The rose fades to black

[Black Widow]

The Hellfire Club -- Red Rook's Room

Persephone: Or WHAT?

"You do NOT want the answer to that question."

Haleigh growled. They were right IN each other's faces, their eyes locked, and the tension was thick. Persephone continued to taunt her, asking Haleigh if she got what she wanted, saying she let Ava out against Zach. Haleigh looked absolutely apoplectic, homicidal even.

Persephone: She's DYING to speak with you.....but....if you want to KILL me instead, by all means. Funny thing about being housed in one body: I go, SHE goes.

That was the statement that saved them all. Persephone was cruel enough to smile when she saw Haleigh pause.

Persephone: I want to be friends, Scion. I WANT to be allies with you. Because like you, I also care about Ava. I've lived with her for 10 fucking years. And you wanna know the truth? I've come to kind of tolerate you too. SO...What do you say. Sisters in Sin? Or double funeral?

The goddess asked, even going so far as to offer Haleigh a dagger. Haleigh's irate glare never left Persephone's eyes. In a split second she'd taken the knife, grabbed a fistful of her sister's hair, at the base of her skull, and rushed forward, pressing the tip of the blade into Persephone's throat, right against the jugular vein. They both slammed into the wall together so hard that they nearly went THROUGH it into the next room. Haleigh could have pushed that dagger straight through Persephone's throat even faster, but she showed remarkable restraint. All that aggression unleashed, and Persephone was only barely knicked.

"The only reason that you are alive right now is because of Ava. STOP PROVOKING ME OR I WILL FIND A WAY TO CUT YOU OUT OF HER, IS THAT CLEAR?"

Haleigh was, without a doubt, on the verge of snapping.

"Now I am really, truly trying to work with you, but you are KILLING ME, and that will NOT BENEFIT YOU in anyway. You want to be allies, friends even? START ACTING LIKE IT."

She suggested, lowering the knife very slowly.

"And YES..... Let Ava out for a minute, I need to talk to her."

 

[Titan]

The Sanctuary – Monitor Room

Viv cracked a smile and put her arm around him and gave him a hug. Andrew squeezed back. She was really upset about Zach, and though it sucked that she was stuck here, the least he could do was try and make her feel better.

She answer his thoughts about Ava…

"She is a monster. And I have every intention of being there when the light drains out of her eyes for the FINAL TIME."

It surprised him to hear such harsh words coming out of Vivica’s mouth. She was usually all about bringing people together; for Vivica to hate someone SO much really spoke volumes about who they were.

"I hate where things are now, Andrew. So divided. And look what's happening. We are playing right into The Hellfire Club's hand and people are too stubborn to realize it. I don't understand, Dominique. I don't understand why she is LIKE THAT."

Andrew nodded.

“I ran into this a lot in my former life, before it all went down the toilet.”

He laughed, self-deprecating.

“It’s not really that she thinks she’s special, it’s that she’s afraid that she’s not.”

He looked at Vivica.

“Of course, that doesn’t excuse her for being a grade A bitch…”

He smiled.

“Some people can’t see their own actions, only what everyone else is doing. It’s insecurity.”

He saw that poor Vivica was crying again, so he reached over and took her hand.

"And I don't want to lose Zach...I can't…and I HATE that I am not even qualified to FIX HIM...whereas that WOMAN [Isis] is."

“You have some pretty amazing powers, Viv. But nobody can do everything. Isis will heal Zach, I know she will. And he’ll be right as rain.”

I won't be told I don't have a right to sit at the table anymore, Andrew. Not by Isis or ANYBODY."

“Hey – no more of that. You have just as much right to be here as anybody – more, I would say. And Oracle, she left you in charge. She trusts you, believes in you. Maybe take a page out of her book and believe in yourself?”

I can be their teammate..and their friend, but I won't be their subordinate. That part of my life is over."

“So don’t subordinate. Lead.”

Vivica put her arms around him and he hugged her tight.

“So…wanna make out now?”

He pulled back and grinned at her.

“X won’t mind, will you X?”

"I know that's a lotta shit that probably doesn't make sense to you…so sorry for unloading...and not asking about you. All of this...it's more than crazy or textbook insane. It's a whole other level...how are you dealing with it? Are you okay? What are you feeling? Have you talked to Delilah at all? Please choose any of the thousand questions I just asked you and use that as a starting point."

“Hey, feel free to unload on me anytime.”

He gave her a knowing wink.

“Feel free to take that as a euphemism if you want.”

He laughed, and fidgeted a bit.

“Delilah…well, she pretty much wants nothing to do with me. I think she might be seeing King Kong again.”

He looked off into space.

“But Zach he’s…he’s been helping me. Hanging out and stuff. Being a real friend.”

He looked down at his lap.

“And other than that, yeah…I’m here.”

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion – Red Rook’s Quarters

"And just WHY THE FUCK do you care again, exactly?"

He stared at Haleigh, and he started to speak but stuttered instead. His eyes involuntarily flicked to Persephone.

“I...I don’t know.”

He straightened, regaining his composure.

“Persephone is on my court. What happens with her, reflects on me. You are being used against her, so that affects me.”

"You know what would be FUCKING GREAT?!"

His head swiveled to look at her – though he was standing very close to her, his focus had been on Haleigh and he hadn’t consciously realized it.

Persephone grabbed his glass and smashed it onto the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

She went on a tirade, screaming about them babying her, treating her like she was weak.

"I need allies NOT babysitters."

“Well then STOP acting like you NEED one! Both of you! God, you’re both stubborn. You [pointing at Haleigh] trying to act like your actions don’t have consequences when you fucking know they do. And you [pointing at Ava] strutting around here like your kill is a badge of honor when you aren’t even sure if it’s a kill. Use your HEAD, Seph. You may be an incredibly sexy, goddess, queen of the Underworld, but Malice can still scramble your brain and leave you a vegetable they wheel out on Sundays for show and tell. Neither of you want that to happen so just calm the fuck down!”

Persephone was staring down Haleigh, and it was clear she didn’t care about what he was saying. This did not look promising. They were going to devolve into blows shortly if they didn’t get separated.

"Oh bitch, you'd better adjust your fucking attitude right now, because I swear, I've fucking HAD IT with how difficult you are making this for me."

And Haleigh had hold of her arm. And after more shouting, she forcefully pulled her arm out of Haleigh’s grasp.

"But if you want her back...I can let her out. For a moment. Like I did with ZACH."

And now she was just poking the bear for fun. And not the bear he WANTED her to be poking.

Persephone offered Haleigh one of her daggers and an ultimatum, lording it over Haleigh that to kill her would be to kill Ava. It was a bold play, but a good one. Of course, until Haleigh took the knife and held it to Persephone’s throat and slammed her into a wall.

“Haleigh! Don’t!”

He rushed forward, but held back. He couldn’t touch Haleigh without risking her cutting Persephone. He mentally calculated how quickly he could get her body to Talisman. Emiko could do it, maybe, if she was listening and willing…

"The only reason that you are alive right now is because of Ava. STOP PROVOKING ME OR I WILL FIND A WAY TO CUT YOU OUT OF HER, IS THAT CLEAR?"

Haleigh finally lowered the knife, and he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He sank down into the nearest chair.

“Shit, ladies, you both want the same thing. It doesn’t have to be like this.”

"And YES...Let Ava out for a minute, I need to talk to her."

He picked his head up and looked at Persephone.

“Wait…what? You can do that? Is that…wise?”

He was caught between two minds, not sure whether he wanted Ava brought out or clamped down tight.

 

[Jezebel]

The Hospital

:: Things were getting hotter than cow shit in the middle of July as it seemed as if Charope and Silver Swan were prepared to murder the fat little man with the red face. As Zach swooped, at first she wanted to smack him silly for what he was saying, but she quickly realized what he was doing, and now seemed about a good a time as any for a cigarette, taking out a pack of American Spirit's she lit the menthol cancer stick and took a deep puff exhaling. ::

Persephone said:
Helena: "Enjoy the show?"

Persephone's eyes found Helena's--the Queen's were gleaming with utter satisfaction at what had just happened. Persephone kept her expression even.

"Riveting."

Helena's grin grew as she stepped closer to Persephone.

Helena: "Good."

The Red Queen purred.

Helena: "Now it's your turn. KILL Zachary Armani. MUTILATE him. I want remnants of his blood found in QUEENS by the time you're finished with him. And if you fail--"

[evenly] "I won't."

Helena: "I surely hope not for YOUR sake. Get it done by TONIGHT."

:: Her pupils dilated as she watched Zach walk with the man and attempt to talk to him. When she first met him, she had seen a vision of him, walking in the dark, eating a pomegranate and puking up the seeds. She saw this again in her mind, as a pulsing hospital monitor could be heard beeping in the distance. This time, as he spit up the seeds, he began to spit up other things - like his spleen. It was disgusting and macabre but so was The Other Side. There was not much imagery that could shock her anymore. Not after what she had been through. Her vision refocusing to what was happening in front of her she began to perceive Zach's aura. When she had first met him, it was a brilliant orange, in line with his knowledge guided by passion and almost as bright as the namesake he had chosen for his line of work. ::

:: Now it was shifting, dimming right in front of her. She watched it flicker and flash all around him, like a television channel becoming scrambled every few seconds. Something very bad was about to happen to this man. And so began the delicate dance of those who could perceive what others could not often faced. To share this kind of information or not. Not every disaster could be avoided, not everything could be prevented - and often times knowledge of that led to making these things far worse than they needed to be. His aura was not completely dark - which meant to Rose that there was a spark of life in him that would be hard to extinguish. Not only that, but he had the presence of quite a powerful spirit next to him. His mother. ::

:: It wasn't her job to stop fate or prevent it, and right now - her main concern was Rose, Danny and the children. It was clear these people lived their lives with danger around every corner. Rather than become a bullet riddled messenger, Rae would stick with what she knew - cigarettes, whiskey and the spirit world. ::

:: Rose indicated that she needed to communicate with those protecting her sanctuary and Rae nodded. Again the rose begins to turn black. This was not good. Something was happening to Rose and everybody was looking for the cause of it...not knowing that the root lay hiding in the vines of the rose itself. Shaking her head. The others refused to understand - or rather were ignorant to it because they were in so much pain, pain that permeated through the room, that you didn't have to be an empath to feel. Rae had made the right decision in staying. Her friend needed her support. She would stay with Rose. ::

<< systems in the monitoring room begin to activate, and Sable, who was napping on Oracle's lap, perks up with a soft mew and looks toward the largest, central monitor, while various visual feeds of the children sleeping shift to smaller monitors that surround the largest center one in a square pattern.>>

<< Rose appears on screen, with Danny and Rae on either side of her.>>

<< Oracle can't quite register the link between Rose and the system broadcasting her image right now, but it's clear that this is live communication and interaction is live.>>

You speak of tests and failure.

The only FAILURE is in the thought process of anyone who thinks that Haleigh Davidoff is a woman worth saving.

She killed my children. She made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL.

<< this was the SECOND time she said this, but the pieces of that puzzle weren't ringing true to Zach or the others that she'd said this to...YET.>>

:: She looked at the others in the room until her eyes met with a delicious chocolate man that she actually knew. Her eyes widened for a moment and she smirked. ::

"So it looks my little road runner is putting down roots! I was right...wait of course I was."

:: Rae had met Xavier Winston during a bit of time she spent in The United Kingdom working on a particularly delicate case. She needed an item of great value to help her, and while he ordinarily was in the business of giving relics to their rightful owner, she had proved the good she could do and she promised to give it back when she was done. In the end, he let her keep it. For a few nights this week she had dreamt of the cartoon Road Runner, a nickname she had given Xavier during their work together. He was running all up and down the city of New York. She had wondered if she would be seeing him in the future, but she hadn't anticipated these circumstances. ::

Tonight she tried to kidnap one of my surviving children, and because of her, he nearly DIED, and now lies in this hospital.

She has no decency. No compassion. She said so herself when I confronted her.

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER.

Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

<< This was no bluff, and the look on Rae and Danny's faces indicated they were in full agreement with Rose.>>

<< As Oracle, Steel, Titan, Recall, Isis and Tachyon all get the closest look they've had of Rose since the purifiers incident, they see the woman's countenance. It's darker , like the footage that Oracle and Recall viewed of her smashing the Purifiers at the Parthenon. They couldn't help but remember what Zach said about her power signature shifting up the spectrum from purple, to WHITE.>>

:: She was snapped back into attention at the force of Rose's words. The anger, rage and violence permeating around her scared even the number of "spirit children" the victims of the bus accident cower in fear as their spectral spirits gathered around her. Only Rae and those like Rae could see them, but these heavenly little souls stayed with Rose, and made her even more powerful. If she was scaring THEM - this meant that the situation regarding Rose was not only bleak - but it was of significant importance. ::

"My God, Rosie Q...what is happening to you.."

:: Rae placed her hand on Rose's shoulder. If it was revenge on this Black Widow she wanted, it was revenge she was gonna get. She only needed to look at Danny's face, who seemed to MATCH Rose's anger to confirm to her that this was where she was needed, and where she HAD to be. The three of them had survived for quite some time without these masked heroes with their fancy plasma screens for quite some time now, and they had survived, carved out a place in this world...and there was nothing Rae wouldn't do to ensure the safety and survival of Danny and Rose. NOTHING. ::

<< After a few moments...Rose bows her hand, placing her hand to her forehead. Rae places a hand on Rose's shoulder, in a sign of concern and support.>>

<< Rose looks up again, addressing the birds of prey at the sanctuary. THIS time, she looks more like she did at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The dark countenance was gone, she seemed less scarey, more human.>>

Thank you...ALL of you for coming to the aid of my children tonight.

Jake's life was nearly lost and there was little time to think of anything as I rushed him to the hospital.

Isis: No thanks are necessary, Rose. I am prepared to stay here with your chidlren as long as it takes.

:: Glad to know that Rose was regaining her composure, at the sound of Dominique's voice, Rae began to hear rushing water in her mind. She saw pyramids, and death and birth at the same time. Rae's status as a conduit for the other side made her pretty much open to any pantheon. While she gathered her strength in a more mainstream less old spirtuality, she could see and perceive things outside of that, and the POWER of the Goddess of Rebirth herself, ISIS, whom Rae now saw clearly in her mind, was all around the elusive chanteuse. ::

"Well look at Rose, finally enlisting some POWER PLAYERS."

:: The sight of Dominique calmed her but she was also amused by the fact that in thinking that she suddenly became aware that it was not a common feeling to have for those who knew her. ::

:: Things seemed to be going smoother until people began to question Rose's sanity. Well not really her sanity, they were nice enough. They just wanted to know how she was doing, and those asking about Rose herself were actually farther ahead in underrstanding what was happening than those who were not. Rae would deliver Rose whatever it was that she wanted, but she FULLY intending on working on a way to fix the actual issue itself. This Black Widow deserved punishment for what she had done, and though Rae was in the business of saving souls, she could tell when it would be successful and when it would threaten to shake her to her core, to unwravel her. Some people signed their own death certificates - that was just life. Even though these people were TRYING to help...it wasn't working. Rose was working herself back up as Rae FELT a spike on the astral plane. She was TREMBLING, brimming with anger. It was deeper than Tachyon's words. ::

:: Rae put both arms on Rose, massaging her shoulders. ::

"Come on, darlin'...calm down now.."

:: She nodded to Danny as he supported her as well. As she placed her hand on Rose's shoulder, she immediately saw horns in her mind and a dubious smile. The devil. Rae was getting worried. ::

"Honey, please..you're scaring the people on tv..pull it together, now...that's it. Listen to my voice."

:: The black tears flowed. Black tears were a sign of POWER - one that not many new about. She held her friend close. ::

<< FIVE OF CUPS, THE DEVIL, THE MOON, and DEATH.>>

<< The DEVIL card, for ROSE! And what was it's meaning for ROSE? Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil.>>

<< She thought she had it together, a clear path to control the outcome. Whatever it was that could have called this card forth for HER, she would be able to deal with it. But she didn't realize the problem wasn't EXTERNAL, it was from WITHIN. >>

<< She hear's Rae's voice guiding her back into focus, and she finally opens her eyes, and responds to Tachyon, and the rest of them, not bothering to wipe away the black tears that streamed from her purple eyes>>

....Black Widow is a woman without conscience, or decency. Mine is the power to divine the truth, what lies beneath, and I cast my soul power over Black Widow, in an effort to learn WHY she was doing this. I offered to HELP her. I COULD HAVE....but then I LEARNED something...

Through her own power, she perceived the purifier's missile launches against herself and her companions, AND against my children.

"She USED her power to detonate one of the missles BEFORE it made contact with it's target. She CHOSE to let my CHILDREN BE MURDERED!"

"Jesus everlovin' CHRIST. What kind of shit is going ON in this city?!"

:: She shook her head with a look of shock and disgust and almost disbelief. Perhaps she had placed roots in Brooklyn for the right reasons. Perhaps it was fate that she was here now, it certainly was beginning to see like it. ::

<< Oracle, Isis, Steel, Titan, Recall, Citadel, and Jezebel, ALL saw/heard it, via Rose's psionic projection. They saw and HEARD the truth.>>

She regarded my children like so many OTHERS in this mortal jungle of stone and steel do. They meant NOTHING to her.

She didn't regret. SHE DIDN'T CARE.

And she came BACK to my Sanctuary, the ONLY safe space these children have...and decided to VICTIMIZE them again, by stealing one of the surviving children, to DELIVER HER to TALISMAN for EXPERIMENTATION!

<< Rose's anger began to SPIKE...and her purple hair was now flowing. Jezebel, Oracle and Recall saw for themselves, the aura around Rose now shifting up the spectrum, from purple, to WHITE. From Soul power, to PSYCHO power.>>

She isn't USED to someone baring her way, someone who has the POWER to fight her and STOP her, and when she found that in ME, she drew her gun, and tried to SHOOT me, but she ended up shooting JAKE, the child she had LIED to in order to lead him from this place, and then tore him away from me, UNFEELING as he cried with fear, IN THE BACK.

And even THEN, she had NO REGRET!

It is only BECAUSE of Citadle, and his REMINDING ME that saving Jake's life was MORE IMPORTANT TO ME that I did NOT kill that woman then and there.

<< And it was in this moment, that the DEVIL CARD in Rose's reading on herself had fully ACTIVATED, but unlike her earlier thought that she would be aware enough to stop herself, she was NOT. And NOW? It was becoming easier for her to reach "PSYCHO" power levels, and stay in that mode. As Jezebel had said, this was NOT a good sign.>>

SHE KILLED MY CHILDREN! It's ALL HER FAULT!

<< her eyes GLOWED at this point>>

AND I WANT HER DEAD!

<< but then, as terrifying as she appeared to them, once again...she SNAPPED back, and she seemed completely unaware of her own wild shifts back and forth.>>

I...will be in touch. I must continue to work with Jake on the astral plane, while the mortal doctors here work on his body.

Please keep my children, AND Sable, safe for me. I will be returning soon.

<< She closes the channel of communication, leaving the Birds of Prey to ponder and discuss yet another truth bomb regarding Haleigh, as WELL as an UPCLOSE example of what a woman with Rose's power "ON THE EDGE" looks like. Zach was RIGHT to be worried.>>

"This...is not fuckin' good."

:: Rose stumbled around for a moment as Rae whispered to Danny. ::

"You get Sybil there into a chair..I'll get some water. Don't let her leave, Danny."

:: Danny situated Rose into a chair was she began to calm down for a moment as Rae brought her a glass of water from the counter. She glanced at Danny, before glancing back at Rose. Tread lightly. ::

"Uh...darlin'...is there...I don't know..anything else happening to you right now you might have forgotten to mention? I'm ready to squish a bug like a frog flicks it's tonigue, but - that was scary. And I've seen Hell.."

:: She grabbed Rose's hands in hers. ::

"Honey, what's the deal with the devil I see?"

 

[Persephone]

Haleigh grabbed the dagger, pushing it against Persephone's throat as she slammed both of them into the wall. Haleigh pinning her there with the tip of the dagger digging into her jugular, a small cut visibly dripping blood.

Alek: "Haleigh! Don't!"

Haleigh: "The only reason that you are alive right now is because of Ava. STOP PROVOKING ME OR I WILL FIND A WAY TO CUT YOU OUT OF HER, IS THAT CLEAR?"

Persephone laughed, an unnerving mechanical laugh. It was quite fun to toy with Haleigh--dangle her sister in front of her and make her squirm. BUT, the goddess knew she could only poke the dragon so far without it BURNING her.

"It doesn't quite work that way darling, but please...continue."

She quipped with a smile, watching Haleigh's eyes seethe in anger as the knife continued to push into her throat.

Haleigh: "Now I am really, truly trying to work with you, but you are KILLING ME, and that will NOT BENEFIT YOU in anyway. You want to be allies, friends even? START ACTING LIKE IT."

Sighing with a roll of her eye, Haleigh finally lowered the dagger from her throat.

"This is me being a friend. I never said I was a GOOD one."

Alek: “Shit, ladies, you both want the same thing. It doesn’t have to be like this.”

Glancing at Alek, he looked like HE had just had a knife to his throat as he slumped into a chair obviously relieved.

Haleigh: "And YES..... Let Ava out for a minute, I need to talk to her."

Persephone shifted her eyes to meet with Haleigh's, letting them remain there with an even stare.

Alek: “Wait…what? You can do that? Is that…wise?”

"Yes I can do it. Ava's in the background, she can't ever get to the foreground again, not without Malice."

Her eyes didn't leave Haleigh's as she spoke to Alek.

"Since we're such good friends now...."

Rolling her eyes shut, Persephone remained silent for a few moments until all muscles in her unforgiving face relaxed. Her eyes opened slowly but she didn’t look directly into Haleigh’s, they remained cast down, her expression somber. A stark contrast from just moments before.

“Haleigh….”

Her voice was barely audible—a gentle whisper between them.

“I’m so sorry.”

She whispered between them again.

“I should of listened to you….instead I helped them hurt you…..”

She spoke with a ‘tiredness’ to her voice, soft and gently—quiet for only Haleigh to hear. Finally her eyes lifted to meet with hers. They were dull.

“Don’t let them hurt you anymore. You’re stronger than all of them. You can survive this….I know you can.”

She needed Haleigh to hear this. To know that there was life beyond the madness of Malice. That despite everything she had done, she COULD go back. She COULD make amends. And that no one but her had the ability to take her out in this club—not when her greatest power was her strength and resilience.

Her eyes fell shut and it was quiet between them for a moment.

A small smile finally appeared on her lips. Persephone’s eyes opened, the malicious under current returning. Snatching her dagger away from Haleigh’s hand, she reholstered it.

"Satisfied?"

 

[Tachyon]

Xavier had made 28 separate checks before Vivica could actually respond.

:: Her gaze softened as she looked at Xavier, gesturing him to stop. ::

"Xav, well I gotta admit..I love when anybody calls me the boss. Please relax. I know..I want to go crazy too...but have a seat, please. If there's anybody that can get to the children fast enough, it's you...We need to hold our strength."

:: She gestured towards him to sit down. ::

Very well...he took a seat and decided to work his MIND, THINK of what had just happened and what he had seen, analyze it. First, he KNEW the woman with Rose. She was a handful, but honest and the real deal. He had gathered a relic and allowed her to keep it. And very nearly accepted quite a bit more from her. She certainly let him know that if he need ANYTHING ELSE from her that the answer was yes. But the fact that she knew Rose, given what she could do....that was a good thing. Or should be. As long as they would listen. And he would make sure they do.

Vivica and Andrew had a moment - who could blame him for trying - and then she asked him several questions. Xavier was very interested in the answers they would get, but then the tables turned.

:: Vivica turned to face Xavier as well, her tone once again softened. ::

"And what about the speedster. Sometimes I forget that the two of you haven't been a part of this world for very long. I know it can't be easy...and looking at the two of you now...perhaps I haven't been very good at helping you guys through this. What is going through your mind, Xavier? You thinking about running for the hills like Sharon or Isis?"

Well, I am no FAN of conflict but there is a job to do and I aim to do it. Even if that means I work in what can at times be a hostile environment. I sometimes think that the people on this team are so prepared for conflict that they never stop to think if there is anything about which to be fighting. Given the fact that a GODDESS and a FAMOUS SPY AND ASSASSIN are trying to kill us, I could care less if people bicker. Besides, and I think Andrew might agree, it is fucking hard to be mad at the lot of you ladies at least. You are all so beautiful and powerful and smart and talented that I find that easy to focus on when perhaps I should be pissed off. But I DO have a bone to pic with YOU, madam.

He turned to her with his best angry face...and then it melted away.

You have not ONCE invited me to your gallery. ME. Someone who has studied 80,000 years of human art and I cannot get a tour?

He patted her twice on the leg.

I mean seriously? Is it my cologne?

 

[Citadel]

The Hospital

:: To say that he was pissed off was an understatement. ::

"Fuckin' sons a bitches. Oh I'm in pain, blah blah blah - let's get all the children murdered because of our FEEEELINGS."

:: He muttered mockingly and angrily under his breath as the group made their over to a portly man who seemed to be giving Rose a hard time. He knew this man. Danny didn't grow up with money. In fact just the opposite. His parents were Irish Catholic trash for the most part. He loved them, but they knew how to drink and how to stir up trouble. Danny grew up in a house full of kids, though he was never really sure which ones were his actual brothers and sisters and which ones had just kind of shown up one day, taken in by his mentally unstable but well meaning mother. He really loved his family, and he was flawed himself so who was he to judge, but long story short, he had seen this man as a child, walking around and breaking up families for no other reason than some upper east side wasp saw something she didn't like. Immediately, he was on edge at the sight of the man, but thankfully, the people who he had just chewed out in the waiting room actually DID something this time. They stood up and they showed out, all but threatening the man. This is what they SHOULD be doing with their powers. ::

:: Zach swooped in and took the charge, convincing the man to leave. He was grateful for them, but it didn't erase the anger he felt at ALL of their absences as of late. DANNY had been there for Rose...the ONLY one who had been there for her. What exactly was this team of theirs ACCOMPLISHING as of late? If anything? He was RELIEVED when they took their leave, leaving him alone with Rose and Rae. Finally she could be around people who KNEW her and TRULY cared about her. But it was clear that Rose wasn't going to leave this situation alone. She told them it was time to contact those at The Sanctuary. Danny didn't agree with the timing but he wasn't trying to run the show right now. He was just support staff to Rose at this point. ::

<< systems in the monitoring room begin to activate, and Sable, who was napping on Oracle's lap, perks up with a soft mew and looks toward the largest, central monitor, while various visual feeds of the children sleeping shift to smaller monitors that surround the largest center one in a square pattern.>>

<< Rose appears on screen, with Danny and Rae on either side of her.>>

<< Oracle can't quite register the link between Rose and the system broadcasting her image right now, but it's clear that this is live communication and interaction is live.>>

You speak of tests and failure.

The only FAILURE is in the thought process of anyone who thinks that Haleigh Davidoff is a woman worth saving.

She killed my children. She made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL.

<< this was the SECOND time she said this, but the pieces of that puzzle weren't ringing true to Zach or the others that she'd said this to...YET.>>

"Wait what?"

:: Danny took pause at Rose's words. As far as he knew, The Purifiers were the ones responsible for the death of the children. He had scoured the city looking for any remnants of the sect, looking for any clues that he might have missed. How could Rose have known something about this without telling him. That wasn't like her at all. She knew the ties that he had to this city, he could have helped her. He remained quiet and listened. ::

Tonight she tried to kidnap one of my surviving children, and because of her, he nearly DIED, and now lies in this hospital.

She has no decency. No compassion. She said so herself when I confronted her.

If I EVER see her again...I. WILL. KILL. HER.

Anyone who tries to STOP me, will SHARE HER FATE.

<< This was no bluff, and the look on Rae and Danny's faces indicated they were in full agreement with Rose.>>

<< As Oracle, Steel, Titan, Recall, Isis and Tachyon all get the closest look they've had of Rose since the purifiers incident, they see the woman's countenance. It's darker , like the footage that Oracle and Recall viewed of her smashing the Purifiers at the Parthenon. They couldn't help but remember what Zach said about her power signature shifting up the spectrum from purple, to WHITE.>>

<< After a few moments...Rose bows her hand, placing her hand to her forehead. Rae places a hand on Rose's shoulder, in a sign of concern and support.>>

:: His anger matched Rose's in this regard. The Black Widow was a traitor not only to her own super group, but the city of New York as well as the world. None of her reasoning mattered to him anymore. People looked to her as a hero, and she may not have wanted that, but she certainly benefitted from it. To spit in the faces of the very people she had appeared to want to protect, it was disgusting. It meant to Danny that she people were currency to her, and that she played with other's lives in order to protect those she thought were "fit" to protect. The city needed justice for her betrayal, and Danny wanted to be a part of that. ::

:: When his eyes met Rose, he immediately became more aware of what was happening around him. Rose was acting like she had done with the woman at the Sanctuary before, then Ava Cassadine, and then most recently with Black Widow. He had been so worried and he was letting his anger pull him from her. He leaned in during this moment, and grasped her hand tightly. The amount of responsibility she had, the burden she carried...everybody was prone to losing it every now and then, his mother was testament to that. It didn't make you less of a person needing help and care. ::

Xavier stepped up beside Isis, his hand rubbing her arm reassuringly. He knew how important the kids were to her, and that made any other shit about her pretty much null and void in his book.

"As am I, Rose. I am at your service to keep the children safe."

He paused for a second, then continued on with what could be a tougher conversation.

I know you have a had an unfathomably difficult night, but I was hoping to ask you: what did you mean when you said that Black Widow "made a choice that lead to 42 innocent lives being snuffed out, lives that she deemed inferior...INCONSEQUENTIAL." Did she specifically have something to do with that attack's outcome as well? And I realize that you have endured a severe trauma from the bus accident and the last week's events combined. Have you had a chance to speak with someone about it? I am concerned that you are being personally negatively affected in a more emotional or spiritual way. Have your cards spoken to you about this as well?

"It IS a good question."

:: What did Rose know about Haleigh that the others didn't? He may have come in a little too hot to land, but Xavier Winston posed a very good question. This couldn't have been easy on Rose, and it would be stupid to pretend that even somebody as strong as she was didn't need a little help or a shoulder to lean on. He gripped her hand even tighter. ::

<< FIVE OF CUPS, THE DEVIL, THE MOON, and DEATH.>>

<< The DEVIL card, for ROSE! And what was it's meaning for ROSE? Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil.>>

<< She thought she had it together, a clear path to control the outcome. Whatever it was that could have called this card forth for HER, she would be able to deal with it. But she didn't realize the problem wasn't EXTERNAL, it was from WITHIN. >>

<< She hear's Rae's voice guiding her back into focus, and she finally opens her eyes, and responds to Tachyon, and the rest of them, not bothering to wipe away the black tears that streamed from her purple eyes>>

....Black Widow is a woman without conscience, or decency. Mine is the power to divine the truth, what lies beneath, and I cast my soul power over Black Widow, in an effort to learn WHY she was doing this. I offered to HELP her. I COULD HAVE....but then I LEARNED something...

Through her own power, she perceived the purifier's missile launches against herself and her companions, AND against my children. She USED her power to detonate one of the missiles BEFORE it made contact with it's target. She CHOSE to let my CHILDREN BE MURDERED! She COULD have saved them, but she REFUSED. She decided they were too WEAK and inconsequential..."

"That fuckin' BITCH! That FUCKIN' BITCH!"

:: He GRITTED his teeth in anger as his arm muscles rippled for a moment. Danny wanted to make sure the job was DONE with Black Widow. He wanted to find wherever she WAS in the city and warp around her so STRONGLY that she would drive herself mad, take a gun to her own head and END IT. HOW could she have made a choice like that and lived with herself? ::

<< Oracle, Isis, Steel, Titan, Recall, Citadel, and Jezebel, ALL saw/heard it, via Rose's psionic projection. They saw and HEARD the truth.>>

She regarded my children like so many OTHERS in this mortal jungle of stone and steel do. They meant NOTHING to her.

She didn't regret. SHE DIDN'T CARE.

And she came BACK to my Sanctuary, the ONLY safe space these children have...and decided to VICTIMIZE them again, by stealing one of the surviving children, to DELIVER HER to TALISMAN for EXPERIMENTATION!

<< Rose's anger began to SPIKE...and her purple hair was now flowing. Jezebel, Oracle and Recall saw for themselves, the aura around Rose now shifting up the spectrum, from purple, to WHITE. From Soul power, to PSYCHO power.>>

She isn't USED to someone baring her way, someone who has the POWER to fight her and STOP her, and when she found that in ME, she drew her gun, and tried to SHOOT me, but she ended up shooting JAKE, the child she had LIED to in order to lead him from this place, and then tore him away from me, UNFEELING as he cried with fear, IN THE BACK.

And even THEN, she had NO REGRET!

It is only BECAUSE of Citadle, and his REMINDING ME that saving Jake's life was MORE IMPORTANT TO ME that I did NOT kill that woman then and there.

:: He looked at Rose as she spoke. This wasn't her. She wasn't somebody who outright murdered people, no matter who they were. EVERYBODY she engaged in a fire fight with, she gave them an option. She could DELIVER them from themselves, and help them on a better path. She always gave them a choice...she had given Haleigh that choice and she had refused it, but Rose wasn't one to just let a woman die. She taught peaceful resistance, she promoted loving one another and learning to operate outside of a place of violence. She was teaching the future of mutants to be smart, to rise above those who relied on their powers to exert their authority. This wasn't HER. Danny...maybe when pushed, but it wasn't Rose. Rae and him needed to get to the bottom of this and quick. ::

<< And it was in this moment, that the DEVIL CARD in Rose's reading on herself had fully ACTIVATED, but unlike her earlier thought that she would be aware enough to stop herself, she was NOT. And NOW? It was becoming easier for her to reach "PSYCHO" power levels, and stay in that mode. As Jezebel had said, this was NOT a good sign.>>

SHE KILLED MY CHILDREN! It's ALL HER FAULT!

<< her eyes GLOWED at this point>>

AND I WANT HER DEAD!

<< but then, as terrifying as she appeared to them, once again...she SNAPPED back, and she seemed completely unaware of her own wild shifts back and forth.>>

I...will be in touch. I must continue to work with Jake on the astral plane, while the mortal doctors here work on his body.

Please keep my children, AND Sable, safe for me. I will be returning soon.

<< She closes the channel of communication, leaving the Birds of Prey to ponder and discuss yet another truth bomb regarding Haleigh, as WELL as an UPCLOSE example of what a woman with Rose's power "ON THE EDGE" looks like. Zach was RIGHT to be worried.>>

"Whoah..."

[ Silver Swan COLLIDES with Persephone with a THUNDEROUS punch across her jaw, one that would have PULPED the head of any NORMAL flatscan, and most unprotected mutants! But Sharon doesn't stop there! She unleashes a BRUTAL physical assault combining speed AND physical power. ] [ 9.25 mark - 9:31 mark]

[ And in that physical assault, she shows why she was given the Amazonian name "ALLEO" which means WHIRLWIND in the Amazon language]

NOW, SAY HELLO TO HADES!

[ The punishment she's dishing out looks brutal, and it IS, and any OTHER victim of this, with the exception of a VERY select few, would be dead now. But Persephone survives, and Silver Swan sends her on her way, with a HEARTY dose of her SONIC SCREAM]

[ Steel HAS to reach Alycia, and COVER her, while some how ENDURING the power of the sonic scream. Even Oracle and the others watching it on her monitor RECOIL as Sharon's sconic scream blows out windows ALL AROUND the area, and FLATTENS cars, causes tremors in the ground, and knocks down small structures.]

Steel: Silver Swan, for the love of god...NO MORE! You'll KILL MORE than JUST Persephone! And we've got to get Zach and Alycia some HELP!

:: The city called out to him in pain. He could feel the windows busting out, the destruction of small structures, the tremors all around him. The Silver Swan was at it AGAIN! ::

:: He felt tricked. Torn between helping Rose and helping the city. In this moment, he chose Rose. The city he could fix anytime. Leaving her alone was something he didn't plan on doing AGAIN. Not any time soon. ::

:: Rose stumbled around for a moment as Rae whispered to Danny. ::

"You get Sybil there into a chair..I'll get some water. Don't let her leave, Danny."

:: Danny situated Rose into a chair was she began to calm down for a moment as Rae brought her a glass of water from the counter. She glanced at Danny, before glancing back at Rose. Tread lightly. ::

"Uh...darlin'...is there...I don't know..anything else happening to you right now you might have forgotten to mention? I'm ready to squish a bug like a frog flicks it's tonigue, but - that was scary. And I've seen Hell.."

:: She grabbed Rose's hands in hers. ::

"Honey, what's the deal with the devil I see?"

:: Danny nodded and helped Rose take a seat for a moment as Rae grabbed her a glass of water. Rae inquired what was going on with her. ::

"You can trust us, Rose. I promise. We can help..we just have to know HOW."

 

[Titan]

The Sanctuary

Besides, and I think Andrew might agree, it is fucking hard to be mad at the lot of you ladies at least. You are all so beautiful and powerful and smart and talented that I find that easy to focus on when perhaps I should be pissed off.

Andrew's eyes went wide, and he put his hands up.

"Do not lump me in with that statement, mate. You are on your own."

Even ANDREW knew that you didn't tell a strong, independent women like Vivica that you find it hard to argue with her because she's pretty. That was like coating your balls with honey and smashing a bee's nest. This guy needed to buy some foot-mouth extraction insurance, after his comment to Rose earlier.

They went on to discuss some gallery thing, but Andrew let his mind wander. He wondered if he could get Zizi on the com, to find out how Zach was doing...

 

[Black Widow]

The Hellfire Club -- Red Rook's Room

Haleigh could hear Alek behind her, could see his shadow growing larger on the wall in her peripheral vision, but she just stared straight into Persephone, unwilling to take her eyes off her target. If Alek tried to stop her he'd get some TOO, but he seemed to realize instinctively that he shouldn't.

Persephone was either brave or insane, laughing in the face of certain death. Haleigh couldn't quite determine WHICH category she fell in, but she knew one thing for sure. Persephone wasn't STUPID, and though she came back with a cute quip, she eased up as well. Alek sounded relieved as hell when he realized probably of sororicide had dropped to a more manageable level.

There was a brief exchange wherein they discussed whether or not Persephone could, or SHOULD, bring Ava out. Persephone insisted that only Malice could permanently switch the personalities back. Haleigh doubted that, but she let the comment slide by, and relaxed her grip on Persephone's hair, as she watched the Goddess's expression change.

Ava: Haleigh….

Was it really HER, and if it was, how long would she be out? If there was only one thing Haleigh could tell her, she was going to make SURE the message was clear. She ducked her head down, trying to catch Ava's downcast gaze.

"Ava? I still love you, okay?"

Ava: I’m so sorry.

Ava was so quiet, so anguished. Haleigh pressed her forehead against Ava's, shedding tears again silently, wishing her sister didn't have to feel this way.

"I know, me too."

Haleigh whispered back sadly.

Ava: I should of listened to you….instead I helped them hurt you…..

"No.... no, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

Ava: Don’t let them hurt you anymore. You’re stronger than all of them. You can survive this….I know you can.

Haleigh stared into her sister's eyes, grasping the nape of Ava's neck, trying to WILL some strength into her.

"So can YOU."

Ava closed her eyes, and there was silence. When the smile appeared, Haleigh knew Persephone was gone immediately. She released her hold, backed off from the wall and surrendered the blade.

Persephone: Satisfied?

"Hardly, but thank you."

A beat passed in which Persephone extracted herself from the hole in the wall, and Haleigh rubbed her eyes dry and put her proverbial armor back on. Finally, she looked at Alek again.

"Aww Bearclaw, no need to worry. It's just a little sisterly squabble."

 

[Silver Swan]

Charope LLC - Infirmary

"Yes, Sharon, go. Rush... now..... right into their ambush..... just like I did...... Go MURDER Haleigh and Ava...... Go slaughter our loved ones..... and get yourself killed..... or captured..... by Malice and the rest......"

He stopped to catch his breath.

[ Sharon's silver eyes flashed as she stared at Zach in astonishment]

They aren't OUR loved ones anymore! They have NO honor, NO decency!

They have SHOWN us just how UNLOVEABLE they are, and you chose not to believe me!? After what's just HAPPENED!?

[ she BELLOWED, and her voice reverberated all around everyone in the Infirmary]

What MORE proof do you NEED, ZACHARY!?

Simon and Vivica were nearly killed.

Bishop was beaten to a pulp.

A CHILD is in the hospital....

YOU were nearly gutted!

And ALYCIA....

[ Her voice breaks...but before she could EXPLODE up through the floors of this building and take off into the night sky for the Hellfire Mansion, she caught sight of Steel, silently pleading with her]

“Sharon, this isn’t your fault, SHARON!”

[ She looks at him for a moment...and pauses. Before returning her gaze to Zach]

Do you think I'M worried about ANY of those weaklings at the Hellfire Mansion!?

Do you think I FEAR them?! THEY should fear ME! That's ALWAYS been that Black Widow's problem. But don't forget...I was CREATED to BRING HER DOWN!

Do you think ANY of them can stop ME!?

I'm NOT the woman you knew anymore, Zachary! That's ALWAYS been in the back of your mind. It's what DISGUSTS you about me.

It's what disgusts ALL OF YOU!

[ She looks at Steel, Bishop, Delilah. Richard, who is caring for a weary Isis, HEARS Sharon]

The Sharon YOU knew would have wanted justice, to work WITHIN the system.

I? WANT. VENGEANCE!

And the woman who stands before you NOW?

SHE has the POWER to GET IT!

I WILL slaughter them. It's NO LESS than what they deserve!


[ But THEN....]

“What is going on out here?”

Her voice remained calm. Zach was standing there as well, in his hospital gown, looking thankfully alive but the worse for wear.

“Zachary, go back to your room and lie down. You should not be up.”

Her face softened as she looked at him.

“Thank god you’re alright though honey.”

[ Sharon was a bit DISMAYED to see Zizi just now. She was GOING to leave, right now! ]

“Sharon, I saw what you did out there – you saved Zach’s life. And Alycia’s.”

She tilted her head and looked down the hall.

“Could you take me to see her? Please?”

[ Zizi could see the wild glint in Sharon's silver eyes. The woman was ready to go on a RAMPAGE. Steel had done a marvlous job of engaging her THIS long.]

I...

[ She looks at Zach, and her silver eyes well up once more, as she sees him struggling]

....

[ She looks away]

....okay.

[ She slowly turns away from the others, and leads Zizi down the hall, where the women see the exhausted Isis, now being cared for by Richard]

Isis....

[ She says quietly]

Alycia is...just there.

[ She leads Zizi to the doorway of Alycia's room. They both see the amazon laying in the hospital bed in that dark room, with monitors beeping and humming.]

[ Sharon covers her mouth with her hand as she swallows hard. She can't help but to reach out with her sonic based powers and "listen" to Alycia's internal rhythms, particularly her heartbeat]

Her vitals are growing stronger. She's sleeping now.

Isis is drifting as well. She's exhausted.

I can't stay here, Zizi.

I have a PROMISE to keep.

I told that traitor what I would do if she hurt my friends, and she has.

[ The tears fall once more]

I can't be a liar, Zizi. I have to show her....both of them.

[ Sharon says in a low, cold tone]

 

[Persephone]

Haleigh: "Hardly, but thank you."

Pulling herself out from the hole she was embedded in, Persephone cracked her neck from side to side.

"Whatever."

Haleigh got what she wanted: a moment with the weeping willow that was her sister. And Persephone got what she wanted: her life. It was a win win, despite the annoyance of it all.

Haleigh: "Aww Bearclaw, no need to worry. It's just a little sisterly squabble."

Giving Haleigh a look before turning to Alek.

"Oh yeah, she always threatens to kill me. Happens ALL the time."

She sarcastically added as she walked by them to the mirror. Despite getting the holy hell beaten out of her by Silver Swan, she only had a cut on her lip, gash on her cheek, and now a cut on her neck courtesy of hers and Scion's 'sisterly squabble'. Examining her neck, she wiped the fresh blood that was dripping down her throat.

"Cute."

She grumbled to herself, moving the torn organza to reveal her left leg. She unbuckled her mystic dagger holster from her thigh before dropping it on her dresser. She did the same to the right legs holster as well.

"Is there anything else that needs to be said?"

Looking at both of them as she peels off her bracelet and rings, tossing them on the dresser as well.

"Or may I take a shower now?"

 

[Recall]

The Sanctuary

"You boys are reminding me why I swore off men."

:: Vivica laughed. ::

"I mean honestly! Thanks for giving a girl a laugh, but Jesus!"

:: She squeezed Andrew's hand and smiled warmly at him. ::

"You know..you're a really sweet guy, Andrew. Honestly, thank you for your words. But I think the rest of the team has been doing enough making out for the both of us. I'm not gonna villainize Delilah. She's good people...like so good it's disgusting. Like she could compete with Oracle in the good person olympics and PLACE..I just think you met her at the wrong time."

[scrunching her nose]

"And I am glad that Zach has been there for you. Listen to him. He's as messy as the rest of us about his own relationships, but he's really good at helping people with THEIRS."

[smiling]

"And if you need it..I'm here for you too, okay?"

:: turning her head towards Xavier. ::

"And as for YOU, boo boo kitty. I just assumed my gallery was a bit too modern for your taste. And I'm pretty sure I RECALL com links working both ways. We've all got shiny bright contact lenses of which to communicate with each other."

:: She looked at them for a few moments. It was clear that BOTH of them felt a little out of sorts, unsure of their places. They were all listening to tasks and doing as they were told, but in this moment, Vivica realized something, recognized something within herself. She leaned forward and exhaled deeply. ::

"Thanks for lightening the mood boys...but I can't help but feel like we all should be doing MORE for each other. We've been doing this for how long now...and I still feel like I don't know anything about you guys. Where you came from..why you are here..why do you want to be a part of The Birds of Prey. In light of everything that's going on, we need to be able to lean on each other. We don't know where Alycia, Sharon and Dominique might end up, but I know that the two of you are here. I am here. That means something to me. It's important to me. YOU two are important to me..so the jokes, they're fun...they lighten the mood..but I just want to say something..to the both of you...while we have time."

:: Vivica wished she had an ice cold glass of some blush wine right about now, but alas they were in an orphanage. ::

"This team..it has some big personalities...with some deep history. I know what it's like to try and find a place for yourself, when everybody seems to be moving faster than even you, Tachyon. It's like all of a sudden you wake up, and you find yourself with people who you are supposed to be like family with...but it's like somehow they forgot you were a part of it. Like they still fuck with each other, and deeply, but you just kind of have to hold on for dear life and insert yourself when needed, but it never seems like the right time..and it never seems like anybody really WANTS to make that connection with you.."

:: Leaning back ::

"I'm realizing now, maybe a few of us are guilty of doing that with you guys. I just want to make the distinction NOW...before anything you might be feeling festers, before any of you are looking for the door. If it ever gets to that point, please..let me know.. "

:: turning to Andrew ::

"I want you guys to feel good about being here. I mean your power...it's a bit like mine. I mean..PLEASE let's get drunk in the near future and get into a pissing contest. I want to figure out where the cap of what I am able to mimic and you are able to do is, right? But you could also apply that...to the team? I mean...if you really WANTED to..You could help TRAIN us, Drew. Teach us how to do things perfectly like you. I could see you being a real asset..and if you feel like doing things that aren't Spectra related, let me know. I KNOW that we could find something good for you..you have the right amount of heart to do anything..."

:: she turned to Xavier now. ::

"And YOU...you need to make an effort to BE one of us, boo. You're well travelled, you're fast as hell, you can get places quickly, you..entertained Alison on Aerie..but that's all I know. I know...I just said that com links worth both ways..but if there's anything I learned from my own past, it's that in this world we live in? A world that you are a part of now...you gotta show up and show out, and MAKE yourself known...otherwise you're just gonna be a blur. Nonconsequential. You move so fast, Xavier...sometimes faster than allows you to see everything, but it's time for you to slow down. Put down roots...make friends. Make a life for yourself. I haven't reached out..because I wasn't so sure that you would be open to it...no offense, but most of the people I know who can tolerate Alison Marble are jackasses themselves..so it threw me off. I apologize for that...but you need to make a promise to me..to Andrew..to be present. Share your life. You've proven in The Purifiers caper AND in The Frost Caper that you could do incredible things...but we live in a WORLD of incredible creatures. I want to know who YOU are Xavier..what you worry about..how you feel..I want to know a human being. Not just an incurable charmer that says what it is he thinks I want to hear. I like you Xavier...the others like you...but you gotta give a little more..."

:: she grabbed his hand. ::

"And I do too. The second this mess is over, you come to my gallery and we will talk Art History until the cows come home. I promise."

:: shaking her head. ::

"Sorry for almost proving Dominique's point that she thinks I think I always know best and have to teach. I just wanted to take a moment...as a teammate and friend, to tell you that I appreciate both of you, and whereas time may have been a luxury before, it isn't one now. I don't want to waste my time anymore on people if it's not going to be worth it. So let's make it worth it."

:: cocking an eyebrow ::

"I don't want anybody to go through what I went through. So I won't allow it to happen. But how about we agree...right now. In this room, that we trust each other. We got each other's back...despite the stupid shit we might say or even think? Trust me, the song may say one thing but THIS ho is loyal."

:: She laughed again and immediately her mind went to Zach, Alycia and Sharon. ::

"Ugh...I feel bad even for laughing. I wish SOMEBODY was in contact right now. I hate not knowing what's going on."

 

[Rose]

The Hospital

:: Danny nodded and helped Rose take a seat for a moment as Rae grabbed her a glass of water. Rae inquired what was going on with her. ::

Too much pain...too much suffering...TOO MUCH DEATH. Not enough JUSTICE. NOT. ENOUGH. REVENGE.

"Uh...darlin'...is there...I don't know..anything else happening to you right now you might have forgotten to mention? I'm ready to squish a bug like a frog flicks it's tonigue, but - that was scary. And I've seen Hell.."

:: She grabbed Rose's hands in hers. ::

"Honey, what's the deal with the devil I see?"

"You can trust us, Rose. I promise. We can help..we just have to know HOW."

<< Rose looked at Danny and Rae, crestfallen>>

My children...

They never had a chance!

Not...not with someone like HER [ Black Widow] on the loose!

[ She looked at Rae]

I had to carry on!

I had to provide for the surviving children, because the world at large feels the same way BLACK WIDOW does about them.

I...used to think I had SUPPORT from people like Zach Armani...but the cards I pulled for HIM all FLIPPED. His judgement was CLOUDED, his decisions FLAWED. He believed in...LOVED a woman with NO SOUL!

She said it herself! She had ALL of them fooled.

The cards...

<< She let herself lay back in the chair. Danny and Rae could hear that soft "ambience" of her power signature all around them. The look of rage was gone, now there was a look of weariness, as if she'd been fighting an intense battle that was finally wearing on her.>>

...the night that woman...more creature than human...Cobra, of the hellfire club, tresspassed in the Sanctuary, I had performed a reading on myself.

I pulled...

<<FLASH!>>

<< Surrounded by the spectral, purple light that was the signature of her "Soul Power" (her personal name for the energy of the ASTRAL PLANE that she channeled and manipulated) , Rose performed a tarot reading on herself. SEVERAL of them.>>

<< EACH time, no matter how she focused her power over the glowing deck, she was given: FIVE OF CUPS, THE DEVIL, THE MOON, and DEATH!>>

<< Rose's face shows her genuine dismay!>>

Something's WRONG.

I have been able to read and divine since I was a little girl. My 2nd mother had the gift, and saw it in me, and nurtured it. It was enhanced my own SOUL power.

But THAT night, right before Cobra attempted her invasion, I pullsed those same cards...THREE times.

And the DEVIL card was upside down!

<< she looked at Rae and Danny with a worried expression on her face.>>

I thought...I THOUGHT I'd have more TIME to investigate, but things have been happening in rapid succession!

Rae...

When the Purifiers, were casting their long, violent shadow across the city...she felt the disturbance...it was even heard across the astral plane! The screams of the parents, the children, the hurt, the wounded, the dying. And when the missle hit the bus with my children, I was rendered unconscious by the collective screams of DEATH from her children. Were it NOT for my own native power, and my will to LIVE, I would have been left in a COMA.

But even so...something within me was blown away...BURNED AWAY along with my children. I thought it was the grief and pain, and that as time passed, I would recover.

But the devil card...the flipped devil card...

It said: Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil.

Each encounter I've had with the Hellfire Club, I've begun to to tap less into my soul power, and more into my PSYCHO power. And the more that I do it, the easier it becomes, the more RIGHT it feels.

And now...my heart...my SOUL is in an UPROAR, now that I know the TRUTH about Black Widow?

<< She sits up right, and looks at both of them, now ANGRY again. Her demeanor and her tone takes on that haunting presentation once again, without her even realizing it>>

The souls of my children DEMAND her destruction!

<< she exhales once again, and returns to her normal state.>>

Dennis Nedry, why does he want to cause harm to me and my surviving children?

What happened here tonight is the fault of Haleigh Davidoff, not mine....

 

[Jezebel]

The Hospital

:: It took her a bit to get to gain composure, but soon Rose had calmed down and was able to speak. Rae listened, her eyes intense and wild as she listened to Rose speak. ::

<< Rose looked at Danny and Rae, crestfallen>>

My children...

They never had a chance!

Not...not with someone like HER [ Black Widow] on the loose!

[ She looked at Rae]

I had to carry on!

I had to provide for the surviving children, because the world at large feels the same way BLACK WIDOW does about them.

I...used to think I had SUPPORT from people like Zach Armani...but the cards I pulled for HIM all FLIPPED. His judgement was CLOUDED, his decisions FLAWED.

The cards...

<< She let herself lay back in the chair. Danny and Rae could hear that soft "ambience" of her power signature all around them. The look of rage was gone, now there was a look of weariness, as if she'd been fighting an intense battle that was finally wearing on her.>>

...the night that woman...more creature than human...Cobra, of the hellfire club, tresspassed in the Sanctuary, I had performed a reading on myself.

I pulled...

"Rose...what did you pull? The devil card?"

I have been able to read and divine since I was a little girl. My 2nd mother had the gift, and saw it in me, and nurtured it. It was enhanced my own SOUL power.

But THAT night, right before Cobra attempted her invasion, I pullsed those same cards...THREE times.

And the DEVIL card was upside down!

:: Rose recoiled for a second. Though the tarot was not her craft, she had a knowledge of the cards and what they meant. ::

"oh Rose..."

<< she looked at Rae and Danny with a worried expression on her face.>>

I thought...I THOUGHT I'd have more TIME to investigate, but things have been happening in rapid succession!

Rae...

When the Purifiers, were casting their long, violent shadow across the city...she felt the disturbance...it was even heard across the astral plane! The screams of the parents, the children, the hurt, the wounded, the dying. And when the missle hit the bus with my children, I was rendered unconscious by the collective screams of DEATH from her children. Were it NOT for my own native power, and my will to LIVE, I would have been left in a COMA.

But even so...something within me was blown away...BURNED AWAY along with my children. I thought it was the grief and pain, and that as time passed, I would recover.

But the devil card...the flipped devil card...

It said: Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil.

Each encounter I've had with the Hellfire Club, I've begun to to tap less into my soul power, and more into my PSYCHO power. And the more that I do it, the easier it becomes, the more RIGHT it feels.

And now...my heart...my SOUL is in an UPROAR, now that I know the TRUTH about Black Widow?

<< She sits up right, and looks at both of them, now ANGRY again. Her demeanor and her tone takes on that haunting presentation once again, without her even realizing it>>

The souls of my children DEMAND her destruction!

<< she exhales once again, and returns to her normal state.>>

"Rose! No they don't! Don't you know that I can see them? I can experience them! They're SCARED. They're scared of what's happening to you. They aren't requesting the Black Widow's head...though I'm not opposed to offering it up to them."

<< she exhales once again, and returns to her normal state.>>

Dennis Nedry, why does he want to cause harm to me and my surviving children?

What happened here tonight is the fault of Haleigh Davidoff, not mine....

"Dennis Nedry ain't a man of his word, Rose. I can see it. He dances in the flames of hell like he is a moth just LOOKIN' for the light. He's in their pocket I just know it! They're just tryin' to scare you. Please don't LET THEM. Rose. I love you. And the Lord will STRIKE ME DEAD before I let any of these bastards GET TO YOU..."

:: She gripped the woman's hand. ::

"I KNOW what you can do. But it's NOT who you are. You don't think that with the power I got, I don't think about exacting my own justice..taking the mighty ARM of the LORD and just wielding it with the force of a bible belt Senator? But it's not that easy. Being a good girl ain't that easy..but YOU ARE ONE. You're a good girl, Rose. I won't let you do this, unless I KNOW...it's the thing that's most going to help you. Come with me. Please?"

:: Rae Ann grabbed Rose's hand and they made their way to Jake's room. This time they were allowed in thanks to some convincing of a very Long Island nurse from Danny. Soon they were faced with him. The victim in all of this. ::

"Rose. Look at that boy. He's hurt. He almost died...but he didn't. He's alive. And it's because of FATE, Rose. It's because the two of your's journey together, it ain't over. He survived The Black Widow...and he'll survive whatever else you throw at him. You know that...because you've BEEN him...TWICE. But he NEEDS the kind of woman around him that can identify with him. That knows his pain and can help him work through it. You think I woulda let my DADDY do what he did if I had somebody like YOU in my life? Hell no. Your mission is bigger than all this. Even if we kill Black Widow...the rest of The Hellfire Club still stands. There is still an endgame that is required outside of just Haleigh Davidoff. She's a COG in the grand scale. You gotta think of these kids..."

:: shaking her head. ::

"You aren't alone in this Rose...I can help you...but we gotta figure out how to get you off this train before you wind up losing it and leaving them behind."

:: Rae KISSED Rose's forehead. ::

"Please...I can help. Just bare witness...and may your own ability as a psionic, please understand how it is that I can help. How it is that we can do things...without violence...though let's be clear, I ain't opposed to. I'm telling you this because I'm trying to reconnect you to who you are. Please..."

:: She took her gaze from Rose and placed it on Jacob. ::

:: Rae stood over the boy. So sweet and gentle. Not all kids were - some were assholes and she had seen her fair share of those. As she stood over the boy, for a moment she thought of herself and who she was as a little girl. Singing in the choir, making dandelion crowns and skipping rocks like she was Laura Ingalls Wilder herself. She had parents, but nothing made her that much different than this boy. The pain of being different, feeling abandoned or used for what you could do. Not fitting in. He was so young, but it was clear that he had learned so much. Rae Ann was sure that a bullet wouldn't be the thing to take down this boy. Not if she had anything to do with it. ::

:: She was a woman of considerable gifts. Rae Ann Reynolds was not a mutant, but she was a mystic - a woman born of incredible gifts, of a connection to the spirit world, the other side that was nearly unparalleled for a human. Raised as a preacher's daughter, she grew up in the church. She went to Sunday School, she listened to her father preach at revivals, watched as he charmed snakes and spoke in tongues. But even as a young girl, she knew he was a fraud. But she wasn't. She had experiences, knew things and did things that made her know that she had been chosen to do great things. Decades later and a trail of burned bridges behind her and she had done just that. Most didn't understand her gifts, or thought at the very least that she was just incredibly perceptive. But Rae could do things that other psychics simply could not. She was a conduit in every sense of the word - a psi sensitive possessed of great blessings, and as she looked at young Jacob, sleeping and attempting to recover from his wounds, thanks to the help of Rose's intensive soul energy defense, she it knew it was time to share her gifts. To do the work. ::

:: Standing over Jake's hospital bed, we see a split screen of Rose's brillaint light brown, almost hazel eyes and the boy's sleeping, almost angelic face. Rae closes her eyes to center herself and prepare to unleash her power. The sound of wind chimes could suddenly be heard as a slight wind seemed to blow around Rae's face. Her eyes still closed, she began to ignite a prayer. ::

"Heavenly Father, I call upon those who sit at your throne. Your agents of action. Your heralds of change. Archangel Raphael, I require your guidance."

:: Immediately she could sense Raphael by her side. The tips of his heavenly wings stroking her face as she looked upon the boy. Raphael was the archangel of healing. His name meant exactly that. Feeling his beautiful and spectral presence right beside her, she began to use her ability as a conduit and medium to channel his heavenly presence. ::

"Blessed Saint Raphael, Archangel, I beseech thee to help me in all my needs and trials of this life, as thou, through the power of God, didst restore sight and give guidance to young Tobit. I seek thine aid and intercession, that this young boy's soul be healed, his body protected from all ills, and that through divine grace..may he be made fit to dwell in the eternal Glory of God in Heaven."

:: Rae put her hands in front of her, instinctually guided by the Archangel she was channeling, the one who stood by her side and gave her strength. She may have not been the typical archetype for a good, christian woman. But it was her belief in her faith, her deep and personal relationship with her own God that gave her the ability that she had. Rae Ann believed that all pantheons were connected, that all spiritual deities and tenets were connected, they simply appeared to people however it was that immediately connected this spiritual energy to them. Some saw the Buddha, some saw Jesus and some saw the old gods. Rae saw God, and she made no apologies for it. To know Rae, was to know that God was in fact one of the greatest magick users of all. There was MAGICK in Christianity..mysticism..and Rae was somebody who had access to the ways of worship that had been long gone. As she cast out her hands, an emerald green ethereal energy began to swirl from her hands, weave itself in a pattern around the boy. The color was the signature of the healing energy of Raphael himself. ::

"Amen."

:: While Rose had put him back together, Rae knew that there was a spiritual component that would be lacking in the boy when he awoke. He had just seen that one of his only heroes was a sheep in wolf's clothing. She needed to give this boy the strength he would need in order to survive. Meeting Zach, she saw so many possibilities for Jake. She couldn't let his potential fall to the wayside. So in the room, calling upon one of the highest powers in her own faith, she HEALED the boy, not necessarily on a SOUL level, or a PHYSICAL level, but on a level that lied between. On the level that tied the two places together. The place that would allow him to get through this and come out from it stronger. ::

:: From within her pocket, she pulled out an ornate rosary with dark black beads and silver charms as she continued to pray, this time in Aramaic, the old language. She prayed over him, channeling the light, channeling the heavenly energy of the Archangel of Healing into this young boy, watching the angel's very love, his very essence bond to the boy, heal the cracks that Rose could not reach, even with her power. ::

:: After several moments, she opened her eyes, face to face with Raphael himself. He was so beautiful she could cry. She had experienced him for many years, when her ability to channel grew far beyond the mortal realm. She had worked with him many times over the years, but still, to this day, to lay eyes on such a heavenly creature, it was reverent. It gave Rae Ann pause. ::

"You will learn to thrive from this experience, my child. You will be bathed in the light of the Lord...and you will move FORWARD.."

:: This was not a spell. This was not her working magick. This was her igniting a prayer...a BLESSING upon the young boy before her, but those who could would perceive the similarities. She was no witch, but she was not without her own...CONSIDERABLE power. This boy WOULD have a full life. He WOULD find his happiness...Rae Ann would ensure that. ::

 

[Berserker]

The Hellfire Mansion – Red Rook’s Quarters

Persephone remained unconcerned about what had just happened with Haleigh. She was either incredibly confident, or incredibly stupid. Or maybe both. But she was brave, he had to give her that. And as exasperating as it was, it was also entirely sexy.

She assured him that Ava couldn’t take over again, and she allowed her to make an appearance…

The transformation was plain to see. He felt something…strange…as he watched her interaction with Haleigh. It killed him to see her so obviously hurting. He wanted to fix her. But he also knew in that moment that Ava could never come out again, not while she was at the Mansion. Because Ava couldn’t take it. Confirmation of what he had believed, right in front of his face.

And he also saw that Haleigh WOULD protect Persephone in order to protect Ava, no matter what. She could get angry, but she also had an intense amount of self-control.

He stayed silent through this exchange, but then Haleigh recalled he was there and addressed him – probably to cover the fact that her emotions had just been let out to air.

"Aww Bearclaw, no need to worry. It's just a little sisterly squabble."

"Oh yeah, she always threatens to kill me. Happens ALL the time."

He let out a low chuckle, sitting up in his seat and straightening his jacket.

“From what I’ve seen…trying to kill you is how she shows affection.”

He watched Persephone in the mirror; even all cut up she was beautiful. Or maybe because of it. She inclined that long, graceful neck, wiping the blood from it, then gave a provocative show of first her left then right thigh as she removed her daggers.

His face of concern had turned to something baser as he watched her.

"Is there anything else that needs to be said? Or may I take a shower now?"

He slid down a bit in his chair, his eyes not leaving her.

“Just make sure it’s a hot one.”

 

[Oracle]

Charope – Infirmary

Sharon was hanging on to her fury by a thread. It was a gamble, appealing to her concern for Alycia in this way, but John was pleading with her and it wasn’t working.

Sharon was SO upset, it was heartbreaking. She was feeling weak and marginalized, if Oracle had to sum it up. And then she relented.

I...okay.

Oracle followed Silver Swan down the hallway. They passed Isis, who looked like the textbook definition of “all tuckered out”.

She whispered as she passed, “Rest, my friend, you’ve certainly earned it.”

Sharon showed Zizi to the room where Alycia lay, asleep. For someone with such a large personality, there in the hospital bed, she looked so small.

Her vitals are growing stronger. She's sleeping now.

“Thank god.”

She quickly typed out on her keypad to Steel:

>>> Alycia fine. Sharon calm.

Zizi wheeled forward into the room, and gently took Alycia’s hand.

“Rest, Alycia. You’re going to be just fine. We’re all here for you.”

She quietly retreated back to the doorway and placed herself next to Sharon.

I can't stay here, Zizi. I have a PROMISE to keep. I told that traitor what I would do if she hurt my friends, and she has.

Zizi saw tears fall from Sharon’s eyes.

“Oh, Sharon.”

Zizi looked up at her with sad eyes.

I can't be a liar, Zizi. I have to show her....both of them.

Zizi clutched at Sharon’s hand as she turned to face her. Her voice was soft, soothing. There was no criticism in it, only concern.

“Listen to me, Sharon. I want to help you stop them. But you’ve just been in a hard fight with Persephone. Alycia and Zach were injured, and I know how hard that is for you to see. Rest yourself. Gain back your full strength – allow Isis to regain her strength as well. Take Steel, Matrix. Take those from the Six that you trust. Go at them at your best.”

She paused, trying to see in Sharon’s eyes if she was getting through to her.

“Don’t forget that it’s not just Black Widow and Persephone that you would be facing. Malice will be there too, and she will not give up her prizes easily. Zach, bless him, may not be seeing the situation clearly but he was right about that – if you go there and Malice takes YOU out, who will protect the innocent of this city? Like those children?”

 

[Steel]

Charope – Infirmary

"Yes, Sharon, go. Rush... now..... right into their ambush..... just like I did...... Go MURDER Haleigh and Ava...... Go slaughter our loved ones..... and get yourself killed..... or captured..... by Malice and the rest......"

Steel rolled his eyes. Did Zach WANT Sharon to kill him? Couldn’t he see he was trying to de-escalate the situation here?

What MORE proof do you NEED, ZACHARY!?

He tried to pull her focus back towards him and away from Zach.

“We’ll get them for this, I promise you, but you can’t go off there right now by yourself, yeah?”

Do you think I'M worried about ANY of those weaklings at the Hellfire Mansion!? Do you think I FEAR them?! THEY should fear ME! That's ALWAYS been that Black Widow's problem. But don't forget...I was CREATED to BRING HER DOWN! Do you think ANY of them can stop ME!?

“You can’t go off angry like this…you need to have a calm head when you go up against them. We’ll do it together, Pretty Bird. After you CALM DOWN.”

I'm NOT the woman you knew anymore, Zachary! That's ALWAYS been in the back of your mind. It's what DISGUSTS you about me. It's what disgusts ALL OF YOU!

“No, Sharon, you’re wrong, no one is disgusted by you. You are strong, and fierce, and beautiful…”

I WILL slaughter them. It's NO LESS than what they deserve!

He couldn’t get through to her. And then thankfully, Zizi arrived, and, he thought, startled her into calming down. She got Sharon to take her down the hall to see Alycia.

He breathed a sigh of relief. That had been exhausting on its own. He made sure Zach got back to his bed, then returned to the hallway. A message had come across his field of vision:

>>> ORACLE: Alycia fine. Sharon calm.

He got on the com to the folks back at the Sanctuary.

[via com]: “Steel here. Charope and Orion have been healed and are recovering. I’ll update you guys if anything changes.”

Then he pulled out his mobile, and dialed Ashley. Somewhat surprisingly, she picked up.

Ashley: “John, I am not in the mood, so just-“

“Ashley, shut your gob and just listen. Zach’s been hurt. Persephone attacked him, Alycia too. We’re at the infirmary at Charope.”

Ashley: “I told you, I’m not a part of all that anymore-“

“He’s your teammate, Ashley. You get here.”

And he hung up on her.

 

[Titan]

The Sanctuary – Monitor Room

"You know...you're a really sweet guy, Andrew. Honestly, thank you for your words. But I think the rest of the team has been doing enough making out for the both of us. I'm not gonna villainize Delilah. She's good people...like so good it's disgusting. Like she could compete with Oracle in the good person Olympics and PLACE...I just think you met her at the wrong time."

He sighed.

“Story of my life.”

"And if you need it…I'm here for you too, okay?"

“Thanks, Viv. You’re a star.”

He smiled over at her.

“Any time you want to vent about treacherous bitches, I’m here for you.”

"This team…it has some big personalities...with some deep history. I know what it's like to try and find a place for yourself, when everybody seems to be moving faster than even you, Tachyon. It's like all of a sudden you wake up, and you find yourself with people who you are supposed to be like family with...but it's like somehow they forgot you were a part of it. Like they still fuck with each other, and deeply, but you just kind of have to hold on for dear life and insert yourself when needed, but it never seems like the right time…and it never seems like anybody really WANTS to make that connection with you.."

“Zizi won’t let that happen. She wants us all to be here.”

"I'm realizing now, maybe a few of us are guilty of doing that with you guys. I just want to make the distinction NOW...before anything you might be feeling festers, before any of you are looking for the door. If it ever gets to that point, please...let me know… "

“Naw, it’ll never get to that point Viv. We’re not like your other team. Even with all this [waves his hand in the air] Dominique, Sharon, Alycia stuff. The team will be here, even if they are not, I know it. You’ll be here. And Zizi, Steel, Ashley, Zach-“

His voice broke just a little bit on Zach’s name.

“And then there’s X and me. Even Rich, when he’s being cool and not a total arse.”

"I want you guys to feel good about being here. I mean your power...it's a bit like mine. I mean...PLEASE let's get drunk in the near future and get into a pissing contest. I want to figure out where the cap of what I am able to mimic and you are able to do is, right? But you could also apply that...to the team? I mean...if you really WANTED to…You could help TRAIN us, Drew. Teach us how to do things perfectly like you. I could see you being a real asset…and if you feel like doing things that aren't Spectra related, let me know. I KNOW that we could find something good for you...you have the right amount of heart to do anything..."

“Stop it, you’re making me blush.”

He made a goofy grin, to show her he was joking.

“But seriously, you had me at drunk.”

"Sorry for almost proving Dominique's point that she thinks I think I always know best and have to teach. I just wanted to take a moment...as a teammate and friend, to tell you that I appreciate both of you, and whereas time may have been a luxury before, it isn't one now. I don't want to waste my time anymore on people if it's not going to be worth it. So let's make it worth it."

“Hey, teaching is not bad, Viv. Meanwhile, if ANYONE is a know-it-all around here, it’s Isis.”

"I don't want anybody to go through what I went through. So I won't allow it to happen. But how about we agree...right now. In this room, that we trust each other. We got each other's back...despite the stupid shit we might say or even think? Trust me, the song may say one thing but THIS ho is loyal."

He smiled and reached out his hand to Xavier and Vivica.

“Agreed.”

[via com]: “Steel here. Charope and Orion have been healed and are recovering. I’ll update you guys if anything changes.”

“Oh saints be praised.”

The amount of relief he felt surprised him – maybe there was something to this family Vivica was talking about.

But then his face fell, as he looked back at his companions.

“But how long can we go before we can’t bring somebody back?”

 

[Orion]

Charope, LLC -- The Infirmary

Sharon: They aren't OUR loved ones anymore! They have NO honor, NO decency! They have SHOWN us just how UNLOVEABLE they are, and you chose not to believe me!? After what's just HAPPENED!? What MORE proof do you NEED, ZACHARY!?

"None.... Everything I've seen so far leaves NO DOUBT..... Haleigh and Ava are under duress..... and they need our HELP."

He'd faced Persephone, and nearly been killed, there was no denying that. But there WAS something he was aware of that none of the others even asked about. It was the very reason Persephone had gotten close enough to hurt him like she had. There was no way she could have faked the emotions he sensed on arrival at Giovanni's.

<<FLASH>>

"AVA!!"

Ava: NO!! PLEASE GO.....

He called as he rushed to her, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulled her into his chest, and away from the railing. He took a sharp, deep breath and absorbed her pain, tears falling rapidly as her guilt and grief amplified his own. He shut his eyes tightly, focused on her, transitioning from taking her misery to giving her love.

Ava: I'm so sorry.... I'm so sorry....

"It's alright, it's alright, you're safe now, I've got you."

He said, guiding her away from the railing. In an instant, he sensed a disconnect, a shutoff of emotions colder than any he'd ever felt from Haleigh.

Ava: Say hello to your mama for me....

He'd gone to help Ava, and he'd felt her suffering, until Persephone snapped back and tried to kill him.

Sharon: Simon and Vivica were nearly killed. Bishop was beaten to a pulp. A CHILD is in the hospital.... YOU were nearly gutted! And ALYCIA....

"Yes.... I KNOW they are hurting us Sharon...... but please listen--"

Sharon: Do you think I'M worried about ANY of those weaklings at the Hellfire Mansion!? Do you think I FEAR them?! THEY should fear ME! That's ALWAYS been that Black Widow's problem. But don't forget...I was CREATED to BRING HER DOWN! Do you think ANY of them can stop ME!?

"I think all of them TOGETHER can stop you alone."

Steele was trying to placate Sharon, and Zizi came in and tried to talk some sense into her. Remarkably, Sharon relented. Zach was running out of steam quickly, and this time when John started to steer him back to his room, he didn't object. He wanted to see Alycia, but just trying to stand his ground against Sharon had drained him. The adrenaline and false sense of renewed strength that had carried him to this point had all but dissipated completely, and he leaned heavily on Steele as they walked back to his room.

"John, any word on Jake?"

He asked with quiet concern, praying for good news, and John gave him hope. Jake was out of the woods, and that gave Zach a great sense of relief. He still felt someone's bereavement, but the worst wave of their pain had passed. In its wake there had been anger, and now there was that sense of dull grief.

It wasn't the only pain he felt. Physically, he wasn't in very good shape. Isis had certainly done an excellent job bringing him back from near dead. He'd have to thank her for that the next time he saw her. But whatever Persephone had done to him still lingered. His scars burned, and every time he moved or inhaled it felt like the cuts were reopening. Even the light fabric of the hospital gown irritated his chest, and it had begun to cling to his skin, which was coated with perspiration. John helped him back into bed, and as he pulled the blankets up to his waist, he pulled off that awful gown and laid back, focusing on the refreshing feel of the cold air on his chest.

"Thanks, John."

Zach said, as he closed his eyes.

 

[Black Widow]

The Hellfire Club -- Red Rook's Room

Seph deflected Haleigh's gratitude with an annoyed 'whatever', and then glanced at Haleigh before turning her bitter sarcasm on Alek.

Persephone: Oh yeah, she always threatens to kill me. Happens ALL the time.

Alek: From what I’ve seen…trying to kill you is how she shows affection.

He offered a little humor to diffuse the remaining tension. Normally Haleigh would have smiled, or come up with something witty to say, but she just didn't have it in her at the moment.

She pulled in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to figure out just where the hell they were supposed to go from here. She was about to bring up her chat with Cobra, when she noticed the way the Red Knight was watching her sister. Her gaze shifted over to Persephone, who was flashing some skin.

Persephone: Is there anything else that needs to be said? Or may I take a shower now?

Alek: Just make sure it’s a hot one.

"Yeah, you know, a shower sounds REALLY great."

She replied, and two pairs of eyes landed on her. She looked at one of them, and then the other, and could tell they were both thinking the same thing. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"No, not TOGETHER."

She said in a flat tone, and then she took her leave before anything else could be said or done.

 

[Persephone]

Alek: "Just make sure it's a hot one."

Persephone's eyes landed on Alek seeing the way he was watching her. Rolling her eyes, he had been a certified asshole to her earlier, along with treating her like a child. It wasn't exactly the one two punch to land her into bed.

"Scolding."

She responded evenly.

Haleigh: "Yeah, you know, a shower sounds REALLY great."

Her eyes shifted to Haleigh, immediately thinking she meant TOGETHER. Unlike Alek's look of hope, Persephone had a look os disgust.

Haleigh: "No, not TOGETHER."

She watched Haleigh leave. Good, at least her and Haleigh were on the same page about some things. Removing her last ring, Persephone placed it next to the rest of her jewelry before glancing over at Alek. Her eyes narrowed just a bit.

"Quickly before she gets away!"

She taunted, a smirk appearing on her lips as she made her way past him.

"We both know how much you love to comfort a damsel in distress."

A jab at his efforts to help Ava before Persephone took over. Haleigh may have had a stoic exterior, but she was crumbling on the inside after the revelation of Zach and then the brief encounter with Ava. Persephone ,on the other hand, was enjoying the hell out of all of it. It was a little deranged....but sanity was overrated.