Disclaimer: I dont own the X-men

The Mission of Hellfire

Chapter 14: Against the darkness

Recovering from their experience was a priority for the X-men and the Brotherhood. The logic being that they couldn't go up against Selene and Bastion afraid of what they were fighting. So Laura had the group gather outside, dressed in winter clothing. Logan had decided to stay on his own, drinking by himself. He wasn't the only one who kept to himself; Cable was still working on his computer. Lauren hid her frustration with Logan well, not because he refused help, but because unlike Cable he wasn't doing anything to help the search for Selene and Bastion. But Lauren refused to waste her time with Logan and instead opted to help those she could help. She led the group to a clearing she had found in the woods; the circular area of pure white snow was the perfect place to heal. Lauren had felt at peace when she had come here, the scenery and her own techniques in meditation drew her attention away from her own problems. The area was also practical; the circular area was large enough to fit both the X-men and Brotherhood.

"All right everyone, if you'd like to take a seat then we can begin" Lauren said.

"Yeah let the healing begin" Bobby grinned, being the first to sit on the snow.

"Um, can't we have some chairs or something?" Kitty asked, the thought of sitting on the snow seemed to dirty for her valley girl tastes.

"Well you could either sit on the crunchy, wet snow, or you could sit on Lance's lap, just think of it as…therapy" Lauren said with a wink.

Kitty blushed as she looked at Lance, who had a mixture of hesitance and eagerness spread across his face.

"I think I'll sit on the snow" Kitty said.

The entire group sat in a circle, their eyes on Lauren in the middle.

"I think we should take this time to discuss who in the Hellfire Club you were all most afraid of" Lauren said, looking at Mystique to begin.

"Do you actually expect me to tell you about what I'm afraid of?" Mystique asked, her voice and eyes fierce as she looked at Laura.

But Lauren's eyes remained defiant, waiting for Mystique's response. The wind blew and Tabitha shivered as the two women continued to look one another in the eye. Mystique's eyes never left Laura's as she spoke of something she never spoke of before.

"What I fear isn't a person, true Sinister is terrifying, the mere thought of that mans hands on my body makes me vomit, but he's not what I'm afraid of, he is nothing compared to the mere thought of losing my child, I spent hours in labour and when it was over, when I looked at that boys face I didn't see a devil, I saw my son, my beautiful boy, the years I spent in this world of war, suffering and hate, all the bitterness went away when I rocked that child in my arms…having a child can bring light to a world of darkness and its not any one person or event that I fear, it's the thought" Mystique paused, looking at the snow for just a moment before her eyes looked to the sky. "The thought of my son, in the hands of that horrible woman, the torture he'd endure, the suffering, the mere thought of my son being hurt is unbearable, and the thought of my son dying…it isn't right, that's not the natural order, the child is supposed to bury the parent" Mystique choked, her tears dripping to the floor.

For the boys of the Brotherhood they saw a very different Mystique. This woman sitting before them, crying her heart out wasn't their teacher, but rather the mother of one of their enemies. That was something the boys would fail to remember at times. They weren't just bonded to the X-men by hate, but also by friendship, love, even by the bonds of family. Lauren got up off the floor, her eyes creeping across the members of the group.

"I want you all to imagine a scenario that you wouldn't be able to bare, a scenario where your deepest fears are bought forward, think about it, picture every detail, the smell, the sight, what you hear and feel both physically and emotionally at the time, close your eyes and think of that scenario" Lauren explained, closing her own eyes to join them.

The others closed their eyes, picturing that scenario. For many of them, the thought that they couldn't bare was the loss of a loved one. The loss of their lover, their brother or sister, some couldn't even bare the thought of losing their friends. Those were the kinds of people the X-men and Brotherhood were, they were the kind of people who couldn't bear losing anyone precious to them.

"You replace those scenarios with good ones, you think that your going to save them, you act like your going to save them, thinking and acting are two things that need to happen for anything to get done…look at the people beside you, your team mates, your friends, they should be the people you don't need to think with, just act, if they're on the ground, pull them back up, if they're in the dark, light up their path…when it all comes down to it, be willing to tear yourself apart to save them because in the end, they have to be willing to do the same thing for you, you people all want to save your friends right, then for now don't think about those scenarios, throw them aside and relax, rest up so that when the time comes, when you know where your friends are, your ready to tear yourselves apart to save them"

Each person present considered the woman's words. They considered her words carefully and decided that for now that would be their way of thinking and acting.

Darkness, the atmosphere itself was calming, yet at the same time it could be terrifying. The essence, evil itself was something that caused the suffering of so many and yet at the same time it was easy, it made sense at times. But for now darkness would be the ideal training tool. The darkness of his mask left him with nothing to focus on but the scenarios of the possible battle he would face. Physically he punched at air, but in his mind he attacked the Black Queen. He rolled across the floor, dodging a hail of shadow spikes launched by the witch. But then he was caught by a blast of magic, falling to the floor. He slammed his fist into the ground, jumping to his feet and rethinking the scenario. Selene floated towards him, trying to frighten him as he teeth sharpened. For a moment, his heartbeat quickened and that was all she needed to strike. In the real scenario, she would have stabbed him in the chest. With a growl, he imagined the scenario again. This time, he allowed his heartbeat to quicken, drawing her in with fear.

She flew forward, thrusting her dagger at him. He bought his arm up, catching the dagger blade in between his fingers. His fingers shook as he formed his left hand into a fist. He punched Selene across the head, she snarled as she controlled the darkness around her, creating a pair of claws. She slashed at him, but he managed to lean his head back, avoiding the blades by mere inches. He elbowed her in the head, and then crouched, spinning his legs round and kicking her in the stomach. Selene's eyes glowed a black colour as she chanted numerous spells. He rolled to the left, dodging a hail of fire. Then he back flipped, dodging a volley of dark knives. Selene swung a chain of pure darkness at the man, catching his legs. She tied the chain around his feet, slamming him into the ground.

Selene then gathered an inferno into her hands, smiling sadistically as the man crawled backwards. Realising he couldn't show any fear, he grabbed the mystical chain binding his feet. With his strongest two tugs, he broke the chains, ignoring the sheer heat they gave off. Even with his hands burnt, he jumped to his feet, running at Selene. She threw the fireball, hitting her target. He yelled as he imagined the flames burning his skin. But he still ran forward, through the flames, keeping his eyes covered by his arms. He punched Selene across the face, and then slammed his head into her jaw. Gathering all the strength he had left, he slammed his left fist straight into Selene's stomach.

He shook his head, knowing that this scenario was only good for defeating Selene by inspiring others. Inspiring others was good, but right now in order to save the X-men he needed to defeat everything that Selene could throw at him. Defeating Selene was the X-men's job, defeating what Selene stood for was up to him. Darkness and evil was easy, and for now he would hide in the darkness and use it to his advantage. Taking a deep and soothing breath, he put his hands together and ran back into the battle his minds eye simulated.

Wanda Maximoff was possessed, that much Tessa knew as she watched the girl. With nowhere else to go, the survivors of the Hellfire Club had to go to their safe house. It was in a place that only Shaw and Selene had memorised, and since they had reached the area through teleportation there was no way of tracking them. Throughout the years Tessa had spent with the club she had come to understand all of Selene's teachings. She believed in pleasure through the suffering of others. Which was why their safe house had been redesigned for Selene's taste. It was dark, but rich, fitting the atmosphere of the Hellfire Club, and yet for those who weren't members it seemed like a prison.

Tessa knew that this safe house was Selene's personal house of pleasure. Numerous sex workers had been kept in the posh dance room, most chained to the floor. They didn't even have the strength to react to Wanda as she removed her panties, shoving their cocks into herself. She slapped one of them across the face, crashing her lips into his fiercely. Tessa looked at the girl, her long black and red hair thrashing around as she aggressively straddled one of the sex workers. The former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. knew that Wanda was lost, consumed by Selene's teachings. Wanda Maximoff was Selene's own apprentice.

"He would have liked this don't you think?"

Tessa turned her head, frowning at Bastion as he walked into the room, trailed by his assistance, the sickly and short Fanthom. He worshipped the ground Bastion walked on, clinging to the mans leg as he confidently walked towards Tessa.

"Your lover Sebastian, he would have truly enjoyed what Selene has done to this club" Bastion said, sipping from his red wine glass.

"Do you have something to say Bastion?" Tessa asked.

"Just to ask, I was wondering why you chose to stay, the only reason you didn't hand us over to S.H.I.E.L.D. was because you had come to love Sebastian, so why stay with us when he's gone?"

"Because who else can assist me in avenging his death"

"Ah you must have truly loved him, to desire a mans death when he is clearly already dead" Bastion said with a chuckle.

"Not on Soldier, Selene already did that for me, I want revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, that organisation must be destroyed in order for the world to change" Tessa explained, her voice devoid of emotion, yet her eyes betrayed her, revealing her anger.

"Are you willing to steal the innocence of children, to take away the fathers and mothers of so many families?"

"It's no different from what S.H.I.E.L.D. would have me do" Tessa said, walking past Bastion, taking a final look at another that was changed by Selene's influence.

Jean Grey was now dressed in a skimpy black leather corset, a black mask covering her face and a glowing red whip in her left hand. She slashed Empath across the chest, laughing every second as the boy screamed in agony. Again and again she hit him, enjoying every moment of it. Empath's face would have a lash scar across his forehead for the rest of his life. The clanging of Jean's high heel boots echoed in the room as she walked towards Empath. She rolled up her whip, lifting the boy's chin up with it. He quivered as she bought her lips up to his.

"Emma abandoned you, just like she abandoned everyone else, but Selene…her teachings will change this world forever, do you want to experience true pleasure?" Jean asked, breathing on Empathy's face.

"I do, I want to know everything Selene has to offer, Emma couldn't change the world, I want to be on the other side of it all, I want to be Selene's side" Empath said hysterically.

"Yes you do, self preservation is just another reason why people will follow Mistress Selene" Jean said, standing up, looking down at Empath as his lips shook.

Jean smiled as she removed her mask. She wasn't the Jean Grey that Scott Summers had fallen in love with. This Jean Grey was one that allowed Selene to influence her. She was the new Black Queen of the Hellfire club.

"I'll give you a little taste of what Selene can offer you"

She wrapped her whip around Empath's neck, lifting him into the air. Floating inches above the floor, Jean swung her whip round, slamming Empath into the floor. With a tug, Empath was sent flying into Jean's arms. His mouth dropped open and his eyes remained focused on Jean's. Fire and darkness seemed to merge inside Jean's eyes as she tightened her grip on Empath's abs. His focused remained on Jean nothing else mattered.

"Empath, your about to feel the power of two of the most powerful forces in existence, your going to love every second of it because that is what I want you to do, do you understand Empath?" Jean asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes I do my queen" He said like a child.

"Good, now open your mouth so I can begin" She commanded and he obeyed.

Jean breathed, releasing an orange flame from her mouth. The small flame took shape into a bird, flying slowly into Empath's mouth. It crawled down the boy's throat, exploring every inch of his body. Empath sighed, for the very presence of this bird felt soothing. It began to flap its wings, spreading its fire across Empath's entire body. For once in a long time, he felt truly at peace and wise. He felt as if the wisdom of a thousand races had been poured into his soul.

"The force accepts you Empath, may its small fire give you the wisdom, now you will accept the power of darkness understand?" She asked.

"Yes, I want to feel it, I want as much as you want to give me my queen" Empath said, his voice filled with happiness.

"Very well, let darkness show you humanities future" Jean said, cupping Empath's face.

A black mist began to run up Jean's legs as she ran her tongue across Empath's face. His heart rate quickened, while hers remained steady and peaceful as she closed her eyes. Jeans whiplashes had drawn the shape of a blood red rune, which began to glow a purple colour as Jean grabbed Empath's mouth with hers. She flapped her tongue around, licking the boys inside. Black oil dripped off of her now snake like tongue as she extended it deeper down Empath's throat.

'No wait, wait, this isn't what I wanted…oh god please make it stop' Empath thought, trying to yell out Jena wrapped her legs around him.

He tried to move his arm, but no matter how hard he tried, Jean continued to kiss him. The mist seeped into Empath's nose and the very paws of his skin. His eyes began to change a black colour, the same shade as the aura that surrounded Jean's body. This aura shaped into a giant bird, consuming the room in darkness as it spread its wings.

'NO MORE I DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE!!' He wanted to yell so desperately.

But gradually, those thoughts were gone as Empathy saw the suffering of hundreds of races. Not just the people of Earth but races from other galaxies. The last moments before their worlds ended, consumed by war, famine or the flames of their god.

'Yes, this is it…true pleasure, I want to experience more of it, I want to share it with the whole planet'

That was what darkness did, and it bought a smile to both Jean's and Selene's faces, for with little or no effort at all Empath was there's forever.

More and more sweat began to stain the fabric of his pitch-black training suit. His hands moved faster and faster as he punched and elbowed the air. More and more opponents came at him in the world his mind had created. With each opponent he lost physical strength, but that only made him more determined. His determination was his greatest weapon. He stood on his hands, twisting his legs around, using exercise routines used to breed pure super soldiers. There was no telling how long Xavier and Magneto would take to track the other X-men, he wanted to be ready for when they did. He balanced on one hand, flexing the muscles on his left hand. Seconds passed before he slowly lifted himself up, grinding his teeth together as he balanced on his index finger. A few more hours then he would find something to eat.

Logan walked through the wilderness, the place he felt most at home in. For hours he had walked away from the X-men's safe house, up the river towards an old hut. Seven feet away from the wooden shack was a tree, its maple leafs covered by snow. Even parts of the tree itself were coated in the white material. Logan walked into the house, smiling only slightly as everything smelt the same for him. Then he walked towards the tree, brushing some of the snow off it. He looked at the heart carved into the bark and sighed.

'Logan and Kayra forever, yeah right, I'm starting to think I didn't deserve you darling' Logan thought, brushing the names carved into the wood with his finger.

"Silver Fox huh, I'm guessing she's another tragic case right?"

Logan turned around, surprised very little by Cable's presence. The young man was still wearing his X-men uniform, carrying his new Psimitar on his shoulder.

"I suppose it was tragic for her, but then again its my own fault, I was stupid enough to fall for her" Logan growled, popping his claws at the memory.

"Let me guess, she turned out to be a Weapon X spy" Cable said and smirked as Logan widened his eyes.

"How did you…"

"I've been to a lot of places and met a lot of alternatives to you Logan, there are good alternatives and bad alternatives and some even identical, hell I've even been to a reality where you're Australian"

"You're kidding me right?"

"Nope, too bad he didn't sing or dance, anyway the point I'm getting at is that I've seen versions of you that completely broke, that turned a blind eye to the worlds problems or made them worse, I've seen selfish, self righteous bastard of Logan's and X-men who made people suffer while gaining profit, fear and sex in their misguided attempt to change the world, trust me when I tell you Logan you could be a lot worse off" Cable explained.

"Kayra was killed by Sabretooth, and I still loved her enough to try and save her, she still loved me enough not to turn our location into Weapon X, but Creed still found us…I'm starting to get pieces of my past back from before this memory and for a while it just didn't fit, I was in Japan, apparently working with Weapon X in order to find out the secret to bonding Adamantium…I apparently killed Yuriko's father, then straight after I hop into bed with Silver Fox, I'm starting to think I'm one of those selfish Logan's you talked about" Logan explained, lowering his head as he touched the carving with his claws.

"Well Logan maybe you were, or maybe Kayra was the one woman who managed to open your heart, I've been to a lot of places Logan and I've only seen Logan's carve a woman's name into a wall when they're really in love…besides who you were in the past doesn't affect who you are now right?" Cable asked.

"Maybe not, but I'm still going to find out the truth, so I know who I shouldn't become…anyway, did you manage to get anything from your computer?" Logan asked.

"No, but I'm still working on it AAAAGH!!" Cable yelled, clutching his head. "Gagh, DAD! Don't yell your thoughts in my ear okay"

"I'm sorry Nathan but you and Logan need to get back here immediately, Xavier and Magneto have finished Cerebra"

Cable widened his eyes before grabbing Logan and body sliding back to Bayville.

Kurt Wagner had never been more frightened in his life than when he was in the presence of Selene. Any room she was in seemed to change into a prison; even if Kurt wasn't chained to the wall it would feel that way. She looked at every inch of his body, admiring his demonic form. Kurt hit his outer fear well, but inside his heart was beating faster than it ever had. Selene walked towards Kurt, pulling the strings of her three tipped whip. He snarled at her, never once showing her the respect she was seeking.

"I know what your thinking Kurt, that your friends will crash through that wall any minute now, well guess what boy, they aren't coming, they'll never find this place, you'd better be prepared to stay here forever…or, you could join me"

"I'd actually tell you what I'm thinking right now "mistress" but I'm a Christian man, so you'd better just do what your going to do and stop wasting both our time" Kurt growled.

"And now we come to religion…how sad, you hope that all your good will be rewarded and that the bad will be punished, well here's the truth Kurt, there is no reward or punishment beyond what you feel now…join me Kurt, let me in and I'll show you true wonders, true pleasure, I will show you a true god"

"You, yeah right"

"Oh not me Kurt, his presence will show you the truth of this world, the true path to take"

"The only path for me to take is Xavier's" Kurt said.

"No, there are many alternatives, one that will benefit others and one that will benefit yourself, helping other people doesn't do any thing for the world or yourself, haven't you ever wanted to be selfish?" Selene asked.

Kurt thought for a moment, not about Selene's question but this god she spoke of. He had heard that Shaw and Selene weren't the ones pulling the strings at the club. This god that Selene worshipped must have been the Lord Imperial that Selene's servant had mentioned.

"Yes I have wanted to be selfish at least once" He said, looking at Selene curiously.

Selene smiled as she released Kurt's chains. He limped across the floor, following Selene out of the torture room. They walked through the neat and cultured halls of the hidden club. Kurt looked around, taking in his surroundings. Right now he wanted to find the others before attempting an escape. Selene led him through the clubs dance floor, where a large number of naked men and women watched them walk. She opened a door, pulling Kurt into a dark hall. Kurt widened his eyes, to see Amanda standing in the middle of the room.

"Kurt!" She said, running towards her boyfriend.

Kurt held Amanda tightly, pressing his lips against hers. The two lovers stood in the centre of the room, holding one another as tight as they could.

"Why are you here?" Kurt asked the girl.

"They told me that they could lead me to you, according to them I have mutant potential" Amanda explained.

Nightcrawler looked at Selene, glaring at her.

"How dare you get her involved with this!" Kurt snarled.

"That happiness, I'll enjoy crushing it, your in the perfect place to see the truth" Selene smiled, clicking her fingers.

Wanda, Jean, Empath and Unus walked out of the shadows, their naked forms covered by thin black cloaks. Spiral then walked into the room, thankful that she was away from Mojo. Selene walked to the woman's side, grinning as Kurt and Amanda looked at them in confusion. They looked up, widening their eyes as a black smoke appeared above their heads. Amanda gripped Kurt's arm tightly, her pulse hastening every moment as the smoke became fiercer. A pair of red eyes shined through the smoke and the lovers buried their faces in one another's shoulders.

"NO!!!" He yelled, awakening from his meditation.

He removed his mask, rubbing his eyes as he got up off the floor. Running out of the training room, he began typing the frequency for a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Tapping his foot against the floor, he impatiently waited as he was put onto S.H.I.E.L.D. command. Nick Fury's face appeared on the screen, squinting as he tried to see whom it was in the darkness.

"Fury, what's the progress on finding the X-men?"

"Oh my god your alive, Xavier and Lensherr were able to build an amplifier, once the other X-men have gathered they'll try to find out where Selene went…she almost killed you, which is why I want you to leave the rescue to the X-men" Fury explained.

"I cant do that Fury, I refuse to follow your orders…a man never breaks his word, I will save the X-men, no matter what gets in my way I'll save them" His voice was filled with more determination than Fury had ever heard from him.

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't help but smile, for he knew that this masked man whom he had kept secret for so long and finally found something he would die for.

"Well Soldier, good luck!"

He switched off the radio; turning towards a glass container that held the suit he needed to save the X-men. Opening the case, he pulled the black mask off of the grey model. He pulled the mask onto his face, his long blonde hair sticking out of the top, covering his eyes. His hands grabbed the strands of his hair, throwing them over his head, revealing his the glowing red eye lenses.

"Persevere X-men…I swear on my life that I'll save you all" Soldier said, ready to face the Hellfire Club, this time he would defeat what the club stood for.

Next Chapter 15: Against selfishness

hope everyone enjoyed the double chapter