"I thought Belasco couldn't crossover into our world without the Bloodstones?"
"He can't…" Illyana stammered. "But yet… I feel him…"
"Okay, just get inside."
Kitty's expression hardened.
"Blink, we'll need a portal. And find me a psychic! We need all students from Basic and Intermediate inside and into the Danger Room!"
In her loft in the attic of the Xavier Mansion, Ororo Munroe was a whirlwind of emotion. She had done everything she could to protect the girl, to keep her away from this place of her greatest defeat. Were the last years just some cruel charade? Had Belasco only just found them, or had he never lost them at all?
Her thoughts turned bitter. Her friends had once again crusaded into that hellish place, while still more were gathering down on the lawn. And she was up here. She had thought she could Wade back into the fray with her knife and her spirit, but this was Limbo - this was a real threat - and she was powerless to stop it.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Ororo," Emma called. "There's a situation out back."
Storm shook her head. There was always a situation. And there must always be someone to meet it head on.
"Go on ahead, Miss Frost. I will prepare, and join you shortly."
She sat cross-legged on the ground and closed her eyes.
Emma and the remaining members of the Advanced Class assembled in the backyard after the school had been secured.
"I guess we don't have detention after all," Bobby whispered to Sam.
"Wouldn't it be something if all the big shots got to go on the field trip to Hell and we were the ones who got to fight the demons?"
I wouldn't worry too much about your detention, sweeties, Emma psychically intruded on the conversation. There will be plenty of time to make it up later.
A visible shimmer appeared in the air. A sound like a heart beat thumped through the disturbance. And then a crack formed in the empty space, the mark of an impact with some invisible barrier.
The shimmer strained and splintered, and a set of clawed fingers appeared, rending the margin between Earth and Limbo apart. A terrible stifled moan pushed through the holes, and then a second pair of hands - these ones clad in metal - joined the first in opening up the tear.
"Hit them now!" Emma called out. "Don't let them through!"
Bobby launched a barrage of solar energy at the rift, while Mirage channeled her powers into willing a large laser rifle into existence. Illyana held up her hands and spouted a jet of blue flame into the breach, and Polaris readied an arsenal of metal bars in the air behind her.
Kitty and the others stood by, their powers not suited for ranged combat. She realized that was a major weak spot among the present staff.
When the dust cleared, there was a huge figure standing on the lawn. He was covered in plates of metal and chains, several of which extended from his arms and legs behind him into the new Limbo portal. His head was encased in a twisted helmet, and he held a similarly grizzly mace in his hand. Everything glowed a deep orange from the heat of the X-Men's barrage.
From behind the newcomer came a slathering, snarling creature. Its body, somewhere between an ape and a dog, was covered in mottled grey fur. Serrated teeth, dripping with saliva, protruded from an unlocked muzzle, and pinpoint-thin orange eyes blazed through its sockets.
"Which one is Belasco?" Clarice asked aloud.
"I don't think either," Kitty replied. "Illyana said he looked like a man."
"Cool. I'm going to say hi."
Blink sprinted forward and tossed a pink energy dagger in front of herself. As it arced over the armored figure, she opened a portal underneath herself, flipping down into it…
...and into the helmet of Belasco's knight as the knife burst into a portal over his head.
"Polaris. This seems like a 'you' enemy," Blink grunted as the goliath tossed her, another portal rerouting her momentum into another blow.
"I'm a little - hrrng! - busy, Clarice!" And indeed she was, as the grey monster had singled her out and was now bearing down on her with intent to maw.
"Hey!" Laura called out as she arrived on the scene, "We've already got claws on this team, let me show you!"
"Make that two of us!" Rahne growled, now fully slipped into wolf form.
Dani drew her bow and stood in front of Cypher.
"Give me some options, Doug."
"The hairy one is the less protected of the two - focus that one, and we can narrow the fight to just one enemy combatant."
"Sam and I will help blink distract the big guy while you get the ugly one under control," Roberto called.
In the back, Emma and Kitty surveyed the battle.
"I can't go diamond without breaking my link to the triplets," Emma said to Kitty. "It will take some time to put them down psychically, there's powerful blocks in place."
"Stay back here and work on bringing those down," Kitty said. "Where's Storm?"
"She should hopefully be joining us shortly."
Kitty drew her sword, a souvenir from her last stay in Japan. She had never used it in a fight before - she hoped her and Lockheed's craftsmanship was up to the task.
"I'll buy us some time, then."
"Everything is secure down here," Rachel put her hands on her hips, "I'm going up to help."
"Me too," Illyana stood in the hall with her Soulsword out.
"But Illyana, you're the one they're after."
"These are literally my demons, Rachel. I have to fight them myself. I'm done letting others get hurt trying to protect me."
A silver disc opened behind her.
"I'm not the little girl I was that day. Now come on. It's faster than the elevator."
"What's going to happen to Nez and Rogue and the others, Illyana?"
Amara looked at the two girls with a concerned expression.
"Everything will be fine. Just stay down here with the other students."
"There's a reason they call it the Danger Room," Rachel nodded. "There's no place safer on the property."
The X-Men arrived on a plateau of wilted flowers overlooking Belasco's castle.
"Stay sharp, mutants," Cyclops ordered. "They're bound to know we're coming."
"Hey, Hisako," Warren grinned. "This is pretty good, huh? Me an angel, vs a bunch of demons?"
"Now's not a great time, Warren," Hisako muttered, looking intently at Chris. He and Nightcrawler were at the front of the group, scoping out the palace. Thunderbird was crouched nearby.
"They are almost certainly somewhere down there," Kurt squinted his yellow eyes. "What a dreadful place."
"The sooner we find out friends, the sooner we can leave," Triage frowned.
"That's a good man," Scott put his hand on Chris's shoulder.
"Everything's all twisted up," Jonathan reported. "Got at least a dozen scents criss-crossing."
"But can you track them?"
"Give me a sec," the dark haired man grumbled, concentrating.
"There."
He pointed at the gate of the castle.
"They were lead through there, and in through the front. Now they're on the ground floor."
"All I needed to hear," Cyclops clapped his hands once.
"Everyone, form up. Time to do this."
_Cerebro Files [Polaris]
_Civilian Name: Lorna Dane
_Mutant Ability: Ferrokinesis
_I admit, I am nervous. I have not seen my goddaughter in six years. She and Erik were never close, but I still felt too ashamed of myself to confront her before now. If all goes well, she'll be the spearhead of a secret initiative to protect the mutant race until my other plans have come to fruition. It's not the X-Men, but desperate times call for desperate measures indeed.
[ADMN_X/2014]
_This week we invited Miss Dane to teach at the school in the summer. Everyone speaks very highly of her, despite the situation with her father. I'm rather anxious to talk to her myself.
[ADMN_R/0320-2024]
_Goddaughter? Magneto and Professor Xavier must have been closer than I thought. There's quite a bit of data on Magneto in here, but most of it is encrypted…
[ADMN_F/0323-2024]