Chapter 2: More Than You Can Handle
The trio sat in the medlab waiting room, each nursing a cup of coffee. Hank was in stable condition--few bruises, maybe a concussion--and was still unconscious. There were signs of a telepathic attack too. While Emma wanted to do an in-depth mental probe, she figured the information garnered from Captain Britain probably fell in the “good-to-know” category. She kept her mouth shut and let old Excalibur duo do the talking.
“I’ll get right to it,” Brian began, “There’s been series of cataclysmic events in the realms surrounding earth and all sorts of nasties have gotten loose. Kitty, you remember Belasco.”
“Do I ever,” the woman growled, taking a page straight out of Wolverine’s playbook.
Emma at least raised an eyebrow, but Brian seemed used to the mannerism. He continued on without even acknowledging it. “He tried to retake Limbo, and to bolster his forces, he took powerful spirits, warped them, and put them into demons. With the help of Doctor Strange, the new Magik, and the Black Knight, we managed to push him and his ilk back. But...”
Sighing, Kitty shrunk into her chair. “There’s always a but...”
The man grimly nodded. “Belasco has been banished, but the spirits he conjured weren’t. Freed from their master, they rampaged over the Otherworld, slaking their demonic thirst. I’ve personally dealt with most of the spirits, healing them and returning them to their rightful place. However, there are two spirits that remain, and with their combined knowledge and powers, they’ve eluded us and found a way into this world.”
“You and Meggan rule the Otherworld,” Kitty pointed out. “Doctor Strange is almost infallible. Amanda controls access from there to here. How could they make it here?”
“One of the spirits is Illyana.”
Kitty bolted up like electricity shot through her. She remembered the late nights comforting Illyana over what Belasco did to her. She remembered the agony her friend endured at the demon’s tutelage. She remembered the pains she went through to avoid her fate. She remembered the immense responsibilities the girl took on when she began Magik. She remembered her noble acts, kind soul, and endearing smile. She remembered promising Peter to keep her safe. Most of all, she remembered burying Illyana after the Legacy Virus took its toll.
“No!” yelled Kitty, “That... that THING already ruined enough of Illyana’s life! He couldn’t have done that to her! He can’t have...”
“But he did. With her command of the stepping disks, Belasco wanted to gain access to Earth and overtake mankind. He fueled all his minions with hate so they’d be easy control--in particular, hate against everything not demonic.”
Despite finding the story intriguing, Emma couldn’t help but notice, “You said there were two spirits you’ve yet to recapture. Who is the second one?”
Brian’s shoulders slumped at the question. “The second spirit is my sister, Betsy.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room. Kitty was the first to break the silence, pulling the man into an embrace. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Brian...”
“Thank you,” he replied. The conversation, however, seemed like a well-worn one. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and spun the finish to his tale. “Belasco knew what he was doing. He knew my sister had insights into my abilities and habits. He knew she could get around me. He knew she could strike at the X-Men whom he viewed as his greatest obstacle to overcome when he made it to Earth. The bastard also knew about her imprisonment of the Shadow King, and he’s loosened Betsy’s hold on the beast so she could become more powerful but still have him under control. In addition, he imbued Betsy with a strong hate for the X-Men, making her think that it was all of you who left her for dead. So, Illyana and Betsy... with their combined abilities, they’ve been able to elude us and come to this world to act on the hate Belasco left them with.”
He looked in the direction of the room holding the Beast. “Which brings me to Dr. McCoy. He’s their first victim so far, and Meggan and I have been playing catch up with them for the past two days. I tried to warn all of you, but they got here before me.”
“We should get the whole team,” said Kitty. “We’ve got to help Illyana and Betsy! Look what they did to Hank already. What if they do this to the people in the X-Corps? We’ve got to gather everyone and put a stop to th-”
“No,” Emma interrupted.
Brian and Kitty looked at the blonde like she’d sprouted another head. “What?!” they both exclaimed.
The White Queen crossed her legs, making her captive audience stew a few seconds. “We don’t mass the troops, or, as Rogue so eloquently puts it, ‘Cowboy up.’ That’s exactly what these two want. Think about it for a second: why return the Beast to us if they had him captured? If I remember correctly, Ms. Rasputin’s power allowed her to teleport places without much fanfare. They risked exposure and capture by blowing up the mansion gates and leaving him here.
“In my experience on the other side of the proverbial fence, I’ve noticed that the X-Men swarm like a beehive, massing and attacking once an individual has been threatened. These two are short on manpower and hunted by superior foes--they know that if they’re going to irreparably damage the X-Men, they only have one chance to do it. With Henry thusly injured and our pride hurt, we’ll come together and that’s when they’ll unleash whatever they have planned. They’re gambling that they’ll have a little time to prepare themselves as we sort out the confusion. If we’re going to bring a favorable end to this fiasco, we have to strike now with a small team. That way, we minimize our reaction time and put them in an awkward position, making them unable to decide whether they’ll use their last resort or not.”
“How do you know all this?” asked Brian, more out of curiosity rather than sarcasm or malice.
“Easy. They didn’t attack us outright. If they weren’t worried about our numbers or powers, they would’ve gutted the mansion, taken Katherine and myself, and killed us before you showed up. As it is, their caution shows their concern. And about whatever coup de grace they have up their sleeve? All signs point to one with Henry being left here, the mansion being relatively unharmed, and the note they put in Henry’s hand.”
“Wait,” said Kitty, “What note?”
The blonde retrieved the slip of paper from her pocket and showed it to her companions. “I found it in the Beast’s left hand as we were hauling him up here. Read it for yourself.”
And the note only contained one line: “The Shadow King will live. –Psylocke.”
*****************
“Great,” Kitty mumbled as the group trudged through a swampy but barren Limbo, “Tell me how the four of us are suppose to prevent this Shadow King from leaping out of Betsy and killing everyone?”
Magik, known to Kitty as Nightcrawler’s former girlfriend, Amanda Sefton, shrugged. “Not letting the Shadow King out would be a nice start.”
“Don’t worry,” Emma said. “It’s an empty threat.”
Kitty couldn’t stop herself from hissing, “Why don’t you enlighten us, your highness?”
“Mind your manners,” smiled Emma, though her words held a venomous touch. “It’s an empty threat because if Psylocke wanted the Shadow King to be out, he would already be wrecking havoc regardless of our intervention. Seeing as my telepathy is intact, the Shadow King should still lie under her control. And since he isn’t out, that leads me to assume his presence would be detrimental to our former friends as well. They’ll be sorely disappointed at seeing so few of us present and think twice before using what is looking more and more like a last resort.”
“What if Psylocke doesn’t care and already has the Shadow King waiting for us?” Magik asked.
“Then we’re fucked,” the blonde said without hesitation.
Not for the first time today, Kitty admitted her respect for Emma, only this time, she voiced it. “How do you analyze the situation like that?” she asked appreciatively.
“Business acumen. Women’s intuition. I’ve had a great deal of practice in both.”
Brian steered the conversation toward more pressing matters. Despite his many times facing it, Brian didn’t like to think about impending doom, especially since that impending doom came in the form of his sister. “You really cannot sense them, Magik? Limbo is your realm.”
The woman frowned. “Illyana always hides her tracks well. I know they opened a portal into this part of Limbo recently, but I can’t pinpoint them.” She paused before asking, “Are the others having any success?”
“No,” said Brian after he mentally reached out to check on his wife’s efforts, “Meggan, Stephen, and Dane are coming up with nothing too. If we keep walking, we’ll be meeting them soon...”
“Which means this search has been a waste of time,” Magik finished, swiping her sword against an unfortunate piece of vegetation.
The ruler of the Otherworld turned to Emma. “Your telepathic abilities telling you anything?”
“Other than this place is a flithy wasteland?”
On the group walked, each step weighing further on their spirits. “You do realize the longer we take to find them, the better prepared they are going to be to fight us,” said Kitty.
No one answered her. They just kept walking.
“What are we going to do when we find them?” she pressed.
“Hopefully, we’ll have the element of surprise,” Brian answered for everyone. “With two parties, we can pin them down and either Doctor Strange or myself can cleanse their souls. It doesn’t take too-”
The blinding pain hit Brian like a kick in the pants. Immediately, his mind flashed to his Meggan being ruthlessly attacked by Illyana. Before he could even express the images assaulting him, a green column of mystical energy erupted from the air and struck an area up ahead like a lightning bolt.
Taking a clue from Brian’s pained face and the sudden output of power, Amanda concluded that their prey was found. She focused, found the battle, and effortlessly whisked her group away to join in.
While Amanda and Brian, both used to teleporting, landed on their feet, Kitty and Emma tumbled to the ground, caught flatfooted by the sudden displacement.
“Little warning next time?” Shadowcat said as she rubbed her sore behind.
All levity got thrown aside when the four surveyed the carnage. Meggan was down, a gaping wound in her side bleeding profusely. The Black Knight looked worse for the wear--his leg was bent in an unnatural position as he sat guard over Meggan. Illyana, dressed in her old Magik armor, circled them like a vulture, her twisted version of her Soulsword gleaming with inhuman thirst. Doctor Strange--separated from his companions--hovered over the ground, a green globe of energy shielding him from Psylocke’s psychic knife.
Immediately, Brian leapt to Meggan’s aid, hurling himself at Illyana. The maneuver took the sorceress off-guard, sending her on an unscheduled flight and separating her from her sword. Magik tried to follow up Brian’s performance by disabling Psylocke, but the woman was too good, too slippery. In the midst of pressing her advantage on Strange, the demonic incarnation of Betsy managed to find the time to extend a set of claws from her fingertips and rake Amanda across the breastplate, penetrating and drawing blood.
The battle stopped for a split second as everyone on the battlefield gathered themselves.
“Well,” Psylocke laughed, noticing that she was surrounded, “Wondered when my dear brother would show up with his friends. Tell me, luv, where’s everyone else? Where’s Ororo and the rest of her traitors? Where’s Jean and her legendary Phoenix Force? Hiding behind a tree?”
Emma brushed the thin layer of slime off her pant leg and straightened her back. “I’m afraid what you see is what you get, Elisabeth.”
“The White Queen?” she snorted. “I threaten to unleash the Shadow King on the world again and all Xavier sends is YOU?!”
“I’m more than you can handle, darling,” Emma said, calmly walking up to Betsy.
Seeing Illyana stunned and Magik wounded, Brian moved to face his sister, but Doctor Strange lifted a hand up to get his attention.
“We need to stop Illyana first,” the Sorcerer Supreme said. “Without her, your sister cannot escape.”
A great explosion from Illyana’s general direction shook the ground. It threw the Black Knight onto his back, aggravated Meggan’s wound, and assaulted everyone else with swamp water and dirt. Standing at the epicenter was an increasing demonic looking Illyana, complete with glowing red eyes, scaly skin, and big, sharp, saliva-dripping fangs. Her Soulsword also reappeared in her hand.
“Who said anything about escaping?” she roared, charging into the crowd with reckless abandon. His wife and friends injured, Brian had to acquiesce to Strange’s direction.
That left one telepath to duke it out with another.
*****************
“I think you’ve had enough,” taunted Psylocke.
Currently, she straddled a prone Emma who was doing her damnedest to stop the psychic knife from plunging into her skull. The White Queen recalled something about the knife being a telekinetic attack now, not a telepathic one. Either way, she didn’t want to get skewered by that thing. For the time being, unidentifiable swamp grime coated her white leather jacket, stray branches scuffed up her Gucci boots, the fist fight ripped up her favorite pair of gloves, and her right ankle seemed to be sprained.
That didn’t set too well with Emma.
After a little more struggling, Psylocke’s psychic knife shrunk, then with soft flicker, disappeared. Her eyes grew wide in astonishment, quite a contrast against Emma’s triumphant smile.
“Bad Betsy, no telepathy for you,” the blonde sweetly chided.
While Betsy did rely heavily on her powers, she wasn’t helpless without them. She had an impressive array of martial arts training, and the blows which rained down on Emma proved just how deadly Psylocke could be. Add to the fighting ability her enhanced demonic strength and speed, and well, after the seventh punch to her side, Emma almost felt like taking her chances with the psychic knife.
Pinned up to a tree by her neck, Emma lost her mental hold over Psylocke: pain did that to concentration. At first, she hoped to bait the woman, worm through her mind, and simply shut her down with a mental blast. Betsy’s defenses were formidable, but her overwhelming anger allowed the blonde to sneak in undetected, bypass most of her shields, and wait for the right moment to short circuit everything. Emma thought she had Betsy beat--that’s why she tipped her hand and turned off the psychic knife--but those aforementioned defenses were more formidable than they originally appeared.
Despite Emma’s supreme pride in her physical abilities, she knew she couldn’t beat Betsy in hand-to-hand combat. While she could assume her diamond form and ignore the pain, the blonde didn’t want to tip her hand again unless absolutely necessary.
Psylocke’s psychic knife flared back into existence. “You like playing with people’s minds, don’t you?”
Ok, this was looking more and more like “absolutely necessary.”
“How about a taste of your own medicine?”
Before Emma could shift, Psylocke plunged the psychic manifestation into her temple. A small, detached part of the blonde marveled at the feeling. She expected her brains to eject out of her skull before icy coldness entombed her body. However, with the Shadow King already half loose, Psylocke’s telepathic powers reasserted themselves and produced quite a unique sensation.
Neural synapses misfired, thought processes stopped, and impulses ceased. The world Emma felt so starkly--the swamp grime, the broken rib, the gloved hand choking her, the stale air--collapsed, and in moments, she was trapped in her own fractured self.
While most telepathic invaders got flattened by stiff countermeasures when testing the White Queen, Psylocke strolled right in with no effort. Shining white walls and innumerable traps were destroyed, leveled by the psychic knife. The few times the two had mentally jousted, Emma wore a idealized (a.k.a. menacing) version of her Hellfire outfit and the battleground always contained legions of adoring servants. Her heels gleamed and her voice shook the mindscape. So great was her control that the astral plane seemed to bend to her will.
This time, Betsy found the blonde kneeling, shivering, and naked underneath a spotlight.
Grandiose self imagery, mental defenses, and discipline that took years to perfect all went out the door. The White Queen looked pathetic, like a sobbing little girl who’d lost her dog.
On the other hand, Psylocke was the epitome of destruction. Shadows wrapped around her, clothing her in darkness much the same way the Crimson Dawn did. A presence extended from one of the shadows behind her, and it took the form of a nebulous, man-shape silhouette. The two moved as one, plowing through Emma’s consciousness like visions of death.
*This will be so sweet,* said Psylocke as she knelt down to caress the blonde’s cheek, *I saw your plan to stop my revenge. Ingenious, and dare I say it, a mite brave too. But graveyards are lined with brave people, and my dear, you are going to be joining them very soon.*
Her fleeting touch became a vice grip, lifting Emma by her jaw. Since this was the astral plane and vocal chords weren’t needed, Emma screamed at the mental violation. A tightening of the hand only increased the noise.
*The Shadow King needs his meal, and you are going to be the perfect breakfast spread. Isn’t that wonderful, Emma? You’re going to be eaten to death. It’s an appropriate way for someone like you to go. The Shadow King is going to take your consciousness and your power and make them mine. You’ll be a... a... ARRRGH!*
Unexpectedly, the pressure dissipated. Too weak to act, Emma could only look up and see her captor--along with the thing behind her whom she assumed as the Shadow King--wail in agony. The shadows unraveled and split open. Formerly darkened patches became flesh colored. Then, a head broke through from the left shoulder. Everywhere flesh showed up, darkness retreated.
With a sickening rip, the real Betsy, one free of demonic taint, burst forth from the her darkened counterpart.
*NO!* roared the mangled shadow.
But it was too late. Betsy--sweating, gasping, and shaking--had escaped from Belasco’s mental prison. Her shadow and the Shadow King didn’t like that very much. They disliked it even more when Emma’s mindscape flaired back to life, her defenses and mental projection of herself slowly recovering from the psychic knife.
Now clothed in her X-Men outfit, the White Queen shifted her attention to the duo who hurt her. *You’re going to pay for ruining my Gucci boots,* she said, hate permeating her every fiber.
She hurled a pulsating lance of mental energies at Psylocke’s shadow, but instead reeling from the force, the shadow absorbed it. Shortly thereafter, the wounds garnered from Betsy tearing herself from the shadow closed, and the horrible wailing degenerated into laughter.
Angered at the gesture, Emma prepared to send another bolt at the Shadow King, but Betsy stopped her.
*Don’t,* the woman urged between breaths. *Farouk gets his power from your negative emotions. Throwing mental blasts like that only feed him.*
*And feed I shall,* rumbled the Shadow King, absorbing Betsy’s silhouette. *Your friend is so full of hate and anger! You’ve pleased me greatly by coming into this mind.*
Emma cracked a smile. Finally, something went her way today. Perhaps it would even put an end to this drama. Taking a deep breath, she crystallized into her diamond form.
*****************
Kitty knew Illyana’s Soulsword could slice her even while phasing. Happened before, and the way things were going, it was bound to happen again. This Illyana was a wild animal, savagely attacking with blade and magic alike. Because of her aggressiveness, Brian teleported both Meggan and the Black Knight out of Limbo to heal them. Doctor Strange, in his ever confident voice, assured Brian that Illyana would be subdued...
Which left three people--Strange, Amanda, and Kitty herself (seeing as how Emma was in a psychic battle with Betsy)--to deal with a very insane, very violent, very dangerous former ruler of Limbo...
Which, if you think about it, wouldn’t have been so bad if all they wanted to do was subdue her in the most traditional sense, as in killing her. With Strange’s mystical abilities and Amanda’s spells, the problem wasn’t so much with killing as it was with overkilling. But, they weren’t trying to kill Illyana.
So between them not trying to kill Illyana and Illyana trying her gosh-darned hardest to kill them, the trio of heroes had problems...
Least of which was Kitty’s unfamiliarity with magical combat. True, she knew about it, observed it, even briefly took part in it, but trained battle Magnus she was not. Like the incoming fireball for instance. She knew it was an extension of the caster’s will channeled through mystical items and training.
But try as she might, she never could throw fireballs.
Kitty phased, letting the flames shoot through her and into the swamp. That was all she was good for: avoiding attacks. Her bare knuckles didn’t do any damage to Illyana thanks to her armor and demonic endurance. Trust me, she tried. Getting close enough to attack was also a big concern. The environment only had twigs and crud, but it wasn’t going to be of any use.
Or was it?
She scrounged around for a long, sharp branch. Hefting it in both hands, she tested out the improvised weapon and found it surprisingly well balanced. Then, recalling Wolverine’s lessons in stealth and ambush, Shadowcat melted into the vegetation.
On and on the fight between Strange, Magik, and Illyana raged. Illyana closed in on Strange, not allowing him time to cast any of his many spells. At the same time, she threw wild energies in Amanda’s general direction, enough to keep the woman off balance. There was a hope of Illyana tiring herself out, but after too many closes calls, a couple glancing blows, and a smattering of cuts, Strange and Magik decided they couldn’t count on that strategy.
A dual assault, unrelenting from all sides, came to the forefront, but still, Illyana wouldn’t budge. Between blasts from Strange and swordplay from Amanda, numerous wounds marked her like a checkerboard. Only none of it fazed her, and to everyone’s surprise, the injuries started healing so fast that it made Wolverine’s healing factor look human. Things went further downhill when Amanda made the observation that the longer the fight dragged on, the more Illyana resembled her Darkchylde persona--ever more violent and powerful.
Hidden behind an outcropping, Kitty waited to strike. Illyana had to be distracted and close by. Her plan was simple: sneak up on Illyana, attack while phasing the stick, and get this weird version of the Soulsword away from her. Hopefully the combination of ambush, attack, and disarming would give Doctor Strange enough time to do what he had to do.
There! An opportunity!
Amanda charged while Strange hurled a jet of fire. Concentration split, Illyana didn’t notice Kitty dart from her hiding place and shove her weapon into her sword arm’s shoulder. In fact, the demon didn’t even feel any pain until Kitty stopped phasing, leaving the wood impaled in her body. Leaving nothing to chance, Kitty let go of her weapon, grabbed Illyana’s forearm from behind, and knocked the Soulsword loose.
A few choice moves had the demon falling to the ground. Wasting no time, Kitty jumped on Illyana’s back while using the stick (still protruding out of her shoulder) as leverage.
Amidst the growling and roaring and screaming, Illyana’s eyes suddenly cleared. Her features regained their human appearance. Even the Soulsword she wielded fizzled out of existence.
Kitty gasped at the change. “Illyana?”
“Kitty,” came a familiar, fragile voice.
Emotions bottled up since hearing of Belasco’s newest scheme bubbled to the surface. The gravity, the wrongness of attacking a friend crushed Kitty’s barriers. The shred of hope the woman held out for Illyana grew, buoyed by one single word being uttered. For all of the fight, Kitty didn’t let the memories of Illyana and Betsy stop her from helping Brian, but now with it over, she couldn’t help but sag, exhausted by the emotional effort to separate between friend and foe.
“Kitty,” Illyana whispered again.
As tears threatened to fall , Kitty released the woman from her hold. “Illyana...”
“Big mistake.”
The strike happened too quickly for either Amanda or Strange to shout a warning. One second Kitty kneeled over Illyana; the next, Shadowcat lay on the ground, blood spilling from the slash across her stomach. Her vision blurred, but Kitty made out a blood-soaked Illyana looming over her, branch removed from shoulder and tainted Soulsword in hand. Kitty couldn’t be sure, but Illyana seemed to be laughing as she raised her blade for the finishing blow.
Kitty knew Illyana’s Soulsword could slice her even while phasing. Too hurt to move, too weak to intercept the blow, Kitty waited for death to come. Funny how after battling so many supervillains, interdimensional threats, and otherworldly creatures, she would die at her best friend’s hands.
From somewhere close by, Doctor Strange’s thundering voice spoke words of power. They sent shivers up Kitty’s spine moments before she blacked out.
*******************
- To be continued...
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