The Blue Moon

[Athena]

The Parthenon

:: Athena stood tall and poised, petting her beloved, sleepy eyed Bupol while Hecate affirmed and even offered Delilah a bit of humor.::

Yes...your LOVE for Hades is a mystery that even *I* will not be able to solve...

:: She looks away with a bit of a bemused expression on her face as even Bupol vocalized bewilderment::

Hecate is quite right, child.

Our relationship with you and your companions is not the same as it was with the humans in the era of antiquity. We are not here to judge or even control your life. Only to give you a fair and equal opportunity to live your life renewed in mind and body.

When your time on earth does come to it's final end...your soul will always have a place in Themyscira, this I do decree as the patron goddess of the Amazons.

Now that you have made your choice and are ready to return, all you have to do, is pass through the golden vortex that I have opened. You will be rendered unconscious as your soul returns from this realm to the physical one of earth, you will be reunited with your body in the infirmary of Minerva's Mansion.

You have my blessing....

Hecate: Both of our blessings....

Athena: For the path you have chosen. There is no guarantee that path will not have its own problems and pitfalls along the way...but as you no doubt have observed...even we Olympians are not immune from that.

Hecate: Off you go now, MorningStar!

Athena: Your light will shine brightly once again!

Hecate: Find your destiny....

BOTH: And fullfill it!

:: and with that, the goddesses & even Bupol, bid Delilah farewell, watching her pass through the golden vortex before disappearing from view themselves.::

 

[Circe]

Medusa's temple

Nicolas saw the bolt and spun away, disappearing as it screamed past where he WAS....but where was he now?

He emerged behind the mad sorceress, delivering a pankration kick to the small of her back. Even with his immense strength her magic managed to buffer the blow, he could tell. But not enough as she was tossed forward violently.

You talk too fucking much Circe. Go 'way.

:: she stumbles forward before tumbling to the ground on her knees.::

...insolent BOY! you DARE to strike me!?

:: without getting to her feet, she slowly turns her head, looking over her shoulder and once again revealing a wicked, SINISTER smile on her face, which is now partially enshrouded in shadow::

:: there's an uncertain moment, as Rampage expects the sorceres to hurl herself at him directly.::

:: but instead....:::

::a well manicured hand GRABS Rampage from behind, forcing him to turn around and face...CIRCE!? Gone from where she was before ...::

::without any time to move, Circe SLAMS her fist, surrounded by a halo of dark magick, across Rampage's jaw and now it's HIS turn to get violently knocked off balance::

I am NOT Spellbinder, my dear. MY power is SUPREME here and YOU are NO MATCH!


:: taking aim with fluent movement and pose, she once again fires upon the staggerd Rampage with another moon bolt!::

I have gone 13 rounds with Medusa AND Hades and humbled them BOTH. What chance do you think YOU have!?

 

[Seer]

Time is running OUT

<< Charope, Arsenal, Firebird join Prophet in one last, VALIANT effort to block for Harbinger, Isis and Shadow Weaver, as well as protect themselves from the progression of the magick dome closing in around them. As Prophet and Arsenal deliver their attacks, it is time for Charope and Firebird. >>

<< Bringing forth a small fragment of "DOME", the otherworldly technology that composes the invisible craft that Alycia uses to fly across vast distances. The substance has the ability to form ANY shape or object and so Alycia causes this small fragment to form into a lantern. At Prophet's direction, she throws the latern up to the right position and then, with perfect aim, FIRES a large arrow shaft of zeus' divine lightning into the lanter. The lantern in turn, cycles and conducts the bolt, unleashing it in the form of a CONTINUOUS BLAST against the dome as Alycia leaps up into the air to grab hold of it and land on her feet, now holding the lantern and directing the continuous blast of divine lightning. Firebird, taking to the air, unleashes a "firestar" effect aimed directly at the center the dome...it is essentially a powerful, glowing, torpedo blast/TORRENT of focused fire energy, coursing through her body that she delivers with direction and roce toward the dome!>>

<< after more than a few minutes of their sustained attacks...they are REWARDED! The dome begins to crack...fracture and then SHATTER! the shards of the dome fall away and dissolve, leaving the observatory free and clear once more. >>

<< The four are almost overjoyed in spite of themselves! They have succeeded once again!>>

<< But sadly...one brief moment of triump is REPLACED with the sudden realization that TIME IS RUNNING OUT....>>

----------------------------------------------------

<< The Infirmary>>

<< Bishop has had some precious time with his newborn daughter in the relative quiet of the nursery. Silver Swan is back in the delivery room where Delilah's body lays. The mutate suspects something is amiss when she sees the body is COMPLETELY healed and free of any signs of having just given birth to a baby!>>

<< Her suspicions proove correct when before her silver eyes, Delilah's body shows signs of activity! The vital monitors begin registering electro activity in the brain, a heart beat, a PULSE. Delilah's eyes begin to move, more rapidly....fluttering before FINALLY OPENING to reveal those soft, serene blue eyes she is known for.>>

<< Silver Swan is astonished, but genuinely pleased to see Delilah has...>>

Silver Swan: REVIVED!

<< She directs Ruby to inform Bishop to come to the OR immediately, AFTER he returns to the baby to her isolette.>>

<< The light that failed, has been RESTORED!>>

<< But not even THAT can tip the scales of the final round of the battle above. Even as Delilah recovers her sense of awareness back in her body and Bishop is rushing to the OR, things above are taking a turn for the worse.>>

<< The sparkling BLUE magick signature that represented Harbinger, Shadow Weaver and Isis, has lost MUCH ground and its violent struggle against Circe's dark purple magick signature and the mansion is now rocking so violently the walls are beginning to CRACK. More and more, all around the mansion and the island, the dark purple signature is gaining dominance...and that's not all...>>

 

[Harbinger]

Last witch standing

:: Grim determination gave way to "auto pilot"....which gave way to PAINFULL STRUGGLE...and now...very little was LEFT!::

:: All of their efforts...all of their WILL...it was all starting to wane!::

:: Charope, Firebird, Prophet and Arsenal could only WATCH, even as they destroyed the dome closing in around them...they could only WATCH as...::

Shadow Weaver: << her voice so weak and frail after having spent MORE energy than she HAD>> oh....alison....i can't......go on...

:: Shadow Weaver crumbles and falls to the floor, her grip slipping from Alison's hand. She lays, utterly exhausted, unconscious, not moving.::


Isis: :: her voice weak...and trembling:: I'm afraid....I'm going....too

::Isis' eyes roll and flutter....she soon buckles and collapses, her grip falling from Harbinger's other hand and her sceptre clanging on the floor as she now lays so still, completely spent and unconscious::

:: Harbinger, the keeper of time and the secrets of the earth, is the last witch standing. She's all that remains between them and Circe's wrath raining and thundering down on the mansion!::

:: gripping her Time Staff, still holding it high above her hand....her face contorts with effort and distress::

Harbinger: MUST.....KEEP....FIGHTING!


::Charope, Firebird, Prophet and Arsenal KNOW this is bad...and they see what distress she's in...but what can they do!? Circe's spell is gaining ground, Harbinger is losing. The mansion is starting to COME APART.::

:: Time is running OUT!::

 

[Spellbinder]

Medusa's Temple-Throne room

<< yanked up and tightly ensnared by the shadow tendril, Spellbinder struggles for a moment as Circe attacks Rampage. She knows he can hold his own against the goddess level sorceress, for NOW...but Circe is too dangerous for him to face alone.>>

<<It was time to stop this insane renegade witch!>>

She can't SERIOUSLY have forgotten that I'm a TELEPORTER! This tendril won't hold me!

<< and in the twinking of her violet eye, Spellbinder summons a stepping disc, and TELEPORTS, escaping the tendril. A moment later she emerges from an opening disc and DESTROYS the tendril with a mighty swing from her soul sword!>>

My soul sword! The darkest, most poweful piece of my soul and my magicks! It cuts THROUGH magick! neither enchantments nor BEINGS of magick can withstand its power!

<< Now hovering in the air, she sees Circe going after Rampage...but she turns her head & sees the platform with the globe of the mansion and the island being bombared by the magickal storm attack!>>

I don't want to leave him to face her alone! But I have a chance to DESTROY that construct! If i can do so, I can STOP that spell at it's source and give Harbinger, Shadow Weaver and Isis the chance they need!

Nicolas! Be careful! and hold on!!! buy me some time to BREAK Circe's construct and spell!

<< Knowing he'd "hear" her and understand her plan, she hoped that he would be able to defend from Circe just long enough for this one important piece of the battle to be changed in their favor!>>

<< wind and rushing chimes sound off as Spellbinder begins to fly up toward the center of the throne room, toward the floating platform and the violent cascade of dark magick CRASHING DOWN upon it from the violent skies above!>>

Almost....there! the riptide from the magick is INCREDIBLE! I almost ....I almost just want to let go and be PULLED INTO IT!

<< sensing the power and the rushing EXCITEMENT of the magick spell as only she could, but now was not the time for that! Her approach toward the platform and globe would not be completely without incident either...>>

 

[Rampage]

She turned his own trick on him, grabbing him from behind and punching him in the mouth, sending him off-balance...he rolled into a tumble to avoid being unable to react, and just in time.

I am NOT Spellbinder, my dear. MY power is SUPREME here and YOU are NO MATCH!


:: taking aim with fluent movement and pose, she once again fires upon the staggerd Rampage with another moon bolt!::

I have gone 13 rounds with Medusa AND Hades and humbled them BOTH. What chance do you think YOU have!?

Nicolas leaned back impossibly far, dodging the shot entirely...Morgan sent him a thought as she 'ported free, but this time he was ready for her communication.

Nicolas! Be careful! and hold on!!! buy me some time to BREAK Circe's construct and spell!

Returning to a stand, he extended his shadow and moved...

...quickly uppercutting her as he leaped seemingly out of the floor itself, out of her own shadow!!! She liked to talk, so he talked.

That's funny, crone. I just beat Medusa by knockout in a couple of rounds. She would tell you but she lost her head over it!

Nicolas tossed several psionic bolts in a row, designed to keep her off-balance while he kept moving, kept it hard to get a bead on him.

 

[Prophet]

Minerva's Observatory

The quickness and ferocity of which Charope, Arsenal and Firebird delivered their attacks were astounding. An amazing explosion of energies swirled together in a STRONG and POWERFUL display. They were still going strong and honoring the women behind them who were doing their best to keep them ALL alive.

And with their deadly, precise and UNIFIED attack on the dome, they were rewarded. The energies began to CRACK and FRACTURE the dome before it shattered around them in a brilliant display.

"YES!"

He looked around at his teammates and felt an incredible feeling of pride for what this motley crew had been able to accomplish together. It was a far cry from how ANY of them used to work together in the earliest incarnation of the team, but that was a long time and many many catastrophes earlier, and things were definitely different now.

Shadow Weaver: Oh...Alison...I can't..go on...

Cameron turned around to see Karen Victoria fall to the floor completely wiped out .

"Arsenal! Attend to her!"

As soon as he spoke, he watched Dominique tumble to the ground as well. This was getting very bad.

"Charope.. Firebird! Attend to Dominique. I have to help my sister..."

He immediately went over to his sister who was still determined to keep going despite all the odds, somewhat of a trademark quality that she had. She was determined and feeling weak. Prophet may not have been a magick user, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Circe win without a fight. He placed his hand in hers and stood with her.

"Come on Ali...Come on.. Stay strong..."

Gripping her hand, he ignited his EMPATHY, coursing through her body feelings of STRENGTH and PRIDE, of DETERMINATION and JOY, all of which would increase her resolve, and hopefully allow her to run (even if it was on fumes alone) and buy them the precious time that they needed. They were all counting on her at this moment, and he didn't want her to feel like she was in this alone. Even if his bolster of emotions did nothing to help her, he would stand there, holding her hand until the very last second. And with the entire ISLAND seeming to want to CRACK in half, he wasn't sure how much longer that was.

"You just have to hold on..."

Far beneath the floors of the observatory, Cameron sensed "life" again where there once was none. DELILAH. She was BACK! Somehow she was alive again! Cameron almost screamed out loud with joy, but he remained strong and quiet, in solidarity of his sister.

"Delilah made it, Alison. Fate has already been changed...just hold on..." he whispered to his sister.

 

[MorningStar]

Aerie - Infirmary

She had made her choice, and she knew in her heart it was the right one, despite the twinge of “what might have” been.

When your time on earth does come to its final end...your soul will always have a place in Themyscira, this I do decree as the patron goddess of the Amazons.

“Thank you, Athena. For everything.”

Delilah said her farewells, pausing in front of Hecate. “I will always protect Spellbinder with my life. You have my word.”

She had come to a new level of understanding with Athena and especially Hecate. She had been able to make her peace with the goddesses she thought had tricked her, and as she walked into the golden, swirling vortex, she felt a calm and strength she hadn’t known in a very long time.

And then…

Darkness.

She could hear sounds, but they were very far away. Voices. They got louder.

Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked. Everything was hazy.

She blinked again.

“Sharon?”

Her vision cleared. She could see Silver Swan standing over her, taking her vitals. Her body felt so HEAVY. She could only move her head a little bit at first. But she could see Maxim, kneeling next to her bed. She reached her hand out and found his, giving it a tight squeeze.

She smiled at him, sleepily, but happily.

“Where’s our baby?”

Bishop: “Shh, now, Darlin’ – Alexia is fine. I just left her sleeping in the nursery. You just rest.”

Delilah smiled again at hearing the name.

“You remembered…”

She could feel her strength returning, the haze leaving her body. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and they rushed to help put pillows behind her back.

And then she remembered…

She grabbed Sharon’s hand this time – fearfully.

“Morgan?! The others – Circe?!”

She swallowed hard. Bishop helped her take a drink of water, but she was alert now.

“How could you not tell me about Circe’s attack and the Blue Moon?”

Now she looked to Bishop.

“Did you know about this? Is this why you suddenly showed up at Melrose Place?”

 

[Silver Swan]

Infirmary

[ Sharon, still in her full Silver Swan presentation, complete with silver eye mask, quickly assesses Delilah’s condition even as Bishop rushes into the room. She moves about them, not addressing anything until finally, Delilah grabs hold of her armored arm and fearfully demands to know what’s happening with Spellbinder, the others and why she didn’t tell her!]

[The mutate looks down at Delilah, finally removing her eye mask again, She runs her other armoured hand through her blonde hair as she gazes upon Delilah with her silver eyes.]

I am relieved that you have revived, Delilah. My heart was indeed heavy when you were seemingly lost during the delivery of your baby.

It pleases me that I will not have to tell Spellbinder and the others that you have been lost.

[ Delilah wanted answers]

I didn’t tell you because Spellbinder asked me not to. As leader of the Six, she decided that because you were already having a difficult time in your condition, that you did not need the added burden or stress of knowing about Circe. As your mid-wife, I agreed with her.

[ Sharon did not reveal the truth about the vision of Delilah dying, she wanted to spare Delilah if she could]




She, along with Rampage, have gone to the Underworld to confront Circe. While Harbinger, Shadow Weaver, Isis have mounted a defense of the mansion and island from the massive attack that Circe has unleashed…

Charope, Firebird, Arsenal and Prophet have been blocking for them, beating back any other attack Circe has sent so far

[Gesturing to a security monitor, Delilah can see the events in the observatory with the fallen witches and Prophet valiantly attempting to assist and bolster his faltering sister.]

But as you can see…and no doubt FEEL…they are losing…and the mansion is becoming more and more strained from the onslaught.

[She looks at Delilah and Bishop]


Per Harbinger’s order, [ she purposefully omitted that this plan was contingent upon Delilah being alive or not AND whether or not the six survived and Circe was defeated] I am to evacuate you both to the VAULT. There is an underground tunnel with an express jet that will carry you away from the island to Greece, to one of her safe houses. I will remain behind to either assist the others, OR confront Circe, should she manifest in this world, after ensuring Pandora is evacuated to Themyscira. In the event that the mansion and the six are destroyed , the VAULT will automatically engage an auto-destruct sequence.

 

[Bishop]

Aerie - Infirmary

Bishop was just putting the baby down in the tiny bed as Ruby rushed in the room to tell him to come to the OR right away.

Circe. She’s broken through the mansion’s defenses.

He pulled the gun from his back.

[to Ruby] “Guard the door – don’t let ANYONE in. Protect the baby.”

He rushed down the hall and into the OR. But they weren’t under attack.

“Delilah…”

He almost – almost – dropped his gun. Instead, he holstered it again at his back as he rushed to kneel at her bedside. She looked…okay. Good, even. She didn’t even look like she had just had a baby, let alone been dead.

“But how?”

He looked up at Sharon, questioning with his eyes. How could she be alive?

Delilah seemed more awake and alert by the second. She gave his hand a squeeze and he thought his heart would burst from his chest, so miraculous it seemed. And then his heart plummeted to his feet as she asked about the baby.

But he just smiled. There would be time to tell her later.

“Shh, now, Darlin’ – Alexia is fine. I just left her sleeping in the nursery. You just rest.”

Somehow she knew about Circe and what was happening at the mansion. She started to get worked up, so he got her a drink of water from the bedside table. But then she turned her fire towards him.

“Did you know about this? Is this why you suddenly showed up at Melrose Place?”

He tried to calm her down.

“No, no, of course not! Nicolas texted me that you were in trouble – THAT’s why I came to LA. I didn’t find out about Circe until we were already here and you were unconscious.”

He looked over at Sharon.

“Why no one ELSE told you I couldn’t say.”

He turned his attention back to Delilah.

“Do you know what happened to you? How you…came back?”

 

[MorningStar]

Aerie - Infirmary

I didn’t tell you because Spellbinder asked me not to. As leader of the Six, she decided that because you were already having a difficult time in your condition, that you did not need the added burden or stress of knowing about Circe. As your mid-wife, I agreed with her.

“So you decided to keep me in the dark like a child, WHILE you put my OWN child in danger without my knowledge?”

“No, no, of course not! Nicolas texted me that you were in trouble – THAT’s why I came to LA. I didn’t find out about Circe until we were already here and you were unconscious.”

Nicolas! What was he thinking?!

“ “Do you know what happened to you? How you…came back?”

“It was Athena and Hecate. They...told me what was going on back here, that I was needed here still. And then sent me back. They wanted to make things right, with us.”

It was a lie she felt justified in telling.

Sharon showed her on the monitor her teammates, valiantly making a stand against Circe. Alison appeared to be the only witch left standing, while Cameron desperately tried to keep her conscious.

But as you can see…and no doubt FEEL…they are losing…and the mansion is becoming more and more strained from the onslaught.

I should be with them.

Per Harbinger’s order, I am to evacuate you both to the VAULT. There is an underground tunnel with an express jet that will carry you away from the island to Greece, to one of her safe houses. I will remain behind to either assist the others, OR confront Circe, should she manifest in this world, after ensuring Pandora is evacuated to Themyscira. In the event that the mansion and the six are destroyed, the VAULT will automatically engage an auto-destruct sequence.

Delilah scoffed.

“For god’s sake, Sharon, I’m not leaving you behind.”

Bishop begins to protest, but she waves him off.

“Athena and Hecate fully restored my body, so there is no need to treat me with kid gloves. I am perfectly fine. Maxim will take Alexia through the tunnel to the jet and protect her. I can’t let The Six fall.”

 

[Seer]

And so..

<< Circe and Rampage trade blows and barbs. For Rampage…this was, perhaps, an idea of what it would have been like to battle Spellbinder when her “darkchild” took over during they Inferno. But Spellbinder, powerful as she is, and even in spite of being the sorceress supreme of this era on Earth, did NOT have Circe’s MILLENNIA of EXPERIENCE, nor did she operate with such a bloodthirsty, sociopathic drive. Indeed, Rampage saw for himself, during the Six’s first Olympian caper with Persephone, just how calculating and DEADLY this sorceress was even BEFORE she entered into that unholy covenant with Hecate. From fanning the flames of some of EARLIEST rounds of the ages old “battle of the sexes”, to causing men far and wide to fear that ANYONE he saw could be HER, as she perfected the deadly magick art of turning men into “Bestiamorphs”…and AFTER gaining power from Hecate? Well everyone from the Olympians- particularly Hades, Persephone, Athena and Hecate-, to the Amazons, not to mention generations of victims on earth, knew the terror and menace of the witch-goddess. Unlike Spellbinder during the Inferno, Circe wasn’t INSANE or blind with rage. No, she REVELED in her well thought out, direct plans and the heavy handed use of her POWER… POWER that even Rampage found to be hard hitting while battling her one-on-one. Still, the young demi-god was among the FEW on earth or anywhere else who COULD stand up to her…at least for now. Circe, though, is all about PLUMMETING to new DEPTHS of abuse and depravity with such GLEE that it almost makes SET seem rather TAME!?...Speaking of SET….>>


<< Further up, much further up, Spellbinder flies closer to the eye of the destructive dark magick spell that is bombarding the globe of the island and mansion. She does in initial pass to allow her own magickal detection ability to gauge the power of the spell and how she can cut through it, BREAK IT with her soul sword! But even as she completes her pass, she finds that things have gone far too easy.>>

<<From the dark corners of the temple, several pairs of glowing red eyes flicker in the shadows. Four LARGE HARPIES, examples of Circe’s bestiamorph magick on FEMALES, manifest themselves and with cries of aggression, they take flight, charging for and attacking Spellbinder in the air!>>


<< While back at Mansion…in the Infirmary>>


<< MorningStar confronts Silver Swan about the deception and coverup that she engaged in along with the rest of the Six. Silver Swan offers a brief but to-the-point explanation for HER role in the cover-up. The mutate informs MorningStar that she, Bishop & their baby will be evacuated, a plan MorningStar promptly rejects even as Bishop thinks it IS a good idea. MorningStar has no intention of leaving, but Silver Swan will not allow her to leave the infirmary. Both women have well meaning intentions, but in a situation like this, the conflict could easily degenerate into a cat-fight, especially with MorningStar already feeling somewhat betrayed by Silver Swan, who shows no sign of regret for the course of action Spellbinder dictated.>>

<< Such an unfortunate and NEEDLESS physical confrontation is the LAST thing needed and it is a random, but urgent change in circumstance that draws Silver Swan away from them, as she has been asked to help contain an unexpected radiation burst in the chemical lab, caused by the tremendous shaking and the strain on the mansion’s structure and foundation. The mutate quickly departs, leaving Delilah alone with Bishop. Even as Delilah insists upon going up to the battle, Bishop decides to try another method to keep her where she is. REMINDING her that she hasn’t seen her new daughter yet, and asking her if she’d like to meet her? His gamble pays off…but it will cost him more than he could imagine very shortly.>>

 

[Harbinger]

Observatory- last stand

:: Harbinger hasn’t felt the PAIN of exhaustion like this since…since she faced off against BLACKOUT to shield Black Widow, Foxfire, MorningStar and Shadow Weaver from the wrath and assault of the traitorous and vengeful Alexis Quartermaine. At her absolute breaking point…she cried out for Ororo as her mind blacked out and her HEART gave out. She STOPPED Blackout, but she DIED in the process!::

H…help….helppp….me….


:: Her voice so weak that her words are almost unheard. tears are streaming from her tightly closed eyes…as she gives ALL of herself and MORE to her last ditch effort to protect this place and all therein from Circe’s onslaught::

::She is now teetering on the edge of oblivion once again! Just as she finds her mind and consciousness begin to waver…there’s a sudden RUSH of psychic ENERGY…::

He immediately went over to his sister who was still determined to keep going despite all the odds, somewhat of a trademark quality that she had. She was determined and feeling weak. Prophet may not have been a magick user, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Circe win without a fight. He placed his hand in hers and stood with her.

"Come on Ali...Come on.. Stay strong..."

Cameron….


::even her astral form was weak, faint…near the point of dissipating!::

Gripping her hand, he ignited his EMPATHY, coursing through her body feelings of STRENGTH and PRIDE, of DETERMINATION and JOY, all of which would increase her resolve, and hopefully allow her to run (even if it was on fumes alone) and buy them the precious time that they needed. They were all counting on her at this moment, and he didn't want her to feel like she was in this alone. Even if his bolster of emotions did nothing to help her, he would stand there, holding her hand until the very last second. And with the entire ISLAND seeming to want to CRACK in half, he wasn't sure how much longer that was.

I’m…tired….I….hurt…

"You just have to hold on..."

Far beneath the floors of the observatory, Cameron sensed "life" again where there once was none. DELILAH. She was BACK! Somehow she was alive again! Cameron almost screamed out loud with joy, but he remained strong and quiet, in solidarity of his sister.

"Delilah made it, Alison. Fate has already been changed...just hold on..." he whispered to his sister.

….

::Something had happened! Delilah SURVIVED! That part of Harbinger’s vision didn’t come to pass! It had worked out! But the battered and nearly broken precog could hardly show much reaction…even now, as Prophet used his own power, coupled with the sibling BOND they share, to provide DESPERATELY needed support, ENERGY::

Can’t last….much longer! Body nearly…depleted…nothing….LEFT.

:: At the moment, ALL that was sustaining her was her last shred of will and Prophet’s empathy…but her BODY, while having been pulled back from the brink of total shutdown, was still very much in the “red zone”. Much like the RED ALERT that was broadcasting throughout the mansion from the top to the bottom as the structure and island itself continue to buckle.::

Oh dear…Cameron…Spellbinder…is…our…o…only hope…

 

[Circe]

:: Rampage was as hearty as Circe remembered from their last encounter. If anything he’d GROWN in his power. His MANA was strong, it radiated from him like a roman candle on many levels to Circe. But She ALSO knew what was the ultimate source of his power. His own dark, twisted nature, born from that of SET.::


:: He pulled no hits as he attacked her, but she was more than capable of withstanding and giving back just as much punishment. Still, the “cat and mouse” game bored the witch-goddess. The time had come to bring him down LOW.::

:: After his latest round of strikes STAGGERS her and even causes her newly revived corporeal form to fluctuate, the sorceress recovers and…::

ENOUGH!

:: thrusting out her well-manicured hand, she CALLS for Rampage::

RAMPAGE!

::Not merely calling…but TELEBLINKING him, a move associated with Harbinger::

You have done ENOUGH dancing, my dear boy. The time has come to TAKE A BOW!

:: She attacks, thrusting out both hands and gesturing as she BINDS Rampage in mystic chains, forcing him to his knees for now::

I have ALWAYS been amused by you, little demi-god.

:: Her voice drips with decadence and lingers with a haunting resonance as shadow tendrils “lick” out of nowhere around Nicolas and caress his face, his body::

You are not that unlike Hecate herself! Respected for your power…but woefully misunderstood. Tolerated by most…but secretly REVILED by ALL. BUT SO WILLING TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, NO MATTER THE COST!

::The tendrils ADD to the tension and restraint of the mystic chains as they coil and constrict his body::

But do you know what YOU really are? A TOOL! A MEANS TO AN END!

:: She came close, cupping Nicolas’ chin in her hand, letting her long sharp nails poke his cheeks::

You take comfort in the progress you have made. In one moment, I will make ALL of that ASH.

::Chimes sound off and thunder rumbles as Circe lifts her hands, both haloed by dark purple magick energy and emitting small orbs around them::


You will serve me in a most IMPORTANT cause. The possession of Spellbinder’s BODY!

<<FLASH!>>

<< Images of Spellbinder, high up in the air fighting off the attacking Harpies>>

And AFTER your mind has FRACTURED, your SOUL rendered asunder by the realization that YOU, SON OF SET, have just MURDERED your precious, beloved WITCH. You and your wretched little companions will know you for the brutal, murdering MONSTER that you ARE!

<<FLASH!>>

<< Images IMMEDIATELY flash to the forefront of Nicolas’ mind. That dreadful timeline where his alternate self had married Spellbinder, had a daughter with her, only to seemingly INEXPLICABLY snap and in one horrible, blood filled night, brutally rape and MURDER HER. The Six were beyond dumbstruck by this unexplainable act of betrayal and violence. Alycia Barnett tried…and FAILED to have him sent to prison…only for him to be MURDERED by a vengeful Shadow Weaver! Leaving their daughter, the bi-racial, violet eyed Victoria King ORPHANED and in the care of Harbinger and Persephone. NICOLAS….raping and MURDERING Spellbinder!?>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< not quite a year ago. Following the Set caper, BARBAS has returned EARLY to vex Spellbinder, Shadow Weaver and the Six>>

<< Black Widow is able to learn that it was BARBAS, who in the alternate timeline, used his powers to push Nicolas’ mind and subconscious to a breaking point, causing him to SNAP and brutally rape and murder Spellbinder. It was …a RELIEF to finally learn the reason for that horrific chain of events…and though it further strained Nicolas and Morgan… Black Widow, along with MorningStar, Firebird and the rest of the Six AND their allies VOWED to NEVER allow those events to even come CLOSE to occurring in mainstream time. Their own resolved only surpassed by that of NICOLAS himself! He had seen something he wouldn’t have wanted in his wildest nightmares…but SET changed EVERYTHING for him. He had seen his beautiful daughter in that timeline, the possibility that she may come to BE in mainstream gave him hope....but most of all…he would NEVER be a pawn to Barbas….or SET…at least that’s what he BELIEVED.>>

:: Rampage’s body begins to SEIZE with PAIN as Circe’s dark magick begins to take hold of him, TRANSFORMING HIM on every level…::

What MORE could be expected from the seed of a god dedicated to DESTRUCTION?


:: She laughs a bit as she enjoys causing Nicolas this pain::

You will DESTROY EVERYTHING you have worked so hard to achieve in the aftermath of knowing your TRUE origins. Spellbinder’s blood will RUN over your hands, but you will have precious LITTLE TIME to suffer the agony of your actions, as I REDUCE YOU to my PET. You will ENTERTAIN ME and SERVE ME as ALL my bestiamorphs do!


:: gesturing more intently as her dark magick PROGRESSES the changes in Nicolas::

And don’t you worry about your FATHER, my dear boy. This…is a ONE WOMAN SHOW and I will NOT share the world with THAT RAMPAGING bull in a china shop.
I’ll BREAK him just as I did Hermes AND Hades! He will live on through YOU…and YOU will live out your days as nothing more than a BEAST brought to heel after you fetched me my NEW BODY!

:: Her laugh coincides with a flash of dark purple light and a crash of thunder::

COME FORWARD, SET!

YOUR NEW MISTRESS COMMANDS!

I COMMAND you to bring me Spellbinder's body! AFTER you've DIVORCED her spirit from it of course!

::Smiling wide with a sparkle in her ruby red eyes and a wicked gleam across her face as the spell runs its course! ::

 

[Bishop]

Aerie - Infirmary

Hecate!

He didn’t trust that bitch as far as he could throw her. SHE had brought him back in this body, SHE had kept Delilah’s pregnancy from him, SHE had left him out of the decision whether to break their curse or not. And in addition she was some sort of relative of Morgan’s somehow, and they definitely shared the family haughty bitch trait.

Athena and Hecate were HAS-BEENs – why couldn’t they just stay out of people’s lives?

BUT…then Delilah wouldn’t have been returned to them. Though he couldn’t help but feel that without their intervention Delilah wouldn’t have been in this danger at all.

The first thing to come to his mind was:

“What’s the catch?”

Certainly they didn’t send her back out of the goodness of their hearts?

“For god’s sake, Sharon, I’m not leaving you behind.

He touched her arm.

“Delilah…”

“Athena and Hecate fully restored my body, so there is no need to treat me with kid gloves. I am perfectly fine. Maxim will take Alexia through the tunnel to the jet and protect her. I can’t let The Six fall.”

“Delilah, you have just had a baby…going out there would only be a danger to yourself, your friends, and your child. You have to trust your team – if you go out there now, they will only get themselves killed trying to protect you. It’s their nature.”

He wasn’t sure he believed most of that, but it’s what Delilah would need to hear. More than likely, they would leave her on her own and she would get killed because she wasn’t ready for battle.

Silver Swan added her protest as well – she was under strict orders. But before they could really get into it, Sharon was called away to an emergency in the chem lab, leaving the two of them alone.

 

[MorningStar]

Aerie - Infirmary

“Delilah, you have just had a baby…going out there would only be a danger to yourself, your friends, and your child. You have to trust your team – if you go out there now, they will only get themselves killed trying to protect you. It’s their nature.”

Sharon also tried telling her she was wrong…but then she got called away. Delilah started to protest but stopped. Maybe Maxim was right. If they didn’t trust her enough to even TELL her that this battle was being fought, they certainly wouldn’t trust her to take care of herself OR believe her when she says she is healed.

“Well…”

At least she could buy some time. And there was something she needed to do.

“Before I go, I want to hold my baby and say goodbye.”

She touched Bishop’s hand.

“Maxim, go get her for me?”

Bishop hemmed and hawed.

Bishop: “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…”

“If we’re going to be separated, I need to see her. Please, go get her. Or I’ll get her myself.”

 

[Spellbinder]

Underworld- Destroying the globe

<< As she makes her way back around to her starting point, she glances down and sees Circe attacking Rampage in ernest, using a powerful spell on him!>>

OH NO! He won’t be able to survive that much longer….but I’ve got to….

<< From her peripheral vision, she spots something…large…moving FAST. Her violet eyes widen as she sees four glowing red eyed HARPIES.>>

HECATE!

<< quickly engaging in evasive maneuvers, she avoids their first deadly pass and is now hovering.>>

<< the first monster comes directly for her, she pulls back her soul sword , with its glowing blade and surrounding silver mystic energy and with a MIGHTY SWING and a cry of defiance>>

GET BACK!!!

<< she SLICES the monster dead center though its body. It EXPLODES from the touch of the blade.>>

<< She HARDLY has time to appreciate the moment when the SECOND one comes DROPPING DOWN on her! Without thinking, she frantically thrusts her hand UP, a stepping disc OPENS horizontally between her and the best, swallowing it in mid descent. At her mental command it closes. Not even a MOMENT later, it RE OPENS at another point CLOSE to the downward torrent of dark magick. The disc is now VERTICAL as it opens expelling the disoriented harpie, who was still in motion, and unable to stop her furious COLLISION with the downward torrent of dark magick, meeting her end rather violently as she is VAPORIZED>>

UGH!!!!

<< The third harpie SLAMS into Spellbinder, now beating and clawing at her as it bares down on her. The sudden pain and disorientation leave Spellbinder in a bad spot but the evil touch and violence of this creature jar her out of that moment…using her sword to block the creature from getting any closer to her than it already is!>>

GET….


<< her OWN chimes sound off as the struggle wildly in the air…>>

AWAY!!!
<< The Soul Sword FLASHES, releasing a VIOLENT BURST of powerful dark magick that destroys the bird in one painful, shrieking moment....leaving a winded and upset spellbinder to deal with…>>

THE LAST ONE!?

Oh….if ONLY I had my …I could…


<<ZARK!>>

<<That distinct sound signature of Spellbinder’s deadly magick blasts as her soul sword, still extended forward in her grasp, FIRES upon the charging harpie with EXPLOSIVE accuracy!>>


!?
<< The astonished Morgan couldn’t be happier with the end result but still…>>

My SWORD, it IS the darkest & most powerful piece of my soul & magicks…but here in this place OVERRUN with displaced magick, it must have responded to my strong NEED…

<< Now that the creatures are destroyed, she must move!>>

There’s no more time!!! The globe is beginning to FRACTURE and will soon SHATTER! No doubt the REAL island and mansion will follow suit!

<< Her mind and heart quickly flash to her sister, her mother….alison…DELILAH….all of her friends and family there at the mansion. What have they been through!? What has happened to DELILAH? So many THINGS making her shudder with worry….>>

NO! I will not fear the worst…I will stop this spell. NOW!

<< wind and rushing chimes sound off as she flies full speed ahead….and she takes her soul sword, pulling it back with aim as she builds speed and gets closer and closer to the violent downward torrent of dark magick…she can FEEL the force of the magick It’s almost like trying to fly into the middle of a TORNADO! But she does not falter or waver!>>

<< Summoning ALL of her super strength>>

HARBINGER, YOUR DELIVERANCE IS…

<< swooping up to hover, with PERFECT form , she HURLS her Soul Sword, which is now humming, glowing BRIGHTLY with its silver flame like energy, AT the globe and the downward torrent bombarding it>>

AT HAND!

<< Her sword SPINS through the air like a verticle disc…and as it COLLIDES with the energy around the globe, THUNDER booms with savage accent. The blade CUTS through the magick and CRASHES into the globe! Spellbinder’s mystic chimes sound off as her soul sword BREAKS the spell and DESTROYS the globe in blinding, LIBERATING flash of SILVER LIGHT!>>

<< The feedback from the collision, the breaking of the spell and shattering of the globe expands in a large, ballistic field, with a ring of FORCE preceeding it, knocking Spellbinder away as all view of her is momentarily lost.>>

 

[Bishop]

Aerie - Infirmary to Nursery to Infirmary

“Before I go, I want to hold my baby and say goodbye. Maxim, go get her for me?”

What was he supposed to say?

Think. THINK.!

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…”

As if that would put her off for a second.

“ “If we’re going to be separated, I need to see her. Please, go get her. Or I’ll get her myself.”

And he knew she would. There was nothing that could keep Delilah from her child. He nodded.

He walked slowly down the hallway to the nursery, trying to think of something. What should he do?

Okay, stop. Think about this logically.

A) The baby had not hurt him, and he had held her almost the whole time Delilah had been dead.

B) She hadn’t killed anyone else, or shown any of that black cloud mojo since she was born.

C) There was no proof that the baby was a harm to Delilah at all.

D) There was no way he was going to be able to keep Delilah from seeing Alexia, even if he told her everything.

So he took a deep breath, and sidled past Ruby into the nursery and to Alexia’s crib. She had awoken from her nap and was staring up at him, smiling.

She’s too young to smile yet. Probably just gas…

He picked her up, cradling her protectively against his chest.

“Here we go, little one. Time to see mama.”

Leaving the nursery, he asked one of the staff to wheel the isolette down to the OR. Better safe than sorry, he figured. He walked back down the hallway to the doorway of the OR, and hesitated. Taking a tentative step into the room, and then another, he slowly walked to Delilah, who was still sitting on the bed. Everything seemed okay. He reached down, and placed the baby into her welcoming arms.

Maybe everything would be okay after all.

 

[Harbinger]

Observatory

:: Harbinger is CRASHING…her heart is failing, her mind is blacking out…even as Prophet struggles to hold her up, he can FEEL her slipping though his psychic hold. It’s a moment that is in some ways quite similar to that night in the Terror Dome, when Malice used HER empathy to bypass Harbinger’s psi screen and broadcast the psychic and emotional resonance of Prophet at the hour of his [at that time believed to be] DEATH.::

I….have….failed….

I just want….need….to close….my….

::Alison’s body begins to teeter and buckle even as the others watch in dismay::

::Cameron was watching…FEELING his sister DIE even as he screamed on both the physical and astral plane, trying to pull her back anyway his power might allow him to.::

:: The mansion started to TEAR APART…all was LOST…::

<< Spellbinder’s chimes SOUND OFF AGAINST the roar of Circe’s spell…and then the garnett jewel of Harbinger’s Time Staff illuminates BRIGHT RED! That mournful bell TOLLS as the SPELL bombarding the mansion and island is BROKEN….the magick SHATTERS and scatters away from the mansion and island.>>

<< There’s one last VIOLENT rush and LURCH of everything, before all begins to balance and settle. The red alert status of the mansion continues for a few minutes more, but now without the roaring din of circe’s direct onslaught, it is the loudest thing in the air. Soon, the computer sensors register the mansion being stable and cease the siren, but the red lights continue to flash.>>

::Alison SHOULD have taken her last breath the second BEFORE the spell had been broken. She’d done more than ANYONE could ask or expect her to do…and to save this place and all there in, She, Shadow Weaver and Isis…gave all they had…and MORE…at great expense to themselves, Alison most of ALL::

:: She CRUMBLES into Cameron’s arms…her breathing so weak and shallow. But she’s ALIVE.::

:: This may SEEM like it’s all over….but it’s NOT….not YET!::

 

[Rampage]

Oh the sweet songs of war. Rampage was giving and taking with Circe, but he knew that HE was healing away his damage. Not so sure about his quarry. Then she did the hocus-pocus on him.

ENOUGH!

:: thrusting out her well-manicured hand, she CALLS for Rampage::

RAMPAGE!

::Not merely calling…but TELEBLINKING him, a move associated with Harbinger::

You have done ENOUGH dancing, my dear boy. The time has come to TAKE A BOW!

:: She attacks, thrusting out both hands and gesturing as she BINDS Rampage in mystic chains, forcing him to his knees for now::

Mystic CHAINS! He struggled against them mightily, vowing to pull up the entire foundation before he just sat still. His own form darkened with his strain. The very floor shook as he pulled.

I have ALWAYS been amused by you, little demi-god.

:: Her voice drips with decadence and lingers with a haunting resonance as shadow tendrils “lick” out of nowhere around Nicolas and caress his face, his body::

You are not that unlike Hecate herself! Respected for your power…but woefully misunderstood. Tolerated by most…but secretly REVILED by ALL. BUT SO WILLING TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, NO MATTER THE COST!

::The tendrils ADD to the tension and restraint of the mystic chains as they coil and constrict his body::

But do you know what YOU really are? A TOOL! A MEANS TO AN END!

:: She came close, cupping Nicolas’ chin in her hand, letting her long sharp nails poke his cheeks::

You take comfort in the progress you have made. In one moment, I will make ALL of that ASH.

::Chimes sound off and thunder rumbles as Circe lifts her hands, both haloed by dark purple magick energy and emitting small orbs around them::


You will serve me in a most IMPORTANT cause. The possession of Spellbinder’s BODY!

What the fuck was she talking about?! All he knew is that she required chains and tendrils to hold him THIS much. She continued to speak.

And AFTER your mind has FRACTURED, your SOUL rendered asunder by the realization that YOU, SON OF SET, have just MURDERED your precious, beloved WITCH. You and your wretched little companions will know you for the brutal, murdering MONSTER that you ARE!

And then he KNEW. He KNEW what she was going to do. The spell incantation began as he grabbed the chains anew.

I'll...KILL...YOU...WITCH.

:: Rampage’s body begins to SEIZE with PAIN as Circe’s dark magick begins to take hold of him, TRANSFORMING HIM on every level…::

What MORE could be expected from the seed of a god dedicated to DESTRUCTION?


:: She laughs a bit as she enjoys causing Nicolas this pain::

You will DESTROY EVERYTHING you have worked so hard to achieve in the aftermath of knowing your TRUE origins. Spellbinder’s blood will RUN over your hands, but you will have precious LITTLE TIME to suffer the agony of your actions, as I REDUCE YOU to my PET. You will ENTERTAIN ME and SERVE ME as ALL my bestiamorphs do!


:: gesturing more intently as her dark magick PROGRESSES the changes in Nicolas::

And don’t you worry about your FATHER, my dear boy. This…is a ONE WOMAN SHOW and I will NOT share the world with THAT RAMPAGING bull in a china shop.
I’ll BREAK him just as I did Hermes AND Hades! He will live on through YOU…and YOU will live out your days as nothing more than a BEAST brought to heel after you fetched me my NEW BODY!

:: Her laugh coincides with a flash of dark purple light and a crash of thunder::

COME FORWARD, SET!

YOUR NEW MISTRESS COMMANDS!

I COMMAND you to bring me Spellbinder's body! AFTER you've DIVORCED her spirit from it of course!

::Smiling wide with a sparkle in her ruby red eyes and a wicked gleam across her face as the spell runs its course! ::

PAIN. PAIN...he could feel Set pushing into him and him being pushed aside, physically and psionicallly. Circe had no idea what she was doing, he would kill HER and ALL of them. He fought with all his might at the inevitable tug of the spell.

You...FOOL! Cannot...control SET. YOU are on a- aHA!! BWAAHHHHAHAHA!

SET stood to his full height, tearing apart the mystic chains and tossing them aside. He picked up the axe and laughed again at the witch.

THANK YOU for your assistance. As payment, I will make you my first concubine and kill Nicolas' wench and...eh?

The axe shimmered and hummed with power, then flashed a blinding light of energy, tossing Circe back as it glowed. As the light subsided, she would look upon...NICOLAS. Somewhere far off SET could be heard faintly roaring his displeasure before the sound faded completely away. The spell was completely broken. Nicolas looked at himself, astonished, then looked at her dead serious.

Pulling a stone column, he slammed it into the astonished sorceress several times until was reduced to rubble. He only had one thing to say and he said it over and over as he approached.

Kill YOU.