Rachel and Illyana emerged from the stepping disc into the back yard.
"I'm going to help the others with the big one," Illyana shouted.
Rachel, good of you to join us. If you would be so kind as to lend me your telepathic talents?
"I'm going to help Miss Frost," Rachel replied, the teacher's voice echoing through both of their heads.
The armored man from Limbo was taking sustained fire from Bobby's solar blasts, but he wasn't slowing down. Sam baited him to swing with his giant mace down into one of Blink's portals so that she could cleave a portion of its head off.
Kitty saw Illyana coming down the hill.
"Yana, what are you doing?"
"Helping! Watch your head!"
Kitty ducked out of the way of a gauntleted swing.
"Do you know these guys?"
Illyana shook her head. "I've seen a lot of Belasco's lieutenants, but these two are new to me."
Clarice dropped out of a portal behind the girls.
"You seeing what I'm seeing?" She pointed to the rift leading into Limbo. Two chains were snaking through the gash, barely visible within a shroud of magic. They each connected to one of the monsters the mutants were fighting.
"I know that spell," Illyana said thoughtfully. "They're being controlled by the chains, like puppets."
"By Belasco?" Kitty asked.
"Most probably," she shrugged.
"What happens if the chains are cut?" Blink gave the creature a wide berth as she tried to get a closer look.
"The person on the other end loses control of them, they'll revert to whatever their base instinct is."
"And is that good?"
"If Belasco knows Lorna can control metal, that would explain why he's making the hairy thing prioritize her," Kitty said.
"We break the connection, we break its focus. Then she can take down this one."
"Okay," Illyana said after a moment to think it through. "Clarice, you and I will take the chain. Teleport as much as possible, we'll use separate gates."
"What about me?" Kitty asked.
"My Soulsword will make shorter work of cutting that chain. You can cover us."
"And I don't suppose you have an extra one of those swords?" Blink asked?"
"No. I was hoping you would act as a distraction."
"Awful lot of distracting going around, but the more chaos, the less of us they can hit. Works for me."
The large armored foe, meanwhile, was lumbering over to strike at the three women as they strategized. He reached a giant armored hand for the Illyana.
"Watch out, Illyana!" Kitty shouted as she jabbed into a chink in the Knight's armor, connecting to something softer within.
"ILLYANA!" The armored figure bellowed.
Illyana stopped dead in her tracks.
"Kitty, get back, don't hurt him!"
"What do you mean, don't hurt him?" Kitty reacted in shock.
"It looks pretty keen on hurting us," Sam called from up high.
"Just trust, me, please?" The blonde woman conjured several lengths of magic rope to slow the rampaging giant down. Then she ported over to where the hairy one was still fighting Wolverine, Rahne, and Polaris. Dani had since fallen back to provide cover for Rachel and Emma.
"What happened to the plan?" Blink stepped out of her own portal next to Illyana.
"This is the plan, now! We have to hurry!"
Belasco's armored servant must have guessed their goal, as he now moved to charge them.
"Wolfsbane, Wolverine! Defensive positions, now!" Blink shouted.
She tossed a portal Lorna's way, pushing the green haired woman out of immediate danger. Moving with the fluidity of a dancer, she directed Laura and Rahne around the colossal foe in a flurry of portals.
The bestial Limbo-servant now had its narrow eyes focused on Illyana.
"I know what you are," Illyana said slowly. "So work with me here."
The monster charged. She swung the Soulsword, and it dented the chain with a loud clang.
"One more," she grunted, summoning a shield to protect herself from the pouncing creature.
In a flash of purple, Blink appeared behind the shield.
"Not that I think you're in over your head..." she began.
"I owe you one," the blonde stopped her.
While Blink grappled with the monster, Illyana swung true once more. The chain splintered and pulled back into the rift with great force. The grey-furred monster stalked around in a daze, then fell over exhausted.
"Lorna!" Illyana shouted, pointing at the large enemy.
With perfect reaction time, Lorna spread her arms and peeled the armor from around the figure's body. At the same time, Rachel and Emma broke through the wall protecting their mind. They collapsed to the ground in a heap, the silver coating receding from their body. It was a young man, his face framed between a mane of unkempt black hair and an ill-shaven beard. But all the hair in the world couldn't hide his face from Illyana.
"Piotr!" She called, running over to the unconscious man.
"No way," Kitty breathed, taking a step closer to the downed enemy. He was bruised and scratched, and more than a decade older than the last time she saw him. But the face staring back at her with closed eyes was the face of Piotr Rasputin. "Colossus," as she had come to know him. Her friend was kneeling over her brother, weping
Across the field, Dani approached the furry enemy and gingerly pulled off its muzzle. The face she saw was harder to recognize, but the sound that Doug made behind her confirmed what she had feared.
"Get Elixir out here," she barked. "Now."
His body was scarred and his fur was gradually regaining its blue color. And he had just taken quite a beating from the mutants in the yard. If they didn't get him some help soon, Henry McCoy might not live to see that he had finally escaped Limbo…
Belasco looked at the cleaved chains and sighed.
"Want something done right…"
He turned to Dazzler and addressed her coldly.
"Persistent. Your kind is persistent. But even the most stubborn can be brought to heel."
"Master!" a demon with large hanging ears brayed as he burst into the throne room.
"More intruders!"
Belasco pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I have more important things to deal with right now. Sym! Take care of them."
"S'right Boss," Sym shrugged and lumbered out of the room.
Jubilee caught sight of Alison, the teacher staring intently at her.
"Get ready," she mouthed.