A beautiful, deadly Rose

[Malice]

Hellfire Catacombs- Control Room

"My good looks?"

Ava deadpanned. But despite her joke she looked very serious because she DID know why she was here, and this time it WASN'T her fault.

:: Diana looked at her, unmoved. Helena continued to look away. Ravena had a smug look on his face.::

:: If that was Ava's debut as a comedienne, she had better keep her day job. ::

Your "sister" is NOT a good influence on you.

"HE attacked me. I was DEFENDING myself."

Ava scoffed, shaking her head.

"But I guess that doesn't matter, does it? You planned this. You knew EXACTLY how I would react."

Hard to believe you were EVER taken seriously as the "Queen of Hell."

:: Diana replied flatly::

Ava glared at Helena, the Queen still not looking at her.

"Did you tell him to do it?! I'm sure that type of torture is right up your alley, Red Queen."

:: Diana's opal blue eyes slowly shift to look at Helena::

Now THAT caused Helena to finally look at Ava, the queens eyes widdened in shock. She watched as the queen got out of her seat, strode over to Ava, and without missing a beat, SLAPPED Ava across the cheek with a loud crack. Ava's head whipped to the side, chocolate hair covering her face. Slowly turning her head her amythyst eyes met with Helena's. The queen looked positively furious--such a way that Ava hadn't seen before.

:: Diana's eyebrows lifted in slight surprise::

WELL now...

I think you need a LESSON in MANNERS, little girl!

::Touching her index and middle finger to her forehead, the sound of her psionic power signature is heard, as a white halo forms around her head, and another white halo forms around Persephone's head::

:: Malice unleashes a PSI-SHOCK Ava.::

It was in that following moment that Ava grabbed her head in pain, screaming in agony. Her voice cracked as she ran out of breath, the psi blast permeating her head like a white hot knife into butter. Staggering she collapsed forward, Helena catching her and lowering her to the ground. Crying out, the pain was getting stronger, more intense as the seconds passed. Blood began to drip from her nose and tears from her eyes, her body crumpled on the floor.

:: Malice rises to her feet, continuing the psionic assault. She PROBES Ava's mind and learns EXACTLY what happened::

::FLASH!::

<< Hellfire Mansion, the Hall of the Red Court. Lord Ravena and Persephone's confrontation>>

He laughed heartily as he moved impossibly quick, back within reach.

Bored of Diana? HARDLY. And I gathered that you were unimpressed. I had a meeting, a signing that you were to accompany me on, merely as a guest. I message you to request your presence and you don't. even. OPEN. the. request.

The best part of people like this one is that they have not been challenged in some time. They mistake a new position for more than it is. That is why as Lord Ravena speaks, she is MESMERIZED, in his thrall as he makes his VERBAL point.

This DISRESPECT must not go idly by. Frankly, I am more disappointed than angry, that you do not even REMEMBER me. That you think you may not heed me. I will make certain that the Queens take care of the latter, but as for the former...

The White King kisses Ava Cassadine and a deep, heavy bell tolls as she is flooded with memories, with painful memories, as he reveals to her what she somehow pushed aside, pushed deep inside to keep away the pain. His fangs also tap into her bottom lip and he tastes her, savors the stolen intimacy of the moment as laughter escapes his lips. He intentionally releases her from his influence so she can taste her own blood on his lips as he withdraws from her.

Her left breast is also exposed as his hands roamed and his nail has pierced the nipple, covering that index finger with yet more blood. He brings the secondary taste to his lips and laughs harder as he drinks in the horror she has experienced just now from her very essence! The delicacy is orgasmic, much better than her Red Knight-pulverized womb could possibly provide him. Alek could have her BODY. He just tasted, possessed, savored her very SOUL. And even sex, freely given, could not match what he had just taken from her.

So, Lady in RED, I take it we understand each other better now?

Lord Ravena continued to laugh at the sight of it all...

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGIAN!"

She screamed, her body trembling.

"You're a VILE WASTE of SKIN and BONE! And it's taking EVERYTHING in me not to RIP YOU in HALF!"

Ava moved forward, her face inches from his now as she growled lowly--viciously.

"And you KNOW I can."

And he DID know. He knew exactly what she was capable of, intimately so. But she couldn't....she couldn't attack Ravena. She couldn't attempt to kill him in that moment despite every fiber of her being WANTING to--TELLING her to. She had to look at the bigger picture and realize that attacking Ravena would only get her and possibly her sister killed. She wouldn't give HIM the satisfaction. She wouldn't give DIANA the satisfaction. So she forcefully shoves Ravena into the wall.

"If I don't KILL you first....SHE will!"

I know that you still BELIEVE you can. But alas, you are at most HALF the woman you used to be. And the new half seems best suited as concubine. What will you do, FUCK me to death?

And there was the laughter again, the taste of his own blood in his mouth intensifying his satisfaction at pulling the puppet's strings. Even her threat to kill him was laughable. He had been dead before; it was not the...unpleasantness for him that it was for so many others. And she knew that, so she escalated her threats.

This...was TOO MUCH.

:: But ONE thing at a time...::

:: To the naked eye, it would appear that Diana was just REVELING in the painful attack she was delivering upon Persephone. But in FACT, after the psi-probe, she had begun the DAMAGE CONTROL of MIND WIPING the TRUTH about Ravena, who he (AND "SHE" was) from Ava's mind and memory.::

:: But just like scrubbing a computer disc, a MIND WIPE took more than a few moments in order to be THOROUGH, in order for the memory to be permanently removed on ALL levels of mind and consciousness....::

 

[Oracle]

The Clocktower

Alycia was upset, and not without reason, but she was clearly projecting her feelings about a lot of different people onto blaming this team.

[via phone] “I’m not going to say the same things I said last night. No one is holding you to a different standard, and I know you’re hurting, and you have a right to be hurt. So I’ll just say this.”

Oracle looked over at Zach.

[via phone] “Alycia, this team can do something, make a difference. It’s bigger than personal feelings.”

Alycia talked of wishing she hadn’t returned to the Six, had gone somewhere else. She clearly wanted to run away. And sometimes, that wasn’t what was best for us.

[via phone] “And even if it wasn’t: quitting the team won’t make the pain Cameron and Haleigh caused you go away any faster.”

She was quiet for a moment.

[via phone] “Let me know what you decide.”

She went to hang up, then put the phone back to her ear.

[via phone] “And Alycia, if you need me, you can always call. Goodbye.”

She exhaled, looking back to Zach.

“I honestly don’t know what to say anymore.”

 

[Recall]

To The Clocktower


Valkyrie: "Hey, Viv."

:: She cocked an eyebrow, and spun around on her heels. ::

Valkyrie: "I know I can rely on you, okay."

:: Vivica gave a smile that tried to hide the sheer joy of Ashley finally GIVING her a little something to work with. She didn't want to mess this moment up. She smirked. ::

[sarcastically]

"Good lord, woman. Get a hold of yourself...ya big softie."

:: She winked at Ashley, knowing that any further pressing would negate what had just happened. She did the valkyrie salute that Ashley had taught one time when they were drunk and made her way out of the alley and back onto the street. As Vivica walked, she began to feel better about a lot of things. If she could get through to Ashley, then there was no way she wouldn't be able to get through to the others. Each of them had different ways of opening up, and with Vivica's mutant ability coupled with the amount of time she had spent with the Birds of Prey, she realized she could use that information for the greater good. ::

:: Then she reached The Clocktower. For a moment, she hesitated. Jack had made her feel better about talking to Zach, but it didn't take away the somewhat ominous feeling she had. Vivica knew that she probably couldn't change Zach's mind with regards to Haleigh. He thought her to be an action star, and right now, although he had broken off their engagement, broken off things with her, she had found a way to pull him in even now. He could look for clues, he could assess footage, and he could crack the code, and be the one to reveal Haleigh to be a mastermind, a genius in the art of deception. ::

:: As she got into the elevator, her mind began to wonder. There was a reason that Haleigh Davidoff had taken the name of "Black Widow". Spiders were creatures who's prey came to them, after a delicate and intricately laid trap. While the spider's prey were bugs and other insects, Haleigh's prey was the people, and more specifically, the men around her. Part of Vivica wondered if Haleigh was even truly conscious of this fact. Just as a spider dazzles it's prey with their web, Haleigh's web..was her personality. She was the girl who looked good in a ball gown, could play in the mud with the boys, had a reputation for being naughty and for all intents and purposes, a supposed heart of gold, always defending the little guy, always managing to get things done. How could somebody NOT be dazzled by that? Want to experience a bit of her flame, so to speak. ::

:: She had seen it close up with Cameron. The second somebody confirmed her dubious reputation, that he shouldn't want her, he was lost forever. Willing to do whatever it took to be the man who could say that The Black Widow chose HIM. Maybe she didn't know this about herself, maybe it was just an unfortunate side effect of being who she was. But Vivica didn't necessarily buy it. She completely disagreed with Haleigh's choice to defect, under the guise that it was protecting The Six. But it didn't mean it didn't make sense to Haleigh. She seemed to be a woman who very much understood her true nature, and perhaps people like Zach..or Cameron, were just moments of her TRYING to be that "package" that they saw her as. Maybe she WANTED to be what they needed. She saw that same need in Cameron. He wanted people to like him so badly he was willing to do anything to make that happen. Haleigh never wanted to be liked, but she DID want to be respected...there was a part of her that WANTED to BE this construct of a hero she had created. In short...Haleigh Davidoff was a very confusing woman whom she would never pin down, and neither would anybody else. So trying to figure her out was a moot point. In order for them to survive this, they would need to go with the facts. There was no doubt that she didn't know that Zach would be looking for clues, looking for intel, and she didn't put it past Haleigh to mess with him in that way. If she truly had gone evil, which she proclaimed to HAVE gone, it meant that not even Zach was off limits. And Zach wasn't wrong...she was VERY good at being covert...at pulling off incredible things, but Vivica needed to make sure that Zach knew that under current circumstances...she could be pulling one over on HIM...no matter how much "evidence" he might find to the contrary. Vivica needed to at least try and save her friend, before he fell down the rabbit hole and drank The Mad Hatter's tea. ::

<< DING! >>

:: The elevator buzzed as she entered The Clocktower, rounded the corner, quickly surveying the damage from the hole in the building and made her way over towards Oracle and Orion, who seemed to be having a bit of tension. ::

"Aww SHIT. There can't possibly be something happening already?! It's too early for this shit...and I was ACTUALLY having a nice day."

:: She gave Oracle a hug and playfully ran her fingers through Zach's hair. ::

"Morning Ziz. Morning lover boy."

:: Vivica went to pour herself some coffee, which also acted to bide her time until she HAD to speak to Zach about things. ::

"Well..don't call me IYANLA just yet....but I think I made some progress with Ashley...all it took was circumventing a sex trafficking ring and letting her rip them all to shreds. Go figure!"

:: She took a seat next to the two of them. ::

"She even said...I shit you not, [imitating Ashley's voice and nonchalant attitude] I know I can rely on you. Complete with a half of an eye roll. I mean...I don't know about you but I'd call that PROGRESS!"

:: She looked at the two of them as her eyes narrowed and her eyebrow raised. ::

"What's going on. You two are strangely...I don't know you're just being weird. What's going on? Has anyone been able to contact Alycia..Sharon? Dominique?"

 

[Lord Ravena]

:: Diana looked at her, unmoved. Helena continued to look away. Ravena had a smug look on his face.::

:: If that was Ava's debut as a comedienne, she had better keep her day job. ::

Your "sister" is NOT a good influence on you.

]

Indeed. The deposed Queen was walking around as if she owned the place, even here. This would be interesting indeed.

Hard to believe you were EVER taken seriously as the "Queen of Hell."

:: Diana replied flatly::

The wife of the King is not the same as the Queen.

Just a clarification.

:: Diana's eyebrows lifted in slight surprise::

WELL now...

I think you need a LESSON in MANNERS, little girl!

::Touching her index and middle finger to her forehead, the sound of her psionic power signature is heard, as a white halo forms around her head, and another white halo forms around Persephone's head::

:: Malice unleashes a PSI-SHOCK Ava.::

The sight of such unbridled power was impressive, almost intoxicating. Lord Ravena was not without a heart, but he was not to be trifled with either. He leaned forward slightly as she writhed in agony.

 

[Orion]

The Clocktower

Oracle gave him a look of disapprobation, and Zach's expression turned a bit apologetic. Maybe he was letting his pride get in the way a bit, but he didn't exactly want to hear anything from Cameron right now. He fully believed Cameron would be a spiteful bastard, because in his experience, that was Cameron's main personality trait. So he wasn't looking forward to Cameron pushing his telepathic powers on him again, or taunting him with whatever revelation he'd broken Alycia's heart with. He didn't need to hear the details, he knew Cameron and Haleigh had been together, he'd expected no less. Zizi typed a response, and he nodded to acknowledge it.

Zizi never asked him to leave, so he stood quietly and gazed out of a bay window at the city. The only parts of the phone conversation he heard were Zizi's.

Zizi: And do you still think moving forward includes the Birds of Prey?

He folded his arms, and tried not to be nosy, but what Zizi said next certainly hooked him.

Zizi: Oh, no, Alycia, you don’t need to feel bad about that. You were hurting. ARE hurting. It’s okay to take care of yourself.

Remorse rose up in him, as he recalled the events of the night before. It had been easy to overlook her pain while he was under attack, but that didn't mean he was completely blind to Alycia's suffering. They'd been friends for a long time, and he never wanted to hurt her. He remembered the honest conversation they'd had about Haleigh and Cameron, and wished they could have another. But the way Alycia had treated him last night, the way she'd cast him aside in her focus on herself, and given him absolutely NO benefit of the doubt or compassion, he didn't think they'd talk any time soon. She'd wanted his support, but he couldn't give it while she was cutting him down. He asked himself if he could give it now, and couldn't come up with an answer. It would all depend on how she came at him next. He wouldn't bother her unless it was absolutely necessary.

Zizi was drawing a hard line, and telling Alycia that abandoning the team simply because she couldn't work with one person was unacceptable. And then she said a little more, about the team making a difference, and being bigger than personal feelings, about not quitting to make the pain go away faster. Zizi really was doing her best to keep the team together, but Zach was afraid it wouldn't work. He knew better than ANYONE that sometimes one's feelings clouded their judgment, and when matters of the heart became too painful to bear, logic had little chance of reaching the person.

Zizi: Let me know what you decide. And Alycia, if you need me, you can always call. Goodbye.

There was a short pause, and then Zizi spoke to Zach.

Zizi: I honestly don’t know what to say anymore.

He finally turned back to face her, his brow creased thoughtfully.

"You've said it all, Zizi. What more IS there? Even if you found more words, she has stopped listening."

The elevator dinged and Vivica rounded the corner, seemingly in a much better mood than last night. She must be the ONLY ONE.

Viv: Morning Ziz. Morning lover boy.

She greeted, ruffling his hair playfully, her way of reiterating that they were okay still.

"Good morning Viv."

He wished he could give her more than a half-hearted smile, but that was the best he could come up with right now, as Haleigh's message weighed heavily on him. Viv went to get coffee and talked about bonding with Ashley, and then she shot from the hip.

Viv: What's going on. You two are strangely...I don't know you're just being weird. What's going on? Has anyone been able to contact Alycia..Sharon? Dominique?

Zach shared a look with Zizi.

"Alycia just called. No idea about the other two."

 

[Oracle]

The Clocktower

"You've said it all, Zizi. What more IS there? Even if you found more words, she has stopped listening."

She nodded. But how to GET them all to listen? To understand? She’d hoped that time and interaction would break down barriers, but they were all being too stubborn.

Vivica arrived, breaking the somber mood in the Clocktower.

"Well..don't call me IYANLA just yet....but I think I made some progress with Ashley...all it took was circumventing a sex trafficking ring and letting her rip them all to shreds. Go figure!"

Oracle looked at her quizzically.

“Sex trafficking…what?”

She really hoped ‘ripped them to shreds’ was hyperbole.

But the conversation raced over that topic as Vivica picked up on her and Zach’s general mopeyness.

"What's going on. You two are strangely...I don't know you're just being weird. What's going on? Has anyone been able to contact Alycia..Sharon? Dominique?"

"Alycia just called. No idea about the other two."

Zizi just shook her head.

“I don’t think ANY of them will be calling any time soon. If we don’t have Alycia, what are our chances with the other two? Alycia and Sharon are hurt and Dominique is…Dominique. But we can’t afford to wait for them to come around – and I don’t like being held hostage in this way either. Zach, you may need to bite the bullet and contact Rose yourself. And do you think you could get someone trustworthy to fix that wall? The sooner the better. Viv, have you checked on Simon? He was gone when we returned last night.”

 

[Recall]

The Clocktower

Zach: "Alycia just called. No idea about the other two."

Oracle: "I don’t think ANY of them will be calling any time soon. If we don’t have Alycia, what are our chances with the other two? Alycia and Sharon are hurt and Dominique is…Dominique. But we can’t afford to wait for them to come around – and I don’t like being held hostage in this way either. Zach, you may need to bite the bullet and contact Rose yourself. And do you think you could get someone trustworthy to fix that wall? The sooner the better. Viv, have you checked on Simon? He was gone when we returned last night.”

:: Vivica furrowed her brow. ::

"I'm glad that Alycia called. That's a good sign..and Simon texted me on my way here. Apparently, he met with Sharon. He seems to think it went well. AND he got Sharon to go check in on Rose. I told him to contact us the second he needs us and we'll be there. As for the giant hole, I kind of like it...it's a little punk rock. Avant guarde even!"

:: She joked. ::

"Alright...I'm joking because I'm trying to avoid a converastion I need to have. I need to borrow Zacky for a moment, Ziz. If you will. If Sharon hasn't reached Rose by the time Zach and I are done..I agree...he should go. And..I don't like you being held hostage either..but in light of recent events, if I have to swallow a bit of pride to get those three back here...where they belong, then I am willing to do it. We can't give up just yet..."

:: smirking at Oracle. ::

"Suffice it to say...you are rubbing off on me in the most horrible of ways..though it's probably a good thing."

:: looking at Zach ::

"Follow me, Armani."

:: Vivica led Zach to an upper level of The Clocktower that wasn't really a room, so much as a space between the roof and the true top of the ceiling of the clocktower, up a small bit of stairs. It was almost like an attic. Either way, it was private. But this was Oracle's domain. If she wanted to hear, she would. But there was nobody else that she would dare be this honest out loud near, than Oracle. ::

"Have a seat, please."

:: Zach leaned against the wall of the space and slunked down, his butt touching the floor as Vivica followed suit next to him. They sat side by side, looking at various corners of the room in silence for a few moments. Finally...Vivica composed herself enough, gathered the confidence she needed...and she spoke. ::

[exhales]

"I don't know, Zach. I feel like I keep trying to figure out this perfect thing that I could say that would get your eyes to light up and suddenly knock you into this...realization. Like if I could just say the right thing, you would..."

[pausing for a moment]

"Stop what I know you're doing. Stop looking for clues, stop trying to make her a hero."

"I'm not saying it to be mean. I...care about Haleigh too. Even now. Even with her sister coming for my life. She's a bit hypnotic like that. Exciting to watch, and she never stops surprising you. But my gut here, is telling me that it's almost too easy to think that she knows what she is doing, that she has some kind of plan that in the end is gonna surprise us all."

:: She locked her hand with his. ::

"You and I...we know The Six a bit differently than the others. You were the first guy I met that wasn't a member of The Six but was connected. I mean, we didn't have a whole lot of interaction, and those were the days of stolen glances and pursed lips between Haleigh and Cameron, but I have to say...I was always a bit more in awe of YOU than, Haleigh."

:: smiling warmly. ::

"I saw this guy..who was actually a good guy. Sweet and thoughtful..Stoic really, and I was intrigued as to how you managed to..for lack of a better word, TAME her. With all these powerful and brutally cold people she had around her, these people that seemed like her..that stupid "darkness" that existed between her and Cameron..you were the one she leaned on..what's more is that I never have ONCE seen Haleigh back down or perhaps truly compromise with anybody...BUT you. She really loved you, Zach. And outside of anything I am about to say..I want you to know that I respect you enough to acknowledge that."

:: she leaned her head back against the wall all the way as she gazed off into the distance as she talked, her eyes beginning to "recall" ::

"Maybe it's been a bit one sided over the years, but *I've* always considered you to be a real friend. I know that in the world of The Six and The Birds of Prey, in a city overrun by Amazons and Goddesses that our little friendship might not have been common knowledge, or really looked at or examined..but it's always been a bit special to me. I've embarrassed myself by the amount of times I've thanked you over the years for what you did for me...in Greece. But there was another time that you helped me...and I like to think that I helped you.."

:: she squeezed his hand. ::

"Operation Wild Jasmine"

"You remember?"

[sighing]

"Leela Hari. I swear...I never saw her coming. When I walked into that into that training compound with my arm in a sling and my powers completely gone, I was so scared. Thought I was in over my head. Assumed you were just trying to be nice and giving an old horse a pretty place to be put out to pasture. All of these people around me, they seemed SO much better suited to do what I was trying to do. I mean..I had made a KILLING in New York City of all places...but I was still that nerdy, brace face girl from CRENSHAW. But then? I met her."

Four Years Ago - Clandestine Europa - Training Compound - Munich, Germany

<< An injured but recovering Vivica Lennox stands in the main foyer of a large expansive building that housed new recruits and prepared them for field work at Clandestine. In non descript grey sweatpants and t-shirt, Vivica stood, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her arm in a sling thanks to the injuries she had sustained in Greece. She looked nervous and afraid of what she was getting herself into, but Zach seemed convinced that she would thrive with the agency, and after everything he had done for her thus far, she owed it...at least to him, to try and see this through, but she was still very hesistant. >>

Leela: "Showing up in an arm sling. It's brillaint."

<< A BEAUTIFUL and exotic looking woman in matching clothes approached her in a cat like way. Vivica eyed the woman up and down nervously. >>

"Uh..what do you mean?"

Leela: "It shows you aren't afraid of a fight. It gives you a bit of mystery. Intrigue. They'll wonder how you got it. Who you fought. What the other guy looks like. It's bad ass, recruit..."

[Her beautiful brown eyes looked down at Vivica's security badge]

Leela: "Lennox."

<< Vivica could feel herself blushing. This woman was enigmatic..and smoking hot on another level. Vivica had long accepted about herself that she was a very beautiful woman, but standing next to somebody like HER? She felt like that awkward teenage girl who's breasts had yet to develop. She scuffed her feet on the floor for a moment, looking down at the ground. >>

"Well...I'm embarrassed to say. It's not a ploy. I got injured..and the other guy..."

Ava Cassadine...

"Fared a lot better, I'm afraid."

<< The woman threw her arm around Vivica and smiled with a cheshire cat like grin. >>

Leela: "Well..that doesn't mean that THEY have to know that. I'm Leela."

"Vivica. Nice to meet you."

:: She laughed for a moment. ::

"Leela changed everything. I wanted to be just like her. She was good..at EVERYTHING. A natural marksman, a talented and scrappy fighter..always the star of those simulations they'd have us run..I found myself in direct competition with her. She MADE ME want to be a better agent..to meet her at her level. She PUSHED me to be a more bold me. When things got a little...complicated? With Jack..she convinced me not to have any kind of fear. To just dive headfirst and think on my feet. And a lot of my memories of her have been soured, but on my life, I would not have been the agent that I was without her. "

<< FLASH >>

<< We can be see images of Leela and Vivica, training together..eating lunch at the cafeteria, studying in the extensive techno-library. Vivica hanging down from her bunk and talking to Leela during the night. There was laughter, and fun, and healthy competition. It was clear that the two women were close. >>

<< FLASH >>

<< Graduation Day - We see a shot of Leela and Vivica celebrating at Clandestine Headquarters before heading to a night on the town, going to AMSTERDAM. We see drinks. Shots. Dancing on the dance floor. A good time was had by all. >>

:: She rested her head on Zach's shoulder. ::

"I didn't realize it then...that I..."

[a surprised but knowing expression appeared on her face]

"was in love with Leela. I just thought we were close. She ended up being on the same team. We logged thousands of hours together. We knew each other in and out. I knew that if I got myself into a pinch that she would get me out of it...and vice versa. I just thought it was a kindred spirit kind of thing..but then something changed."

:: Remembering ::

"We were in The Czech Republic. It was really a simple mission. There was a state of political unrest. Typical anarchy in the streets, violence. We received intel that a terrorist group was going to bomb a prominent political headquarters in the city, and we were supposed to stop it. I was running surveillance...Leela was in the field. I don't know exactly what happened...but I know that bomb went off..and Leela wasn't sorry about it. Whatever DID happen...it changed her."

"She never really spoke of her origins..I mean, you know better..you were the one that recruited her. I knew that she was from India..and I knew she came from a prominent family..one that wasn't necessarily sensitive to the caste system that was prominent in the area. I mean, the rumor was that she had turned her back on her family and became an anarchist...using her own mutant powers to be a vigilante, blowing up buildings..all that. But people talk. All I know...is that before I knew it..she had requested a transfer - to the Middle East."

Munich - 3 years ago

"You can't just LEAVE, Leela. Why won't you just TALK to me?!"

:: Vivica and Leela were in the darkened empty halls of Clandestine living quarters. The rain poured down outside the large plate glass windows as the two exchanged heated words. ::

Leela: "Because you can't understand, Viv. There's more that I could be doing than sitting around waiting for Archer Fairchild. There is political unrest in this world. Governments trying to destroy and CONTROL their citizens, deny the people of their RIGHT to anarchy. And here I am? So much PRIVILEGE, so much filthy luxury, sitting here thwarting a RICH WHITE MAN with too much time on his hands. I didn't JOIN Clandestine to sit on my hands and do nothing...I need to go where I can be useful. Can't you understand that?"

"Of course I understand, Leela. But..I just don't want to lose you..and I LIKE the life that I have here. With YOU...and Jack. And I'm scared that you're going to get yourself into something stupid. In over your head. You've been scaring me, lately."

Leela: "Good! Because I've been scaring myself!"

:: Her beautiful Farsi affected accent filled the halls with a lilting boom. ::

Leela: "I have more in me than these four walls can contain, Vivica. I will suffocate here and die. I CANNOT be your security blanket any longer. I cannot be stifled. Those people? That BOMB that went off...those were people who were trying to make real CHANGE. They were driven by PASSION...and PURPOSE. Not winning simply just to WIN. You think I want to leave you? Not see you? You're CRAZY if that's the case..."


:: This wasn't right. Vivica just needed to do something. To make her stay. To make her realize what she was doing. ::

"Leela...please."

:: The two women shared a FIERY and PASSIONATE kiss as Leela threw Vivica against the wall of the hallway, her hands moving all over her body. Shocked for a moment, it was here that Vivica finally realized something about herself. Jack was a good man. She cared about him a great deal. But the thought of losing Leela..she couldn't deal with it. She LOVED Leela..and not like a friend...not like a sister. ::

Leela: "You are always so foolish. Why does it take you so long to realize what it is that you WANT?!"

"I want you..I LOVE you, Leela."

Leela: "Vivica..."

:: Vivica kissed Leela on the lips as she pushed forward, pinning Leela to the wall this time. ::

"I love you, Leela..Please don't go."

:: The memory hit Vivica like a ton of bricks. Agents were good at compartmentalizing their feelings. You had to in order to do field work. In order to engage in deep cover, long term missions. Seeing Jack though earlier this morning, and REMEMBERING all the painful details of that time. ::

"She DID leave...I didn't hear from her for months. I was heartbroken...and Jack could see that. But I didn't know what to do. I was so confused. Alone again. She had been such a source of comfort and security for me...that I didn't know how to OPERATE without her."

[shaking her head]

"And then the rumblings from Clandestine Middle East started coming. That an agent had gone rogue. That there was a double crosser among our ranks. Somebody using our intel to further their own agenda. I ignored those rumblings with every fiber of my being. And then? I found myself at The European Hellfire Mansion fighting for my life against a TEAM of people who had somehow intercepted our intel on a weapon that was to be sold during some gala..."

:: Her eyes were glossy, reflective...lost in the moment. The slightest hint of tears formed in her eyes. ::

"I remember seeing...HER. I asked on the comm link..if they had sent another team for some reason. They hadn't. She had come for that weapon..with her own agenda...not on orders from Clandestine. I FOUGHT her Zach. And I let her escape...because I couldn't believe what I was seeing."

"Leela was the rogue. The saboteur...and that's when I was summoned to headquarters in The Middle East...called in for questioning."

:: She looked at him with a serious and somber glance. ::

"And that's when you showed up...and we wound up almost DEAD."

:: Her glance softened. ::

"You remember what happened next, Zach?"

:: She was trying to lead him somewhere with her words. Zach was a people pleaser. She knew he would instinctively try to placate her. But she wanted him to live in this part of her life with him, FEEL with his power, what she had gone through, how she had felt during this time, so that he could sense a bit of familiarity in what he was feeling right now. Vivica wasn't trying to turn Zach against Haleigh, she was just walking a fine line of sharing her concern, and getting him to understand this situation from a side he hadn't yet considered or didn't want to visit in his mind. She needed him to re-live this with her if Zach had a chance of surviving what was about to come for him. ::

:: At the very least, it was a history being revealed between two people that no others in the multiverse of The Six knew. Two people, always in orbit of their world, connected in a way that was just as deep and vast as the ones who called themselves "special". ::

:: Vivica looked at him longingly, hoping he would indulge her trip down memory lane. ::

 

[Enchantrah]

Helena listened as Ava defended herself against Diana, her eyes focused on a frozen floating monitor afar with an image of Rose on it.

Ava: "HE attacked me. I was DEFENDING myself. But I guess that doesn't matter, does it? You planned this. You knew EXACTLY how I would react. Did you tell him to do it?! I'm sure that type of torture is right up your alley, Red Queen."

Helena's eyes widened in shock as her head turned to immediately look at Ava. The gaul...the NERVE of her. She was known to do some reprehensible things, but RAPE and VIOLATION was NOT one of them. Helena stood from her seat, storming over to Ava and SLAMMING her hand across the Rook's cheek. She was furious at Ava for saying that, but she was more furious about the overall situation. This was supposed to be a simple antagonize and strike tactic, NOT anything more.

Diana: "I think you need a LESSON in MANNERS, little girl."

Ava was hit with a psi blast causing the Rook to start screaming in agony. Helena watched, her eyes devoid of emotion and her expression even. Ava stumbled into her causing Helena to grab ahold of the girls arm and ease her down to the ground. She remained standing, as Ava convulsed in pain at her feet.

"Enough."

Helena kept her eyes trained on Ava, blood starting to drip from her nose.

"DIANA, ENOUGH!"

She yelled, her voice roaring over the chaos of the room. Diana ceased her attack on Ava and Helena looked down at her watching her body go limp as Ava slipped into unconsciousness. Helena's hands were gripped into fists as she tried to steady her breathing.

"You, take her to her chambers."

A guard quickly moved to Ava's side, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. He exited the control room.

Everything was silent as Helena remained unmoved with her back to both Diana and Ravena.

"I am known for doing many things.....partaking in egregious acts.....inflicting suffering on others...."

Helena's voice was even and low as she slowly turned to the White Queen and King.

"VIOLATION IS NOT ONE OF THEM!"

Her eyes shot to Diana.

"And YOU know that!"

Helena's eyes were filled with rage as she stared at Diana from across the room.

"This was TOO FAR, Diana. I know you would NEVER order that, so REIN your KING IN. Or *I* will."

"Ava is OFF LIMITS for the rest of the day."

"We can speak more about this later....in private."

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion – Red Knight’s Quarters

Alek paced up and down the floor of his room, waiting. He knew something was going to happen, but when and what was up in the air, and lacking that sort of information infuriated him. He didn't like being shut out of court business in this way. He knew Ava hadn’t come back to her room, and he hated himself that he hadn’t found some way to warn her. But he couldn’t – that would have gone against Helena, and he would never do that. And he trusted in her, he really did. But still…Ava didn’t deserve what was happening to her.

He heard footsteps in the hallway and was out his door like a shot. A guard was carrying an unconscious Ava into her room.

He followed them inside, where he got a good look at her, his eyes scanning up and down her motionless form.

“Jesus, what did they do to her…”

He took Ava’s body from the guard, cradling her carefully.

“Get out,” he told the guard, curtly, as he carried Ava over to her bed and set her down gently. He removed her shoes and pulled the covers up over her. There was dried blood under her nose, so he went to the washroom and ran a washcloth under the warm tap, returning to softly dab at her face until it was clean. Then he pulled up a chair next to the bed, and took her hand in both of his. He whispered to her, gazing down into her face.

“I’m so sorry…I failed you…”

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Catacombs- Control Room

Ava was hit with a psi blast causing the Rook to start screaming in agony. Helena watched, her eyes devoid of emotion and her expression even. Ava stumbled into her causing Helena to grab ahold of the girls arm and ease her down to the ground. She remained standing, as Ava convulsed in pain at her feet.

"Enough."

:: Not YET. An artists does not leave her work UNFINISHED::

:: To the naked eye, it would appear that Diana was just REVELING in the painful attack she was delivering upon Persephone. But in FACT, after the psi-probe, she had begun the DAMAGE CONTROL of MIND WIPING the TRUTH about Ravena, who he (AND "SHE" was) from Ava's mind and memory.::

:: But just like scrubbing a computer disc, a MIND WIPE took more than a few moments in order to be THOROUGH, in order for the memory to be permanently removed on ALL levels of mind and consciousness....::

Helena kept her eyes trained on Ava, blood starting to drip from her nose.

"DIANA, ENOUGH!"

She yelled, her voice roaring over the chaos of the room.

:: Ravena stood up and stepped forward to Diana's side. Diana lowered her fingers from from her forehead, and stopped her psionic attack. She looked at Helena with a mix of curiosity and astonishment.::

:: This never would have happened under NORMAL circumstances, and Diana didn't HAVE to read Enchantrah's mind to know where THIS was coming from, and so Diana didn't even bother to TAUNT Helena just now. This WAS a serious matter.::

:: She simply fixed her opal blue eyes on Enchantrah, with an unwavering gaze. Her hand was on Ravena's arm, silenly telling him that he need not worry, and to stay his hand::

"You, take her to her chambers."

A guard quickly moved to Ava's side, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. He exited the control room.

Everything was silent as Helena remained unmoved with her back to both Diana and Ravena.

"I am known for doing many things.....partaking in egregious acts.....inflicting suffering on others...."

Helena's voice was even and low as she slowly turned to the White Queen and King.

"VIOLATION IS NOT ONE OF THEM!"

Her eyes shot to Diana.

"And YOU know that!"

Helena's eyes were filled with rage as she stared at Diana from across the room.

Do you REALLY believe that I would have ORDERED THAT kind of action?

I'm WELL AWARE, HELENA. You should know me better than that by now. I HAVEN'T forgotten. [ Referring to something ...a secret that ONLY the two of them would know, and to a certain point, only DIANA would REMEMBER ]

:: Diana said in an even, cold tone as she kept her arm extended in front of Ravena. There was no point in telling Helena to calm herself. This was a...TRIGGER of her's and Diana knew why. Diana HERSELF was given pause. Not by Helena's response, but rather by what she LEARNED when she probed Persephone's mind! She was TELLING the truth, and in that moment, she looked at Lord Ravena with an astonished, disapproving look.::

:: Diana was many things, few of them decent or good, but she was a WOMAN, and there WAS a time when she was...VULNERABLE to the very thing that Helena was reacting to now. She REMEMBERED her OWN encounter...::

:: FLASH!::

<< The original Arklay Mansion. A young Diana, then simply known for being a "PSI Sensitive" used to identify and track mutants for experimentation, harvesting or worse>>

<< She was...the object of twisted desire not only from James Marcus, but Lord Spencer. Of the two of them, Spencer was decidedly worse. His thoughts, if they were something physical, would have been ROTTEN and REPULSIVE to the touch, and smelled worse than a charnal pit.>>

<< Diana evaded most of his lewd advances, and his groping...but on one stormy night in the mansion, following a successful party, a drunken lord spencer BURST into Diana's room.>>

<< Skip Forward>>

<< Lord Spencer ON TOP OF DIANA. We see this from HER point of view, this gross, ANIMAL of a man on top of her, pawing at her as if she were prey to be DEVOURED.>>

Lord Spencer: Come HERE, DIANA.

Diana: This....THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU WANT.

Lord Spencer: Oh, YES IT IS, SISTER!

<< Diana perceives his thoughts. Bound, bloodied, bruised, broken bodies of WOMEN. He's done this before, MANY times. NONE of them survive! They end up being DUMPED in the Aqua Ring....women who once look like DIANA, Women who had families, people who cared about them. DIANA had a family once...and a kitten...But Spencer and Marcus took that all away from her. And now Spencer wanted something ELSE from Diana.>>

<< He was CLOSING IN on her....ALL AROUND HER. She could FEEL him, feel his breath on her....and her mind's eye SAW the faces of the women, their looks of TERROR etched in his memories, in the PLEASURE CENTER of his brain.>>

Lord Spencer: GIVE...

Diana: NO....

Lord Spencer: GIVE IT HERE...

Diana: NO!!!! DAMMIT ....I SAID...

<< THUNDER CRASHES, THE SOUND OF PSIONIC POWER IS UNLEASHED AS DIANA ACTIVATES HER PSYCHO BLAST, and ALL view of Lord Spencer is LOST in a sea of "WHITE", the color associated with Malice's power!>>

DIANA: NO!

<< She BLASTS him with RAW, unbridled psionic power, the PSYCHO BLAST is so strong that it sends the man FLYING across the room, SLAMMING Through the door out into the hallway before hitting the floor with a thud.>>

Diana: Don't you EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!

<< She says, as she looms over him, her face enshrouded in Shadow.>>

:: She remembers her last words to him in that confrontation. they are ECHOED by....::

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGIAN!"

:: Diana casts a WITHERING glare at Ravena as Enchantrah sends a thought call to Malice::

"This was TOO FAR, Diana. I know you would NEVER order that, so REIN your KING IN. Or *I* will."

:: Diana doesn't respond to that threat. There's no need to.::

"Ava is OFF LIMITS for the rest of the day."

Don't worry, I've had my FILL.

:: Diana said coldly::

And I've learned the TRUTH

::this DID shed light on something that she....HADN'T anticipated, and she was going to address THAT right now.::

"We can speak more about this later....in private."

When you've calmed down, and REMEMBER who I am, who WE have always been to each OTHER.

:: Ava had been taken away, Helena was gone.::

:: Now, it was just the White Queen and White King. Ravena moved away from Diana::

JUST A MOMENT.

:: she QUICKLY side stepped in front of him, now facing him directly::

Was there something you FORGOT to TELL me about your little ENCOUNTER with Persephone?

:: Diana stood before him, with her hands on her hips, waiting for his reply::

 

[Persephone]

Everything was black. She could hear the faint sound of water running....a touch....a voice.

I'm so sorry...I failed you...

Then nothing. It was quiet once again. But the pain began to resonate, pulsating in her head like a heartbeat. Wincing, she moved her head against the soft plush pillow stirring awake. As she felt herself coming back from unconsciousness, she realized just how severe the pain really was. Groaning, she moved her free hand to her head, feeling that one of them was being held by someone. Her eyes were shut, even then it felt too bright. It hurt....BAD....and then....nothing.

The pain was gone as quickly as it came. Sliding her hand from across her forehead down her temple, her brows furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes just enough to see some light. Her vision was still blurred causing her to shut them tightly once again. She lifted her torso, supporting her upper body with her elbow against the mattress. She let her head hang for a moment, opening her eyes once again so they were cast downward. Her vision was clear again....and so was everything else.

Lifting her line of sight, her trademark aqua eyes were now a dark MIDNIGHT blue, almost black in color. She stared at the surroundings around her realizing she was in her room. It took a moment to realize what had happened...and what it ultimately lead to.

"Wow."

She murmured, raking back her chocolate locks way from her face. And then she smiled, a soft scoff escaping her lips at the utter astonishment of what had transpired.

Realizing her hand was still being held, she turned to see Alek who looked completely lost.

"You look confused..."

Smirking, she tilted her head gently to the side.

"I'm Persephone....and i've finally come out to play."

 

[Orion]

The Clocktower

Oracle: I don’t think ANY of them will be calling any time soon. If we don’t have Alycia, what are our chances with the other two? Alycia and Sharon are hurt and Dominique is…Dominique. But we can’t afford to wait for them to come around – and I don’t like being held hostage in this way either.

"Agreed. If they've left the team, they can't be counted on anymore, and that's disappointing, but this is a time sensitive operation. We might have to start handling this as best we can, by ourselves."

Oracle: Zach, you may need to bite the bullet and contact Rose yourself.

He shed his suit jacket, laying it over the arm of the sofa, and loosen his tie a bit, so he could unbutton his collar. That was much better.

"I can do that. If she's still hot, maybe I can help her calm back down. I DO owe her an apology anyway. I never MEANT to neglect the Sanctuary, but with everything that's been going on.... I need a clone or two."

He joked, but then his face got serious, because he wondered if that might be the answer to the mystery of Haleigh's reference to her 'lives' and 'bodies'. If that was the case, it dramatically changed the situation. It was only a hunch, though. He needed confirmation before they could really develop a plan.

Oracle: And do you think you could get someone trustworthy to fix that wall? The sooner the better.

"Sure. I'll put in a repair order, a team from Clandestine should be here within the hour."

He said, pulling out his phone and opening the encrypted CI app as Oracle and Viv talked. By the time he was done, Vivica was pulling on his elbow and asking him to follow. They went up to the loft, which was mostly used for storage. He sat against the wall, and she joined him, and for a few moments, there was silence. He almost felt obliged to apologize, but didn't know what to be sorry for. Then she finally got started.

Viv: I don't know, Zach. I feel like I keep trying to figure out this perfect thing that I could say that would get your eyes to light up and suddenly knock you into this...realization. Like if I could just say the right thing, you would... Stop what I know you're doing. Stop looking for clues, stop trying to make her a hero.

"You might as well ask me to stop my heart from beating, Viv."

He replied gently. He knew that Viv wouldn't call him a fool, as Sharon and Alycia had. He knew he could just be honest with her, because they'd always been open and supportive of each other, and their friendship ran deep. She knew how he felt about Haleigh, and he knew it was the driving reason behind her attempt to talk to him now.

Viv: I'm not saying it to be mean. I...care about Haleigh too. Even now. Even with her sister coming for my life. She's a bit hypnotic like that. Exciting to watch, and she never stops surprising you. But my gut here, is telling me that it's almost too easy to think that she knows what she is doing, that she has some kind of plan that in the end is gonna surprise us all.

He opened his mouth to tell her about the message, to inspire in Vivica a fraction of the faith he had, but she took his hand and kept right on talking, admitting she had been more in awe of HIM than Haleigh, and that surprised him. He let her explain, and she went on to talk of his relationship with Haleigh, and how Haleigh had loved him. He looked down at his shoes, and tried to fight the riptide of sorrow and guilt that tried to pull him under. Then Viv mentioned their own friendship, and he was thankfully distracted by the feeling of sincere gratitude she was giving him. She squeezed his hand, and he looked over at her with a soft smile.

"It was never one-sided Viv. Never."

She mentioned Operation Jasmine, and Leela Hari, asking if he remembered. Of course he remembered Bombshell. There was no way he'd ever forget that woman. He could already see where Viv was going with this. It was another instance of betrayal. It brought up more feelings of guilt, failure, and twisted loyalty. He knew exactly what she was getting at, but he listened patiently anyway. She talked about how she'd looked up to Bombshell, and been inspired to build herself up because of her.

"She was your hero, Viv. She was YOUR Haleigh."

He said. There was a pause in the conversation, and he could tell Vivica was pulling up old memories, because he could feel the fondness of her nostalgia. She rested her head on his shoulder.

Viv: I didn't realize it then...that I...

"Was in love with Leela."

They said in unison. He smiled and let her continue. The nostalgia melted, because the nice parts of their memories of Leela were coming to an end. This story ended in tragedy, and heartbreak, and Zach could feel the shift in Vivica. He released her hand so he could put his arm around her shoulders, as buried emotional pain resurfaced in Viv. He closed his eyes and helped her through that anguish.

Viv: Leela was the rogue. The saboteur...and that's when I was summoned to headquarters in The Middle East...called in for questioning. And that's when you showed up...and we wound up almost DEAD. You remember what happened next, Zach?

"Yeah, I remember."

It had been a sticky situation. He'd been called in, not just because diplomacy was a MUST, but also because he had a personal connection to Bombshell. He'd met her while visiting India as an emissary for Clandestine, and he'd been the one to recruit her to the company. So when Bombshell went rogue, he'd felt responsible to some degree, and though he'd sworn off field missions years ago after losing a team on a mission gone horribly wrong, he'd still agreed to go back out and try to recover Leela.

Tehran -- Clandestine Middle East, 3 Years Ago

Merlin, the Clandestine Field Commander of operations in the Middle East and Asia, briefed them on Bombshell. She had established herself as a power player on the Black Market, and was working for "The Hand", a religious terrorist group based in a little town around 50 miles from the capital. Even though Zach had managed a decent meeting with the government of Iran, they still couldn't get choppers in the air. They were going to have to travel by vehicle convoy. At least they had armored Jeeps. Riding in the first vehicle was a team of former spec ops guys, real professionals, escorts who knew the area well. In the second, smaller Jeep, was Zach and Viv. It was a long ride, but a good one so far. They talked about Leela, and Zach offered support when Vivica said she wasn't ready to give up on their friend just yet.

His hand left the shifter and found hers, and he promised that they'd do everything they could to save Leela, and it was that precise moment when the Jeep in front of them hit an IED and their whole world seemed to explode around them. Zach swerved to the right to avoid it, taking the brunt of the explosion on his side of the vehicle. He was momentarily blinded by the blast, and even if he HAD been able to see, he couldn't have controlled their mangled Jeep after that.

They rolled several times, slinging broken parts in all directions, and landed upside down. He was in a great deal of pain, barely clinging to consciousness, calling Vivica's name, unable to hear her response over the ringing in his ears. He felt her hand on his arm, as his vision returned to him. He looked over, still hanging from her seat belt, she'd already begun to return fire through the shattered windshield, striking back the task force that had ambushed them. He did his best to throw some empathic fury at them, providing cover for her as she reloaded, but he was in very bad shape. His left side was stippled with shrapnel, and every movement hurt.

Vivica cut her own seatbelt and crawled out of the overturned Jeep, finishing off the rest of their attackers before coming back for Zach. He braced himself with his arms as she released him from his seat belt, and she helped him out of the vehicle. Thinking fast, she pulled something from his personal first aid kit and jammed it in his right leg. The surge of epinephrine perked him back up, and they grabbed what supplies they could before they hobbled away from the crash site in haste. They are MILES from the city, and MILES from their destination.

It's all they can do to find a cave to hole up in for the night. Zach nearly collapses from heat and injury once the adrenaline wears off. Vivica dug a dakota fire pit so there wouldn't be smoke or much visible light to give away their hideout, and while she was out collecting brush, Zach managed to blast a desert horned viper that slithered too close for comfort.

As the snake roasted on the fire, Vivica helped Zach peel off his clothes so they can tend to his injuries. Most of the shrapnel wasn't too deep, and she removed it with little trouble, and dressed the wounds. There was a large, twisted piece embedded in his hip though, and it took several attempts to remove it, at least three of which nearly made Zach pass out. He finally let Vivica administer the morphine from his kit after that, and eventually she worked it free and stitched him up. He still had a horrific scar there. They spent the night in the cave, eating snake for dinner and talking honestly about their shared orbit of the Six, and how it was to be part of it all, but not really be included in it.

"I remember the heart-to-heart we had by firelight. That was kind of the defining moment for us, wasn't it? The day we went from being acquaintances to really being FRIENDS."

 

[Lord Ravena]

Ava was being punished when Helen screamed for it to cease. She spoke of VIOLATION (?) and stormed out. Whatever she said seemed to resonate with Diana, who was now looking harshly at the White King.

:: Ava had been taken away, Helena was gone.::

:: Now, it was just the White Queen and White King. Ravena moved away from Diana::

JUST A MOMENT.

:: she QUICKLY side stepped in front of him, now facing him directly::

Was there something you FORGOT to TELL me about your little ENCOUNTER with Persephone?

:: Diana stood before him, with her hands on her hips, waiting for his reply::

He had been thinking since Helena's explosion, putting together the pieces, and the realization hit him as Diana took her position.

You cannot be serious. I am now considered by the two of you as some sexual usurper? The KISS was a delivery vehicle for my spell, no different than your salute just now. I sampled blood from her breast because that blood is close to the heart, more pure, and the breast yields blood easily.

He was furious, nearly beside himself, but he spoke even and calmly to Diana. For her to understand what he had just said was important to him. He met her gaze, his eyes searching for whether or not she understood what he had just said as he continued.

You know of my...origins. Even in times past, when rape and coercion was in vogue among the men of the world, that was not my way BECAUSE OF MY ORIGINS. I do not require my power to fill my BED. And even if I were a taker it would not be from that unworthy piece of excrement. So let us put THAT concern to bed, so to speak. I trust that Helena will be informed of these facts when you two speak later. Her trust in this regard is IMPORTANT to me. As. Is. Yours.

Lord Ravena, with no one here, dug deeper into his reasonings for what he had done.

She did not remember me, after all she had done. I sought to remind her of what I was capable of when crossed. It was not the...WISEST course of action I freely admit. It will certainly not be repeated. For that breach of protocol, you have my apologies.

 

[Malice]

Hellfire Catacombs- Control Room

He had been thinking since Helena's explosion, putting together the pieces, and the realization hit him as Diana took her position.

You cannot be serious. I am now considered by the two of you as some sexual usurper? The KISS was a delivery vehicle for my spell, no different than your salute just now. I sampled blood from her breast because that blood is close to the heart, more pure, and the breast yields blood easily.

My "SALUTE" and your "deep kiss" were WORLDS apart, Ravena. I told you to SCARE her, provoke her so that I'd have a REASON to punish her! not DEVOUR HER, not VIOLATE HER...like THAT!

:: Diana stands before Ravena, speaking FORCE and more than a little anger, with a look on her face to match.::

He was furious, nearly beside himself, but he spoke even and calmly to Diana. For her to understand what he had just said was important to him. He met her gaze, his eyes searching for whether or not she understood what he had just said as he continued.

You know of my...origins. Even in times past, when rape and coercion was in vogue among the men of the world, that was not my way BECAUSE OF MY ORIGINS. I do not require my power to fill my BED. And even if I were a taker it would not be from that unworthy piece of excrement. So let us put THAT concern to bed, so to speak. I trust that Helena will be informed of these facts when you two speak later. Her trust in this regard is IMPORTANT to me. As. Is. Yours.

:: He mentioned his own origins, which Diana WAS aware of, including how he came to BE. ::

Well. I'm glad to hear that, Ravena, because I WAS wondering just now, If I COULD trust you going forward, AND, in case you don't know MY back story, Lord Spencer...one of the founders of mystech...he thought that he would...HAVE me the way he had dozens of other women in the past, women who wound up in the aqua ring, or some other sad fate.

You'll notice that he is NO WHERE to be found today.

:: A reference to her OWN past, including the TRAUMA that this incident with Persephone reminded her of.::

I am MANY things, even a MONSTER by some people's accounts. But there ARE some lines that I will NOT allow to be crossed. We may need to PUNISH those on the courts for their behavior, HUMILIATE them even, but we do not PREY on them in THAT way. EVER.

:: She was quite firm on that. ::

:: But she began to soften a bit now that the moment had passed, moving closer to Ravena::

Ours is such a...PROMISING and POWERFUL partnership. I'd hate to think that it would be ruined over such a stupid mistake.

::sighing::

The girl was already in over her head when she decided to FOLLOW her "sister" here, out of some misguided sense of loyalty, and it may well be the DEATH of her. But we will let HER be the author of her own destruction. While she is here, Helena wanted her PERSEPHONE persona to come out in full force, that was the whole POINT our our little ruse.

Lord Ravena, with no one here, dug deeper into his reasonings for what he had done.

She did not remember me, after all she had done. I sought to remind her of what I was capable of when crossed. It was not the...WISEST course of action I freely admit. It will certainly not be repeated. For that breach of protocol, you have my apologies.

And SPEAKING of your Orgins....have you FOROTTEN our long game?

Because of your...exuberance, Persephone realized who you actually WERE. What makes you think she WOULDN'T try to get a message to

:: Leans in::

SPELLBINDER or one of the OTHER witches?

We want to face them at OUR time and chosing, and if they're ARMED with that information...that's a tactical shift to THEIR advantage. Likewise, we don't want anyone ELSE in the Inner Circle knowing either.

:: Thus far, only Malice, and Nogitsune shared this secret with Ravena::

During her punishment, I took the liberty of MIND WIPING that revelation from her. I wanted to be SURE that I scrubbed that from her mind, her consciousness on all levels, but...well...you saw what happened. Our dear Enchantrah simply couldn't stomach it anymore.


Speaking of Enchantrah, don't worry. This will be settled. We will remain a united front, and once she realizes that she now HAS what she wants [Persephone's persona to the forefront] she will be pleased.

:: Diana ran her hand down the portion of Raven's chest, exposed by his partially unbuttoned shirt.::

Now that we've taken care of this distasteful little matter, how about we move on to something more...PLEASANT?

The sensibilities of the world YOU knew no longer apply. But I believe you find women like ME to be much more engaging.

:: her opal blue eyes glowing as she moves in closer, pressing herself against Ravena::

If you're HUNGRY, I have PLENTY for you to EAT.

:: She placed one of her hands on the back of Ravena's neck, and her other hand was now "cupping" his manhood.::

Why sully your tastebuds with a withered PLANT, when you can enjoy the delights of a CANDY SHOP?

:: Matters settled, misunderstandings resolved, things would be smooth going forward, and what better way to MOVE forward than THIS? A meeting of the minds, AND bodies. ::

<< The various floating monitors around the control room continued to display various images, including Rose, Prophet and Harbinger. Speaking of the King/Marble family, their DIMENSIONAL mother had recently arrived in the catacombs, and was making her way to the control room....>>

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion - Red Rook's Quarters

He watched her sleep, looking for any signs of distress. Well any MORE distress than being unconscious. Finally she stirred and groaned, trying to open her eyes but shutting them against the light. Alek reached over and dimmed the lamp next to the bed.

Waking, she lifted herself up. He smiled.

“Hey there…”

She was disoriented, looking around the room.

“Shhh…lie back…just rest.”

But she didn’t, she kept taking in her surroundings.

"Wow."

She pushed the hair out of her face. He took one of the hands holding hers and helped her tuck some behind her ear. She turned to look at him, and that’s when he noticed her eyes. They were not the same eyes that had looked at him with such urgency that morning…

"You look confused..."

“Your eyes…”

"I'm Persephone...and I've finally come out to play."

The initial shock had passed. As he looked at her now, she seemed…fine. A smile played across his lips.

“Persephone, is it?”

He leaned in to kiss her neck gently.

“Well, Berserker would be happy to play with you…”

But as much as he was enjoying this little roleplay, the thought DID occur to him that this was a bit strange for someone who had been unconscious a minute before. So he pulled back and looked at her quizzically once again.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Ava?”

 

[Persephone]

Alek: “Persephone, is it?”

Persephone grinned, seeing him move toward her neck and kiss it. She ran her fingers deep into his long hair, her nails etching a path as they went to the nape of his neck.

Alek: “Well, Berserker would be happy to play with you…”

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she extended her neck to the side giving him more access to it.

"Good, i've been so bored."

But then he stopped, pulling away and looking at her curiously.

Alek: "Are you sure you're okay, Ava?"

Persephone paused for a moment, her tongue tracing the lines of her lips. This was a bit of an unusual circumstance that DID need some explanation....but he just looked so damn DELICIOUS. She really didn't want to talk, she wanted her mouth to be occupied with other things.

"Ava.....is taking a little rest."

Running her red nail down his cheek as her piercing midnight eyes remained locked with his.

"She's been in the foreground for far too long....now it's MY turn."

Her finger met with the bottom of Alek's lip as she gently bit her own.

[whispering between them] "She's still here.....just not in the same capacity as before."

Persephone leaned in, her lips brushing against his tauntingly.

"What she couldn't handle, I can. What she couldn't do, I will."

Her teeth took ahold of his bottom lip, nipping it.

"η ανθρωπότητα είναι υπερτιμημένη" [Humanity is overrated.]

Her mouth moved against his fully now, her hands on either side of his face helping deepen the kiss. She was hungry for him, hungry to be free of the confines of her psyche. And finally she was. She was here in body AND spirit and it felt amazing. No more second guessing, no more guilt, no more stupid mistakes. None of that. Ava was still with her--her memories and feelings--but now SHE was in the background playing second fiddle to HER.

Climbing to her knees on the mattress, Persephone only broke the kiss for a moment to pull the oversized red sweater off over her head. Her lips returned to his immediately, roughly drinking him in, tasting him. But she felt a bit of restraint from him, even though he was fully engaged she could still tell. He WASN'T handling Ava anymore, although to her credit, Ava could handle a bit of rough play.

Pulling away from their kiss, Persephone grabbed his jaw with her hand, her dark lust filled eyes locked with his.

"You're NOT going to break me. Now FUCK me the way you've been WANTING to."

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion – Red Rook’s Quarters

He looked into those dark eyes.

"Ava...is taking a little rest."

He knew, of course, that Ava Cassadine and Persephone were one person, a shared consciousness. But knowing about it, and seeing it, were two different things.

”She's been in the foreground for far too long....now it's MY turn."

Her fingers played across his skin. This was good. This was what he had been talking to her about, that night he had tended her wounds. She needed to submit to the darkness within her and let it free. And it appeared that she had. And there was no question that Persephone was just as seductive as Ava, and his body was responding appropriately.

[whispering between them] "She's still here.....just not in the same capacity as before."

She teased him with the barest of touches from her lips. His head followed her, but she pulled out of his reach. He slid his arms around her, to her waist, her back. His need overshadowed every other thought.

"What she couldn't handle, I can. What she couldn't do, I will."

He almost came in his pants as she bit his lip. He whispered to her, their faces so close now.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

She said something in Greek before her mouth found his, urgently, deeply. She rose up onto her knees, and when she broke the kiss he could barely stand to not be touching her. That second felt like hours, but then she was there again.

"You're NOT going to break me. Now FUCK me the way you've been WANTING to."

He grinned, looking at her with such a hunger she might have been his prey. He DID want her, never wanted anything so badly in his entire life.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He kissed her as he undid the buttons on his shirt and climbed up onto the bed. His hands went to the button of her jeans.

[under his breath] “Damn skinny jeans.”

He looked down at her as he laid her down and stripped them off of her.

“You really need to start wearing skirts more.”

His own pants finally discarded, he melded himself to her. Pressing into her he looked down at the need in her eyes and he emitted a low growl from his throat, slowing his movements to almost nothing.

His mouth found her neck again, his hands, her body, as he began moving in a slow rhythm, teasing her, feeling her body respond and cry out for more.

He entwined his fingers with hers and pushed them over her head, then kissed her again before locking eyes with her, their faces almost touching.

“This is all I’ve wanted since that first night…”

He thrust forcefully into her, then moved back into that slow pulse against her.

“I get hard every time I think of you, every time you touch me…”

Again, his hips ground into her, then pulled back.

“I would spend eternity making you scream in pleasure…”

And again.

“Let me worship you...Persephone…”

His mouth clamped down onto hers, and he could go slow no longer.

 

[Recall]

The Clocktower

Zach: "I remember the heart-to-heart we had by firelight. That was kind of the defining moment for us, wasn't it? The day we went from being acquaintances to really being FRIENDS."

:: Vivica smiled as he recounted the mission that saw them STRANDED in the desert. It was the first time she had ever seen Zach in the field like this. She had heard rumors of what had happened to him years ago. But it was clear that he knew what he was doing. Didn't change the fact that it was scary as hell. ::

A Few Years Ago - Outside of Tehran

<< Vivica and Zach sat next to a fire, eating the snake that was their dinner and engaging in a bit of small talk before the daunting task that faced them the next day. Vivica took the lead. >>

"I haven't seen you in a while, and there hasn't been much time for small talk. Congratulations on your engagement."

Zach: "Plans have changed. For the time being."

"Cameron?"

Zach: "Cameron."

"I met with him..in New York. When he returned. Told him he needed to put his tail between his legs and put in the work to get them back. I'm sorry it ended up like it did. I can't help but feel a bit responsible."

Zach: "Vivica, you aren't responsible."

"Oh I know that. Or at least I think I do. But that's always kind of what happens to us."

Zach: "Us?"

"The ones in orbit of The Six. We knew them before it all happened...and then when it did, even though it was clear they were the special ones, we kind of got swept up in it too. I don't know about you, but it drove me all but crazy. I wasn't a part of it, but I still had to do any number of things to ensure their safety, help perserve THEIR reputations because it was tied to mine. I felt on edge..every single day. Like something bad would happen to me at any second if I continued to be...FRIENDS with these people..but, I mean it also felt pretty...cool ya know? We knew something that the rest of the world didn't...So we played our parts..in the background, ensuring that daily life ran, ensuring that they didn't have to worry about certain things...even if it WAS their responsibility to do so. We cleared their plates so they could focus on saving the world.."

Zach: "It hasn't all been been bad, Viv. But I get it. Not everybody gets to be in the spotlight."

"See? You're doing it right now. All it took was for one of them to return. For Cameron to storm the scene and return in all of his chaos, and boom - Haleigh finally giving you the things you deserved from her dissappeared, and still you try and make sense of it. Try to understand. It's very valiant of a notion, Zach...but it's also not FAIR to you..or to any of us really."

"You deserve to be able to marry the woman you love, and you deserve for that woman to give you everything that YOU give her in spades. Maybe as an empath, you see something I don't there. I like Haleigh. I've always liked her, but you can't keep getting the short end of the stick, Zach. You teach people how to treat you. You let her get away with too much."

[she turned her head away for a second]

"But I guess that makes me the hypocrite of the century doesn't it? You know Cameron never checked on me when he returned? Neither did the rest of them. The only contact he had with me is when he stormed the cathedral and broke into your wedding planning. I FLEW to New York and listened to him go on and on about things...never did he ask me a question about me. Why I was in Europe? What I was doing. What happened to me when he was gone..and I should have been so pissed off..but that's the mind fuck of The Six. They've made us feel like they are so important to the safety of the world...so much so that we are background characters and collateral damage, and we don't have a right to express that..to make things known. I comforted HIM. I gave HIM guidance. And then he left..and I was sitting there in this diner just like shaking my head. Because MY life was still continuing. I was still going through things. But in the globe of The Six.it was just miniscule."

Zach: "Your pain isn't miniscule, Viv. Look at what you've become. You are so different. You're so strong now. You took out a squadron of people upside down and strapped into a wrecked convoy a few hours ago. You're a bad ass. But you are also really loyal. If Cameron couldn't see that. If they couldn't see that. It's their loss. But I see it."

<< He grabbed her hand. They were sitting in much of the same position that they were in NOW...in the Clocktower. >>

"Maybe that's just me..maybe you and Haleigh have a different relationship. You've always been able to weather the storm with each other...I just worry at the cost that YOU pay...and when we're surrounded by so many powerful people, who take center stage..well, I think it's important for us..supporting characters to take care of each other."

Zach: "I like the sound of that. So should we prick our fingers and become blood brothers or what? I'm not sure how pacts like this are cemented."

"I should leave you here in this cave for a sand monster, you know that?"

[smiling]

"No need for friendship oaths or tattoos..or any of that nonsense. But hmm..."

<< She knelt over and traced one half of a heart in the sand with her finger. >>

"I promise to look out for you. To be there for you when I think you need it. When that [jokingly] horrible woman you choose to love takes things a little too far. I'll listen to you. I'll support you. I'll make the effort to check in and be present."

<< Zach knelt beside her and traced the other half of the heart in the sand, completing it, as he looked at her, the light of the fire dancing on his face. >>

Zach: "I promise too. To be there when that infuriating, narcissistic, asshole of a man you think is your best friend -- [pausing] And I wasn't being sarcastic like you just were. Cameron is a DICK. You're right though. We need each other. You and I..we were the first. And we share things and will continue to go through things that the others who are now in orbit, will never understand. It's good to be able to talk to somebody who understands that."

"Agreed. I love you, Zach."

Zach: "Love you too, Viv."

"That was a game changer for sure. It felt good to connect to somebody in that way. And it was well timed...all things considered. Because we lost Leela the next day."

Outside Tehran - Wild Jasmine

<< We see Vivica and Zach traveling on foot for quite some time, before finally reaching the outskirts of The Hand Stronghold. With beautiful fury they managed to break their way in, secure their own weapons as well as make contact with Clandestine. >>

<< The sultry body of Leela Hari AKA Bombshell can be seen standing over a VERY dangerous weapon, one that should just not have been made in the first place. While Zach takes care of the hordes of The Hand attempting to kill them. Vivica tries to appeal to her, but the Leela she loved was no longer there. She THANKED Vivica and Zach for making it look like she had taken The Hand out by herself. That she now had a weapon that the black market was willing to pay BILLIONS for. BOTH of them tried to reason with her, tried to get her to remember why she had entered the world of intelligence, how she wanted to make a difference. They were met with fiery opposition. It was clear that what happened in her life as well as her mission in The Czech Republic had changed her. Had made her go from moralist...to anarchist. There was no saving her. >>

<< And then she used her power to BLOW up The Stronghold, escaping in a helicopter as Vivica and Zach BARELY made it out of the place alive, both burned and injured. >>

:: Vivica's eyes watered again for a few moments as she remembered Leela standing there, just being a shell of the woman she used to be. She was still fiery and seductive and everything that made Vivica fall in love with her, but it wasn't her. That...THING...that aura that made her who she was...was gone. It was like being in front of a familiar stranger. ::

"It was a hard loss for both of us...but I found strength in it. Broke things off with Jack..started to try and live a more authentic life. But that pain..it's still there. It still somewhat drives me when I look at new recruits. New agents. It's like seeing the spectrum of where they might fall...and I feel compelled to help make sure..that we never have another Bombshell on our hands."

"I know you know what I am doing...and I know you probably have some really good counterpoints, maybe even some evidence to the contrary, but I've been here, Zach...right where you are. I believed...and NOT in a surface way...in a VERY DEEP, consuming way that Leela was trying to do something good. That she had figured out something, and she was trying to take care of it herself, to save the agency and it's agents from death or peril or pain. Because there was NEVER another woman i've met that wanted to be a part of all of this in my life. You know that. It's the reason you LET me go on that mission. Merlin was NOT pleased."

"And you wanted to believe her too, Zach. You went back into the field to try and help. You wouldn't have done that lightly. I get that life is a game of chance and I could be shot in the head again as soon as I walk out of this building, but the loss of Leela Hari still sits with me. You didn't love Leela in the way that I did, and vice versa. And the PAIN...that pain of somebody you really...truly, madly, DEEPLY love ending up not being the hero you've made them out to be...it's not easy to come back from. So I'm invoking the pact."

:: The floor they were sitting on was dusty, and Vivica leaned over, tracing her finger in the dust with her finger, tracing half a heart. ::

"You saw me through that...and I am going to see you through THIS. BUT...you have to include me, Zach. I need to know what you're doing so that I am not surprised. Because I already don't believe what you believe...but I'm trying to. So I need to have all the facts. I'm not going to counter every idea with the belief that Haleigh really did go Rogue, but in light of everything going on..I think I should be in the know. Speaking of which..."

:: thinking ::

"I know Clandestine is in the process of figuring out what to do with Haleigh..but I can't wait for that decision. I need my server moved from their possession and placed here in The Clocktower, under the care and protection of Oracle..and YOU. You keep that part of me safe, Zach, and I will ride this car your in until the wheels fall off."

:: looking at him a bit more serious. ::

"I am not going to let Haleigh Davidoff be the thing that takes you down, Zach. I won't let that happen."

 

[Persephone]

Alek: “You really need to start wearing skirts more.”

"Duly noted."

He stripped her jeans off and felt him melt into her body as he moved back up toward her face. She could see a different intensity in his eyes, one that she hadn't seen before. He was careful with her in the weeks that she was there. Not wanting to break her, but at the same time WANTING to break her. He was restrained, sweet. But now there was a hunger that took over him. He emitted a primal growl, his eyes locked with hers.

"There's my bear."

She whispered with a grin, turning her head to the side and welcoming his mouth to her neck. Her eyes closed, feeling his touch slow. His hands moving up her body and finding her own, linking fingers and pushing her arms over her head. She was pinned, and although she had superior god-like strength, HE was stronger.

Alek: "This is all i've wanted since the first night."

"Then do it."

She commanded. And he did. The ecstasy was immediate.

Alek: “I get hard every time I think of you, every time you touch me…I would spend eternity making you scream in pleasure…”

Yes, this is what she wanted. The validation that he was HERS. She could feel his strength intensifying, but she managed to get one hand free while the other remained pinned. Gripping the back of his head, she brought his lips to hers, hungrily taking him in. Every movement matched in unison. He broke the kiss but remained close to her lips.

Alek: "Let me worship you, Persephone."

She grinned, a low laugh escaping her lips before she pressed them back against his. Done.

 

[Talisman]

The Hellfire Mansion

< Her work in The Body Shoppe was done for the time being. Returning to the mansion, she took a long and luxurious, piping hot shower, slipping on her black silk robe and sitting at her vanity, pulling herself together and changing into a sleak black pantsuit, the top of which was composed entirely of thousands of nanites. She enjoyed the merger of fashion and technology, and she liked to make that statement when she walked the halls of the mansion. She had seen what transpired in the control center of the catacombs, and it was rather informative. >

< Her mystical alarms immediately detected the presence of Persephone in the mansion. The energy between Ava and Persephone was similar and yet still decidedly different. A devlish grin crept up on her lips as a pair of cobalt blue eyes appeared in the corner of the Red Rook's quarters as she watched the bear man and the goddess go at it as if it were the last time it would ever happen. >

< Talisman smiled to herself as Alek offered to worship Persephone and the two began to paw each other like wild animals. >

"I'm right there with you, Persephone. And I thought I'D gone awhile without getting any..."

< But thanks to Gorgon, lately she had been getting it wherever and however she wanted it. He was a formidable lover, despite his small stature. Kelly preferred a taller, thicker, more "perfected" male specimen, but she was also a teacher at heart. She also knew that the more she drew Benjamin towards her, the more macabre and delicious it would be when he was reunited with Cassandra Johnson. >

"All things in good time..."

< Shifting her sight back to her current location, Talisman dabbed a bit of perfume on her neck and began to make her way towards the catacombs, her Louboutins clacking across the floor in a rhythmic motion. She fought the urge to check in on a number of her experiments, but she pushed those thoughts aside. There was more than just work to attend to right now. >

< She rounded the corner and entered the control room. >

:: She placed one of her hands on the back of Ravena's neck, and her other hand was now "cupping" his manhood.::

Why sully your tastebuds with a withered PLANT, when you can enjoy the delights of a CANDY SHOP?

:: Matters settled, misunderstandings resolved, things would be smooth going forward, and what better way to MOVE forward than THIS? A meeting of the minds, AND bodies. ::

"I didn't know our health care packages included such intimate..."phyiscals"..."

< She smirked as she clacked towards a chair, sat down and crossed her legs seductively. >

"You all have been very busy little beavers today, haven't you?"

[pausing]

"Haleigh has seduced and killed Bishop...or so it seems. Persephone has come out to play and is currently being worshipped in a number of ways by The Red Knight. You even managed to piss off Helena."

< Her icy blue eyes met Ravena's >

"Charming."

< There was still something she didn't trust about Lord Ravena. She could see it in his eyes. She could sense his power. There was a reason that Diana kept him so mysterious and she had every reason to believe that it was tied to his magick. He put Talisman on edge. >

< Talisman's eyes glowed for a moment. >

"I see Haleigh is set to extract a child from Rose's sanctuary? That seems promising. Though, we really should have them ALL. They are such...RIPE and VIRILE specimens..it would be a shame to not study them under a microscope."

< Furrowing her brow for a moment. >

"Now what is this about Europe. I gave them a clone of Viper, and they managed to fail even THEN. Why would we be giving them any more of our time or concern?"