was really long … but I felt if I had chopped it into two, the second chapter would've been too short. And I really am not very fond of short chapters. Anyways, please review; there's only one chapter to go. . . .