Sorry about the delay folks, and sorry about the no Shriekers. Perhaps I can make it up with like a Shriekers mini? Anyway, here's the chapter sorry again about the delay.
Disclaimer: I only own my characters, others belong to them and all Marvel related things belong to Marvel duh!
Chapter 23
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Friends Clash
Hellfire New York Building
At the party where certain members of the F.O.M.E. are working security at the gala hosted by the Hellfire Club many are doing everything but. St. John Allerdyce is creating fire figures and words for Holly Marco. Lissa continues to be the center of attention for the group of men that surround her. Ceada Mendara sits at the bar causing the occasional bottle, glass, and mug to explode. Leaving only Paul and Griffin to actually work security. Of course no one in their right mind would attack the Hellfire Club.
One missing member of the F.O.M.E. suffers from a short attention span. This mutant, Zack, is wandering the halls of the building. He had wandered away from the party long ago and was lost inside the halls of the building. In frustration he punched one of the walls. The wall fought back by being made of stone nearly shattering the bones of Zack's hand.
Clutching his hand in pain the mutant's eyes began to well up with tears blurring his vision. Walking blindly through the halls Zack's toe stubs on a statue causing him to lurch forward and hit his already injured hand on the statue. Losing his balance from the knocking of the statue he reaches out for something to stable himself. Falling to the ground with a hard thud Zack winds up on the floor in another doorway.
Wiping the tears from his eyes he sees with renewed vision a winding staircase in front of him. Against his better judgment he ventures forward down the staircase. Halfway down through the stairs he misses a step and begins to tumble down the stairs before ultimately ending at the bottom into another hallway.
Cursing up a storm he notices something different about this hallway, metal doors, big metal doors with small squares in the center of each. Making his way down the hall he checks in each door, empty. "Hello? Is anybody there!" the mutant yells receiving nothing but his echo in response.
Down the corridor past a few twists and turns someone does hear the yelling, Raine Kumo. Raine responds only with a disapproving shaking of her head. She continues her searching. Last she had seen any of the members of the F.O.M.E. she was nearly killed them, this time she was not there to kill. However this particular member did annoy her greatly, she would greatly consider it.
Whistling the tune to Jingle Bells Zack continued to walk down the halls in search of an exit. He had taken a few turns and ended up lost. "Maybe Bailey and I will leave…SHIELD gives us shit missions." Zack said to himself and began to debate the pros and cons of each choice aloud.
As Zack turned the corner he was grabbed by his throat and pushed against the wall. He felt his air to slowly empty from his lungs and a few sharp nails into his trachea. "Can't…breathe…" He struggled to pray the hand from his throat and then he was released into a ball on the floor gasping for air.
"You would be killed in my business." His attacker spat. The voice was feminine and very familiar…he couldn't quite place it but he definitely felt the coldness that laced each word.
Standing up Zack composed him and tried his best to look tough. "And you would be killed had I not wanted you to catch me!" He replied.
The voice scoffed and stepped into the light revealing Raine, a mock smile on her face. "You lie."
Zack looked at Raine and her costume again and quickly ran in the opposite direction screaming like a girl. Raine sighed to herself and continued to walk after him checking each cell along the way.
Finally running out of breath Zack stopped at a dead and turned to wait for Raine. "I'm ready to kick your ass again!" He yelled between breaths.
"I'm not here to fight you or your friends." Raine replied as she silently approached him, still checking each cell along the way.
Zack gave a sigh of relief and relaxed. "Then what are you doing here?"
"You should not relax I may kill you yet." Raine replied not answering his question.
She approached Zack before stopping in front of him. "Please don't hurt me!" Zack said as he crouched into a ball in the corner. Raine continued to walk forward to the cell that Zack had been in front of.
Cautiously opening one eye Zack looked around for the older woman but found her nowhere. Standing up and collecting his nerves he looked into the cell she had and found nothing. Shrugging it off Zack took off his pants and underwear and created a new pair over his bare skin. "I'm just going to leave these here…" he said to no one at all tossing the soiled clothes in the corner.
"About time I found you…how the hell did you end up in there anyway?" Raine asked as she stalked the corridors of cells. She carried something in her arm that would glisten white in the light each time she passed by some of the dim lighting in the area.
Zack's phone began to vibrate in his jacket pocket; he pulled it out and answered it. "City Morgue you stick them we slap em." He answered.
"You suck at jokes." Holly's voice responded on the other line.
"Hello to you too. How am I oh I'm good."
"I didn't ask how you were. Look Zack you need to hurry back to your apartments." Holly said.
"I'd love to but I'm kind of busy at the moment." Zack replied walking through yet another dark hallway.
"Its important Pyro will not leave his fire alone and I can't find anyone else…something's wrong."
"How would you know? You a double agent?"
"Now is not the time for questions look I'm connected to …things in this world and you need to get back NOW!" Holly ended the conversation.
"What a b…BAILEY!" Zack said in realization his eyes growing wide, his outfit quickly changed into his flying form and he flew out of the cells up the stairs and through a window.
S&S
Holly Marco hung up from her conversation with Zack and quickly found Kara's phone number.
"Ugh!" Groaned Kara from the other end of the phone, "This better be important or so help me god I will…" Kara quickly stopped after shouting from Holly.
"Kara! This is an emergency something is wrong!" Holly said urgently. "Something is going to happen at the Mutant Apartments you need to get over there!"
"Listen…Holly is it? Look SHIELD has found Hawk and I unfit to help the kids we will probably be shot if I come anywhere near." Kara replied calmly. "Kara these handcuffs are starting the chafe!" another voice complained.
After that Kara hung up. Holly became frantic she knew something was going to happen at the apartments but no one was listening. She tried each of the members near her but they wouldn't listen. "If only Jack were still in charge of them…" Holly said sighing. She had to think of something!
S&S
Nowhere Bar, New York
Inside the nowhere bar only two people are inside. The bar is dark and broken down just enough to stay in business. One of the two people is the bartender, Bill. Bill currently is cleaning the glasses rubbing a dirty towel through each one. The other person was currently in the bathroom.
From the bathroom a toilet flushes and a curse is muttered. Opening the door the former FOME member, Hawk, steps out. He smiles a smile of satisfaction as he approaches his seat at the bar.
"Toilet's busted." Hawk says motioning towards the bathroom.
"It took you long enough." The bartender comments still cleaning glasses.
"Yes it did but I feel 20 pounds lighter." Hawk replies as he downs the rest of his beer.
"20 pounds in two hours? Not bad." The bartender responds with a small smile. "Your phone is on the floor."
Hawk bends down to pick up his cell and lifts it up. Placing down the bar Hawk asks for another drink. "Keep it in this cup though Bill."
"Aren't you going to call them back?" Bill asks filling up Hawk's glass.
"It's Pyro, you never answer that kids calls." Hawk quickly drank his glass and pulled out a few crumpled dollars. "I'm a little short today…"
Bill nodded and pushed the money back to its owner. "Your money is no good." Hawk grabbed the money and gave his thanks before turning to leave. "I mean that literally you know!"
Hawk continued on and out of the bar and began walking aimlessly.
Hawk was a block away from the Mutant Apartments. He looked at his former residence and sighed, he did miss it. He walked by the place every night and each time he always gave a sigh of regret. He wondered how the kids were, if Kara was okay, but mostly he wondered about Jack.
He snapped out of his trance when he saw a group of men in uniform get out of a large van two-by-two. One approached the glass windows and then the glass shattered and flew off in all different directions. HE quickly sprinted off towards the building his symbiote covering his body. He was ready for a fight.
Halfway across town many people were blown out of the way of a pink blur. Of course it was Shift flying as fast as he could to get back home. Holly told him something was going to happen and he couldn't take the chance of her being wrong. He raised his altitude high enough to avoid all people and traffic.
S&S
Inside the Mutant Apartments a fight had broken out. The few mutants that were currently residing were fighting for their lives against the armed men. There was no clear sign of who they were but they fought with brutal savagery.
"Fucking mutant scum!" One of the men exclaimed as he hit Katie with his gun. This in turn earned him Masque's wrath. Changing the man's face Masque quickly grabbed the men and snapped his arm. Grabbing the gun the former Morlock then beat the man in the face with it.
"Katie is you okay?" He asked crouching down to look at the girl's face.
Katie held onto her nose to stop the bleeding and nodded. "I'll be okay."
"Come on let's get you out of here!" Masque said picking her up and running with her out of the building and as far away as he could.
"Bailey! Olivia! Get out!" Jean-Paul yelled as he used his super speed to subdue three of the men at once.
"Not without you!" Olivia yelled from her place behind the counter.
"They have guns you know." Bailey responded as she turned into a liquid state to avoid the firing of ammunition.
"Die!" yelled one of the men as he trained his gun on the two girls. Before he could shoot he collapsed onto the ground next to them, above him Chance stood holding a chair.
"Come, let's go!" He said holding out his hand for them.
"Look out!" Jean Paul yelled tackling Chance to the ground and taking a shot from one of the men. "Son of a…" Before he could finish the speedy mutant collapsed.
"He's out…" Chance said picking him up. "I'll carry him and you girls come with me." The three stood up and prepared to move before a grenade split them apart.
After the dust settled Chance found himself surrounded with over a dozen guns trained on him. "Freeze mutie!" the men yelled in unison. Throwing his hands up and placing them behind his head Chance leaned down and kissed the ground goodbye.
Bailey fell into her liquid state after the explosion and tried to sneak out of the café in puddle. Through the remains of the glass wall one of the men dressed in high-ranking uniform pulled out a small pistol and fire it at the puddle near his feet. The bullet sank into the puddle and unleashed wave after wave of electricity into it. The puddle changed with the shocks until its form became that of Bailey. She of course lay unconscious.
"Good job Stryker!" One of the soldiers congratulated, the man with who shot Bailey smiled.
"We got one." The man who shot Bailey said into an earpiece. "No ma'am no sign of her. Yes ma'am. Stryker out." Stryker raised his finger towards Bailey and two men walked by him and picked her up.
The men missed one mutant, Olivia, who was laying in the fetal position under the bar counter. Her eyes shut tightly as she prayed for safety. "Please God…" she whispered fighting back tears.
Three of the armed men picked up the mutants Bailey, Chance, and Jean-Paul carrying them into their vehicles.
S&S
The door closed locking the unconscious Bailey in one of the armored vans. Hawk quickly ran into the café immediately freeing Jean-Paul and Chance from the armed men. He raised his arm, a piece of symbiote wrapping itself around the two men tying them to the ground.
Outside the café the armed man who carried away Bailey tapped the back of the van and screamed "Drive!" The gunman quickly grabbed onto the van door handle swung open the door and jumped in as the vehicle sped away, carrying one F.O.M.E. member.
Shift noticed Katie and Masque a few blocks from the apartments and stopped hovering above the ground. "What are you guys doing here? What's wrong?" He asked hesitantly.
Katie was nursing her wound so Masque stepped towards Shift. "A group of men attacked everybody. Katie and I barely managed to escape." Masque replied turning back to Katie and kneeling in front of her.
"We left the others there, I don't know if they are still alive." Masque said turning back towards his teammate, but the shape shifter was already gone.
Arriving just as the van sped away, the mutant Shift, quickly threw out an elbow as one of the gunmen was thrown towards him courtesy of Hawk. "Good to see ya kid." Hawk said as he quickly kicked another man in the chest.
Shift paused for a moment to look at Hawk. He was different than the last he saw him. Tentacles sprouted from his back instead of wings, his hands came to sharp almost claw like points with a single pointed tentacle sprouted out of the top of each hand, his feet came to two clawed toes. His body was trace in a gray outline, his chest covered in black, his eyes were large slanted white eyes with a black oval shape around his head. On his left arm was a spinning green shield made of his symbiote material.
"Hawk where's Bailey?" Shift asked running into the café knocking away a gunman easily.
"She's gone," said a weak voice from behind the counter. Olivia rose from her hiding spot, wiping away the tears. "They shot her and took her away…I couldn't stop them."
Shift ran out of the café, jumping over the busted glass and turning his lower body into a cyclone once again took off after the direction he saw the van go. He rose high into the air to search the cars from the sky.
Back in the café Hawk grabbed the soldier he just beat and ripped off his mask. "Who are you?" Hawk asked putting his hand tentacle towards the man.
"You mutant sympathizer why do you think I'd tell you anything?" The man asked smiling. Before Hawk had time to respond a voice came from the man's radio. "Stryker are you there? Did you kill them all? We got the redhead and Williams is about to dissect her."
"Stryker…I suggest you talk." The tip of Hawk's tentacle sliding into the man's ear, "Talk now or the next step will be very painful."
"The Friends of Humanity will cleanse the earth of mutants! Do what you will to me but you'll never stop us!" Stryker exclaimed as he began to laugh maniacally.
Hawk dropped the man and covered his mouth in symbiote fluid. "Go! Tell your boss that we are coming for them."
S&S
The F.O.H. van turned down a rundown street where all the building was boarded up and vacant. It pulled to a stop in front of a fire hydrant. The driver stepped out of the car and lit up a cigarette. Closing his eyes he let out the smoke slowly closing his eyes to savor the moment.
"Scott hurry up will you we have to get it back!" yelled a voice from inside the van.
"Yeah, yeah, do you really think it's going anywhere?" Scott replied putting his cigarette back to his mouth.
Taking another puff the man this time looked up into the night sky, however instead of seeing the night sky he saw a large rock as it came crashing down on him. Once atop the man the rock's form shifted into that of the shape shifter Shift. Stomping out the cigarette he muttered with disgust "You shouldn't smoke!" He said his words filled with venom before spitting on the man and making his way to the back of the van.
He placed his hand on the handle and felt a shiver run down his spine. "Something's wrong." He muttered before opening the door. Opening the door he was met with a large explosion. The van blew up sending Shift and the door away.
Hours later the scene of the explosion is being investigated by the members of the F.O.M.E. searching for two of their missing teammates. Hyacinth uses her powers to scream for the members, to no avail. "Zack! Bailey!" She continues to shout, her vocal chords straining to continue to yell.
Hawk steps over some rubble causing one of the rocks to groan. Picking up some of the rocks Hawk begins to question each of them, "Zack?" he asks before tossing them behind them. Finally his search brings him to the van door, burned badly. Easily tossing it aside he finds a beat up Zack, only his entire body is green, his hair, eyes, FOME uniform all green.
"Jesus Christ! Zack are you alright?" Hawk asked lifting the boy up and out of the rubble. He gently slaps Zack's cheek trying to wake the mutant teen up. "Come on wake up."
With a groan Zack opened his eyes and gave a small scream at the sight of Hawk. "Oh my head." He groaned placing his hand on his head. His memories all began to flood back to him and one memory in particular stood out. Bailey! "BAILEY!" He screamed jumping to his feet and began to run off towards the flaming wreckage of the van.
He ran right into the fire, his form changing into rock to withstand the fire. "Bailey! Answer me damn it!" The shape shifter continued to tear apart the burning wreckage looking for his girlfriend. "Pyro! Help me, please!" Zack yelled desperately.
The Australian hung his head low and with a flick of his wrist moved the fire away from his friend. "Sorry mate but…" The Australian stopped and looked towards Hawk who approached the shape shifter and picked him up.
Zack fought the older man the entire time trying to break free. "Let me go damn you! You fucking bastard she's dying in there!" Zack continued to rant and rave never stopping his struggle.
"She's gone Zack. She's gone we checked. The body's are already with S.H.I.E.L.D." Hawk said a hint of sorrow in his voice.
"No! NO! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! I CAN'T! SHE…she can't be dead." Zack said falling to his knees. "She just…can't" the shape shifter sprouted wings out of his back and flew off into the sky.
The rest of the team each looked around unsure of what to do. "Come on kids lets get you to bed, there's a funeral to go to in the morning."
S&S
The funeral was dark and depressing, each member of the F.O.M.E. attended, including those who were fired, the Shriekers attended, and the members of SHIELD who worked with the F.O.M.E. each attended though they were more there to keep tabs on the mutants not for respect.
Zack sat in the front row dressed completely in white; he talked to no one, and carried the casket out by himself into the hearse. His green skin was still very much permanent and sparkled as the rain from outside hit him. He waited at the funeral home while everyone left around him, until he was the only one left.
His arm shifted into a hammer and he quickly sent it into the personal effects brought to the funeral hall. After everything was destroyed he sat down atop the wreckage and held onto his legs.
"Most people treasure the items of loved ones." Stated a familiar voice. Zack looked up to see Raine standing in front of the door, untouched by the rain, a white wolf next to her. "Don't worry he won't harm you." She said, the right corner of her lip lifting up slightly.
"You smile…look if you're here to kill me then please do not mock me." He said with a sigh.
"I actually came to pay my respects." Raine said tossing a red rose on the destroyed personal effects. "I suppose I'm a little late. I'm sorry for your loss." Raine said before turning and stepping out into the rain.
Zack watched her leave normally he would have asked why she was there. Now though only one thing remained in his mind, F.O.H.
"They will pay." He said through clenched teeth as he picked up the rose and began to sob.
S&S
Took me long enough didn't it? Sorry everybody but you knows how it goes when you move. Not to mention I had a huge writers block. I apologize for the crappyness of the chapter but I just had to write it and finish it. Well just because it wasn't my best work yet does not mean you can't review! Come on people throw me a freaking bone! REVIEW PLEAAASE!